A missing Draconequus and a broken mind.

Chapters

Writing a letter (Spell checked/ updated)
Forgetting a letter (Spell checked/ updated)
Reading a letter (Spell checked/ updated)
The shadow (Spell checked/ updated)
Making a plan (Spell checked before release)
Considering cancellation (irrelevant)
Darkness is only truly broken by love. Pt1 (Spell checked before release)
Darkness is only truly broken by love. Pt2 (Edited before release)
Making a recovery and drawing closer. Formerly titled "Preparation and drawing closer" (Spell checked before publishing)

Writing a letter (Spell checked/ updated)

'Come now Discord, you can turn a town into bedlam in a day or two but you are struggling to write a damn letter.' The draconequus mentally chided himself looking at the titled parchment in front of him. He had woken for the last time this night at six am thinking his dream life was beautiful as he wandered a world with his best friend and in the confines of the optimistic dream, lover. As his brain gave him the word naturally, his heart stabbed him hard telling him exactly what it wanted. 'I know what you want and I want it as well, so just shove off or help me write this damn letter.' Scolded his heart quieted down still touching his soul with a dull need. It was the same force that had woken him from the three dreams he had of her, the first two had been enough to make him blush. Yet oddly he had simply spent time with her, cuddling on her sofa, sharing his favourite spot, walking along in the winter snow in the last one, it had felt like more to the Draconequus, made attractive than a world of chaos without even trying. He wanted her to be with him so badly. Again he stared uselessly at the paper which was his only plan to fill the urgent need in his soul.

Dear Fluttershy

I am writing to...

That was all the spirit of chaos and undefined magical power had achieved in the twenty minuets since he had written the D in Dear. He sighed again and thought of how things between him and Fluttershy had changed. He remembered tearing at her and her friends turning them against their elements to ensure the safety of his reign 'Truly a fantastic plan hu'. He cursed his talkative mind. He was on an equal power standing with Celestia and Luna combined which meant that with Mortem apparently no where to be seen he was safe as long as the little dogs of Celestia where apart. He sighed that he considered the girls that at the time. That had changed so much, regardless of their perspective on him Discord considered them all friends and felt a slight protective closeness towards all of them. Even the little dragon stand in when loyalty had abandoned. Not a patch on what he felt for Fluttershy but she had always cared far more about him than them and had been the one to give him the chances he needed. He mentally brushed such disparities away from his mind to clear room for the memories of his reformation. He had first held the concept with dispassionate bile. Gave him an excuse to torment the girls again and as he considered it 'get his chaotic roxx off.' However as he had turned Flutter's world over and over and generally caused amongst her possessions and animal friends with emphasis on that damnable rabbit he still did not have total peace with despite many efforts on his part to bridge the gap. She used her kindness and forgiving nature to creep into his heart. However she had gotten a little too far along. He didn't realise he loved her when he sided with Tirek, he just realised the aching pit of sorrow at his miss-judgement of his own priorities 'Should Tirek come back he is going to feel a lot of pain.' Spat the more violent part of his mind. He didn't realise he loved her when he played pranks on her friends. He didn't realise it when he taught Twilight his lesson in his own twisted way. He didn't even realise it when he messed up the Gala and again upset her. However as Tuesday tea between the two of them became Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday tea he found it harder and harder to not be around her, it was like part of his body and spirit was missing even his magic felt weaker. He would try and just drop in on her. However as much as she said she adored it and didn't mind he could tell he was intruding when she had other plans. He had jointly wondered how to deal with the situation and quite how she had instilled enough empathy in his unused heart to worry about her as well as himself.

*Snap*

He knew precisely what he should write. He started scratching away at the page with his oddly exact handwriting. Despite the practised nature with which he wrote his claw was shaking enough to snap two quills over the writing of the letter. He also exhausted the current ink pot which due to magic shouldn't have been possible. The ink pot had been a gift from Twilight when he had complained of constantly running out when he had to keep in touch with Celestia after his reformation. 'Wait why the hell do write with a quill and ink. Surely I could have just summoned that letter. Celestia prefers hand written but I don't think Fluttershy cares.' Discord put his lion paw to his face a that. 'I suppose she might like it more if she sees I put more heart into it.' With that discord got up and wandered through his portal Into Ponyville, he would normally take the one that Fluttershy had asked him to put in her room but he didn't want to wake her and didn't have the nerve to hand the letter over in person. He appeared on the path that connected the main town to the peaceful woods surrounded Fluttershy's cottage. It was Sunday as such Discord doubted the mare would be awake so he simply nodded a hello to some of the earliest birds who chirped a reply. 'Little curt but not to bad,' he also nodded another through the window to Angel who simply glowered. 'You will have to get used to me eventually, you little skittering rodent' Discord thought then put the letter through Fluttershy's letter box. He then lighted himself on a nearby rock from which he could see her front door and waited.

Half an hour of torment faded by for Discord as he ran his nerves ragged over and over again each time he thought he saw her window. He had at first asked himself why he was so nervous to which his wonderful mind had simply commented 'You are a freakish being who has caused her huge suffering more than once, meanwhile she is a beautiful kind mare who could get any stallion she may choose.' Realising how accurate that was, fear had then gripped him even harder than it had previously causing a nauseating series of panics some of which made Discord have to magically stop himself from getting of his rock and removing the letter from her house. After half an hour of this torture he whisked himself off back to the portal to his chaos dimension and went about distracting himself by rearranging the strange objects that could be seen through his realm into a giant picture of Fluttershy and himself and having them wander around the skies. It was quite a sceptical and Discord kept it up longer than was wise and as the constellations of himself and the mare of his dreams turned to one and other and hugged together. Discord's actual body was being heavily strained and torn at by the shear magical force of conducting such a huge amount of matter about the place. He simply couldn't allow the celestial bodies to float away braking the image of himself and Fluttershy, so he didn't. Despite the effects it had on him and the painful wear it was pushing onto his body Discord held them together until he collapsed in a heap mentally and physically exhausted.

"I love you Fluttershy" he muttered as his ruined body collapsed into sleep as they all floated away into new positions in his mismatched sky.

Forgetting a letter (Spell checked/ updated)

Sunlight flickered down from the pale blue sky through the curtains at the butter-cup mare who was until very recently peacefully sleeping. She cracked her eyes open a little then as the light assaulted her retina she closed them before groaning. She hated Sundays. Sundays where the day for her and her friends to have there weekly sleep over/ council of elements meet. Fluttershy loved every one of her friends through and through but it was the sleeping in the same room that made her uncomfortable. During flight academy any time she had a crush on any stallion Rainbow Dash would some how know. Fluttershy had been confused and assumed that either Dash was some kind of stealth unicorn/ alicorn with mind reading powers or she was a really open book. However it began to annoy the yellow mare more and more as time stretched on and Dash was there to be overly protective every time she liked a Stallion. One day Fluttershy had locked the door to their shared room and confronted Dash, Dash had been a hard nut to crack but after threatening her wonder bolts poster with a match she caved.

"You talk in your sleep Flutter." She said a little to fast with a nervous look in her eye sneaking quick glances at the burning match that was just to close for comfort to her signed precious wonder bolts poster.

Fluttershy caught the glances and guiltily lowered the match, 'I would never have actually done it, I just needed the answer and Rainbow is extremely defensive of this.' Fluttershy mentally assured herself. Then Fluttershy had a realisation. That week when she was in heat. Those dreams she had had about White Skies. 'Oh no!' With that she turned to Dash trying and abjectly failing to hide the rising pink in her cheeks. "What kind of things do I say?" As she had spoken her voice had gotten graver and quieter with each word.

"You mostly just toss and turn but often you Just repeat a name of some Stallion you keep staring at when we are supposed to be practising." Fortunately Dash being a year younger than Fluttershy she had missed the evident charge in the question. Fluttershy was fully aware that now they where grown up Dash knew exactly what sex was. All illusions of her not had been obliterated when she had been flying after a few over zealous baby birds and got a view of Dash and her "Friend" Soarin curled up in Dash's bed sheets.

Of course Dash already suspected she had feelings for the Draconequus and liked to rib her about it constantly but she had no intention of encouraging or feeding such things. A swift rhythmic tapping of soft pad on wood roused Fluttershy from her thoughts, she saw her little Angel bunny sat on her bedside table gesturing at her alarm clock. '11:15 AM!!!!!' her mind kicked into over drive with worry as she bolted from her bed practically flinging angel onto her back and then rushing off to start her rounds feeding the animals. Fluttershy had stayed up rather late as Discord had stayed until midnight, the two had been through a lot of tea given he had arrived at 3 PM. Fluttershy didn't blame him as he had respectfully asked her to prompt him to leave if he was over staying his welcome when she had decided to quickly make them an evening meal. In Fluttershy's mind Discord could live with her like he did during his reformation and the early days after before he had moved into the ever-free and it wouldn't be overstaying his welcome. She was surprised by how much she adored the Draconequus' company. She was worried there relationship would suffer even after she forgave him for the Tirek incident but outside of occasionally having to remind Discord that neither her nor the other element holders held it against him as he had been tricked and deceived and convince him that he wasn't a bad pony/ draconequus. Other than that though he seemed his chipper self again and the fun she had with him was in no way diminished even if she got an uncomfortable longing in her heart whenever he did his snake body wrap trick. Fluttershy always had to run through the reasons in her head that a relationship between her and Discord couldn't work. 'He is a god I am mortal, He is not a pony nor am I a Draconequus, He is the lord of Chaos I am an element of harmony. On the face of it those reasons are true but at the same time Fluttershy also knew he could very easily make her immortal, he could become a pony for certain situations and it wasn't his appearance she loved anyway so it didn't really make a difference and that despite the differences in personality they got along better than Fluttershy did even with the other elements. In reality it was simply that she couldn't muster the nerve to grab that smiling goat face and kiss it.

By the time she had finished her animal feeding with enough to last them the night as she wouldn't be here then, it was 25 to noon which placed her at 35 minuets late for meeting her friends at sugar cube corner. Not that it was really an alarming amount of time and her friends wouldn't be to worried for a good few hours yet but she still wanted to get there fast and relay any fears they might have had forming about her absence. She then hurriedly grabbed a blanket and a set of pyjamas and set of for the front door before noticing a letter. 'NO POST ON SUNDAYS.' Her mind yelled then she wondered what on earth brought that on. Never the less she picked up the letter and read the script on the front. In amazing eloquent hoof-writing it read. "To the most amazing mare in all of Equestria." she then noticed under it to the left bottom corner it had written. "From the desk of the Lord of Chaos." Fluttershy smiled and chucked the letter into her saddle bag, nuzzled a quick goodbye to angel who returned the gesture quickly before pushing her off and gesturing at the door. She took the hint and flew at top speed out of her house.

She glide softly through the clear skies and spotted her friends at a table out side of sugar cube corner enjoying a drink and chatting idly. They spotted her as she flew near and all bar one waved. The pink mare in abstinence from the waving leapt into the air and hugged her causing them both to fall to the ground in a pink and yellow mass of fur and feathers.

"Good to see you too pinky." Fluttershy muttered sounding a little colder than she had intended and the pink mares reaction was not what she wanted to see.

"I'm really sorry Fluttershy!!! I just saw you, and it was the first time you had been here all day!!! And you had finally gotten here and I-I"

"Don't worry Pinky it's fine, sorry I was so short with you." To prove peace she put a hoof round her pink friend. With that she turned to the whole group. "Sorry I am late girls I may have stayed awake a little too late last night."

"Oh to busy bumping uglies with Discord to get some shut eye?" Rainbow said with a sing song voice sweet enough to give most ponies stomach ache.

"No, he just decided to stay until dinner and we kept talking." Adopts smug grin. "honestly dash you shouldn't be accusing me after having had Soarin at you house for god knows how long."

Rainbow flushed bright red, "H-How did you know that" she stuttered."

"Oh darling it is rather obvious that is where you have been, I can smell the aftershave you needed my help to pick out for him last Hearth's warming." Rarity chimed.

"And I may or may not have had a fairly good view of the two of you at it on the balcony when I was trying to star-gaze the other night. Honestly Dash you must remember I don't get my vision blocked by clouds any more with the new castle." Twilight chipped looking slightly smug.

Rainbow Dash's face lost all of it's colour and is an on looker at it they might assume Discord was up to his old tricks again. 'How could I have forgotten that' she groaned and flopped fully onto the ground face in the dust when she saw non of them where are all surprised by the revelation. 'What if they think less of me for it, I haven't even outwardly told them soaring and me are dating.'

Noting the disparate look on her face apple jack put a hoof on rainbows shoulder and said. "Hay now sugar cube, we are just teasing ya. Nothing wrong with it, you are both grown ponies after all." Rainbow dash looked up and Chuckled awkwardly then turned to Fluttershy reacquiring her cockiness and surety.

"Hey at least I am with a pony," the comfortable long term friendship between Rainbow and Fluttershy meant the mare wouldn't take it seriously. That an the huge shit eating grin on Rainbow's snout.

Fluttershy just shook her head before taking a leaf out of Discords theoretical book and throwing a nearby cup-cake at Rainbow Dash which hit her icing side directly between the eyes. She watched surprise flash over her red eyes. Fluttershy was begging to feel bad about what she did until she felt a cupcake plant itself on her forehead. This initiated a bit of a food war between the two as Pinkypie back out and scampered inside.

"CUPCAKE FIGHT!!!!"yelled pinky who had somehow produced a large cannon from the doorway which the rest of the elements could see was full with cupcakes. Twilight and Rarity both opened their mouths to protest before pinky fired. The table and the mares at it where coated in icing and destroyed sponge. After a few seconds in which every pony's re opened as windows through the icing. Twilight and rarity both magically removed the icing from them whilst Apple Jack and Rainbow Dash charged the spent cannon. Before long the two and Pinky where all even more coated in icing and wrestling in it. Twilight Shook her head but grinned. Rarity freaked out over her ruined mane and started desperately making it obey her with minimal success. Fluttershy just sat and smiled at her friends. She felt happy and the letter from her favourite person was long forgotten in the bottom of her saddle bag. as the three got up and pinky quickly consumed the rest of the icing and cake. With that done they all walked back Twilights Castle where they went to the throne room.

-8-hours-later-

Fluttershy was happily seated in her comfy throne watching her friends. They had spent the vast majority of the day sitting around and talking about what had gone on in there lives since Twilight's time battle which she had informed the girls all about the week previous. Despite the fact that nothing had changed between the five of them they did seem to have less time to spend together. Between Twilight having to take on some jobs for Celestia who had briefly left the country for negotiations based on trades between Equestria and YakYakistan and had returned to be buried in work. The princes had been preparing for a slog-fest when Twilight had appeared in her chambers with intentions to catch up and hopefully find out the situation with the trade and noticed the somewhat swamped monarch could use help. Ever the keen subject Twilight had agreed to do about a third of it for her. and the fact that she was now dating the God of Death himself or Mortem as he preferred who was far from clingy but had a habit of causing a stir in royal court or surprising Twilight with a sudden planned evening together. These would often consist of a meal together and then something that only two beings with God level magic like them could do such as a walk in space. Twilight was surprised and partially relieved when last time they had just spent a night talking about junk in front of a fire. Evidently he was running out of ridiculous ideas which was probably a good thing. At the same time as that Dash had been trying to hide how close Soarin and her had gotten for a reason only known to her. Pinky's newest recipe had become the talk of Manehatten meaning she was having to spend a lot more time in the bakery and had even hired a helper called Cookie Jar. Fluttershy herself had been preparing the influx of animals she would get in spring and drawing up plans for another pet show. That and spending A LOT more time with Discord. Apple Jack was as busy as ever which was still unreasonably busy and Rarity had often been left with to much time on her hands with her friends busy so she has really stepped things up at the boutique.

Now they where all just relaxing something they all agreed was far to rare. Rarity had preened herself to perfection one again and was giving Pinky a pedicure whilst the pink mare was testing the power of a gift Discord had given her. He had made a glass appear in the colour of her coat, filled it with chocolate milk by ringing out a cotton candy cloud before quickly enchanting the whole thing to be an infinite well of chocolate milk that could only be accessed with a bendy straw the draconequus had also provided. She had been going for a good five minuets and showed no signs of slowing down as her stomach slowly expanded. Fluttershy would have been worried but knowing Pinky next time she was out of sight she would become her old self again and not realise anything had happened. Whilst this was happening Twilight was idly reading a book whilst Rainbow was arguing with Mortem about whether In-Flames was better than Dark-Tranquillity or the other way around. This had happened almost immediately when he had arrived back from observing the fruits of his training recommendations. He had barely paused his music from his headphones to say hello to the girls before Rainbow had recognised End time hearts and had sparked a conversation about music asking if he also liked In Flames thus triggering the argument. Apple Jack was just reclining relaxing and seemed to be nodding off. Fluttershy knew she was not asleep as her throne would have become a bed due to the castle predicting this event before they had started it. Speaking of which Fluttershy was feeling increasingly tired as she was not in an active conversation and by her standards it was starting to get late. Her thoughts drifted to Discord. 'Maybe I could persuade the girls to let me invite him along next week' Fluttershy considered this but decided he probably wouldn't want to as he was still not overly close with Rarity or Apple Jack and might find spending a night with them odd, Discords uncomfortable odd obviously as most pony's idea of odd was his element. She felt she was forgetting something about the draconequus but couldn't place it in her tired mind so she just fell asleep. Her throne quickly turned itself into a bed and produced a soft warm duvet which fell a few inches onto the sleeping yellow mare. Twilight was the only one who noticed and she simply smiled, She was glad to see Fluttershy wasn't feeling any worse than she did before Tirek. Twilight was also glad she was still getting on with Discord as well as before. She may have had her doubts about him and even about sending him against Tirek, however his true sorrow and watching him swallow his pride and apologise to Celestia told her he know understood friendship and had taken on a little of each of the elements. That and that the castle doors had formed tall enough that he didn't have to duck when he entered which must meed the magic of friendship trusted him. She stood up and decided to rescue her Colt-friend from her multi-chromatic friend as she seemed to be getting a little to passionate about this discussion since he had mentioned he didn't really like In Flames.

"Come on you two, everypony has their own taste and that isn't wrong or right." She chided the pair with a little friendship wisdom. Mortem appeared next to her and pulled her into a wing-embrace. She hugged him right back. Despite the fact his body was meant to kill and handle dead souls when he wanted to be he could be a real softy and very passionate.

"Right you are my dear Twilight" He said as he rubbed her face against hers. Pulling back a little he whispered into her ear "Even if In Flames are complete rubbish." With that he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Twilight leant subconsciously into the kiss and deepened it slightly. As much as both of them wanted to make it last a good amount longer they had to brake apart and Twilight remembered he had just gone against the friendship code even for a joke.

Twilight hoofed him gently in the ribs to which he pretended to be Mortally wounded and asked in an exasperated magically strained voice why Twilight would betray him like this. Both Twilight and Rainbow Giggled at this act and Rainbow decided to give him a less gentle second strike. However he was not one thing to let her inflate her head further by landing a hit so he caught it in his wing and pulled her onto the ground smirking at the slightly surprised look on her face. Twilight shook her head at the ridiculous ponies before turning to the room and saying "Okay everypony, I think it is time we at least pretended to be trying to sleep as Fluttershy has already decided to turn in. Just as she said that Apple Jacks Throne bedified itself as she had clearly fallen asleep. Reassured of her decision she magically forced the other Thrones to follow suit. She knew full well her and the other three mares wouldn't be asleep for another few hours but at least she could say she tried. She turned to Mortem and said in a low voice. "I am happy to see you, when they all fall asleep If I have kept myself awake I will come join you in our room."

Mortem smiled back at her and softly said. "The amount you sit up in that library, I think you could stay awake for a month if need be." He said this slightly wistfully before facing her and saying in a warm tone. "I am happy to be back with you Twi Hopefully by then I will be finished writing up the reports for the ball and chain." As the reports came up his voice lost its warmth and with that he walked off to his study. Twilight watched him go, she knew full well that "the ball and chain" was in reference to Celestia who would be expecting a report on his observations of the guards training and a set of suggested improvement. Him and Celestia where actually reasonable good friends, certainly better than they where when Mortem had first arrived back in Equestria but he was not one to graciously receive orders from any pony, even Celestia. She trotted over to and climbed into her throne bed and started up a conversation with Rainbow Dash about the rumours of a penultimate final daring do book. Of course the Girls knew that Daring Do was actually a real person and as such this could only mean that she was getting tired of the whole adventure racket or had finally won against her nemesis Ahuizotl. As time slipped by and was approaching midnight the remaining mares drifted off. Bar Twilight of course who simply pretended by having a relaxing lie down against her stack of pillows. Once she was sure she was the only one awake the lavender alicorn slipped out of bed and Headed to her main bedroom where Mortem was, no doubt. She opened the door and looked in, she had other plans that sleeping straight away due to the fact she hadn't actually had a complete night with him for a few weeks due to both their work getting hectic but was stuck by how much less imposing Mortem looked when he was asleep. He was in his pony form which he spent most of his time around other ponies in. Twilight has asked him to as his natural form looked like the creatures Twilight had met in Equestria high and made pretty much everyone uncomfortable at first. His mouth hung lazily open with his tongue hanging out and his main was an absolute mess. One wing sloppily flopped out from under the bed clothes occasionally fluttering a little. She smiled at the sight and slipped into bed so that he was facing her trying not to wake him. Sadly as his body didn't need to sleep and he simply did it as it was relaxing that was nearly impossible. No sooner had she reached her for blanket to grab some had it floated into the air and with a giggle she was encircled by wings and pulled to Mortems chest which she buried her her face into noticing with a slight blush that as he transformed into his as he called it "Human" form he had not summoned any bed clothes. As the transformation was complete he dropped the blanket onto them both before leaning up to the side of Twilight's horn and hissing her mane and then relaxing into sleep replacing his wings with his arms around her body as by default the transformation removed them alongside his horn.

Reading a letter (Spell checked/ updated)

Discord's mind groggily protested in vain as he was brought unwillingly back to conciseness. 'Urg, I haven't felt this bad since I got out of that statue.' Discord tried to float himself in the air and had to hold a gasp at the pain it cause. 'Scratch that, this is far worse.' Falling back onto the ground of his chaotic lawn and rising under his own steam to his feet/hooves or whatever the hay was down there. 'That felt surprisingly easy, maybe my magic just needs a rest.' As he thought that he looked up at the sky imagining the caricatures of himself and the most beautiful mare in Equestria. A little smile came back to the Draconequus as he remembered the he should have a reply to his letter by now. Then he groaned again, he had been planning to round up his letterbox before it arrived but had slept past the time that he could do that and no doubt the letter would have materialised within Norbert already. Now to find Norbert the post box. Discord wandered around the island his house resided on. He knew Norbert would be there as Norbert couldn't fly and the bridge was down but that still gave him quite a search. 'Why did I think it was a good idea to make a post box that would attempt to hide my mail from me,' Discord asked himself this question every single time he had to hunt down the living red cylinder but didn't have it even in his heart to replace the little scamp.

One day about a month after Mortem and Twilight had gotten together, Discord had tried to take Norbert to meet Fluttershy's animal friends in order to try and make his relationship with her vengeful rabbit at least an uneasy cease-fire as opposed to having to magically stop carrot, melons and even an anvil once from hitting him in the head every time he paid a visit to his friends house. It hadn't gone quite as planned. Norbert had never been to Equestria world before let alone in the middle of a crowded town like PonyVille. Discord had appeared outside sugar cube corner hoping that the walk from there to Fluttershy's cottage would tire out the post-box and make him slightly more cooperative. Norbert however had other plans it seemed. He had ran a mock, consuming at least a hundred bits worth of cake and chocolate at sugar cube corner before darting off towards the friendship castle. Discord shook his head in despair and blinked into the throne room catching the postbox with a load of books Jammed into his letter slot. Discord quickly made himself invisible as the Princess of Friendship who looked anything but friendly chased after Norbert as he ran out of the room into one of the many corridors, firing a few spells at him all of which either missed entirely or simply bounced off achieving absolutely nothing. The irritated Alicorn followed after him looking determined. As is was the morning Mortem had evidently still been asleep until now, Discord knew from his interactions with the God that he was not in any way shape or form a morning pony. He appeared in the door way as he wandered in wearing his pony form magically floating a cup of tea in front of him and intending to find out what had caused his mare friend to be running about and firing stunning spells when he was trying to wish her good morning and trying to give her tea. As he was about halfway across the room he stopped and morphed suddenly into his human body wearing nothing but a bath robe and a light grey shirt. He turned his head to the still invisible Discord in the corner and locked eyes with him. He audibly sighed and brought Lucerne into existence in his palm. Discord considered blinking away but knew Mortem would catch up with him eventually so he just stood and waited for the inevitable counter spell to his invisibility.

"Going to tell me why I didn't get to bring Twilight a cup of tea whilst she studied?" He asked after revealing the Chaos Lord. He looked annoyed but not angry. Discord knew exactly how Mortem looked when he was angry and still remembered having the boulder hit his face at something close to twice the speed of sound.

"Just thought I would drop in and bring Norbert," Discord said sweetly a little halo appearing above his head alongside a set of white robes. Mortem just looked at him with a face reading something along the lines of 'One day I am gonna hurt you a lot.' Discord caught the expression but didn't react, 'You know as well as I do brother that boulder was a lucky hit.' In truth it was but only because it was the first one Mortem had thrown, they had been at the bottom of a meteor crater so he had plenty more to cast at Discord if need be.

"Why are you here Discord, you know just ignoring whatever this "Norbert" is." He said this with a little more annoyance forming in his eyes. Mortem didn't actually have any overt dislike towards Discord since his reformation but he really enjoyed bringing Twilight a cup of tea in the mornings as she would always lean against him and nuzzle into his neck as she finished whatever part of the book she was reading. It was part of the daily cycle he and Twilight had established. He would like to say it has come about naturally but it hadn't. Twilight being Twilight she had, the day he had initiated more than a friendship, sat him down and discussed such things at great lengths. Little things like the tea where not negotiated but her spending the morning studying was before them having lunch together and spending an hour honing magical abilities together where. After this he would often have some task from Celestia and Twilight would have something similar so they would both go about that for the after-noon.

"I will have you know Norbert is a perfectly nice post-box." Discord couldn't resist the chance to annoy his brother. Mortem magicked his tea cup over to a nearby side-table near Twilights throne as he was pulled from his thoughts of how wrong that schedule had gone when they discovered they both had a hard time leaving the other one in bed alone. He then faced down to the ground, exhaled and rubbed his temples. He was about to explode at the Draconequus for his attempts to annoy him but his anger was annulled by his favourite voice in Equestria.

"Mortem have you seen a post box running around." Twilight asked him getting his attention immediately. She had lost the creature somewhere in the upper floors after giving some chase. Discord smirked, he wouldn't obey a direct order from Celestia and Luna if he disagreed with it and yet he attentively listened to Twilight at the time. "Oh Discord why are you here... Wait a minuet you wouldn't know anything about a rouge book stealing post box would you?" The tone of her voice made it evident it was a demand for an explanation as opposed to a genuine enquiry.

"I don't have the vaguest idea what you mean, Princess..." Discord replied a smug tone in his voice as the angelic circlet appeared back above his horns. He preformed a mock bow as he said the last work knowing how much it would irk Twilight who was still not a huge fan of being considered royalty. As he came back up he caught a dangerous flash in Mortems eyes and decided he could reap chaos on some less powerful ponies. Not that he would drop his mantle of course. "Norbert is a model citizen, I am sure he just forgot to check them out is all."

Twilight sighed picking up Mortem's tea cup and sipping it to calm herself. Mortem looked slightly irritated by this but held his tongue as he wasn't about to take Discord's side. "Discord, just get yourself and you little Chaotic pet out of my castle so I can get back to studying. Also Mortem aren't you supposed to be meeting my brother about new training today."

Mortem groaned audibly, "I was hoping you would forget I had agreed to that." He shook his head dejectedly. He was hoping to skip that obligation and spend time with Twilight. He had planned to send a letter to Shinning Armour with some suggestions and some excuse but apparently his better half was not going to allow that. He cringed at the incoming monotony before turning into a shards of painted paper which promptly burned to nothing. Discord mentally cringed at how overly dramatic that was, if Discord something was overly dramatic then there was a problem.

Twilight despaired for the complete lack of acceptance of responsibility of her colt-friend. 'Quite why he decided to only ever be nice to me I will never know.' After dispatching her household god of death she turned to the god of Chaos who had rudely interrupted her studying. "Go on, out. And take your damn pet with you." As she said this a broom flew over from the other side of the room and started to brush at Discords feet. Twilight didn't hold any ill feelings towards the Draconequus but she did find his antics quite annoying and had been about to get to one of her favourite bits of the day.

Without another word Discord Magically relocated Norbert to under his lion arm and flashed away. He was gonna appear at Fluttershy's cottage but instead decided to try and set things right at sugar cube corner first. After all outside of Fluttershy pinky was the most friendly of the elements towards him. He appeared in the shop and started to practice magic. He fixed the damaged doors and counter, picked up the knocked over chairs which Pinky her self was in the process of correcting. After doing so he placed a bad next to her with about three times the cost of the stolen stock and quickly said "Sorry about that." to the pink mare who was about to talk before Discord disappeared again.

Finally at his destination of Fluttershy's cottage he knocked his customary eight time in a little rhythm. A few seconds later Fluttershy opened the door and beamed at him. "Discord" she sang flying up to his neck and throwing her hooves around his neck fast enough to wind him. It had been a while since she had last seen the Draconequus and as such the timid part of her brain had taken a temporary back seat.

"G-glad to see you to Flu" coughing "ttershy" he spluttered as she released him realising what she had done in her excitement and blushed landed. She was about to appologise before noticing the creature under his arm. "Hardly fly my mixed up flank. Why I bet you could..." He stopped when he realised Fluttershy wasn't listening as was instead staring at Norbert.

"Discord what kind of creature is that?" she asked staring inquisitively at the postbox which responded by darting a tongue out of his letter box/mouth and licking Fluttershy's face to which she giggled. Discord realised she liked his weird companion so he placed him down just past her thresh hold and he proceeded to scamper up to Fluttershy licking her again. She laughed again and started to pet him. 'That is quite remarkable, a creatures appearance being strange or frightening really doesn't even begin to phase her.' Discord glanced down at his own Mismatched body and smiled. 'Much better than Twilight, why she hardly knew Norbert and she was already trying to attack him.' Fluttershy's voice brought Discord back to reality. As opposed to her normally delicate voice she sounded angry and for a second Discord's heart stopped, literally, in worry that she was angry with him.

"ANGEL BUNNY, WE DO NOT THROW THINGS AT FRIENDS." Discord was relieved to have his heart running again and noticed that there was a doorstop on the floor near where Norbert had been and he was now hiding slightly shaken looking behind Fluttershy's back legs. "It is one thing with Discord who can defend himself, It is quite another when you are throwing things at a harmless little... Creature." She eventually settled on as she had no idea what species if any discords pet belonged to. There was a fairly good chance it didn't and was just a another weird creation of his. Discord shot a smirk at the rabbit who was sulkily walking away. As soon as Fluttershy turned back to the Draconequus angel promptly gave her and Norbert the finger. However he then looked at Discord and noticed a very hostile flash in his eyes and scurried away. "Sorry about him Discord, you know how defensive he can be."

"Don't worry about it my dear Fluttershy" Discord said as he wrapped his snakelike body around her and took pleasure in there closeness. At the time he wasn't aware why he loved this so much but he still could think of nothing better than holding Fluttershy like this.

A noise nearby caught Discords attention tearing him away from his thoughts with a familiar panting. Sure enough there was Norbert near the Pool. Discord Flashed on top of him and grabbed him with a new anticipation . Norbert didn't struggle. A horrible fear set into Discords heart. 'He always struggles when he had a letter for me.' Discord's eagle talon shook as he opened the incoming mail compartment and as he saw the empty compartment he felt a cold, hard entity appear where his heart should be and felt his body course with a new darker chaos magic. Despite the power trip worth magical spike Discord felt nothing but sorrow. 'She doesn't like me, not even as a friend any more.' He clicked his fingers and appeared in an empty part of the chaotic vortex which was his home dimension. Rage filled his mind when he spotted the star that had made the light in Fluttershy's eye in his constellation. He vented some of his magical power towards it and watched it turn black and crack. It collapsed into a ball of ash, as Discords heart followed suit. Sombrely he raised his talon. "I may not be able to put myself back into a statue but this will do. Without her I don't want any freedom in Equestria." Discord looked at his pocket watch and summoned a calendar. "3:42 AM SIXTH OF FEBRUARY, FINALLY EQUESTRIA YOU GET YOUR WISH. NO MORE DISCORD." With that he clicked his talons and a grey reinforced box covered in black iron chains appeared around him. Subtly a black shadow started to creep out of the box clinging to the underside of it. The shadow crept in a sinister fashion and shook occasionally as if it was chuckling.

--7AM the same day friendship castle--

Fluttershy could hear voices as she woke from her Slumber. "Did anyone see her leave?" Said Rainbow Dash with a worried tone to her voice.

"No she was sat reading when I fell asleep I think" Replied Rarity.

"Me too" replied apple Jack.

"Me three" Pinky pie cut in.

"What is wrong girls? " Fluttershy asked finally having managed to fully wake herself up and took in stock of the room. Everything seemed fine then she noticed the problem. "Oh where's Twilight?"

"We don't know sugar cube." Stated apple jack casting her eyes about the room as if she expected to see the Alicorn hiding on one of the bookshelves.

"Here I am girls." Twilight said in a quiet voice knowing they would all realise exactly where she had been when she used the door that lead between her quarters and the throne room.

"Oh that's where you where." Said dash in a charged voice arching an eyebrow and smirking at the Blushing Alicorn. Twilight was displeased that she was about to face a ribbing for sleeping with her colt friend but she supposed she had put rainbow on the spot by revealing her balcony activities with Soarin. However she then felt something behind her that she did not expect. Mortem was walking up to her, this surprised her as normally he would refuse to get out of bed until at least 10.

"Oh nothing like that Dash, Unlike Soarin I can keep my hooves of my mare friends flanks for one night. In fact yesterday must have been hell for him." Dash faltered at Mortem's words. 'For Celestia's sake does every pony know?' Twilight dug a hoof into his ribs for teasing her friend so cruelly. Mortem smirked turned to the girls as a whole saying. "I would love to sit and chat about music and boys or whatever you get up to at these meets but Celestia had Luna tell me something is amiss by one of the portals to the Chaos Dimensions and wants me to look into it for her. I suppose I should get cracking if it is important enough to send Luna into my head." As he pulled his old paper trick Fluttershy stiffened as she remembered the letter.

"Oh no!" She said in what for her was an uncommonly loud voice, which was still fairly low by most ponies standards. She hopped out of her throne bed and dashed out of the room with intention to go and fine the Chaos god's letter.

Her friends followed her but didn't go a third as fast letting her get a big head start. When they finally found her she was staring at a scroll of paper with a few tears in her eyes and sitting deathly still. "Fluttershy what's wrong?" Twilight asked her concern evident in her voice. She Mutely turned around and gave Twilight the the Letter. As Twilights eyes travelled down the page at super-pony speeds her face fell further and further.

Dear Fluttershy

I am writing to tell you of something that has been gnawing at the heart you brought back to life for some time now. Every time we are together I cannot focus on anything and until recently I had absolutely no why this was happening. However I cast my Chaotic mind on our past experiences. How kind and patient you where when I was resisting your reformation efforts. How It made my soul feel like it was going to crack and fall away when you walked away on that uncommonly icy day at sweet apple achers. How you looked when I sided with Tirek. How you forgave me. How you tolerated my Jealous nature towards Tree your other friends. How through it all you still forgave me and helped me be a better friend to you and the girls. I am not and will never be non chaotic but being around you makes me love the ordered nature of life for its own amazing Beauty. If you would like to be more than Just a friend to me please send me a letter saying so, or if you want to stay friends please do the same. I would love to see you but I know you have to go to the friendship council meet today and you have taught me it is rude to but it as such I will give it until the end of the day for a reply by letter as you should have plenty of time. I cannot wait to here from you. I love you Fluttershy.

You Chaotic pal and infatuated admirer Discord.

"Twilight, I never replied to that letter. He must think I don't even want to be friends with him." With that Fluttershy Looked utterly Dejected and Twilight was about to put a hoof out to her before she rose her head with knew devotion shining in her tearing eyes. "We have to find him."

The shadow (Spell checked/ updated)

Discord had only been in the box for about four hours but he could already feel his sanity slipping. He had decided the best way to deal with himself was to cut off all of his senses and see what his slightly insane mind could do with him as a play thing. 'Keeps me out of the way, they'll probably make this into some kind of holiday.' There was a charged bitter edge to his voice that had not even been present before he had been reformed. He pondered this for a while having to use most of his ailing mind to get his head around it. 'I suppose before I never really cared about any pony did I? I was just on my merry old way causing chaos and messing with people.' In retrospect Discord did feel slightly guilty for braking the girls friendship, he would never admit it aloud except a doctored version maybe to Fluttershy. As he realised his thoughts had drifted back to her he slammed his paw against the wall with enough force to shatter a drakes hide. Discord never really used it much but he was actually incredibly strong when compared to ponies. Much like Mortem, Celestia and Luna he had magically strengthened muscles which meant without looking bulky he could carry huge amounts of weight without difficulty. Despite his magical power, the wall was completely unyielding and returned the blow in full shattering the bones in his paw. He winced slightly and tried to fix the bone. *Click* 'hu?' *Click* 'Come on now I have fixed worst wounds than this.' *Click*. Discord snarled audibly at the lack of progress and was surprised and a little pained to hear the bones click back into place. As muscle and tissue was forcibly moved to accommodate the set and Discord's magic did nothing to numb the pain as he wasn't expecting it. The pain would have been enough to bring tears to even Rainbow Dash but due to a combination of a lack of self care and being used to far worse injuries from his past, a wince was all he uttered. Discord was then left stunned as he looked at his lion paw. He couldn't see anything because he hadn't given himself any lights but he could sense magic seeping out in a cold clammy fashion. He examined it and felt the same coldness he had felt grip his chest at the absence of any letters. Just sensing the magic Discord could feel his mind being pulled at. He knew there was only one force that could open the box he languished in, his magic. He sent away the magic fearing if it claimed his mind he would free himself and wreak vengeful havoc.

The shadow that clung under Discords prison engorged on the new addition a did the same Sinister Chuckling. Discord could have sworn he heard that but really didn't care. He would remain in this box until he got an offer to be turned back to stone from the Elements. 'Not like any of them particularly care.' He tried to form a counter argument to what his brain sung into his ear but his normal response that Fluttershy cared and the others would come around was useless as to the Draconequus Fluttershy obviously didn't even think of him as a friend and the others hadn't really given him an inch despite the fact he had been on his best behaviour and actively trying to make friends. The Draconequus sighed and shut his eyes as they couldn't see anything anyway. 'Maybe I can get some sleep and this will all be over when I wake up.'

Friendship castle 7:15

"But Fluttershy do you even know where he would be." Twilight asked her with a reassuring hoof on her shoulder whilst the other poured over the contents of the damning letter. Non of them had offered any kind of reaction to it but Fluttershy could tell there would be questions soon.

"I have a decent idea..." she lead on hoping she could leave it but the luck in Twilight's eyes told her otherwise. She swallowed somehow embarrassed to admit it. "Mortem said there was a problem with the gates to his realm so I would say he is there..." She tried to leave off the detail again but again Twilight's gaze asked for more. "And I kinda... have one of those gates in my bedroom wardrobe." She looked to Twilight's eyes again expecting reproach and judgement. Instead she got a slightly quizzical look that simply said 'You can explain that one later.' Twilight was honestly curious, not as to why Fluttershy had a personal chaos gate. That much was obvious, her and Discord where close friends but off all places why a bedroom wardrobe. Fluttershy blushed at her friend's fairly justified assumption, there was nothing at all sexual between her and Discord. 'You wish there was' said a singsong mock up of Rainbow Dash's voice in her head, Rainbow Dash had become something of her own personal devils advocate. She would have preferred an imitation of the Lord of Chaos to be around but a close friend was better than a strangers voice. However she realised hearing Discord saying that to her would have flushed her entire face.

Twilight was trying to stop stop her mind jumping to conclusions as the logical part knew from the letter than Discord and Fluttershy weren't in a relationship but that niggling part of her mind she often had to keep silent at times like this was loudly pondering why her bedroom of all places. "Do you think we could find him in there? Even with wings it is an odd place and Discord seems to be the only one that can get around there without trouble." Thanks to Mortem, Twilight had spent some time in Discord's realm and had found constantly having to cope with gravity changing it's polarity or it simply ceasing to exist infuriating.

"He has shown me around a few times and after Celestia found out how long to mail pony who brought him his gala tickets was lost she ordered him to make it easier for ponies to navigate." Fluttershy said with new determination entering her eyes and spurring her on. "Besides knowing Discord he shouldn't be to hard to spot." They both smiled at that and where about to start discussing plans when the others finally finished reading the letter.

"Come on ya'll, we got us a stray Draconc... Dragon... Dragen... whatever he is to find." Apple Jack seemed enthusiastic to help even if she couldn't say what species Discord was. Fluttershy felt a slight twinge of sadness that despite Discords very spirited attempts to integrate with her friends he had barely made any progress. 'He did make three attempts to Destroy life as we know it.' Mind Rainbow again. 'Quiet you!!!... if that is okay with you.' Fluttershy tried and failed to be firm with her chiding mental companion.

"Draconequus" Rarity happily chipped in with slight higher than thou smile on her lips. "However... before we advance I feel one question must be answered." She looked to Fluttershy who froze as she knew exactly what was coming and was scared to answer. "If you had replied, which of the letters would you have sent?" Always the romantic, Rarity was morbidly curious about a potential relationship between Fluttershy and Discord. 'He seems a perfectly nice gentlecolt if a touch "cut throat",' Rarity considered, mentally adding air quotes around her colloquialism. She thought about how much differently the Draconequus acted to Fluttershy than literally any pony else. 'She has a greater sway of Discord than Twilight hold over Mortem and that really is saying something.' Realising this she noted a factor of approval of Fluttershy and Discord despite the differences that could cause issues. 'Then again he certainly seems flexible.' Rarity was appalled at the uncouth nature of that thought and slightly repulsed that she had just imagined Discord in that context. 'Yes best leave that to Fluttershy.' She eventually concluded settling her stirring stomach.

Whilst the gears in Rarity's head ground away Fluttershy hummed and harred over what would be best to say to her friends. 'Tell them you love his chaotic personality more than anything else in Equestria?" posed a voice in her head which seemed a friendly version of mind Rainbow. Fluttershy knew she would never have the courage to pull and impassioned speech off and so she eventually settled on a response and choked it out. "Erm... not the friendship one..." She said the last part of the sentence so quietly that if her friends weren't accustomed to her shy nature they would have missed it. Fluttershy looked to her friends. Apple Jack and Twilight had smug 'Knew it!' grins on there faces. Rarity looked genuinely happy for her and was giving her a warm if slightly overly motherly smile. This caused some elation for Fluttershy which promptly deflated and died when she looked to Rainbow Dash. The Cyan pony looked a saddening mix of sickened and disproving. Dash quickly hid her feelings when he noticed Fluttershy was watching her and felt a pang of guilt at how far friends face had fallen but was having serious trouble understanding how someone like her could love Discord. Fluttershy was feeling horrible about Dash's obvious condemnation of Discord and Her being in a relationship. In part for not having the support of her friend and in part because of what she worried Discord would do if she or any pony else tried to stop her being with him. All thoughts where erased from her mind however as she was tackled once again by her Pink Party Pony Pal.

"Are you and Discord going to be each other's special someponies?" Pinky pie asked the mare she was now pinning to the ground. She sounded excited. Without waiting for a response she bounced off and started talking far to fast. "thiscallsforapartynowaittwohmwhattocallitcongratsonfindingyourspecialsomepony/draconquus." She was going to go on about the name for some more time but fortunately ran out of air giving the others a chance to quiet her down with a swift practised interjection.

"A party sounds good." Twilight started not wanting to dampen Pinkies fire to much with what had to be said. "Right after we find Discord and talk to him." Pinky's mane still managed to deflate losing a little of it's famous form hiding volume.

However she was not excluded from when Fluttershy turned to the whole and said "Follow me" and they all rapturously agreed and followed her towards her cottage.

Chaos Realm the same time as the girls talking and Discord's lamenting

Mortem was confused looking around the Chaos realm. He had arrived directly at the Ponyville gate and could tell why Celestia was concerned. The portals weren't alive, Mortem was sure of that. This didn't stop slight worry from cropping up when he saw the portal, he couldn't shake the idea that it was dying. Normally the framing for these was a brilliant arch of silver with an undulating red surface that acted as a spacer between the two dimensions. All one needed to do was to simply walk through. However this time the silver was a dull shine-less grey and cracks ran its surface. Alongside that the intensity of the red had dipped a lot. Not to become a soft pink colour but it had almost adopted a greyish colour with a slight hint of the red it normally had. 'That's not a good sign,' Mortem adopted a pensive look and then stepped through. He turned upside over about four times before he stabilised himself. 'Glad to see that still works. After setting all that stuff up to make this place safe for ponies he could have extended them to me!.' Mortem mused getting slightly annoyed He noticed the gate on this side which was much more angular and colourful on a good day anyway. It was in a state now, fully cracked in places and very close to failing. 'Probably shouldn't let them totally collapse.' He wasn't as good at summoning things like that as Discord was but he could easily make a portal like that stay open so he shot a quick blast of magic. 'With the portals in that state I should probably be prepared.' He hadn't bothered making himself a Pony again but had dispelled Lucerne and didn't currently have his wings. As they wasn't a particularly nice thing to have around when sleeping. He put out his palm and felt the familiar weight of the halberd, it was comforting something even he needed when things where going wrong in this place. he then quickly added his pony wings to himself and started to try and have a controlled trip around this place, he relied on his wings not wanting to use any unnecessary strength on flying magic or gating about the place. He was looking mostly at this stage for Discord and decided to try his house. he figured this would be a good place to start as he evidently didn't know about the portals as there was one at Fluttershy's cottage as such he wouldn't be there. He also couldn't be in Canterlot as Celestia clearly couldn't find him as she wouldn't have asked the person who made the portals about their state if he was around. He was stumped however as the Chaos Lord wasn't at his house or his other chaos spots, the ones he had told Mortem about that is, that probably wasn't all of them. As such he was just pitching himself towards anything that looked like it was of a different vein than everything else around here. 'Hesitant to think normal or abnormal as everything around here is completely abnormal just in a different regard to almost everything else.' As he finished up distractedly thinking away to himself he noticed a hollowed and destroyed ash star. 'Now that can't be good can it,' he appeared next to the star and discovered it was nothing but ash all the way through now. 'This fits my magic more than it does Discord's. That's a really bad sign.' He was poking his way though the star when he noticed a box floating near what he recognised to be the portal that came out in Fluttershy's room. A memory of how he knew that particular gate came to his mind. He and Discord had both been ejected from whatever it was the girls had been up to. So like two reasonable, rational thinking gods. They had gotten incredibly drunk, laughed, fought and then laughed a bit more. Mortem had finally decided to go home at four am hoping he would be able to sneak into one of the guest rooms and find the cause for his exclusion in the morning. However he had been so drunk that he had taken the wrong portal and not appeared as he wanted in the main centre of ponyville. 'That really was a bad day wasn't it.' He still remembered loudly blundering through it to find the shy mare asleep. 'Less alcohol next time maybe?' queried a niggling voice. He dismissed it and was about to float over to the portal and the shadow looking box.

However the portal shook violently and he was surprised to see the girls with a rather confused looking spike in toe, the dragon was having the same issue Mortem had that the path finding magic in the place didn't work on him due to him not being a pony. Twilight noticed his plight and sent him back through the portal after a quick word. Mortem decided to see what they had planned and get a wider view if anything happened. Celestia's. The Girls had finally managed to get themselves completely stable and noticed the box floating complete with Shadowy aura and dark iron chains.. Twilight took the helm walking towards it whilst Apple Jack took the helm commenting. "How much ya'll willing to wager we'll find Discord in that that there." Her brain failed to give her the right words for the sinister cube so she simply pointed her hoof at it.

"Probably a good chance" Twilight said "Hm I wonder if..." She completely failed to continue with her pseudo-scientific assumptions about the cube in front of it as she was taken by surprise at Fluttershy dashing past her.

Fluttershy put her hooves against the cube and started calling Discords name over and over hoping for some kind of response. She didn't like the look of this cube, it looked as if Discord may be trapped or worse in there. However as she started to get more desperate in her callings. The other's on the scene noticed the shadow was creeping from what could be the best approximation of the underside of the cube. Twilight was going to warn her but couldn't quite manage to get an expression up to the right level of understanding to form a decent sentence. Fortunately Rainbow Dash had no such problems and rather in-eloquently shouted. "FLUTTERSHY WATCH OUT." Fluttershy was not an athlete by trade and had fairly poor reaction times, this was intensified as she naturally locked up with the intensity of her Friends warning. That was until she felt the cold of the shadow start to wrap around her midriff. She panicked and bolted away from the cube faster than her wings could normally carry her. This was both fortunate and unfortunate. The shadows had manifested it's self into a gigantic serpent at the loss of it's pray which was bad but Fluttershy was unharmed which was good. The serpents body only seemed partially whole, It seemed to flux in and out of existence, this effect was very rapid and writhing far down the body of the serpent. As it got near the head the head it seemed more stable. This was especially true on the fork like tongue which was pointing accusingly at Fluttershy who understandably looked rather perturbed by the experience. Twilight was still trying to figure out what that creature was when it spoke to them.

"Leave this place." The voice was cold and rough and seemed to physically hurt all that heard it. Mortem made doubly sure his lance was ready. "What, did you miss understand? Perhaps you will understand this." The serpent opened it's mouth and started to charge a bolt of dark looking energy. Twilight may not have been quick on the tongue but she was quick with magic when she realised her friends where potentially in danger. She conjured a wall of energy about halfway between the group and the serpent just as it released his shot. Twilight watched intently she needed to learn anything she could about this creature and it's magic would be a good start. The wall was hit and it broke. 'Wait how.' Wondered Twilight seriously unnerved as the bolt grew ever closer. She tried another wall and it went as well as the first. Twilight braced for impact and tried to throw up a final shield but knew she couldn't get it up in time. The six ponies closed their eyes and braced for the impact with no time to get out of the way. However the impact never came. Instead there was two simultaneous explosions from behind the group. Twilight cracked an eye open and was surprised and relieved to see Mortem standing in front of her.

He wore a full set of red plate armour, it was a similar shade to that of the blades of Lucerne which was in one of his Human hands, Alongside the armour there was a black hood and cloak which flowed somewhat like a grim knock-off of Celestia's mane. He turned to the group with a stare that melted the relief in Twilight. "STAY BACK." he then waved his empty hand towards the group and they where gently but firmly blown back. Then with volume that would make Luna double take, "DIE." He charged forward in a huge arc, each time the creature fired a bolt it was sliced in half to fly into the distance or collide with one of the weird entities that was floating about Discord's realm. He got to the serpent and unleashed a furious slice. 'No one attacks my friends and gets away with it.' He thought in reality he was just snarling. He sliced and the blade went right through. Despite being slightly concerned as he had not encountered that many times before and wasn't happy about his halberd not working but he always had elemental magic. He Threw a lightning bolt and was surprised to have it bounce back and hit him hard in the chest. The force of the blow and the complete lack of prep blew him all the way back to where the group had reformed. They all locked eyes with the serpent who sent of a few more bolts of energy which this time had lightning in the mix. All of them was split on the blade and the serpent started to coil in frustration. As it's attacks failed a snakelike grin snuck onto it's face.

The noise was hellish, Mortem had to grit his teeth against the pain it caused, he realised how much it must be bothering his friends he raised Lucerne making a barrier between them and the serpent. He could feel his magic draining and a stray crackle cut him across the face but he was succeeding in shielding them from the wave of power . "TWILIGHT GET US OUT OF HERE NOW!!" The purple Alicorn charged her magic and whipped the group out of the chaos Dimension. Twilight looked around. Spike and the other elements seemed okay but that was not shared by Mortem. As she looked to him his armour faded away and disappeared leaving his shirt and jeans behind and he fell to the floor Lucerne falling besides him before melting away into nothing.

"Mortem," she yelled aghast and ran to his side.

Making a plan (Spell checked before release)

"45 minuets my goodness, Twilight if you don't mind can I borrow Mortem one of these days do you." Twilight was slightly taken aback by the request as she always was when one of her friends spoke frankly about sex. She had assumed up until her and Flash had consummated their relationship that all her friends where virgins. Up until recently she had been right about two of them and still was about one the other though had died when she had looked through a telescope to see Dash panting for the Wonder Bolt that had mounted her. Rarity, Apple Jack and even Pinky however had all done it before her. She supposed she shouldn't have been to surprised being the latest edition to the friendship group that became the elements and was twenty when she joined them in ponyville three years ago. That stacked with the fact that the the closest in age to her ,Rainbow Dash, was twenty three at that point. It had however never struck the purple alicorn that some of her friends might have been with colts before she had come to town. That was the main reason why she was shocked at the lack of an extreme reaction when she spilled the gossip to them all at a previous weekly friendship meet that her and Flash had made that leap. Even though she knew her friends have been up to such things in the past it still never quite stuck in her brilliant mind and thus when ponies like rarity where vulgar and frank about a topic she assumed would be taboo she was still thrown for a loop.

Mortem however had no such inhibitions about his activities in the bedroom with Twilight and as such keenly cut into the conversation. "I am flattered really but no thanks rarity, killing is one thing. Infidelity is quite another." He said it with blatantly fake sweetness. He would not deny that Rarity was an attractive mare, from Ponyville to Canterlot via Manehatten, Rarity held the idealised spot light with her elegance, carved face and smooth body. Mortem didn't care about that though, he found such things slightly obnoxious especially when in a pony like her's hooves and whilst he would never shun the mare for her constant attempts at beautifying herself, he would also never have her as more than a friend because of it and the vanity it inspired. 'Twilight however, another level. Natural beauty, amazing brains and the best friend a stallion could ever ask for.' He was slightly touched by that thought and as such the sneering voice in his head decided to ruin it with, 'and as much a freak in the bedroom as you.' He cringed at the vulgarity which was not a usual thing for him as he was far from prudish but found he held Twilight in much to high a regard for such base prosaic depictions.

Twilight was utterly shaken by both Rarity asking essentially if she could sleep with her colt-friend and the fact that apparently they had. A) been going for over half an hour, 'oh how time flies when you are having fun.' And B) That her friends and old teacher had been timing and apparently discussing it freely. 'Well I suppose they could probably hear, oh god what if they keep teasing me for it when Mortem isn't around.' Such fears where a small spark in Twilight's paranoia vulnerable brain as she knew her friends may like to be mischievous at times but they would not go out of their way to upset her. Having finally processed the situation she found after exiting her bed room somewhat flushed after her antics, she decided to enquire about a slight gap in her knowledge she could use as leverage if and when they started to rib her in the future. "You where all listening in and timing us? Perverts."

All of the present company looked shiftily about bar spike who appeared to be sleeping in Celestia's lap. Twilight found that quite cute and had she not been slightly scandalised would have commented on it. She made an insistent gesture around the room demanding her question be answered until finally the Princess in Twilight's own throne spoke up. "Well we had to bring down the sound wards I put up for you occasionally to see when you had finished. Speaking of time of finishing spike here owes me twenty bits when he wakes up." Twilight looked not for the first time today in complete shock at Celestia finding it slightly hard to believe that Equestria's perfect ruler had made a bet with a baby dragon about how long his mother figure would be in bed with some pony.

Dragons where naturally greedy creatures and whilst Twilight may have raised spike correctly to be a positive character and to resist the snares of greed the mention of bits was still enough to wake him from his light stress educed slumber. "He what, seriously they kept at it for over forty minuets. What!" With that said he hopped of Celestia's lap and trudged off presumably to fetch some coins to pay off his sex betting based debts to the ruler of the lands. A silence settled slightly awkwardly as every pony waited for the dragon to return which he fortunately did fairly quickly tossing a small pouch at Celestia

"Shouldn't have bet against me little buddy." Teased Mortem apparently unaffected by the knowledge a dragon and the goddess of the sun had been betting on his sexual endurance. 'Then again he is probably slightly proud of it,' Twilight thought checking her indignation before putting on an angry mask to make the offenders squirm.

"You where betting on us?!!!" Twilight exclaimed aloud the to the present company having used the delay to sufficiently put up the act that she was stunned offended and annoyed hoping to shame her friends for the embarrassment they had caused her.

"Well we had to find some way to amuse ourselves darling, we have been waiting quite a while for you two to prise yourselves away from one and other." Rarity chimed noticing a perfect opportunity to press Twilight's mostly fake embarrassment which she was ashamed to admit was something of a guilty pleasure. "At least it isn't as bad as Apple Jack over there who was handing me ten bits after the five minuet mark." Twilight could feel her irritation building despite the outburst being an act and was lucky Mortem was taking this so well and thus lending her some of his calmness.

"T'was quite an effort to last a long time with a mare as beautiful and skilled as Twilight here but really five damn minuets minuets? what do you think I am some sixteen year old welp who's never seem a plot before?" His tone was jovial and demanding as he spoke to Apple Jack but in reality he was deadly serious, not in the defending of his honour but in the want to defend Twilight. After she had received some less than glowing reviews from Flash in the bedroom as a way to try and wound her confidence in a perverse scheme to trap her in a relationship with him. Mortem assumed as much, as to say Twilight sparkle wasn't a fantastic lover without lying could only mean Flash was a closet homosexual dreaming of some muscle bound stallion rutting him. Regardless of the bastards motives Twilight was left with some undeserved confidence issues with things like sex and for play. Whilst these may have been worked around when in a private setting between the two of them which had consisted of Mortem assuring her she was the best he had ever had by far despite having slept with a mare who's sexual performance was legend still now several centuries on. Mortem could still tell that the mare was made somewhat uncomfortable having both of their roles in the act discussed casually thus Mortem felt the need to make sure she was aware that he lasted the time he did through will power and want to please her several times as opposed to her being bad which was so far from the truth it was hard to fathom.

This seemed to work as the blush and slight lowering of Twilight's head remedied itself and she spoke with new confidence . "Anyway I feel we really should discus what you suggested earlier Princess." Twilight knew that as an alicorn and a princess herself she shouldn't really refer to Celestia as Princess any more but had always looked up to her and thus it still felt right to call her by a title of a higher station then to stick to familiarity.

Celestia groaned inside at Twilight's wording. 'For goodness sake the girl is effectively a God and has one of the biggest hands in Equestria's fate in all of history and she still thinks herself below me.' She shot a look to Mortem about such a thing which he having now alighted himself on a summoned love seat and seemed to be trying to coax the self discrediting alicorn the join him, returned with full shrug and sigh of empathy. "Twilight you and your friends really must call me Celestia, after all you have saved my hide and the rest of Equestria more times than I care to admit. However you are right we must form some kind of plan to defeat this serpent, if a creature like that gets to Equestria we are going to have a much bigger problem to deal with very quickly."

Twilight had finally noticed Mortem gesturing for her to sit beside him and as such completely missed the Princess beseeching her for a more down to earth point of reference only resurfacing to the discussion at the mention of the serpent creature. "It at least seems to be confined there for the moment Princess but you are right we need to know how to defeat it. The elements maybe?" Twilight leaned non intentionally against Mortem who in turn leaned against the slate arm of his own custom built sofa. It was truly a weird creation that Twilight had seen may a time before whenever he needed a chair. It was a solid black steel frame with Slate sides and arm rests alongside a deep fluffy purple padded pair of seats that fit them both together as well as the colour fit Twilight's fur which she was almost sure was on purpose.

Celestia's felt a certain numbing in her head when Twilight called her "Princess," which could only be compared to the morning after the day when her and Discord had tried and completely failed to drink Mortem under the table centuries and centuries ago to see if they could get some social-blackmail material. Celestia and Discord where not big fans of the poison however Mortem taking full advantage of being impervious to the health denigrating effects of heavy drinking was partial to dropping into random bars under heavy disguise and flooding the room, and his stomach, with the strongest alcohol the region had to boast about. Thanks to this his tolerance was far higher than both of Discord and Celestia's put together so despite downing over twice what the two managed together he had only been a little merry whilst both of the other gods where completely and utterly beyond their right state of mind. Celestia decided not to dwell on the embarrassment of her drunken attempts at Discord related debauchery which had taken some serious covering up so addressed Twilight and Mortem frankly. "Twilight it is Celestia, not Princess. Anyway I need to know everything all of you know about the creature you encountered."

The mood in the room visibly hardened as the discussion and procrastination came to its inevitable conclusion. Fluttershy looked as if she wanted to speak up but wasn't sure if she should or not. Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Rarity all sat quietly having nothing to say that they weren't sure Twilight would say far better. Both Twilight and Mortem readied to speak and caught each others intentions, a few quick looks past between the two of them and Mortem relaxed allowing Twilight to speak first, bowing the the voice he respected above his own. "It was a serpent like creature in appearance but seemed to be made of some kind of living umbra-magic. It could control a huge amount of power enough to over come even my strongest ward." Twilight was slightly ashamed to admit to the pony that had thought her magic that her much doubted and praised magical talent had been defeated.

Mortem could sense exactly what Twilight could feel and knew how much she hated to fail especially when Celestia was involved so he quickly cut in. "The magic was on a level above even you and me, Celestia. If I didn't have Lucerne to brake the spells and empower myself their is no doubt. I could not have stopped the creatures attacks." Mortem hoped that this would repair any hits that the confidence of the incredible mare had wrongfully taken. In truth Mortem was slightly concerned about how much of his energy had been used in vain during the fight, outside of maybe Discord a few time he had never put that much effort into attacking another creature and to have it make as little effect as a child with a wooden sword might have against a royal guard was disconcerting especially when his back up attack, the lightning bolt had only served to empower it.

"Well if that is true we may need the elements to defeat this creature." Celestia looked pensive for a while as she considered what options she had at her disposal. "Can you tell me anything about it that might allow us to understand it?" The reaction was much the same as Celestia's last question with Fluttershy fidgeting even more than before.

"It could speak, it wasn't very expressive or enthusiastic to do anything outside of get rid of us but it did speak to us." Twilight was trying to wrap her head around that strange sand paper like voice having sworn she had heard it before.

"Hm... If it is sentient maybe we can reason with it." Celestia was incline to use diplomacy before risking any pony's life fighting against such a potentially powerful foe.

"Doubt it." Mortem jumped back into the conversation without mirth. He may have been cocky and slightly overly self assured but he could tell that the times for jokes and causality was gone and they needed to find some kind of plan. "If only we had seen something like this before or knew anything about it's origin. Nothing like it in hell to my knowledge." Mortem had a reasonably good idea what their was in his own plane even if he despised spending much of his time there since his return to Equestria. He had chosen his words carefully as he could tell by the quieter than her normal quietness from Fluttershy that the pegasus had something that she needed to say and couldn't find the bottle to do it.

"Nor has anything like that lived in Equestria as far as either I or Luna know. It could potentially originate from the dimension but only Discord is an authority on that place and as it is directing everyone away from where he likely is we cannot seek help from him." Celestia much like her sister only to a lesser extent had an archaic way of speaking which often lead to her over-wording things and failing to leave the obvious to be filled in by the people she was talking to. Mortem knew this came from the older forms of the pony language which had naturally evolved under her as she had been in charge for longer than ponies have realised the concept of years. Mortem also saw how patronising by today's standards it came off as and was sure if she was not as well beloved and unconditionally respected by her subjects as she was she would have been given much more abuse for it over the aeons.

Fluttershy was squirming within her own head at both the situation and Mortem's wording which she had no doubt was deliberate. Part of her knew she needed to reveal what she knew for the good of Equestria and possibly Discord but at the same time she was reluctant to connect both the serpent and Discord as he had a rocky reputation as a newly reformed good-guy and she doubted it would do any favours to his public image if word got out that he could summon immortal chaos monsters that came fairly close to destroying both the elements and the spirit of death. She was determined that she would be subtle in revealing what she knew to take Discord as far as possible from the grey light of blame.

Unfortunately for Fluttershy Twilight had noticed her repression and figured she knew something about this creature and was hiding it for some pony's sake. 'Discord's no doubt, we really need that information if we are going to deal with this thing.' As much as Twilight hated the pressure this would inevitably put on Fluttershy she needed to press her sooner rather than later if they where to safely deal with enemy. Promising to feel guilty about it later she locked eyes with the mare, "Fluttershy you know Discord well, very well. Do you know anything we might not about that serpent." The guilt she had promised set itself in pushing on her mind for some breathing room as she saw panic and fear fill the mare's eyes.

'Oh no.' Was all that Fluttershy's mind could manage, she supposed she knew that Twilight would think to question her about it eventually but it didn't make having to potentially condemn the creature she loved any easier. Especially when she could feel Celestia and Mortem's even gazes on her being blocked by the pink shield of her mane. "Erm... maybe..." Everyone watched intently hoping she would actually say something but where sadly disappointed by the complete lack of an actual sentence.

"Fluttershy you need to tell us sugar cube, we can't save Discord otherwise." Apple Jack decided she should speak up to the mare due to the fact that she was likely the most intimidating of them all and was the embodiment of genuineness and honesty. As much as she knew what she said was necessary it wasn't forced. Neither her or any of the other Elements of Harmony had ever made it known but they did all care somewhat about Discord, not as much as Fluttershy who wore her care for the Draconequus on her hooves and was bar a stormy association with Mortem was his only outward friend. Apple Jack hadn't realised how counter to the idea of the elements that was and felt a slight guilt make its bed in her heart. She was not aware but all of the other elements felt the same effect at her words partially surrendering themselves to scornful self reflection.

Fluttershy was glad to here that some pony other than her cared about what happened to Discord and wanted to save him as more than just a duty to Fluttershy herself. This however did little to relax her trepidation about what she had to say but she was at least able to force out the memory.

After the conclusion of the Tirek incident she had invited Discord to her house for some tea hoping that she could clear out some of the rather obvious tension between the two of them. Discord had happily accepted the invitation but could tell he was faking the relaxed appearance he had regained after being forgiven. When they had gotten to her house Fluttershy let her assertiveness of its leash somewhat and shoved Discord bodily onto her sofa before sitting on top of him and locking eyes with him.

"We all forgive you Discord." She had sounded a tad more stern than she had intended and noticed the flinch in the Chaos Lord's eyes. Fluttershy dropped her voice to a softer tone and looked with as much warmth as she could summon to the Draconequus. "So you can stop pretending and tell me what is wrong." Fluttershy was not entirely sure what she was expecting in terms of a reaction from her friend, a steadfast and stoic denial or a simple pass off maybe. She was not even considering the one she got.

Discord quickly wrapped himself around Fluttershy holding her closely to him and sat what felt to Fluttershy, completely still his neck reaching his head over her shoulders to near the point where her wings joined her body. "Oh Fluttershy I am so sorry." Discord wasn't sobbing or shifting at all but Fluttershy could tell from his voice and the tears falling onto her and dampening the fur of her back that he was crying heavily and felt her heart grow heavy at that.

Fluttershy had to reassure him and could only think of one thing to say. "It's okay Discord, you realised your mistake and we forgive you for it." Her voice was complete with a level of tender love that only the element of kindness would be able to create without any kind of magic. Fluttershy was in truth slightly surprised and worried by how much the Draconequus was hurting due to his mistake. She knew her friend to be emotional when he was happy or content but she had never seen Discord either furious or desperately sad like now and was worried he would fall into the trap of self hate. Fluttershy had spent to long on that road before she had met her personal knight with Rainbow hair and under her leg fur she had scars to prove it so wanted to keep Discord out of that water as much as possible.

Despite the good feeling the voice brought him and the fantastic comfort the body against his gave, Discord still did not feel a glimmer of true happiness."But it isn't is it Fluttershy, I knew I would fall to his temptations as much as I tried to stab him in the back. That's why I gave you girls the marked diary hoping whatever was in that chest would be able to stop both me and him." Discord actually did start to lightly sob, anything greater would have caused Fluttershy some great discomfort due to the fact he was wrapped around her like a loving if emotionally unstable boa constrictor.

Fluttershy was taken aback by what Discord had said. She did not know the order of events from both her own and Discord's perspective so wasn't sure when exactly he had turned on them but was surprised to hear his treachery was originally a plan to be able to strike Tirek from the shadows at a more adventitious time. Fluttershy to be honest didn't care when Discord had turned she only wanted the genuinely sorry and repenting creature that currently was crying in her embrace to be happy again. "Discord, Dissy. I know what you did was wrong but you where tricked. Tirek played on your insecurities and fears going after the fact that you don't have much experience in Friendship and didn't know how much it could hurt to turn on those that matter to you. Even if you did something bad you learned from it and I trust you will never turn against me again." Fluttershy honestly believed what she said to him. She would never admit it to anyone but she was slightly annoyed with Celestia for sending Discord against someone she knew to be manipulative and evil all on his own. As much as she resented the disastrous decision of her ruler she could see that this time Discord's reformation was genuine and complete with little to no chance of him ever siding with a threat again.

Discord was greatly moved by her words and could find nothing to say that would match the brilliance of the mare he held close to him. One word in particular was bouncing about his head, "Dissy." Discord couldn't remember anyone, not even Mortem in Discord's pre evil and pre statue days calling him that. He absolutely loved it and was so glad it was Fluttershy who choose it as her pet name for him. Feeling slightly better thanks to the words of Kindness Discord relaxed which in turn caused Fluttershy to relax and they both realised just how tired they where. "Thank you Fluttershy, you really do deserve to be the elements of kindness. I don't deserve the chance you are giving me but I will not squander it." With that they had broken into a normal conversation that Fluttershy skipped telling as it wasn't to relevant to stopping the serpent and they had enough context from that already.

In her retelling Fluttershy had woken up to Discord who only had his arms and not his whole body around her quietly crying and fidgeting in his sleep. Fluttershy was next struck by how cold she was, she was sat in what felt like a physical shadow and it was chilling her so much she had awoken. She tried to turn on a light to cast the shadows away but found that the cold remained. She knew Discord would have a better chance against whatever was happening and she also needed to wake him from the nightmare. "Discord," she whispered into the cold as she placed her hooves on his chest and started to shake him slightly. Fluttershy had intended to wake him up but instead saw that she had only managed to alter his dream as the tears stopped alongside the fidgeting as a happy smile set itself on his face. Fluttershy was about to try again to wake him but instead felt the cold being knocked away radiating warmth from the smile on his face. Fluttershy knew she aught to ask him about that but with the new warmth and having a sleeping Discord to use as a bed she couldn't hold off sleep for long. She then ashamedly admitted that she hadn't had the bottle to ask about it when they woke up in each others arms the next day.

Finished retelling the events Fluttershy noticed all eyes where on her and was especially worried by Mortem's. He looked pensive and self absorbed, the normal carefree peace that he carried himself with was replaced entirely with an expression that was rare. Twilight was also worried by his actions, whilst she doubted her was liable to attack anyone here she had only seen that look used on Flash once before Mortem had hurt him very badly. Both where surprised when the expression faded to one of slight realisation and he spoke up. "Sounds like Discord's had his heart broken."

There was an audible silence in the room to the extent that had a pin dropped every pony would have made rapturous applause at the small spikes performance just to alleviate the tension that drew the room like hide on a tanning rack.

Finally after almost a minuet of the deafening silence Celestia took the helm conversing as it became clear no pony else would and Fluttershy looked close to tears. "Well then if we are going to beat this creature we are going to need Discord back." Celestia felt as if she was stating the obvious but needed it as a sentence starter for the actual identified crux of the issue. "Now we just need to figure out how to get Discord out of that box. Assuming he is in there which seems like a safe bet." Every pony including Spike and Mortem looked around to the others for suggestions except Twilight who was sat looking as if she was trying to work something out.

Twilight had an idea but needed to be sure it would work as it would be risky and disastrous if it didn't work. "Mortem, you said nothing could stop that magic, how literal where you being." She had her curt at work voice and demanded a snappy answer. Mortem was familiar with this Twilight and he saw it most commonly when he was forced to rouse her from her studies.

"It was just an expression but considering even Lucerne couldn't stop it outright and only divert it there is a decent chance I was right." Again Twilight fell into a pensive silence.

"After you used lightning on it, was it just me or did it's attacks start to incorporate lightning?"

"It did, I could feel the extra power when I was defending."

Twilight looked as if she had had a small Eureka moment. She quickly seemed to run through a mass amount of calculations in her head before a slightly worried look dropped itself onto her face. "Mortem... would you fight for me if I had a really stupid but potentially brilliant idea."

Mortem was thrown off by that question, he had once told her directly after he had made a pledge to defend Equestria upon his return that he would fight for her sooner than Equestria's throne and even against the latter if need be. He failed however to see the significance to this issue, he had fought the serpent before and lost nearly dying in the process. "I wasn't lying when I said I was your sword Twi however as much as I doubt you have a stupid idea as you never do 'stupid but potentially brilliant' does have me worried." In reality he wasn't worried just unenthused. Twilight would never feel the need to bend his arm like that if she wasn't about to ask him to do something she knew he wouldn't like.

"I want you to give that thing your death magic." Again the pin was waiting in the wings for potential tension spurred adoration. The silence was so thick Discord probably would have literally cut into it with a knife and tried to eat it if he where here.

"You want me to do what?" Mortem finally said, his tone was even and whilst it did not hold any aggression it was somewhat intimidating.

Twilight forced herself not to flinch at the implied scorn. "I know it sounds crazy but think about it like this, the creature already has a lot of power from Discord so much so that once it got your lighting magic it was able to defeat you. If you handed it a lot of your power and then we baited to attack the cube it could brake it open and then you, Discord and the elements would be enough to defeat it." Twilight left off starting to doubt weather this was actually a sane idea or if stress and constant disregard of her mental well being during long study binges had finally taken it's toll and caused something to brake in her mind.

"And if it doesn't work or afterwards we cannot stop it?" The same level tone but Twilight could sense something more and was inspired to answer truthfully.

"It will become unstoppably powerful, likely escape the Chaos Dimension and destroy all of Equestria laying waste to any pony who tried to stand in it's way." Twilight finished the grim note and there was again for the third time a tense silence. A pin did drop this time but it made no noise as it fell from Rarities pocket outfit repair kit onto the seat with her and as such earned non of the potential adoration.

Finally with all eyes on him Mortem smiled wide and said with a much happier tone. "That is the most ridiculous suggestion I have ever herd..." Twilight started to hurt over the insult and Mortem got a few angry looks when the others noticed this so he decided to finish his sentence. "And that is exactly why it will work." Twilight met his eyes and smiled back to him glad he wouldn't need to be cajoled into the idea which was the only potential solution they had at this stage.

Considering cancellation (irrelevant)

I am not cancelling anything, I was for a time considering it but that is not happening any more. Move along

Darkness is only truly broken by love. Pt1 (Spell checked before release)

Little stars played before his eyes. A dancing quilt of sequins one moment and the shimmering surface of a water pool on a quiet clear night the next. For most the sight would have been magical and entrancing with its sublime intricacy and regular beauty. Unfortunately sublime beauty and slow crashing elegance was naught but a hindrance to the eyes these visions fell to. Discord had been sat in isolation for over twenty hours and already the slightly mad mind, which was natural for a being of his influence and age, was tormenting him with visions he, alone could never enjoy. The Draconequus could only take any pleasure from one thought and that was how a soul he knew would enjoy such complete order and majesty. "Fluttershy did always love the night," the god realised his mistake to late and the images where ripped away.

The minds trick was not simply to show him great sights he could take no stock in. It was to force him to think of her then change things up keeping him on a precipice of the shadows that bowed at happiness' feet. Now the canvas of space around Discord turned a cruel fiery red. Flames lapped at his whithering body and the air around him became aggressive, scratching his throat and lungs which warred back with a dark mantra of regeneration which again inflicted more and more pain on the already tortured soul. "I can take this without difficulty darkness, take whatever form you want nothing from my mistaken past can harm me." A sensation brushed the air around the Chaos god which could only be considered as the oppressive, malevolent darkness which hid behind a mask of burning pain tilting its head in thought.

Again the scene shifted placing the Draconequus in a pool of radiance, the light touched his damaged body in a reassuring and comforting way, torture for a being built around personal discomfort. A sound started up to most ears one of reassurance and majesty speaking of comfort and security. To the Draconequus it only droned in a particularly unfortunate dry fashion lending it something of a maddening quality. The voice was familiar and outwardly detested with a similar intensity to the inward appreciation and approval Discord held for it. "Gotta up your game, I am a god. The Chaos god to be specific, gonna take more than that to brake me." The voice was strong but quiet with a slight waver showing that in reality regardless of the bluster of the speaker, cracks where already all to apparent. The image again went blank and dark as the air convulsed with malice stained mirth.

Finally having exhausted its provisional tormenting the presence that occupied the space with the Draconequus used its most awful, terrible card. Comfort and power flowed into Discord warming his body just as quickly as a creeping sense of dread filled realisation slithered around him. he knew exactly what the dark was doing. The image solidified presenting him with what he feared it would, a quiet meadow. A smooth warm pleasant wave of breeze slid peacefully past the Draconequus chilling his blood to a viscous uncomfortable consistency causing it to start to stick in his veins causing slight spots of deep agony to blaze into life in his body. Eyes darted nervously around the tranquil peaceful field of sweet smelling grass and blossoming trees. Finally locking onto what they hoped to not see. A pony far in the distance only precipitable as the yellow of her coat shone out against the vibrant green of grass and blue of the sky that was down to about half her body as she was already going over the horizon. Discord watched completely helpless as the light of his entire life walked out of his sight.

Finally having completed their labour the images snapped away to leave the Draconequus to be alone, the crushing dark served to remind him why he was sat subjected to these visions. "She doesn't care," the voice was mournful and sure and would have struck a lyrical and harmonious sound signalling the creatures complete descent had the wall of his self imposed imprisonment not exploded into a cloud of dust.

Castle Friendship five minuets after the end of the last chapter.

Mortem and Twilight where alone in their shared study. Originally Mortem had inhabited the study next door which was far smaller and much less warmly decorated, this had lasted about a week after him and the purple mare next to him had embraced their feelings for one and other.

Glorious Flashback

Twilight opened the door to her castle hoping to be able to settle with a good book after a rigorous day of traipsing about helping ponies who needed legal advice. This was one of many duties to the town Twilight had adopted, normally Mortem worked alongside her as it was the only Equestria serving work Celestia could get him to do without serious argument but as he had something of a reputation for constantly going against Equestrian law and simply sticking to a policy of not hurting anyone, specific legal guidance was no a topic Twilight wanted him commenting on. As a result she had allowed him to simply go about his own business for the day, relying on Spike, her loyal, capable and willing dragon assistant/ surrogate brother, for help. The Dragon is question followed her in and informed her he would go and make some tea walking away into the kitchen. Later Spike became somewhat annoyed by the fact he was unable to locate the tea pot.

Twilight thanked him and gave him a brief hug to show her appreciation before ascending the crystal stairs towards her study. She rounded the corner gradually and was surprised to see her tea-pot sitting full and steaming on her desk alongside a cup and saucer which in turn was next to an abandoned saucer. 'Looks like Mortem beat spike to it some how.' Twilight was about to go to his study and thank him for the tea when she noticed him sat on a strange but familiar love seat which was placed against one of the bookshelves towards the back of the big rectangular room. Twilight was intrigued as to why he was in her study as opposed to his own which he had personally furnished and stocked when he had been sent to the castle by Princess Celestia.

Twilight was winding up to speak a greeting and likely question his location but was beaten to the punch. "Hello Twi. grab a cup of tea, one and five eights sugar already in the cup just how you like." His voice was its normal self but with something of a warmer softer quality thanks to the joint efforts of the room's acoustic deadening due to the books and carpets alongside the rare warmth of his heart now that the mare he loved was back and giving him her cute confused but happy look.

"Thanks Mortem." Twilight returned with equal warmth moving over to the tea pot and starting to magically pour it out. "Why are you in here not your study?" Twilight didn't want Mortem to think she was upset with him as she honestly wasn't so she made her voice curious over demanding finding it lent a certain measure of youth to her words.

Mortem considered how to answer that question. 'I know we have only been a thing for a week but the fact this room matches you to a tee makes it infinitely comfortable.' That was the actual justification the Mortem's mind gave him but he figured saying such a thing would be a somewhat awkward and unacceptable as he didn't want to seem clingy and potential hurt Twilight's perception of him. However as he locked eyes with the mare the sheer force of happiness and love he felt told him that maybe a little romantic cheese would be a good idea. (Writer chuckles to himself as a new story idea flourishes in his mind from that phrase.) "Well Twi..." awkwardness caught him in his grasp and he had to look away to say something as cringe worthily sweet as he was about to. "This room is so you... The soft furniture, the subtle beauty of the design which reflects you so well and reflecting your brilliant mind is the absolutely ungodly magnitude of perfectly ordered books." Realising he was babbling and flushing slightly, Mortem pulled himself back on track. "What I mean is the place represents you to me which makes it a really nice place to be..." He stopped again and tried to give Twilight an innocent look hoping he would not be ridiculed as whilst he was normally a completely out and out pony, the idea of being reproached by Twilight in all seriousness was something he hated enough to make his throat stick.

Twilight found herself slightly touched by the awkward but effective endearing sentiment that Mortem's words left. Finally having filled her cup she lifted it off the desk surface and floated it alongside her as she made her way the the stallion she loved. She rested the cup on the slate arm rest of the empty side of the seat built for two and settled next to him leaning some of her weight against him. His arm quickly flew from the book he had been reading previously and slung itself comfortably around her soft shoulders settling on her lower barrel. "Well in that case Mortem." Twilight paused taking a sip of the tea which she noticed was at the perfect temperature for drinking. "I would be more than happy to sit with you whilst we both study. I am sure I will enjoy your company." She had during the process of sitting next to and leaning into him broken from his gaze so she now rejoined it picking up a rueful smile as she continued. "Just so long as keep the tea flowing and cuddle me quietly." Her tone was more jovial than before and a contented small smile flourished on her colt-friend's lips.

Mortem may have been awkward with expressing his passion for the amazing mare besides him verbally but physically he was much more confident, he leant into the her gently kissing the base of her ear. "Of course my dear, wouldn't dream of distracting you." His voice was quiet but suggestively edged in such a manor that reflected the fact that on occasion he would distract her. Not in a manor either of them objected to of course. With that he also sipped at his tea and the two fell into conversation about the very busy day Twilight was recovering from.

Back in the presence that love seat was not the home of them at this point despite being in that same room. Twilight and Mortem where stood drawing up blocking plans for how they would hoodwink the serpent into attacking what it guarded zealously. Twilight had initially planned to use herself as bait due to the fact that after giving his main magical power Mortem would be weakened and as such shouldn't be using magic on something such as a teleporting out of the way of high velocity hostile magic. Mortem had however heard non of it proclaiming even weakened he could dodge sufficiently and would be perfectly capable of drawing the creatures fire onto the box. He backed this argument with the fact that Twilight had never been on a battle field let alone survived facing down a vanguard alone as such he should be doing the more dangerous role. Twilight didn't like the idea of sending Mortem into the fray again as he had gotten badly hurt before but had to bow to his experience in the end.

"And with Discord back we will reassemble, activate the elements power and kick that sucker into oblivion right?" Rainbow Dash cut into Twilight's very calm and level explanation of the plan of action which after completing them her and Mortem had delivered. No one could see it but a vein pulsed harder than normal for a second on one of Mortem's temples as he cringed slightly at how much the complex process of the magical fight that would occur was dumbed down by the pegasus.

"Essentially yes." Twilight replied handling her friends enthusiasm far better than Mortem had. Twilight looked around at her group hoping that they would all be okay. She noticed that they all looked sure with two exceptions, the first being Fluttershy who looked so off from her normal placid/ passive self it was slightly eerie. She was standing strong determination in her eyes knowing full we that they needed to do this to save the draconequus she loved. The second exception was Celestia who wore and unbearable expression and was readying to speak.

"I feel you are forgetting me, Twilight." Her voice showed no emotion at all, in reality she was slightly peeved that she would be left out by her trusted student when high level magical power was the subject. "Me and my sister have the same amount of power together and Discord and Mortem do alone. You are going to need as much help as you can so we are coming with you." She looked towards Twilight and Mortem, Twilight was readying her counterargument whilst Mortem seemed to be indicating through his gaze that he agreed with Celestia. As a direct result she shot him a somewhat pleading glance hoping to win him to her corner in the debate that was doubtless to ensue.

"But Princess, you and Luna are needed here, if something goes wrong we can't lose..." Twilight paused slightly appauled at the situation she was envisioning so she changed the tone of her words. "someone has to run Equestria." Twilight had written the Princess out of her plan for this reason not wanting to risk any more than necessary. It also stemmed from the fact that whilst Luna and Celestia where powerful both abstained for violence whenever possible and as such Twilight didn't want them in a situation where they may be hindered by inexperience. Not only that she disliked the idea of two gods of their level potentially crossing let alone four.

Twilight was ready for whatever reply she got as she could see it building behind the sun goddess' eyes but was surprised when Fluttershy spoke up. "The Princess is right Twilight, you have seen how powerful that serpent is. The more powerful allies we have on our side the better." The normal quietness was diminished but the softness was not which gave her voice something of an angelic property. Fluttershy was stood upright and had been trying to make herself sound more authoritative as she was determined that if their was some pony that could help bring Discord back, they would help.

Twilight was slightly taken aback that apparently she was lone in her stance on this and decided to look to the person who had co-written the plans with her for support. She met his eyes and he gave her a slightly sorry look before speaking. "Sorry Twi, they're right. I am going to be weak after transferring my power and baiting out an attack. I am going to have to defend as well after the fact, we need as much help as we can get." He sounded sure and Twilight wondered why he had not raised this before. She decided it likely had something to do with him not wanting to outwardly seek assistance due to pride.

"Fine." Twilight snapped unintentionally in the direction of the Princess instantly feeling like a horrible pony. "Sorry Princ- Celestia. I shouldn't have doubted you, how fast can Luna be here?" Twilight was mentally adjusting her plans and trying to find what she could have the royal sisters do in the time it would take for them to get Discord out of the box once it was open. She realised this was actually a fantastic idea as that way a power drained Mortem didn't have do bait the creature as Twilight knew he wouldn't argue that the Princess's couldn't handle it between them.

"This fast." Said a familiarly dreamlike voice from close behind the purple Alicorn who started turning quickly about to see the Princess of the Night standing there apparently having just appeared in the conversation. Her main was flowing slightly faster than usual and her coat gleamed, it was evident she had been practising magic for a while since her return and Twilight could almost feel the power coming off of her.

"Hello Luna." Mortem's voice was completely dead, not in a hostile way to suggest any kind of ill feeling towards her but dead as if the situation directly inhibited his emotions. Twilight new exactly why his voice was like that, she had been told the story of how close the two had been around the time she turned into Nightmare Moon. She knew how Luna's imprisonment on the moon and fall to madness had caused Mortem enough pain to have him abandon Equestria for just over a millennium. Since he had returned him and Luna had seldom talked due to the doubtless awkwardness that reigned between them. (Finally got a horse pun in there.)

"Hello Mortem." The same muted tone rang out of her which evaporated completely when she turned to Twilight. Alongside the shift in tone she also noticeably brightened with a friendly smile. "And hello Twilight Sparkle, we have been told of you situation and we are more than happy to assist." Twilight was still not entirely comfortable with taking both of Equestria's rulers into combat that could potentially lead to both of their death's but had to admit that having them along would increase the odds of success dramatically and took a lot of the danger away from Mortem who would be to weak to protect himself.

"Good evening Princess Luna." Twilight finally said having found her voice again, she may have been finally coming around to calling Celestia by her name but wasn't as familiar with Luna even if she was on good terms with her. She instantly regretted it when she saw the slight irritation in Luna's eyes and expected to be told not to call her by that name again.

"Please Twilight call me Luna, we have been through a lot together. Far to much for formalities, in fact that goes for all of you." Luna had previously with the help of most of the present company gotten over a crippling personal tormenting issue and as such felt that those around her shouldn't feel below her in any way. With that said she shot them all a warm look before quickly turning back to the mare she was talking to. "We don't know if you have planned when to leave but we feel after dawn would be best. Gives us the most time before either ourself or Celestia will be needed here in Equestria."

Twilight hadn't considered that and she left slightly foolish for it. 'The couldn't take a whole day surely,' argued her inner rational voice but at the same time she knew that their was nothing wrong with being even more prepared in case something did go wrong. Twilight realised she had not considered the rule she had previously lived by in her student days and mentally checked herself before replying. "Good point, now that you and Celestia are coming it should give every pony else time to rest up whilst I make all necessary alterations to the plans." Twilight would like some sleep herself but felt, as the plans where in need of updating thanks to her over-sight, it should be her that does it. In truth she knew it was poor idea as even though she had gotten some sleep after stabilizing Mortem it had been restless and fitful, plagued with nightmares making the creature far stronger and Mortem's wounds far more grave. Not to mention waking up to the screams that had characterised Tartarus really wasn't the best alarm clock, as those to factors wed it left her somewhat drained.

"Agreed," said the whole present company who climbed into their thrones as they bedified themselves under Twilight's magical command. Luna and Celestia looked to each other then to Twilight wondering where they should sleep.

It took Twilight a few seconds to figure out why the two rulers of the entirety of the biggest empire in existence where awkwardly looking at her. Finally it clicked and Twilight gestured to a corridor opposite the doors that lead to her and Mortem's bedroom, "third and fourth doors on the right are guest rooms." In truth the whole corridor was guest quarters with eight in total but Twilight was sure they where the most free of the random clutter and oddities that had built up as a reaction to having a large building and being bad at dealing with strange and often unused stuff. With that Twilight started walking back to her study hoping to still be able to get to sleep some time before midnight, as it was eleven in the evening at that point, and get a decent amount of rest before what would no doubt be a taxing ordeal tomorrow. As she walked she did not notice Mortem was trailing her in the shadows watching her movements closely and trying to Decide a plan of action.

The short walk over with Twilight readied to take a seat at her desk and go over the strategy again. Settling into the seat she started to think about how to suggest the Royal Sisters bait out an attack from the extraordinarily dangerous serpent. She almost missed the fact the seat under her was rising into the air. Starting slightly, she was tipped backwards wings flaring only to fold away again as she landed in a soft cradling pair of arms. Realising instantly what had happened she looked up into Mortem's eyes trying to mask the fatigue driven comfort him carrying her gave behind a miffed look. "Mortem I need to fix these plans and you need to rest, you need as much time to recover as possible if we are going to fight that creature tomorrow." Twilight's voice was firm but not enough to phase when she was cradled in a pair of arms belonging to some pony who thought she was adorable.

"Nope, sorry Twi. I am perfectly fine already, bar my pride of course which I will fix tomorrow, you are the one that doubtless had to float me all the way back here and saw to cleaning my wounds. I cannot imagine much of that was easy to see, we shall deal with the plans when we wake up. Right now we are cuddling for the next eight or so hours." Mortem was slightly surprised at how he had managed to wed a tone of authority and the warm voice only Twilight got to hear. He could tell she was about to protest so he put his lips to hers for a quick unexpected peck before throwing her over his shoulder and walking away.

Twilight had to stop her speech to return the kiss and found that after it she didn't really have the drive to go against what she actually wanted just for the sake of getting something that could be easily postponed done. 'Wow he is really getting to me, used to be I would get everything done in half the deadline.' Twilight's brain criticised her half heartedly knowing full well that rest and cuddles where far more conducive to being capable tomorrow than hard work and planning. "Fineeee" she drew out the e with an entirely fake scornful tone which ended as more whiny and playful.

"Besides Twi, if I don't get to cuddle with you then I don't really see this life as worth saving." Mortem wasn't serious as he was in a good mood. It was true Twilight was the reason he hadn't made this a brief return to Equestria but he wasn't actually threatening to not help with the plan if she didn't bow to his cuddling wants. Either way when they reached the door to their bed room Twilight was feeling slightly fuzzy at his words and decided she would turn the potato sack style carrying into an embrace which took a few well timed wing beats. With that Mortem, with Twilight clinging to his chest, settled under the covers and magically dipped the lights. "Good night Twilight, I love you."

Twilight only sighed happily in response as he had started to rub her back which was melting away the stress of this whole situation and lowering her slowly into dreams.

Secondary authors Note. (Need this at the bottom whilst the other needs to be at the top.)

I know this is a touch short. I could only have time to edit this half of what I had written which was far bigger than most of the chapters so I decided to split it, release this and then edit the rest tomorrow.

Darkness is only truly broken by love. Pt2 (Edited before release)

Warmth surrounded Twilight completely enveloping her whole body. Every inch of her was warm and she felt like every single muscle in her body had managed to relax all at the same time. She genuinely could not remember the last time she felt so peaceful, that was of course only because she hadn't quite pulled out of her dream world enough to remember every other morning as of late. Every morning Twilight woke up in the combined bliss of having a blanket and either fur or soft feathers covering her entire body with the singular exception, her horn which stood out into the cool morning air like an arrow.

Warmth poured into Mortem in a concentrated stream as his conscience returned from the best of his regular dreams. He could feel a soft, slightly squishy and amazingly fluffy mass cuddling itself against him. He could also feel that his wings had, as they did every night, even creating themselves if need be, extended themselves from his back and enlarged their feathers before wrapping around the only creature who could draw such a reaction from the normally callous stallion. "Good morning Twi." He said in the same soft voice he normally did drawing his wings tighter about her and moving an arm to her face.

Twilight heard the voice and much like what happened the minuet sleep ended for her partner the world snapped back into focus and she with a great deal of happiness registered her surroundings. Next she felt a hand against her cheek, she followed the path it softly suggested and found herself looking into the semi-squished smiling face of the god she loved. "Morning Mortem" she said the final syllable higher as it was caught up in a yawn like it normally was. Another thing right on cue was the slight further tightening of the embrace bringing the bodies of the two closer to one and other.

Mortem had to stop himself from burying his face in Twilight's neck when she yawned. He was not one to squee openly but nothing brought him closer than half awake Twilight having to deal with her body requesting more sleep. Mortem had lived a huge amount of time, since before Celestia and Luna had actually set some order to time, as such he considered himself a decent authority when he declared the mare he was in bed with the cutest entity that has ever existed without any close competition whatsoever. Having calmed his mental Twelve year old, he pulled the mare, who having since composed herself was just as beautiful as she was adorable, in for a soft short and sweet kiss. "I love you Twilight."

Finally having dealt with the heartfelt but practised morning activities Twilight decided to go of scrip somewhat. She reached her head up and lightly bit into her partners neck before pulling back and giving him the most seductive look possible. "I think we have a good hour or so before dawn, show me how you love me Mortem." Twilight had no pet name for Mortem but when she said his name in this context it drove him crazy. Twilight them began to move her body even closer to his pushing her form right against him leaving pretty much no gaps.

"Gladly." He uttered already his voice was already heavily coloured by arousal and Twilight was pulled on top of his body from where she locked lips with him and magically sent the blanket flying across the room. Twilight new from past experience that whilst they could, unlike most couples, do it with the blanket, it was ultimately pointless and far to hot. Whilst this was happening Mortem snaked a suit tie from a nearby dresser and slid it under the doorway before and then then tied it in a Windsor knot over the doorknob. He very much hoped the Princess' would know what that meant as he was pretty sure every pony else around did.

Five minuets later Spike had heard some noise from Twilight and Mortem's room. 'Odd, for getting up they really are making a lot of noise.' he he decided to surprise them with breakfast in bed and hopefully resolve whatever problem was causing them to make such a racket. he quickly whipped up a salad for Twilight and some Pancakes that they would share. He also ate a quick bite himself which consisted of a handful of mixed gems that he kept a large bag of in the kitchen at all times. With a spring in his step he headed towards Twilight's bedroom complete in his intention to pay his sister/ mother figure a good deed.

Any Pony else in the house would have known what that tie meant. Any Pony else but not spike. Despite being a full thirteen years old now and being reasonably well versed in the ins and outs of sex even if he was a virgin. In spite of all that no one had told him what a tie over some pony's door meant. As a direct result spike simply shrugged figuring someone was trying to play a prank and entered the irresponsibly unlocked room fixing his eyes on the bed and immediately regretting every decision that had lead up to this point in his life. His eyes shot open wide, his mind went completely blank and he could have sworn all the moisture was vacuum out of his mouth and throat. Completely unsure how to react knowing if he turned back he would be spotted immediately he stared dumbly at the pair.

"SPIKE." Twilight shrieked when she heard the door open and the young dragon stood like an idiot staring. She was utterly mortified, no pun intended. It was one thing for her friends to overhear her in these circumstances it was quite another to have the creature that was like a little brother to her walk in on her whilst going at it fairly hard. Mortem sheathed himself once more before he noticed the intrusion at which he completely froze staring daggers at the little dragon. Mortem and spike normally got on fairly well as Mortem had prioritised the friendship to make his relationship with Twilight less awkward. Today however the look from the god to the adolescent drake was enough to stop a full grown rhino dead mid charge.

Spike was completely stunned by what he saw and not in a good way. Part of his was worried by the concern in Twilight's exasperated voice. This was then replaced by a very freeing threatening look from Mortem and then he registered the slight look of pleasure on Twilight's face at the final movement between the two of them. He quickly came to his senses, put the tray down, shot them an apologetic look before pelting out of the room. The sight he had just seen danced before his still wide eyes as he darted away. He ran as fast as his fairly little legs could carry him to the kitchen where he poured himself a very stiff drink and decided to pay the Princess a visit with hopes of forgetting the sights he had seen with the houses other princess.

The six parts of the Elements of Harmony, the God of Death and the rulers of Equestria where stood outside the gate to Discord's chaos realm in the centre of ponyville. Finally it was time and both Celestia and Luna's horns glowed spinning the sky around to have it placed at the start of the day with the sun bruising the horizon as the moon tucked itself away behind the opposite horizon. Without a word the nine of them slipped through the veil that was now in serious danger of falling apart even with Mortem's earlier magical intervention. A whirling sucking feeling took them one by one as they headed through being dumped unceremoniously out the other side near Discord's house.

Everyone stabilized themselves Mortem having special difficulty being the only one the path finder magic didn't help. "Once we get him back I am forcing him to make this place more compatible with me." He growled having finally got himself mostly under control. No one replied as a sombre mood had settled over the present company since after Twilight had delivered the new plan. realising he should probably shut up as well, Mortem started to fly towards where he knew the serpent no doubt would be. Whilst he flew the other winged ponies followed suit and the others floated along willing the intrinsic magic of the place to take them in the direction of their friends.

After a while they reached a place from which they could see the box and the serpent which was eyeing them evilly from it's position coiled around the chains that covered the box. "Okay is everyone sure what they need to do?" Twilight asked her friends with evident trepidation in her voice. Without waiting for a response she decided to run over the plan once again regardless of everyone having memorised their roles perfectly. "First Mortem will get it's focus and transfer his death magic." She looked to him and he nodded mentally preparing himself knowing losing a lot of his power would not be a pleasant experience. "Next Celestia and Luna will grab its attention and bait it into hitting the box." They both also nodded having briefly discussed between themselves how best to do this before leaving Twilight's castle. "Next I will blink me and Fluttershy into the box to try and retrieve Discord, whilst you all do whatever you can to distract it and buy us time." Everyone else nodded and Pinkie brought out the barrel of an impossibly large cannon from her mane. "Right, Mortem you're up. Oh has everyone got their earplug in case it tried the sound wave thing again." Another round of nods.

Without a word Mortem disappeared coming back into existence about halfway between the girls and the serpent. "I must say you are quite the creature aren't yo-..." Mortem started up hoping to enrage the creature.

"I said for you all to leave before. Do not make me repeat it." The serpent sliced it's way into the conversation cutting Mortem off.

Mortem was slightly glad the creature was already aggravated but hid it behind an annoyed mask to elevate the situation further. "How dare you talk over me RUNT." He spat, internally cracking up at how much of fool he sounded. He watched, satisfied he had succeeded, as the serpent writhed in frustration before once again opening it's maw and charging a spell. Mortem acted faster channelling as much of his power as he could into a beam spell, forcing it through Lucerne, it shot out hitting the beast directly in the neck. He had expected it to feel bad, but not this bad. He could feel a cold force pulling at him and he could only describe it as feeling as is everything he was being forced out of him. It took just over four seconds for him to lose as much magic as he could survive losing and when he reached that point the beam broke off. Celestia and Luna instantly appeared before him knocking him back with a radiant wave of magic. 'Thank god they are here, I don't know if I even could bait that thing now.' Mortem gave in and allowed himself to fly backward slowly feeling his power return as he watched Twilight worrying about her.

Celestia and Luna moved as they had discussed throwing insults and superlative spells at the creature hoping to fill it with rage, it seemed to be working as it had dropped magic and was now simply lashing out which the two Princess had no trouble dodging. After about thirty seconds flying around and winding the beast up it did what they where waiting for. Cold rose as it drew in all of it's power and both Celestia and Luna moved to in-between the now estranged creature and the box. As the creature was blinded by its rage it simply fixed its gaze the pair and unleashed its terrible power hoping strike the creatures who tormented it. Celestia and Luna vanished just as the beam was about to hit them destroying the wall of the box behind them.

Twilight new it was time and Teleported herself and Fluttershy into the opening in the cube as the others moved to the creature with Celestia leading the assault with a bolt of pure energy. The serpent didn't even notice the two intruders as it rounded on its quarry hoping to be more successful this time.

Twilight kept watch over the entrance and cast her eyes about hoping to spot Mortem, she eventually did and was reassured to see that he was back to himself at least partially and was joining in with the assault on the serpent. He was making himself useful by cutting in the way of any attacks using Lucerne to block them. Fluttershy however had dashed straight into the box and immediately recognising the shape within threw herself onto Discord.

"F-Fluttershy?" Discord said now completely confused. The visions had gone to be replaced with what he wanted most of all but knew he couldn't ever have. "Fluttershy, I thought you didn't want to be friends with me any more." His voice was ringing with hurt but even still her returned the pegasus' hug bringing her closer to him filling his empty aching soul with warmth.

"Discord, I never meant to ignore that letter. Just with everything that happened that day I forgot I had it. I never wanted to lose the friendship I have with you Discord." She paused taking a breath and trying to figure what best to say. She noticed Discord's eyes upon her watching intently with days old hurt and a glimmer of hope in the. "Dissy I... I..." Fluttershy fell silent unable to say it due to her shy nature, as she failed to talk Discord's eyes became more desperate and he opened his mouth to speak giving Fluttershy an idea. She slammed her head into his and kissed him as hard as she could even flaring her wings out with the force of the Gesture.

Discord was again stunned but very happy. 'She is kissing me, Fluttershy is kissing me.' His brain called out in ecstasy at the kiss. He was so distracted that he almost forgot to kiss back, almost. Returning with passion Discord pulled the beautiful kind mare before him into his arms even tighter than before trying to show just how much he was enjoying what she was doing. As they made contact Discord felt his powers flowing back into him and felt himself growing stronger under Fluttershy's touch which to him felt infinitely right.

Fluttershy adored being held by him and it was even better not that they where kissing but she knew she needed to make the situation at large known. Without really wanting to, she pulled away from the kiss and looked straight into Discord's red and yellow eyes. "I love you Dissy but we need your help, right now." Discord gave her a quizzical look and she realised he likely had no idea what was happening have been sat in this box. "Discord whatever happened to you, it had made more than this box. There is a huge monster out there and we need your help to defeat it."

Everything clicked into place for Discord. He had been wondering how Fluttershy and Twilight, who he had just noticed, had destroyed the wall but now it made sense. He realised with a sickening feeling that the dark magic he had been practising whilst in the throws of despair must have been forming something to defend his isolation so it could continue to grow. "Arg" Discord's musings where interrupted by a familiar scream.

"Mortem." Twilight yelled lifting off of the box's entrance and flying towards her wounded colt-friend. He had dived between Pinkie and an attack so she could reload her party cannons for another barrage, he had sliced the energy bolt but due to having to reposition just to get their had rushed the slice. One of the halves had hit the centre of his wing leaving a huge wound as it passed through. Twilight new she had to help him and hoped she would be there in time as she saw another attack building in the serpent's maw.

With no thought of self preservation she flew towards him focusing only on protecting him. Mortem however was watching the creature intently. He realised what Twilight was doing just as the creature did and with a sickening feeling watched a beam start to build as the serpent turned its head towards the oblivious alicorn. With no thoughts of self preservation he appeared before Twilight knocking her back and tried to ready Lucerne to defend himself but wasn't fast enough. The beam hit him right in the chest and he screamed as it tore into him. What magic he had left did a reasonable job of protecting him but by the time he got Lucerne up his was already nearing death.

Twilight watched in horror as she was flung backwards. Mortem had completely absorbed the magic for over a second before he was able to stop it and send it back to the creature. When the danger was over his wings, one tattered and destroyed from the previous attack, folded away and he started to fall. Twilight flew to him hoping to be able to help him just as she heard it.

A growl escaped the box quickly followed by the creature that had produced it. Discord emerged his eyes reading pure fury as he looked to the serpent. Noticing the growl as well, the serpent turned to the source and almost seemed to recoil at the look in the eyes of the truly mad looking Chaos Lord. Discord charged his hand with all of his magical power forming an enormous sphere of energy. Without hesitation he threw it at the serpent. Upon impact the orb exploded into a huge cloud of chaos. Discord then contained that cloud harvesting from it his own power bringing himself to his complete former glory. Finally having completely destroyed the creature he turned his head down to here Twilight was holding Mortem's limp lifeless body in the void.

Knowing what had to be done Discord teleported to them and moving a kicking and screaming Twilight out of the way, he focused what power was left from the creature he gave it over to Mortem. The power orb collided with his chest entering in the mass of scarred and burned tissue that was left by the late serpent. As he absorbed the power his body convulsed and he screamed.

Pain seared through Mortem's senses when they reactivated, his brain fettered with the images of himself dying on Twilight's hooves he screamed aloud venting some of his regained magic to rain in the power he could feel flooding through him. After he had controlled himself he opened his eyes wide, seeing Discord and an absence of the serpent he assumed the battle was won and teleported them all out of the Chaos realm into the Friendship Castle's Throne room. As he practised the magic he could feel his body tearing itself up and questioned whether that had been a good idea.

Every pony landed on a heap on the floor with the exception of Discord, Twilight and Mortem who where all of the same vertical level. Every pony else however where scattered about the room. Both of the royal sisters where tangled in the roots of Twilight's old house hanging from the Ceiling. Rainbow dash was hanging off the back of her own throne. Pinkie Pie had materialised in mid air but had landed on one of her party cannons which then proceeded to fire coating one wall in the sticky confetti that she had been using to distract the creature. Rarity was perched on one of the upper window sills, she rather uncharacteristically, deftly jumped to the ground. Them much more her character started Fretting over her cracked hoof. Apple Jack had appeared above spike falling onto the Dragon who was quick enough to catch her bridal style lighting blushes on both of both of their guises. Discord had landed on Fluttershy's throne perfectly sitting and Fluttershy had then promptly fallen on him, with him pulling off the same move as Spike only pulling her closer and kissing her. Mortem landed directly onto the map table flat on his back and Twilight sat besides him. Everyone bar Mortem seemed in perfect health with the partial exception of Rarity's hoof which she was still weeping over. Mortem however was bleeding heavily from the huge wound to the chest he had sustained from the serpent.

Twilight looked to him and felt her heart seize with a mix of guilt and sorrow when she saw his injuries. 'If I had stayed he would have been fine,' her brain berated her and she knew it to be true. He would have been even with the previous injury able to defend had that beam been aimed at him. Twilight threw her hooves around his neck and started to sob into the fur cursing herself and wishing she could turn back time and save him. Unbeknownst to her Celestia had free'd herself from the roots and was now observing the spectacle. She was amazed to see a dark magic seep out of Mortem's body and start to stitch up his wounds. Without even leaving a scar, his chest was reconstructed leaving the plate of furred flesh visible through the hole in his shirt. "Twi, I need air." Came his strangled cry.

Twilight started having genuinely believed she had lost the stallion she loved so to have him talking to her in a stable if somewhat strangled voice replaced her cause for tears with a new one. She loosened her embrace she registered the words which was a full second later and as she did she could feel the stress she hadn't even noticed melt away.

Discord and Fluttershy where somewhat aware of what was happening but where much more involved in the whispered, low conversation they had struck up once Discord had pulled back from the kiss and given Fluttershy a slightly worried look. "Did you mean it Fluttershy, do you really love a fool like me." Discord's voice dripped with pain which leached into Fluttershy at the slight.

"Of course I do Discord, I am so sorry I never got that letter to you." Fluttershy meant her words and whilst she was aware she shouldn't be blaming herself for what happened she couldn't help but feel bad. "If I had been a good friend and had read your letter this could have all been time we spent together." Fluttershy had not intended to pour out her feelings like that but having just told the pony, 'Draconequus' her mind corrected, she loved how she felt her emotional gates where swinging by the hinges.

"Don't even think that for a second Fluttershy, this was my fault all of it." Discord buried his own worries far more concerned about saving the feelings of the mare he loved than he was with his own peace of mind. "I should have confronted you about my feelings not written a stupid letter. If I wasn't a coward you wouldn't have had to endanger yourself to save me from myself." Discord was having similar problems filtering what he said as he felt completely safe with Fluttershy now that he knew she shared his feelings.

"Not to mention I wouldn't have nearly died. Twice actually." Fluttershy had been preparing to speak when Mortem had cut in with a cruel, cold voice. Discord looked guiltily to his brother whilst Twilight and Fluttershy glared at him. Mortem flourished under their disproving looks and a grim smile appeared on his face. "However it was done for love. That makes it worth while." His voice was a lot warmer this time and once he was sure the two mares had forgiven him and any internal crisis Discord may have been having was resolved, he continued. "Treat her right this time Discord or I won't be the one flirting with oblivion." He wasn't seriously threatening the draconequus' life but it still caused a slight stiffening in Discord.

Another pair that was an absolute mile away from Equestria at that point was Apple Jack and Spike. "Thank y'all kindly spike, would have been a nasty fall." Apple Jack said looking awkwardly up at spike from his Dragon hug/ catch.

Spike realised how odd it must look that he was still holding her but was having great difficulty motivating himself to actually put her down. 'Especially with big adorable green eyes like those.' Spike then very quickly put her down so she wouldn't notice the rising pink in his purple cheeks. "No problem AJ, you're my friend I am not just going to let you fall am I?" Rarity audibly huffed at that comment having had to make her own way down from a greater hight. Apple Jack was slightly amused by the stuttering Dragon and her indignant friend and was about to reply with another thanks but then heard Twilight sob and returned her focus to the map table watching the somewhat touching scene unfold between them. Before Mortem ruined it by being cruel to the still clearly hurting Discord.

Discord himself was going to bring out something snappy as a reproach but felt all his slight aggression towards Mortem fall away when Fluttershy leaned her body towards him. He looked down at her in complete wonder confused as to how a creature as beautiful and kind as her could have fallen in love with him. He hugged her to him and rested his head on hers gently. Discord hadn't realised it until now but he was horrifically tired and could think of nothing better than sleeping with Fluttershy in his arms, so that is what he did. Falling asleep on the spot.

Fluttershy looked up towards the Draconequus and was surprised and slightly humoured to find him asleep after only a twenty or so second lull in conversation. Giggling slightly at his dopey sleep face she turned to face Mortem who seemed to have noticed and was having much the same reaction whilst gathering Twilight up to him and cuddling her. "Mortem, if you wouldn't mind." Mortem realised immediately what Fluttershy wanted so he moved them both to to her cottage's bedroom making sure Discord appeared about a foot to the left of the bed thus causing him to fall onto the floor.

Making a recovery and drawing closer. Formerly titled "Preparation and drawing closer" (Spell checked before publishing)

Darkness clung to the air, making it clammy and oppressive to the stallion. The liquid darkness had long since seeped into his lungs and turned the normal strong, regular, mechanical breathing into a faltering-ragged process often forgotten until it made the consequences of petulance towards it known to the stallion. The darkness in the room didn't scare the stallion, nor did the fact he felt a jolt of agony whenever the lack of oxygen got to high and he surrendered to the need to breath. No the stallion in the chair wasn't scared by that, he was scared of what he knew was coming. He had been through this cycle every night, over time it had varied somewhat but the concept was the same. He normally took solace in the fact that he knew it was a dream whenever he was here. This time however, it was real 'I never fell asleep this time.' He could feel a little amount of moisture on his face and wasn't sure if it was sweat blood or tears, truthfully it was a combination of the three. He couldn't see anything and was tied to something that was supporting his weight so he couldn't tell what his injuries where. That was likely for the best in his piece of mind. normally the blue fur that covered his body even in this human form was a spirited azurite, now however... Blood dripped from a slash under the stallion's left eye, the sanguine stain ran his coat colouring it a dark writhing, scheming purple. Alongside that he had a huge burn on his chest. If the stallion could see them he would have no idea why he had them.

"WHO AM I?" The stallion's voice was guttural and strained. Talking let alone a growling scream like that set a fire dancing through his raw throat which would have made him wince if he had the strength for it.

"Oh I think you know..." said a voice which seemed to be noiselessly slinking through the tangible jet light of the room. "You failed her, she suffered and you did NOTHING." The last word was shouted at him and he could feel the force radiating from the owner of the voice.

'Oh that's new, that cannot be good. Wait that voice, it's... it's.' The stallion focused as hard as he possibly could and then felt a flash of a fresh level of agony as vivid images pierced the total darkness that surrounded him. He cried out in agony, not even he could withstand that amount of pain without expression. He felt the molten agony flow through him as he watched a group of ponies he couldn't quite place due to the agony trying build a nest in his brain. As he watched a ball of energy was hurtling towards them, fortunately the image cut away as it got to close as each inch of progress the ball made, ran another rod of suffering into the stallion. He's reprieve was brief however as another image with a whole knew definition of pain came next. The look on the purple face of one of the ponies as some noise fitting only for the horror the stallion was experiencing tortured her. Again the image faded leaving the stallion in a very different position.

Light blinded the stallion hurting but not as much as the visions had, he could see a purple mare with her hooves on his chest mindful of his welt which he noticed with a sickened feeling. "Wake up please," the voice from before but now coming from this mare. It was pleading. 'It is different, softer. It's t.'

"ARRRG" as his brain nearly gave him the name he felt a another horrific jolt of pain shooting through his entire body.

"Please, you have to wake up." Again his fevered brain tried and tortured him with the absence of the information. "Mortem please wake up, come back to me." The stallions pain stopped, his wounds stitched themselves closed and his power immediately returned to him.

"Twilight." he stated and with that he tore down the world around him transferring himself to a soft bed. The only details that remained was him and the purple mare.

"Mortem, thank Celestia!" Twilight exclaimed as she saw her colt-friend open his eyes. He said her name aloud, it was a small voice but it was still a good sign. Without hesitation the mare pressed her lips against his and kissed him deeply. As Mortem fully surfaced from the dream world he started kissing Twilight back but darted his eyes around the room to take in his surroundings. They where in the room they shared at the friendship castle, he was relieved to be able to pull up the information without feeling needles destroying him from inside his head. He then took stock of his circumstance. He was in his human form bandaged at the chest and feeling incredibly sore although that was quickly fading. Twilight has both hooves on his chest bending town to kiss him and at the same time lifting the blanket that the two of them where under. 'Twilight' his brain sung happily as he, reassured of his surroundings got to work returning the attention the beautiful mare was giving him.

Twilight felt his arms rise around her and without braking the kiss settled to be lying on top of him, as she did this she was mindful of his bandaged wound. 'We will hold together Twilight, he is going to be fine.' Twilight hardened with a new resolve to be strong and have a brave face to show the Stallion she was kissing. That resolve snapped in two when he hand when into her main and started to smooth out the stress caused kinks. Twilight was a huge fan of having her mane touched and also the fact Mortems unique hands could do it better than anyone else. It completely broke her inner resolve as it said that she could be herself and do what she needed. She sobbed into him as he held her. The fire of the kiss did not brake at all between the two of them however even when tears fell from Twilight's closed eyes mingling with the dream caused ones on Mortems face. She felt with each sob and each run of his fingers the stress and tension of the last twelve hours pouring out of her. She held onto the calming presence knowing he needed this as much as she did.

Twilight was correct about the need of the stallion below her shifting sobbing body. He felt the darkness present in the dream melting away from him as he felt the soft smooth surface of each of the alicorn's tri-tonal purple mane. Feeling her body against his fur was the best feeling in the world with absolutely zero exception. At least non that Mortem could ever imagine. He felt the warmth and love of the Princess of Friendship leaching into his body fixing his mental injuries as his own affection leant its self happily to the mare. He deepened the kiss sliding his tongue against her bottom lip asking for access which the beautiful mare above quickly granting whilst taking an equal some of new space. The two explored territory they each knew very well but could never tired of. The sobbing stopped as both party's began to feel so much better and at the same time mane stroking became a very satisfying scratch to the Alicorns neck. She moaned audibly into the still brightly burning kiss deepening it further as the rest of the world around them melted away to a insignificant detail. The other hand started to massage her body and she started to move her hooves onto his chest stroking the fur there. The events probably would have lead to passionate if tender love making between the untied couple had a alabaster goddess not cleared her throat from the right of the pare.

With a cringe worthy pop sound, the kiss was broken as the mare's head shot around burning with a blush as she realised what she was getting into with her teacher and mentor standing off to the side. "Princess I am so sorry, I-I..." She trailed off meekly and was ready to face whatever scorn the Princess would admonish for being vulgar in her presence however she caught a slight bit of mirth in the Alicorns eyes which assured some confidence in the situation.

Whilst this happened Mortem was in internal hysterics, 'Princess Celestia the divine third wheel.' He would so like to say these things but knew the mare still lying on him held a great measure of respect for the princess so refrained. He instead satisfied himself with a smug grin and piercing eyes towards the alabaster intruder.

"Oh don't worry Twilight, I understand needs as much as any other pony." She enjoyed the slightly scandalised look her x-student gave her at those words and the situation and decided to make her much more uncomfortable. "After all have you ever wondered why I keep the same very happy looking guards at my chamber door." This was uncommonly mischievous for the monarch but she was feeling high spirited that. A) Mortem was alive and concious, that and he had stopped screaming in his sleep. B) Twilight was genuinely in love with a stallion who loved her back and would be faithful and loving to her as long as she returned his feelings. Celestia knew that about Mortem from when he had developed a close friendship with Luna during her decent. The minuet she was taken away and he couldn't rescue her he turned his back on Celestia doing huge damage on the way out.

Twilight's head nearly melted at the idea of the perfect, royal, unflappable Celestia having no strings sex with her guards. She knew full well Celestia must have had sexual cravings the same way she had them with them both being alicorns but always figured he repressed them magically or had some royal consort. Twilight decided to block the idea of flash or worse shinning and his guard buddies with the princess getting up to some fun. Her mirth took a heavy hit as she though of her failure of an x-relationship with flash but her brain quickly shifted her focus as she felt Mortem's hand settle on her rump. She shot him a look which simply read "Later." He smiled at is and proceeded to scratch the length of her back causing her to relax a good amount. 'Holy hell he is good at that.'

Celestia enjoyed the show of her confused student dealing with one of the more guarded secrets of her private life. She did indeed have two guards she would call upon for the task. She had explained to them they had every right to refuse and assured them that they could stop whenever they wished, not that they ever would. Neither had looked for a mare friend since as they knew they would have to give up that job perk for it. She picked guards that seemed inept in the emotions of love and only seemed to have a aptitude for the physicality of love making, this result proved her right in her summary of them. She felt she had let her students mind run far enough when she noticed her leaning further into Mortem and receiving a back scratching which Celestia had to admit she slightly envied 'Not from him though.' Celestia was slightly disturbed by the concept, she didn't have any overt issues with Mortem but they had rowed and cooperated on so many less than fantastic experiences together that a slightly toxic friendship was all they could ever be. 'Atrocities I think you mean,' corrected her mind. "However my little love ponies," Celestia said that sweetly hoping to put her student at ease. Twilight seemed to relax a little bit she noticed a slight hardening in Mortems eyes, he hated it when she talked down to him and she was fully aware of it. "I feel we really must discuss what happened in the Discordian realm today." Again she paused and saw a blanket of disappointment and resentment wash over both of them. Twilight tried to hide her displeasure at not getting the chance to go further than a kiss with her colt-friend. Mortem however made no such attempt and shot a contempt filled venomous look of begrudging acceptance towards the alabaster alicorn. Celestia enjoyed toying with him she really did but felt slightly bad about the genuine sadness in Twilights eyes so she dropped the charade. "But I am sure it can wait a few minuets," she had just started to walk towards the door when a force wave from behind shoved her out quicker before slamming the Crystal door to the throne/ map room. 'Well his power seem to be back in working order,' Celestia chuckled as she walked towards Twilights throne greeting the rest of the girls who where lounging in their thrones enjoying some tea spike had made them a few minuets earlier. She noticed with a slight pang of annoyance that the dragon had occupied the seat she was after as opposed to his throne next to it. Celestia did understand as his did look less comfy so she took pity. White light wrapped around spike lifting him into the air. He struggled against the light before realising Celestia was the source to which he gave an increasingly irritated look as she placed herself on his seat. This look melted away and was replaced with an embarrassed awkward smile as she lowered the Dragon onto his lap asking him simply. "You don't mind do you spike, I was stood by for quite a while as Mortem woke up." They had all heard the screams and Celestia figured that whatever was happening should not be faced by Twilight alone. Fortunately the Purple mare who had been resting at the on concious god's side at the time was able to remedy the situation quickly seemingly by just saying his name. The girls descended into asking questions about Mortem's health which Celestia answered whilst putting up some sound-proofing spells around the room she had just departed just in case the Crystal wasn't enough to absorb what she knew was inevitable. Mortem was injured fairly badly, enough to kiss about five earth ponies but Celestia knew it would take more to keep him down for a long time.

As the door slammed Twilight gave Mortem an admonishing glare, "She was just worried you know, you really have to be nicer to ponies some times."

Mortem was completely non phased by the statement and replied. "I am nice to you all the time and I am friends with the other elements."

"Mortem! You can't just be nice to me and the girls." She was a little exasperated, she loved that Mortem acted as if she and partially her friends housed the entire worth of Equestria but at the same time she hated the idea that because her and the girls where elements and she was a princess that they where above any pony else.

Mortem moved his hand from it's place on her back and slid it past his other one embracing Twilight and trying to transfer as much warmth as he could to her. "Twilight, you and the girls are amazing. You have saved Equestria from god knows what, god knows how many times. Alongside that you have stuck together through tough times and stayed faithful to yourselves and each other." She relaxed somewhat at that and met his eyes again enjoying watching the Small brown orbs stare up at her. "Besides you girls are the first friends I have had for ages, even thousands of years before I left for hell. You where the first ponies I didn't know from before to want to be around me."

Twilight listened to him relaxing into the warm embrace she loved to feel and feeling the slight irritation from the treatment of her beloved mentor melt away as he spoke with honesty. "Well be that as it may, you still need to at least pretend to care about ponies, otherwise you will never get them to care back." She felt the embrace shift as Mortem felt he was actually going to get lectured over his enthusiasm fuelled magical displacement of the ruler of Equestria. Feeling this change Twilight let her real wants and feeling come true and turned with a pair of lidded eyes towards the Stallion beneath her. "But how about we be nice to each other first?" Twilight quickly accompanied this with a few flicks of her eye lashes and a sugar sweet voice.

Mortem had to repress a slight giggle at his mare-friends attempt at a seductive line. Twilight was stunningly beautiful, mentally and magically brilliant and endlessly compassionate but at the end of the day she was still bookish and socially inept, not that he didn't love that about her. Mortem knew her line was bad and did not care in the slightest. "That sounds like a party even Cheese and Pinky couldn't top." He moved his hands further down drawing his finger tips down the mare's body one stopped at her back scratching the soft fur covered skin. Twilight was slightly embarrassed at how jilted her words where in comparison to his which flowed like a summer day river. However she was able to put it down to lack of experience. He was her second in both sex and relationships. Twilight remembered how Flash and her had ended and Mortem and her had began at the same time.

(have a read of my writers comments as this is gonna conflict with current canon of Mortem. I'll fix it after I am done with this.)

"Twilight... are you okay?" The question was rhetorical in attempts to open up whatever troubled the purple mare. He knew something was amiss as she had slammed the front door so hard he would have to check later to see if any of the crystal had cracked in any way. He also had a decent idea what might have caused her to abuse a presumably innocent door. 'Jumped up bloody guardsman,' he mentally grumbled.

"Peachy" she replied in an aggressive tone a second before meeting Mortems eyes. "Absolutely peachy." She had not seen his gaze the first time but she watched it as she lied with a wilting tone to his face. She watched hurt and annoyance flash over his eyes before he moved them behind a warm smile adopting a flawless but completely fake guise.

'She still won't tell me when something is wrong.' Chimed his head as he took in her brush off, 'I suppose she has only known me a couple of weeks even if we are close.' With that he put on a smile hoping to draw the information and cheer her up by less abrupt methods. Normally Mortem approached a problem like one does a stuck door. Hit into the issue harder until the issue was no longer an issue however when it came to an upset Twilight he found himself feeling a good hunk of discomfort as she felt pain so he tried to be more tactful. He got out of his chair becoming his human form as he walked. He had been relaxing as a pony whilst Twilight was out in case some pony who only knew his alicorn form looked through a window and thought the castle was being robbed by a monster, this would not be an issue now she was back. Relieved to have his hooves replaced by the far superior hands he put them to use brushing them against the mare's mane when he got near her between the front door and the kitchen door.

"Sorry..." Twilight said feeling guilty at her shortness as she enjoyed the warmth she was being shown then again felt guilty for a perceived betrayal towards the source of her angst and frustration.

"Don't worry about it, you hurt the door far more that me." He added the little joke at the end to hopefully lift her spirits and it seemed to work somewhat as she huffed in a slightly amused manner. "Now before you continue to threaten the castles doorways with wanton destruction. Why don't you tell me what happened?" She gave another little huff and looked away from him.

"Flash and me had a fight that's all." She said the words in a rush like it was some kind of horrific confession she should be ashamed off.

"Again Twi? That's the third one this week and it is only Friday." He stated what he knew Twilight was aware of like it was just on off hand comment but in reality Mortem was fighting down anger towards the guardsman and worry for Twilight. 'The Flash seems to spend more time upsetting her than making her happy. Brilliant, beautiful and compassionate mare like that deserves so much better.' Mortem had to stop himself double taking in surprise at that thought. 'Where did that come from?' asked his mental voice and the same one before replied. 'A hopeless and debilitating infatuation for the brilliant mare who you have been living with since getting back from Hell." Said the mischievous voice that had spoken of her with such tenderness. Mortem's brain was about to descend into complete anarchy regarding the maelstrom of feelings that the mare before him kicked into life before he was pulled from his musing.

"I know it is, he's just so..." Twilight trailed off looking for a word to successfully describe why she was angry with the colt that had thoroughly ruined her entire week with it coming to a head with the monstrous afternoon she had spent showing him around ponyville. "Possessive I guess. Yeah possessive and jealous." Her voice turned harder and venomous as she described him.

"What happened Twi? you can tell me all about it." He had not noticed how much he loved the feel of her against him until he had ended up pressed to her side with her putting a little weight on him; his hands still splayed in her mane. "I would love nothing more to listen so you can feel better." He added that in a softer tone with the ecstasy of her contact full flowing through his mind.

Twilight completely oblivious to her friends internal revelation launched into speech with little thought. "It's so strange, when we first met he was so calm and charming. He made friends with the other girls easily and I couldn't be around him without a stupid smile plastered onto my face." Mortem tensed slightly remembering his rocky associations with some of Twilight's friends. Apple Jack, Pinky Pie and Rarity had been perfectly amiable, not a patch on Twilight herself but he had still gotten on reasonably well with them. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy on the other hoof. He had evidently been to outward and lively for the shy mare as she would hardly speak save a few squeaks and Mortem, regardless of Twilights assurance it was normal for her, found it quite insulting and frustrating. Rainbow had been worse. So much worse. She had spotted him walking with a hoof on Twilights side and crashed into him, literally.

"Hey, that mare has a colt friend already buster," was her first words to him. He had taken an instant dislike as he saw to much of himself in her abrasive attitude. Twilight had later explained that she was the element of loyalty so cheating or even being around another pony the opposite gender when a pony was taken was taboo for her.

Mortem at the time had not realised this so had brushed off the irritating cyan pegasus speaking curtly. "I am not doing anything I have been asked not to and it isn't really your concern is it?" He paused for a few seconds but started up again as he noticed she was about to interject. "So why don't you just flap off to whatever cloud you where napping on, I can see the drool in the corner of you mouth for goodness sake."

Twilight had made to intervene but Rainbow was faster, flying straight down to the ground and locking eyes angrily with him. "Who do you think you're talking to buster, just because Twilight is to nice to tell you to back off doesn't mean you can be touching up any mare you want."

Mortem lifted a hood to his head and brushed his temple easing the headache the cyan mare was giving him. Then faster than even dash thought possible he brought it to the ground. A slight magical charge passed through the ground before the floor under the hooves of the mare lifted violently catapulting her towards the horizon. Mortem turned to his companion hoping to see her happy to be rid of the annoying pegasus but instead she looked furious.

"MORTEM." she yelled fairly loudly taking the alicorn by surprise. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO RAINBOW DASH!?"

Mortem flinched internally at the anger from the normally calm collected mare, he really wasn't meaning to cause her to get angry. 'Why does this always happen to me?' He wandered quickly before responding, "She'll be fine, should land somewhere in Cloudsdale, I enchanted her so she couldn't be hurt by the launch or the landing." Twilight had been irritated with him from that point forward and he had to apologise to Rainbow when she got back, she was less than happy to see him.

Twilight had not noticed her friends reminiscing and continued on a little with her slatting of her inconsiderate colt-friend Flash. "Then as things seemed to be going really well then he suddenly shifted. He used to be completely okay with me spending time with the girls but pretty much the weekend after he came to the library and you two met he started to demand more and more time with me." She paused for a few seconds in which time Mortem completely froze up, even his hand stopped stroking her mane. "He keeps saying I should run to Canterlot and have a family with him, it's like he wants me locked away..." Twilight stopped as she noticed her friends reaction. "Mortem you okay?" she asked a little genuine concern in her voice.

'Oh god you fucking idiot Mortem, you have fucked up her happiness.' Mortem was flogging himself not at all listening to the last part of her speech feeling horribly guilty, a feeling he was unaccustomed to despite having sent many a pony to their graves. 'She was so happy, then you came along, you should have stayed in hell. No pony wanted you here when you left why would they now. He snapped back to focus at her words and blurted. "I am really sorry Twilight, I never meant to ruin what you and Flash had." He fell over his words constantly, "I can go if you want, you can have all that back." Mortem realised he was panicking, he was even less used to panic than he was guilt and that realisation was not helping. 'I really hope she doesn't take that offer up.'

Twilight was somewhat taken aback by the violent, unexpected reaction from the normally collected and confident god she was leaning against and had until recently been enjoying a mane stroking from. She moved away from him which added to the panic mounting in his eyes. She jumped her front up and placed her hooves against his chest. "Mortem I am not going to ask, nor do I want you to leave." She said smiling into his eyes hoping to calm him but still wishing to display that she was serious.

"B-but since I showed up your relationship with flash has been a disaster." The strain was evident and Twilight did not like it.

"Mortem," she left a pause for effect and softened her voice before saying. "If Flash cannot cannot accept that I know other stallions besides him then he doesn't deserve my time". Twilight was surprised by the conviction in her voice, she had not fully realised that she probably should leave Flash over this until she said it aloud. On the plus side she was happy to see that Mortem was seemingly relaxing a little bit. As empathy flowed through her she realised something that stunned her entirely.

"Twilight, he wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't here. You know me and him aren't really friends, no wonder he wants you away from me."

Mortem's babbling had given Twilights rapid mind time to tackle these feelings and figure out how to act on them. "Mortem, what Flash want's is not law. He may want you gone from my life but you are my friend and he cannot demand that I don't see my friends. Besides I have much better plans involving you." With that she quickly closed the gap between them and kissed him. Twilight was utterly confused by how quickly romantic interest in him had taken root. 'Then again he has always been there whenever anything has been wrong to make me feel better.' Either way she had needed to act on those feelings then and there or else she would have been to embarrassed. She would like to have cast Flash from her mind but he was envisioned when she realised how much she had been missing out on kissing him.

Mortem was now beyond confused, he was debating in his mind whether he was dreaming or not but the mares tongue stroking his own cast that theory aside. Twilight had revealed he was ruining her relationship and had then apparently found up his hidden feelings for her and acted on them for him. He wasn't perfect but knew enough about being a good friend that asking for anything beyond friendship with her when she was in a relationship with some other stallion even if that stallion didn't deserve her was not a fair thing to do. He ,after a few seconds, decided to just enjoy the kiss he had wanted for a while now. He picked Twilight up off the floor effortlessly and pulled her to him bringing her barrel to his chest. He had a shirt he had summoned on over his fur but still enjoyed the contact and warmth from her body. One hand stayed steadying her back whilst the other shot to her mane running his fingers through the soft fur. He returned to kiss fully pouring everything he was into it and trying to show Twilight as much of his love as possible. From that point forward Twilight Sparkle had not even looked at Flash Sentry.

The memory of that kiss lined up perfectly with Mortem pulling her in for a kiss which brought her thoughts back to the present.

A few minuets later Celestia still with Spike on her lap decided she should drop the sound proofing on the room for a second to see if they where done. Bad mistake.

"FUCK YES, HARDER PLEASE MORTEM." Twilight could be heard to scream with a healthy amount of lust and pleasure mixed in with the sounds of the wooden bed creaking in a regular fashion.

"GOD YES" came Mortem's growling reply and the sounds from the bed doubled in speed causing Celestia to be made slightly more uncomfortable thinking about just how fast the two must have been going. 'Well at least she is an alicorn and can take it...'

"YES, GOD YES THAT'S PERFECT." Twilight commented on the new tempo of coitus.

'and love it apparently.' Celestia reinforced the ward and chuckled to herself before casting her eyes around the five other mares and one dragon's flushed face to which she laughed out loud. 'Prudish little ponies.'