Discord rubbed his paw and claw together. The clock on his cheese wall ticked ever so slowly toward cactus-o-clock. When the rubber duck hit it, he could go.

"Mmmmmm," he whined impatiently. He loved watching the crusaders, even when under supervision. That lot was packed full of chaos. One could only imagine what Flurry was capable of.

Bonus points for offering to help; Twilight would be happy with that. She talked often about how he should be useful.

The rubber duck clicked closer, yet it was still so far away. He rubbed his face with his claw and paw and said, "AH, I CAN’T TAKE IT. We’re going early!"

"Sorry, we?" Sombra inquired, a drink in one hoof and a magazine in the other. "Didn't she just ask you?" he asked, his floaty squeaking against the wall of the indoor lava pool.

"Oh, you've got a packed schedule today?" Discord snapped, and the room became five shades darker. "Sir, emo lonely boy," Discord snickered, eliciting a deep growl.

"Fine," Sombra continued that deep growl. He spent the majority of his time in the chaos realm. The elements didn't need him, and when they did, they never called. Both of them were last resorts. This wasn't any different. "I guess I will go." how Discord was so calm about this, he didn't know. Regardless, he would be dragged off anyway, so there was no point in arguing.

"It'll be fine! Shining will be there, so how wrong could it go?" Discord didn't wait for an answer, snapping his fingers, they took off.

A pop of magic echoed off the crystalline walls. Twin thrones sat on a large crystal pedestal. Discord jumped through the air, like a rubber ball off a wall.

Sombra sat quietly in front of the thrones. He remembered when there was one, when it belonged to him. He would have tried for that throne if it wasn't for Discord using him as a plot device to teach the main six a lesson. He wasn't a real threat, it was a humbling experience. One that persuaded him that the mane six would never fall as long as friendship existed. Fighting that was pointless.

The throne room doors squeaked open. "Hello," Cadence chirped. Behind her rattled a small cart filled with everything Flurry would need. "I just changed her, but there are diapers and toys in here. This is her whammy," Cadence said, "see?"

Discord and Sombra nodded their heads in response.

"Great. It calms her when she is stressed. There is milk in the fridge in frog-shaped bottles. Feed her with those. And that's it!" Cadence said it with a smile.

"That sounds easy," Discord chirped back. Maybe it would be easier than watching the crusaders. Those three could be their own chaos lords. "So where is the rascal?"

"Shining is just saying goodbye, he-"

"Bye? What do you mean bye? Isn’t he staying?!" Discord interrupted.

"No, he's coming with me to the meeting. He has to be there as co-ruler." Cadence said with a head tilt."Why did you think that?"

"Who is going to watch us?" Discord asked. Twilight called them 'at risk.' So when they were in charge, a chaperone was involved. Discord was not a big fan of that, but fighting them on it would make things worse.

"What?!?!" Cadence squeaked, tilting her head further. "You are grown creatures. It's Flurry that needs the babysitter." She scoffed at her own joke, but their furrowed eyebrows told her they were serious.

Cadence frowned, stopping her laughter. They were being watched? How often, and how much were they watched? How trusted were they? Were they trusted when given tasks? Were they given tasks?

"That's a terrible idea. Do you have a fever? In what universe would anyone think this was a good idea?" Discord squeaked. The elements insisted they couldn't be trusted. Discord believed them at times, but more importantly, he couldn't afford another blunder.

"I rarely say this, Cadence, but Discord is correct," Sombra said. She leaves him, of all creatures. Alone with another ex-villain in the city, he took over. "This idea is born to fail."

"Why don't we poof in Starlight, Sunburst, or anyone else?" Discord exclaimed, "They could both spare some time." He wanted to do this so badly. Discord loved foals, and he loved watching them.

"I guess you could do that," Cadence said as she frowned harder. "I don't think you should; it's only fifteen minutes." Maybe this was a risk, but it was a risk she needed to take. How were they to learn if they weren't given the space? Yes, they were older, but that didn't mean they understood friendship better. Let alone any other relationship.

"After that Shining, I will be back. You can be under observation. You'll be fine." Cadence said so reassuringly. "You can teleport me back if anything goes wrong. Which it won’t." She had to compromise on something, meet them halfway. Put them in a situation that would let them grow, and they felt safe.

Discord sighed, those friendship lessons had worked. It was so hard to say no to someone who needed his help. If he did say no and something happened to Flurry Heart. He would feel guilty, and he had plenty to feel guilty for. Even worse, if he failed, that would mean more restrictions on his life. "Ok." The backup was a snap away.

"Are you insane? As Discord covered his muzzle, Sombra could only utter muffled grunts.

"We'll do it," he said with a smile, but his heart sank. Discord was well aware that this was insane. He couldn't say no, he had become a softie. He couldn't let another creature suffer as he did; freedom was a fate worse than death. Flurry was innocent; she didn't deserve to be punished.

Cadence sighed; her heart hung heavily. "Remember, do not call anyone unless it's an emergency." She repeated for clarity’s sake. "I know you can do this. I believe in you."

Discord’s heart thudded, and he felt pinned into a corner. He could say no, yet he felt like he shouldn't say yes. "Okay."

"All I ask is that you give it a try. Help, and if you hate it, I won't ever ask you again." Cadence said so for added reassurance, but deep down she hoped it wouldn't come to that. This would be the easiest way to solve both problems. Or at least keep track of both situations. "We must go now."

Shining entered the room, his hooves splattering across the floor of the throne room. His muzzle was stained with tears, "but." He didn't wish to leave his daughter behind. Never mind those two. Twilight was always complaining about how they slacked off. They helped only when they had to.

"She's in good care." She cooed, running a hoof along her husband's back. She teleported her child to Discord.

Discord released Sombra's muzzle and cradled Flurry in his paw.

Flurry cooed at the strange creature before her. Reaching her hooves up, she grabbed his muzzle everywhere. She had never seen any creature quite like him.

Cadence smiled, getting all the reassurance she needed from that one reaction. "We'll be back," and with a pop of her magic, she was gone.

Discord scratched Flurry's belly with his claw. "I hope you are just as much trouble as Cadence said you would be." Perhaps Cadence was correct; it was only for a short time. This was also something he had done before.

Flurry squealed with delight; she liked this strange creature already. She went for that claw, and immediately put it in her mouth. She squeaked as she drooled all over it.

"Gross," Discord laughed, gently pulling his claw away. A huge strand of drool followed it. "Super gross!" He laughed, shaking it off his claw. Suddenly he felt a strange sting, he should watch the crusaders again. He missed their antics.

"Sooooo, now what?" Sombra asked, hoping that anything he would say would change Discord's mind. He made sure to keep his distance from that thing. His only hope now was to tell the elements he didn't participate. Then maybe he'd get less of whatever they dished out.

"I'll look through the cart; maybe there's something in there," Discord said as he slid the infant into Sombra's hooves.

"Ahhhhh, no, take it. Take it!! I don't know what to do with it!!!" Sombra yelled, his heart in his throat. Was he going to have a heart attack? This was it, this is how he died. Not in a blaze of glory, but holding a gremlin.

"Oh, come on, you're afraid of a small baby?" He laughed and said, "just hold her for a moment." As he ransacked the cart, he stated. He threw out all kinds of objects, he needed inspiration. Just leaving Flurry alone in a crib felt like a bad idea.

Flurry looked at another creature, this was a shape she was familiar with but not one she knew. She held out her hooves, only for him to dodge them. She whined, and her horn activated. With a loud pop and a splash, Discord was suddenly drenched.

"Ha," Sombra wheezed as he pointed at Discord. The beat of his heart calmed. He wasn't sure how he would avoid punishment. Guess he would figure that out later.

"Ha, ha, ha. I like her already!" Discord laughed, snapping in a sheep to dry off. "This is going to be fun." He chirped, any stress had devolved in favor of chaotic potential. He squished the sheep, and the water poured out into nothing. It was snapped away by Discord.

Sombra continued to snicker, perhaps the gremlin wasn't that bad. Not after that. Her hooves reached out to him and he tugged away. It was still a gremlin, just an ok one. And he wanted to be as far from it as possible. "Hurry up."

Flurry's muzzle got redder. "Wehhh," she whined, stirring in Sombras hooves. With another zap of magic, there will be no more warnings. It was Sombra who was drenched.

Sombra growled, water dripping off of him and onto the crystal floor.

"Ahhhaaa," Discord wheezed as he pointed to the soaked stallion.

Flurry cooed as she extended her hooves to touch this muzzle. She had to; how else would she remember him for next time?

Sombra cocked his right eyebrow, the drips blurring his visions of the angry gremlin. "Did you do that on purpose?" Flurry squeaked and reached for his muzzle, perhaps it was on purpose. This was a smart gremlin.

"Fine." He held still, and Flurry squealed in delight as she touched his muzzle all over.

Discord snapped his paws, laughing so much it was hard to breathe. This was going to be the best fifteen minutes since... He couldn't remember the last time he had this much fun. Kicking his legs into the air, he summoned a sheep just for Sombra.

"Mmmm," Sombra groaned. He put Flurry on the floor and grabbed the sheep. With a wisp of magic, he was dry, and the sheep were gone. "Do something with that thing."

"Her name is Flurry, and there's not a single game in this cart!" Discord scratched his chin, what did the crusaders like? "What about a fort?" The crusaders were still sort of foals. They got their cutie marks, but they were still young. Flurry is young, she would love a fort. Perfect logic.

"Let's just get this over with, snap it up."

"Where's the fun in that? Let's race. Whoever gets the most pillows can skip Twilight's next meeting of boredom."

Sombra's ears perked up; they both hated those things. They were long, on a weekend, and close to lunch. He and Discord never got to do anything either. Just dragged there to sit in the corner. Examples of what Twilight was capable of, are displayed for all to see. "Okay."

"I knew you would see it my way." Discord smiled, he picked Flurry up and cradled her in his paw. Grabbing Sombra by his neck and scruff with his claw, he made for the crystal doors. His feet clacked across the floor.

He threw the throne room doors open, they squeaked so loud it echoed off the walls of the throne room.

"I'll go that way," Discord said as he pointed down the left corridor. "You go that way," he said, pointing to the right corridor. "Take her," he said as he put Flurry on Sombra's back.

"What?? But-" Sombra tried to protest, but Discord’s tail was already rounding the crystal wall.

Sombra sighed, there was no argument to be made. He turned his head to look at the baby that sat on his back. "If we are to get along, then we need to make a pact. I won't bother you, and you won't bother me. Are we clear?"

"Aaaaaa bbpppbbt," Flurry babbled back.

"Fantastic," Sombra said as he trotted down the long crystal hallway. He chose to pass the bedrooms, those would have pillows, but small amounts. They would also be annoying to put back. That was of no use to him. He needed a lot of them, and quickly.

He sighed again, his hooves clacking against the crystal floor. His eyes traced every golden plack. 'Meeting Room A', 'Meeting Room B', 'Ball Room 7', 'Staff Room 3'.

'Suite,' one of them red, caught Sombra's eye. There could be pillows in there, perhaps it would be best to go in here. Or should he keep looking, hoping to find a gold mine? He carefully weighed the options.

An earth pony maid, coming from the opposite direction, hummed to herself. Her hooves clanked softly on the floor. A song by The Ladybugs was stuck in her head. 'Hey dude, don't be down. Don't be rude, sing and feel better.'

A dark stallion came out of seemingly nowhere, it was too late for her to stop, and he didn't notice her.

"Thud!" A loud metal ding rang out as Sombra smacked right into the cart. "Tink, tink," plastic bottles and other objects clattered onto the floor. Their contents spilled across the crystal.

"Oh, I'm so-"

"Wwaaaaaaa," Flurry cried as she clung to Sombra’s back. Tears began to stain his dark fur.

"Oh no, no, stop that!" Sombra said in a panic.

"Waaaaaa," Flurry continued to cry.

Shit, thought Sombra. What was he supposed to do? Cadence called it a shamy, a clammy, or a grammy. Whammy! It is called a whammy. Sombra teleported in that stupid snail and threw it into Flurry's hooves.

"Ah," Flurry cooed, sticking the snail into her muzzle. With every slobbery chomp, the green snail got darker.

Sombra relaxed, if that didn't work, he would have been so screwed. He looked back at the earth pony. Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and she frantically rubbed her head. The metal car has a Sombra-shaped dent in the side, and bottles of liquid cover the floor. "I wasn't paying attention."

The maid stared at Sombra, he was a stallion one could never forget. She remembered bits of his iron rule. She was just a foal when he took over. "Neither was I," She stated shakily.

Sombra could feel the fear radiating from her, that was part of his power. The fear was so strong that he could see faint purple clouds that surrounded her. "I didn't mean to scare you."

This was partly his fault. With a zap of his magic, the cart began to creak. A sharp thump sounded out as the side of the metal cart popped back out. He set it back down on the floor. "This good, miss?"

"Miss?" He questioned her again when she didn't answer. The plastic bottles were surrounded by his purple magic, and the liquid was pulled back into them. He lined them up along the top, and the cart was good as new, even better.

"Uh-oh-yes!" The maid stuttered, "I am Ivy." She did not expect a willingness to help, let alone good manners. Ivy had no idea what to say, and that's when she pointed to Flurry.

Flurry sat on Sombra's back, her interest in her snail was gone. She was back to messing up the hide on Sombra's back. A good portion of it stood up and was covered in drool. It didn't stop Flurry from biting into the plush fur.

"Be careful; she might eat you," Ivy scoffed.

Sombra turned to face the gremlin in his back."I'm terrified. Please call the elements right away." In a way, he wished she would, because that thing was so gross.

Ivy snickered, he didn't seem like he'd hurt her. Cadence trusted him enough to be alone with her daughter. Even so, she should still keep her distance, and keep a vigilant eye. "Thank you for cleaning up the mess."

"Not a problem." Sombra shifted on his hooves. He hasn't talked to a crystal pony since 'graduating' Twilight's lessons.

Silence filled the hallway as the two creatures stared at each other. The only noise was that of the baby.

"So, I thought Discord was watching Flurry," Ivy said as she tried to break the awkwardness. She felt a mix of relief and disbelief. He seemed harmless, yet she still felt on edge. There was always the chance he was plotting something. Yet he had the next princess on his back, acting uninterested. If he were to achieve it, now would be the time.

"He was supposed to, but he left me with her. Fighting him on it would be like trying to move a brick wall." He answered, silence creeping in once more. So he asked a question back. "So you know this place well. I need pillows for a fort. Discord wants to build one for Flurry."

"Dwa, that's adorable. Sure, I'll take you to our storage room. Just follow me, Sombra." She chirped, pushing the cart with her front hoof. "It's alright if I call you that, right?"

Sombra chuckled, "what else would I be called?"

"Sir. Mc. Disappear-a-kingdom-son?" Ivy quipped. Snickering after, Sombra might find that funny. At the very least, she hoped he would.

Sombra scoffed, he was familiar with Discord's quips, so it didn't catch him off guard. "Nope, just Sombra is plenty fine. So, how long have you been doing this?" He asked, trying to make conversation as they slowly passed the crystal pink walls.

"Oh, two years ago. "I'm just doing it to save up for college." Ivy replied as she guided Sombra left at an intersection. "What's it like being around the elements?" This was something she always wondered about, never having interacted with them. Just in the background all the time.

"Naggy." Sombra found himself answering honestly. Living with Twilight was one of the worst experiences of my life. He never knew how someone so neurotic could be the princess of friendship. To him, Pinkie Pie would make more sense, Fluttershy and Starlight a runner-up. All were personable, trustworthy, and could befriend anything.

"Ha!" Ivy snorted. She lifted her free hoof and coughed into it. That wasn't the answer she was expecting, but he wasn't the typical guy to hang around them.

"Please don't die, I would rather not go through painfully boring friendship lessons. 'Sharing is caring," Sombra squeaked out his best impression of Twilight.

"Ahhhhhaaaawaaaa," wheezed Ivy, her smile stretching across her muzzle. "Stooop it!" She wheezed again, her hoof now digging through the cart to bring out a small red contraption. She shook it back and forth and breathed in the puff it provided.

"Are you alright?! What is that? Don't actually die." Sombra said as he brought his hoof to her forehead. Checking for temperature wouldn't help, but that's all the healing magic he knew.

"Fine, I'm fine," Ivy smirked and wheezed again. It's an inhaler. Spring is always the worst season for me."

"Oh.." Sombra said. "Well, if you insist."

"It's called asthma; this is my inhaler. It makes me stop wheezing. Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine with the medicine." She tried to explain, it is a complex solution. "Oh, we're here!" She wheezed with surprise.

She pointed her hoof down the hallway. A large wooden door with a golden handle. "Don't worry, it's not a big deal."

Sombra's stomach turned as he prepared to do something" he hated. I apologize for the wheezing. Sombra, King of Friendship." He chuckled awkwardly; he so rarely said sorry, but he did hurt this mare. His eyes turned purple as he opened the door.

"I was born with it, so trust me when I say I'm fine. I would know if it was an emergency. I haven’t laughed that hard in a while." She reassured him. She felt as if she was in a dream. An apology, from the former evil king. How was she supposed to feel about this? "King, that puts you higher than Twilight. Perhaps you should be teaching her." Ivy joked, but her head was swimming. He's a terrifying ruler one moment and her friend the next.

"Oh I should definitely tutor her, she would love that." Sombra scoffed. She would have a heart attack if he were to have such power again. He knew she would never trust him, or Discord. He was silent, the door squeaked open, and he stepped inside.

Ivy frowned, not that Sombra saw it. Something in his joking voice felt serious. She didn’t mean to step on a sore subject. "Well, I’m glad we’re friends. Feel free to call me for whatever you need. The maid's office is just past the throne room, two doors to the right."

Sombra dropped the pillows he was holding in his magic, they thumped against the floor. His eyes grew wide, and he turned his head back to Ivy. "I’m sorry. What?"

"Friends, you know. I don’t think I can poop out those magic rainbows, though. I hope that’s alright." Ivy chortled, as she shifted back and forth on her hooves.

"O-o-oh." Sombra simply said, he gathered the pillows from the floor. Someone he used to rule with an iron fist, was trying to befriend him. Something was wrong with this mare, but he would be forced back to Twilight if he said no. He did not want to go back, those lessons were beyond degrading. "Sure." He smiled, his fangs glistening in the light.

"I’m going back to Discord." As he levitated the pillows next to him, he said. He backed against the farthest wall and slid down the hallway. When he got to the corner, he ran off. Did that just happen? Perhaps Cadence put her up to that? She could be a good actor, one never knows.

"Sombra?"

"HUH? Oh! Hey." He looked up at Discord, so zoned out that he didn’t even notice he was back in the throne room.

"You cheated, how did you get all those?" Discord said as he snapped his fingers, he had a measly ten pillows. That was nothing compared to the massive pile of pillows created by Sombra's magic.

"I met the strangest maid. She showed me where they kept extra pillows." Sombra said with a frown, zoning back into his thoughts. What was with her, she had to be paid off. Or something was wrong with her, in the head.

"Yo- earth to space cadet." Discord clapped his claw and paw together. "Did you hear me? Are you alright?"

"What? Oh yes, she just threw me off. Let’s just go get this over with..." he trailed off, throwing open the huge glass doors to the throne room.

Discord followed behind, he would press Sombra later. The stallion always needed to ‘load.’ That’s what Discord called it. Sombra would just sit there and think about whatever happened before talking or doing anything. It was like he just froze in time. "Well, you're a butt cuz you got back last!"

"We'll I got enough pillows to build the damn thing," Sombra said as he dumped the pillows in front of the gilded twin thrones. It was best to just forget it. Or just use Occam's razor, a simple answer is often the truth. Ivy was most likely paid off or insane.

Discord started laying out the floor for the fort. Each pillow he grabbed changed into a chaotic, colored mess. "Alright, we'll start with the floor." As he laid out another row of checkered and dotted pillows, he said.

Sombra sighed, laying Flurry on the floor as he grabbed a couple of pillows. "I will get the walls."

"That's the spirit!"

"That's how it gets done."

"You are no fun sometimes." Discord scoffed. Sombra could be as moody as a teenager. He needed to take a chill pill before-

"Awaaawaaa," Flurry cooed as she flopped onto the floor. Her muzzle lay close to the ground as she scooted across it.

"Woe, hey," Discord said as he picked her up in his claw and paw. "Where do you think you are going?" He giggled, cradling her in his paw.

"Aaaaaa," she cooed, reaching out and grabbing onto Discord's muzzle.

Discord smiled, and he held her as he started building his wall. She was pretty darn cute, that's for sure. Although he couldn't help but be just a little disappointed, she wasn't as much trouble as Cadence said she would be. He was hoping for just a smidgen of chaos.

"Done," Sombra announced, her eyes glowing a light purple. He laid the last pillow on top of the fort.

"Alright, let's get in this sucker." Discord said as he laid Flurry on Sombra's head. He crawled into the fort, and soon he was reaching his claw out of the fort. "Give her to me."

Sombra sighed and levitated the gremlin over to Discord.

"Aaahhhhhhhh," Flurry screeched.

"What the-," Sombra said as he pulled her back. His fur stood up on end, and he could feel his magic pulse. Purple magic radiated from Flurry, "She’s scared."

"Of the fort?"

"Of the dark," Sombra stated. He could tell that was part of his power set. He knew that the maid was afraid of him and he knew Flurry was afraid of the dark.

"Easy fix." Discord chirped, snapping his claws, and the fort filled with millions of tiny fireflies.

"Aaabbabbababa," Flurry cooed, reaching her hooves out to Discord. Sombra had felt the fear fade away, so he levitated her over.

Sombra ducked in after the gremlin was safe in Discord's grasp. He watched as the fireflies cast bright green, red, and yellow lights against the plaid blue and green pillows. "Now what?"

"The crusaders like it when I tell them stories. We’ll just do that! Cadence and Shining should be back any moment. This was so easy, I could have done it in my sleep."

"You have a point, it is quite surprising."

"I am a genius," Discord snapped his fingers, bringing up a book with a golden spine. Poohpony: Pegasus has breakfast. "Hello, said Poohpony," Discord chirped in a deep voice. "My name is Poohpony. What is your name?"

Flurry giggled gleefully, she tapped on the page with a bear. "Ooooo," she said as she slapped her hoof against the picture repeatedly.

"Huh," Sombra said, his eyes swirling with purple, and a shadowy bear popped out of the page.

Flurry’s eyes went wide, and she flailed at the shadowy bear, "oooooo, ooo!" She cooed, flailing her hooves at the shadowy bear, enthralling the living image.

"Smart kid," Discord said as he watched Flurry try and reach the bear. "You know who that is?" He asked, "who is that?"

"Ooooooo," Flurry cooed, slapping her hoof against the shadowy bear. The paper of the book crinkled as she tried to catch it.

"I didn’t know you could do that."

Sombra and Discord jumped, and a pillar of purple crystals formed between them at the sudden appearance of Cadence.

Cadence smiled, the pink aura had gotten slightly bigger. She and Flurry were the solution, she could give them the space they needed. It did seem like they were smothered, perhaps a little bit of air would do them good. "How would you two like to stay all day? You can help yourself to the royal kitchen, or chefs. Anything you want!" She offered. The original plan was for an hour.

As he shook Cadence's hoof, Discord said, "Deal!". He could always snap up his own food but it wasn’t as good. Plus, he would get a kick out of causing the chefs some trouble. It was a win-win for him.

Sombra sighed, guess that meant he was staying. He could go back to the chaos realm, but he knew he’d be bored. Maybe this was a good thing, in the end, it would give him enough time to find out what was wrong with that maid.

Author's Note

Fun fact my sister and I are very close and she also has asthma

[spoiler temp placement ]11/27 grammar check