"I meant to say dinners cooking, before I got distracted by you!" Discord winked at Somber, who rolled his eyes.

"Should be done by now, what with the random sex to pass the time." Discord mused, then got an elbow to the side from his annoyed partner.

"So now I'm just a distraction?" Somber said crossly.

"Oh yes, you've succeeded in distracting me a LOT, Somber. Impossible to get any work done with you hanging around..." Discord grinned, running a hand up somber's back as he steered him towards the kitchen.

He wasn't joking. He'd been intending to work on a new weapon against the forces they were fighting, but the brief argument with Somber ended by the irritated professor stalking out of the room had left him distracted. Things seemed to work differently here, and Somber's feud with Cinch clearly went deeper than Discord could fathom. What would that madwoman do if Somber WERE to report her? Could she really get him fired?

He'd grumbled to himself awhile, telling himself Somber didn’t HAVE to be such a brat at storm off like that. Then he recalled one of Fluttershy's many lessons; no matter how big or small it may seem to others, its a big problem to the one its bothering. The solution seemed easy to him, but the games humans played were far dirtier than what he'd seen in Equestria. So he'd gone to find him, and had apparently scared the living daylights out of Somber. Then he'd noticed the man was wearing glasses, and sweet Celestia did it make him look even MORE irresistibly doable. He'd tried to hold back, but one kiss had not been enough, and he'd been incapable of resisting Somber once more.

Not that Somber had objected. Discord had seen the flash of desire in those deep red eyes, hidden by the reflections on the lenses of his glasses, but it'd been THERE. Then Somber had pushed the paperwork aside in one decisive movement, as if daring Discord to misread that signal.

It struck him as the human equivalent of presenting yourself, and he'd gladly taken it.

"You in there?" He snapped out of his daze, seeing Somber frowning at him.

"Yes yes~" he nudged Somber to the table, which was clear for once. Once dinner was over he resolved to get more work done. All joking aside, he needed to develop something new.

Somber winced as he stood up.

"My back hurts..." he grunted "not sure what’s to blame, sitting at that desk for too long, or letting a certain madman nail me on it!"

"Not guilty...wait, which one won't land me in trouble?" Discord asked, mystified. Somber rolled his eyes and he put the dishes in the sink "the one where I blame the desk." he said.

"Oh, the DESK. Not di-"

"No." Somber was struggling to not throw a tea towel at Discord, what was it with him and the sexual euphemisms/innuendoes?

"Although ill start blaming that shortly if your libido keeps at it." he complained.

Discord grinned "You know you love it really..."

More shaking of the head and eye rolling from his partner, who had his back to him at the sink. He couldn’t see his face, but Somber's sarcastic deadpan tone got the message across;

"Yes, I had wondered what those orgasms were telling me!" he muttered under his breath. Then nearly face-palmed at how stupid he'd just made himself sound.

"I do declare I’m rubbing off on you," Discord stepped up to the sink and wrapped his arms around Somber's middle, nuzzling the back of his neck and breathing in the soft scent of his lovers skin "that was quite sarcastic of you~"

"I work in a school full of teenagers, I’m surprised I haven't learnt every sarcastic tonal mode they’ve created!" Sombra grumbled.

With the dishes done, Somber returned to his office to finish his grading work. With what had been lost in the fire, he had a lot of catching up to do!

Discord said he was going to work on a new weapon prototype, and vanished into his lab...

Somber worked until the last possible minute before he regularly went to bed, before finally surrendering. The rest would have to wait...

He drifted along to Discord's lab, sticking his head round the door.

"Don’t forget to sleep.." he remarked, seeing Discord up to his elbows in wiring and computers.

"I wont," Discord glanced at him briefly before returning to his work "ill uh...be up in a bit..."

Somber wondered if everything was OK, Discord seemed a bit off. Still, maybe he was just distracted by whatever volatile thingamajig he was constructing. So he nodded, and shut the door behind him.

A quick shower later, some fresh short sand a shirt, and he collapsed into bed feeling that small twinge in his back. He felt himself flush, but nonetheless he was smiling as he lay there in the darkness.

--Damnit Discord, my whole life's made no sense since you came along..-- he yawned and curled up on his side. More echoes twanged through him, reverberations of the passionate interlude earlier. A brief sense of guilty pleasure formed in Somber's mind but he threw it out, and rolled onto his other side, by now thoroughly ensnared in the covers. He sighed softly, drifting asleep, looking forward to the day when the Friendship games would be over...

He woke up to the usual sound of his alarm blaring. He swatted at the phone, and turned to the other side of the big double bed. But there was no sign Discord had ever been there.

--He didn’t sleep on the couch did he? I thought I thought i'd made it obvious I wouldn’t mind?-- Sombra sighed, Discord was utterly nonsensical. Perfectly willing to jump Somber one moment, then insisting he give him space the next. He was mad as a box of frogs.

Sure enough, he found Discord sprawled on the lab couch. He crouched down, shaking his shoulder.

"Discord-"

"Wha?!" Discord bolted awake, flailing his arms. This knocked Somber onto his butt, scaring him just as badly..

"What’s-? Oh, Somber!" He looked pleased to see him there at least "what time is it?"

"Time for me to go to work!" Somber pointed out "you too, remember?"

"Oh! Of course..." Discord grinned, vaulting off the couch he grabbed Somber's hand and hauled him to his feet.

"That reminds me, once classes are over, I’m driving to the mall in the city. I need some supplies, and thanks to this region being so overcrowded with school kids, it stays open late. If you need anything picked up, now is a good time to tell me!" Somber recovered his scrambled thoughts as they headed for the kitchen.

"Oh? No, I’m good for supplies, we have plenty of food..."

Even on the ride to school, Somber noticed Discord seemed distracted. Normally he did something to put Somber's back up, whether it was staring at him while lost in thought to the point where Somber would jab him in the nose to make him blink, telling some obscene joke, or idly tracing patterns along Somber's leg at an intersection. But today he was staring at a notepad, not a single joke or attempt to hit on Somber.

--Whatever this is, its serious. Never known Discord to pass up an opportunity to wind me up!-- Somber shrugged to himself.

--Or try and jump me..-- he added, shaking his head to dismiss that thought.

The brief moment Discord surfaced form his thoughts was when he seen Somber redden slightly and shake his head, looking cross.

--Is he still annoyed about yesterday. I know he said he WASN'T mad, but he seems to keep things inside. Perhaps id best give him some space...-- so he refrained from groping Sombra the rest of the way there.

"Can you get home OK?" Somber asked. Discord smiled as he got out of the car, reassuring him he'd be fine, he'd get a taxi!

Somber nodded, and they walked into the school.

His first task was to supervise the Archery practise, in preparation for the relay event. The CHS students were gathered in the sports hall, and a variety of equipment had been set up.

Spitfire had thoughtfully set up some extra activities for the watching students to try their hand at, in the hopes of sparking someone's interest in sports. She mentioned to Somber she wanted to introduce some fresh clubs to the line-up, some more obscure or lesser seen sports!

She had to go speak with Cinch to sign some health and safety forms, and left Somber in charge.

"Wahoo!” Rainbow Dash was as hyped up as she always was about sports of any kind. She was booting her soccer ball around, bouncing it from foot to knee, then kicking it into the air and catching it on her HEAD. Several students applauded and she bowed, the ball miraculously staying in place.

“Yay!" Fluttershy cheered softly, clapping her hands happily.

Applejack was practising firing arrows with Fluttershy, as her part of the relay was the archery section. Pinkie and Rarity's was the roller-race, and Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer were up for the Motocross bit. Sadly they couldn't practise in the hall, and so Rainbow Dash led a small kick-about while Sunset wandered over to the other displays Spitfire had set up.

One of them was a fencing section. She picked up the sword and waggled it in the air, curious at how lightweight it was. she mimicked the movies she'd seen in this world and swished it around like a pirate.

"Close, but not quite.." She blinked, seeing the supervisor teacher standing there. She wasn't in his classes, she had a different teacher, but Rainbow Dash had mentioned this guy had helped her out after the incident with the bleachers.

"Hold it like So," He scooped up a sword of his own, holding ti easily and with little effort, making sunset wonder if he was a pro or something?

He made a couple of elegant motions with the blade, and motioned her to mimic them. Sticking her tongue out in concentration, she did just that. It was a bit ungainly compared to his, but she grinned as she managed it.

She followed his instructions and dance forward, landing a successful jab on the dummy’s chest.

"Cool!" She grinned, looking at the sword "Do we have a club for this yet?"

"NO, not yet," Somber said, examining the sword, thinking of his own custom made one at home. The case had been melted, but the sword had survived, being stored upstairs.

--Home...wait, am I calling Discord's house "home" now?-- he felt confused by how readily he'd accepted that. He dismissed the thought, gripping the sword in his hand, tossing it into the air and catching it. In his absent minded state, he forgot he wasn’t alone, and habit took over. He went through a short set of the moves and parrys from memory, ending with the sword pointed at the dummy’s heart.

Sunset stared, impressed as the teacher seemed to space out and go through a series of motions. He HAD to have been trained in fencing, he was way too good.

She wasn’t the only one staring, quite a few kids were absorbed in the teachers demonstration. When he finished, many applauded, thinking this was a recruitment for a new sword fighting club!

"Well, that's something I haven’t seen before!" Somber whipped round, coming face to face with Spitfire.

"You never told me you did fencing!" The PE teacher said, eyebrows raised "I'm impressed. Don't suppose I can rope you into running the club, if enough kids sign up?"

Many of the students nodded, saying they wanted to learn it too!

"That equipments been hanging around for years, I thought id finally make use of it." Spitfire nodded at the dummies and swords "There’s some of those outfits you have to wear, too. I know a little bit about it, but I was thinking I’d have to either find a particularly talented student or hire somebody!"

Somber felt like an idiot. He'd just drawn a lot of attention to himself that he didn’t want. But at the same time, he hadn't been able to help it. He did miss the fencing club from his days in CPA. Why not..?

"So...?" Spitfire slung an arm around his shoulders, a "pretty please" grin on her face.

Sombra cleared his throat, trying to look nonchalant as he answered "I fail to see why not."

"Alright!" Spitfire released him and clapped him on the back, nearly making him fall over "I'll let you know what Celestia says for dates and times!"

The students gathered around shared curious murmurs, and soon quite a few were mucking about with the swords. Pinkie was looking from the blade to a bag of marshmallows.

"No!" Her friends declared, and she pouted.

Somber just shook his head in despair.

All too soon it was time for the main event, the relay. It started with the Archery portion. Whichever team hit the target first would give their schools team a head start!

Fluttershy, for all her nerves, managed to hit the target pretty quickly to her team-mates delight. The same went for Applejack. The CPA kids however...

Twilight watched as Sour Sweet scored a hit no problem, and took a deep breath, begging her trembling hands to fire the arrow.

Somber seen the poor girl look about to collapse as her partner yelled at her as she failed to land a single target. Glancing across at the stands where the Principals and vice Principals from both schools (or in CPA's case, Dean Cadance), Somber could see Cinch's sour expression as poor Twilight struggled to land a hit.

She must’ve sensed him staring, for her steely gaze zeroed in on him, and if looks could kill, well....

Applejack at last gave the struggling Twilight a hand, and CPA was able to catch up on the skating portion of the relay at last. Somber seen something odd happen when Twilight hugged Applejack in thanks for her assistance. A light seemed to move from Applejack to Twilight's necklace.

"What’s...?" Somber murmured, a funny sensation gnawing at the back of his mind. He was setting off towards the stands where Twilight was heading, one hand moving to the phone Discord had tweaked and wondering if it could pick up on anything. Call it crazy, but he suspected magic somehow...

Discord had said the elements of harmony back in Equestria corresponded to six young mares. And one WAS named Twilight, another Applejack. The same two girls he'd just seen interacting. But Twilight wasn’t the same in this version it seemed...

But he never reached that far. The ground shook, and what looked like giant plants erupted from the ground. Somber yelped and ran away as one lashed out at him, missing snaring him by a hairs breadth. Students were screaming and panicking, and he ran towards them, yelling for them to keep calm and evac the stands!

He felt the magical necklace bearing the Elpis sword begin to heat up. Glancing around, he seen a couple of tendrils reaching for a terrified student who was curled up in a ball on the ground. Without thinking he ran over, pulling the necklace over his neck and changing it to its sword form in a millisecond. The blade sliced cleanly through the plant, making it recoil it pain.

"Go!" Somber pulled the girl to her feet and pushed her in the direction of the way out "don’t look back!"

She didn’t ask why, too relieved to be out of danger. Somber turned his attention back to the rogue plant, gripping the swords hilt once more-

When just as abruptly the portals the plants were issuing from snapped shut, making the things vanish.

Somber stared a moment, then he turned and ran, looking for the students that'd evacuated. He didn’t see Cinch staring after him..

Once out of sight he changed the sword back to its necklace form, sighing softly.

That’d been too close. Something WEIRD was going on here.

Needless to say Cinch did not let Celestia off lightly, threatening to get the head of the school system to declare a forfeit on CHS' part. Celestia reasoned with her, suggesting they maybe be declared joint winners but Cinch would not hear it!

Somber walked over, informing Celestia that all students were accounted for. The last six were crowded around the Principals and one dean.

"Thank you Somber," Celestia said kindly. Cinch’s eyes narrowed. Cadance titled her head to one side, she was sure she'd heard that name before, hadn't Shining Armor mentioned it?

"And if wings weren’t bad enough, and trained attack plants not enough of an insult, you allow tecahers to carry deadly weapons on school grounds!" Here she jabbed an accusing finger at Somber.

"Deadly? Him?" Rainbow Dash whispered with a smirk.

"Never underestimate people, Rainbow dear..." Rarity whispered back.

"What are you talking about?" Celestia was starting to get angry.

"I seen him-" She stared at Somber "taking a swipe at one of those plants to free a student. WITH A SWORD."

"Somber?" Celestia peered at him, but he didn’t seem alarmed.

"Merely a fencing sword." He said smoothly "with the right training, they can pack a punch."

Celestia's face lit up with relief, that made sense!

"Its true.." Sunset piped up "He was showing me how to use a sword earlier in practise, he's really good at it!"

Cinch hesitated, she was sure fencing swords were lighter, that thing had looked like a Japanese katana sword. But at that distance...

"You see?" Celestia capitalised on Cinch’s look of doubt, and sunsets backup "Our PE teacher Spitfire informed me Somber was an expert fencer, we're intending to set up a club here at CHS."

"Well I suggest you lock those things away, unless you need them. Swords shouldn’t be just lying around!" Cinch fumed.

She demanded the final game go on the next day, and she stormed off.

"Wow," Somber said in the silence "that wasn’t awkward at all."

"I’ve never seen her this competitive. I mean this is going beyond the pale!" Luna remarked.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to...ya know.." Sunset mumbled to Celestia, casting glances at Somber, hoping he'd leave so she could talk magic. She didn’t suspect what he'd been doing was any form of magic, she just assumed Cinch had it in for CHS and that'd made her angry. As angry as when she'd shouted at Twilight not minutes ago.

Somber vacated the group, already dialling Discord's phone as he headed inside. He was walking down a hallway when that same girl who'd come to collect Twilight stepped into his path.

"I'd go the other way," she said in a bored voice "She's REALLY steamed at you."

This stopped Sombra short, and he opened his mouth to ask who she was talking about, then wisely didn't, and turned back. She was one of the Crystal Prep students, she could only be talking about Cinch.

The phone clicked and his heart eased up in relief as he heard Discord's voice.

"You're not going to believe this.." he began.

-

Sugarcoat watched as the teacher took her advice and skedaddled.

A few moments after he was gone Cinch rounded the corner in the opposite direction, finding Sugarcoat absorbed in her cellphone.

"Have you seen that raven-haired loose canon anywhere? The one you caught Twilight conversing with the other day?"

"Nah," Sugarcoat said bluntly "I haven’t seen anybody."

Cinch gave an annoyed huff, but didn’t push it. She didn’t have time to search for Somber now.

But rest assured shed get her revenge for his meddling.

In the meantime she needed to talk to Twilight..

Discord's jaw hit the floor as he listened to Somber's story. MORE magic? And it was coming from those six Girls again?

"This is getting beyond bizarre Discord, what are we dealing with here? That necklace thing she had on, the one I fixed for her...I swear I seen it glowing! That’s when the rifts opened and those plants came through."

"Hmm...it must be equestrian magic. Somehow...oh I don’t know. I'd been out of contact with Celestia for some time before I did a runner, maybe she or Twilight developed something new?" Discord grumbled to himself.

"Maybe.." Sombra shook his head.

"Is there ANY method besides mine to get to this world? I know Celestia did some work with a mirror once, but that’s been gone for a long time. Does that sound plausible?"

"I don’t know!" Somber got the feeling he was talking to a brick wall, Discord was as distracted as before "I understand it less than you do!"

"I know," Discord said, seeming to snap back to himself. When he spoke, there was an edge of his usual kindness "take care, OK?"

"Of course." Somber said softly, feeling a little less irritated at Discord. The argument they'd had still stung a little, but when he'd made love to him atop the desk, Somber had KNOWN instinctively how strong Discord's feelings were. He felt it, in every little movement, ever syllable of his name. Hadn’t he..? He wanted to say something more, but the call disconnected. He sighed, wondering if the dark prisoners escape in this world had anything to do with the new magic?

This really wasn't a good time to be caught up with his love life, as insane as THAT was.

His growing concerns over just how and what Discord seen him as continued to fester, however, driven by his frustration at the days events. WAS it all just about sex? Was Somber's naivety appealing to Discord? That fact he'd been a virgin (in that sense anyway), when Discord first bedded him?

Why had he gone for him in the first place? He didn't understand. Was it that Somber was the first to challenge him properly? Tell him he was a madman?

Or was it just that he reminded Discord of this other him, the pony called "Sombra".

--I wonder, the way he spoke about him, did he REALLY never meet him, never know him? Or was he just attracted by the allure of dark magic?--

The same magic he, Somber, was now rapidly developing.

He shook his head to disperse the thoughts as he pulled into a space at the largest shopping mall in the city, bigger than Canterlot's by a wide margin.

As expected, the place was heaving with kids, escaping homework for a while in the arcades, or dawdling outside expensive boutiques. He found the shop he regularly went to, back when he lived here, and picked up enough new clothing to keep him going awhile. He managed to find some very similar in style to the ones Discord had lent him, the ones he'd gotten covered in blood or generally torn up.

--That’s that sorted at least...-- Somber sighed as he exited the shop. He hadn’t been back here in a while. He wandered aimlessly, stopping every so often to purchase things he thought he may need, but he was caught once again in the memories of regular visits to this place for supplies. In fact, didn’t there used to be an antique bookshop a few streets behind the mall? He perked up, and headed for the nearest exit. Unaware he was being watched...

Sure enough, the store was still there, and it made Somber's heart lift to see the familiar old shop front. He nudged the door open, hearing the little bell chime.

The same guy was still running it, and he recognise Somber instantly, even with the long absence.

He was devastated when Somber told him of the loss of the library, due to the fire.

"Where are you staying now?" the owner asked, leading Somber to the section where he kept the more valuable older books.

"At a friends." Somber hesitated slightly. After all, friend was hardly who he'd describe Discord as, was it?

He picked up three books that'd been part of his prior collection, ones that hadn’t survived. He'd be working a long item to get all of them back, but this was a start...

After a nice leisurely chat with the shop owner, Somber headed outside, to go home. His phone buzzed, and he glanced at the display, seeing it was Discord. He was about to answer it when it cut off. Somber frowned, misdial? Probably. He shoved his phone back into his pocket with a sigh, not paying attention. That was how he bumped into the man.

"Oof!" Somber felt the wind knocked form his lungs as he walked smack bang into someone, and stumbled back. The bag containing the books and clothing slipped from his grasp and falling to the pavement. One of the books slithered free, its worn leather cover shining in the light.

"Oh-" A warm hand grabbed Somber's elbow, steadying him "Sorry about that, you OK?"

Somber blinked, looking up at a tall, blonde haired guy with almost pure white skin-tone. For a moment he felt his mind falter, something was oddly mesmerizing about this guy, then he snapped free of it, stepping back so he was standing by himself, smiling apologetically.

"Its not your fault," he said calmly "I was distracted-" he knelt down to grab the errant contents of the bag "I apologise for my carelessness-"

He reached for the book that’d escaped, and so did the stranger. His hand landed partly on Somber's, and it was warm, gentle. Reminded him of..

"-No need for concern, honestly. You were distracted by your phone, and I was distracted by a person."

Somber looked up as he said this, and realised the stranger was looking at HIM. Surely he didn’t mean-?

The stranger smiled, a subtle, knowing smile, as if to say Somber had guessed correctly.

He looked at the title of the book;

"Wow, there's a title I haven’t seen in quite some time. I read these a long time ago, didn’t they base a whole series of TV shows around the concepts?"

"Yes, they did a remarkable job of sticking to the principles of the matters." Somber was caught off guard by this guys knowledge.

"You look surprised?" the man chuckled.

Somber flushed slightly at how ignorant he must have seemed "until now, I had thought I was practically alone in enjoying such topics. Most others consider them dull, preferring mundane TV shows or things of that sort."

"Like trashy TV?" The stranger snickered, as he handed Somber the book. Again Somber felt a funny twinge but pushed it down. This guy reminded him of Discord, in the way he seemed so intense.

"Would you like to go for a coffee?" was the next question; Somber hesitated, he had said he wouldn’t be long. But then, it wasn’t like he was looking after a small child. Part of him was still annoyed by Discord's casual treatment of Somber losing his job if he tried to get Cinch done for assault. So he nodded, he could use a break.

As they walked, the stranger introduced himself as Bright Shine. When he found out Somber was a teacher, he seemed curious, asking what was it like? Somber shrugged, describing the messy, chaotic life that was CHS.

They found a quiet little coffee shop away from the bustle of the mall.

Somber soon discovered his new acquaintance knew a LOT about philosophy.

As Somber talked, his eyes brightened and he became a lot more animated, which made Bright smile subtly.

When Somber finally laughed, the smile grew.

"What?" Somber spotted the funny smile "what is it?"

“Nothing, I was just noticing how different you look now you're enjoying yourself. You seemed very serious when I bumped into you, now you smile."

Somber flushed slightly. Again, he was reminded of how Discord had given him that smug grin when he'd finally coaxed him out of his shell.

Seeing his companions face redden, Bright couldn’t help ask "did I make you feel uncomfortable? I will admit I am a shameless flirt."

"No..no.." Somber shook his hea,d staring at the cup of coffee in front of him "you just reminded me of someone.."

"A special someone?"

"W-well.." Somber coughed "I’d rather not talk about it..." guilt nudged at him and he sighed.

"That’s fine, I don’t want to be prying," his friend assured him. "It concerns me a little that you look depressed..."

Somber shook his head "Its nothing, everything’s just wearing at me right now. With this whole event at the school, everybody's rushed off their feet. I'll be glad when its over."

“Well," Bright smiled "I’m sure it wont be long...."

Somber tucked his hair behind his ears, then fished in his coat pocket for an elastic band.

"You look different with it up. If I may be so forward, it suits your face when its down."

"I've been told that." Somber mused.

"By your special someone?" Bright teased, seeing Somber turn subtly red again. But the way he glanced aside made him wonder...

"Well, he used to point it out at first..." Somber kicked himself a second later. What was wrong with him, whining about something so childish. He was caught in the midst of a magical emergency involving escaped demonic spirits from Equestria, his love life had nothing to do with that! Plus hadn’t he said to himself Discord could be too intense..?

--Right up until he stopped lavishing so much attention on you. Your a selfish bastard, you know that?-- he scolded himself --maybe you’ve been too arrogant in assuming he's so devoted to you..--

"Is your someone taking you for granted?" Bright abruptly asked, as he studied Somber's expressions. Somber looked so surprised it was nearly comical, then he winced and frowned.

"Its nothing." he said at last "things have been rough for us both, I shouldn’t be whining to everybody I encounter!"

"So polite, a rare marvel these days." Bright said in amusement. Somber gave him a funny look, but it did make him smile.

After that they settled back into discussing the city, and how different it was to Canterlot. Somber was grateful to have a break from worrying about magic, insanity and the threat looming over him.

They exited into the still-warm sunlight, even as the shadows began getting longer. Somber folded his jacket over his arm as he walked. There were a LOT of crowds on the pavements, and he seen they were setting up for what looked like a street party. Loud music started up and Somber winced, reminded of the battle of the bands thing.

"I know a short cut," he said, sighing crossly "I'm not a fan of these things.."

"I must admit its a tad loud, how do people hear themselves think?" Bright raised an eyebrow as he followed Somber.

Somber ducked down a series of connecting alleyways, heading back towards the mall. The air was cooler here and it was quieter, the pounding bass more like a background nuisance now.

Not quiet enough however, to hear his new friends footsteps falter or hear the odd, fluid sound of something changing...

The first thing Somber heard was a whoosh of displaced air, then an intense pain sheared up his back, sending him crashing to the ground. The pain was almost strong enough to make him throw up, but he held it in check, swallowing raggedly as he struggled to sit up. Barely had he managed then something grabbed his shoulder and slammed him onto the cold ground on his back.

He gazed up through blurred vision, seeing what'd happened to the other man.

He'd warped into a half-human half-monster arithmetising. The first thing that popped into somber's mind was an octopus melded with parts of human skin, and hair in tufts all over its head. Its face still resembled a humans, and Somber could see glaring blue eyes staring at him.

"How-?" he asked. How had he not sensed it?

The thing once known as "bright" smirked "you really don't recognise me? I guess all those people I stole energy from paid off. You couldn’t sense me at all, and this allowed me to get so close to you. I'll give you a hint; you interfered with my plan to drain that girl."

"Dash...." Somber choked out.

"Yes yes, whatever her name was..." the creature scoffed "the one with the magic. The moment I grabbed you arm I detected something unusual. It took me too long to figure it out. You're HOPE. That jailer that tormented all of our existences. and now you’ve taken the others out." he sniffed, and an evil grin stretched over his face "You and your MATE. Yes, you reek of a lovers scent..." he spat these last words out. Somber glared, and tried to sit up, but two of the octopus-like tentacles lashed around his throat, forcing him to stay still or risk getting strangled.

"This’ll make you feel better about dying; I’ll tell him he should've treasured you more. I’m not without a sense of humour."

"The others...perished.." Somber wheezed, chest aching "you will too. Count on it."

"Brave words from a man about to die. And while I’m here, lets take this off your hands." With a spare tentacle it tore the necklace bearing Elpis away from Somber's neck. It threw the necklace, where it landed behind some broken shards of glass.

Somber closed his eyes, a myriad of thoughts racing through his mind. For some reason his frantic mind latched onto the image of the pony Discord had drawn on his computer. The equestrian Sombra.

--I doubt he'd fall at this hurdle..--- his mind thought weakly as the grip tightened around his neck. He struggled, but seconds later was restrained by further coils lashing around his legs and arms.

--Why cant I be that strong. Even if he WAS crazy, maybe he thought his fight was worthwhile..-- Somber was close to blacking out, and felt one last surge of desperate panic. the magic deep inside woke up, stirring as its wielder finally tried to fight on a level it could respond at. Somber felt like ice had filled his veins for a second, then it turned to fire. He cried out, thrashing desperately.

The thing holding him down laughed, thinking this was a last desperate gasp of life from the helpless man, then a flash of purple light blasted up from the ground between him and the captive. This meant it sheared the coils restraining Somber clean apart. The octo-creature staggered back, hissing in pain and indignant fury. Who dared? The light cleared, and it beheld a strange sight.

Standing in front of the human was what was undeniably an equestrian. A Unicorn. This being was see through, like a ghost, but its power was obvious. It was different, with the same aura as this strange man. Without a pause, the phantom launched for the attacker, its sharp fangs digging into its neck in a display of ferocious strength.

Somber coughed and curled up on his side, watching in blurred nauseous vision as the drawing come to life savaged the slimy creature him. Inky blood sprayed the wall behind it, and the pony leapt back, landing in a protective stance in front of the human Somber.

"You.." Somber croaked, but the pony didn’t turn, merely stared at its opponent.

"You’ve gained another day to breathe," the less smug octo-monster snarled "but don’t think your parlour tricks will save you when I finish my plans!" It took off, melding into the shadows in the alley. Somber began to shake, as he was left alone with the apparition he'd somehow summoned. At last the ghostly pony turned to face Somber and walked over to him. It sat down, and held out a hoof. Somber took it, noting that he felt solid yet oddly soft at the same time.

The pony gestured to Somber's heart, something like a smirk on its face, as if it was pointing out the obvious way to control it.

"Yes...you’re right.." Somber coughed. The ghost pony bowed its head, then with a flash of light he vanished. Where he'd been sitting, the repaired necklace, fixed once more. Somber picked it up, staring at Elpis. What had just happened?

He realised he needed to get home, get to Discord. All he wanted right that second was his lover. He knew it was childish, but he'd nearly died, and needed something solid to hold onto...

He crawled on his hands and knees towards where he'd dropped his coat at the start of all this. he felt ti stick to the bleeding wound on his back, and forced himself to his feet. Grateful the coat had a thick lining and comprised of black fabric, he took a deep breath and picked up the dropped shopping bag. He made his way as calmly as he could back to the parking lot, to his car. He didn’t want to draw attention, he couldn’t risk police involvement, they’d never believe any of it!

Somehow he got to the car without drawing much attention. He drove back to Discord's house, feeling oddly numb as if the pain had receded for now.

Discord groaned and stretched, wondering what had kept Somber.

Then he heard the door open and close, the sound of a lock turning...

"Ah, Somber-"

THWUMP.

Discord broke off, frowning.

"Somber?" he asked, hurrying out to the entrance hall. Somber had crumpled to the polished flooring, looking white as a sheet.

"What on earth happened?!" Discord asked, dropping down beside him. He reached out a hand and seen Somber flinch. he noticed marks around Somber's neck, and felt his blood run cold.

"Discord.." Somber's voice was raspy.

Discord tried to wrap his arms around him, only to encounter a wet patch on Somber's jacket. Pulling his hands away he seen they were smeared in blood.

"Oh sweet Celestia.." he croaked. Without pause he scooped Somber up in his arms, cradling him against his chest and running upstairs. He set Somber down on the bed on his side, and kissed his forehead gently.

He fetched a pair of scissors, and prepared to cut the fabric.

"Sorry about this, Somber.." he said softly, wrestling with the coat "but it’ll be easier and less painful this way."

"D-doesn’t matter..." Somber stammered.

"What happened?" Discord asked, trying to keep him occupied as he worked on cutting away the coat and shirt to get to the source of the bleeding.

"I was in the city. I wound up at my old bookshop.." Sombra focused on not throwing up, he felt like death "I..I met someone outside the store. W-we went....to get coffee..."

"Who was it? did they attack you?" Discord asked, feeling a small stab of jealousy amidst the gun wrenching shock of seeing the state Somber was in.

"He said his name...was "Bright Shine", he seen the book I was carrying, knew about it. We ended up talking at the coffee shop. I thought he was just hitting on me for a laugh..."

Discord's stomach cramped. He knew he would not be alone in finding the brooding professor sexy, but he still felt a childish prod of jealously. Naturally Somber would open up to someone who could talk boring philosophy books with him, why wouldn’t he?

"Who wouldn’t want to hit on you?" he joked, rubbing Somber's shoulder reassuringly as he prepared to move the shirt fabric aside. Somber gasped brokenly, the pain obvious. Discord seen the massive gash, and felt a bit sick himself. Whatever had done this was fast and sharp. Like a whip.

"I’m healing this magically. COMPLETELY." He said. Somber mad e a weak objection, but Discord hushed him.

"Just stay still.." he said calmly, placing a hand over the cut. Somber made a few barely audible noises as Discord pushed as much magic as he could into healing the cut. As he did, he sensed Somber's magic waking, meeting his in donation, so it didn’t take as much as he'd expected. It was soon no more than a faint mark on Somber's skin.

--His powers grown again, its amazing.--

He carefully washed away the remains of the blood, then gently helped Somber sit up.

"Any better?" he asked. Somber nodded, shaking badly.

Discord told him to wait there, and ran downstairs. He returned shortly with a cup of sweet tea and honey, which he persuaded Somber to gulp down.

"That help?" Discord asked. Somber nodded. With the injury healed, he felt coherent and maybe just a bit stiff limbed. Discord's magic really amazed him.

"What happ-?" Discord began to ask, just as Somber spoke up.

"I tried to forget it all, pretend things were normal.." the raven haired man croaked, eye full of pain and confusion "how could I have been so blind? I should've known he wasn’t normal, with this magic I’m supposed to have."

"Somber.." Discord wanted to ask what this guy had offered that HE hadn’t, but told himself to stop being so petty.

"He was going to kill us both. He said he'd tell you.." he swallowed uneasily "that you didn’t know how good you had it.."

Discord understood what Somber meant, and he felt guilty for the thoughts he'd just had.

"He was right," he said softly "I’ve been treating your life too lightly. Your still a human being, there's only so much punishment you can take. Me I'm too dense to notice pain 90% of the time. When you got angry the other day, I thought you were just too scared to confront Cinch. Then I recalled what Fluttershy taught me. not everything is as cut and dried as it may seem. You didn’t want to lose any more of your life, especially not CHS. I should've realised how heartless I'd sounded, calling it silly, acting as if it was so easy to fix..."

Somber blinked as Discord gently tucked loose strands of sweat dampened hair away from his face, tracing Somber's lower lip with his thumb as he spoke.

"I wasn't kidding when I came to say I was an ass. You're so important to me, Somber. Ever since that fight on the couch, I’ve realised how much I’d come to count on you being here with me. Not having you? It simply doesn't bear thinking about." he shook his head emphatically.

"Discord-" Somber began, but Discord was in full ramble and wouldn’t be stopped.

"I may not be as studious as you are, in some ways you remind me of Twilight, she was pretty no-nonsense too. I may not be one for books, but I’d read through a dozen of those befuddling, stuffy hardbacks if it meant impressing you-"

"Impress me?" somber blinked in bafflement "You've been listening to those crazy creatures once too often. This isn’t a mating dance, between us..." He shook his head, letting his forehead rest against Discord's, their lips so close he just wanted to kiss him.

"Then why do I feel the irrational need to do whatever it takes to keep you, no matter the cost?" Discord asked, sounding unusually subdued. Somber flushed a little, but he also smiled.

"I think all humans get that way at some point. In some ways we're still animals, only our rituals are more complicated, fickle even."

"Maybe I AM still partly an animal," Discord mused, staring into those gorgeous red eyes "after all, I’m an entirely different species at heart. When I see you looking so lost, so bereft, I just want to give your a reprieve from all that. Even if all my plans to do so involve sex. Damn fun sex, positively outstanding~" He grinned knowingly at Somber.

THIS was the Discord that’d made Somber's heart race so fast, made him finally step outisde of his boundaries. The Discord he wanted.

A sweet smile curved Somber's lips, and Discord swore his pulse picked up a pace. Even looking like he'd been in the wars, Somber was still the damn sexiest thing..

"Hay," Somber's voice pulled his attention back to his lovers eyes, seeing the amusement there "keep out of the gutter just a little longer."

"I assume "gutter" is code-speak for "your pants"?" Discord joked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Somber laughed, the sound so musical Discord could resist no longer, and snared him in a heated kiss.

"Ass." Somber laughed as he was let go, but there was nothing abrasive behind his words.

"Nerd." Discord shot back, making him smile.

"Seriously though,” Discord looked at Somber worriedly "what did he try to do to you?". He looked at Somber's (shirtless) body, fear rising. Those marks around his neck...

Somber realised what was worrying him and shook his head.

"He was trying to strangle the life out of me. Not initiate the horizontal tango. He didn't even try to kiss me, if that's what's worrying you. I think his intention was to get under my defences, by making me feel like I was important..."

"The opposite of how I’ve been treating you, in other words." Discord said bluntly. Somber paled.

"What?" he began, "now hold on-"

"Shush." Discord stopped him, and smiled gently. "I know I’ve been distant. It may have sounded a little crass when I said you were a distraction after our little activity on your desk. But I meant it in the best possible way. I think I’d be dead by those things claws, or crazy if I was alone. The urge for total, dangerous chaos doesn’t seem as ever present when I have you around me. Its not just sexual, although there is an ever present urge to tear your clothes off, its more than that-"

Somber cut him off with a kiss. It got heated fast...

They broke apart several kisses later, both breathing rather rapidly.

“Somber-” Discord attempted, but Somber poked him on the nose to shut him, and spoke firmly.

"I understand," Somber said "I cant explain the ways you’ve made my life utterly come apart at the seams. But I know I don’t want to fix it, thanks to you. So shut up with the guilt trip. If I didn’t want all this," he trailed a hand up Discord chest, ending with it resting on his shoulder "I wouldn’t be here. You're not the only one that can be pig headed and stupid you know."

"I know, I once met Celestia nephew. What a bore. Still, once this nightmare is over," Discord promised, "I swear I’ll find a way to rebuild your life, your books. You may have to point out which ones you need, I don’t think I even know the existence of the languages half the ones in your house were written in!"

“Primarily Latin..” was Somber's answer as he settled against Discord's chest, feeling relief hit him like a mac truck. The thought he'd nearly lost this- he didn't want to think about it. He couldn’t have faced this alone, much the same as Discord had said...

"Hmm. Did you say "Horizontal tango" a moment ago?" Discord asked as he finished filtering the conversation. He was trying not to laugh, and Somber had to dredge up the energy to smack his shoulder disapprovingly.

"Don’t say it."

“I am SUCH a bad influence. Rather pleased with myself actually?"

"So what's new?" Somber retorted.

"Oi! For that," Discord teased, kissing his lips gently "I’m going to have to come up with payback!"

Somber snorted, but he was shaking subtly again. He felt a bit light-headed. Discord spotted it, and peered worriedly at Somber.

"Are you alright? is it shock?"

"I-I think so.." Somber shivered. He'd read about this. Once the body stopped supplying so much adrenaline, shock set in as the mind and body worked through what it had endured.

"Its OK.." Discord kissed him softly "I’m here, you’re safe..."

It was this reassurance that was pushing the shock of the incident to the fore. Now he was safe and secure, his mind felt able to process it.

"That thing," Somber paled, all merriment gone from his eyes as the days event flashed through his mind "it was so twisted...so wrong-!"

Discord nodded, rubbing his back kindly.

"It despised Eplis, called it their jailer. I let my guard drop, and I nearly cost us both..."

"You're only human my sweet Somber.." Discord nuzzled his hair, trying to calm him down, Somber's body felt so tense all of a sudden. He was shaking so badly...

"I guess I WAS still mad at you, Discord.." he shivered at the near death experience "I let my own emotions blind me, let that THING pretty much paint a target on me and take aim."

"Stop blaming yourself.." Discord chided sternly "you’ve been through what most people would call hell, and you get back up every time. You have more guts then most I’ve met in this world, its one of the things that impressed me about you from day one. The man that attacked a shadow with a chair, cant beat that!"

Somber nodded, trying to slow his breathing. But his stomach hurt.

"Oh crap.." He groaned, abruptly tearing free from Discord's hold and pelting for the en-suite bathroom. Out of habit, he slammed the door behind him as he dove for the toilet..

Discord winced as he heard his precious Somber being violently sick.

He darted away, returning with MORE tea, which he held in one hand while he wrestled with the door handle with the other.

"Somber.." he murmured.

"I'm OK..." the shaken Somber mumbled. Discord sat beside him and kissed the top of his head.

"Ugh, don’t.." Somber groaned "I’m pretty sure I smell gross..."

Discord chuckled, stroking his hair "you’re talking to someone who went on epic benders and woke up feeling and looking FAR more disgusting. I’ve had my share of the 100 yard lavatory dash too, my dear Somber."

Somber chuckled at the idea of a drunk Discord. He pictured him doing something utterly ludicrous

"We should go drinking when this is over.." Discord grinned "get plastered, eat take out, come back and have crazy drunk sex..."

Somber smacked his shoulder again.

"Stop making me laugh, my stomach cant take it.." Somber smiled weakly.

"Oops.." Discord smiled, handing him the tea. Somber sat silently as he drunk it, Discord just settled next to him, watching over his pale, shaken Somber.

Once he'd finished the tea, he stumbled to his feet.

"Why don’t you take a bath, it’ll make you feel better.." Discord suggested. Somber nodded, standing shakily by as Discord twisted the taps, hot steaming water filling the fancy tub.

"I'll fetch you some clean bedclothes.." Discord told him, and ambled out of the room. Somber perched on the edge of the tub, feeling a bit less strung out, thanks to Discord's magic.

--Its a miracle I feel even this alive. On my own, id be in hospital dosed to the point of lunacy with painkillers.

"Here you go." Discord set the clothing and a fresh towel on a chair by the door. He sat beside Somber, and made as if to kiss him. Somber pulled a face, pressing a finger to Discord's lips.

"I don't think you want to kiss me right now, I’m pretty sure it wouldn't be that nice."

"Alright alright.." Discord smiled "But once you’re all cleaned up and feeling better, I’m kissing you until your lips go numb.."

"Deal.." Somber joked, poking him in the head.