Author's Notes:

Just a heads up, things get pretty heated later in this chapter, nudge nudge wink wink, catch my drift? XD

The next day was the Hearts and Hooves Day, the main date itself! For the occasion, Sombra was wearing a deep red cloak with a rose-gold edging. His shoes and neck-plate were made of the same material.

"Oh that is so pretty!" Fluttershy cried, clapping her hooves as Sombra descended the staircase. Discord barely suppressed a wolf-whistle because that pony looked GOOD.

Flutters was wearing a pale pink and white dress she'd brought with her, its delicate floating fabric brushing the floor softly as she moved about.

"Courtesy of Rarity," Sombra smiled "I have been buying all my official outfits from her since the coronation."

--That pony must be rich by now!-- Discord mused, as Sombra gestured towards the waiting carriage outside.

"What do YOU normally do for hearts and hooves Discord"? Sombra glanced at his friend as the carriage rumbled along.

"Hm? me?" Discord shrugged "ignore it, mostly."

"Well, you always visit me for an extra special tea!" Fluttershy piped up. Sombra smiled at this side of Discord and the Draconequus felt himself flush under the King's gentle scrutiny.

"Of course my dear Flutters, I wouldn’t miss it for the world! I just mean I’m not into all this lovey dovey stuff." Discord tousled her mane, then snapped his fingers quickly and plucked a rose form thin air to tuck in her mane.

"Ooh, I love it!" Fluttershy beamed at Discord, then she cocked her head as the noise level outside was mounting quickly "we're here!"

Fluttershy double checked to make sure her dress was still clean as they got ready to exit. The sound of the crowd could be clearly heard, chanting their Kings name and cheering!

The carriage came to a halt and the aide opened the door, announcing his majesty's presence. The ponies cheered loudly as Sombra exited along with his two friends.

Sombra smiled warmly to the crowd as he strode forward, waving eagerly to them. Sombra stopped now and then for pictures, or to meet the children in the crowd, some of whom held up magazines or books for him to sign. He lingered as long as he could so as to satisfy them all, then finally turned towards the reason he was here.

Flower petals literally lined the street as the King, flanked by his two friends, stepped up to where a satiny red ribbon stretched across the top of the street where the festival was set up. After a short speech to the eager populace, Sombra cut the ribbon and declared the festival, begun!

The ponies cheered loudly and trotted eagerly past where the two halves of the ribbon lay on the street, to begin a day of fun and romance!

The citizens were very pleased to see the King strolling around the festival and he had no shortage of well wishers and admirers vying for a moment of his time.

“Your majesty- for you!”

“Please accept this, it's hoof-made..”

A group of school kids ran over to present a lovely card they’d all made together, it was covered in cute doodles of him, his kingdom and palace.

“Its wonderful~” Sombra thanked them warmly and the kids cheered, the teacher thanking the King for his time.

Very soon his own saddlebags were full and one of his assistants had to take over, as there was no shortage of ponies wanting to give special gifts to the ruler.

Sombra did his best to thank the ponies for the kindness, gifting each well wisher with a smile and words of gratitude. Many blushed when he focused on them alone, nodding because they didn’t know what to say to the monarch. Discord seen how not just mares but stallions approached Sombra too...

Ponies shot envious glances at himself and Fluttershy, being as the two of them were closer to the secretive King than anypony. Sombra's love life was a tightly guarded secret, everypony and many publications speculated every so often if he liked so-and-so or not?

"Goodness, they really adore him don’t they?" Fluttershy said, staring at the saddlebags of presents the citizens had given Sombra.

"And that silly pony thought he be bad at this." Discord chuckled. "How things have changed."

"I can HEAR you, you know!" Sombra joked over his shoulder. Discord whistled innocently, but naturally fooled nopony.

He caught Sombra's eye, seeing the King smiling, and felt a jolt run up his spine. Knowing that just yesterday, he'd kissed this same stallion and told him he liked him, made him grin inside.

Going by the brief look in Sombra's eyes, he was thinking the same.

At the centre of town, a special area had been set up for the King and his friends to sit in so they could watch the displays being put on.

Sombra had been entranced by a particular type of glitter fireworks when he'd been staying at the Crystal Empire, so he'd asked to have some brought in for the festival this year! It was this sparkling display that now filled the sky with dazzling, glittering light.

“Wonderful!” Discord grinned, watching the patterns filling the sky.

“They’re just gorgeous!” Fluttershy clasped her fore-hooves to her chest, eyes wide as she drank it all in.

For the grand finale, fireworks were set off that exploded in tandem to form the King's cutie mark, surrounded by a heart.

Sombra applauded loudly as the last one faded from the sky and the firework operators took a bow while the King praised the display.

"Those were the same fireworks I seen that day at the parade," Sombra explained to Discord, who nodded.

"I remember, I seen the newspaper. That and you had glitter on your face when you got back. You were smiling so much."

Sombra chuckled softly "Back then, I didn't do that often. I was still pretty locked up inside. But, if anyone dragged me biting and snarling out of the comfort zone, it was you."

“Guilty, yo." Discord put on some sunglasses and nodded sagely. Sombra snorted in amusement, shaking his head subtly. How did Discord think up these things so fast? Sombra liked to think HE had a fast enough sense of humour, but compared to Discord, he was still a novice!

Discord lowered the shades and winked subtly at his friend, making Sombra chuckle again.

Alongside the other wondrous displays was the other part of the festival Sombra looked forward to, the FOOD. Imported crystal berries had been used in many of the recipes, a lot of which were Umbrum delicacies recovered from Lady Umbra's memory link!

As the King chattered to his aide who was sat beside him, Discord seen the sunlight glimmer off the necklace he'd fixed around Sombra's neck just yesterday. He couldn't resist allowing a small smile onto his face as he watched Sombra, noting the way the necklace rested on the curve of his neck. He longed to reach up and scratch behind those ears- heck, he wanted to do a lot more, but knew Sombra to be a more private being, PDAs would have to wait.

Fluttershy looked up from her food and caught a brief glimpse of that same smile on Discord's face. She wondered if Discord was daydreaming again, he sometimes did drift off when something caught his minds eye- then she noticed where his gaze was directed.

He was looking at Sombra.

--Is he...?-- realising she was staring, she flushed and quickly returned her attention to her food, not wanting to be impolite. But the thought did occur to her that maybe Discord DID care about Sombra in that way? Back when they'd collectively been struggling to find a way to revive a crystal-stasised Sombra, Cadance had pondered if the two shared more then a friendly bond, but had quickly dismissed it. Maybe she had been right after all?

She didn't dare ask, she knew Discord was still very guarded, even if he relaxed around her, he generally didn't talk about how HE felt. Any attempts were often deflected with questions about her and she always gave in, not wanting to upset him.

The carriage drove them back to the palace and they had a lovely dinner filled with more traditional dishes and desserts.

Discord let out a sizeable belch as he finished.

"Discord!" Fluttershy frowned at him.

"Compliments to the chef!" Discord said "it is actually considered an honor here if your food is so good, your guests burp really loudly!"

Fluttershy looked at Sombra, who sighed "I am afraid he's right. It is a recent discovery, we have been able to get the most vital facts about our culture out of the way, our history, buildings etc, so now were noting down the less urgent facts. One of which, Discord just shared."

"Score one for me!" Discord grinned smugly “Learnt it off Sombra's mother when I met her on the way down to breakfast!”

"I see.." Fluttershy flushed as she stared at her plate "I don’t think I can burp like that.."

“Oh you don’t have to," Sombra reassured her "it is strictly voluntary. Mainly its done at fancy dinners to show off to your host and their kitchen! The louder the burp, the bigger the compliment."

"So the cooks won't mind," Discord grinned, gesturing to the kitchen door at the rooms far end "hopefully they’re pretty pleased!"

Sombra shook his head and laughed.

"Don’t you look so modest, you!" Discord teased the King "Last time I was here, you did one so loud they literally left the kitchen to thank you!"

Sombra face-hoofed as Fluttershy began helplessly giggling at the mental image.

"Shut up, Discord." the King growled jokingly "or I’ll-"

"Stuff me down the back of the couch? You’ve been threatening me with that for years, shake it up! Why not a chair with a very high back? That way it’ll take forever to see me from the back!" Discord joked. Cue a death glare from the King, tinged with an amused grin.

Sombra caught the giggling Fluttershy's eye and gave her a grin. She could see how genuinely relaxed he was around her and Discord.

--I'm glad he's able to feel happy, he's been through so much after all..--

Later on, as they walked the halls together after accompanying Fluttershy as far as her room and saying goodnight, Discord floated next to Sombra, nudging his friend.

"Shame we can't just get a minute alone." he said softly, so only the King would hear him. Sadly, Sombra was heading to a late meeting to catch up to what his time at the festival had delayed.

Sombra smirked knowingly "I’m not sure I would be satisfied with just a minute?" he teased in return.

"Well how about tonight, once everypony's asleep?" Discord murmured. Sombra caught his eye and a minuscule nod served as confirmation.

Discord watched the pony vanish into the room the meeting was situated in and drifted away humming.

The entire duration of his wrap-up presentation to the King once the other advisors had left, Page Assist noticed the King seemed to be smiling more than usual. Usually the monarch wore a very serious expression, although not unkind, yet today he seemed more happy than he usually displayed.

He studied the pony's posture, the way he held his wings and had a thought...could it be? Had something changed this year at the romantic festival?

It was common knowledge that the Umbrum Palace was considered the first wonder of the empire, the second its super tough crystal generated by native Umbrum's and the third, according to gossip, was the King's heart. Surrounded by mystery, many would love to be the one who could boast they’d unlocked it.

"Sire," he approached Sombra's desk, setting the King's tea in front of him "have you perchance read those notes I left for you?"

"Hm?" Sombra looked up, a perplexed frown on his face "what notes are those?"

Page Assist sighed "the notes on Infinitum biology sire! It's important that you read them. It has been over two weeks now since I gave them to you!"

Sombra let the book he was studying fall from his magic's hold, making a soft thud as it hit the desk. He fixed a confused, slightly annoyed glance at his aide.

"I am aware my memories were once fractured, what with everything that I endured back then, but I am not so blind as to be unaware of my own species. Unless you fear I am getting sick?"

"No sire!" Page Assist backtracked, "As the Infinitum, you are literally a step above a normal Umbrum. Your magic and body function on a level we still haven't fully identified. Even Lady Umbra had admitted she does not know all there is to know about the Infinitum's, her memories do not contain complete info about what you are! That report is the deepest she has been able to delve so far, it has been months in the gathering. We need to confirm what details from the past are true and what is just speculation. I beg you-"

Sombra sighed, raising a hoof to make the aide stop "very well. I shall endeavour to attend to to it this week if I have time."

He wondered idly why his mother hadn’t brought this up, then remembered she was probably handling a dozen different historical restoration projects at once and it made sense to delegate.

Page Assist realised this was as close as he could push the King. He'd learnt by this point how to read the King's moods and right now Sombra's irritation was starting to show in the set of his jaw and the way his ears twitched. So he backed down for now, ceding to his King's whims. But if his suspicions were correct, his majesty was possibly about to enter a new stage of Infinitum development. It would be a major change if IT happened, one the King needed to be aware of.

Sooner rather than later...

--Still,-- Page Assist reasoned –his majesty is very well mannered. If my observations are correct, he is not the type to just run headlong into anything more...physical.--

He hoped he was right.

Sombra walked back to his bedroom, smiling at the memories of the day. He drifted in, letting the door click shut behind him. As he passed the table holding the water jug, his eye fell upon that report Page Assist had been so fidgety about earlier. He cast a bored glance at it, then finished undressing and climbed into bed, pulling the covers up over his body. But he didn't sleep just yet, he was waiting...

Soon, he became aware of a shadow falling across the end of his bed. Heart picking up in excitement, his gaze flicked up to the balcony window, where a familiar figure hovered.

Discord waved at him and grinned widely. Sombra got out of bed, slipping a cloak on and opening the doors for his more-than-a-friend.

"Hello you~" Discord grinned as they came face to face, massaging behind Sombra's ears as he spoke.

"Hello yourself, also." Sombra said softly, enjoying the ear-rubbing. He was treated to a quick, teasing kiss that made him grin ear-to-ear inside.

"Follow me." he whispered to the chaos lord, kissing him in return before taking to the sky. He heard Discord following after him and flew up into the clouds. He knew of a special place where they could be alone properly.

He took a specific route to avoid the patrolling guards and headed for the forest. In the moonlight, the leaves seemed to glow a pale silver as the two winged figures dove down into them. Sombra alighted on the leaf strewn ground, trotting through the trees on autopilot.

"Where are we headed- whoa.." Discord raised an eyebrow as his question was answered by what he seen as the branches fell back into place behind him. Sombra had led them to a lake. It was perfectly still, the water gleaming like a polished pane of glass in the starlight. The sky above it was filled with stars, giving the lake and appearance not unlike Luna’s mane.

"I often come here at night, it's peaceful." Sombra smiled back at Discord.

"It's very charming," Discord had to admit "escaping your guards, eh?"

"Sometimes, when I need a break. But usually at night when they least suspect I will take a wander." Sombra sat down at the lakes edge, letting one hoof brush the surface of the water. This sent ripples out across the previously still surface, making the stars reflections shimmer and scatter.

Discord settled down next to him, sitting comfortably close to the stallion's warm body.

"As hideouts go, this is pretty epic." He grinned at the King. Sombra smiled, nodding silently, then he unfolded his right wing and draped it over Discord's back.

The Draconequus felt his breath catch in his throat at the warmth of that wing and what it represented. But his King wasn’t done yet...

Sombra shifted his weight and leant against the Draconequus, who could hardly believe his luck. Sombra was making it pretty clear how he felt, again. Even Discord knew a fair bit about wings; wing-boners indicated arousal most of the time (although Sombra's tended to fluff up when startled), a lot of body language was shown through wings and the move Sombra had just made was a pegasi version of flirting. Laying a wing around another pony signalled you really liked them.

He couldn't resist letting his eyes roam down the wing to the spot where they joined to the stallion's back. Sombra caught him mid-stare and smiled knowingly. Discord flushed happily, for THAT particular action was like a retort to the first flirty action. Staring at a pegasi's wings, especially at the base, was a personal move generally reserved for a romantic partner. Pegasi had been known to punch one another out over cases of another pony ogling them or their date.

Sombra completed the move set by snaring Discord in a kiss. The chaos creature uttered a happy sigh, closing his eyes and letting himself indulge in just THIS moment. This wasn’t a daydream, an idle fantasy used to entertain himself, this was real.

He hadn't found anything or ANYPONY in this case, that had made him feel this happy since making friends with Fluttershy. But this was a different happiness. Fluttershy was a cosy, steadfast and supportive happy, whilst Sombra was a wild and untamed kind of happy.

He heard the sounds of the forest all around them, the soft rustle of the breeze, the chattering of insects and the occasional caw of a nocturnal bird. The sound of his heartbeat going a gazillion miles-an-hour blended into this ambient sound scape as he returned the kiss, one hand coming to rest over Sombra's hoof.

Discord uttered a soft moan before he could stop himself as the pony's tongue brushed his lips. He happily let the Alicorn push the kisses even deeper, returning them with equal fervour.

At last the pony released him, looking pleased. The way the light caught his eyes made Discord fall even more into them. Those soft ears that he admired so often twitched, as if sensing his gaze.

This close to him, Discord was able to admire how fine Sombra's coat was as. Despite looking like solid crystal at first glance, Umbrum ponies actually had soft coats but the hair was so fine it flattened down perfectly, creating a smooth appearance. Beneath the transparent hair of said coats, their bodies took on unique shades as they matured. In a way, it was like a cutie mark, showing the pony's maturity. Although thanks to their King's efforts, Umbrums gained cutie marks now too.

"What...?" Sombra asked curiously, seeing Discord studying him in such an intense way.

"Just admiring you," Discord said shamelessly, raising an eyebrow with a grin "your species is amazing. Crystal, yet soft as silk..."

He ran a hand up Sombra's chest to his right ear, where he scratched behind it. Sombra chuckled, angling his head to lean eagerly into the attention, a contented growl rumbling in his chest.

"Mmmh...." he sighed softly, ears twitching against Discord's gentle fingers.

Discord moved from scratching behind the pony's ear to under his chin next, making Sombra tilt his head back, eyes closing and a blissed out smile spreading over his face.

"Mmhh, that's good." he said approvingly, blinking dazedly as Discord finished, paw resting back by Sombra's hoof once more.

"The benefit to having hands." the Draconequus grinned, waggling his fingers. Sombra chuckled.

"Oh, I am sure there is a lot you can do with those~" he smirked. Discord struggled not to blush, was that an innuendo from his precious Sombra?

"I believe I have acquired such knowledge of the sexual euphemism by YOUR tutelage." Sombra informed him, reading his expression.

"Touché." Discord shrugged, but still looked proud of himself.

"Hay," he nudged Sombra lightly after a moments reflection, "wanna see the best thing about fingers?" He folded his thumb and all but one of his fingers down, leaving the middle finger up.

"I call it "flipping off!" It looks rather rude, therefore a good way to show dislike of something!" he grinned proudly.

Sombra studied the gesture a moment as he processed the meaning behind it, then started laughing.

"Very inventive," he praised "I only wish I had fingers, so that I could do that."

"True, hooves do limit your options slightly. Can't do it with your wings I suppose?" Discord queried. Sombra promptly tried moving his feathers around, but only succeeded it poking his friend several times, once in the eye, with said feathers.

"Sorry." he coughed, folding the wing down. Discord laughed, kissing him quickly as he scratched the base of that wing. This made both of them fluff up a little and Sombra uttered a soft moan of pleasure.

"Ahh...little to the left..." Sombra closed his eyes, wings fluffing up to maximum to show off his relaxed state as the attention continued "that’s it, right there."

Discord bit his lip to refrain from saying what was going through his mind. That if he closed his eyes such words took on a new meaning...

Sombra's stomach came to the rescue when it gurgled and the regal stallion pretended to look innocent, which didn’t work.

"Afraid to say it, but I know that’s you." Discord dead-panned.

"Blast, my plan has been foiled!" Sombra declared theatrically, making Discord snigger loudly.

"You goofy pony!" he teased, earning a familiar glower.

To distract him, Discord kissed Sombra and said he'd make a quick trip to his chaos dimension to get them a midnight snack. Sombra nodded and felt the faint displacement of air that accompanied a teleport, as Discord disappeared.

He lasted a mere minute before the temptation of the water got to him. It looked so still, and inviting...

He stood up, stretched, then dove into the water. The splashing echoed in the still air as he swam towards the centre. There, he held his breath and let himself sink under. The thudding of his pulse in his ears always reassured him, he'd done this ever since his recovery and it was why he had such a deep bath in his private bathroom!

Whereas he'd once done this because he was scared or suffering from trauma, now he did it to hear his thoughts more clearly. He recalled the feeling of Discord's kiss and listened to the thud of his pulse as he drifted to the surface, swimming back to the shallower side near the bank so he could stand. The water came partway up his legs and he shook his wings to dry them a little.

He turned to look back up at the sky, gazing at the stars...

This was the precise moment when Discord returned from his errand. He teleported back in, carting a picnic basket along with him and promptly caught sight of the contemplating King. He stared, words catching his throat.

Sombra was standing in the water, rivulets of it running down his coat. The water gleamed like liquid starlight on the Umbrum's body. This was even more tantalising then when he'd stuck his head through the door and seen Sombra's mildly-damp coat after a bath. Completely waterlogged, his tail clung to the curve of his flank, leaving little to the imagination. The moonlight flashed off the crystal Alicorn as he stared dreamily at the stars.

--Boing.-- Discord's crude side nudged his more quiet side, catching it off-guard.

Thus Discord broke off from ogling the sight of the crystal King to realise Sombra had (albeit unwittingly) given the Draconequus a wing-boner himself and then some.

Sombra turned as he heard a faint fwumpf. Looking over his shoulder, he seen Discord lying on the grass on his stomach, chin propped up on his hands with a basket in front of him and a grin on his face.

"Ta-da!” the Draconequus gestured to the basket.

"Wonderful!" Sombra's stomach gurgled again at the thought of food, he was pretty hungry now.

"Taking a dip were we?" Discord asked, trying to keep the pony distracted so he could at least TRY to relax his wings.

"Yes, I have always been fond of the water." Sombra said as he turned to face his friend. He strode through the water, magic shimmering over his body and drying him as he stepped back onto the bank.

"I grabbed a whole bunch of stuff, random dimension, random kitchen cupboard contents!" Discord said brightly. He seemed a little distracted, Sombra thought, but maybe he was just imagining things?

"I probably should have assed- I mean ASKED, if you fancied anything specific." The chaos being mentally face-palmed.

--Smooth. Like sandpaper. ...You dingus.-- he scolded himself.

This odd little slip up made Sombra tilt his head curiously, but he didn’t say anything. Discord was sweating figurative bullets. Did Sombra see through his act?

--I cant tell him he looked so good he got me going, so to speak!-- his brain chided him, all the while fighting the urge to pin Sombra to the grass and kiss him senseless.

"You know me, I am a lover of all manner of food!" Sombra smiled idly, stretching his wings and back. This meant that at one point he WAS sticking his rear a little high in the air, as ponies were apt to do when stretching.

"I brought some wine, if you fancy, so-" Discord tailed off as he watched Sombra, swallowing nervously "bottoms up?"

"Say again?" Sombra asked, blinking at him as he straightened up.

"Never-mind." Discord coughed, yelling at the urge to get lost already! He'd only just told Sombra he felt that way about him, wanting to bonk him already would probably come across as a bit manic.

Not to mention, he was pretty sure Sombra wasn’t likely to play submissive to ANYONE. He was too powerful and too fierce, right? Not that Discord at all minded the idea of this wing-and-other-types-of-boner pony doing the deed with him, hell, it had been his top-ranked idle daydream as of late. But the other, the second place fantasy? THAT entailed him nailing the gorgeous pony. A body like that, how could he deny the thought?

He pushed those thoughts aside as Sombra settled down by him.

"Are you OK?" Sombra asked, brushing Discord's nose with his own "you seem a little distracted."

"I'm fine, handsome." Discord stole a quick kiss and grinned.

“Alright..” Sombra dropped the issue, nuzzling his cheek and watching Discord blush.

"Now, shall we?" the Draconequus indicted the food and drink.

Sombra nodded, once more draping his wing over Discord's back as they dug into the food. Some of it Discord heated with his magic, delicious smells filling the tranquil spot.

"Ooh, try this!" Discord held up a spoonful of rainbow coloured jelly, lashings of cream topping it off "I got the recipe for this from Fluttershy, who got it off Pinkie Pie!"

Sombra made a curious noise and Discord blushed at the way the King angled his head to snag the dessert off the spoon Discord was holding. Even sexier was the way a small blob of cream remained on the tip of his nose, as the pony licked his lips.

"Most delicious," The King said in approval, looking up at Discord "where did you say you-"

He stopped, seeing his friend was more than a bit red "are you OK?"

"Yes, fine- just very...hot!" Discord pretended to blast steam out of his ears, fanning his face. This display made Sombra laugh.

"It is pretty humid here, you should see it in winter. The ice grows thick enough to skate upon!"

"Fluttershy and I skate in Ponyville all the time in the winter months! You should join us!" Discord beamed, almost fainting in relief inside when Sombra bought the distraction.

But that smudge of cream was still there...

"You uh- on your nose?" he coughed at last.

“Hm?” Sombra blinked, leaning down to see his reflection in the once more still waters. Seeing the blob of cream, he burst out laughing and wiped it away with one hoof.

Eventually, both the food, drink, AND Discord’s crazy urges were gone. Sombra reluctantly said he would need to return to bed, he had work in the morning.

Discord nodded, disappointed their night ended so suddenly, yet glad he'd had the time alone with him. He wasn’t sure how things were going to move forward, when or if at all Sombra would want more. But he was content just to kiss him as often as he could get away with, for now.

He escorted Sombra home and kissed him goodnight inside the privacy of the King's room. Then he simply teleported out, returning to his own bed.

The next day passed with Discord and Fluttershy having a laid back day at the spa. Once he was free, Sombra happily joined them to get a wing and back massage.

Discord couldn’t help envy the masseuse, he wanted to put his hands all over Sombra too.

That night, Discord racked his brains, trying to think of a way to make a lovely date for the King?

He knew Sombra loved food as much as he did, that pony had one heck of an appetite! So what about that restaurant he'd heard about from Rarity? The one with that speciality dish?

The next morning, eager to see what Sombra thought, Discord showed up on the balcony, knocking at the window. Sombra trotted out of the bathroom, smiled when he seen the fidgety Draconequus and stepped out to join him.

"You're up early!" he remarked "coffee?"

"Definitely." Discord answered. Sombra took a minute to make them some coffee, then they sat out on the balcony together, watching the world wake up.

"Something on your mind?" Sombra asked, breaking the companionable silence at last. They were sat comfortably side by side and the knowledge that the morning guard would definitely see them was all that kept discord from sneaking a kiss or three.

"Yes, I was wondering if you were busy this evening?" Discord said casually. Sombra blinked, wondering if Discord was asking what he thought he was?

"Well, you are in luck, my appointments are all in the morning and afternoon. Why?" Sombra asked with a smile.

"Because I want to take you to dinner, as I promised. And I know a lovely little place, out of the way and peaceful, where you- where WE can relax."

"Sounds wonderful," Sombra smiled "I shall see you this evening then?"

"You shall indeed. Just pop into my realm at the usual dinnertime and we'll go from there!" Discord said calmly, whilst squeeing inside. It'd worked, the first official date was set!

Sombra's bright smile seemed to reflect his excitement, he could see it in the pony's eyes. Then the stallion seemed to remember something, and asked "oh, what about-"

"Flutters is meeting somepony for dinner, a pen friend of hers from some place she stayed at. So don’t worry, she's not being forgotten."

"I wonder who it is?" Sombra tried to remember that one pony Fluttershy had mentioned at the spa, what was her name? Something about a tree, or three?

Discord shrugged, he couldn’t remember the pony’s name either. Something about a hug?

"Scoot now, cutie. I'll be seeing you later." he nudged Sombra's muzzle briefly with his own.

"It's a date." Sombra whispered, anticipation sending a thrill up his back as he watched Discord fly away, walking back into his bedroom.

That entire day, Discord was like a cat on a hot tin roof. Next to nothing held his attention. He was very eager to take his precious King out for their first official date! He'd never dated exactly, so he was basing what he was doing off a book he'd read. Go out for dates, buy them gifts etc..

Fluttershy noticed his spacing out, but figured it was something private and didn’t ask. She just nudged him when he forgot to eat or drink, as they had lunch together.

Sombra told his staff he'd be having dinner in the chaos realm, so no need to worry about him that evening. This wasn’t an unusual occurrence, every so often Sombra had dinner with Discord, so they didn’t bat en eyelid.

Sombra was blissfully unaware of Page Assist's stare on his back as he trotted merrily out of his office.

--I just know something is up, yet I have seen no further evidence, and I can hazard a guess the report still remains unread.-- he sighed. How to get the King to see its importance without angering him?

Sombra was met by an eager Discord as as he stepped out of the portal, into the chaos realm.

"Am I late?" the King asked, but the Draconequus shook his head.

"So, I’m early?" The stallion teased. A nod.

"Have you been standing here long?" the amused King asked. Another shake of the head.

“You can talk you know!” Sombra laughed and Discord smiled.

“As you wish, my dear Sombra~” he said with a bow.

Sombra felt that familiar sense of joy that Discord always granted him, brushing aside the worries of the day...

"C'mon!" Discord grinned, excitement making him seem even more animated than he usually was.

"Lead the way~" the King chuckled.

Discord snapped his fingers and a portal ripped the air ahead of them, showing a quiet street...

"Ready to go, my dear Sombra?" he asked, taking in the neatly groomed King, the way the stately cloak and golden shoes contrasted his smoky grey coat.

"Of course! So, where are we going?" Sombra asked, but Discord only tapped his nose and shook his head, so the amused pony shrugged and trusted his friend.

Discord turned to the rippling, shimmery portal and gave a deep bow, indicating his date to go through first. Sombra, touched by this gesture, angled his head a little to plant a kiss on Discord as he passed by.

He heard a faint pomf sound and looked over his shoulder as he stepped out onto the street, seeing Discord's wings had gone pomf as the chaos creature joined him, the portal vanishing with a pop.

"What? They may be mismatched, but they're still wings!" Discord winked, catching his look. “hay, look at me, I’m technically out in public with a wingbone-”

“Alright you, shush! Honestly.” Sombra flushed, chuckling softly at how carefree Discord was.

“Want me to give you one?” Discord waggled his eyebrows perversely and Sombra had to clap a hoof over is mouth to avoid letting out the loudest snort of laughter he'd ever felt.

“Dis. Cord.” he almost squeaked, part flustered and part amused “cut that out!”

“Alright, alright..” Discord decided to go easy on him, Sombra was so adorably uptight in some ways.

--Wonder what he'll be like in bed?-- piped up that pervy part of him –it'll be a whole other side to him..--

Discord chided his brain to stop that. Sombra didn’t know Draconequui had pretty high sex drives, and he probably wouldn’t need to know! Unless it turned out the composed King was actually a firecracker in-between the sheets-

“Discord?” Sombra asked, seeing him spacing out.

“What- huh?” Discord shook his head and smiled at his date “sorry, just uh..remembering where to go from here, it's been awhile.”

--Nailed it.-- he thought with a internal grin.

Sombra nodded and followed alongside Discord as he set off. The Draconequus described the place they were headed to as they walked along.

"I wanted somewhere peaceful, where we won't be interrupted or gawped at by the press. This place is lovely from what I’ve heard, the owners are really nice! Rarity mentioned this place, said something about it deserving a good rating, whatever that means?"

Discord shrugged as he finished, he hadn’t fully paid attention to half of what Rarity said, he'd pretty much just remembered where she'd been saying the place WAS!

Sombra nodded and followed him up the short flight of steps to the door. Discord pushed it open and an array of delicious smells hit their noses. Sombra's stomach gurgled in anticipation.

The restaurant was quiet, today was a peaceful day. The restaurant owner, Risotto, pottered idly back towards the front desk. With the Hearts and Hooves Day over, things were calming down, sort-of. He was on tenterhooks tonight, as he had a VERY special guest coming later to rate the restaurant! If she liked it, it could mean a big increase in custom-

The door opened and he looked up, his welcome speech for the critic ready to go, only to veer off track when he seen the pony standing there;

It wasn’t the critic.

"Welcome to Pasta Paradise- sweet Celestia,- y-your majesty?"

"Good evening~" Sombra beamed and Risotto noticed another familiar figure stood beside the King. He recognised Discord from the books about Sombra's rise to the throne! Lord of chaos, King's best friend.

"We're here for dinner, I’ve heard all about this place from little miss Rarity~" the Draconequus said airily. Risotto recognised the name from his wife’s magazines. Rarity, she was a designer, right? He'd been on a trip the day she'd come by, but his wife hadn’t stopped talking about it for days.

He nodded now, hoping he hadn’t been staring too hard "Follow me, its right this way! Its an honour to see you both."

He brought them to a nice private table at the back, the one with screens and pot plants set up to offer privacy. He usually reserved it for romantic bookings, but it also came in handy on this occasion for giving royalty a bit of privacy from staring eyes.

"This place smells wonderful.." Sombra sniffed the air as they sat down "what is that you’ve got cooking?"

"A signature dish, named after myself, Risotto. Would you like to try it? It's unique to this restaurant!" he babbled nervously for he was honestly unprepared for such a high profile visit. A critic was scary, but having royalty pop in out of the blue, that was a whole new panic on its own!

Sombra nodded and Discord asked for the same. As the nervous and quite honestly surprised owner bustled away, Sombra smiled at his friend.

"It is nice to be somewhere new, this place is so cosy. Most of the restaurants I have been to lack this sense of comfort, it is all about clean lines and high class!"

"It reminds me of Ponyville. Very down home cosy, or whatever Rarity says about this sort of thing?" Discord shrugged "I don’t talk much with her, I’m no good at fashion!"

"You don’t have to be, I am sure she likes just having a good conversation." Sombra said. Discord thought about that, he had a point…

Soon as he was out of sight of his majesty, Risotto sped off, he had to find his wife!

In the kitchen, said wife was very startled by her husband running in at a hundred miles an hour.

"What on Equestria has gotten into you?" she asked. He looked at her with wide eyes;

"You’re not going to believe who just walked in!" he blurted.

"The critic? Honey, we're expecting her-" she began, but her husband shook his head rapidly.

"Then who?" she asked. What was he getting so excited over?

"King. Sombra." her husband's words stopped her dead.

"Whuh...seriously?" she did a double take at him.

"Very serious. Not only him, but his friends there too, the chaos lord!"

"Goodness!" She set the saucepan down on a low heat and followed her husband over to the door leading back into the restaurant. She could just make out his majesty’s voice and caught a glimpse of his signature mane and horn. There was no mistaking either of the guests!

They ducked back inside, Risotto's eyes bright.

"This is unexpected!" His wife wheezed. "How did he even find us?"

"Discord!" Risotto explained "you know that fashion designer you’re obsessed with?"

"Rarity?"

"Yes, her! Apparently she told him!"

"Goodness, how wonderful! I remember the day she and that excitable pink friend of hers came by. Never seen one pony eat so much dessert, as that pink mare did!"

"I need two plates of the signature dish, asap!"

"Alright honey, relax. Let's just take this easy..." she smiled, sharing her husbands excitement. The King, in their little restaurant! It was quite a stroke of luck.

Sombra and Discord ordered drinks, falling into conversation about Sombra's work, Discord's crazy home, the flock of toasters roosting there and various other things. Discord smiled as his jokes made Sombra almost bust a gut laughing. The stallion endeavoured to muffle his laughter so the whole room wouldn’t hear him, but didn’t honestly succeed that well.

The food arrived and Sombra was delighted to meet the owner's wife as well. They both seemed fairly starstruck by his choosing to grace their humble little business with his presence! Discord could see how nervous yet pleased they were to have such a famous guest and suggested a photo?

Sombra happily agreed and Discord used his magic to float the owner's camera up so they could all fit in the shot. And he naturally did bunny ears behind Sombra's head, it was standard protocol.

"Thank you your majesty, both of you!" Risotto said again as Discord handed him the photo, then they bowed and left the duo to eat.

"Mm, delicious!" Sombra sighed contently as he tasted the first bite.

He didn’t take long to clean the whole plate, neither did Discord. The dish was so easy to eat, the flavour very distinct and lively.

Dessert followed soon after, a type of cheesecake Sombra hadn’t tried before.

"Oof, I’m stuffed." Discord burped very softly, making Sombra chuckle as he set his fork down.

"I don’t advise we move for at least a few minutes." the King laughed.

"I think you’d have to roll me out of here!" Discord snorted and Sombra smiled, trying not to laugh at the mental image.

"It's good to see you smile, you look so handsome." Discord watched Sombra, keeping his voice low so only the King would hear him. Sombra flushed subtly.

"Speak for yourself." he teased, one wing shifting so he could brush Discord's back with it. Discord blushed, oh he was just too irresistible, that pony...

He glanced around to see if there was enough privacy to-

Sombra must’ve read his mind, for he closed the space between them and kissed Discord briefly as the chaos being turned back around. The icing on the cake was how he looked so pleased with himself.

--That’s my Sombra-- Discord approved wholeheartedly.

"You read my mind." he spoke at last, heart pounding in delight as he offered a flirty grin to the stallion.

"It may not be as obvious as that book of mine with the pictures and the curse words, but you do sometimes show a very clear illustration from time to time." Sombra joked.

While they'd been eating and talking, lost in their own little world, at the other end of the restaurant a snooty guest had arrived. She had been silently judging the food and drink, among other things...

After hearing about this new city with its un-critqued restaurants, Zesty Gourmand decided this had to be rectified. And so, the same system had sprung up in the Umbrum Empire too, with restaurants sporting a 3 hoof marking above their door if they were the best! Zesty still bristled every time she thought about that incident in restaurant row at Canterlot. That pink bundle of energy and that fahsionista pony had embarrassed her, saying just because she said a restaurant was good, didn’t mean EVERYPONY had to like it!

Now she was in this fancy Umbrum kingdom and goodness gracious, the place was lavish! Crystal buildings, soaring architecture, this kingdom had the upper class works! She'd read quite a bit about it and its seemingly eccentric and reclusive ruler, King Sombra. She was in awe of the amount of work he'd put into regaining Equestria's respect, she was a firm believer in hard work herself, after all! That was how she had gotten so far!

Now, she rolled her eyes at this cutesy décor. So cloying, why didn’t the owners bring it more in line with the bigger places? How else did they expect to get anywhere if they didn’t follow trends! She was about to try this dish she was presented, something named after the restaurant owner himself.

"Hmph, seems very dull." she snarked, turning her nose up. The owner winced, panic stewing inside.

"I do apologise, but might I request the bill?" A deep, rumbling voice broke into the uneasy bubble and the owner happily let his attention shift away from Zesty.

Zesty ignored this interruption, until she heard him say "-your majesty!"

--Majesty?-- she thought, glancing up sharply. And sure enough, just across the room was a very recognisable sight. His majesty King Sombra and that famed chaos friend of his. She'd read the books, knew these two were close friends, but what on Equestria were they doing in a tiny no-ratings place like this?

Sombra felt a gaze burning into him and turned his head slightly, seeing a very fancily-dressed pony with a pale white mane staring incredulously at him. He offered a polite smile, bowing his head in greeting. Seeing her hesitate over the food, he asked, while Discord said he'd handle the bill and drifted after the owner;

"First time eating here, ma’am?"

Zesty recovered herself and nodded, regaining her posture "yes, that’s correct. I'm Canterlot's most renowned food critic, I consider it my duty to survey every restaurant I hear about!"

"I see," Sombra guessed that explained the snobby way she regarded the dish. Unable to resist, he added "tonight was the first chance I have had to sample the food here. I must impart how impressed I am at the love that goes into their food."

"Really, your majesty?" Zesty lifted her fork, still sceptical.

"Really," Sombra said with a chuckle "it is a wonderful change from the same dishes that everywhere else likes to stock!"

This caught Zesty off guard. She got the feeling he was awaiting her opinion on the dish he so seemed to enjoy, so she finally took a big bite.

She surprised herself by making an involuntary "mm" sound as the flavour hit her palette. He was right! The dish looked plain and unassuming at first, but the flavour woven into it was another matter entirely.

"Interesting." she said, not wanting to admit he was right.

But he was right.

"Ready to go?" Discord reappeared beside Sombra.

Sombra nodded, and Zesty watched as the King and his long-time best friend trotted out the door, discussing some practical joke or another.

"Today’s just been full of wonderful guests. First his majesty, then yourself!" the owner said as he turned to go back to the kitchen "I can tell my kids I met his majesty! Such a kind fellow."

Zesty nodded mutely, then returned to her food. Now she'd had a first bite and time to really taste it, she really was liking it more and more! She picked up the pace, polishing off every last bit of it.

--I'm impressed. If this place attracts royalty, maybe I should reveal it to my readers?-- she mused, tapping her pad with a pencil.

"That was delicious." the Umbrum sighed as he and Discord reappeared in the chaos realm.

Discord belched and nodded, making Sombra laugh.

He opened the portal to the palace, nuzzling the King and sneaking a tantalizing kiss. Then another..

They had to pull themselves apart in the end, so Sombra could leave.

Discord flopped back onto a cloud as the portal shut, his precious pony gone back to his own home.

--Best. Date. Ever..-- he thought. Good food, Sombra's company, what could be better?

--Sex?-- that crude side of his brain piped up and he gave it a mental slap, flushing deeply.

"Keep it in your pants, Discord." he grumbled to himself.

--How?-- his brain asked --we don’t wear pants? Where am I supposed to keep it?--

"I'm not answering that." Discord grumbled, then realised he was arguing with himself again. Oh dear.

The next day, Sombra woke to see Discord sitting out on the balcony. With a sleepy smile he ambled outside, sitting next to his friend without a word. Discord held up a cup of coffee, which Sombra gratefully took.

They sat in companionable silence, drinking their morning coffee and watching the streets come to life below them, as shops opened and deliveries were made.

"Last night was wonderful," Sombra spoke at last. Discord flushed, but was secretly very glad he'd liked it.

"I thought you might enjoy that place. It's quiet and like Rarity said, the foods great!"

Sombra nodded, draining the last drop of coffee.

"Who was that mare you were talking to when we left?" Discord asked curiously.

"I'm not sure, that is to say I didn’t catch her name. I think she was a food critic though, I was telling her how nice the main dish was, so hopefully she gave it a chance. I would like to see that place gain recognition."

--Critic huh? I bet seeing his highness here gave her a shock!-- Discord chuckled to himself. Sombra's muzzle nudged his a second later and he tilted his head, meeting curious red eyes.

"What is it?" Sombra asked, smiling softly.

"Just a passing thought," Discord murmured. Oh his majesty was so kissable...

Sombra smiled languidly and they sat watching the scene far below until it came time for breakfast.

"Fancy a flight tonight?" Discord asked as they headed back into Sombra's room.

"Sounds perfect," Sombra smiled "loose the guards and find somewhere private?"

"You know it." Discord grinned.

"I look forward to it~" Sombra said teasingly, as he walked out of the door. Discord allowed himself an over-the-top sigh of delight before teleporting out.

Another day, same politics. The only interesting moment came in the form of lunch with his mother, Lady Umbra. She wanted to know what he wanted for his birthday?

--An aide that doesn’t keep pestering me?-- Sombra thought briefly. Page Assist was getting increasingly nosy about that idiotic report. As if being a King didn’t keep Sombra busy enough without being a guinea pig!

But he pushed that thought aside for now...

At last the day came to an end and he could collapse into bed. But he didn’t let himself fall asleep, after-all, he had plans for tonight.

Soon the familiar sight of a shadow on the balcony met his eyes and he threw the covers aside.

He seen the familiar shape disappearing into a cloud and spread his wings, flying up after Discord. Tonight, the sky was chock-a-block with clouds, enough to give them some cover once they'd moved several of them closer together.

Landing on the cloud as soon as their secret hiding place was complete, Sombra was swept up in a bear hug. He laughed happily, feeling free at last.

Discord set him down on the cloud, gently pinning him there on his back. He curled his body around Sombra, leaning over him and nuzzling his ear.

Sombra felt the stress of the evenings dealings with Page Assist dissipate as Discords body pressed close to him. Not a single word was spoken for a few minutes, as Discord's tongue became entwined with his and their moans of contentment grew louder...

But Discord didn’t stop there. Releasing his stallion from the last kiss, Discord nuzzled at the pony’s neck, feeling Sombra's pulse racing beneath his soft coat. He shifted how he was lying so he could move further down the pony’s chest...

Sombra shivered, arching his back with a groan as the tantalizing shivers ran down his wings, making them fluff up a little.

As Discord left off from his nuzzling to kiss the Umbrum once more, he seen a shimmer run the whole way down Sombra's body. It seemed to lend a subtly different shade to Sombra's crystal coat, make it ever more stunning...

"What was that?" Discord asked curiously.

"What’s....what?" Sombra said lazily, too busy enjoying his friend's attentions. Discord chuckled, gently kissing his lips and indicating the pony's coat.

"Just now, you got even more shimmery then you usually are!"

"Hm?" Sombra raised a hoof, looking at himself. He blinked, rather surprised "I don’t know, this hasn't happened before!"

Discord raised an eyebrow, a grin spreading over his face "Is it another type of boner?"

Sombra snorted loudly, face turning red as he tapped the Draconequus' nose with one hoof.

"Well, maybe we need to replicate the situation-" the stallion began, heart thudding rapidly.

He barely finished before he was pulled into Discord's hold and kissed deeply. Discord shifted onto his back so the pony was resting on his chest and stomach. This left his hands free to massage the base of the Alicorn's wings. This prompted that adorable POMF response.

Discord delighted in the warmth of Sombra's kiss. He ran his tongue along those lips, the kisses becoming deeper and more investigative once again..

As they became caught up in their ever-deepening affections, Discords tail happened to swish a little too eagerly and inadvertently brushed up against the pony's rear. It flicked the Umbrum's tail out of the way, whilst also brushing against a very intimate spot...

Discord was nibbling at the base of Sombra's ear as his tail ventured further then any other part of him had and he heard the stallion utter a deep, almost primal moan, breathy and fast-

Sombra felt the mother of all jolts run up his back, but he couldn’t stop the vocal reaction. It caught him off guard completely. Not that Discord's attentions thus far hadn’t given him a wing-boner that was proving difficult to calm- but with his body already on high alert from the heavy petting alone, this meant the brief sensation was amplified. Heat shot through his stomach and down his body. His breathing sped up, he hadn't felt this strongly before...

Just as Discord let him go and was about to ask was he OK, they heard voices on the wind. Both froze.

The breeze was blowing TOWARDS them, so they caught snatches of a conversation as two ponies approached. A quick glance around showed nothing in sight, so they had mere seconds-

Thinking quickly, Discord snapped his fingers and the cloud suddenly surrounded them on all sides. They stayed stock still, but with Sombra lying atop Discord's chest and stomach, it wasn’t an easy task.

"What’d you think of that play?" the first stallion asked, as the two hidden exchanged frantic looks. Had they been spotted?

"Eh, not bad, plot was a bit confusing though.."

“It's a murder mystery, I think that’s the point..."

Sombra went even redder as he realised he recognised the two. They were part of his night guard group, patrolling the castle and the skies around it. The cloud covering them shifted as the two settled down for a rest and by the sounds of a metal box opening, their snack break. He groaned soundlessly.

"Did you see the celebrations for Hearts and Hooves this year?"

“Yeah, it was pretty awesome! His majesty really loves those fireworks doesn’t he?"

"They’re specially imported from the Crystal empire, apparently. Hay, that reminds me, I heard a rumour yesterday!"

"What, about his majesty?"

"Yeah. Somepony told me he reportedly refuses to have anything to do with love, which is weird. I mean, he clearly enjoys the Hearts and Hooves Day, I’m pretty sure he gets even more presents than on his birthday!"

"Lucky son of a-" the other pony chuckled "I’ll admit I’m jealous over how much attention he gets!"

"Yeah, but when have you ever seen him return it?" the first pony said and Sombra could imagine him shrugging.

"True, he's always working so hard. He's always slaving away on some new concept for "his home and its ponies". Guy needs to relax! Not like he has any shortage of cute mares drooling after him!"

Sombra flinched. Discord noticed and felt a surge of anger at the two bozos above them.

"Hay, do you think he prefers stallions or mares?" the conversation resumed.

"What kind of question is that? Why, does it matter-?"

“It doesn't, don't get you and your coltfriend's tails in a knot, I'm just curious, that’s all. He's literally never shown any more interest when presented with declarations of love, or gifts, from either side!"

His friend calmed down and replied, after a moments thought "I don’t know, maybe he likes both? He could be any which way for all we know, but somehow he avoids giving away even a single slip of evidence! I don’t ever want to go against him in a round of poker, he'd wipe me all out in seconds!"

"True, you’re a rubbish poker player," his friend teased "you always wrinkle your nose-"

“I do not!" the other retorted good naturedly.

"Either way, were back at the same argument, nopony knows that about his majesty! The only ones closer than acquaintances are those harmony mares and the chaos guy."

“Oh yeah, the one the joke shops named after! My guy spends half his time in there, I dread our dates sometimes!" more laughter.

"Hay, you don’t think-?"

"Nah, they’ve never shown any signs of being close. Aside from those times when they go on a prank spree together in the palace! I'm STILL looking for cream pies under the barracks bed! Besides, I mean, wouldn’t his majesty prefer somepony serious like himself? Somepony dignified.."

Sombra noticed at that moment, that an annoyed Discord was giving the unseen duo a double dose of the "middle finger" gesture. Most dignified indeed. He bit his lip and buried his head in Discord's chest to muffle any laughter. His whole body was shaking subtly however, which wasn’t helping the intimate position they were trapped in.

"Please stop doing that," Discord said in a barely audible voice "I cannot hold myself responsible if you keep squirming like that!"

"There’s room for your wings to stretch!" Sombra hissed back. The hollow they'd created around themselves at least gave them SOME room.

"Oh my dear naive King, it's not my wings I’m worried about." Discord reddened and gave his precious stallion a "catch my drift?" look. This shut Sombra up and he blushed deeply, recalling his own response to the tail earlier.

"Half the guards would kiss him if they got the chance..." the first guard said "not me, I got MY guy. But I know a few others."

"Hay, no argument! I'm sure more than a few of the guys on the squad have had him in mind when they mas-"

Discord got VERY affronted at this point and placed a hand on the cloud under him. A spell rippled out from him, turning the cloud dark and making sparks flicker over it.

"Whoa, Nelly! We got a rogue one!" the two leapt up like their butts were on fire.

"Should we grab somepony?"

“Nah, we can buck this, its not so big that two of us can't handle it!"

Sombra panicked and glared at Discord, as if to say "now what?"

Discord looked equally as worried for a moment, then he grinned. He whispered something in Sombra's ear and the pony nodded.

There was a kaboom of unleashed thunder when the two bucked the cloud apart, a flash bright enough to hide a teleport. behind another bank of clouds several metres away, Discord hunkered down, holding a tiny child-form Sombra.

"That.." Sombra grumbled..

"Was pretty funny.." Discord snickered. Sombra wriggled in the Draocnequui's hold, turning his small body so he could glare up at him and protest just how silly Discord had acted. So...jealously? He clammed up, blushing as he caught up with himself.

"You’re right." he chuckled, recalling what the guards had just said about him needing to relax "goodness, I haven’t had my heart race like that in some time!"

“Welcome to the elicit thrill of nearly getting caught.." Discord murmured back. He was glad Sombra wasn't angry. He tousled the tiny pony’s mane, then stuck his head up above the clouds "OK, they’re returning to patrol!"

“We should get back." Sombra sighed. He did have work in the morning. Discord nodded reluctantly, then set off carrying his friend in his arms.

They touched down on the balcony of Sombra's room a moment later. Discord opened the door and they slipped inside. He set the pint sized Sombra down, whereupon he transformed back to full size.

"Time for you to get some sleep, my King," Discord smiled as Sombra nuzzled his nose "I'll see you in the morning."

Sombra nodded, mind abuzz with so many thoughts and feelings vying for his attention he didn’t know what to say.

Discord studied his silent partner then just nodded, planting one more kiss on his lips before leaving.

--I'm like a child and that pony is the sweetest candy. But I cant help it, I just want more of him...-- discord thought as he flew to his own room.

Sombra stumbled into bed, feeling his face redden. What a night! He hadn’t expected those guards, he thought he'd memorised the schedules but clearly they’d changed it.

He thought back to Discord's joke about his wings not being the thing he was concerned about and flushed. Had he really almost gotten him aroused just by wriggling?

--And don't forget, you were halfway there yourself after that tail manoeuvre of his!-- his brain reminded him. The guards conversation about his sexuality and the mystery surrounding it prodded at the back of his mind. He'd thrown so much time and effort into becoming the perfect King the Umbrum's wanted, he'd never stopped to think about romance. Sure, many citizens flashed him smiles and looks that made it obvious they'd like nothing more then to find a way in to his bed.

He had been a little startled when he'd realised the temptation was a LITTLE harder to resist thinking about when it was a stallion. But gradually getting over this revelation didn’t persuade him any, he still turned away from the idea and threw himself further into his work. On one occasion he'd started investigating his feelings, but he'd stopped short and abandoned the idea.

--I guess that was a mistake. I was just running away from my own feelings again. Ironic, in that Discord was the one trying to show me that all along, now he's the reason I’m having to think about this now.--

He lay in the silence of his room, mind going in circles. Unable to get to sleep, he floated over the report Page Assist had sent and flicked through it by the light of his magic.

It was very long winded and detailed and he groaned softly. However, a section about Umbrum's wings and more importantly COATS caught his eye and he stopped. There it was in black and white. Umbrums coats change during certain milestones. A note written in pen read "see voluntary/involuntary arousal".

Sombra slammed the report shut, twitching a little. Why was Page Assist so obsessed with his reading this? What was he trying to tell him?

--Is he concerned over my dating? NOT dating? Hell, is my SEXUALITY an issue? Doubtful, I never told him.-- He felt a spike of anger there. How dare-

Wait...his advisor didn’t have a thing for him, did he? He shook his head, it seemed unlikely. As far as he knew, he'd never let slip any hint about his preferences, he’d never even let anypony get close enough to do so.

Not a PONY, anyway.

With a rueful smile, he threw the report aside and let his eyes close. Sleep finally came and his worries drifted away for a while...

He woke up and shreds of what’d troubled him the night before came back and he sighed. What now? Discord was practically the overlord of innuendos, his mind on diplomatic terms with the sewer. No way he'd have missed Sombra's response to the tail thing. Heck, he'd probably been trying to broach it by the time they’d had to so suddenly hide.

--Knowing Discord, he'll probably phrase it like; "Hey, wanna bang?"-- this thought seemed so on track, so representative of Discord's unfailing bluntness, that it made an amused laugh bubble up. Sombra sat up in the plush double bed, chuckling softly. This good mood, coupled with his preoccupation over last night meant he was in a pretty cheerful frame of mind.

He hummed to himself as he got dressed, slipping on the crystal shoes and neck plate he wore around the palace, with a light silk cloak draped over his back.

As he strode down the hall, he seen a guard down below in the entranceway, he was scolding a young foal. Sombra crept closer to the railings.

"But Daad, nopony at school believed me when I said you worked for his highness! I just wanted to see-"

"I could get in trouble for this! You should be at school, not obsessing over what those silly kids in your class say-"

"Ah, but a young ones classmates can have quite the influence. Correct?"

Both spun round, looking up at the pony leaning over the railings. The kids eyes widened as he took in the fancily dressed stallion smiling kindly at him. The gilded crown, fluffy wings and gleaming shoes.

"Y-your majesty?" The kids father stammered. Oh buck, why had his majesty happened to be on his way to breakfast just when his crazy son as sneaking into the palace?!

Sombra teleported down to where the kid and his father were and the kid grinned.

"Cool!" the little colt murmured.

Sombra smiled at the father "it's alright, you’re not in trouble, either of you. I can understand the young one's feelings. After all, I had enough fights with my classmates at the orphanage at his age, I went to many lengths to get them off my back."

He looked down at the little colt "can I ask your name?"

"I'm Striker, your highness!” the kid said proudly, mimicking how he'd seen the guards do at public appearances, and snapping off a very precise salute for a little one. Sombra smiled, giving the kid an impressed nod.

"I know kids like our respective classmates can be pains in our hindquarters," Sombra said with an amused chuckle "but trust me, they are probably just looking for a way to shift the attention off THEM. If they pick on somepony else, nopony sees how scared they are."

"Really?" the kid said sceptically and Sombra smiled.

"I learnt that lesson rather late, but the orphanage director often spoke to me about it. Thinking back, I wish I had taken her advice. They were as insecure as I was, they were just really bad at getting over themselves. So trust me, they’re more than likely trying to keep their own butts out of the fire by targeting someone else."

"So...what did you do?"

Sombra couldn’t help a little laugh "I went coo-coo, so I never resolved those particular tensions until my second life. But, you can still turn things around. The director said to me me once "Nopony can make you feel inferior without your consent." So if you decide you’re not going to let their bluster upset you, soon it will show. That will throw them for a loop."

"Yeah.." the kid nodded, taking in what the Umbrum was saying "you’re right. I don’t gotta prove anything to those doofuses!"

His father had to chuckle and he caught the smile on the King's face. The kid had set his saddlebags down while his father scolded him earlier and Sombra seen an instant camera sticking up out of it. He lifted the camera out and caught the kid's attention.

"Still, sometimes a case of one-upmanship can give you an edge, can it not? Pictures tell quite a story."

Striker's father was silently having kittens over whether he'd be in trouble after wards. His highness didn’t seem mad, but he had to be prepared to be told off for the infraction, regardless. But it did make him feel happy to see his son taking the King's advice.

Striker couldn’t believe his luck as he got to pose between both his father AND the Umbrum Monarch. As a bonus thought, Sombra fanned out his wings in the shot.

Striker stared at the picture as it came into focus on the paper.

"This is so badass." he whispered. Sombra smiled.

"I agree! Now, I’ll have somepony drop you back off at school. A carriage will get you there fast."

"Sire, are you sure it wont be a bother?" Striker's father asked.

Sombra smiled "I wont be needing my private one until later, I am sure it won't be a problem."

"Thank you sire," the father gave a grateful bow "I’m sorry for this-"

"It is quite alright, we were all young once. Even an old fart like myself-"

Striker burst out laughing at this.

Sombra puffed out his chest, looking mildly affronted "What? I am technically over a thousand years old, I am allowed to make that joke!" he declared grandly, making the kid laugh even harder at his mock-outrage.

"In all seriousness though, do not give your father heart attacks by sneaking in or out of places you're not supposed to. Maybe you could follow in you fathers hoof-steps one day, would you like that?"

“Yeah!" Striker nodded.

"Well, being a guard is a tough but rewarding task. You have to work hard and be good at sticking to your resolve. Can you do that for me?"

Striker nodded. If a King thought he could do it, darn right he was gonna try!

Sombra called another guard over and asked them to drop the kid off at school via his personal carriage. Striker said goodbye to his father, thanked Sombra again and followed the other guard out the door.

"Your highness-" the nervous guard began.

"It's alright, you’re not in trouble."

“I apologise for my sons actions, he-wait, what?"

Sombra laughed softly at the guard's startled face "it's alright, it has made for an interesting morning. It is refreshing to see such energy and drive, I’m sure your son will make you proud in the future."

"If he doesn't turn my mane grey first, your majesty," the guard sighed in relief "I’ll talk to his mother and we'll try find an activity for him to do that’ll burn off excess energy. He's been pretty boisterous lately, what with this business at school."

"You know, you’ve given me an idea.” Sombra mused “I wonder if an after school activity of some kind, like a sort of junior guards programme, would help with cases like this? Give them activities to do, some exercise? It'd teach them good values and tire out those with energy to burn, direct it much more positively, don’t you think?"

The guard nodded, that sounded ideal "that'd be marvellous, your majesty!"

“Can you do me a great favour? Talk with your son, have him ask his classmates what they’d think?" as he spoke, Sombra was writing these instructions down on a sheet of parchment. He signed it with a flourish and handed it to the guard "let me know by next week?"

"Of course sire! No problem!" He thanked the King once more and the monarch sped off towards the breakfast hall. The kid had brightened up the morning quite unexpectedly.

Page Assist frowned as he studied the King. He was seeing Sombra spacing out again and there was no hiding something was different about him. It was subtle, but definitely there...

"Is everything alright, sire?" he chanced asking.

"Fine." Sombra snapped out of his daze, returning to his work. He refused to say anything further, so Page Assist backed down, but he continued to study the King.

Sombra was glad when the day was over and he was finally free to find Discord and Fluttershy. They were going out to dinner at the kingdom's fanciest restaurant, which meant Sombra needed to get dressed up.

As he left, he glanced surreptitiously at the reflective shiny surface of a vase by the door. Yup, Page Assist was staring at him. What was up with him lately?!

Discord noticed Sombra seemed, for a better word, slightly annoyed. Little glimpses in the pony’s expressions spoke of something bothering him.

But as Fluttershy began talking about Ponyville and Discord shared some moderately cheeky jokes, the King relaxed and was back to his usual self not long after. Discord relaxed upon seeing his precious stallion so cheery.

A week from the next day was Sombra's official birthday. No sooner was Hearts and Hooves day over than the kingdom began readying for more festivals and celebration in their monarchs honour. It was a celebration on a massive scale, the birthday ball on a par with the grand galloping gala in terms of sheer scope. Many wanted a chance to see the King up close at his birthday party!

Umbra, as she always did, asked again what her son wanted for his birthday? He honestly told her he wanted memories when they reunited, carved from crystal. It'd been so beautiful when he'd finally freed her from crystal and hugged her solid form once more. Umbra's eyes misted up when he said this and she hugged him, promising she make it the most beautiful sculpture he'd ever seen!

During one of their early "lets watch the sun rise" moments together, Discord had noticed the King shiver. When pressed, Sombra said he didn’t want to put a cloak on, as his summer one had gotten damaged and the winter ones were too heavy!

So Discord had snuck off to Ponyville one day, to corner Rarity and make a request of her.

Fluttershy spent many a day down at the animal shelter. Part of her extended vacation in the Umbrum empire was to see Sombra, the other was to give the animals at the sanctuary the King had built for her the love and affection she lavished on her animals at home. Discord sometimes joined her, sometimes went off on his own, it depended on his attention span.

Both were delighted when they heard the familiar sound of Sombra's royal carriage pull up outside the shelter. Whenever he could, Sombra would blow off official duties and take them to lunch!

They packed up and rushed outside to greet him.

"Where do you fancy today?" Sombra asked a she met them at the door.

"O-oh!" Fluttershy remembered seeing a new restaurant opening up "The hayseed and carrot? I-if you don’t want to that’s fine-"

"To there we go!" Sombra declared, seconded by Discord. Fluttershy smiled happily as the Draconequus ruffled her mane. It wasn’t far, so Sombra figured they could walk.

But, as they set off down the street, nimbly dodging the regular paparazzi with their questions on the weather, what was going on in court and where did Sombra most like to dine, one stallion's voice cut through the sea of ponies.

"Did you know its been two years to the day, since you were first recovered from Scorpan?"

That name sent cold chills through Sombra's body and he stopped dead, body stock still. Few reminders of his past trauma still shook him, but that name was an exception. Fluttershy paled at the mention of that beast and Discord's hands clenched tightly, unseen by the voices owner.

"Your majesty?" The reporter said smugly, floating a Dictaphone up "care to comment on what you would say had changed since then-?"

Discord glanced quickly at the device, then Fluttershy's bag. She owned an identical one she used for keeping notes. He could see a freshly wrapped new tape sticking out of a side pocket. Promising to buy her a new one, he reached out for it...

"What did you say?" Sombra regained his voice, a mix of shock and anger making him sound cold.

The crowd of other paparazzi frowned and shared murmurs. Sombra had been fairly open and accepting of the media and if approached honestly, would often answer in kind. This pony being so rude was clearly making him angry, something they didn’t often see...

If reporters pestered him with questions over his reformation, or his work, he more often than not gave astern but blunt answer. Let them know JUST how hard he had been working, how he had changed. He wasn’t one to back down and cower, he seemed to prefer brandishing the evidence and watching his opponent squirm. He'd smirk in that knowing way, often stating he'd faced worse opponents in his path to redemption, did they think they stood so high a chance?

So for this guy to cause him to go straight to fury without even a reply, this was BAD.

"The official dates tonight, or did you forget-?" The reporter pressed again. If he could get some info on what the King could remember of the great gargoyle threat, his boss would be pleased.

He cut off as Sombra finally turned to face him. The King's expression was closed off, but he also looked pale.

"Where," he said coldly "did you get that date?"

"I'm afraid I cannot reveal my sources, your majesty.." the reporter said smugly as Sombra stared coldly at him "why don't you answer my question-?"

“Why should he?!" Fluttershy could see how hurt Sombra was and had one of her rare surges of public bravery. Like when she'd faced down that dragon that'd been threatening Ponyville, she squared up at the reporter now.

"Fluttershy?" Sombra blinked, he hadn’t expected this!

"He doesn’t have to answer anything, you big meanie! Should I ask YOU about things you don’t like? Should I?!" her eyes flashed, and the reporter smirked.

"Freedom of the press, little lady-"

"Nopony makes MY friends feel bad!" Fluttershy cried as she hovered in front of the reporter. "And if it turns out you stole the information, or got it by...by bullying somepony, you’re in a whole heap of trouble! I wouldn’t want to read THAT kind of paper!" the pegasus folded her forelegs and shook her head. Many in the crowd nodded, they had a lot of respect for the King and had good working relationships with him.

"Let see." Discord appeared suddenly behind the reporter and whisked his pass out of his bag "the Canterlot Tribune. Got it! Think we can find their office in Canterlot next time we visit, Flutters?"

"You cant do this!" the reporter blustered. Blast it, these two just HAD to get in his way. He needed that information or his boss would angry. She was already mad at the state things were in...

"Do what?" Discord smirked "have a friendly conversation with a reporter? What’s the matter, aren’t we worth your time? Were his best friends, or don’t you know? Honestly, I’m insulted!"

It was rare for a pony not to recognise him and Flutters, they were often brought up in pieces discussing the King's personal life!

"You cant let them away with this!" The reporter glared at Sombra. Why were both his friends crazy?

"Diplomatic immunity." Sombra shrugged, but there was an edge to his voice now, one of amusement. "That or I really don't care what you say. You pick. What I remember about that day? Go read the book I published. What's changed since then? Go read your own paper. How do I feel about that day? Keep pushing and you'll get nowhere, because I refuse to tell you. I have work to do, ponies to care for. Entertaining the hurt of the past for your amusement? I am afraid you could not offer me anything to coerce me into doing THAT. Now, do you have any RELEVANT questions, hm?"

The crowds of both reporters and citizens cheered.

The reporter fumed, he'd been so close to getting an answer by startling the King in the way he had. Now these two had butted in and the King had closed off any further reaction, he wouldn't get a word out of him now. But, he still had SOME little observations to go off of.

"It doesn't matter!" He declared, determined to have the last laugh "I have all this on tape and in my memory, you cant take THAT! See you, your majesty." With those mocking, parting words, he ran off.

"Bucking idiot." Discord said in the silence, making Fluttershy blush.

Sombra shook his head, sighing. "Every so often I get the crazy ones." he remarked "come on, we've wasted enough time!"

The other reporters didn’t ask any more questions as the King walked away. They didn’t want to, it seemed like he'd had a rough enough day at the hooves of that creep. In a strange, unspoken act of honour, they turned and walked away, content with the pictures taken so far.

Sombra seen them go and felt a stab of gratitude. He'd worked as hard as he could not to get on the wrong side of the free media. He'd gone to great lengths to strike deals with many for exclusive interviews, and would entertain as much as he could tolerate of their photographs. In return, they’d been cordial, often respectfully stepping down if he asked them to cease trailing him. Very rarely did it get that out of hoof. Celestia had been the one to teach him all this, as he'd noticed how she handled the press and asked her for tips. She'd spent a good many days showing him how best to strike a balance between letting them get the shots they would be satisfied with and maintaining his own privacy.

The reporter Sombra had just verbally checked ran down several silent side streets before slowing to a halt. He grinned, eyes flashing. For a second, holes appeared in his legs, but with a shake of his head he reverted to a pony again. What Sombra had said struck a chord, a book eh? Maybe his boss would accept that in lieu of vocal proof?

As the trio walked, Sombra made a mental note to have some kind of letter of gratitude sent to the papers whose reporters had been so kind.

"Hay, you alright?" Discord asked, seeing how quiet Sombra had gone.

"I am fine, really." Sombra shook his head "I just haven’t thought of that name since- well, it has been awhile."

“Then stop thinking, it's easy!" Discord declared.

"Yes, so you demonstrate!" Sombra joked.

"Hay!" Discord objected, then "nice one."

Sombra snorted, then started laughing, body posture relaxing as they approached the restaurant. Fluttershy smiled, relieved he was feeling better now.

"Thank you both, for sticking up for me back there." Sombra said as they sat down.

"We're your friends, we won't let some bully make you relive those days!" Fluttershy vowed "I know it was rude of me, but that meanie didn’t know how much it hurt you.."

"I'm very grateful miss Fluttershy, you gave me time to pull myself together. You both did, thank you." Sombra assured them. Fluttershy relaxed.

Discord grinned to himself, just wait until he showed Sombra his surprise later!

That evening, as Sombra bid Fluttershy goodnight, he and Discord walked up to Sombra's room.

"I have a little present for you, consider it an early birthday gift." Discord said as they stopped outside the door.

"What's-?" Sombra blinked as Discord held out a tape.

"I may have switched it with a blank one from Flutter's bag." the Draconequus winked. Sombra put two and two together and realised what was on this tape, his heart sank. Discord misinterpreted his silence as gratitude and rambled on;

"Before you worry, he put in a new tape, so I’m not stealing any legitimate work. And like hell some jerk like him speaks to you that way." Discord finished. Sombra was torn between getting angry at him for stealing it and relief that tape wasn’t in that pony's hooves any more. In the end he chose his royal duty...

"Discord," he said softly,"You cant do that."

Discord's expression shifted to one of hurt and an almost anxious anger.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"You cannot just take someone's work like that-"

"Well what was I supposed to do? LET him get away with it? I could see it hurt you-"

"That incident is public knowledge and that’s the price I must pay!" Sombra blurted and there was real pain in his voice. He shook his head silently. Discord floated back, expression clouding a little.

"You and I both know that date was never released-" he began.

"If I kick up a fuss now, it'll undo the good work I have done already!" Sombra pleaded "I will question the doctor tomorrow, but there's nothing more I can do. I cant prove anything and it’ll be too late. He'll still likely publish the article with or without his tape..."

Discord felt a smidge of anger at the rebuke, he'd expected Sombra to be grateful, not SIDE with that creep.

"Fine," the chaos lord shrugged when Sombra didn’t speak, setting the tape on the edge of the potted plant by Sombra's door "have it your way. I'll leave this with you then. Didn’t realise you had such a penchant for punishing yourself-" he cut off abruptly, realising too late that he'd gone too far.

Sombra had taken out extensive punishment on himself after he'd been rescued from Scorpan, believing he needed to endure the pain for the mistakes he'd made in his past. It had taken Discord and all the other girls a very long time to coax him out of it, he'd had so much self-loathing inside.

Discord opened his mouth, realising his mistake- "Sombra-"

"No, no...I understand." Sombra backed up, struggling not to get upset. But his expression crumpled just a little and it twisted Discord's heart in two.

"I didn’t mean it like that-" Discord said desperately, worry entering his voice. He moved towards the stallion but the pony flinched away, expression closed off. "I'm sorry-"

"Yes, I know." Sombra gave him a sad smile, then pushed the door open "goodnight, Discord."

The door clicked shut and the Draconequus was left in the silent corridor.

Discord stayed in the hallway for a minute or two, eyes stinging. He hadn’t meant to hurt Sombra like that. He'd hoped his little act of tape-switching would make the pony HAPPY. That they’d get a chance to share a few moments, a few kisses. His only thought had been to ease Sombra's burden. But the King had flipped out, gotten mad at HIM. Why?

He picked up the tape as these thoughts roamed his head, not wanting the guard to find it out here. He couldn’t be angry enough at Sombra to leave the matter so exposed like that, he knew it deep down. Even if Sombra had scolded him for his efforts-

--He's just trying to do what a King has to.-- that rarely heard logical part of his brain piped up --as much as he hates reporters like that, he has to be seen to be above reproach. That's what he meant by "the price I must pay".--

Discord hadn’t meant to hurt his precious Sombra, he never wanted that!

In the end, he drifted away down the hall, feeling utterly wretched.

That night, Discord found himself back in that same dream-scape he'd been in when Luna had confronted him about his suppressed feelings for Sombra. And there she was, looking...anxious?

"Why are you here?" Discord asked, puzzled. He was still a bit grumpy and wasn’t in the mood for her cryptic nonsense.

"We need your help." Luna said simply.

"With what?" Discord said suspiciously, folding his arms.

"Sombra." Luna said and the suspicion dropped off Discord's face, replaced by worry.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?" he said softly. Luna nodded.

"You see it too, then?" the Princess asked.

Discord sighed heavily, thinking back to the many expressions his precious stallion had made that day "I made him mad earlier, I was only trying to help-" he cut off, shaking his head.

Luna took this in without a word, then spoke "Normally we can detect Sombra's dreams. But on THIS particular night, what he dreams is unknown."

"hows that possible? You’re the dream walker!" Discord frowned, it made no sense.

"We thought that also, but he seals himself, his slumbering mind anyway, behind powerful spells i cannot unwind. They are Umbrum magic, which we am not fluent in."

"I see, but why would he hide his dreams? Surely, if they’re bad, would he not think you could help him? I know he's a stubborn fool sometimes, but..."

"Maybe it is something he does not feel he can easily share. Something deep seated." Luna surmised.

"How do you think I can help him?" Discord asked. "I'm no dream expert! Unless you count wet dre-"

"We do not!" Luna bellowed, making Discord's fur stand on end "stop dodging the issue. He needs you, we are certain of it."

"Sorry to burst your bubble dear Luna, but he's pretty mad at me, I may have brought up some bad feelings."

"Even so, you are more attuned to him, emotionally speaking. His dreams recently have been happy and they centre on YOU." she observed the Draconequus flushed slightly as she said this, but he looked pleased nonetheless.

"I don’t know if I can unpick his magic, but if he's hurting like you suspect, I can't sit around and let him suffer." Discord sighed at last "I'll go see him."

Luna nodded, looking relieved "Thank you. We are certain you can solve this." then she was gone.

"I hope so.." Discord murmured "I didn’t even know he was in pain. I just hope this isn’t all my fault.."

Discord woke up abruptly, head spinning. Shaking it, he decided to go check on Sombra. If he was using powerful magic to rebuke Luna’s attempts to help his dreams, then chances were there’d be a ward or something in the physical world!

He teleported himself to Sombra's balcony and peered in the window. What he saw had him very concerned.

Sombra was curled up in his bed, but that was where the illusion of normalcy shattered. A faintly visible shield pulsed as it surrounded the entire bed. Sombra's blankets were tangled around his body, scrunched between his hooves as he slept. As Discord watched, the pony uttered a soundless moan, turning onto his side so he was facing towards the window. His expression was one of pain and sadness, and it was heartbreaking to watch.

--I don’t care if he hates me for this, I cant leave him like this.-- Discord thought and he picked the door lock, slipping silently inside.

He hovered above the bed and tentatively reached out to the shield. It didn't hurt him, which surprised him. Hand resting on it still he frowned, studying the feel of it. It was benign, not intended to repel, more...deter. Evidently it was strong enough to prevent Princess Luna from gaining any ground against it, but maybe Discord's magic could crack it?

--Chaos and darkness. We are alike, in a way.-- he thought, closing his eyes. He sensed so much tension written into the spell as he picked away at it. Sombra had been afraid when he constructed this. Echoes of fear from previous years lingered still.

A long time ago, back when Sombra had still been recovering, Discord had been able to splice his consciousness into the pony’s feverish dreams to see what troubled him. He used this now to merge himself with the shield spell, find a way to disperse it. Like a ball of chaotic string, he slowly unravelled it and after a minute or two it finally fell apart. He opened his eyes, hearing a faint whimper. Looking at the pony sleeping fitfully in the bed, he seen Sombra had now curled up in an almost protective ball.

He took a deep breath and reached out, letting one hand rest on Sombra's shoulder.
"Wake up, my dear Sombra." he murmured "c'mon."

Sombra flinched in his sleep, stirred and abruptly snapped awake, frightened words spilling from him in a rush.

"No, please! D-don't...!" he didn't seem aware Discord was even there "keep away from me!"

Whatever he was dreaming, Discord could tell it wasn’t HIM. What Sombra was seeing held him in a transfixed state of panic.

"Sombra..." he said softly, "can your hear me?"

He scratched gently behind the pony’s right ear. Sombra flinched, gasping sharply as he snapped out of his daze and his gaze finally focused back in the present. He blinked, surprised to see a familiar face hovering above him.

"Discord?" he asked, his voice croaky.

"Yes, my precious Sombra." Discord assured him, gently brushing the palm of his hand across the pony’s cheek, worried by how cold his coat was.

"W-why're you here..?" Sombra asked, then everything caught up and he realised the most likely reason WHY Discord was suddenly here with him, and how he'd woken him. Cold fear settled in his stomach, guilt making it churn uneasily. Discord's expression gave it away instantly, he knew something wasn’t right. Sombra swallowed nervously, suddenly at a loss for words.

"What’s the matter, Sombra?" Discord asked gently.

"Nothing!" Sombra blurted "it was just a bad dream, I-"

"Then why the spell, why prevent Luna from helping you?"

"It is nothing to be worried about, I’m sure she has other things to do. I did not want to bother her." Sombra finished lamely, defence frail.

"It was hurting you." Discord said.

"It's nothing!" Sombra said, his voice suddenly loud and clear. He clammed up, guilt darting over his face once more, then he abruptly curled up back on his side, his back to Discord as much as he could.

"What are you doing here?" he continued "i left that tape outside, if you want it so badly!" he knew he sounded petty, but he couldn't let Discord find out the truth.

"Screw that tape!" Discord said sharply "I was an asshat for saying those things and you can hate me as much as you want, but not until you tell me why you’re so in pain!"

"In pain-? I am not!" Sombra lied "I'm sorry if I disturbed you but I didn’t want the guards hearing me, it makes them get into a tizzy if I appear unwell. You can go back to sleep. I'm fine." he closed his eyes, praying his foolish plan would work and that he would forgive him.

Discord studied him and knew right away it was all lies. His Sombra dearest was FAR from alright. The panic and pain was there in his voice, guilt forcing every stilted word out. Why was he feeling guilty? His gaze travelled down the pony's back, seeing how the Alicorn's wings pressed to their bearers sides and seen them shiver subtly. Wordlessly, he reached out.

Sombra thought he'd convinced him, Discord had fallen silent and the room rang with the guilty emptiness. Then he felt a warm hand settle on his back and his breathing hitched, catching just a little. It was so warm...

He closed his eyes, focusing on the warmth of Discord's hand as his long time friend and more recently, his special someone, gently began massaging the place between the tightly tensed wings. And it worked, he felt the flight muscles start to relax, loosening up as the chaos being rubbed his back. His breathing became easier and he was finally able to take a deep breath, like a sigh.

The hand stopped massaging his back, but remained resting on it.

"Tell me." Discord whispered.

Sombra tried, but suddenly he was afraid to. What would his friend think? Whatever respect Discord had for him would be no doubt be sacrificed once this tangled story came to light.

The seconds seemed to drag on and Discord was about to risk rubbing the pony's back again when Sombra suddenly spoke;

"Its about the anniversary-" he stopped suddenly.

"Of what..?" Discord asked gently, then remembered the earlier events "you mean-?".

Sombra nodded hesitantly "Yes. The anniversary of the day I was first recovered, brought into the doctor's care."

"From...Scorpan?" discord spoke the name hesitantly. A shudder ran down Sombra's body, serving as confirmation.

"This isn’t the first time I have dreamt of it, sometimes things...trigger it and my dreams turn unpleasant. rarely enough to summon Luna, but after today, with it being today on the dot, I foreseen the memories would be worse. So I sealed myself in that shield. I seen the clipboard myself, back then, he set it down while he was examining me. I seen the date, those numbers became brunt into my mind. The first time I seen a calender, I searched back until I found it. There was so much going on, for a time I forgot about it. The final fight, the trip to the Empire, building my home. I thought I had gotten past it all. I had so much work to do, ponies to take care of. I thought it was over. Until now, I thought I had it under control, I avoided thinking on it for long.."

Discord was surprised to hear Sombra speak this way. His trauma still bothered him it would seem. Why had he never spoken of this?

"Sombra-" he began. Sombra flinched, imagining the accusation in Discord's voice. He'd hidden this from his best friend, always insisted he was fine, through it all.

Abruptly, he moved away from the warm hand resting on his back, rolling out of bed and stumbling to the rich carpeting. He staggered over to the small table by the wall, shaky magic lifting the jug to pour cold water into a crystal glass and draining it in a heartbeat.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why are you still tormenting yourself?" Discord asked, seriously concerned. Sombra had seemed to be so happy and content lately, how long had this been going on? "You don't-"

"I tried!” Sombra blurted, silencing Discord. The pony carried on, the water doing little to make speaking easier "I mean, I cant..."

Discord wanted to hug him right then, but knew if he did that, Sombra would clam up and he'd ditch this moment to speak in favour of a warm embrace. As much as it pained him, he needed to keep his distance for now.

Sombra wouldn’t turn to meet his gaze, instead staring at his reflection in the water jug, as drops of condensation rolled down its cut crystal surface to pool on the tablecloth.

Discord felt like his own heart was breaking seeing Sombra so upset.

"Why didn’t you say anything? Does your physician know-" but Sombra cut him off with a violent shake of his head.

"No! Nopony knows, I couldn't tell them. They all kept saying how pleased they were with my progress, how amazed they were that I had recovered to much, so fast. I couldn’t fall apart, not with an empire relying on me. Eventually, I couldn’t battle the shameful nature of my secret, so I vowed to just get through it. Told myself one day I would make it up to them for all these lies-." he cut off, voice hitching as his vision blurred, dangerously close to breaking down.

"Why didn't you tell ME?" Discord asked in a soft voice. Sombra felt like a rat, felt so rotten. He'd shouted at Discord for going behind his back, yet how was HE any better? Lying and hiding his real feelings...

"Because- you always made me feel so free whenever you visited! I didn't want to disturb that, I didn't want you to worry, or feel burdened. I'm sorry, I know it was unfair..."

He shook his head, finally asking;

"Please, can you forgive me?" He realised just how far he'd dug himself into this and felt swamped. His throat ached as he swallowed, awaiting Discord's response.

He heard the mattress shift subtly, and footsteps padded across the small distance between them. A hand came to rest on his back, but Sombra stared steadily at the water jug. He couldn’t meet his friends eyes..

"Sombra, look at me." He winced guiltily, but found himself, like a school-pony, unable to disobey the stern request. Discord didn’t look angry though, he looked worried.

"You shouldn’t be labouring all alone like this. I won't scold you or make you feel weak, you know that." the Draconequus shook his head gently "you don’t have to suffer alone, you have ME. I won't abandon you because you’re scared. I stayed with you for your first recovery, and I’ll stay here for this one. Do you trust me?"

"Of course!" Sombra blurted. Discord kissed him gently, then spoke sternly.

"I could never be ashamed of you, Sombra. NEVER. What you’ve done, what you’ve fought through, its mind boggling. To fight depression and fear like you did? It takes BALLS. And you did it all for your Umbrums. You have a good heart and you're cute to boot." he winked at the pony and Sombra laughed softly. Trust Discord to insert something silly like that!

"You amaze me, you fretful pony," the Draconequus carried on "Don’t think me stupid enough to abandon you after all we've been through. alright? Yes I’m a little cross you hid this from me, but I know you were only trying to do what you thought was best. Even if it was a bad idea."

"The tape.." Sombra said.

Discord rolled his eyes theatrically, with a huff included "oh, forget that blasted tape!"

"But," Sombra began. Discord shook his head.

"NOPE!" Discord declared, tapping the pony’s nose "not another word! OK?"

A wordless nod from the stallion. Discord kissed his forehead gently.

"Good pony." he whispered reassuringly "you wont get rid of me so easily. To quote Celestia, I’m like that mould that grew in the palace storeroom, impossible to get away from for long! She was cross at me you see..."

He extended an arm to the pony as he rambled and Sombra folded gratefully into his embrace. He wrapped his arms tightly around the pony, rubbing his back again. Nuzzling into the pony's neck he whispered;

"I wont let you torment yourself, my precious King. You’ve nothing to feel guilty for. but you need to stop hurting yourself like this. That time is passed, you’ve beaten it, you’re free."

Sombra nodded, wanting those memories to be gone, so badly. Discord seen this reflected in his eyes as he sat back and gently framed the ponies face in both hands. The moonlight shone off his gorgeous coat, highlighting the curve of his wings.

Discord felt his breath catch once more, he was so tempting. It was getting harder to control his feelings around Sombra. The urge to beg him to let Discord make love to him was almost unbearable. But he crushed it down once more, Sombra needed reassurance, not sexual advances. Right?

"Promise me, Sombra, that you wont hold yourself in guilt for surviving what that monster did to you after tonight."

"Discord-"

"Promise me." Discord was unrelenting, voice stern.

Sombra took a deep breath, felt his throat lock up as the last remnants of said guilt tried to stop him. But he knew discord was right. It was time to accept that he hadn’t committed some wrongdoing in starting a new life after Scorpan's torture. He hadn’t deserved it, any of it, he'd just been a pawn to that creature.

"Come on.." Discord whispered, "you can do it. Promise?"

At last Sombra spoke, it was just two words, but it was an immense weight off his chest. His vision blurred as he said what Discord wanted to hear, a single blink sending the tears splashing onto the carpet;

"I promise."

Then he was kissed deeply, sending a wonderful shiver down his spine, awakening that dormant feeling from before when Discord's tail had unwittingly aroused him. He bit back a moan, surely Discord would think him crazy, getting flustered at a time like this. But with his grief and terror appeased, other feelings longed to stretch their legs now.

He could not resist the urge to kiss Discord back. Neither knew about the feelings they each wrestled with.

Discord groaned softly at the passion of the pony’s kiss, did he know how tantalizing he was? Their kisses became ever more intimate as the seconds ticked by...

Discord finally panicked when Sombra pressed even closer, dangerously close to setting him off like last time. He could feel the heat from his friends body-

"I-it's time you got back to sleep!" he blurted, trying to casually release the pony from his hold. "You need your rest!"

Sombra blinked, perplexed and a little hurt. Had he done something wrong? Had Discord realised the pony was getting excited by all this, or was he still a little angry?

He was surprised when Discord snapped his fingers and he found himself literally tucked up in bed, with the sheets so taut, they held him in place.

"Sleep tight handsome and oof-!"

Discord cut off, as his attempt to leave was foiled by a shield. His nose bumped off it and he made a faint yelping noise. He fidgeted, panicking silently.

"Discord?" Sombra sounded annoyed and his speech was punctuated by several annoyed grunts and the sound of fabric slithering.

--Even the noises he makes are sexy!-- Discord groaned.

"Stop pretending you cant -umf- hear me -ngh- blast it Discord, what madness is this?!"

Discord turned his head to glance at him and immediately blushed. Sombra had partly succeeded in getting himself and the sheet free from the tight tuck they'd been in. The bed-sheet was tangled around his hind legs, a section of it pooled between his legs, covering his stomach...

Sombra was arching his back, trying to kick the sheet free. With every attempt the sheet slid further down and Discord did his best to look elsewhere.

"What is going on with you?" Sombra fumed. His face was flushed, strands of his mane sticking to his cheek as he shot a look at the fidgety Draconequus. He briefly caught a glimpse of where Discord was staring, and felt the heat creep up his body.

"You’re too much Sombra" Discord blurted petulantly "I cant keep from- wanting to, well- wanting YOU, alright?"

"What’s- first your worrying about kissing me, now you’re concerned about ogling me?" Sombra was confused.

"Please don’t ask me to explain it, I cant do it.." Discord pleaded, hoping his precious Sombra would drop it. What if he laughed in his face when Discord blurted out the truth? He returned to staring out the window, sighing heavily.

Sombra finally got free from the bed sheet and closed the distance between himself and the Draconequus. He stood on the beds edge, Discord was less than a foot from him.

He reached out a hoof and let it rest on the chaos beings back.

"Tell me what it is you want." he said firmly, heart racing.

"No can do cutie-"

"Tell me, Discord, please." Sombra pressed.

Discord sighed and figured since Sombra had already faced HIS demon for that night, it was only fair...

"You want to know? I want to pin you to that bed and ravish you senseless. We're talking mind blowing here, you damn irresistible pony. I want to SLEEP with you. Full on, orgasmic, making a mess of the sheets SEX." he threw his arms in the air and declared "there, you happy?"

Sombra was blinking, processing this. His face was on fire at the mental image this had summoned. His stomach felt full off butterflies, the type that sent flutters up his spine. Among other places. He fidgeted atop the bed, imagining a dream from some nights prior-

Snapping out of it, Sombra tilted his head to one side, studying the sulky Draconequus. Why was Discord so flustered over this?

He voiced this query aloud and Discord fidgeted even more. He still wouldn’t turn around.

"Because- well why would a King want to be subservient to someone else?" he briefly turned his head to flash Sombra an almost sad smile before returning to staring out the window "Don’t lie cutie, you’re the dominant type."

Sombra blinked, processing the Draconequui's statement. He felt that exciting heat unfurl in his stomach again. He combined that with that dream and made a decision on what HE wanted. Now to inform that befuddled Draconequus...

"I am more than my rank, Discord." he scolded gently as he jumped gracefully down off the bed. He walked so he was standing in front of Discord now, meeting his gaze.

"You know, after that night where you joked about what those hands could do, I had an interesting dream..."

Discord made a surprised sound "y-you did?" he said, trying to keep his cool. Something in the pony's eyes was making his body awaken, was Sombra really-?

Sombra smirked seductively, unfolding one wing and brushing it up along Discord's stomach. This was a blatant pegasi flirting technique and he knew it. He'd re-read that book again.

"You know what I happened to dream?" he continued, brushing Discord's cheek with the tip of his wing. A glance further down on the Draconequus' body told him it was working...

Discord could only make a squeaking noise, words were a lost hope.

"I dreamt of you putting them to good use, on ME. I was reluctant to wake.." he smirked in that sultry, sexy way "and what do you think I felt?"

Another squeak.

Sombra lowered the wing, closing the distance between them and looking Discord squarely in the eye "I LIKED it." he finished in a growl of desire, fangs bared.

In a flash he was scooped up and deposited back on the bed, soft pillows propping him up at an angle. The mattress bounced him up and down a moment, making his fluttery stomach even more so, then warmth pressed against him as Discord gently pinned him in place. His body was positioned between the stallions legs, the pony noticed with excitement;

He lay on his back, looking up at the being pinning him. His breath was rapid, pulse racing in anticipation. Had it worked?

"You mean that..?" Discord asked, he could barely hold back from kissing Sombra, he looked so good.

"Every single word." Sombra said firmly. "I may be royalty, but that doesn’t mean I demand power and control at every turn. In fact, do you know what the biggest turn on for those with power is?"

He brushed his lips against Discord's.

"It's surrendering to someone else. Must I make demands of you, insist you give me what I want?"

"Sombra.." Discord breathed.

Sombra nibbled at his ear, making Discord moan eagerly and whispered "stop stalling and RUT ME, Discord."

Discord couldn't keep from kissing the stallion and when he let him go he was rewarded by the sight of Sombra's wings going pomf.

"You will get your wish, my King." Discord whispered. He sat back, the pony's legs brushing against his sides as he crouched there.

His dreams and fantasies had never been this subtle. His creativity mostly ran as far as the pony asking for a good doing, then lower instinct had taken over and he'd simply gone about finishing himself.

"You look amazing in the moonlight.." the Draconequus murmured, tracing his hands over Sombra's firm chest and stomach. The pony squirmed comfortably under his touch, arcing his back to press more of his body against Discord's hands. Discord traced the elegant curve of the King's hips, imagining the power behind a single thrust from them...

Setting that thought aside for later, Discord finally indulged his biggest desire and at last allowed one hand to stray further down, encircling his stallions shaft and stroking it gently, feeling it harden in his grip. He noted its colour, the same dusky grey as Sombra's coat, it made the creamy white fluid that beaded up and trickled down its sizeable girth even more obvious. Discord snagged the droplet, bringing it to his lips and licking it clean. He closed his eyes as the stallion's taste melted into his tongue and he couldn’t suppress a low groan of longing. Sombra blushed hotly, yet felt another jolt run down his body.

"You even taste as good as you look." Discord said seductively, opening his eyes and regarding the stallion below him.

A few more teasing touches around its base and tip made the captive Sombra squirm and moan even more heatedly. His hooves were tangling in the delicate sheets beneath him, already dampened with sweat. Discord could feel Sombra's pulse in every twitch and throb of the pony’s aroused member.

Discord gathered a few more tastes of his lovers fluid before leaning down and kissing Sombra, tongue parting the stallions lips and letting him taste himself. Sombra's tongue danced with his, kiss after kiss, parting only enough to draw breath before claiming each others lips again.

They ceased kissing at last, and for a brief moment only a single gossamer strand of saliva still connected them, like silver spider silk. Then it snapped and disappeared.

"Discord.." Sombra panted, his heart racing so fast it almost made him dizzy. His body ached, the sheer force of the longing he'd been carrying within for the last few days ramping up now. He hadn't been joking about that dream...

He'd woken in the middle of the night with a problem, one that refused to calm down easily. He'd tried to ignore it at first, but almost unbidden, his hoof had crept down the barrel of his own body to below. Slow hesitant movements to start, could he not ignore this fantasy? But his hoof would not be stilled, snapshots of the dream running through his mind like a tsunami, irrepressible...

He'd finished by gasping the Draconequus' name into the pillow as he reached his self-controlled climax. He'd changed the sheet himself once he'd recovered, and had used his dark fire to burn the ones he'd stained. Part of him hadn’t wanted the staff seeing it and asking questions, such a thing was private...

"Mmmm, you’ve been suppressing yourself a while, haven't you?" Discord said softly, once again brushing a thumb over the tip of the pony's cock, jolting Sombra back to the present moment, before moving his hand down and squeezing at its base. Sombra gasped sharply, his voice a deep, sultry growl. His ears trembled eagerly, this was bliss..

"Then I trust you can handle it?" he smirked in his trademark fashion, yet he was only barley keeping his composure in the face of such sensual touching. His own efforts at getting himself off had never felt this good. Discord grinned in the moonlight, as if he could read his mind;

"I'll handle you my love, count on that." he purred.

Discord continued massaging Sombra's belly even as he sat back enough to snap his fingers, making a tube appear in his hand. He squeezed the transparent substance onto his hands, letting the tube fall to the wayside...

"Now, let us make that dream of yours come true!" he grinned at Sombra as he indicated one lube-coated hand, the slick liquid gleaming in the light. Then he brought his fingers down to his lovers entrance and thrust two of them into him.

"Ah- yes~" Sombra growled in satisfaction as he felt that first intrusion, the brief chill of the lubricant soon warmed by his own heat.

Discord flexed his fingers, eliciting an even louder cry of desire. Then he pushed a third finger in, beginning in earnest. Sombra couldn’t even speak as Discord's talented, flexible fingers pushed and thrust inside him, spreading and stretching the stallions body in anticipation of something far bigger. Spreading the thick, warm lube thoroughly over his inner walls....

Discord leant down and playfully nuzzled at Sombra's stomach as he worked. Sombra writhed atop the bed, rumpling the once pristine sheets, his deep, breathy moans the perfect accompaniment to the Draconequus' actions. Another penetrative thrust and Sombra called out much more vocally, pressing his head back into the fancy pillows.

"That feel good, my precious Sombra?" Discord teased. Sombra focused on him through the haze of pleasure governing his mind.

"Outstanding-" he growled huskily, those sharp little fangs glinting in the silvery light "even better then my dream."

He was rewarded with a sweet kiss from the Draconequus. The way Discord looked at him made his heart race in a whole new way. He may as well have been the only thing in Discord’s world right now, with the way his friend looked at him.

"Oh, you flatter me, my King. This is only the start of what I have in store" Discord shot back with a knowing smile, moving his fingers again and feeling Sombra's body responding eagerly, muscles clamping down on his fingers.

It was time, his precious King was all set.

Removing his fingers, he positioned his body so his own flared tip was pressed, a feather-light touch, against the kings body...he pressed just a little in, a little taster.

Sombra groaned eagerly as he felt the fingers that had been teasing him slip free from him now, feel the Draconequus teasingly pressing that shaft against him. He could feel his stomach was soaked with his own pre-cum, thanks to Discord's pre-emptive teasing, his own member so tense in anticipation it almost HURT. There would be much more fluids before the end of tonight..he licked his lips impatiently, what was the Draconequus waiting for?

As if reading his mind, Discord moved, letting the first few inches push brusquely into the waiting stallion. Sombra growled deeply, the sound rumbling through his sturdy body. His back was almost arching off the bed, his wings going some way to supporting this endeavour. Discord squeezed the pony’s firm hips, digging his fingers in slightly. Sombra squirmed and gasped again.

"Mmm, you’re a good fit, my King." Discord breathed "so firm..."

Slowly, bit by bit, he pushed into the stallion, enjoying the sensation of Sombra's body adjusting to accommodate the large mass entering him. Sombra was so hot inside and the scent of not just his pre-cum but his pheromones- it was intoxicating. Discord wanted to push every limit Sombra's body had, make him scream his name by the time he finished....

Once he was fully hilted inside the stallions body, he paused a moment to let Sombra absorb how it felt, then he pulled back slowly and thrust quickly back into him, the lube he'd spread inside the stallion now coating his shaft. He did this a few more times, withdrawing then thrusting back in, enjoying the sounds Sombra made, the way the Alicorn begged for more; who was he to refuse?

"Discord-" Sombra panted, feeling the absence of his lovers organ keenly with every teasing pull. "I said n-not to hold back!"

"I could never deny you," Discord vowed, then, bracing his hands either side of Sombra's head, he repositioned himself, then thrust forward once more...

When the rhythm moved from tantalizing to full-on rutting, Sombra moaned his lovers name eagerly.

Yes, this was what he'd wanted all along. Someone to handle HIM, take him and just fuck him on a level that had nothing to do with his rank, that would eliminate any remaining sensibility he had left. And Discord knew what he was doing- oh, he knew VERY well- each thrust sent fresh, nerve sizzling sheets of electricity down his spine.

He closed his eyes a moment, letting the increasing sensation become his entire world. His breathing was in sync with his heartbeat, racing like a stampede.

"Oh my sweet Sombra, yes-" Discord purred, voice heavy with lust "you're amazing, Sombra!"

The next thrust sent an even stronger jolt up Sombra's spine- Discord seen the wings tremble, the way they curved upwards now making it seem as if they wanted to embrace him. He knew he'd hit that sweet spot so he altered his pace and angle, hitting that spot on his lovers insides without fail. Each thrust and push made Sombra gasp and moan in approval.

He kissed Sombra briefly, muffling the eager cries, feeling the pony's forelegs holding tightly to him as he did. Moonlight filtered through the shivering wings, making sparkles of light dance over their entwined bodies.

He switched to bracing himself with just one arm next to Sombra's head. The free hand traced a pattern over Sombra's belly, brushing over sticky fur before reaching the tip of his member and curling round it. With his next thrust he squeezed it gently, brushing his thumb over its tip, timing it perfectly so the pony was hit with a double dose of pleasure.

He felt Sombra's fangs nip at his right ear, HARD, the pony uttering a half-whine, half-growling noise. The sharp sting of pain mixed with pleasure from his nerve endings and Discord pumped his hips a little faster and harder, pressing the pony back into the luxury bed as he did. The springs creaked as Sombra growled;

"Sweet sanity, Discord-nggh.." he couldn't continue, lapsing back into the overwhelming euphoria of the act.

Discord could feel how close Sombra was, the subtle way his body was trembling, the way said body clenched tightly around the chaos beings member. He couldn't hold back himself for much longer either, he wanted to claim this pony as his own.

"Call for me, my King!" he gasped, and he pulled back one last time-

With one final hard thrust, he brought Sombra over the edge, the stallion calling his name as he desired, voice almost a feral growl. Discord closed his eyes, unleashing his own climax. It was hard and fast, every fantasy he'd had contributing to the thick, sticky splashes of seed filling his partners insides.

Semen spattered Discord's hand where it still curled around the stallion's member. As the Alicorn rode out the ecstasy of his first good rutting, Discord caught his breath and looked down at the hand that had been tending to his lovers shaft. Sticky, warm cum dripped from his fingers, the undeniable aroma of his lovers scent could not be refused and he felt a few additional ropes of seed join the initial load inside Sombra, member throbbing eagerly as he licked his hand clean of every last drop of Sombra's fluid.

He met Sombra's eyes as the pony opened them. He was acutely aware of the point where they were so intimately connected, what had just taken place. The Alicorn's wings were almost rigid they were so tense, fluffed up to maximum. Discord sat back, still inside the stallion and moved his hands to massage the base of the wings until Sombra was able to fold them down fully.

Coat soaked with sweat, mane clinging to his face and neck, the King looked so handsome. His chest rose and fell rapidly, crimson eyes filled with a mix of lust and contentment. His forelegs were folded atop his stomach and he exuded an air of fullness, satisfaction. He really was a stud of a stallion, Discord thought.

"You look stunning, my dear Sombra." Discord whispered, reluctant to tear his eyes away from the sight of his lover.

"Speak for yourself~" the pony spoke at last, voice a few shades fainter then at the start. Hopefully his throat wasn’t too sore...

With a gentle kiss at the base of the pony's horn, Discord carefully pulled out of Sombra. Cum overspill dripped onto the sheets beneath them as he did, Sombra uttering a soft moan. His body already objected to the absence of that which had been rutting him so efficiently.

"Outstanding, my King." Discord praised, making Sombra flush happily. The way he called him that, it was quite arousing.

Exhausted, Discord flopped down onto the bed on his back, drawing Sombra into his hold seconds later. The pony snuggled up close, their combined warmth making the afterglow even more enjoyable. Sombra rested his head on Discords chest, he could hear the chaos lord's heartbeat, it was fast as his own.

Discords fingers toyed with his ears, making him smile sleepily.

Sombra popped the shield that had been masking their sounds and cool air wafted in, cooling the heat of the room.

Discord toyed with the pony’s mane now, tangling his fingers into it and rubbing the back of Sombra's neck. Sombra smiled, then shifted his body so as to kiss Discord.

"My Sombra..." Discord whispered and Sombra smiled seductively, kissing him lightly once more. The pony's eyes were slowly starting to close, any tension and excess energy from the nightmares before, gone now.

"Rest my love, we will meet again in the morning." Discord murmured. Sombra happily drifted asleep, the nightmares a distant point in time. He had a far more powerful memory now…

Discord snapped his fingers and the sheets settled down over them. He stayed awake as long as he could, watching the stallion sleep.

--I hope I was able to give you what you needed, my sweet Sombra.-- he thought drowsily --I know I’ll never forget tonight.--

Then he too drifted asleep...