Cadence groaned into her throne pillows while waiting for Discord and Sombra to show up. How was she supposed to change Twilight's mind about all this? Why did Twilight think they hated her? How did she not see what she was doing? Why did they lack love? So many questions, so few answers.

While Cadence didn't agree with her answers, they did have Pinkie and Fluttershy. So what was missing and why was it missing? They seemed to be just fine friends.

She could see why it was missing from Twilight. They needed to be away from her and perhaps that was the answer? Was what she was doing sucking all positivity from their life? Why? Why?!?

Cadence took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind. She couldn't worry about what Twilight was doing. Worrying wouldn't get her anywhere and talk already failed. She had to act, do what she thought was best, and hope. I hope that this was a basic miscommunication and that space would fix it all.

Disgust churned Cadence's stomach, she knew that wasn't the case. It was so hard to swallow the same foal she practically raised. That Celestia molded herself, that was the princess of friendship would ignore a friend. Especially in her new position of power. All of Equestria now depended on her.

She took a deep breath, there was nothing she could do at this moment but stick to her plan. What was most important was getting them out. Then watch them interact with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie and go from there. Every ounce of data was going to be needed for this love problem. It was going to be a doozy.

"You rang?" Discord sang Sombra not too far behind.

"Discord, Sombra. Hello. I wanted to take the time to thank you for all your hard work. For helping me with my daughter but her magic is getting out of control. Fires keep starting, hallways are closed, and personal items are destroyed. I... I can't keep this hidden without you." She pulled out a thick stack of paper.

"It's everything you asked for. You may confide in one creature you trust. I have met with Twilight and she knows this was my idea." Cadence pushed the stack across the crystal floor.

Discord and Sombra's jaws could not drop any lower. They had both expected her to....well they weren't sure what they expected her to do.

"That's not all in there is all the paperwork to make you citizens of the Crystal Empire. You can each have a room here in the castle. I made them up for you, and I hope you like them. Is there anything else?"

Sombra picked up the stack, scanning through it at a speed that would have made a purple bookworm jealous. "You...." Sombra paused "can do something like this. Just that easily? I'm sure your citizens will be upset."

"They don't have to know, you said you wanted a contingency plan and this is it. If things go south then... we will fall back on this. I will not let you go back to being imprisoned. All I ask you to do is trust me enough to hold up that deal."

"You can't reasonably think that putting two villains in charge of your child is a good idea!" Sombra added on as he slid the signed paperwork back. Even if she changed her mind he wanted citizenship. No more overbearing elements and demands of friendship. That was a good deal unto itself.

"Former villains. I think you are both sweet and I need you here. I need you to help me with Flurry and her magic. It's beyond what I can do and I can't let her be caged up. I know you understand what that's like. She was forced into a magic-holding prison, maybe for the rest of her life. No freedom or space to grow and learn."

Discord frowned staring at a blank line. He understood what it meant to be stripped of freedom. He understood what it meant to bring fear. To have creatures fear you and not understand why. Discord signed the papers right then and there. He loved Flurry, she wormed her way into his chaotic heart. Perhaps because she was a chaotic mess moment, and he always had wanted a daughter. He loved foals and that desire pounded at the back of his head. Watching foals once a year at the Apple family reunion wasn't enough. He was dying at the chance to once again run and play freely.

Sombra signed after him, the contract was better than anything the elements proposed. Even if he wasn't fond of foals, he didn't mind Flurry. She was...alright. He hated the idea of living here forever but
for now, he didn't have to.

Freedom for the price of his magic was an opportunity he couldn't turn down. She would use them and they would use her. That was something he could get behind. Not the normal one-sided shit.

Cadence smiled, "okay. Let me show you to your rooms. Now you do not have to use these but they are here!"

As soon as her back was turned Sombra went to work copying the document quickly. As soon as he was done he stored it in his shadow, "here. Forgot this." He started handing over two copies.

"Right!" Cadencetteleported them to her desk to get notarized and started down the hall. "You'll be staying right across from us, just in case of an emergency. Now I did my best to decorate it. I know we don't know each other well, so I had Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie help me."

"What?" Sombra questioned, why would she go to all that trouble? Was this going to be an ongoing thing? It sure started to feel like it.

"Oh, well I know they are your close friends so who else would know best?" Cadence came to the end of the crystal hallway to two doors. One had cupcakes painted all over it and the other was covered in chocolate milk.

Cadence opened the cupcake door and Sombra tried not to blush. He never had it in him to tell Pinkie it wasn't the cupcakes he like. He liked everything she made. Nothing ever tasted like stale cardboard when she made it.

Sombra stepped inside to find it pitch dark. The walls are painted a deep blue with purple accents. The rug, also a deep blue was soft to the touch. The only lights were produced by bulbs covered in salt crystals. The only way artificial light didn't give Sombra a migraine. His bed, while a lighter blue was decorated in red and pink cupcake plushes. With so much of the room matching, they seemed to be floating in mid-air. "She did this...for me?" He questioned as he ran his hoof over a small storage chest. This confused Sombra. Pinkie Pie he tolerated at best but never considered a true friend. She was an element and therefore sided with Twilight.

He sat on the ground tilting his head in thought. Sombra was familiar with Pinkie enough to know while responsible did things just to do them. It was one of the reasons he tolerated her more than the other elements. There wasn't too much expectation from him but this. This said something, it said friendship. The only other pony to show effort in they liked him. Let alone considered him close, was Granny. That old mare filled a hole in his heart he thought was dead, deep unspoken friendship. Not something he had expected when he started his recovery but he was glad had happened.

Cadence left him to explore taking Discord to the door painted with chocolate milk. "This is your room now Fluttershy and I don't have chaos powers but we did our best."

Discord stepped inside, the wall was painted with different patterns. His storage was upside down. His lamps were carved like pigs and set on the floor. The roof looked like a pone-pollak had sneezed. His bed lay on the floor covered in random shaped and colored pillows.

Discord smiled to himself, everything had changed when he had tried to be normal for Fluttershy and almost disappeared. She wasn't even that angry about the whole Grogar thing. She seemed to enjoy his chaos more, even trying to channel it in different ways. Ways he never would have thought, like expanding the animal sanctuary into the chaos realm for the room. Now that was a solution he could get behind. Chaotic and he got to pet animals.

He smiled softly as his claw trailed the pig lamps. Fluttershy and he might have started rough but he was happy with the friendship they had. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before, she cared. She even got into fights with Twilight on his behalf, something that concerned him. He didn't think Flutters would turn him into stone but Twilight might. Twilight was an alicorn now, she might not need the other elements to freeze him.

"Take your time here I have a tour-Retour read you are. That way you can see where things are. We made a lot of changes and this place can be like a maze." Cadence didn't get an answer, which she hoped was a good thing. She turned around, "meet me in the kitchen when you're ready."

Author's Note

Is this chapter odd to you? I'm trying new meds rn. I feel like my writing has gotten super bad. What do you think?