Shadows Within the Heart

Chapters

~Prologue~
1 - The Summons
2 - Hello Again
3 - A New Dawn
4 - The First Step to Recovery...
5 - Is Admitting You Have a Problem
6 - Absolution
7 - Heart of Darkness
8 - Only The Beginning
9 - In A Game of Chess...

~Prologue~

Equestria… such a beautiful land. It’s a place of peace and harmony. Well… that is not completely true, not anymore. Recent events have shown that there still rests some degree of disharmony. The hearts of its citizens, the ponies who are the descendants of the old tribes, Earth, Pegasus and Unicorn… they have all but forgotten what things used to be like for them. But for those who have lived before such times of peace, those old memories are still very fresh within their hearts and minds.

Nightmare Moon’s gaze turned up to see her daughter’s moon reach its peak in the night sky. Her mind drifted back to the days she had spent in molding the orb while she eagerly expected the bundle of life within her womb. A warm smile graced her visage at the memory. Things had been so wonderful back then. With a slight twirl, Nightmare Moon turned away from the window and walked to the side of the bed.

The sheets were pristine, as if nopony had slept in the bed since the day it was made, and there were a few decorations on the walls as well as a gorgeous dresser. Yet Nightmare’s eyes had come to ignore the rest of that room. She stayed there for most of the day as a silent sentinel, guarding a priceless treasure that was of great importance to a few ponies, herself included.

Nightmare’s eyes flashed white and a previously unseen object was revealed as it faded back into the realm of the light. Encased within a pale blue crystal prism was the body of a human man. As time passed the transparency of the prism had lessened, leaving behind a more opaque crystal behind that shrouded its occupant from view. Yet Nightmare still knew the face of the man within.

She gently placed the tip of her horn against the crystalline coffin and a tiny spark of magic flickered as she connected to it. Nightmare’s consciousness faded to darkness. A window slowly began to form from out of the void beneath her hooves to hover before her. Within that mysterious pane she saw the man in his dream… yet he was not truly dreaming. She could not see his face, but she knew from his stiff posture and crossed arms that he was busy thinking about something of importance.

Nightmare’s head slowly bowed until her face pressed gently against the window’s cool surface. Why do you toil away like this? We were once one and the same… I now you’re looking for something. Why won’t you speak to me? Will you not grant us your warm presence once more…

She received nothing in return as the man continued to stare into the oblivion of his and her memories. With a heavy sigh, and an even heavier heart, Nightmare pulled herself away from the window. The only thing keeping her from speaking to him slowly drifted back into nothingness as a single tear trailed down the dark goddess’ cheek.

~~***~~

Princess Celestia, the eldest sister and ruler of the land of Equestria settled down upon her large bed. A long content sigh slipped from her as the cloud material conformed to her. It had been another long day for the sun princess, one riddled with more pointless petitioners during her day court and a nearly endless stream of paperwork. The bittersweet side of the day, though… had to do with the continued lack of ponies to her court.

The content feeling she had gained from lying down vanished faster than a slice of her favorite cake. She let her head fall back onto her pillow to stare at the ceiling. Her mind drifted into another funk as she thought on the words someone had told her in the past. “They’re all going to be affected by what you did, Celestia… everypony that saw you will remember… they are the ones that will be the hardest to gain forgiveness from…”

The poor soul that had said those words to her… she wished she could go back and undo what she had done to him. She wished things could have been different. She wished… that he was there to help her once more. With a shallow shuddering breath, Celestia turned onto her side as her eyes misted. “Oh Mathew…” she choked.

In the next moment, her eyes illuminated with the brilliance of the sun and her consciousness faded away…

~~***~~

Princess Luna sat atop the highest tower of Canterlot Castle. Her eyes were pools of shadow while her dream form moved about her Dreamscape. She was currently soaring above the town of Ponyville, having just finished with tending to a few nightmares to the west. She was a little miffed, having been forced to consol the poor fools who had feared they might lose their newfound fortunes gained from their little trip to Las Pegasus. Oh how she missed the days where material wealth was simply a small luxury for Celestia and herself. It would do the world a lot of good to learn to be as humble as things used to be over a thousand years ago.

The lunar princess soared over the rooftops of the town, something that she had done often in recent weeks. There were no nightmares here, for once. It had taken a lot of time and devotion for her to console the majority of Ponyville after the battle between Celestia and Mathew. Many ponies had suffered night terrors from that day. Though it was a bit strange to not see even one nightmare ridden pony, it was a welcome turn of events for Luna.

So, with nothing else to tend to, Luna made a slight detour to her path. She glided gracefully through the air for a short while until her destination came into view. A soft smile graced her face as she landed atop the building. The unique gingerbread styled Sugarcube Corner was quite the sight, and the visage of the cupcake on top made Luna feel a slight pang of hunger for something sweet.

Luna’s hooves gently touched down and she closed her eyes as she felt around for a certain pink mare’s dream. Before long she located Pinkie Pie’s dream signature and she slowly created a small opening for her to slip inside. A portal of shadow formed out of thin air and Luna stepped through it and entered a world of utterly delicious chaos. A mighty mountain of chocolate chunks dominated the area, with whipped cream for ice caps and a waterfall made of vanilla cream cascaded down its side.

Luna suppressed a giggle. As always, Pinkie’s dreams were entertaining to witness. She soon spotted the pink party mare at the base of the mountain, busying herself with fixing climbing gear to her body. Luna smiled warmly and flapped her wings to begin a graceful decent, but something suddenly took hold of her. Luna’s eyes darted down to see her body being engulfed by a sickly black slime. Before she could react, the material surged forth and swallowed her.

The next thing that Luna was aware of was that she was not alone. Beside her stood the forms of Celestia and Nightmare Moon. The other two seemed just as baffled as she was, but just before they could speak to one another about their situation the darkness around them lit up in a fiery blaze. Equus burned brightly in front of them. The entire world was nothing more than a molten catastrophe of its former self as they looked on.

Out of the flames rose a massive body. It had no real form, aside from having a torso, head and two arms as it rose up from the destruction. Two massive baleful yellow eyes glared from within its hidden face. “Hello… my daughters. It is good to see the two of you in good health. It would seem that you’ve managed to survive as well, Abyss. It’s almost touching to have the family together again…” boomed a male voice.

“How DARE YOU!” Nightmare bellowed angrily. “Why have you decided to show your face in my presence? Were it possible I would end you here and now!”

“Heheheh… you are still as spirited as I remember, Abyss.”

Nightmare grit her teeth as the voice mocked her. It quickly became apparent that the being they were seeing was something very old and powerful. Luna stepped closer to her mother and whispered, “Mother, what is happening? Is that truly the one who fathered us? Why have we been brought here?”

“I summoned you three to pass on a message,” the voice answered.

Luna turned her attention back to the being. “What is your message?”

A sinister grin spread through the blackness that was the entity’s face. “I am coming, my daughters. You have some time to decide, but I will only make this offer once. Stand beside me and shape the cosmos in our image…”

There was a long and uncomfortable pause as the being stared down upon them. Luna waited for him to finish, but when no answer came she opened her mouth to speak. Celestia, however, was just a little quicker in voicing her thoughts. “Join you or you destroy us. That is what you mean to say, is it not?” asked the seemingly calm sun princess.

Luna looked to her older sister with a slightly surprised expression. Her ears pinned back as she caught sight of Celestia. Though the white Alicorn looked calm on the outside, Luna could see in her sister’s eyes a burning hatred far more intense than even the time she had wanted Nightmare Moon’s head.

“Precisely… take your time in deciding your answer, little star. I shall arrive in due time…” said the voice before darkness engulfed the three of them once more.

Luna’s eyes shot open and she nearly fell from the tower. “What in Tartarus happened just now?” she asked nopony in particular. Her mind was reeling from what she had just witnessed. Had it been real? What did it all mean for them? There were many more questions she had to ask, but she knew she would have no luck in getting them answered standing atop the tower.

With urgency, Luna shot forth from the tower and she flew strait for the room where her mother resided. The window was already open for her. She swooped through the opening and slammed her hooves down onto the floor roughly before she looked over to see Nightmare Moon staring at the crystal coffin.

“Mother…?” Luna asked quietly.

Nightmare turned her head around and looked at Luna with tears streaming from her eyes. “Absolution… is coming.”

Author's Note

Here it is folks. Since some of you wanted a sequel, and because the prequel holds a special place in my little heart, I've decided to put some effort into writing the next installment! :pinkiehappy:

I'm not sure how quickly I'll be uploading chapters yet. For the time being it'll just be every 2 weeks or so. My aim for this story is to make it bigger and better than the last one. I'll be throwing out more epic abilities for Nightmare, Luna and Celestia... still debating on whether or not Mathew will be released from the crystal. What do you guys think? Should we break him out? :ajsmug:

1 - The Summons

The dark void was silent once again. It had been like that for quite some time today. Something had happened in the outside world… something substantial. Golden brown eyes slowly opened to stare into a semi-transparent window to the world outside. Mathew gazed at the two dark Alicorns on the other side. Something had upset Princess Luna as she held a look of confused anger upon her face.

Mathew looked to the other Alicorn, noticing that Nightmare had turned away to speak to Luna. Something was off about the dark goddess, though. Try as he might, the young man just could not find what it was that made Nightmare different this time… but he was not happy about it. A long sigh escaped Mathew as he pondered about Nightmare’s subtle difference.

After some time of watching them, he decided he would focus on something else. Perhaps he should look into that strange disturbance that he felt a little while ago…

~~***~~

Twilight was seated in her favorite chair reading a tome on high-level spell casting for a future magic lesson with Starlight Glimmer when a panicked young purple and green dragon burst through the door of the room. The purple Alicorn Princess looked away from her book with a raised brow. Just what could have flustered Spike so much that he wouldn’t even knock first?

Spike skid to a halt right next to Twilight, huffing and puffing from his sprint. He looked up with panicked emerald eyes as he held out a scroll. At first glance it seemed like any other scroll she might have received from Princess Celestia, but the mark of the princess’ sun with a spear lanced across it said this was no simple message. Twilight’s horn lit and she snatched the scroll from Spike’s grip. She quickly scanned through the official document only to stare in disbelief moments afterward.

Twilight shook her head and reread through the scroll’s contents.

Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,

A matter of great urgency has arisen in Canterlot. I apologize for this arriving in such a time sensitive manner, but I urge you to gather your friends, the Element Bearers, and bring them with you to the Castle as soon as possible. I wish I could tell you more about the reason for this summons my former student, but there is no time. Please make haste for your departure.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia

Twilight swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat as she read the letter. Something about it made her fur stand on end. There was real urgency in this message. She quickly placed a bookmark in the tome and set it down on a nearby table, she could afford to reshelf it later. “Spike,” she said quickly, “we need to get the girls together and leave for Canterlot immediately!”

Spike lifted a claw to inquire, but before he could speak Twilight had teleported away. His clawed hand hung in the air with his jaw agape. With a tired huff he slumped and turned to grab a few things before the time to depart arrived.

~~***~~

In less than an hour, Twilight and her five friends had gathered at the train station. Nopony other than the purple Princess of Magic knew what was actually happening, and even she knew the bare essentials. An aura of uncertainty hung in the air as they anxiously waited for the train to arrive.

“So… what exactly is going on again?” Rainbow Dash asked as she looked around, her rose colored eyes taking in the expressions of unease from her friends.

Twilight sighed softly as she looked to her rainbow-maned pegasus friend, then to the others. “I received an urgent request from Princess Celestia, earlier. She said that we were needed at the castle. That’s all I know, but from the feeling I got when I read the letter… something big is happening,” she explained.

“Yes, well,” Rarity started tiredly, “I understand that things might be a little… how should I put this… potentially hazardous? But was this truly so important that we had to be awoken at such a late – or rather, early hour?” she asked, her purple mane still a little messy from her recently disturbed rest.

“Ah hafta agree with Rares on this,” spoke Applejack, her blonde mane equally as messy as Rarity’s and without her usual ties to keep her ponytails in place. “Ain’t this a tad late for this sort of thing?”

Twilight sighed again, though more apologetically this time. She really was sorry that she had to wake her friends so late, but she just knew this was too important to not act on it as quickly as possible. “I’m sorry girls, but you have to trust me… something is happening. I don’t know what, but I can almost feel it in the air.”

“I don’t think you’re the only one, Twilight,” Came Fluttershy’s soft voice from the side of the group. Everypony turned their eyes to her, only to spot her gently petting Pinkie Pie, who’s pink fluffy mane was looking a little deflated.

Rainbow quickly flew over to her pink friend and she softly touched Pinkie’s shoulder. “You okay, Pinks?” she asked.

Pinkie sniffed and cast her sky blue eyes up to look at Rainbow sadly. “I think this really is a big one, guys. Twilight can feel it, too, but I know something is happening again. But… this doozy isn’t like the last one. Even the others are expecting something big to happen this time. So something big has to be coming.”

Twilight looked to Pinkie curiously. “When you say ‘the last one,’ are you talking about…” she trailed off as she noticed Applejack’s ears droop.

Pinkie Pie sniffed again and looked over to Twilight with sad eyes. “Yeah… this is almost like the time Mathew fought against Celestia. Do you think that… that he might be coming back?”

Everypony looked around to each other. Feelings were mixed on that subject. Though Fluttershy, Pinkie and Applejack liked the idea of seeing the human again, Rainbow was still scared of him. Heck, the poor prismatic mare had suffered the occasional nightmare of that day when he showed her just how insignificant she was compared to him. Rarity was unsure of what she felt about the human. He had shown her both his good and bad sides.

Twilight, on the other hoof, was unsure of Mathew for a few reasons. She was torn by the fact that he frightened her with how powerful he had been, yet she admired him for everything he had done to save Princess Celestia and many others. Then there was her undeniable sense of guilt for what she had done to him because she refused to listen to him. Even now she struggled to understand why she reacted the way she did. At one point she trusted in him, but doubt had wiggled its way into her heart somewhere. From that moment on, she viewed him as a monster for trying to make her mentor, the most important pony in her life, into a villain.

Applejack looked to the evening sky, "Ah would hope so..." came her voice, soft and full of emotion.

Awkward silence filled the air for a time while each pony simply thought about their time spent with Mathew. Unfortunately, that time was interrupted by a pair of flashes as somepony teleported onto the train station’s platform. Twilight and her friends all looked toward the disturbance to spot the dark forms of Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon, the latter looking slightly annoyed.

“Luna, Nightmare, what are you doing here?” asked Twilight, shocked.

Nightmare sighed and glared gently at the young Alicorn. “We are here to take you to the castle. Was it not made clear that Luna and I would be arriving at your castle?” she asked.

All eyes turned to Twilight, who blushed from embarrassment and shook her head.

“It’s alright,” came Spike’s voice as he popped up out of Luna’s mane. “I couldn’t catch her in time before she teleported to get the girls. Don’t be too upset with her, Nightmare… uh, please?”

Nightmare shifted her gaze to the little purple dragon with a slightly amused grin. “Fear not, young drake. If it weren’t for the simple fact that she is needed alive and unspoiled… then I might have done a few things to make sure she took the time to get all the details before acting,” she said and her face became serious. “But since time is of the essence, I shall save the reprimanding for later. Gather around us, young ponies. Luna and I shall take you to the castle now.”

Everypony nodded and did as they were requested. They all closed in to stand beside the dark Alicorns and were promptly engulfed by the power of darkness. Within the blink of an eye the group found themselves standing in the throne room of Canterlot Castle.

“Ah, good, you have all arrived,” came Princess Celestia’s warm voice.

Everypony except for Luna and Nightmare turned a slightly uneasy gaze to the sun princess. It had been quite some time since they had seen her last. Celestia stood atop her throne, still as white and pristine as they all remembered, but there was sadness deep within her magenta eyes – her magical, multi-colored mane seemed to lack some of its luster as well.

Silence reigned over the room for a small eternity before Nightmare decided it was time to address the Manticore in the room. The dark goddess let her magic take hold of her and she melted into the shadows to reappear between the ponies and Celestia. “Enough! You can make up with each other later. We have a crisis to avoid in the meantime,” she said before focusing on Twilight Sparkle.

“Equestria and the entirety of Equus is on the brink of total destruction,” Nightmare declared firmly, drawing gasps from the Element Bearers.

“Good heavens, what ever do you mean, Nightmare?” Rarity asked with wide eyes.

“Yeah, like, what could threaten the whole world?” Rainbow chimed in.

“That,” Luna began, “is why we have brought all of you here. Earlier today, the three of us were pulled into a vision. In the vision we were confronted by… sadly, the one who sired Celestia and myself.”

“What!?” Twilight cried.

“Your father met with you in that vision?” Fluttershy asked quietly, a look of confusion and concern on her face.

Nightmare Moon sighed and closed her eyes. “Yes, Celestia and Luna’s father contacted us. He gave us a warning… he is coming back to this world for them.”

Rainbow shook her head and stared at Nightmare, confused. “Wait… how is that a bad thing? Wouldn’t it be cool if their dad came back? Like, isn’t this sorta like a reunion?” she asked.

Celestia shook her head. “I’m afraid that is not the case, my little pony,” she said sadly. “He is coming to take us away. We do not know what his true goal is, but we do know that he has threatened to destroy Equus if we refuse to mold the cosmos with him.”

“Mold the cosmos?” Twilight repeated curiously. “What does that mean, exactly?”

“It means,” Nightmare began gently, “that he wishes to take them and have them help him to create chaos throughout the universe. I’m sure you all can gather just what kinds of methods he is willing to use to find amusement, given the history you know already,” she said and looked away from them sadly.

Luna stepped closer and nuzzled her mother softly. Even Celestia appeared with a gentle pop of magic to offer Nightmare some caring nuzzles. The sight of the three being so close to one another left everypony else to stare in both amazement and bafflement. A lot had changed since the last time they had been to the castle. It was a sobering reminder of what a mere three years could do.

After a few moments, Nightmare lifted her head and placed soft kisses to the tops of Celestia and Luna’s heads. “Thank you, my daughters,” she said with a small smile.

The two Alicorn sisters simply looked back and offered Nightmare their own heartfelt smiles. It truly was a touching moment, but one that could not last forever. Celestia turned her gaze to the Element Bearers once more. “As you all know, this god of chaos is willing to let others die for his amusement. I know it is hard to comprehend just how dire things are right now, but you must know this, my little ponies… Absolution will stop at nothing to get what he wants. There is little that can be done now that the Elements have been completely sealed away from you all, but there must still be something that you can do to help in this dark time.”

Twilight’s ears drooped along with her head at those words. Princess Celestia’s words were referring to what had happened after the last time the Elements had been used. Though they had been isolated within the depths of the earth, fixed to the Tree of Harmony, Twilight had found a way to summon them in dire circumstances. That was how she caused them to manifest the day that she had forced the Elements to fire at Mathew. What nopony knew, until much later, was that in using the Elements of Harmony in that way, Twilight had forced them to reject their bearers. Well… that was to say that Twilight and Rainbow Dash could no longer harmonize with the Elements.

Silence filled the room as everypony looked to Twilight’s depressed state. It was no secret that the young Alicorn regretted her actions and what they had caused, but there just was nothing that could be said or done that would make her feel any better about it – all of her friends had tried over the years. Celestia took in a slow quiet breath as she braced herself before she walked over and placed her wing over twilight comfortingly.

Twilight started and looked up to her former mentor. She saw the warm gaze she knew so well and felt the empathy radiate off of the white Alicorn. There was simply nothing more to do for Twilight, so she buried her face into Celestia’s side as she let herself cry softly.

The others looked on with small happy smiles at seeing their friend and the princess sharing such a sweet moment once again. The sight was enough to warm Nightmare’s heart to the point that her eyes watered, but she refused to let the tears fall. The dark goddess glanced to her daughter, Luna. The warmth in her heart slowly faded as she saw the all too familiar look of longing on Luna’s face. As an afterthought, she turned her gaze over to Applejack to see a similar expression on her face as well.

Nightmare sighed quietly as she looked between the two. She knew how her daughter, Luna, pined for Mathew, but seeing the same degree of want from the orange earth pony mare was… difficult to take in. In a small part of her heart she too desired the human’s presence, though her desire was far less romantic in nature. She thought on the dilemma for a short time before an idea formed.

Being as subtle as possible, Nightmare lit her horn with the softest glow of green she could manage and she tapped into the shadows behind Luna’s ears. “Luna… I shall stay here to speak with them further on the matter at hand. Would you do me a favor and go check on the crystal?” she asked telepathically.

Luna’s eyes widened slightly at the sudden voice from just behind her ear. Though she knew it was from her mother, the sensation reminded her of the time Mathew had done a similar trick before. Her heart was heavy with emotions as she recalled that moment, but she nodded nonetheless.

“One more thing… take young Applejack with you. I think the two of you could use the time to… come to grips with each other, so to speak. You’ve avoided her for long enough, I think.”

Luna sighed gently, but nodded her head again before she turned to walk around the back of the group. Nopony noticed her movements, except for Pinkie Pie, but she simply smiled knowingly at the lunar princess. Luna arrived beside Applejack and gently brushed a few feathers against the earth pony’s shoulder, drawing Applejack’s attention.

“Come with me, Applejack,” Luna whispered.

Applejack lifted a curious brow, but followed quietly. Though the situation seemed a little odd, she did have to admit that she had wanted to talk with Princess Luna about a few things for quite some time. The two quietly left the throne room and began their slow walk through the castle.

As they walked, Luna struggled to keep her eyes forward. Part of her wanted to stop and bow before Applejack to ask for forgiveness for being so rude in the past, but also for loving Mathew. The other part of her wanted to defend her position as Mathew’s only love interest… even though it had not been said that he loved her – not in his own words. Mathew’s parting words had hinted strongly that he might have come to love her, but he never said that he did. A slow sigh escaped her as that depressing thought took root in her heart once again.

“Uh… you alright there, Princess Luna?” asked Applejack.

It was then that Luna realized that she had stopped walking and had just been staring ahead into the empty hallway. She shook her head abruptly and looked to the orange pony behind her. “Oh, forgive me, Applejack… I lost myself in thought. And please, you may simply call me Luna in private. We are friends…” she said though she was a little unsure of the last part.

Applejack gave a slight smile as she looked at Luna. “That we are, Luna. Still, what were ya thinkin’ about? It must have been important if it made you forget to keep walkin’.”

“Well…” Luna started only to lose sight of what she wished to say. She was well aware of Applejack’s innate ability to tell truth from lie. However, if she were to be honest with the farming mare… how would Applejack react? Luna sighed as she looked away from Applejack. “Give me some time to formulate my thoughts… please follow me until then, Applejack.”

Luna slowly started walking again, Applejack only waiting for a short moment before following behind her. As they walked, Luna thought about how she should broach the subject. She had no choice but to be honest, but how would she word her concerns without losing her friendship with the farmpony? Luna soon became deeply focused as they progressed, but all of her thoughts and worries came to an abrupt halt when she felt a wave of calming warmth pass over her.

“What was that?” asked Applejack.

Luna paused once more and looked to Applejack curiously. “You mean you felt it as well?”

“Yeah… it was kinda familiar, and pleasantly warm. Ah think it’s comin’ from that door over there…”

Luna looked in the direction Applejack pointed and her eyes widened. Without another word, Luna sprinted forth to the door. She almost missed the door as the usual guards were nowhere to be found, which struck her as highly unusual. With a flick of her magic, Luna opened the door and skid to a halt within.

The lunar princess scanned the room for any signs of entry. Nothing had changed within the room. Bafflement filled Luna as she looked around once more. There had to have been something different… but what? Meanwhile, Applejack walked in behind Luna and eyed the room curiously.

“So… what’s going on, Luna?” Applejack asked as she examined the room’s interior. The one thing that stood out was the sight of a tall dresser. Most of the time the royal rooms had nothing like that within them, since everypony generally used the large walk-in closets or lived out of their suitcase.

Luna, without looking back, replied gently, “This room is supposed to be guarded at all times. The guards are gone… and it would seem that nothing within the room has been tampered with, but that doesn’t make sense.”

“Well, what’s so special about this room?” Applejack asked with a lifted brow.

Luna’s ears wilted slightly as she looked back to Applejack with sad eyes. “This room… was Mathew’s when he stayed here… and it is also…” Luna’s horn lit briefly and her eyes flashed white, revealing the crystal coffin that held Mathew’s body. “His resting place…”

Applejack’s eyes widened like dinner plates as she saw the crystal. The last time she had seen it was when Nightmare’s spell had surrounded Mathew’s lifeless body. The reaction had been immediate. Once Nightmare’s magic touched his body, Mathew jolted awake with an alarming gasp. His eyes had been wide with surprise… until an odd grin spread over his features. Then, without any warning, Mathew’s skin paled rapidly just before the crystal started to form from his body like water seeping from a saturated sponge. The end result was the crystal coffin, though it had been more transparent in the past.

“Is it really him?” Applejack asked softly as she took a step closer.

“Yes… mother has kept him here the entire time and she has watched over him every day. She says that she can see him sometimes… that he’s been searching for something, but he hasn’t tried to speak with her,” Luna said before a small smile graced her lips. “She even says she’s seen into his dreams and that he likes to dream of me… and you.”

Applejack pulled her gaze away from the crystal to look at Luna. She could tell that there was something on the moon princess’ mind, but there was something she wanted to say now that she had the chance. “Ya know… ah was jealous of you for a while,” she said gently.

Luna’s eyes widened slightly as she locked eyes with Applejack.

“Ah had been so upset with ya for being the one that Mathew had confessed to liking so much. It… it hurt not being able to know what he thought of me. Ah’ll admit that ah cried a lot after that day… but after ah had some time to really think about what he had said to me… ah dunno, ah guess ah got to accepting that things were better if he was with you,” Applejack admitted and turned her gaze to the floor.

Luna’s heart ached as she watched the tears begin to form in Applejack’s eyes. On silent hooves, she crossed the distance and gently placed a hoof beneath Applejack’s chin. “I was jealous of you as well, Applejack…” Luna said as she softly coaxed the farmpony to look her in the eyes once more. “Mathew was friendly with me, and yes he did hint to possibly being able to love me in the end, but he never opened up to me in the same way he did with you. The bond you two shared was more meaningful… and it upset me greatly. At one point I even thought of imprisoning you just to separate you from him… so that I could get closer to him.” Luna sighed as she looked down to the floor. “I was being very selfish in my desires and I even started to feel that if I continued to feel that way… I might lose myself to my inner darkness once more. I am sorry… for the way I acted, and for wanting to keep Mathew to myself,” Luna admitted.

Silence filled the room for a few moments before Applejack’s hoof gently lifted Luna’s face to look at her. There was a kind smile on Applejack’s face. “It’s alright, Luna. Ah… kinda wanted him to myself, too. Trust me, ah know how ya feel, and… ah’m glad we had this chance to talk. Besides, ah don’t think Mathew’d let us get away with being all jealous.”

Luna smiled as well and sighed pleasantly. “Knowing him, he’d force the two of us to hug and be nice to each other.”

“Actually… I’d make you two kiss and make up,” came Mathew’s voice.

Both Luna and Applejack’s heads whipped around to stare at the crystal as a faint glow emanated from within it. Just before they could respond, or even act, a pulse of magic flung out and the world went black for them. They soon opened their eyes, feeling a distinct numbness throughout their bodies, to see a window of magic hovering in front of them. Standing on the other side, with a warm smile on his face, was Mathew.

“It’s good to see you two again,” said Mathew.

Luna stared with wide eyes at Mathew. He looked just like he did the very first time she had seen him, though the clothing was faded to grey.

“Mathew? Is that really you?” Applejack asked in a near whisper.

Mathew’s smile warmed a little more as he took a few steps closer to the window. “Yeah… it’s me. How have you been, Applejack?” he asked.

“How’ve ah been?” Applejack repeated before she reared up and slammed her hooves against the window. “You had us all worried sick! Do ya have any idea what we’ve all gone through thinkin’ nopony’d ever be able to see you again?” she asked with a mix of joy and anger. “Why if ah could get to you ah’d-”

“Kiss me?” Mathew interjected with a smirk.

Applejack sputtered and blushed as she stared at him for saying something so bold. Luna, on the other hoof, quickly suspected something was amiss. The lunar princess narrowed her eyes. “Mathew… you’re purposely diverting away from something. Why have you brought us here? Surely it wasn’t just to tease us…”

Mathew’s smirk melted into a very somber expression as his golden brown eyes met with Luna’s turquoise. A deep sadness lingered in the depths of his gaze as he stared silently. “You would be correct; I didn’t bring you here to poke fun. I brought the two of you here because you are the only ones that I can reach out to at the moment. I need your help… to stop that thing from ending all life on this planet.”

Luna’s eyes widened for a moment. “How do you know about that?” she asked.

Mathew turned away from them and lifted a hand into the air above him. Another window of energy, much like the one they were looking through, descended to float in front of him. Images of all kinds started to ebb and flow within the new window, showing all kinds of sights across Equestria. Then, as if the window had become a movie, images of Luna’s experience with Absolution started to play. Mathew turned his head to them with a look of melancholy. “Being trapped in here gives me plenty of time to watch the outside world.”

Applejack was slightly confused by the images in the other window. She heard no sounds from it, so there was little to add context to the imagery, but one thing she was sure of was that she did not get a good feeling about the large creature that towered over the two princesses and Nightmare Moon. Seeing something so… formless and dark as if every unsavory form of magic had come together to form the horrid amalgamation made the hair on her neck stand on end.

Luna’s gaze went back and forth between the window and Mathew. As realization dawned on her, her ears slowly folded back as a sad expression tugged at her features. “You’ve been watching all this time? Why didn’t you try to speak with us sooner? Mother has tried countless times to converse with you, but you’ve never once looked her way. Why?” she asked, fearing the answer.

Mathew sighed softly as his gaze lowered. He was silent for a long time before he looked back to the two mares sadly. “I can’t leave this place.”

It was Luna’s turn to stomp her hoof in slight anger. Why would Mathew not give her better answers? What was he hiding? “Then why did you choose now to reach out to us? If you cannot leave… then why did you isolate yourself like this? You could have spoken to us sooner… you could have put our hearts at ease. So why – why now of all times?” she asked with a tightening throat.

Mathew continued to look at her sadly as he answered. “Because it took me this long to find a way to reach out to anyone. I know it must have been hard on you all… but it’s not been easy being stuck here either.”

“So… what has it been like for ya in there?” Applejack asked gently.

Mathew looked away to stare at the other window again for a moment as he rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s been torturous, to put it mildly,” he replied as he returned his gaze to the two ponies. “I’ve wanted, so badly, to get back into my body… but nothing I’ve tried has worked. There is magic in this place, yet it only lets me use it in small amounts. It’s almost like… well, it’s like I’ve become a prisoner within my own mind. There have been countless times where I’ve wanted to help you… to talk to you… but nothing I did worked. Hell, I can hardly believe that this worked. I don’t even know how I actually got the two of you in this place. I just tried something new – winging it.”

Luna sighed and stepped right up to the window. “Mathew… I’m sorry. I thought that maybe… you didn’t want to see us. Please forgive me for assuming something so poorly.”

“Luna… no, I’m the one who’s sorry. If I had been better prepared to talk Celestia down, then I might not have even been in this kind of situation. I was too rash and I didn’t think everything through as well as I should have. This is all my fault… and everyone paid a price for it. I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through because of me…” Mathew said, his voice laced with regret as he stared pathetically at the darkness before him.

Luna watched Mathew silently. She wanted to rush to him and embrace him, to tell him all was forgiven and that she only wanted to be with him. Yet there was nothing she could do. The window in front of her radiated an icy chill that told her that her beloved was beyond her reach. She would have voiced her feelings, but for some reason she was simply stuck in place while Mathew hated himself for lacking the strength to make everything right.

Applejack’s hoof gently brushed against Luna’s foreleg, drawing the lunar princess’ attention. The farmpony smiled kindly for her before turning her attention back to Mathew. “Ah can’t say that anypony… or anyone is at fault,” said Applejack softly, “but ah can say that it’s wonderful to know that you’re still with us in some way. What ah don’t understand is what we were brought here for. Mathew… how can we help you?”

Mathew’s sadness slowly melted away as resolve took over his expression. He straitened up and looked right into Luna’s eyes. “Absolution is coming to take you and your sister away to influence the two of you to be more like he is. Even if he fails to change you, he’ll still find a way to find amusement in the process. That right there, is the biggest problem I have with him; he’s only doing this to get a rise out of it. Everything he’s done has been nothing more than a means for his self-satisfaction. He needs to be stopped at all costs!”

“But how? He’s a god, Mathew. You of all should know what the power of a god or goddess can do. How do we stop him?” Luna asked pleadingly.

Mathew’s conviction took a backseat as his lips curled into an assuring smile. “That’s where the benefit of being stuck in here comes in. I spent some time searching through the world… there are a few places that you and Celestia have forgotten, and it is in those places that you can better prepare yourselves to fight against your father. There’s not much else I can do to help, but I can still point you all in the right direction.”

Luna and Applejack looked to one another for a moment as they thought about that. Then Applejack looked back to Mathew with determination. “Tell us what to do, Mathew.”

Mathew smiled confidently. “That’s the spirit. There is still time before Absolution arrives, and I’ll be out of magic for a few hours after this, but I need to speak to Nightmare, Celestia and Twilight later. Luna, you’ll need to be with them since you’ll need to know the details of my plan, too. For now, just go tell everypony that… that I’m finally able to help out again. Also… make sure that everypony knows that what lies ahead is not going to be an easy road. There will be blood, sweat and tears to be shed in order to obtain victory. I’ll see you again soon…” he said and the window connecting Mathew to Luna and Applejack started to fade away.

Luna reached out and placed her hoof against the fading pane of magic. “Mathew…”

“Don’t worry, Luna. This isn’t goodbye. I will see you again. I promise…” Mathew assured her.

Applejack’s hoof touched the window as well, a smile adorning her muzzle. “Just remember, Mathew… you still need ta finish tellin’ me what you were gunna say before.”

Mathew chuckled weakly and nodded. “Yeah… I haven’t forgotten. Please wait for me… I’ll finish where we left off when the time comes.”

Applejack nodded as she and Luna quietly watched Mathew’s image fade away. They found themselves alone in the darkness of the void for a few moments before light started to filter down from above. The light intensified until an all consuming blinding glare filled their world before they suddenly jerked awake to find themselves staring at Mathew’s floating crystal coffin.

The two mares exchanged a look and nodded to each other.

“Let us inform the others swiftly,” Luna said and the pair quickly left to tell everypony of what had just transpired.

Meanwhile, deep within his own mind, Mathew stared ahead into nothingness. Silence filled his world once more as he thought about his next move. Time was not on their side, that much he knew, but there was still hope for Equestria’s survival. He turned around to look into his window to the outside. He watched as Luna and Applejack barged into the throne room and rushed up to the assembled group with Twilight, the other Elements of Harmony, Celestia and Nightmare Moon.

Mathew’s eyes watched as Celestia reacted with wide eyes to the news. “You will be the hardest one to guide, Celestia,” Mathew murmured softly. “You know he is responsible for your mother’s death… but I wonder if you learned your lesson. Please… listen to me this time.”

A sudden strange feeling overcame Mathew for a moment as he looked on and his eyes flicked over to see Pinkie Pie looking right at him through the window. A soft chuckle slipped through his throat as he eyed her. “Everything’s gunna be alright, Pinkie,” he said. He was unsure how, but the little pink pony had a way of knowing when he was watching her. She even seemed to know when he was speaking to her, which was proven when she smiled and nodded subtly to him in response.

“Stay strong, Pinkie. I’ll do everything I can to help, but you’ve gotta keep your friends together and happy like always. I know you can do it… I believe in you. I’ll see you all again soon,” he said before the window winked out of existence. “Looks like it’s going to be another boring couple of hours while my magic recharges… I guess I’ll take another nap,” he mused quietly to himself.

Mathew closed his eyes and let his consciousness wander for a little while. Things had finally started to go his way again. It had been nice to see Luna and Applejack in person (in a way), and he felt good that he could finally help them once again, but there was a lingering feeling in him, somewhere deep in his heart. Doubt festered beneath his newfound confidence. He was afraid of failing them again. If he could not lead them to victory over Absolution… then everything would be lost.

With a deep sigh, Mathew curled up to float in the nothingness that was his inner sanctum and prison. He had to try his best… he would do everything in his power for them. There was no room for error, but he also knew a tired mind would do them no good. With a little bit of effort, Mathew cleared his thoughts and soon found himself immersed in another dream… one where two happy mares greeted him with open arms.

Author's Note

Okay... I lied. Here's the next chapter! It's early because... well... it's kind of a present to myself. My 29th birthday was yesterday, and I was in a good mood to write, so here's the result lol. :trollestia:

I tried to focus on getting the setting right for this chapter. Not sure if I succeeded, but it felt like this chapter was strong enough to put out after a quick read-through. If I missed anything please be sure to let me know. Also, let me know what you think about the new plot idea. I've got a lot in store for this story, compared to the previous installment, but I'd like to know how you guys are feeling about this sequel (even if it's only got 2 chapters out so far). :raritywink:

Look forward to the next chapter guys. As always, I hope you enjoyed the read! :twilightsmile:

2 - Hello Again

Mathew awoke with a start, his eyes opening to see an odd glow coming from somewhere within his void. He quickly spun around to face it, only to come to a realization that he must still be dreaming. On the other side of a magical window, relaxing on a beach and wearing a bright blue and yellow Hawaiian shirt, dark red sunglasses and sipping from half a coconut shell sat the one and only, Discord.

“Why hellooo~ my good man,” came Discord’s voice before he sipped some of the mystery beverage from the coconut. “my, it has been so long since we last spoke. It’s almost as if you don’t believe I’m real…”

Mathew groaned and facepalmed. “Nope… this isn’t a dream… damn it. Alright, Discord… what do you want this time?” he asked reluctantly.

Discord snapped his finger and was suddenly standing right beside Mathew within his mental realm. The look on the Draconequus’ face was one of utter seriousness. “I want you to keep that a secret.”

Mathew looked Discord in his yellow and red eyes firmly. “Not a chance. They need to know and, in case you’ve forgotten, they’re going to need you to help them,” Mathew said resolutely.

“Ugh! How many times must I say this, Chaos beings like us can’t work together in that way!” Discord rebuked in an annoyed fashion.

“I never said you’d have to fight with them,” Mathew countered. “This time you need to help guide them. You’re the only one who can enter this place to communicate with me directly. I need you to show them the way in my stead. Come on man… I told you you’d have to play a major part months ago. This is too important for you to back out on.”

Discord huffed and crossed his arms as he eyed Mathew, clearly not happy with the idea. “Fine. I’ll help. Only because this is about the only way that I can keep Fluttershy safe. She’s the only reason I’m even allowing you to get away with this.”

“Oh? I thought it was because my body is protected by a magical crystal formation that cancels magic and that you can’t lay a finger on me in my own realm here,” Mathew added with a smirk.

“If you ever get out of here, I swear I’ll find a way to get back at you for that one. Only I’m allowed to be that smug,” replied the lord of chaos, his maw slowly shaping into a mischievous grin.

Mathew chuckled lightly as his smirk melted into a genuine smile. “That’ll be the day. It would be nice to be free… this place is slowly crushing my sanity. I don’t know how long I can stay here before I lose my mind. Still, it’s good to know I’ve got a friend outside who’s waiting to show me a good time.” Mathew’s head twitched as something caught his attention on the outside of his prison. He then looked back to Discord with a lifted brow.

“Say, Discord… do you plan to be in attendance for the meeting?”

Discord’s grin melted away instantly and a look of suspicion replaced it. “What meeting?” he asked.

Mathew’s smile widened a pinch as he lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. An instant later revealed the forms of Princess Celestia, Luna, Nightmare Moon, Twilight Sparkle and all of her friends (which included the little dragon, Spike). Discord’s eyes widened before they rolled out of their sockets and down his face to land in his gaping mouth. He swallowed them with an audible gulp before shaking his head rapidly and glaring at Mathew, his eyes back in place.

Mathew simply grinned at the upset lord of chaos for a moment before he turned his attention to the ponies on the other side of a larger than normal window. “Hello again, everypony. I take it you’ve been brought up to speed on a few things?” he asked.

Luna stepped forth and nodded. “We told them everything from our last meeting.”

Mathew smiled with a small nod in return. “Good. I’ll get strait to the point since I’m not going to have as much time for this with all of you present. Absolution will be arriving in a few months, unless he catches wind of my knowing of his current plans. He’s going to be very difficult to deal with, but it’s not impossible to beat him and save Equestria,” he said and looked to Celestia for a moment.

“I need all of you to be aware… this is not going to be a walk in the park. You will get hurt, you will have to make tough choices… and you could die. I know it’s asking a lot of you all, but I need you to be heroes… only if you feel you can give this your all to save lives. Is there any one of you who feels that you cannot do this?” Mathew asked.

Silence filled both sides of the void. Rainbow Dash hovered above her friends, looking to them to see if any of them might consider backing out. She had come a long way in getting over her nightmares of Mathew, but it was taking every ounce of her willpower to not tremble at the sight of him. Even though he looked nothing like what she was used to… he still had that piercing focus. In addition, the thought of being put in a dangerous enough situation like he had just said elevated her fears. Rainbow spotted the wilting ears of her fellow pegasus friend, Fluttershy and her heart filled with relief knowing that there was a chance for her to back out of the coming trials.

Fluttershy took in a deep breath and steeled her nerves as she reminded herself that she needed to be strong for her friends. She stepped forward proudly and opened her mouth. “I won’t run away! I will do whatever it takes if it means keeping all of my friends safe – even my animal friends,” she declared boldly, garnering her the admiration of her beloved Discord.

Rainbow’s ears sank back as she gave up any hope of backing out.

“Rainbow Dash,” came Mathew’s voice as he looked right at her.

Rainbow’s wings stopped flapping as fear gripped her heart once again. She floated in the darkness and stared at Mathew with wide eyes. A seemingly large lump formed in her throat and she tried her best, to no avail, to swallow it and get a hold of herself. Her struggling silence was all Mathew needed to know as his eyes filled with a deep regret. Seeing the intensity of his emotional pain suddenly brought forth a need to go to his side for the prismatic mare and her wings slowly started to beat once more as she unknowingly drew closer to the window.

Mathew broke his gaze to look at the nothingness to the side. “I am so sorry for what I’ve done to you, Rainbow Dash. I don’t expect you to forgive me, and I actually don’t want you to, but I at least want you to know that I’ve seen how much I’ve hurt you… and I hate myself for it. I never meant to scare you that badly. I just thought that a simple display of power would keep you out of the way… it never occurred to me that I might have done more damage to your mind until I saw the results for myself later on…”

“W-what do you mean? How d-did you see what happened to me?” Rainbow croaked out meekly.

Mathew’s face sank further, along with the rest of his body, as he let his depression show through. “I’ve been watching what goes on outside. All I’ve been able to do is see you all whenever I have enough magic built up. I tried, countless times, to talk to you all… to tell you to watch out for this, or to just go ahead and do that… or simply to try and apologize for what I did and to say how badly I feel about it,” Mathew admitted while glancing to Celestia, Twilight, Applejack and Luna. He fixed his sad eyes back on Rainbow’s before he continued.

“I’ve seen some of your nightmares, Rainbow. Each time, I tried so hard to break out of this prison to save you, to tell you that everything was alright, that I can’t hurt you anymore. But I failed every time. I know that you’ve been conflicted about how to feel about the time we spent together. I know that you miss me sometimes… but that deep down you hate me as well, and you can’t find the answer as to which you should feel for me the most. I’ll tell you now… hate me, Rainbow. You have every right to for what I’ve put you through…”

Rainbow Dash’s face slowly shifted from uncertain to determined, though her eyes still twinkled with slight trepidation as she hovered even closer to the window. “N-no… I w-won’t hate you!” she said firmly.

Mathew’s eyes dropped with a heavy sigh. “Rainbow… please, despise me, hate me, loathe me – anything so long as it makes you see me as anything other than some terror of the darkness.”

“No!” she repeated louder as she inched even closer, her eyes slowly starting to burn with an almost extinguished passion she thought she had lost for Mathew.

Mathew turned to her with a pitiful look on his face, as if he was begging her to hate him to the core. He opened his mouth to say it once more, but Rainbow Dash’s hooves slammed into the window hard enough to send a ripple through it. The cyan pegasus mare glared down at Mathew as she yelled, “NO! I won’t hate you – I can’t! You scared the hay outta me, but I can’t find it in me to hate you for what you did… you did everything to save everypony. I got in your way… I know why you did it. And if you know so much then you know that I’ve felt completely guilty for it. It’s hard to admit it, but you showed more loyalty to us than I did… and I’m ashamed of myself for it. So I can’t hate you… if anything, you should hate me for being such an unfaithful friend!” she said and cringed as she prepared for some form of whiplash for her outburst.

Warmth slowly spread over Rainbow Dash and she slowly pried open her eyes to see herself coated in a bright blue magical aura. She turned her rosy gaze back to Mathew to find him smiling kindly for her. “You’re still a loyal friend Rainbow. If you weren’t, then you’d have felt nothing about what happened to separate us for that brief span of time. Thank you for being honest with me… and take this little bit of my magic. It will help you in the future,” he said as his power formed a crystal choker on Rainbow’s neck.

Rainbow looked down at the new piece of jewelry and gently touched it with her hoof, feeling her heart warm up from the touch as if her bond with Mathew had strengthened. Her eyes flicked back to Mathew as a big confidant smile graced her face. “I won’t let you down, Mathew,” she said.

Mathew nodded and looked back to the others. “Sadly, this is all I can offer at this time. You’ll all need to find the rest on your own. The first thing you’ll need to do is locate the ancient vault that holds Celestia’s old relic, the Effigy of Solaris.”

Celestia’s eyes widened. “That relic should have been destroyed, along with everything else in that place…” she whispered.

Mathew shook his head. “It was… well, its container was. The power that it contained is still there, and it will be your first test. You must rein in the unstable magic and create a new container for its power. The only one who can do that is you, Celestia.”

Silence followed once more as everypony looked to their solar princess. It was clear that Celestia was unsure of how she could accomplish such a monumental task, but as the seconds ticked by her uncertainty slowly shifted to unyielding determination. She looked back to Mathew firmly and bowed her head. “Tell me how I can succeed.”

Mathew frowned at her display. He had known that Celestia held him higher than before, but seeing her nearly worship him in such a way was… unsettling. He flung out his hand. “Don’t bow to me, Celestia. You are the royalty, here. If you must show me any form of respect, then do me the honor of calling me your friend.”

Celestia lifted her head and stared firmly into Mathew’s eyes. “You are more than just a friend for me, Mathew. You are my guide… in that memory of my mother’s, she told me so. I will do as you ask, Mathew, but don’t expect me to ignore your importance in my life. Besides… I owe you a great deal. Permit me this… and command me.”

Mathew glared at Celestia for a few long moments before he sighed through his nose. He wished he had more time to deal with her, but he was running low on magic as it was. There was nothing he could do for her at this time, but he was going to have a more detailed discussion with her about her views of him at a later time. “I will permit it for now. Don’t get used to it, Celestia,” he said and turned his attention to the rest of the group once more.

“Celestia will need help in containing the power of the Effigy. Twilight, Luna and Nightmare will have to coordinate and channel the power toward her. The most danger will fall toward Nightmare and Luna, since you two are more aligned with the power of shadow, but I have faith in you all. Keep your minds clear and your hearts pure and the power should move to your will.”

Twilight stepped forth, a sad look painted on her face. “Mathew… what of the Elements? Will we need to recover them somehow?” she asked softly.

Mathew sighed and closed his eyes. “There is a chance to recover them and use them… but you are not ready for that yet. Focus on the present task, Twilight. Don’t dwell on something you have no control over anymore… and don’t blame yourself for what happened. Trust me… I’m more to blame than you are, even if you can’t believe it. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on how I handled everything. I was… I really should have been more thoughtful about what I did and said.”

Twilight opened her mouth to say otherwise, but her voice died on her lips. As Mathew opened his eyes and looked into hers, she could see something deeper and meaningful in his gaze. If he had been spending his time watching the results of what he had done, as well as using the power of visions, then there must have been some weight behind his words. The young Alicorn sighed and yielded to Mathew with a hesitant nod.

Mathew’s gaze drifted over everypony else as he gauged their reactions to what had been said thus far. As expected, Twilight’s friends looked a little lost and seemed to think that there was nothing for them to do to help, but they wanted to support each other. Luna simply held her gaze upon Mathew though her ears would flick as she thought about something. Nightmare, though… she had stared at Mathew stoically from the very beginning – never even blinking as she eyed Mathew. He knew that the gears in her mind had been grinding to formulate something and he sighed internally.

Luna looked to her mother for a brief moment before she took a single step closer to the window of magic. Her turquoise eyes locked onto Mathew’s golden brown as she struck a regal pose. “This is all well and good, but I want to know why you have not offered to join us in this effort, Mathew,” Luna asked.

Mathew held his gaze with the lunar princess for a time as he thought about how to best explain the impossibility of him being able to leave the crystal. Applejack looked to Mathew expectantly, and even Celestia’s ears perked up as she was curious to know the answer as well. The others simply glanced back and forth between the human and the princess of the moon.

“I cannot leave this place,” Mathew said solemnly.

Nightmare stepped closer, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Is that true, or is it simply another case in which the effort seems wasted in your opinion? I know you know something, Mathew… I learned how your eyes shift slightly to the left as you try to hide things from others, much like they did when Luna asked you that question. Why do you not offer your help?” she asked firmly.

Mathew’s gaze hardened as he looked to Nightmare. His fists clenched and the temperature of the void dropped slowly to an eerie chill. “Releasing me will doom your world. It won’t do you any good to have me back… not yet.”

Nightmare’s horn flared as she stomped her hoof. “You’re lying! What is the real reason?” she demanded. Though her time with Mathew had not been long, she had still picked up much of what to look for when he was being dishonest. He was lying to her, but she wanted to know why.

Mathew crossed his arms as he looked away. He knew he had no chance of fooling the only being to know him as intimately as Nightmare did, and it irked him that she was being so persistent. He really did not want to tell them… not with Luna and Applejack present.

“Mathew!” Nightmare said firmly, like a mother knowing when her child was about to try something else to try and get out of admitting something.

Mathew sighed and looked Nightmare in the eyes. “I will not let you give up everything just for my sake, Nightmare!” he said loudly as he unfolded his arms defiantly.

Nightmare closed her eyes and sighed. “So that’s why you’ve avoided me for all this time. I knew it must have had something to do with that,” she said as she opened her eyes with a softer look about them.

Luna looked to her mother questioningly as Nightmare stepped closer to her and draped a wing over her. The dark goddess smiled for her daughter and nuzzled her softly before she looked back to Mathew. Everypony seemed to hold their breath as Nightmare started to cry. “Mathew… you can’t be the only one to have a say in this matter.”

“The hell I can’t – I won’t let you do this!” Mathew rebuked firmly, though there was a shimmer in his own eyes as he looked to Nightmare pleadingly.

Nightmare sighed and shook her head. She knew that Mathew would be stubborn about this. After all, he had given so much just so that this would not have come to pass to begin with. A small smile graced her lips as she looked at the human who had been her partner. “Mathew…”

“Don’t you say those words!”

“It’s alright, Mathew. You’ve fulfilled your promise. Though it pains me to say it, I’ve still enjoyed my time with Luna and Celestia,” Nightmare said softly.

Luna looked up to Nightmare and gasped. “Mother! You don’t mean…”

“Yes, Luna… if Mathew is to return to us, then he and I must become one again… and I will no longer be able to walk among you,” Nightmare answered as she nuzzled Luna again, tears slowly starting to drip down her cheeks.

Celestia had been excited to know that Mathew could return, but hearing that she would no longer be able to see her second mother ripped away any joy that had been there moments before. She had come to adore Nightmare, almost as if she had been her real mother, and it pained her greatly at the thought of losing somepony so important to her life now. Celestia slowly approached Nightmare. “Would it not be possible to see you again? There must be a way to find a balance – to have both of you in our lives…”

Mathew’s gaze dropped and Nightmare simply smiled softly as she closed her eyes. “Celestia, my dear little sunbeam. If I could return from this, then Mathew would not have been as adamant about not letting me do this. I will be lost to you both for a very long time… isn’t that right, Mathew?” she said as she looked to the sulking form of the human.

Discord sighed, finally drawing attention to himself since the whole encounter started. He placed his lion paw on Mathew’s shoulder as he looked to everypony on the other side of the window. “Mathew told me about this shortly after he learned about it. When he pulled Nightmare from his body, it was meant to be a final act. He never thought he would live long after he gave her a new body. The body that she inhabits right now is actually a highly advanced puppet. In reality, the Nightmare Moon you’ve all been living with has been nothing more than a transmuted clone of Mathew. Once they join together again… there will be a severe backlash and their old bond will reform and strengthen to the point of being the closest thing to permanent you can get. It’s essentially the same as taking a ball of molten metal, splitting it, then throwing the two pieces together at the speed of the famous Sonic Rainboom.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she did the math in her head. Her jaw dropped when she came up with the answer. “The chances of separating them again after they rejoin are nearly impossible…” she whispered under her breath.

Mathew sighed and shrugged Discord’s paw from his shoulder gently. “Yeah… and that’s why I’d rather stay in this place. I don’t want to take away your happiness. I can make this work from within this crystal. Discord can be my medium to relay between us since his chaos magic lets him freely enter and leave this realm I’m in. Absolution can’t detect me in here, either. Your chances of victory are better without me involved… you don’t need to do this – you don’t need me,” he said for everypony to hear.

Nightmare sighed and rolled her eyes with a soft smirk. “You’re wrong, Mathew. You’re far more valuable to them than you think. Don’t tell me that without our combined power I’m more capable. You know that it would be more beneficial if we become one again.”

“I also know that once Absolution learns of my existence, he will hasten his arrival and nopony will be ready to take him on! Everything will fall on our shoulders to stop him, and we’ll have no chance to stand against him until our magic recovers,” Mathew countered as he crossed his arms.

“Yet there is still nothing better to use against a god than the power of another combined with her partner’s magic. Staying hidden from Absolution’s gaze is a simple task, Mathew. And… I have faith that you are the best chance we’ve got at saving this world and the ponies we’ve come to cherish that live in it,” Nightmare replied with a warm smile.

Mathew’s rough edge dulled as he looked into Nightmare’s eyes. As much as he wanted to refute her, he knew that Nightmare was right. Though he had tried every possible way to avoid the path, fate seemed to have different plans for them. Even if he tried to stop her, Mathew knew that the dark goddess would figure out how to force their bond to reconnect.

With a defeated sigh, Mathew let his arms fall to his sides as his head slumped forward. “Fine… but we’re doing this my way. We wait until my magic replenishes, which will take three days once this spell is canceled. I’ll speak with you then… and we can become one once more,” he said and looked up with a small smile.

The window of magic suddenly flickered and started to slowly shrink. Mathew chuckled. “Speaking of which… it looks like I’m out of time. So, I’ll wrap this up real quick. Celestia, Luna, Twilight… make sure you three get the rest you’ll need for the coming journey. Once Nightmare and I get things settled, we’re departing for an adventure,” he said and then his eyes widened as he remembered something. “Oh, and there’s one more thing you all should be aware of… Celestia, Luna… your brother is Discord!” he chirped cheerfully.

The lord of chaos erupted in a fit of yelling as he reached for Mathew’s throat. “Why you little – I can’t believe you sa-” was all that was heard before the window winked out of existence.

Twilight and the others all abruptly awoke in the room where Mathew’s crystal was kept. Everypony was dead silent as the last scene they had witnessed replayed in their heads. The quiet was interrupted when Rarity looked to Twilight. “Did I imagine that, or did Mathew just say that Discord, that odd creature of chaos and mayhem, was the brother to both princesses?” she asked.

Twilight simply blinked as the information slowly caused her mind to cease function for a while. An audible gulp drew the rest of the group’s attention to Princess Celestia, who stared wide eyed at the floating gem that held Mathew’s body within. Luna lifted a slightly curious brow at her sister. “Tia? What has you so… surprised? Surely you don’t think that it was a lie? I can see it as a possibility.”

Celestia sighed slowly as she looked to her hooves for a few moments and a slight blush crept its way across her cheeks. She gulped once more before she looked to Luna with an embarrassed expression. “Actually… that came as more of a shock to me because… I… I kind of tried to court Discord shortly after he was reformed. Now things make more sense… and I’m feeling quite embarrassed. If you’ll excuse me…” Celestia said before she quickly teleported from the room.

Luna looked to her mother curiously. “Did you know about that, Mother?” she asked.

Nightmare shook her head though her eyes held an air of being lost in thought. “No… but it makes sense now. I had always wondered why he had such power over chaos magic. Looks like he truly is the son of Absolution. I’m just thankful that he didn’t inherit that being’s methods of finding amusement.”

“Ah agree,” Applejack chimed in before a look of concern filled her expression. “Are ya sure ya wanna go through with this, Nightmare? Maybe you should put some more thought into it before you combine with Mathew again…”

Nightmare smiled happily as she looked to Applejack and then to her daughter. “I know it seems like you’re all losing me, but I will still be here. I’ll simply be back within Mathew’s body, like I was before. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind giving some control to me so that I can dote on my daughters from time to time,” she said as she nuzzled Luna again. “I’ve never been more certain of something before. I believe in Mathew… and you all should do the same. He’s already proven that he can do great things for the good of all and I know that he can continue to fulfill that role for a long time to come. Besides,” Nightmare turned her gaze to Mathew’s crystal, “he deserves a chance at feeling true happiness, too. I am trusting you two to do your parts to help him achieve that,” Nightmare said with a wink to them.

Luna smiled warmly as she looked to Mathew’s coffin while Applejack blushed, but she also turned her gaze longingly to Mathew’s resting place. Nightmare watched the love in their eyes for a few moments before she joined them in gazing at the crystal. Three days to go…

Author's Note

Well... I tried my best to get a good atmosphere going for this chapter as well as to get the main players set up for whats coming. I'm not entirely sure if this chapter has the right flow... part of me thinks it's alright, while the rest of me wonders if I should have thrown in more reactions from Twilight's friends. As it stands, I went with this approach to try keeping it so that everypony is more inclined to listen to Mathew instead of being as open and friendly as they used to be. Plus Mathew's working with limited resources at the moment, so I tried to keep that in mind, too.

Hopefully this chapter was decent enough to be worthy of the legacy. In any case, I hope you all enjoyed the read. :twilightsmile:

I also decided to release this one early... seriously, I'm getting too excited about expanding on this story. :rainbowlaugh:

3 - A New Dawn

Three days passed by at a crawl for everypony. The level of anticipation for the human’s return was incredible, especially once the rumor started spreading after Rainbow Dash made the mistake of accidentally admitting where her latest piece of fashion had come from. A curious guard wondering why the non-feminine cyan pegasus mare was wearing such a pretty crystal necklace was all it took to set the rumor mill alight.

Everypony, from the maids and guards of Canterlot to the ponies as far out as Appleloosa, knew of Mathew’s revival. The tales of how he had stopped Princess Celestia, whether she was seen in a positive or negative light, had migrated across all of Equus over the years. Many eagerly awaited his return for they knew him as a hero – especially the citizens of Ponyville.

News of the leak had not been a welcome subject for Twilight and her friends. As soon as it was learned that Rainbow had been the reason for the latest turn of events, Princess Luna had approached them and ordered all of the Element Bearers to stay within the castle. Rarity had taken that news the hardest as she had been quite keen on visiting the local spa with any of her friends that wanted to accompany her.

Rainbow Dash had been lightly reprimanded for revealing something so important, but since there was little that could be done about it she was let off easy. She had been ordered to stay indoors, effectively grounding the energetic mare, which drove her nearly insane a few times as her wings itched to feel the wind between her feathers.

The rest of the group had handled the news rather well. Twilight was the easiest to satisfy since all she needed to be content was a few good books. Spike found contentment in doing what he always did, tending to his big sister, Twilight, and hanging out with the royal guards nearby.

Fluttershy had wanted to go out into the gardens to visit her animal friends there, but was denied that chance a few times. On the plus side, her friends were allowed to enter the castle to spend some time with her, so her situation had turned out… nice.

As for Pinkie Pie and Applejack, they found themselves making things a little easier for the castle’s kitchen staff. The two baking mares wound up whipping together quite a few dishes of delectable treats while they passed the time, though Applejack did take time away from the kitchen to visit Mathew. Just like many of her previous visits, Applejack found her way to Mathew’s bedroom to find Nightmare Moon standing by the open window.

“Good afternoon, young Applejack,” Nightmare greeted without turning to look at the orange farmpony.

Applejack bowed her head slightly in respect. “Afternoon to you too, Nightmare. Ah take it there’s still been no change to the crystal yet?” she asked as she looked to the floating pale blue gem.

Nightmare sighed slowly as she looked over to Applejack. It had been all too obvious why the young mare kept visiting. Though her daughter, Luna, also showed signs of wanting to have confirmation, it was even more evident in Applejack that she truly wished to know how Mathew felt about her. It was torturous, not just to watch, knowing that the answer was so close and still so far away. Nightmare slowly walked over to stand beside the orange mare.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re quite persistent when you have your sights set on something?” Nightmare Moon asked casually with a small smile.

Applejack chuckled gently and shook her head. “Yeah… a few times at least. But ah just can’t help it, ya know? He’s finally comin’ back…”

“Indeed… but just because he’s returning doesn’t mean that you’ll get what you desire. If I know Mathew the way I think I do, then it will be a little while before he musters up the courage to finally speak with you. Once he is back, I know he’s going to devote everything he has at his disposal to prepare you all for Absolution. I know that it is difficult for mortals… but try to be patient. He’ll come to you when the time is right,” Nightmare said calmly, doing what she could to pass on a little of her wisdom to Applejack.

The Bearer of Honesty could only sigh and hang her head as she took in Nightmare’s words. She knew what the dark goddess was trying to do, but her feelings were just too strong to ignore. Applejack slowly walked over and pressed her hoof to the side of the prism. “Ah know he will… but ah’m just so afraid of losin’ him again. What if somethin’ happens to him? Ah’ve finally gotten a second chance to know what he feels fer me… and this time we’re going up against a god, of all things; the very same one that happens to be Princess Celestia and Luna’s father. Ah just can’t stand the thought of never knowing if he loves me…”

Nightmare watched Applejack quietly for a few moments. In a way, she knew exactly what the poor earth pony was going through. She had felt similar feelings before she had been reunited with Luna. Many nights had gone by where Nightmare wondered and feared what could happen if she never got another chance to make things right with her daughter and Celestia. There was little doubt in her mind that finding the answer meant more than anything else in the world to her at one point in time.

“I understand what you mean, young Applejack… but you must not try to rush something as monumental as love. Especially with someone like Mathew… pushing him for an answer will only make him slip further away. I’m almost certain that he feels guilty with how he left things. He needs to become content with himself first, before he can move forward in life. He is… someone with secrets. You know just how much he’s held back from everypony, and he only shared what he was comfortable with at the time. There is much more to him, but it will take time before any of you can be allowed to learn of such things,” Nightmare said before she walked back over to the open window.

Applejack let her hoof slowly drop to the floor. A small part of her wanted to spin around angrily, but the more logical part of her knew that everything that Nightmare had said was true. Nopony knew so much about Mathew except for Nightmare. She looked over her shoulder at the stoic expression on Nightmare’s face and stared for a time. Thoughts bubbled in Applejack’s mind, but her voice refused to cooperate. Eventually, Applejack sighed quietly and made her way to the door to leave.

“There is one more thing you should know, Applejack,” Nightmare said just before Applejack’s hoof reached the handle. “Mathew does care for all of you. Even if he fails to tell you his feelings properly, you were always his closest friend… and that will never change.”

Applejack stared at Nightmare for a long moment before a small smile graced her lips. She nodded gently and opened the door. “Thank you, Nightmare,” she said softly and left.

Nightmare Moon held her gaze upon the fading light of the sky for a while. Once she was sure there would be no further interruptions, Nightmare calmly approached Mathew’s crystal. She stopped just close enough that all she needed to do was tilt her head forward and her horn would touch the side, but she refrained from doing so. There was no need.

Mathew’s magic reached out to her instead, pulling Nightmare into his void. The familiar darkness of the realm greeted the goddess like an old shirt that fit just right. She opened her eyes to see Mathew again, only now there was no window of magic to filter out her influence. A small smile graced her face as she looked into Mathew’s eyes. “I have to admit… I did miss this feeling,” she spoke softly.

Mathew smiled gently as well and shook his head. “I’m afraid our bonding will have to wait just a little while longer,” he admitted with a sigh. “You know why I forced you to wait for three days.”

“Yes. Tonight is the night of the full moon when my powers gain a slight boost from the orb I created. You wished to monopolize on that effect, correct?” Nightmare asked to confirm.

Mathew nodded and stepped closer to his pact partner. He could already feel their hearts beating as one again… and slight bits of his mind began to feel tighter as her mentality started to mold and combine with his. The feeling was strange… and also familiar in a way that made it almost feel right. Mathew sighed as he gently placed his hand on Nightmare’s cheek. “Are you absolutely certain you want to do this, Nightmare?”

“As certain as I’ve ever been, Mathew,” she answered instantly and honestly. “But if it helps you to accept this, then permit me to request another promise from you.”

Mathew looked into Nightmare’s eyes for what felt like an eternity before he smiled and closed his eyes. “I promise that no harm will come to either of them. I’d sooner die than allow that to happen.”

Nightmare smiled as well as she placed her hoof to the hand on her cheek. “Thank you, Mathew.”

Mathew slowly opened his eyes and he looked up as a massive window to the outside came down. On the other side of the window stood Celestia and Luna as they prepared to lower the sun and raise the full moon. “Looks like it’s almost time…” Mathew said softly. “Do you want to say anything to them before we begin?”

Nightmare looked to her daughters as tears slowly formed in her eyes. Silence followed as she watched them perform one of the most beautiful spells she had ever seen. Time and time again, the sight of Celestia and Luna working their magic upon the celestial bodies had been awe-inspiring and gorgeous. That still applied, but there was considerably more meaning to it this time. Her children were about to be without their mother again.

Mathew watched the moon crest over the horizon before he felt a wing wrap around him as Nightmare placed her head on his shoulder and cried as quietly as she could. The human felt her pain and fought back his own tears, knowing that he had his answer. Being respectful of his partner, Mathew waited for Nightmare to let her eyes run dry before he gently embraced the dark goddess. The moon reached its peak in the sky, joining the twinkling stars above.

In a single swift motion, Mathew stepped forward and Nightmare’s form melted into a midnight black mist that quickly flowed into his body. Warmth spread throughout Mathew as Nightmare became one with him once more. That warmth rapidly became a burning inferno of power and the void around them started to swirl and glow with a pale blue magic as their bond went into the most important stage of combining the two once more…

~~***~~

Twilight jolted out of her reading mode and the book she had been reading hit the floor. Raw power filled the air like smoke from a fire, rolling and billowing out from an unknown source. Within moments, the purple Alicorn put the pieces together and she ran from the room with her little assistant tailing right behind her, a look of shock on his face.

As the two ran through the castle, the rest of Twilight’s friends joined her from adjacent hallways. There was no need for questions as they all ran to the only place they knew that could generate such a powerful source of magic – a magic that they knew all too well.

Crashing through the door, Twilight, Spike and the others arrived in Mathew’s room to see a bright ball of energy swirling and contorting where the crystal once hovered. Standing on either side of the vortex of power were Celestia and Luna, doing everything they could to contain the tendrils of magic that threatened to destroy the room further than what had already been done. Twilight acted instantly, jumping to a point nearby that allowed her to form a triangular approach to containing the unstable magic.

With a precise burst of magic, Twilight sent out her power to form another layer to the containment field the princesses had constructed. The instant her magic made contact with the swirling vortex within, the Princess of Magic found herself being forced to concentrate as hard as she possibly could. Never had she encountered such incredible power. Though her time spent as a container for the power of Celestia, Luna and Cadance during the short time Tirek had been loose had been mind boggling, the sheer amount radiating off of Mathew’s crystal easily dwarfed that amount. Twilight had no idea that the human could wield so much magic!

Suddenly, Twilight realized that there was somepony missing from the picture. Fighting through the effort was difficult in itself, but she managed to yell out over the roar of magic, “Where’s Nightmare?”

Luna simply ground her teeth as she focused more of her magic into the containment, but Celestia did manage to grunt out a response. “We don’t know, Twilight! Keep focusing on containing the magic!”

Twilight grit her teeth and she pressed harder into subduing the magic. Then, as quickly as the power had come, the swirling vortex condensed into a ball the size of a hoof before a force pushed everypony back firmly. The push made the three Alicorns lose their focus and the containment spell collapsed. All eyes stared at the glowing orb of light as it hovered over the decimated remains of a bed. A few castle guards filed into the room to assess the situation, only to come to a halt at the sight before them, their jaws on the floor.

A sudden pop of magic drew everypony’s attention to the newly arrived form of Discord, who narrowed his eyes as soon as he spotted the orb. “I knew I felt something strange…” he mumbled as he crossed his arms and watched the energy ball with a firm expression.

In the blink of an eye, the white energy of the orb flashed to the deepest black you could imagine and it exploded into a mist that filled the room. Darkness engulfed everything, not even the light from the torches or the horns of the princesses could pierce it. The mist slowly receded, releasing everypony from its fear-inducing grip as it slowly formed into a human sized sphere. The dark ball of shadow gently popped and dispersed into nothingness to reveal the form of Mathew… or was it Nightmare?

A black-coated Alicorn stood on its hind legs where the orb once did. Its eyes were golden brown slits like a dragon’s and its smoky light blue mane and tail flowed in an ethereal wind like a slow burning flame. Slowly, its body lowered down to stand on all fours and it began to inspect itself. It stood taller than Celestia by a few sizable inches and massive feathered wings slowly unfurled to reveal light blue feathers on the undersides of them to match its mane.

Everypony held their breath as they stared at this new form… until Discord slapped his paw against his face and sighed heavily. “Oh no… he just had to go and follow through with that idea, didn’t he? I can already feel the hate messages being written by this point,” he grumbled as he glared at something on the ceiling.

“At least some of them kinda like the idea,” Pinkie chirped happily.

Everypony else simply stared at the two of them for a moment before shrugging it off as Discord and Pinkie being Discord and Pinkie. Mathew’s voice suddenly redirected all the attention back to the new Alicorn in the room. “This… was not what I had been expecting.”

Luna’s eyes widened slightly and she took a tentative step closer to the black Alicorn. “Mathew?” she asked.

The Alicorn turned its head to her and smirked. “You do realize that I could simply say no to that and pull your leg, right?” Mathew replied.

Twilight and the others slowly stepped closer; inspecting the new form Mathew had taken on. Upon closer inspection, it was clearly evident that the Alicorn in front of them was indeed a male – much to the embarrassment of a few of the mares. Discord suddenly snapped his fingers as a sly grin plastered itself across his face. Mathew’s expression quickly turned to shock as he found Luna and Applejack right in front of him.

The dark Alicorn lifted his hoof in a swift motion and then stared blankly as realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Without hands, he had no way of snapping his fingers to counter the lord of chaos, and as such lacked the necessary means to fend off the oncoming chaotic development. Another snap had Mathew’s lips a mere breath away from the two mares in front of him. Mathew’s eyes widened considerably as he saw the love and longing build up steadily in Luna and Applejack.

Mathew went to pull his head away, but found that an invisible force kept him from getting far enough away. The poor Alicorn gulped and his eyes darted back and forth between the lunar princess and the farmpony. Luna glanced to Applejack and Applejack returned the look for a brief instant. Teasing grins slowly spread across their faces as they returned their lustful gazes to their prey. Just before poor Mathew could react accordingly, the two mares swooped in and pecked him on each cheek – with Luna sneaking in to lick the end of his muzzle affectionately.

“Ugh! Okay, seriously, why the lick? That was the weirdest feeling ever!” Mathew said as he scrunched up his face at the slimy sensation on the end of his muzzle.

Luna simply giggled and eyed Mathew playfully. “Because I knew you’d react like that… you look adorable when you get a scrunchy face,” she teased.

Applejack giggled as well and brought her hoof up to her lips. “Yeah, he does look cute like that, huh. Kinda makes me wonder what else we can do to make him react like that…”

Awkward silence filled the room as those words, and their implications, set in for everypony. “Um… Applejack,” Fluttershy said softly, “I think that might have come out wrong…”

A fierce blush took over the orange mare’s cheeks as she stuttered, “T-that wasn’t what ah meant at all! Ah o-only thought that, well, m-maybe he’d look funny if we licked his neck or something!”

Rainbow Dash managed to suppress her snickering to minimal levels while Twilight simply blushed along with Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie and Discord exchanged mirthful glances and Rarity just eyed the scene in front of her as levelly as she could manage. Celestia, however, decided that there had been enough time spent with joking and she stepped closer to Mathew and bowed her head softly.

Mathew instantly noticed the action and slowly turned a disapproving stare to the solar princess. The temperature of the room dropped down low enough that everypony could see their breath in the air. “Raise your head, Celestia,” Mathew commanded hollowly.

Celestia obeyed, lifting her head high to look Mathew in the eye. She showed no fear of his ire. “Yes, Mathew?”

Rainbow Dash’s fear of Mathew’s power jolted her body rigid, but she remembered the crystal around her neck and steeled herself as she slowly walked to stand beside him. The rest of the girls could only stare at the ominous display, though Twilight did manage to compose herself more when she noticed that the look on Mathew’s face had been more displeased than hostile.

Sensing her trembling feathers, Mathew slowly reached his wing over and gently brushed it against Rainbow’s shoulder, his eyes never breaking contact with Celestia. He eyed her for a time, carefully measuring his words before he spoke what was on his mind. “I cannot, and will not, command you, Princess Celestia. I know what your mother’s memory contained… she did not mean for you to throw away your free will to blindly follow every whim of mine. The Life Giver wished for you to heed my words and to consider what I have to offer you in your travels. Do not give up who you are just because you’ve felt lost without me here to guide you…”

Celestia’s ears wilted as her head lowered with the weight of the truth behind Mathew’s words. There had been many times since that fateful day that she had wished Mathew had been there to tell her what to do… what to say… and how to act. To this day she still could hardly hold her composure in front of some of the petitioners who came to the castle from Ponyville. The looks they still gave her broke her heart and chipped away at what was left of her caring spirit. She feared the ponies she had wronged deeply.

Mathew slowly walked over and awkwardly lifted Celestia’s chin so that she could see his face. Kind golden brown eyes, full of sympathy and warmth, looked down at her and Mathew’s smile slowly melted the icy grip that had tried to seize her heart. “Celestia… don’t look at me as if I’m a miracle worker. I’m not perfect in any way. My very existence makes me a flawed individual… it’s what makes me human, or used to, that is. My point is… you are not the only one responsible for what happened three years ago. I know you’ve tried to muster the courage to properly apologize to the ponies of Ponyville, but at least now you won’t be alone. We can make amends, together. I can never be better than you… but we can walk as equals. Will you permit this lowly creature that simple blessing?” he asked with a gentle bow of his head.

Celestia stared at Mathew with widened eyes. She could not believe that he would dare to call himself lowly! Yet, any rebuttal she may have had died on her tongue as Mathew lifted his head and smiled again for her. She could not resist as the corners of her mouth tugged upward as she returned the gesture genuinely. “I would like that, Mathew,” she said happily.

Mathew’s smile warmed a little more as he gave Celestia a small nod. “As would I,” he said and then turned a friendly look to the others in the room, the chill in the air slowly warming back up. “Now… I know I said to be ready to leave as soon as I awoke, but with this slightly unexpected change I think I’d like to postpone our departure. If you don’t mind, everypony, I’d like to take a few days to get used to being… a pony. I could also use the rest to recover some of my magic.”

“Wait a sec… you mean that after all that, you still aren’t at full?” Rainbow asked incredulously.

Mathew chuckled and grinned at her. “Believe it or not, I’m probably almost out of magic right now. The amount I used to break out, reconnect my bond with Nightmare, and then fuse her body into mine again was very substantial. You’d be able to kick my butt pretty easily if you wanted to… you know, in case you still held enough of a grudge and wanted to get me back for what I put you through,” he said half teasingly.

Rainbow grinned and lowered her stance slightly. “Oh yeah? Well in that case…” In the blink of an eye, Rainbow swooped forward embraced Mathew. “It’s good to have ya back, big guy.”

Mathew sighed with a smile as he returned the hug, noting how much nicer it felt for his new form. “Yeah… I’m glad to be back.”

Author's Note

So yeah, finally got this chapter written. I have to admit, without really knowing where I'm heading with this sequel, I like how it's turned out so far. It's been a while since I just wrote a story on the fly without a plan in place. After the next chapter (or three) I'll be winging it. :rainbowlaugh:

Still, I'm having a good time with this new story. I almost want to just devote all my time to it, but I'm still too fond of Hazel Eyes to put that one aside... I also need to try and get my issues figured out for Shifting Mask, but that can wait for a little longer.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Look forward to the next one guys! :twilightsmile:

4 - The First Step to Recovery...

The moon hung high in the sky, casting it’s soft light across the land beneath. A gentle breeze moved through the leaves of the trees and tickled at Mathew’s fur. He inhaled a slow, deep breath as his mind trailed off in thought…

So here I am… back in a world I really have no place to be. And now I’m not even human… was that your doing, Nightmare?

“I’m afraid not, Mathew. I was just as surprised as you were,” Nightmare Moon replied softly from within his mind.

Mathew sighed quietly as he looked up to the moon, his ethereal blue mane dancing slowly in the breeze. At least it didn’t take long for me to get used to moving around on four legs. Hell, if it hadn’t been for my wings lending me some additional balance, I might have face-planted back in that room… I hope that’s the last time I have to walk on such an uneven floor – we really did a number on that portion of the room, Mathew thought with a slight twinge of morbid humor.

Nightmare chuckled softly but remained quiet. Mathew’s expression softened a little and he closed his eyes. Are you really alright with this, Nightmare? If you wished… I could possibly find a way to undo this…

“It is okay, Mathew. It’s not the first time that my heart has ached like this, but the pain is only temporary. I know that I have not lost them permanently… but it will not be the same without a body of my own. I will forever be grateful for you having given me the experience to be able to embrace my daughters,” Nightmare said softly, her tear-filled face visible in Mathew’s mind.

A weak smile graced Mathew’s face as his heart felt some of Nightmare’s pain. I’ll find a way to get you another body… I promise.

“Do not trouble yourself with such things, Mathew. There are more important things to focus on… but I appreciate your intent,” Nightmare said, a small smile gently tugging at her lips.

Another sigh slipped through Mathew’s nose and he slowly opened his eyes to gaze upon the moon once more. He had to admit, it was a very strange feeling having more of Nightmare’s powers influencing his new body. As he looked at the softly lit orb in the sky he could feel it in his core, as if he was connected with the moon in some way. Sadly, you are right. At present, I’ve gained a bit more control over my body’s movement and balance so the next thing I need to work on is using my magic with a horn. I’m still at a loss as to how I can get access to my chaos magic again, but maybe Discord can help me with that… speaking of which…

“So are you just going to sulk in the shadows all night or did you want to speak with me about something, Discord?” Mathew asked as he turned his head to look into the darkness around a nearby tree.

The long mismatched body of Discord slowly slithered out of the shadows and into the moonlight. His face appeared to be serious, but there was the faintest trace of a sly smirk upon his maw. Discord came to a stop and hovered a few inches from the ground as he crossed both his arms and legs casually. “So how did you enjoy that lick?”

Mathew groaned and shook his head. “It made me feel dirty… I had no idea that pony bodies were so sensitive – especially the end of the muzzle.”

“Oh yes, the muzzle is quite a sensitive location, but if you really want to find the most responsive of locations I’m sure your two admirers wouldn’t mind lending you a helping hoof…” Discord chuckled teasingly.

Mathew simply rolled his eyes though he did allow a friendly little smile to grace his lips. “I take it that wasn’t the extent of your revenge?” he asked with a light chuckle.

Discord grinned and shook his head. “Not after the stunt you pulled. That was just an appetizer, old boy. The main course is in the making. Do look forward to it, Mathew.”

Mathew laughed lightly and shook his head. “I’m sure it will be quite the spectacle,” he said with a genuine smile. Then his expression shifted to one of mild concern. “But you didn’t seek me out just to let me know of your scheme… and I’m not comfortable with how things have happened thus far. So where do you want to start, Discord?”

Discord’s face molded to show his true feelings in that moment. His face drooped and his annoyance and sadness bubbled to the surface. “Well, Mathew… this is possibly where our paths part. You’re about to go up against my father. The little tricks and such that I’ve managed in this world pale in comparison to what my father is capable of. His power is true chaos… and there is nothing I can do to be of any use in your fight against him. Your own chaos magic will have no effect on him. So what exactly is your plan to fight against a god of such power?”

Mathew’s expression turned somber and he looked back up to the moon. “I honestly have no idea. I’ve seen many visions, Discord… but none of them involved me in an active role. The moment I awoke, the future became uncertain. Now I’m an Alicorn, I’ve temporarily lost my connection to my chaos magic, and I have to relearn many things. The only thing that I do know is that my being a pony has changed the playing field and it will make it difficult for Absolution to recognize me as a threat.”

Discord’s expression soured for a moment at the mention of his father’s name, but a more solemn look took over when Mathew mentioned the last detail. The old Draconequus looked at Mathew’s eyes. “Yes… being a human in possession of chaos magic would have made you the greatest threat to him. Your kind are notorious throughout the cosmos for being highly resourceful and creative in your methods of survival. If you humans ever found the right way to tap into your magic… it’s possible your race would reach new heights, but not in favorable ways.”

“Yeah… just thinking about how a magical war would go is enough to send chills down my spine,” Mathew agreed as he looked to the lord of chaos.

“In any case,” Discord said to redirect the conversation, “it would seem that things are about to get a lot more chaotic around here. I have no doubt that your actions won’t go unnoticed by him. If he realizes that you are the one pulling the strings of fate, he’ll waste no time in coming for you, Mathew.”

Mathew nodded slowly as deep sadness and anger fought within his heart for dominance. “There is a part of me that welcomes the confrontation with him. I know he’s your father, but I cannot find it in me to forgive him for what he’s done. His actions had one hell of a ripple effect,” Mathew said as his anger for Absolution started to win the battle.

“True, but would you still be able to say that if it meant you never met Nightmare Moon? What of Luna and Applejack? Surely there was some good that came from my father’s actions…” Discord reasoned, though there was the faintest trace of his own anger boiling away behind his intense stare.

Mathew’s emotions ceased their battle once his feelings for certain mares were brought out into the open within his heart. Though it was a little bitter to admit, were it not for Absolution’s actions in manipulating the Life Giver and Nightmare Moon, Mathew never would have been brought to Equestria. He never would have met such wonderful ponies. Yet… the faces of his old friends back on Earth still managed to ebb through his mind to the surface. Had he never come to Equus, Mathew would have continued to live a normal life. Then again, he may never have found a girl worth feeling love for. The idea of opening up to anyone had never once crossed his mind back on Earth; it was only when he met Applejack that he had let someone see his hidden emotions.

The black Alicorn shook his head to force himself from such thoughts. Now was not the time to think about things like that. “I guess there is a silver lining to that storm cloud, but when all is said and done it’s the methods he used to get us here that are the problem. Just because I found some semblance of real happiness because of him doesn’t make the death on his hands worth the outcome. At the very least he needs to pay for what he did wrong,” Mathew responded firmly.

With a soft huff, Discord uncrossed his arms and legs. He looked up to the sky for a moment before looking back to Mathew. “I’ll warn you now, Mathew, that kind of thinking will get you nowhere with my father. This will be the first and last warning I give you in regards to him; he cannot be redeemed. Don’t let any of these ponies and their belief about second chances cloud your judgment. None of you, not even Nightmare, know the extent of my father’s sins. The instant you see him, you’d best be prepared to end him. Doing things halfheartedly, like when you fought Celestia, will only end in your death.” With the simple snap of his talons, Discord vanished from sight.

Mathew stared at the spot where the Draconequus once stood, an expression of slight confusion on his face. Something had been wrong with Discord, he noted, but it was a bit of a mystery as to what. Yet there was definitive meaning behind the encounter. Discord had given Mathew something with his words… but what was it?

Minutes of fruitless pondering left Mathew with nothing more than a slight headache and no answers. He sighed and turned away from the moon to make his way inside of the castle. As he traveled through the grand halls, Mathew passed a few patrols. Most gave him small bows of their heads, but there were a few, the newer ones most likely, who could not stop themselves from looking in awe at the most recent Alicorn to grace their kingdom.

Needless to say, the thought of being seen as royalty in the land of ponies made Mathew feel conflicted. When he was younger, the idea of doing something meaningful in life had been a bit of a dream for the young man. Now that he had become a powerful being that could easily shape the world around him… the reality of it weighed heavily on him.

After some time, Mathew eventually arrived outside of his old room. His eyes took in the familiar sight and a small smile etched its way onto the end of his muzzle. It had been a long time since the last time he had called this place his home, and it was that fond memory that made him feel warmer inside. That warmth faded when he noticed something out of the ordinary about the door, though. The faint glow of a lavender light beneath the door caught Mathew’s attention.

Slowly, Mathew reached his hoof up and he focused on using the fleshy underside to grip the handle. It took a few tries, but he eventually managed to get the sweet spot to stick to the knob and he gently twisted, releasing the latch and opening the door. As he had expected, the light was emanating from the young Princess of Friendship.

Having taken notice of the opening door, Twilight stopped channeling her magic and she turned her head to see Mathew’s large form in the doorway. “Oh, hello, Mathew. I… didn’t think you’d be back.”

Mathew chuckled softly and gave the little purple Alicorn a small grin. “Clearly. I take it you’re scanning the remains of the room to try and understand how this happened?” he asked as he gestured to himself with his hoof.

Twilight smiled a little sheepishly and nodded. “Yes. I just can’t help but feel that your transformation holds so many arcane secrets that could be used to better the lives of others. I’ve already established three theories of how your magic might be useful for healing magic.”

Mathew’s grin melted into a genuine warm smile and he walked into the room to stand beside Twilight. “That… actually makes me feel a lot better about things. It’s nice to know that my powers could help others.” Mathew then turned his gaze to the destruction he had caused in the room. “As long as I don’t have to destroy things in the process…”

Twilight giggled softly and she extended her wing to gently assure Mathew. “I don’t think you need to worry about that part. From what I could establish from your first transformation/bonding with Nightmare Moon’s core; the combination of her power and a physical form of an opposing energy component create excess magical waste. As long as her core rests within you, there won’t be any magical storms like the one that demolished half of the room here. In fact, it’s the magic that you currently possess that is the center of my current analysis,” she explained.

His curiosity perked, Mathew lifted a brow at twilight. “Oh?”

“Yeah. The magic that you have now isn’t the same as it was last time. Though there is a lot of Nightmare’s magic flowing through you now, your unique power that you used before has… changed somehow. It’s a lot stronger, but there’s more complexity to it now, as well. It almost seems like, and this is just another theory of mine, but it’s almost as if your chaos magic has combined with some other dormant magic that nopony knew about. I mean, the last time I looked at your magical network there were a few things that were really hard for me to notice, but they were definitely there. I kind of ignored them though because I was too focused on finding the extent of Nightmare’s influence on you,” Twilight said.

“My magical network? What is that, exactly?” Mathew asked, though he had an idea as to what it was.

“Well, unlike ponies, your body had a very complex series of channels that your magic flowed through. Ponies have a simpler version of what you had… or still have, actually, but the closest thing I can compare yours to would be a vascular system.”

Mathew nodded his head. So he had followed along with Twilight’s train of thought and he was right about the network. It made sense and it explained how he was able to use magic throughout his body in the past. But now that he thought about what she said, he supposedly still had the extensive network within him. Mathew brought up his hoof and eyed it for a moment. “So… I still have that elaborate magical network within me?” he asked.

Twilight nodded her head as she looked at Mathew with a slight amount of caution. She was a little unsure as to why he wanted to know.

Mathew thought for a few moments before he sighed and lowered his hoof. “Then what is keeping me from using magic right now? Until now, I thought that it was because I needed to learn to use it with my horn.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she understood what Mathew was getting to. “You can’t use magic? At all?”

“That’s fairly accurate, yes. I know I have magic within me but I can’t seem to grasp or use it right now. It’s like having a lung full of air without being able to blow out the candles. I know it’s there, I can feel it, but that’s all I can do,” Mathew sighed.

Twilight hummed and she walked around to stand in front of him. She narrowed her eyes slightly and her horn lit up in a gentle purple aura. Mathew’s body slowly became encased with Twilight’s magic and he tensed up as he felt her power slowly sweep through his body. “Try and relax,” Twilight said gently.

Mathew took in a slow breath and did what he could to calm down. It was not an easy task, though. He could intimately feel Twilight’s magic as it flowed through him. To say that the feeling was stimulating would be like saying romantic foreplay was only mildly arousing. Still, he managed to keep a level of composure and maintain an acceptable amount of calmness over himself as Twilight did her thing.

After a few long minutes, Twilight let out a breath and closed her eyes as her magic faded. “From what I can see, it looks like you have plenty of magic to perform a few spells without any trouble. But there’s something off about your body, itself. I wish I had a better idea of anatomy, but your guess would be as good as mine at this point. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help…”

Mathew smiled kindly and embraced Twilight in a hug. “No, you did plenty. Thank you,” he said.

Twilight returned the hug, nuzzling into Mathew’s neck slightly. “Still, I wish I could do more for you. You’ve done so much for us, but we haven’t been able to do really anything for you in return. It just doesn’t seem fair.”

“I didn’t do any of it expecting to get anything in return for it,” Mathew replied with a soft chuckle. “Besides, none of you know just how much you’ve done to help me in return. Just being yourselves… you’ve managed to help keep me sane over the past few years. I’m thankful that you all have been such wonderful friends even after what happened back then. Heck, I’m even proud of you for being able to make up with everypony after the stunt you pulled to use the elements on me.”

Twilight pulled away from the hug, her ears folded back and her head low. Mathew sighed quietly, but a small smile still lingered on his face as he reached out and gently lifted her face to look at him. “Hey… that’s enough of that,” he murmured softly. “You made a mistake, but you’ve paid for it. I forgive you, your friends forgave you, and it’s time you moved on. Everypony makes mistakes in life. The important thing is to learn from them and grow into better people… ponies. Trust me… lingering on past mistakes only makes you stagnate in life and eventually you’ll just rot in a pit of self-loathing. Instead, you should keep moving forward in life and do what you can to avoid making the same mistake, all while making up for what you did wrong.” Mathew’s smile grew a little warmer. “Think you can do that for me, Twilight?”

Tears pooled in the corners of Twilight’s eyes and she brought her hoof up and gently touched Mathew’s hoof that still held her chin. “I’ll try…” she whispered and smiled.

Mathew moved forward and embraced twilight once more. “Good… that’s all I ask,” he said. In that moment, Mathew felt good about things again. He also realized just how large he was. With Twilight in his embrace, his head easily came over hers and he found himself curling his neck down to wrap around the little purple Alicorn. He caught the scent of strawberries and lilacs from her mane and felt the gentle pressure of her horn against the base of his neck. In addition, he found her warmth to be quite pleasant and the sensation of her fur gently brushing against his own as they both quietly breathed felt nice.

Mathew, becoming quite aware of how awkward he was starting to feel, slowly pulled away from Twilight. He looked down to her and she looked up to him with a pleased smile on her face. Mathew returned her smile and sighed in content. “Feeling better?” he asked.

Twilight nodded and wiped the wetness from her cheeks. “Much.”

Mathew nodded in turn and looked around the room that was once his. He looked to the spot where his bed once sat and realized a little flaw in his original reason for coming back to the room in the first place. His smile faded and he sighed in defeat.

Twilight’s ears perked up and she looked to Mathew curiously. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Mathew chuckled breathlessly as he shook his head. “I just realized that I need a new bed.”

“Oh!” Twilight exclaimed happily. “I almost forgot, Princess Luna said that you could spend the night with her in her chambers!”

Mathew’s eyes popped open and he looked to Twilight in slight horror. “Please tell me that was a joke… the implications of that are not something I’m mentally prepared for.”

Twilight rolled her eyes but smiled good-naturedly. “She said you might react like that. In that case, there’s a guest room ready for you just down the hall. Would you like me to show you?” she asked.

Mathew smiled softly. “That’s alright. I get the feeling you’d make more progress in your research here if you just told me which door it is.”

“In that case, it’s the seventh door on the left from this room toward the southern wing.”

“Ah, so it’s the one I passed on the way here. I was wondering why there were two pairs of solar and lunar guards outside of that door,” Mathew mused.

“Yes. It was actually the guards that requested to stand guard outside of your new room. Apparently, it’s become something of a privilege for the guards to stand guard outside of your room,” Twilight informed.

Mathew’s ears flicked and he tilted his head in thought. Great… they still see me as some kind of hero figure. I’ll have to address that at some point. “I see, well thanks for the directions. Try not to stay up too late.”

Twilight chuckled. “I’ll try, but I make no promises. This room is just filled with so many magical mysteries. It’ll be hard for me to get everything before the magic fades, but I want to get as much researched as possible before then.”

Mathew’s smile widened at her enthusiasm. “I understand. I’ll see you later then, Twilight. Good night.”

“Good night, Mathew.”

~~***~~

Mathew took his time as he made his way back to his new room. He thought back on some of the things that he had discussed with Twilight, as well as what had transpired between Discord and himself. There was a nagging feeling that both Mathew and Nightmare felt that seemed to make the two discussions feel related in some way, but neither of them could place their hoof on it.

He eventually arrived in front of the door, the four guards bowing respectfully in front of him. Mathew sighed quietly as he fought the desire to express how much that act bothered him. The guards had no knowledge of what he thought of their respect for him, so lashing out at them for it would not have been fair. Instead, Mathew simply nodded to them. “I was told that this is my new room.”

The solar guard on the left saluted crisply. “That is correct, Sir Mathew.”

Mathew’s blood boiled for a moment and his eyes narrowed slightly. He took in a slow breath and calmly let it out before he spoke again. “I’ll only request this of you once. Just call me Mathew. I don’t want any of you seeing me as something I’m not. Do not place me on a pedestal. If you want to show me respect, then treat me as you would your friends. Be sure to spread the word to the rest of the guards as well. I won’t tolerate being revered by anyone. I have done nothing to deserve such treatment.”

The four guards swallowed nervously, but they all nodded. Though Mathew was unaware of it, his anger had been displayed through glowing golden eyes and his mane growing in size as the air around them chilled. Still, the fire of one of the young stallion thestrals of Luna’s Night Guard burned brighter in his own golden eyes. He steeled himself and looked right into Mathew’s sharp gaze. “With all due respect, Mathew… we heard of what you did in Ponyville. You may not want us to respect you, but what you did was noble. I had the pleasure of meeting Nightmare Moon while standing guard outside of your room. You made it possible for Princess Luna to be happy, unlike any time before, and I am forever thankful for that. Meeting Nightmare Moon was also one of the most memorable days of my life. She showed all of us a kindness and warmth that I never thought possible from anypony. Were it not for your acts of bravery… none of that would have been possible.”

Mathew’s gaze softened slightly as he listened to the thestral guard. It was true to an extent that what Mathew did could be seen as a noble act… but Mathew knew that was just how things had been interpreted. In reality, Mathew had done something foolish and reckless. He had placed hundreds of ponies in danger with his actions and had done so knowing that they could be harmed. Mathew had been narrow-minded and stupid, impulsive and emotionally unbalanced, and had he taken the time to really think things through… the damage he and Celestia caused could have been avoided completely. In hindsight, Mathew knew he should have stayed on that mountaintop and trapped Celestia so that he could nullify her magic – thus avoiding all of the struggle and bloodshed.

The black Alicorn closed his eyes as he calmed himself. They didn’t know the truth. Mathew slowly opened his eyes and sadness flowed through his gaze, startling the four guards. “If you knew the truth… you wouldn’t think of me or what I did like that. In time, Celestia and I will tell everyone the truth, but for the time being you should heed my words. I really don’t deserve your respect. Still, the hour is late and I’m too tired to explain further for the moment. Would one of you be so kind as to open the door for me? My magic is still recovering from my awakening.”

The solar guard on the right lit his horn and the door opened for Mathew. With a gentle nod, Mathew slowly entered the room and the guard hesitated in closing the door. The guard cleared his throat. “For what it’s worth, Mathew… we also respect you because you helped Princess Celestia become more of a real pony. Yes, her actions weren’t admirable, but having her be reminded that even she can make mistakes has changed her for the better. I’ve never been prouder to server her.” With that said, he closed the door softly.

Mathew looked over his shoulder at the door. Though he still felt sad about his past actions, it was hard to deny that there was a little bit he could be pleased with. He briefly wondered about what Discord had said and if it possibly meant anything in regards to his current conflicted feelings. Maybe Mathew needed to take some time to come to terms with how he felt about his life and his decisions…

With a heavy sigh, Mathew walked over and fell onto his side on the bed. He closed his eyes and felt the tension in his body slowly melt away as the softness of the bed and sleep enveloped him. The last thing that crossed his mind, just before slumber took him away from the waking world, was one that left a feeling of foreboding in the air.

I miss the days when life was mundane… ever since I got here, things seem to find a way to get more chaotic than they should…

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long to release another chapter everyone. I managed to get this one put together in my spare time. Overall it's just a bit of a filler/scene set up. The next chapter is going to introduce the beginning of Mathew's newest crisis - gotta love the foreshadowing I put at the end of this chapter to showcase that. :raritywink:

As I said before, I've got some interesting ideas for this story. Thanks again to everyone who's given me their input in this story and the prequel. It's helped me to try putting more effort into getting more done to shape things better. Look forward to the next release folks! :pinkiehappy:

As always, I hope you enjoyed the read. :twilightsmile:

Also... cover art has been made! Woohoo! :yay:
But since it has to do with an upcoming event that I have planned for the next chapter, you'll have to wait a little longer to see it. :trollestia:

5 - Is Admitting You Have a Problem

The rays of the dawning sun gently washed across the room through the open window, carefully caressing Mathew’s sleeping form beneath the blankets. As the warmth of the sun built up beneath the velvety barrier that covered him, Mathew began to stir. With a slow inhale, he took a deep waking breath and stretched his limbs… only to bump into something warm and soft.

Groggily, Mathew lifted his head up and pulled the covers down below his face. He then turned his head to look at what it was that he was touching. A small pit formed in his stomach as he noticed the general shape of the lump beneath the covers beside him. Mathew moved his hand slowly and gently in a small circular motion, feeling the soft fur against his skin and eliciting a soft moan from the mare. Taking a moment to calm himself, Mathew sucked in a slow breath.

“Luna… what are you doing in my bed?” Mathew asked slowly.

Giggling softly, Luna slowly turned over beneath the blanket. “I was enjoying myself,” she replied gently before slowly slipping her head out from under the covers. The instant Luna’s head slid free of the loving embrace of the fabric she stopped, wide eyed.

Mathew eyed her for a moment before something clicked in his sleep-drenched mind. With equally wide eyes, Mathew pulled his arm free of the blanket and he stared at his hand. Absentmindedly, he wiggled his fingers as he struggled to get his mind to start back up. As reality sunk in and he came to the full realization that he was human once more, Mathew’s heart began to race. Being an Alicorn had brought forth a whole new set of problems, but for him to be human again gave birth to an even bigger dilemma.

“Mathew?”
“Mathew, calm down!”

In a soft flash of light, Mathew’s body popped back into the form of a black Alicorn and he stumbled backwards onto the floor. To his relief, his head didn’t throb where he had hit it against the dresser, but he was still slightly confused. “Uh… what the heck just happened?” he asked aloud.

Luna simply moved to the side of the bed and looked down at him curiously, clearly at a loss as to what to say. Fortunately, they both received an answer from a familiar and welcome voice.

“Forgive me, Mathew. I was too focused on what I was doing that I had not realized the hour,” Nightmare Moon said as her visage appeared in Mathew’s ethereal mane.

Mathew looked to her with a raised brow. “Riiight… when did you learn to do that? And what were you doing? How did I turn back into a human?” he asked.

Nightmare giggled at his expression and stuck out her tongue playfully. “My, aren’t you inquisitive this morning. To answer one of your questions, I’ve been learning what I can do with our new body. As for the rest… I was testing the effects of my magic. What you witnessed was a little sample of our collective power working toward a form of illusion magic,” she calmly explained.

Feeding off of Nightmare’s assuring emotions, Mathew calmed down as well, though he still sighed. “You could have warned me,” he mumbled.

Nightmare smiled and moved her ethereal form forth and nuzzled against his cheek. “I’m sorry, but you needed your rest. Besides, I managed to find out why we couldn’t bring out our magic. You should have no trouble with casting spells or manipulating our power now.”

“Oh? So what was the problem before?” Mathew inquired curiously.

Nightmare pulled her face away from Mathew’s and looked at him coyly. “We had not completed our bond. Young Twilight was not far off when she thought to look into our body for the problem. Though our forms had come together and our minds were joined once more… it took a little more time for our hearts to join this time.”

Mathew lifted his brow again, getting an idea as to where Nightmare’s humor was heading. Nightmare looked over to her daughter, a very mischievous twinkle in her eye as she moved closer to Luna. “And I have to admit… last night’s bonding was breathtaking. Luna, you’d best not be surprised if you have trouble handling him in the future. He has the heart and the stamina of a beast!” Nightmare said with a wink.

Luna’s mouth opened slightly as she stared at her mother and blushed. Mathew simply shook his head and facehooved, then his ears perked up as an idea came to mind. “Wait, so does that mean I can change back to looking like a human now?” he asked.

Nightmare, suppressing the urge to giggle at her daughter’s reaction, looked back to Mathew and nodded. “Yes, we are now capable of manipulating our appearance. Though we are not limited to it, we can become human once more.”

“What is the extent of the transformation?” Luna asked, her blush slowly fading. “Is it simply an illusion?”

Nightmare shook her head gently. “No, though it ultimately depends on how much magic we decide to use. The more magic put into the spell, the more substantial the changes become. Put enough into it, and the change can be a complete shift from Alicorn to Human all the way down to microscopic levels. Sadly, it is not a permanent change as it will drain magic constantly while active.”

“Hmmm…” Mathew hummed as he thought. “I suppose that using the transformation spell would be useful at some point. You’ll have to share more details about it with me later, Nightmare,” he said with a small smile.

Nightmare nodded and smiled in turn, then she turned her attention back to Luna. “I must return to the realm within. I will speak with you again soon, my daughter.”

Luna smiled warmly and nodded. “Until next time, Mother.”

Nightmare and Mathew shared one final glance before she vanished from his mane. With the dark goddess now absent, Mathew and Luna simply sat quietly for a few moments. Luna looked longingly at the place in Mathew’s mane where her mother had been while Mathew tried to think of something to say that might ease her mind. Instead, it was Mathew’s hunger that ended the silence with a loud grumble. Both ponies looked down to the source of the noise, one of them blushing and the other trying hard not to laugh.

“I think it’s time for breakfast,” Luna stated playfully.

Mathew chuckled with a sheepish smile. “I would have to agree. It has been over three years since my last meal.”

The two Alicorns stood from their spots and made their way out of the room. As they passed the guards, Mathew couldn’t help but notice the odd looks on the faces of the guards as he and Luna left. Seeing it as a prime opportunity, Luna made sure to slow down and look over her shoulder at them and wink before resuming her trek with Mathew to the dining hall.

Mathew’s arrival in the great hall was one that he would never forget. Almost in the exact moment that he walked through the doorway, Orange Zest leapt from out of nowhere and embraced him in a desperate hug. A few other members of the serving staff, and even the chef, Quick Whisk, all came over to welcome Mathew back warmly as well. Everypony was all smiles and happy tears, even Mathew, though he tried to not let his joy show too much. The scene spread to the rest of the kitchen as more and more ponies that had loved Mathew when he had stayed at the castle came out. In the end, Mathew would come to deny ever shedding a single tear, but he would never deny that he had been utterly grateful for their caring and kindness in that moment.

Though it took over half an hour for everypony to catch up, and to pry Orange Zest from Mathew, the rest of breakfast went by leisurely. The usual questions were asked; how have you been? What happened that got you stuck in that crystal? How do you like the omlette? What was it like waking up next to a princess? … That last one coming from the lunar lady herself to tease him. All in all it was an enjoyable meal and a pleasant way to pass the morning.

~~***~~

With breakfast out of the way, Mathew proceeded with Luna out into the gardens. The two walked the same path that they used to travel each morning, but as they did there was something that took away the smile from Mathew’s face. Everywhere he looked there was a sense of familiarity… yet everything had changed. Some of the flowers were the same, but most had either vanished from where they were in Mathew’s memory or they had been replaced with new blossoms of a different color. It was a reminder of what he had to expect in future years and it brought about unwanted thoughts about another mare he cared for.

Hey, Nightmare? Mathew asked of his partner.

“What is it, Mathew?”

I’m an immortal Alicorn… aren’t I?

Nightmare paused for a few moments as Mathew continued to walk through the garden. “Yes… you are still immortal. With our bond being more substantial than before, I’d say that even if we separate again you would retain that trait. You have an eternal life now…” she answered.

Mathew gave a small nod before he came to a stop and cast his gaze skyward. He took in a slow deep breath as he thought about how he should speak with Applejack later on. Luna, noticing that her companion had halted, turned a curious and concerned look toward Mathew. “Is everything alright, Mathew?” she asked softly.

Mathew held his pose and continued to look skyward for a time. He then lowered his gaze to Luna, revealing the sadness behind the slits of his eyes. He gently shook his head. “No, Luna… there are things that I need to face, but I’m still at a loss as to how to cope with them.”

“Is there anything I could do to help?” she asked gently, slowly stepping closer to Mathew.

Mathew sighed and closed the distance between them, an act that slightly surprised Luna – even more so when he buried his face into the side of her neck. “Luna… I don’t know how to say things the way I want to… but I’m not sure if I’ll have another time to tell you,” Mathew murmured quietly. He then took in a deep breath and prepared himself for what he was about to say next.

“Luna… I… I really can’t sugar coat this, so I’ll just put it out there. I love you,” Mathew admitted as he pulled his head back to look into Luna’s eyes. Luna froze in place, her heart starting to hammer in her chest as joy built up within her. Yet her happiness subsided when she saw the look of uncertainty in Mathew’s eyes. She sighed softly and closed her eyes, but a small smile graced her beautiful face.

“You also love Applejack… don’t you?” Luna asked tenderly as she opened her eyes.

Mathew swallowed and nodded. “Yes… I do. I love both of you… just in different ways. You make me feel like I can just sit back and be myself. I feel free from the world when I’m with you. Your smile brightens my day and the way your eyes shimmer in the light just captivates me… and I have to admit that your scent has become almost intoxicating – it’s really unfair you know,” Mathew sais as his gaze danced across Luna’s beauty. “But… even with how wonderful you are and how I’m utterly infatuated with you, I can’t stop my feelings for Applejack.”

“What is it about her that you find attractive, then?” Luna asked in a neutral fashion, her turquoise gaze locked onto Mathew’s golden brown as she silently waited for his answer.

Mathew swallowed nervously once more. He knew that Luna was testing him now, but despite his desire to back out he felt it was time he finally confided his feelings. He took a deep breath and steeled his resolve, meeting Luna’s gaze firmly with his own. “She makes me feel like I can tell her everything. I can open up to her in a way that I never thought possible. She can tell the difference between truth and lie… but there’s just something about the warm smile she wears and the kindness in her eyes when I’m telling her my hidden secrets. She never judged me like others back on Earth did, even after I told her that there were terrible things that came with having a human in her world. She’s such a loving pony and… and just like you, she fell in love with someone undeserving of such affection. You both are too wonderful, too beautiful, too spectacular… to give your hearts to someone as messed up as me. But despite that, I’ve come to love her just as much as I love you. Against my rational mind, I’ve lost myself in your eyes too many times and my heart yearns for both of you.”

Mathew paused as his nerves started to get the better of him. He was losing sight of his original goal and he felt that he had started mumbling too much. “I just… I don’t know what else I can say. I love you both… and I wish I could be a better person for the two of you.”

Luna held her neutral stare for a long time as she processed everything that Mathew had said to her. The act was not an easy one, for she wanted so badly to rush forward and embrace him passionately. Still, she held herself back, if only because she was slightly conflicted. It was clear that the idea of being with both Applejack and herself was an issue for Mathew, but she was not sure as to why. Personally, Luna had no reason to be upset with his decision. She liked Applejack, surely, but there was a slight tug of jealousy in her heart at the idea of sharing Mathew. Yet when she thought about it more, Luna really didn’t mind being in the equivalent of a small herd. Herds were not as common as they used to be, but nopony frowned upon the idea. It was simply that there were few individuals nowadays that fell in love with more than one partner.

Mathew, feeling that he had said something wrong, slowly deflated and he stepped away from Luna. It would be a little helpful if I could read minds… he thought as his ears drooped. He watched as her eyes narrowed slightly and he expected her to show signs of anger, but then she smirked and shook her head. Luna’s eyes then refocused on Mathew and her smirk melted into a warm smile.

“Mathew… does the idea of having both Applejack and I bother you?” she asked.

Mathew sighed quietly. “Well… it’s not something I’m familiar with in this world. Back on Earth, most polygamy was frowned upon. It just wasn’t a very common thing to have more than one partner. But that’s not the biggest reason why I’m having so much trouble with this…” he said and a new wave of sadness filled his eyes.

Luna put the pieces together in her mind and her smile faded slightly into a look of sympathy. “I know that it must pain you to think about how she will not live as long as we will. I’ve experienced the loss of friends and family. It hurts… but the memories of how we loved them and what made them special in our hearts makes up for it. And trust me when I say this; Applejack is well aware of how she will be outlived by us. It’s part of the reason why she’s been so forward recently. She knows her time is limited, so she feels she must put forth more effort in order to make the most of her life. I admire her… in a way. She accomplishes so much in so little time that I cannot help but feel envious of her.”

A small smile slowly replaced Mathew’s expression as he thought about how Applejack worked on the farm. It was true, you just couldn’t help but feel inspired by Applejack when she was out there making her life’s work bear such succulent fruit – literally and metaphorically. “Yeah… she really is something… but you’re no slouch either, Luna. Over the past few years you’ve managed to solidify your position as Celestia’s equal. You’ve even brought the Thestrals back from isolation.”

“That may be, but Applejack far exceeds what I do in a single day,” Luna conceded calmly. “Still, I do believe that we have wandered a bit off topic…”

With a gentle sigh, Mathew turned his gaze to the ground. “I suppose you are right.”

The two stood quietly for a short time while Mathew thought about his next words carefully. Eventually he settled on one question, though he did not truly feel it was the best thing to ask. Still, with nothing better to say at the moment it was all he had. He took in a slow breath and looked Luna in the eyes once more. “Luna… could you still love me even though I love another and want to be with both of you?” he asked.

Luna sighed softly and she swiftly closed the distance between them. Mathew’s eyes widened at her movement but he made no move to back away. The princess of the night paused just inches away from Mathew’s face, her deep turquoise eyes filling with her love for him. She then moved that last little bit forward and gently locked her lips with Mathews, her dark little heart beating rapidly in her chest. As the seconds passed, Mathew slowly pressed into the kiss and their passion built up. At some point, Mathew reached a hoof forward and he pulled Luna deeper into the kiss as he wrapped his wings around her body. They held onto each other for a length of time where the only thing that mattered was being just a little bit closer, feeling the other’s warmth, tasting their flavor, and inhaling each other’s scent.

Eventually they had no choice but to break away, if only so that they could breathe again. Luna, panting softly, slowly pulled away with a pleased grin on her face. “Was that an acceptable answer?” she asked quietly.

Mathew, grinning like an idiot, simply nodded. “Very much so. I hope you realize that I’ve wanted to do that for years…”

“I’m glad it was worth the wait,” Luna playfully chirped and she gave Mathew another quick peck. “But I do believe there are tasks to be done… we can continue this later,” she said and twirled around happily, flicking her tail up to gently brush against Mathew’s chest before walking away.

Mathew simply stared at Luna’s retreating form as his elation reached new heights. With a deep and happy sigh, he picked himself up to follow after his princess.

~~***~~

After their walk through the gardens, Mathew and Luna arrived in the throne room where Celestia, Twilight and Rainbow Dash awaited them. All eyes shifted to the new arrivals of the room and Celestia quickly determined something was different about Luna and Mathew. Upon a closer inspection it was clear that something had occurred between them. Luna and Mathew both wore wider smiles and they even walked closer together than usual. Not to mention, the moment Luna arrived beside her sister she was a little more exuberant in her nuzzling greeting of Celestia.

A small sly smirk slid across Celestia’s lips as she eyed Luna out of the corner of her eye. “I take it your morning has been pleasant?” she asked Luna.

Luna beamed a happy grin to her sister and nodded gracefully. “Indeed. Mathew and I had a lovely breakfast and we enjoyed a walk through the gardens afterward.”

“Was there anything else? You seem awfully pleased about something…” Celestia asked with an assuming grin.

Luna simply nodded and lidded her eyes toward Mathew. “There was one other thing… but we can discuss that detail later.”

“Indeed,” Mathew chimed in, his own grin fighting against him. Eventually he regained his composure and he looked over everypony present. “I believe it’s time we started our preparations for the first step in our quest. My first question would be; how soon will you all be ready to leave?” he asked.

Twilight stepped closer to Mathew and smiled. “My friends and I can be ready to go by tomorrow.”

Celestia nodded. “Though it would be more efficient to be able to depart in that time frame, I’m afraid it will take about two or three days before Luna and I can leave the city. We still need to appoint our stand-ins and make the proper arrangements so that no governmental issues arise in our absence,” she explained.

Mathew nodded in turn and looked thoughtful for a moment. “That should be fine. Whatever you do, don’t rush anything. We’ll set a rough departure time, but if things take longer it’s not a big deal. It wouldn’t do us any good if we save the world but plunge the kingdom into ruin in the process.”

Rainbow Dash landed gently on the floor and she lifted her hoof as if to ask a question. Mathew, slowly recognizing the action for what it was, eyed her and nodded his head to her. Rainbow cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her head lightly. “So… how many of us will be going with you, then? I mean, are the rest of us really needed? With Twilight and the princesses there would probably be enough power to get the job done… but why did you want me to be in this meeting?” she asked.

Mathew smiled broadly at the colorful pegasus. “That, my friend, is a good couple of questions. Yes, I do want the rest of you to come with us. You won’t be able to help in obtaining the first artifact, but keeping the Elements of Harmony close by would be beneficial. In a sense, I’m bringing you all to help Twilight… and you, Rainbow, get your connection strengthened to your elements. To be frank with the two of you, you’ve already started getting over what hindered you before. As time goes by, I’ll be sure to better inform the two of you, but for now I’ll be keeping some of what I’m doing a secret from you. For the time being you’ll just have to trust me.”

“As for why I brought you, specifically…” Mathew continued after a brief pause, “I wanted to inform you of your role in the next artifact quest. Once Celestia has her effigy, Luna’s will be the next one to obtain. That necklace I gave you will help you in getting it. I want you to tell me honestly…” Mathew’s eyes grew more intense as his stare bored into Rainbow’s eyes. “Can you face death for the good of the world?”

Rainbow Dash gulped nervously and she took a step back from Mathew’s piercing gaze. Her wings started to tremble as sweat beaded up on her brow. Mathew’s fierce golden eyes peered deeply into her, searching for her weakness as she fought not to run away. As the seconds passed and Rainbow struggled to find her voice, she started to notice that Mathew’s gaze held no anger or hostility. He was waiting for her to tell him what she really wanted to do. Rainbow took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Honestly… I don’t know. I’ve never been in this kind of a dangerous situation. I mean, yeah the world’s been in danger before, but I’ve never had to think about the possibility of dying. I can’t give you a real answer…” she said and her ears and wings drooped in disappointment.

Mathew moved closer and he placed his hoof against Rainbow’s chest. Their gazes locked and Mathew smiled kindly. “I understand, and that is why I wanted to ask you directly. If at any point you feel you cannot give your all for this make sure you tell me. I can always find a way to get what is needed… but your help would be greatly appreciated, Rainbow. Just promise me that you won’t force yourself to do this for me out of some pointless desire to make things up to me – or to keep up that strong appearance in front of your friends.”

Rainbow sighed softly and she looked down to Mathew’s hoof pressed against her chest. She was quiet for a few moments as she thought about what her response would be, then a small smile graced her face. “I promise that I won’t do this for those reasons. I’ll do it because it’s the right thing to do. I won’t abandon anypony just because I’m scared.”

Mathew chuckled warmly and swiftly brought Rainbow in for a hug. “That’s all I could ever ask of you. Thank you, Rainbow Dash,” he said as he gently squeezed the struggling mare.

After a few long seconds of futile struggle, Rainbow sighed and returned the hug with a grin. “You’re welcome, big guy.”

With one last little squeeze, Mathew let Rainbow go and he looked over to Princess Celestia. “Alright then. Let me know when everything is in order. We’ll be departing for the artifact as soon as you and Luna are all set to go.”

Celestia nodded her head graciously.

Mathew gave a small nod as well before his body slipped away into shadow, leaving a few surprised ponies behind to stare at where he had just been.

~~***~~

Mathew reappeared out of a swirl of darkness, which landed him out in the gardens once more. His destination had been slightly impulsive, but for whatever reason he had wanted to see Luna’s little sanctuary once more. As the shadows receded from Mathew’s body he opened his eyes and looked around. A slight frown slowly creased his lips as he eyed the remaining blooms of the garden. Most of the gorgeous white flowers had perished over time, a simple fact that upset the new Alicorn. His golden brown eyes slowly passed over every inch of the maze’s chamber, Mathew’s frown deepening as the sad truth hit harder than he had liked. Only a fifth of the flowers remained on the once vibrantly decorated walls.

A long sigh slipped through Mathew’s nose and he shook his head sadly. Again his mind drifted to Applejack, though he did think about Twilight and her other friends as well, but most of his focus was on the apple-bucking beauty. Mathew turned his gaze to the sky once more, paying the time of day little mind as his thoughts drifted over what he thought would be an acceptable way to speak with Applejack about his feelings. He felt he had enough time… he would find a chance to tell her before they had to depart for the Effigy of Solaris.

A small smile graced Mathew’s face as he closed his eyes and let Applejack’s kind face fill his mind. Yet, despite the pleasant image in his head, Mathew could not help but feel slight trepidation at the thought of telling Applejack his heartfelt emotions for her. Luna had been accepting of the idea of letting him share his love… but would Applejack be just as open to the idea? It was an answer that he looked forward to and feared, and one that would not greet his ears for some time to come.

~~***~~

Over the next few days, Mathew spent his time practicing to use magic. Twilight had been a substantial help, as well as Luna, in helping him to hone his skills with his new horn. In his free time, he wandered the castle in search of Applejack, but fate would thwart him at every turn. Instead of finding the mare he desired, Mathew would usually stumble across one of the other Element Bearers or be pulled away to help aid Celestia and/or Luna with something.

Before he knew it, the time to depart had arrived and his chances to speak with Applejack alone had dwindled to almost impossible – much to his annoyance. Still, Mathew held out hope that there might be another chance during the trip. That was, until Celestia and Luna approached the group.

Surveying everypony present, Celestia came to a halt beside Twilight. “It would seem that everything is finally in order and we can finally depart. If everypony is ready, Luna and I will be teleporting us to a location near the old castle’s location.”

“Wait,” Applejack said. “Sorry fer interrupting, but is this effigy thing back in the old castle in the Everfree?”

“No,” Mathew answered as he cast his gaze across the gathered group. “It’s in an even older castle. Be prepared… these ruins have not been given a pleasant fate from the passage of time.”

Celestia’s ears folded back slightly as she looked to Mathew. Luna’s expression remained neutral, but the gentle flick of her ear told of how uneasy she was with the idea of seeing one of her old homes. Twilight and the others simply looked on with mild surprise, their imaginations attempting to fill in the image of what an even older castle might look like.

“In any case, you two may take over for the time being,” Mathew said as he looked to the two sisters. “I’m not familiar with mass teleportation. How do you want us to go about this?”

Celestia straitened up, her wings fidgeting slightly. “Simply gather beside Luna and myself and we’ll take care of the rest.”

Everypony closed in around the two princesses and gold and silver magic engulfed the entire group. Applejack and Rainbow shared a look of slight unease as the magic built up. Mathew looked at the mild strain on Luna and Celestia’s faces as they channeled their magic for the teleportation before he lit his horn and leant them some of his magic to ease the process, Twilight following suit immediately afterward.

Celestia and Luna smiled gratefully to the two of them before they looked to one another. Nodding in unison, their eyes flashed white as their magic swelled. In the next moment, everypony present became wrapped in the spell and the teleportation took hold. A flash and a gentle pop later found the entire group standing at the base of a plateau in the middle of a vast sandstone desert.

“Welcome to the San Palomino Desert…” Mathew announced casually.

Twilight’s eyes widened and her head whipped around to face Mathew. “You mean to tell me that there’s an entire castle out here? Why hasn’t anypony found such a place out here already?”

Celestia’s ears sank slightly as she looked off into the distance. “Because it was hidden from the rest of the world. Luna and I do not have fond memories of this place…” she trailed off as a particular sight caught her eye.

Twilight turned her attention to Celestia, a look of curiosity on her face, but she stopped her question before she could ask it as she saw the expression on her mentor’s face. Celestia’s eyes were lost in the past as she looked at a large hill of sand and there was a deep sadness, regret even, within her eyes.

“This place was once a lush forest,” Luna stated softly. “The castle we seek… it was more of a temple. The ponies of this region had taken a liking to Celestia and they worshiped her as a goddess. At the time, we had simply wished for a place to stay out of the rain, but it somehow grew into the local tribes coming together under Celestia’s guidance. This region’s ponies thrived for a time…”

“Um… what happened to the ponies? If you don’t mind my asking…” Fluttershy asked quietly.

Mathew started to walk forward as he answered. “They grew too obsessive over Celestia and Luna. The once united tribes then broke apart as they tried to gain more favor with the princesses. Jealousy, gave birth to hatred and eventually the tribes went to war with one another. The end result… was Celestia panicking and trying to stop the war.”

As everypony fell in step behind Mathew, Twilight’s curious mind started to formulate a question, one that slowly started to bug her the longer it festered in her head. Eventually she could stand it no longer and she opened her mouth. “So, what does the Effigy of Solaris have to do with this place then? And why is it a desert now?” she asked.

Mathew glanced over his shoulder at the purple Alicorn, his face stoic. “The Effigy was Celestia’s attempt at harnessing the power of her sun. It was meant to store and redirect solar energy to be used to enhance crops during winter months, as well as to create a localized dome of warmth – essentially making it a massive magical heater fueled by life-giving magic. Unfortunately… it became a huge mana bomb instead. If you want exact details, you should ask Celestia, but it’s a touchy subject for her so I advise against it.”

Twilight looked over at Celestia to confirm, but again her voice failed her at the sad expression on her mentor’s face. Though Twilight did want to know the exact details behind the event of the past, she dared not press for answers. It was bad enough that she had to see such a regretful look in Celestia’s eyes. The group continued the rest of their trek in silence.

After an estimated twenty minutes had passed, Mathew came to a halt as his head lifted up in alarm. Celestia and Luna also seemed to sense something as well as they came to a stop beside him.

“It’s here…” whispered Luna.

“Indeed… it’s been so long since I’ve felt this magic,” Celestia said just as quietly.

Everypony else perked up in slight apprehension. Mathew took a few short steps forward until a wall of magic shimmered in front of his muzzle. He immediately stopped and eyed the surface of the barrier. Celestia walked over to stand right beside him as he examined the magic. “It’s been nearly two thousand years, but the barrier my sister and I erected is just as strong as it was then. It will take a great deal of time and concentration to dispel this.”

Mathew let a brief chuckle slip through his grin as he eyed the barrier’s surface. His horn lit up with a pale blue aura for a moment before deep shadowy wisps flicked out to mix with the blue. The length of his blue ethereal mane increased and it became more mist-like as little dots that resembled stars seemed to pop up within it. Before anypony could question him about the shift in his appearance, or what he had planned, Mathew lunged forth, impaling his horn through the wall of the barrier.

A low groan resounded through the air and the ground seemed to vibrate with the rumble of an unseen power. Then, like watching a shimmering dome of rainbow sand collapse in slow motion from the point where Mathew had punctured it, the barrier fell apart to blow away in the gentle breeze. Needless to say, everypony present was shocked.

Mathew lifted his head, a pleased smile adorning his face as he turned back to the group. “Shall we?” he asked casually.

Multiple gasps stripped Mathew of his smile and he looked around to see shocked expressions on everypony’s faces. He cocked an eyebrow at them. “Okay… what’s the matter?”

Luna stepped forward, eyeing Mathew’s face critically for a few moments before a small smirk slid across her lips. “It would seem that your abilities have been drastically increased from three years ago, but you seem to have also taken on some of mother’s traits as well,” she said calmly.

Mathew’s brow inched up a little more. “What makes you say that?” he asked.

“Because you look a little like her right now,” Luna answered with a kind smile.

Mathew’s gaze lowered to the ground for a moment as he thought, then a small smile of his own graced his face. He chuckled lightly as he looked back up into Luna’s eyes. “Well, it’s not a bad look. In any case, this is only temporary since I merely borrowed some of Nightmare’s power, it’ll fade shortly. Let’s get going.”

Luna nodded, an action that was mirrored by her sister, while Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy simply looked on with mild curiosity. Pinkie simply watched everything with an odd little grin on her face, though every now and then she’d pause as if she was feeling something. Applejack looked on with as neutral an expression as she could muster while she tried to keep her emotions in check. She desperately wished that there was a way to speak with Mathew at some point, preferably in private.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof… she watched Mathew’s every move from that moment. Her body was tense, but not from a sense of fear like before. No, this time she was experiencing a rush of excitement. Not only had Mathew just accomplished something monumental in the blink of an eye, but nopony else seemed to have noticed the cool way that his eyes had shimmered turquoise as he had looked down. It had been a long time since she had felt so enthusiastic about something, and Mathew’s potential magical feats were actually making her feel giddy with anticipation. Hay, he was even starting to make her think that there really was hope for saving everypony and that everything would be okay.

The group proceeded to follow Mathew past the edge of the former barrier, now nothing more than dust on the wind. As they walked, Twilight and Rainbow Dash were the first to notice the odd rocky spires in the distance and voice their curiosity.

“Hey… what’s with those funny lookin’ towers over there?” Rainbow asked.

“Yeah, they don’t look naturally formed. What are they?” Twilight inquired as well.

Celestia’s ears sank slightly and her wings fidgeted by her sides. “Those are what is left of the many monoliths that once decorated the temple. There once stood over twenty of them all around the structure… to only see three of them is a little depressing. What I find most curious however, is that there is no sign of the temple itself…” she replied softly.

“Indeed,” Luna agreed. “There should be more of the old temple still standing. Why is it not visible from here?”

Mathew sighed just loud enough to get attention before he looked over his shoulder at the two sisters. “I told you before… time has not been kind to this place.” His eyes then turned to Celestia. “And I should warn you, this is not going to be an easy thing for you to face. The results of what you did will be revealed soon… I hope you’re prepared to see what your previous ambitions left behind,” he said before he turned his gaze back to what was in front of him.

Celestia swallowed nervously before she looked ahead to where the old temple once stood. She knew that when Luna and she had left this place that it was not the best thing to do. At the time, however, she had been too focused on gaining more power to ascend into the heavens to confront Nightmare Moon. Looking back on it… she had been far too foolish in leaving behind the aftermath of her panic attack. A feeling of shame slowly started making itself known in her gut the closer they got to the ruins.

Silence followed for the rest of the trek to the old temple grounds. As they all approached, it became painfully obvious what Mathew had meant about time being cruel to the temple. Nothing was left of the building, except for a very large crater where the stone had collapsed and sunk in. However, when the group finally reached the rim of the hole, the reason why everything had fallen within it revealed itself.

Where there should have been a mountain of rubble, stones upon stones of broken and crumbled temple blocks, there was an empty hole. At the bottom of this hollowed out portion of earth, glowing and pulsating in a violent swirl of light and raw power, was what was left of the Effigy of Solaris. The uncontrolled and fully released energy was truly a fearsome sight to behold. The way it spun and still continued to carve away at the earth around it caused such a shrill and piercing sound that it almost sounded like the world was screaming in agony.

“We’re running out of time,” Mathew said as he started to spread his wings. “With the barrier gone, there’s nothing to stop that magical ball from sinking further into the earth. It’ll dig itself too far if we don’t act soon. I estimate that we only have an hour to accomplish our task. Are you three ready?” he asked and he looked to each princess.

Celestia gulped, doing what she could to get over the shock of seeing what she was responsible for, but she nodded nonetheless. Luna steeled herself quickly and nodded firmly. She was more than prepared to end the destructive streak of something she had allowed to go unchecked for so long. Twilight, carefully eyeing the swirling ball of magical death, slowly took in a steadying breath. She stared at the solar magic for a few long moments as she wrestled with her fear of the unknown power she was about to try and help contain. Eventually, Mathew’s patience ran out and he looked to Celestia and Luna.

“If she can’t find her answer, then it’s just up to us. Let’s go,” he said. With a powerful stroke of his wings, Mathew lunged forth over the edge of the pit and he glided down.

Rainbow Dash instantly shot up into the air as she watched Mathew descend. “Wait! Since when can he fly!?” she practically shrieked.

A small smile graced Luna’s face as she watched Mathew glide effortlessly down. “If I had to guess… it’s one of the benefits of having my mother’s knowledge at his disposal. He’s familiar with the concept of flight, but I think he’s only gliding down for the moment. Knowing how to fly and having experienced flight are two different things. In any case, you all stay here. Tia, let us follow him and end this once and for all.”

Celestia nodded and flapped her wings, launching herself forward. Luna followed right on her heels for a moment before they broke off to set up in a triangular formation with Mathew. Twilight slowly stepped forth. Her ears were splayed back against her head as she watched the other three Alicorns land unsteadily against the side of the pit. She continued to stare in trepidation as they lit up their horns in near unison before three beams of magic erupted forth to slam into the vortex of the effigy.

The instant Celestia, Luna and Mathew’s magic made contact with the effigy’s, a wave of raw power blasted outward. The force of the blast was nearly enough to send all three Alicorns to the edge of the pit but they managed to endure the brunt of it, the two sisters flinging up protective shields around themselves, and held strong against the Solaris. Twilight and her friends were not as lucky. Rainbow was sent flying through the air and everypony else was knocked over. Luckily, Rarity had reacted quickly enough and she had caught Rainbow in her telekinesis before the prismatic mare could crash into one of the remaining stone pillars.

Appljack recovered hastily from her spot on the ground and she whipped her head around to stare down into the pit. Celestia and Luna seemed to be holding their own as they channeled their magic, much to Applejack’s relief, but it was the sight of Mathew that made her heart stop for a moment as the color drained from her face. Mathew’s appearance had taken on a sinister edge. His golden eyes were alight with a golden glow and fangs had emerged to dig into his lower gums as he grit hit teeth in a silent snarl. His mane and tail had also taken on a deeper blue and had started to really resemble Nightmare Moon’s. What stole Applejack’s breath away however, was the jagged pieces of sandstone that had peppered his chest, causing multiple streams of blood to flow down his chest and neck.

Celestia’s gaze widened slightly as she, too, noticed Mathew’s state. “Mathew! Are you alright?” she called over the roar of the magic.

Luna’s eyes drifted over and she nearly lost her focus on her magic.

Mathew simply gave Celestia a quick nod. “I’m fine! Don’t lose focus!” he yelled back.

Celestia opened her mouth to reaffirm that Mathew was really okay, but she paused as she saw wisps of light blue mist start seeping through his wounds. Within moments the shards of stone were pushed out of his flesh and his injuries had begun to heal rapidly. A wave of relieve circulated between the two royal sisters and they redoubled their efforts.

Applejack sighed in relief as well, glad that Mathew had not been put in a life threatening situation yet. Then her ears snapped back against her head and she turned an angry glare toward Twilight. The lavender Alicorn had slowly pushed herself up while everypony else had gotten back on their hooves swiftly. A look of shock and a slightly vacant pair of purple eyes told Applejack that Twilight was in the middle of an internal conflict about the situation. Without missing a beat, the farmpony was up in Twilight’s face.

“Gosh darn it, Twilight! Git ahold of yerself! They need your help!” Applejack said firmly, shaking Twilight’s shoulder.

Twilight’s eyes focused on her friend instantly and her ears sank against her head as she backed away from Applejack slightly. “I- I can’t! Do you have any idea how unstable that magic is? The slightest miscalculation and it could cause a massive explosion that would kill all of us. This is way above my capabilities!” Twilight said shakily.

Applejack’s eyes hardened and she clenched her jaw tightly before she pulled her hoof back and slapped Twilight. “If you don’t do anything to help then things’ll be a heck of a lot worse! We’re tryin’ ta save the world, Twi, not just ourselves or our friends. Ah don’t know about you, but ah’ll be damned if ah’m just gunna sit around and let that happen. Nightmare and Mathew can’t do this on their own, and Princess Celestia and Luna can only do so much right now. Fer Celestia’s sake, Mathew was just impaled by stones from that blast just now!”

Twilight’s pupils shrunk at that and her mouth hung open.

“He’s alright now, but it could have been a lot worse if he didn’t have that healing power. Twi… please help.” The fire in Applejack’s eyes slowly died away as her heart finally registered how fearful she was of losing Mathew again.

Twilight’s ears somehow managed to clamp closer to her head as she looked away from that devastated look in Applejack’s eyes. “What could I possibly do to help them? Compared to Celeatis and Luna… even Mathew… what could a weakling like me do to save the world? This isn’t the kind of thing somepony who was rejected by the Elements is meant to be a part of,” Twilight whispered in a trembling voice.

Applejack’s anger flared up once more, only to die just as quickly. She looked at her friend long and hard as she saw the inner turmoil wreaking havoc within Twilight’s heart. It had truly been a devastating blow for the purple Alicorn when she learned that the Element of Magic had refused Twilight. Applejack’s gaze lowered to the ground and she let out a defeated sigh. “If you can’t help then ah guess we’re all doomed. Twilight… ah know that you think that you failed us when you used the elements on Mathew. But we’ve told you countless times we forgive ya. We don’t blame ya fer it. We still believe in ya, Twi. Ah know you can help. You can help save Equestria… you can save all of yer friends. You can save everypony if ya try, Twilight.”

Twilight reluctantly looked back to Applejack. She thought about her friend’s words, though they really didn’t do much in changing how she felt about her ability in the current situation. Her mind drifted lazily back to all of their past experiences. From the very first day that they had been united in friendship and faced off against the Nightmare Moon version of Princess Luna, to the time they had been tested in their bonds against Chrysalis, to when their friendship had nearly been destroyed when Discord had corrupted each of them. The more Twilight thought about the past, the more she realized that each time she and her friends had saved Equestria it had strengthened their bonds of friendship. Together they had become stronger and more united as a team, growing closer and closer in heart and spirit.

Slowly, Twilight’s ears began to lift from her head as realization dawned on her. After being tested by such powerful foes in the past, Twilight and her friends then had been separated when they had gone up against King Sombra. That had been the first time that Twilight had thought that everything rested solely on her shoulders, only to be surprised when victory had come from her placing her trust in her friends, namely Spike. The evil King had been beaten because she had placed her faith in one of her most trusted friends. Later on, everypony had placed their trust in her when Tirek had taken over Equestria’s magic. Trust…

Twilight closed her eyes as she thought about that word. Right now, Applejack trusted her, believed in her. Twilight’s eyes slowly opened again and she looked around. Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash all had warm smiles on their faces as they looked at Twilight. They also trusted her… they believed in her. Twilight’s mind then brought forth the throne room shortly before they all had departed, when Celestia and Luna had called a brief meeting to let everypony know that the arrangements had been completed for their departure.

Mathew had shown up shortly after the sudden summons. Twilight had arrived just a few minutes beforehoof, making it so that the room had all four Alicorns present. With things finally in the process of moving forward, Twilight had started to get to thinking about the scale of the coming task. The last time she had been in Mathew’s presence had been in the last meeting when he had talked with Rainbow Dash about her role in the next artifact quest. At that time, Twilight had wanted to ask Mathew the same question that Rainbow had asked. Why was she so important in getting the Effigy of Solaris?

Seeing an opportunity to ask, Twilight had cleared her throat and asked Mathew that very question. Mathew had given Twilight an odd look for a moment before a gentle chuckle had escaped him as he smiled at her. His answer now rung with more meaning in Twilight’s mind as she remembered his words. “You’ll know when the time comes. Just know that you are more important than you may realize, but it’s for the most valuable of reasons. It’s why you were the Element of Magic’s bearer.”

Suddenly, Twilight’s body was engulfed in a lavender light and her body was lifted into the air. Warmth, familiar and caring, spread through her entire body as she was lifted higher into the air. The memory of what she felt the very first time the spark of friendship coursed through her came to the surface of her mind. With that memory came her decision, she had trusted her friends back then and they had trusted her in kind. Now Mathew had placed his trust in her… and she now knew that she could trust him because he had done exactly as he had promised. Mathew was her friend… and friends were always there to support each other.

Twilight’s body glowed brighter in that instant and her form darted forth toward the pit. She arrived at a point directly above the effigy’s magical vortex and the light coating her body popped and vanished, revealing her in all her glory as the Princess of Magic. Her eyes glowed with power, leaving a trailing vapor of light lavender from them as magical regalia made of a glittering display of every colored magic covered her chest and hooves, complete with a crown that held the six symbols of all the Elements of Harmony. An aurora of dark blue, streaked dazzlingly with purple and light pink, cascaded from her as her mane and tail took on the ethereal properties of true Alicornhood as well.

Charging her horn quickly, Twilight inhaled deeply before she let loose her battle cry and sent a beam of lavender magic strait down into the effigy’s power. The reaction was almost instant as Twilight’s magic practically took control of all the present magics beneath her. Celestia and Luna’s eyes widened as their control over their own magic was taken over. Mathew broke into a large grin and he chanced a quick glance up at the reinstated bearer of the Element of Magic. He hastily returned his attention to the slowing vortex of the effigy.

“Celestia! Move in and get ready to take possession of the Solaris!” Mathew called out.

Celestia grunted with a firm nod and she leapt into the air with a flap of her wings. Fighting against the wind, the solar princess made her way to the edge of the swirling magic. Several long seconds passed as she held herself poised and ready to take back the effigy.

“Alright, Twilight, Luna, let’s finish this!” Mathew bellowed loudly and he pushed forth even more of his power into stopping the effigy’s magic.

Twilight followed Mathew’s lead and let loose another cry as she pushed with all she was worth to gain control of the powerful magic below. Luna grunted firmly as she tapped into more of her magic as well. The resulting effect was the three beams of silver, purple and light blue growing into massive columns of power, slamming into the effigy’s magic with incredible force. The vortex around the Effigy of Solaris shrunk down and came to a stop, revealing the heart of the anomaly.

In an instant, Celestia shifted her magic. Instead of a suppressing beam, she turned her spell into a telekinetic one. She took hold of the heart of the Solaris and in that moment time seemed to stand still as the ancient power reconnected with its long absent owner. Before anypony could blink, the Solaris magic expanded, canceling out Twilight, Luna and Mathew’s magics before it darted into Celestia’s chest.

Celestia gasped as the power of her sun merged with her. Her eyes lit up a pure white and her head arced back as the magic fused within her. She held her position in a silent scream for a brief few seconds before a streak of brilliant yellow became a part of her ethereal mane and tail. Once the new color spread all the way to the flickering tip of her mane the light faded from her eyes and she gasped for air as her body went limp, but before she could fall to the ground, Mathew’s magic wrapped around her body and kept her aloft.

Luna quickly flew down to her sister’s side. “Tia! Are you okay?” she asked worriedly.

Celestia did her best to smile for Luna as she took a few steadying breaths before answering. “I’ll be fine, Lulu. I was not expecting the power of the Solaris to do that. Aside from feeling full to the brim with magic, I believe I’m alright. I just need a few moments to calm my breathing down some. That was quite the intense experience.”

Luna visibly relaxed, though there was still some tension in her wings as she hovered beside Celestia. The two were soon joined by Twilight as she descended from above to see to her mentor’s condition. Mathew simply stood in his spot on the side of the pit and watched the scene from afar.

Looks like Celestia was truly prepared to take back what was once hers. I was a little worried for a moment there… Mathew thought.

“Though I was also a little wary of the turn of events, I have to say that I’m very proud of her accomplishment this day,” Nightmare replied quietly. “This was the more difficult artifact to obtain, correct?”

Yes. Luna’s will not be as dangerous, but it will still hold some risk to everyone involved. With what you and I were able to pull off with this encounter, I think we can ensure their safety, Mathew answered with a small smile.

A feeling of relief filled both Nightmare and Mathew as they continued to observe Celestia and Luna. A quiet chuckle soon filled Mathew as he gently shook his head. It’s a little weird seeing them like they’re my own kids.

Nightmare simply laughed as she realized Mathew’s situation. It was a little odd for her as well to share in Mathew’s emotions toward her daughter. Still, she could easily overcome the awkwardness every time she saw how Luna smiled for Mathew. Nothing was more important to her than seeing Luna and Celestia happy.

~~***~~

A few hours later found the group all resting around a campfire. Both Twilight and Celestia had experienced the draining effects of their new powers. Where Celestia was simply fatigued as her body adjusted to the Solaris’s magic coursing through her, Twilight had suffered the equivalent of a caffeine crash after her magical transformation. Luna and Mathew had used up a considerable amount of their magic as well, so they had decided it best to recover their strength before heading back to Canterlot in the morning.

Most of the group had settled down and were sleeping soundly beside the crackling fire, but there was one who was still awake. Mathew’s gaze slowly wandered across the starry sky above as he contemplated how he would handle the next step in their quest for the next artifact. Luna’s old weapon, Isolation, was a halberd made of shadow magic and part of the heart of a fallen star. From what Mathew had seen in his visions, the weapon had not taken its separation from Luna well. After Luna’s banishment, Isolation had to be sealed away due to its unbridled rage. Several of Celestia’s ponies had perished from its rampage.

Another smaller detail that had been brought to Mathew’s attention was the fact that the last time the weapon had been used, some of the tainted magic from Luna’s Nightmare form had seeped into it. Over the thousand plus years since then, Isolation had been slowly corrupted into a creation of anger and jealousy like its owner. By now, there was very little doubt that Isolation would not recognize anyone and it would try to seek revenge. Mathew knew that it would not be a simple feat in subduing the halberd and that death could be a result if somepony made a wrong move.

With sleep currently evading him, Mathew sighed silently and he slowly stood up. He cast his gaze over the rest of the group. A warm smile crossed over his face as he saw Twilight and her friends all huddled together in a little pile of loving friendship, each of them smiling contentedly as they slept. Mathew’s smile turned more caring as he looked over to see Luna and Celestia sleeping with their heads laying across each other’s backs. It was a cute scene.

Mathew’s gaze flicked back over to Twilight and company and his eyes locked onto the little smile on Applejack’s face. He stared at her for a time, letting his mind drift back to the more pleasant times he had spent with her. Yet again I’m left standing by, unable to tell her how I really feel, he thought sadly.

The dark Alicorn slowly turned away and walked into the darkness of the night. Mathew had no real destination in mind as he walked. His hooves came to a stop when the flicker of the campfire was just a small ball of light in the distance. His eyes looked up to the moon. There was only a quarter of the moon left in the sky; just enough to illuminate the barren desert around him to see little outlines from the small sandy hills and rocks that decorated his surroundings.

All was quiet for a time as he enjoyed the peace of the night. Mathew’s ears swiveled around when he picked up the faint sound of sand squishing beneath hooves as somepony approached. He turned his head slowly and saw the outline of an earthpony mare wearing a Stetson hat walking toward him. A small smile creased Mathew’s lips. “Shouldn’t you be asleep,” he whispered.

Coming to a stop a short distance away, Applejack smirked and shook her head gently. “Ah could ask ya the same thing. What brought you so far out here?” she asked quietly.

Mathew looked back up to the moon, the smile slowly fading from his lips. “I was thinking about the next step.”

The two sat quietly for a time, the only sound coming from the gentle breeze that brushed over the hills. Then Applejack took a few more steps to stand beside Mathew.

Mathew’s heart started to beat a little faster as his nerves started to turn edgy. This was the chance he had been waiting for. He could finally tell her his feelings. Mathew pulled his gaze away from the moon and looked to Applejack only to pause as the end of his muzzle came to a stop just inches away from hers. In the dim light from the moon he could see the brilliant glimmer from her emerald eyes as she gazed deeply into his. Mathew swallowed thickly as he struggled to decide on whether or not he should just kiss her.

“Applejack… I-”

Before Mathew could say anything more, the dim glow of the moon suddenly vanished and a pulse of power rocked the world. Mathew and Applejack’s eyes darted up to where the moon once was, only to widen in shock and growing horror. Where the arc of creamy white used to be was a growing orb of pale orange as the moon slowly became full. Within moments, Celestia, Luna and the rest of the group came to a skidding halt around Mathew and Applejack.

Luna quickly looked to them with mild curiosity before shifting back to being serious. “Mathew! What is happening?” she asked urgently.

All eyes turned to Mathew, but his gaze was firmly locked upon the moon, a look of burning anger slowly etching its way across his visage. Steadily, everypony else followed his gaze up. As if on cue, another pulse rocked the world and a deep rumbling laugh began to fill the air from afar. As the laugh continued to build in strength, cracks started to form on the face of the moon above until it appeared that the moon had become a splintered pane of glass. The laughing suddenly came to a halt, and accompanying the silence came a faint rumble from above as blood red tendrils sprouted out of the moon’s center.

There was nothing anypony could do as the moon they all knew and loved shattered into dozens of fragments. As the broken moon drifted apart, Mathew grit his teeth as a part of him died along with it and tears streamed down his face. A silent howl of agony slipped out of him as he fell to his knees.

“Hello again, my little daughters…”

Author's Note

Holy crap! Seriously, this chapter was monumental for me to write. It kind of jumps around, which I did on purpose to try and get the right setting established before the big cliffhanger at the end, but I'm hoping that it's not too jagged for the flow of this chapter. This took quite a bit of time to write as well, what with my current situation taking away much of my writing time. Here's to hoping that the wait was worth what this chapter covers.

I'm also trying to make sure that I cover more of the psychological processes behind the characters... though I did kind of cut some of it short. I will admit that I lacked a lot of the engaging interactions involved with my characters in the original story, but I am trying to do better in this sequel. Let me know if I'm succeeding or if you think it needs more. Once I start writing I tend to get into a zone where I just go with the flow instead of keeping my eyes open for overly simplified scenes (which I have happen more often when I'm tired or feel pressed for time).

In any case, I hope you all like this chapter. I plan to have the next one filled with some cool ideas which lead into a fun plot twist, so look forward to it everyone. :twilightsmile:

Also... hooray for cover art! :pinkiehappy:

6 - Absolution

Fragments of the once pristine and beautiful moon slowly drifted and scattered in the sky above. A red haze filtered through the surrounding atmosphere, causing the calming night to take on more of a sinister air. All was silent as a scene that even the most demented souls of Tartarus could not fathom continued to drift apart in the sky above… and floating in the center of that devastation was Absolution.

The massive godly being simply hovered in place and sneered down upon the world of Equus, his gaze fixated on the shocked faces of his daughters. He eyed them curiously for a few moments before his expression turned a little more amused. Absolution’s attention eventually landed on Celestia and a short chuckle rumbled through the air. “My, my, dear child… it seems you’ve grown a little since I last laid eyes upon you. How curious that you’ve become so much stronger.”

Absolution’s fiery gaze drifted over to Luna and a slight frown took over his face, a clear indication that he was not impressed by her lack of power. Just as he was about to speak, his eyes lowered further as the form of an unknown black Alicorn stood up in front of his daughters. Absolution’s brow furrowed as he looked upon the strange new addition before a sinister grin spread across his face, glowing like the maw that would lead you strait to hell itself. “Ah~… the little misplaced human that entered into a binding contract with poor little Abyss,” he said as he placed his hands on his hips.

Celestia and Luna’s eyes widened in shock and slight fear as they looked to Mathew. If Absolution knew about him then things were about to become very dangerous. Even Twilight knew that things were about to get heated and she started going through a list of spells that she could use to get everypony to safety, or to possibly engage in combat. She was unsure of her combat potential against the likes of Absolution, but it was something to consider if the situation called for it. Twilight’s gaze turned down to Mathew as she waited for him to give her the word. The rest of the Elements of Harmony simply stayed stock still, none of them able to comprehend exactly what they should be doing.

Mathew, on the other hoof, simply glared up at Absolution. He knows about us, Nightmare…

“That much is painfully evident, Mathew. How should we proceed? We used up a considerable portion of our magic in helping Celestia obtain her power.”

I don’t know… but I doubt he’s going to let any of us escape. Even if we did manage to get to safety, he’s probably prepared to destroy this whole planet if he wanted. We might not have any choice in the matter… and neither of us know if he has any weaknesses.

Nightmare sighed, knowing that Mathew had a very valid point. Absolution was there for whatever reason, and there was nothing that could be done to stop him should he wish to act. The fact that he had simply continued to watch them meant that Absolution had a reason for permitting their existence. “Mathew… I believe this is a trap. He wants something…”

Mathew sighed silently as he held his gaze with the mighty god high above. Yeah… let’s see if we can get him talking first… maybe Discord was wrong and we can come to some kind of agreement with this guy.

“Absolution! Why are you here?” Mathew asked loudly.

Absolution’s grin widened a touch and he crossed his arms. “I’m here to retrieve my children. I’ve missed them terribly.” The grin on his face melted into a bemused smirk.

Luna looked up to Absolution and bristled slightly. The mere fact that he had just treated the question as a joke did not go over well with her in the slightest.

Meanwhile, Celestia’s eyes started to seep a faint golden magic as her blood boiled. She took a large step forward, only stopping when Mathew’s large wing shot out in front of her, his gaze still fixed to the massive pain in his side up above. Celestia did not let her voice be stopped, however. “You utterly insufferable creature – how dare you mock us so openly! If you truly cared for us you would never have done the heinous acts you commited in the past!”

Absolution cocked his brow curiously and gave a small shrug. “I suppose you have a point, my daughter. Honestly I had lost interest in this side of the cosmos a long time ago. It wasn’t until I felt a peculiar increase in power some time back that I became intrigued again. As embarrassing as it may be for me, it took me nearly two years to remember what the power reminded me of.” Absolution’s sinister grin returned with a vengeance and his eyes flashed with power, illuminating the world briefly.

“It’s a shame that the Life Giver was felled so easily. At least she managed to pass on her powers to you, little Celestia. I must admit that you’ve really grown into a promising young goddess. Luna, on the other hand…" Absolution said as he flicked a mild look of pity to the lunar princess. “She’s a little too much like her mother; sadly capable of being an utter disappointment when I expected more from her. Then again, maybe I can provide her the proper guidance and she can become just as powerful as her elder sister. If not, I can find it in my heart to forgive her,” he finished with a sage-like nod.

Celestia’s mane erupted into flames as her eyes became pools of raw white power. “How dare you!” she bellowed.

“ENOUGH!” Mathew yelled, loud enough to shake the ground. His wings flared out fully and he glared at Absolution. “Quit goading her on! What kind of father do you think you are?”

Absolution’s grin vanished and he returned Mathew’s glare as energy crackled around his chest and down his arms. “And just what do you think a father should be, human? Enlighten me on how your ignorant and biased outlook blinds you to the truth. After all, you believe that I should be something based on what you’ve been conditioned to feel, so surely you are in the right,” he said before a cruel smirk crossed over his features. “You humans really are such stupid creatures. With your short life-spans, you try to push everything around you to bend to your own morals and beliefs. I’ve spent many years watching your kind grow like a plague across that little mud ball you call your home. Even when your kind were merely primitive little apes you forced other beings into submission. As you evolved you started to believe that you did it out of the need for survival… when in reality you’re nothing more than an aggressive mutation that has spread through death and domination of all other life forms. Why, even you have taken advantage of that violent nature and gained a feeling of satisfaction through killing another defenseless animal.”

A few of the others gasped at those words, turning their gazes to Mathew. Celestia’s ears folded back and her rage subsided as she turned a questioning gaze to him. Luna simply glanced to Mathew before turning a hateful glare back up to Absolution. Silence filled the air as Mathew seethed at the god, until Applejack took a tentative step closer to Mathew.

“Is that what ya meant… back when ya said there were things that you felt we shouldn’t know because it didn’t belong in our world?” Applejack asked.

Mathew grit his teeth as his chest tightened. Without even looking to see if she was watching him, Mathew nodded once. “Yes… humans are capable of such violence that I felt it would be the worst thing I could do to share that knowledge with you ponies. If you knew what some of the humans back on Earth had done… I don’t think you’d see any of the good that the rest of them are able to do – and do – for the rest of my world.”

Absolution chuckled. “Ah, and there’s the justification for your race’s actions. Just because some of them are bad apples doesn’t mean the rest of the crop should be thrown out. In any case, I do believe that I’ve wasted enough time and you’ve begun to bore me.” The god’s glowing gaze drifted back to Celestia and Luna. “Time to come with me, my daughters. The cosmos await you.”

Celestia and Luna both took a step away from Absolution, with Luna shaking her head firmly. “We will not go with you, Absolution.” Celestia declared.

Absolution sighed and shook his head, his expression actually turning sad. “Is that your final answer? It’s not as though you’ll never see this world again. I promise to allow it to continue to exist if you come along obediently…”

Both sisters reaffirmed their stern glares and shook their heads. Absolution crossed his arms and tilted his head, closing his eyes as he thought. A few tense minutes passed in complete silence before his glowing yellow eyes slowly opened and Absolution shrugged. “Then I suppose I’ll have to force you to follow me. And as punishment, this world will end.”

Diplomacy has failed, we’re going for the kill, Nightmare!

Mathew’s wings pumped powerfully, sending him soaring through the air. Utilizing a spell to increase his momentum, Mathew shot through the sky like a missile. As he moved he charged his horn, preparing for the only attack he could think of that might harm the god. Absolution simply watched with a distinct lack of amusement as the black Alicorn rose up to meet him. Celestia and Luna could only stare as Mathew flew up and out of their reach and Twilight sputtered in disbelief while her friends all watched in growing horror. Rainbow Dash flexed her wings and prepared to launch after Mathew, but Rarity’s magic reached out and held her in place. Time seemed to slow, as if the world had sucked in a deep breath and held it.

Mathew’s spell reached the critical point just before a nearly blinding and massive beam of bright blue magic fired from his horn. The world was lit up as if the sun had come out and everything that saw it had to squint or look away as the line of light shot through the sky toward Absolution. The menacing god merely lifted his hand as the beam of magic neared him. Mathew’s magic slammed into Absolution’s extended arm and the night sky was engulfed in the light of the largest explosion anypony had ever witnessed. Though difficult for her to accomplish, Celestia managed to see through the blinding flash and her jaw dropped at the display of might. The solar princess had no doubt in her mind that if that beam had been directed at their planet… it would have been no better off than the moon.

Mathew spread his wings and slowed his ascent as he gauged the possibility of Absolution’s possible survival. He had put everything he had into that attack, banking on it being powerful enough to more than harm the god, especially with the core of the beam containing at least half of what his body could handle of Nightmare’s power.

The only warning that Mathew received, before a large beam of blood red energy slammed into him, was the slight shift in the wind. Mathew didn’t even have time to scream as his wings were ripped apart and the beam slammed him into the side of a high plateau a few miles away.

Celestia lost her breath and the color drained from her face as the beam engulfed Mathew.

Luna screamed Mathew’s name in terror.

Twilight’s legs trembled as she watched the beam take Mathew’s form out of her field of view.

Rarity’s magical grasp over Rainbow died as she lost her ability to comprehend what had just happened and the cyan pegasus blinked once before she bolted in the direction of where Mathew had landed.

Applejack’s legs gave out and her rump collided with the ground as tears started to pool in her eyes.

Pinkie Pie’s mane lost all of its life and she grit her teeth as she fought back tears and Fluttershy stood completely still as shock took hold of all her faculties.

Twilight was the first one to start thinking rationally once the sound of the explosion reached her. Her head quickly swiveled around, taking in the situation that was clearly not anywhere as good as it should have been. Everypony was stunned and rooted in place. Twilight’s eyes darted up and she spotted Absolution, his one arm extended out toward where he had shot down Mathew. His other arm was nothing more than a malformed nub, but upon closer inspection, Twilight could tell that the arm was slowly regenerating. Then it occurred to her! Mathew could regenerate too!

Lavender magic surged forth and surrounded the princesses and her friends as Twilight prepared a teleportation spell. She closed her eyes and put all of her focus on locating Mathew’s magical signature. Not too far off she could feel a weakened field of magic that she knew belonged to Mathew. Without wasting a second more, Twilight’s horn flashed as she activated the spell and she teleported everypony to the base of the plateau.

Everypony blinked a few times as they regained their senses. Twilight looked up to the massive crater that now decorated the side of the huge rise of earth and sediment. The moment she located the epicenter of the blast zone her heart sank. Where she had hoped to find Mathew… only a smoking field of scorched earth greeted her.

“No…” Luna whispered as her flank dropped to the ground. Celestia looked to her sister with a great sadness in her heart, but she noticed the wide eyes that Luna had and she followed her sister’s stare to the very center of the crater. Celestia’s eyes shot open as she, too, spotted it. There, half buried in the smoking hole was the gentle glimmer of a pale blue crystal. Mathew had been completely obliterated… the only thing left of him was Nightmare’s core.

Hope quickly vanished from within Celestia’s chest. There was no way that anything could come back from something like that… was there?

Author's Note

Alright guys, here's the next chapter! :pinkiehappy:

I've been putting together chapters for my stories and figured I'd release them close together this time. This chapter is a little on the short side, but it covers an important turning point for the rest of the story. I'm not sure how long the next chapter will be, but it should be a very intriguing roller coaster.

As always, I hope you enjoyed the read everyone. :twilightsmile:

7 - Heart of Darkness

Darkness. The endless void stretched on for as far as the eye could see. There was no sound within the vast plane of nothingness, not even temperature registered to the senses. It was empty space. Mathew floated within the void, his mind blank as he stared off into the blackness. Time seemed to be nonexistent as he drifted…

An eternity passed. Mathew, seemingly nothing more than a hollow husk of what he used to be, watched his memories pass over and over. He relived his days on Earth, watching as his younger self grew distant from others before an older gentleman took him away from the orphanage. He watched as that same man did his best to help him reconnect with the rest of the world again… only to fail in the end. Mathew never really healed from his experiences, and secretly he always expected his adoptive father to abandon him like his mother had done. Even after being in the man’s care for many years and growing to love him as real family, Mathew was still plagued by his emotional scars.

Time passed in his memories. Mathew went to school, made a few friends… temporary friends. There was little point in forming lasting bonds with those who would later move on in life; a notion that eventually became reality as the friends Mathew made moved away with their families. After all, life in a small town in the countryside wasn’t for everyone, especially for the younger ones who had more energy than they knew what to do with.

A few friends stayed in the small town. Zackary, Eric, and Mellissa had known Mathew for the entirety of their school life and then some. Even then, Mathew never truly opened up to them. Heck, if it had not been for him reliving the memories, he never would have remembered their names. Mathew found it easy to forget people after not seeing them for a few months. Well, that was not entirely true. He still remembered his father’s name, and Terry had been one of his best friends that had deeply imprinted onto his memory from the good times they had spent together back on the farm. Mathew even recalled the names for a few of his former classmates that had wronged him on occasion, with Jeff being at the top of the shit list.

Overall, Mathew was forgetful of others unless he met with them on a more regular basis. You could say that he was a loner, but it never really occurred to anyone that Mathew was just avoiding any meaningful bonds with them. Mathew always went with the flow in their eyes, giving him the image of just another casual guy. In reality, Mathew was always one wrong word away from walking away from them and never looking back or giving them another thought. No one ever learned of his past in the orphanage either, which ultimately meant that Mathew held no trust for others. It was his way, in both an active and subconscious manner, of making sure he held others far enough away from him that he would never feel the sting of losing them like he had so many times before in the past when he was young.

Mathew continued to stare as his life proceeded forth. Most of his life was ultimately uneventful. He went to school like everyone else, put on his fake smiles and pretended to be a part of his friend’s lives, and did what kids usually do. He progressed through to middle and high school, watching as his friends either stayed or left. He caught the interest of a girl at one point in his high school days, managing to form enough of a bond with her to get his first kiss… but that was as far as he went with her before she started seeing parts of his true nature. They eventually broke up, but she did what she could to keep him as a friend.

The memories blurred together after that. Mathew eventually graduated from high school, tried to get into a nice college but wound up being rejected due to his previous schooling not being adequate for the places that Mathew had applied to. It wasn’t so much that Mathew had not done enough for his education, what with him keeping an average of at least a B in all subjects, but that his schools had poor reputations in comparison to other schools in the state. From there, Mathew decided to look for work, figuring it was better to get a career started and maybe move up in life. He started off doing small yard cleaning/maintenance jobs before landing a spot at the hardware store a few years later. Life was looking rather stable for Mathew at that point in time and he was looking forward to possibly getting a promotion.

It was at that point that Mathew’s life changed forever. After his shift had ended, he had gone out for just another one of his relaxing outings… where fate decided it was time to give him his first real hurtle in life. Through the combined magic of two Alicorn Princesses, Mathew was ripped from his world and into the magical land known as Equestria. This new land was dominated by sentient ponies, all of whom were influenced by the magic of their world.

With no way to return to his original world, Mathew found himself forced to adjust to his new home. Under normal circumstances, anyone else may have lost their mind for a time… but being normally disconnected from the world around him, Mathew simply took it as he normally would. What else could he do? Panicking over it would have solved nothing. Fighting it and refusing to accept reality would have just been stupid. It had still been weird to see ponies talking and to learn that magic was a real thing, though. In the end, Mathew just let the following events unfold without really letting himself feel like he was a part of their world.

Yet… something changed during the first week after his arrival in the realm of the ponies. The dark Alicorn Princess, the one called Luna, started visiting him more and more often after his near death experience. Mathew never even realized it until it was too late, but he found himself opening up to this strange creature. He appreciated her honesty with him and found himself always smiling genuinely with her playful antics. It wasn’t until he had to leave the castle with the young purple Alicorn that Mathew came to realize that he had somehow allowed himself to make a real friend.

Mathew watched blankly as his mind shifted the order of events. For the third time, he watched as he channeled magic to try escaping from the barrier that he had made. He fired the beam, resulting in a violent explosion. Darkness, much like what he currently floated within, greeted his mind’s eye. A voice echoed in the darkness. Mathew challenged the voice. Nightmare showed herself, those bright turquoise serpentine eyes piercing through the darkness at him. But then something happened that wasn’t like the previous times he had seen that part of his memories… the eyes became filled with sadness. “Mathew…” came her whisper.

Mathew blinked blankly.

“Mathew…wake up…”

Mathew’s eyes closed halfway as something tried to stir within him.

“Mathew… come back to me…” came the whisper again, this time a little louder.

Mathew’s heart beat once… twice… he closed his eyes as his memories shot forth to his fight with Absolution. Nightmare’s voice called to him again. The beam of magic shot through the sky and Nightmare’s whisper grew louder, more defined, and Mathew’s heart beat again, stronger. The attack connected with the god’s arm and the world was saturated in a bright light from the explosion. Mathew watched for any signs of Absolution, trying to see through the cloud of magical residue to locate the god’s outline. Then the wind shifted and a beam of red power struck him. Pain erupted throughout Mathew’s body.

“MATHEW!”

Mathew’s form pulsed and he gasped for air as he opened his eyes wide. His face was swiftly and gently cupped in the embrace of warm hooves as Nightmare’s face materialized in front of him, her eyes filled with worry. Mathew’s heart raced in his chest as his lungs heaved rapidly. Nightmare softly started caressing his cheek as she cooed, “Shh… shh, it’s okay, Mathew. Calm yourself. You must regain your composure, please…”

Mathew complied to the best of his ability, doing his utmost to slow his breathing. Meanwhile, Nightmare continued to look into Mathew’s eyes and do what she could to pass on as much of her calming emotions as possible. In time the effects began to take hold and Mathew slowly calmed down enough to manage himself. He swallowed, noting the extreme dryness in his throat. “What happened?” he asked hoarsely.

Nightmare’s ears splayed back as a look of uncertainty crossed over her features. “I am not entirely sure, Mathew, but I fear that we may have been outclassed in power. I cannot sense anything from the outside. You’ve been in a state of shock for a short time… I was scared for you,” she replied, nuzzling under Mathew’s chin.

Mathew’s breathing slowed down to more normal levels and he hugged Nightmare to him. “I think I’m alright now, but I don’t know why I feel so beat up. I don’t normally feel anything when I’m in this place,” he said as he looked around. The endless void that he had been in was now gone, replaced with the darkness that he was familiar with as the memory orbs twinkled all around him. “Got any ideas as to what happened?”

Nightmare was silent for a time as she collected her thoughts. She had an idea as to their fate, but was unsure how she should explain it to Mathew. She sighed quietly as a lump formed in her throat. “I don’t have words to express what has happened… but I believe you will understand if I show you.” Nightmare’s horn lit up faintly and she pulled herself gently from Mathew’s embrace.

The starry realm slowly melted into a new image. Mathew looked around, slightly surprised at the change of scenery and he took in their new surroundings. They were within the middle of a burnt and smoldering wasteland. Beneath them was a dark crater of some kind, yet Mathew felt as though he was standing on a hard surface still. He turned a questioning look to Nightmare, but she was focused on something else. Mathew followed her gaze to something in the distance.

Mathew’s blood ran cold as he spotted a very familiar group of ponies. They were all looking up at something far off in the distance, their poses defensive. He tried to look further out to see what it was that they were facing, but the view was warped as if there was melted glass in the way. Mathew’s gaze quickly returned to see the state of the group. Rainbow Dash was frozen in the air mid-flap and her ears were splayed back as tears dripped down her face into the fierce pain-filled snarl on her muzzle. She almost seemed frustrated that there was nothing she could do.

Twilight was poised in front of the group, standing in between whatever it was in the distance and her friends. Rarity was staring at the ground with wide eyes, as if she had lost all her senses and was simply resigned to letting herself become void of all thought. Fluttershy was curled up on the ground, her mane covering her face, completely hiding her away from the rest of the world.

The sight that really hit Mathew, though… was the agony etched into both Applejack and Luna’s faces. There was so much pain in their eyes as they looked directly at him in that moment frozen in time. Just seeing so much hurt in them made Mathew’s heart burn something fierce. His eyes teared up as he continued to stare.

“I believe we have been defeated… and that we are sitting on the precipice of death, Mathew,” Nightmare said quietly.

Mathew shook his head slowly. He couldn’t believe that. If that was even remotely true then it meant that he had failed to protect the only ones that mattered in his life. He turned a shock-filled stare to his partner, only to see a look of deep sadness on her face. “Nightmare… there’s no way. We can’t fail… not when everything has only just begun. We have to get out and protect them. This must be some kind of prison that we’ve been trapped in – like when I was stuck in that crystallized magic.”

Nightmare shook her head for a moment before she paused in thought. Her eyes widened slightly. “You may be partly right, Mathew. I think I finally understand why that realm with our memories exists now…”

Mathew eyed Nightmare with a little hope, but he had a growing feeling building inside of his chest for some reason. Nightmare’s eyes lost focus as she thought about her idea before eventually locking onto Mathew’s eyes. Something flickered deep within her gaze that made Mathew’s stomach sink.

“Mathew… that realm was a place that formed within my core. That is where we are right now. Our body was destroyed… and my core is all that remains.” Nightmare’s eyes flickered again as Mathew’s eyes widened. “There is still a way to help them, Mathew.”

The feeling in Mathew’s chest increased and he stepped away from Nightmare. “No… I don’t know what you’re planning, Nightmare but I don’t like it. What are you not telling me?” he asked with a trembling voice.

A small smile spread across Nightmare’s lips, but the smile did not reach her eyes. A sadness that Mathew had never thought he would ever feel started to latch onto his heart as he watched Nightmare slowly step forward toward him. Mathew went to step away again, but his legs failed to move. He looked down to find his legs encased in shadows, ones that refused to bend to his will. His eyes darted back up to Nightmare as he tried again to move away. “Nightmare, stop it!” he begged.

Nightmare continued to approach him as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. “We can save them, Mathew,” she said quietly.

Mathew doubled his efforts to free his legs as tears dripped down his cheeks. “Nightmare! Let me go! Please stop this…” he pleaded.

The tears fell down Nightmare’s cheeks as she finally stopped just one more step away from Mathew. Her eyes wandered over Mathew’s face as her emotions jumped around. She looked down to Luna and Celestia for a brief moment. “You made me a promise… you promised that no harm would come to them. Can you honestly say that you’ve held your end of that agreement when my daughters look so hurt?” she asked.

Mathew’s body halted its struggle against the shadows as his head slowly lowered in slight shame. He knew where Nightmare was heading with that question and he remembered everything that he had done to fulfill his last promise to his partner. Nightmare’s hoof gently lifted his gaze so that he was looking into her crying face. She held a deep remorse within her gaze, yet there was warmth as well. Mathew swallowed the tightness in his throat as a new wave of tears fell down his face. “Nightmare…” he croaked.

“Shh… I know, Mathew. But you must understand it by now. My children need you.”

“They need you, too,” Mathew paused as a sob escaped him. His eyes started to burn as he tried to fight back his tears. “They need their mom.”

The warmth in Nightmare’s eyes grew a little more and she pressed her forehead against Mathew’s. “I’ll never leave them… not completely. There will be a part of me with them, always… and with you as well. I’ll live on as a part of you.”

Mathew choked back another sob and he tried to glare at her, only partly getting the look across before his heart ached again forcing him to cringe instead. “Y-you’re lying. You’re not going to l-live through this…” he said weakly.

A wave of sadness swept through both of them as Nightmare lifted her hoof and pressed it to Mathew’s chest, the appendage slowly starting to sink into him. A sob of her own rocked through her body as Nightmare looked back down to her daughters. “In a way you’re right, but you know that part of it is true. By giving you this final gift, I will become you. So long as you live, I shall as well. This is the only way… and we both know it.”

Mathew’s heart ached harshly as his emotions finally came to the surface. A mournful cry filled the air as he gave in and grabbed hold of Nightmare’s arm. He merely held her as she continued to press more of herself into him. The rest of Nightmare’s body started to bleed away into a magical dust that slowly drew itself into Mathew until all that remained of her was her caring face. Just before the last of her joined with Mathew, he swallowed his pride and looked right into her eyes. “You were like a mother to me… and I’ll always love you for that, Nightmare.”

Nightmare’s smile widened and one last tear fell down her cheek. “Thank you, Mathew… you will always hold a special place in my heart as well. Now go… keep your promise… and protect my daughters…”

Nightmare’s face melted away into the mist and gathered in front of Mathew’s heart before slowly being absorbed into him. In that moment, the world around Mathew pulsed and his eyes flashed a deep black as everything that made Nightmare who she was fused with him. Sorrow filled his entire being for but a moment before he turned his gaze up to the once blurred image of Absolution. Sadness quickly burned away as Mathew’s fury spread like a wildfire on steroids.

I’m going to KILL YOU!

~~***~~

Absolution watched the smoking crater for a brief time, a look of boredom on his visage, before he spoke. “Such a shame. I had expected more from them. Then again, Abyss was never a good judge of others. It’s no surprise that her contract partner turned out to be so weak. Oh well, I have forgiven them, and soon I will forgive every other being on this planet.” The god’s eyes lowered to his daughters. “It is time, my daughters.”

Celestia whipped around and glared daggers at her supposed parent. Twilight jumped in front and spread her hooves defensively, though deep down she was terrified of Absolution. Sensing that everything was lost, Fluttershy buried her face in her mane and laid flat on the ground as she mourned Mathew’s death and feared what was to come next. Rainbow Dash could only hover as she realized that she had lost Mathew again and that she was helpless to stop it, a fact that made her angry as she bared her teeth toward the ground. Rarity’s mind finally hit the breaking point and she just let herself give in as shock swept through her. She just knew that there was no hope without Mathew to fight for their sake. Pinkie Pie stared off into space as her mane lost some of its poof… but not all of it. There was a strange look in her eyes as little parts of her body twitched and trembled.

Meanwhile, Luna and Applejack just stared at what was left of their beloved, neither one could do anything more than let their anguish flow freely from their eyes. Mathew was gone, and nopony knew if he would or could return this time. The faintest traces of Mathew’s magic suddenly vanished, along with Nightmare’s, and Luna’s heart skipped. “No…”

A hum rumbled from Absolution and he brought his hand up to rub his chin with a smirk. “Goodbye Abyss.”

Luna’s anger flared and she spun around to face her father. She charged her horn and fired a beam of magic at him. The attack created an explosion half the size of what Mathew had accomplished. The resulting cloud of residue was slowly waved away by Absolution’s hand and he placed his hands on his hips with a disapproving look at his daughter. “Do not waste your time with such pointless attempts, Luna. It will take far more than that to do anything to one such as I. If you continue to act like a spoiled little brat then I will be forced to punish you.”

Luna grit her teeth and fired another beam at him as she screamed in her rage. Again the attack did nothing and Absolution shook his head with an annoyed sigh. Absolution lifted his hand and an orb of red power formed from out of thin air. The sphere of magic then shot out a tendril toward Luna. Twilight shot a beam of lavender magic at the approaching string of possible death in an attempt to protect her friend, but the act proved to be in vain as the tendril pushed through the explosion un-phased.

Celestia lit her horn and threw up a wall of magic in front of the tendril only for it to shoot around the barrier. Rainbow yelled in panic for Twilight to get them out of there, but by then it was already too late. The crimson tendril slammed into the ground and sent multiple coils around Luna, shackling her to the ground. Luna’s eyes darted down as she felt the tendril squeeze her neck firmly before she looked up in shock to see the disappointed look on Absolution’s face. He lifted his hand and readied his fingers for a snap. “I hope you learn your lesson from this, daughter. It’s the only one I will give you. Next time I will have no choice but to find forgiveness in my heart for you…”

Absolution’s fingers snapped and the red tendril lit up as it charged. The shackles then turned black and sizzled into dust. Luna’s heart raced as she looked down at where the tendril had been, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. At the same time, Absolution’s eyes widened. “What!? What did you do?”

As confusion spread throughout the rest of the assembled group the wind started to blow, first as a gentle breeze but it quickly started to blow harder as the seconds passed. Every pony and god alike looked around in confusion and small twisters of dust began to form all across the land. Something warm brushed against Luna and the others, drawing their attention back to where the crater was. They all looked back and shock filled them from what they saw.

The crystal that made up Nightmare’s core hovered in the air as it glowed a gentle pale blue. Absolution started to chuckle. “What’s this? Abyss, are you coming out to play?”

As if responding to the god’s mocking tone, the core shifted from pale blue to pitch black and sparks of black lightning arced around it. The crystal pulsed angrily and a crack formed across its surface. Black ooze dripped out from the damaged gem to pool on the ground beneath. The instant the substance touched the charred earth, pitch-black flames erupted and a wave of heat slammed into the nearby group of ponies.

Thinking quickly, Twilight lit her horn and surrounded her friends with a magical barrier. She instantly thanked her lucky stars as an arc of dark magic shot out and slammed into her shield, yet she also nearly cursed as her mind was flooded with a powerful feeling of hatred. It took almost all of her remaining focus just to resist the urge to stop channeling her barrier and attack Absolution. Celestia and Luna quickly took notice of the fluctuation in the barrier and they lent their aid to Twilight. They too felt the wave of hatred flow through the barrier into them, but they managed to suppress the urge more effectively.

Fortunately for the three princesses, as soon as the dark magic ceased touching the barrier, moving off in a violent and random path away from them, the feeling stopped. They breathed a short sigh of relief before turning their attention back to the crystal. The pool of fire had become a large inferno and the surrounding soil had melted into a glowing orange bowl around the black flames. Celestia and Luna shared a concerned glance with each other. “Luna, didn’t Nightmare say that if she ever set foot on Equus it would be too dangerous? What if she destroys this entire area with her presence?”

Luna stared at the bleeding crystal as its dark fire engulfed the ground beneath it. Something tugged at her from deep within, as if she somehow knew that this was not what her mother meant. “No… something else is happening, Tia. That compulsive urge we felt… something is very wrong with mother. What if-”

Another arc of dark lightning shot out, slamming into what remained of the plateau and ripping it apart like a vicious diamond dog through a stack of paper. It was in that moment that the crystal cracked again, the sound similar to a thunder clap. The gem splintered and exploded in a cloud of black mist. The darkness spread out across the crater, almost far enough to brush against the erected barrier, but it stopped just a few feet away. Luna’s fur stood on end as she gazed into the formless mass of shadow. Something was looking at her from within the darkness and she felt deeply afraid.

In the next moment, whatever resided within the cloud of darkness shifted its attention to Absolution and the god’s eyes narrowed as a chill ran up his spine. That is not Abyss, he thought.

The cloud suddenly swirled around, becoming a vortex of rage. The howl of the winds soon gave way to the roar of something far more unsettling as the tornado of shadow shrunk and condensed into a sphere. The orb solidified and a pulse of power rocked the world even more forcefully than when Absolution had before. The winds instantly vanished and an eerie silence fell across the world. A single word, spoken in Mathew’s voice, shattered the quiet.

“Die.”

A deep boom and a wave of pressure slammed into the barrier that Twilight, Celestia and Luna struggled with all their might to maintain. The force was still strong enough to send the others to their knees, even forcing Rainbow Dash to the ground to stand on shaky hooves. The prismatic pegasus mare’s head darted up to see a line of pure shadow streaking across the sky toward the huge-tastic jerk of a god. Her gaze zipped back and forth between Absolution and the solid sphere of darkness that had fired the beam. What the heck is going on!?

The others could only lay on the ground and watch on in fascinated horror as the dark beam of power reached further up into the sky toward Absolution. Twilight grit her teeth as she pushed against the force of the magic, doing her best not to watch as the weight behind the sphere’s attack literally stripped away the land around it. Were it not for the aid of Celestia and Luna, Twilight was almost certain that her barrier would have shattered by now.

Celestia’s jaw was set in a firm frown as she fought against the pressure of the sphere’s attack. She was positive that the desert would never be the same after this event, but that thought had taken a back seat to her wondering what Nightmare was thinking. Surely her second mother was aware of the destruction that was happening to Equus because of this, so why was she letting Mathew use so much power? She had thought that Nightmare would know better than to allow so much destructive magic to be used like this…

Luna’s efforts reflected that of her sister, only her feelings and thoughts differed. She was more concerned for Nightmare and Mathew’s state of mind at the moment. There had been so much hate before, hate that Luna could not possibly fathom as to what would have caused it. Yet beneath it had been something more concerning… overshadowed by the intense anger was a deep mournful sorrow. What had happened to the two of them to cause such powerful emotions to influence their magic so? In addition, what was it that had made her so afraid of the darkness? She had never been so scared of the shadows, yet Luna had been utterly terrified by it in that single moment, as if the dark would have consumed her completely.

While everypony wondered what was happening, Absolution simply stared at the display with curiosity and mild uncertainty. He could feel incredible power wafting out from the odd sphere of darkness, but he did not recognize it in the slightest. It was not the same energy that the human had wielded nor was it that of the dark goddess. He was intrigued by the new development, but his priorities needed to be put in order first and foremost.

Absolution’s arms bolted forward and he formed a thick crimson barrier around his body. A moment later the beam of shadow crashed into the red protective orb. A blinding flash of white light erupted and Equus shook from the shockwave of yet another powerful explosion. The beam faded and sputtered out shortly after and the atmosphere above was saturated in a beautiful array of colors, like an aurora, as the magical residue drifted through the sky.

All eyes stared in shock and awe as the cloud of color drifted away, slowly revealing something that nopony would have expected. Floating in the middle of a crumbling and mostly destroyed red barrier was the angry god, Absolution… what was left of him. His body had become a formless swirl of deep red, leaving only his head and part of an arm intact. Absolution glared down at the one responsible for attacking him and causing such an injury to his form. Then, as if a switch had flipped in the god’s mind, a sinister grin split his maw and he chuckled ominously. “Ah~ now I understand. You have been reborn. This little trip to retrieve my daughters has granted me quite the profitable boon. Our time together has only just begun, young one… be sure to entertain me further, Mathew. A mad cackle ripped through the night as Absolution’s body swirled away to vanish in a snap of lightning.

At the mention of his name, Twilight, Celestia and Luna all quickly looked back to where the black orb was. There, scowling up into the sky and partially surrounded by wisps of dark mist, stood the naked human form of Mathew. Ebony vapor trailed from the dark voids of his eyes for a brief time before Mathew clamped them shut and fell to his knees. “Absolution, you bloody COWARD!” he screamed before punching a fist into the ground. Immediately following his declaration, Mathew’s chest heaved as his sorrow returned in full force and his wails of pain and loss echoed through the air.

Nopony knew what had happened to him, but one thing was for certain, Mathew was hurting… yet not even Luna had the strength to approach him. As the distraught human cried, Celestia tore her gaze away from him to take in the devastation of his powers. The desert that they had once walked through was no more, replaced by a glassy, jagged wasteland of melted sand in the shape of a massive bowl. The only place that had not been affected as much was the precarious pillar that the group of ponies found themselves on top of. Their barrier had withstood the power of Mathew’s magic, but everything else around them had not.

Celestia’s eyes slowly returned to Mathew and a shiver ran down her spine. The thought of so much damage having been possible when she had fought with him made her stomach knot in knowing that there could have been so many lives lost. Nopony moved for a long time, all they felt they could do was to let Mathew cry.

Author's Note

Here it is everyone. Chapter seven is done. I'll be honest with you guys... I really had a hard time writing this one. As with some of my other projects (most not mlp related), when I write something on the fly without a plan for the story it can go down any number of paths. I had no idea that this was where I was taking this story until I was about five minutes into it. Somehow...this is what came out of my mind. I think I love this chapter the most out of all of the others so far, yet I hate it at the same time. I cried while I wrote out this chapter. I also put in some of my real feelings in Mathew's lines as well. I didn't want this to happen... I'll miss you, Nightmare. :fluttercry:

This is a sad moment in time for Shadows Within... but I still hope you enjoyed the read guys. I'll see you all next time.

8 - Only The Beginning

The new dawn was a bittersweet moment for the citizens of Equestria. As the sun crested over the horizon it brought forth hope and relief that Princess Celestia was alive and well and that things could continue to be harmonious. Yet the remnants of Luna’s moon still floated in the sky, a reminder that danger still lurked somewhere in the beyond… watching… waiting… biding his time before his return.

Despite the fact that hope still fluttered in the hearts of those who lived on Equus, all was not well. The group of ponies that had gone out in search of the Effigy of Solaris had just arrived in the center of Canterlot Castle’s throne room via teleportation. The guards present had quickly turned to see who had arrived, smiles adorning their normally stoic faces once they recognized Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Yet whatever joy they had felt soon vanished as they took in the condition of the group. Not a single member of the party held a smile, not even the Element of Laughter.

The guard with the most seniority stepped forth and greeted Celestia with a crisp salute. “Your Majesty.”

The sun princess barely registered the guard’s approach as her ears flicked and she spared him a brief glance. Realizing where she was, Celestia lifted her head regally. “Guard, I want security increased all across Canterlot. Boost the patrols and establish regular contact with all major cities across Equestria. I also want one of the larger halls prepared so that We may address all those who might be concerned with the events that took place last night.”

The guard clicked his rear hooves together while keeping his other hoof up in a steady salute. “Your Highness, measures for increased security have already been established. I’ll relay the command to open contact with the outlying posts as well as to gather any and all information regarding the occurrence last night from law enforcement agencies.”

Celestia gave a curt nod before looking to her sister. Luna was not in good shape… then again, neither were any of the others. Twilight was nearly exhausted from using up so much of her magic, just like Celestia and Luna were. They had used up almost everything they had to get the group back safely to the castle. Celestia’s eyes slowly trailed over to rest on Mathew. He had been silent since he had stopped crying and his body had shifted back to that of a pitch black Alicorn. The last words that had come out of him still bothered her…

"Mathew?” Luna asked as she slowly approached the still crying human. Mathew slowly looked up. A deep pain filled his golden brown, draconic eyes as he and Luna looked at one another. Luna stepped closer, lowering her head to gently nuzzle against Mathew’s cheek. Mathew gently reached up and hugged Luna in return as fresh tears streamed down his face. “Why are you unwell, Mathew? You succeeded in repelling Absolution…”

Mathew’s chest shuddered and he grit his teeth in an effort to suppress another sob.

Rainbow Dash floated over to land gently beside them. “Yeah, Mathew. What’s got you so bummed out? I mean… shouldn’t we be happy that he ran off with his tail between his legs? What gives, big guy?” she asked with notable concern for her friend.

All eyes turned expectantly toward Mathew. The human slowly took in a shuddering breath before another tear cascaded down his cheek. He looked to Twilight, then to Celestia, before eventually landing on Luna. Sorrow slammed into him yet again, but he managed to hold his composure enough to not break down crying once more. Steeling himself as best he could, Mathew worked his jaw a few times before saying, “It wasn’t worth the price.”

Looking to Mathew now, Celestia still was unsure what he meant, but something in her heart told her she did not wish to know the extent of that answer. Celestia had her suspicions, but she dared not delve deeper into such thoughts. She let loose a quiet sigh as she brought up a wing to rub at her temple. Her head had begun to throb and she just knew that the next few days were going to be overly taxing for her and Luna.

Luna and Applejack gently coaxed Mathew up from the floor while Princess Twilight watched from the edge of the group. Rainbow glanced over to him as well, but she was unsure if it was a good time to offer him her emotional support. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity had huddled together, all three too mentally drained to really think strait, much less provide comfort to anypony. Meanwhile, Celestia walked over to her throne to contemplate the situation and formulate her thoughts so that she might be better prepared for what was to come.

As Mathew slowly walked between Luna and Applejack he finally started to think again… well, about other topics than what had previously consumed his thoughts. His tired eyes glanced back and forth between the two mares on his sides. If there was any consolation, it was that he had succeeded in keeping them alive. Still, it did not change the fact that he knew he had nearly killed them himself when he had reformed. To twist the dagger, he knew that he had been releasing that much power at the time, knew they had been too close for it, and yet he had allowed his rage and hatred to consume him. In that moment… Mathew had nearly thrown away Nightmare’s final gift in blind anger. The taste of bile latched onto the back of Mathew’s throat and he paused as another sob threatened to wrack his body once more.

Luna and Applejack stopped and gave him looks of concern as Mathew struggled not to break down again. He had been such an arrogant fool in the past and though he thought he had improved… he was wrong. Yet again he had lost sight of what was truly important and now he was reaping the rewards of it. The pain in his heart doubled as he looked over and caught sight of Luna’s hurt expression. She wanted to help him so badly, but that was only because she didn’t know…

Mathew’s eyes widened briefly as he realized that painful fact. Luna and Celestia had not yet been told of Nightmare’s fate. What would they do if they knew? Would they still see him in the same way? Would they hate him for it? There was little doubt in his own mind that Mathew hated himself for not trying harder. If he had pushed his limits further, done something more, then maybe she’d still be alive. A new wave of pain surged within Mathew’s heart as he realized that his partner was gone. No more would he hear her voice, feel her thoughts… experience her comforting emotions as she soothed his troubled mind to guide him to the best outcome. He had all of her collective experience and knowledge at his disposal now… but it wasn’t the same without her soul – her personality – HER! Nightmare…

Mathew could stand it no longer. The weight of his loss had finally hit the breaking point and his eyes glazed over as he retreated into his mind. Shadows swept up and over his form and Mathew vanished from the room.

Luna slowly reached out a hoof as a tear dripped down her cheek. Her beloved was in so much pain and there was nothing she could do to help him. What made it worse was that a part of her was toying with the idea that she was part of the reason for his pain. But why… why would she be cause for such a hurtful reaction? What did she do? Her attention suddenly drifted to her withers as Applejack gently placed her hoof on Luna comfortingly. Applejack was crying as well, being in a similar boat and unable to do anything for her special someone.

Having witnessed the entire display, Twilight stood in her spot with a deeply thoughtful look on her face. She was positive something more was going on with Mathew, but what could it have been? Ever since that moment when she had felt the wave of hatred flow through her barrier and into her body, Twilight had this sinking feeling that something big had happened. There had been more behind the strong emotions, something covered up by all the hate and rage… something… sad…

Rainbow slowly walked over to stand beside Twilight. She knew she was far from being as intelligent as her purple friend, but there was something she wanted to tell Twilight. She tentatively extended her wing out and gently brushed it against Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight looked to her friend questioningly before slight concern filtered through her expression. It was clear as day that something was on Rainbow Dash’s mind, especially since the prideful pegasus was not one to show such a deeply forlorn look. With drooping wings and folded ears, Rainbow looked Twilight in the eyes. “Do you think… maybe something bad happened to Nightmare?” she asked with a tight voice.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed for a moment in thought. “What would bring you to ask that, Rainbow?” she asked.

Rainbow offered Twilight a weak shrug as she looked to the floor. “I don’t know… it was a weird thought I had when that magic hit your barrier. My wings got all tingly and stuff, but… but there was like, this wave of sadness that washed over me. I almost felt like crying from it, but I was just so shocked by what was happening – it was so overwhelming. I just get this feeling though, you know… like something bad happened and that’s what’s making Mathew feel so… broken.”

Twilight’s eyes slowly lost focus as she drifted in thought. Rainbow had not been the only one to feel the sadness within the anger. The sadness… there must have been a reason behind it for it to continue for this long. There was no doubt that Mathew was spiraling into a depression, but there were numerous reasons that Twilight could come up with to support why. Her lavender eyes drifted back over to where Mathew had been until a moment ago. Yet again she found herself at a loss when it came to understanding her human, now Alicorn, friend. Alicorn… it was still so strange to think of him like one of them. With a soft sigh, Twilight turned back to Rainbow and shook her head slowly. “I don’t know what any of it could mean, Rainbow. We’ll just have to wait and see if Mathew will tell us what happened. For now, I think it’s best if everypony got some rest.”

Rainbow nodded and readjusted her wings to rest better against her sides. “Yeah, I guess that would be a good idea – I know I’m beat, and I only grit my teeth and hovered like a useless idiot. I’ll see ya later, Twilight…”

Before Twilight could say anything further to comfort her friend and assure her, Rainbow bolted into the air and out the door down the way. Twilight sighed again before looking to the rest of her friends. Rarity offered a kind smile, but that was about all she could give at the moment. Everypony was in need of rest. Anything else would have to wait until after they had recuperated.

~~***~~

Mathew’s body slumped out of the shadows as he reappeared in the center of a very large, yet familiar room. He looked around until he spotted the scorch marks on the floor. It was in that very spot, the place he had landed all those years ago, where Nightmare had become a part of him. Walking forward unsteadily, Mathew made his way into the very center of the marks. Once there, Mathew collapsed upon the hard floor and curled into a ball as his body trembled.

Mathew did what he could to hold back his sobs, but it was just another losing battle for him in the end. The last part of him that had connected him to his past on Earth, the only remaining person who truly understood him in the most intimate of ways… was gone. Forever. A humorless smirk split Mathew’s face as he realized that Nightmare’s death had actually hit him harder than when he found out his father had died.

Sadness slowly bled into anger as Mathew began to hate himself for not being capable enough to save her. He missed her so much already. He wanted her back so badly. He… still needed her in his life. Mathew wasn’t ready to live a life without Nightmare in it. Without Nightmare, Mathew was just a stupid, impulsive child with no direction or self-control!

A pitch-black hoof slammed into the marble floor with a loud crack. Mathew grit his teeth angrily as he forced his body upright. Yet, just as swiftly as his anger came, one of Nightmare’s memories surfaced to the forefront of his mind. Mathew’s anger subsided in a near instant. The image in his mind was one of the few times that Celestia, Luna, and Nightmare had been together at the same time for a pleasant meal in the dining hall. Nightmare was so happy to be able to share such a simple experience with her daughter… no, daughters. There had only been one time in Nightmare’s life that had been more joyful than her time spent with Celestia and Luna. But in that room, sitting between the two young Alicorn Princesses, nothing else mattered to her.

Mathew’s head slowly lowered until he was staring at his front hooves, a feeling of melancholy overtaking his emotions. In some small way, he was aware of what Nightmare had meant before she died. She did still live within him… through her memories, Mathew could still feel her motherly smile and experience her reassuring emotions as they washed through him. But it wasn’t the same. They were nothing more than memories now. He still missed her, even more than before, and he knew that his heart would ache for many nights to come.

~~***~~

The days blended together for Mathew as his grief ran its course. As he had both expected and feared, the pain in his heart faded with each passing cycle of the sun. Though he knew it was a foolish notion, Mathew was afraid that he would come to forget all about Nightmare in time. Part of him knew he was incapable of forgetting her; she had become such an integral part of him that it was impossible, but there was the small voice in the back of his mind that whispered little things to say otherwise. It was that same little voice that said her death was all because of his being too weak to stop her death. Funnily enough, as time passed that little voice had started to sound more and more like Absolution… and it was beginning to really grate on Mathew’s last nerves.

“Mathew?” came Luna’s voice from beside him.

Mathew’s thoughts halted instantly and he looked over to his marefriend. The two had decided it might be helpful for Mathew if they went out into the garden to enjoy a tea break. They had picked out a spot beside a small pond, beneath a grand weeping willow tree. The scene was very lovely, but as with every other time before, Mathew’s thoughts just refused to settle for long. His head lowered slightly and he closed his eyes. “I’m sorry. I was lost in thought again…” he said softly.

Luna closed the distance between them and gently nuzzled his cheek. “Worry not, Mathew. It is not easy to move past something like this…” she said as tears started to form in the corners of her eyes.

Mathew nodded weakly. Again his heart ached, but this time from a new sorrow. It had not been easy telling Luna about Nightmare’s fate, and having Celestia present had added to the experience. It had started from a simple question… ”Mathew… what does my mother think about the situation we now face?”

That simple question had hit Mathew hard. He was fully prepared to lie to them, but he knew it would only make them hate him more if he lied about Nightmare’s death. So instead, Mathew had taken in a deep breath through his nose before he hung his head. He said that Nightmare no longer had the ability to say. Luna had been shocked by his answer and confused as to what it meant, but Celestia’s expression seemed to show that whatever she had suspected had been close to the truth. Celestia’s ears had drooped slightly and she fell into an emptiness within her while Luna asked for clarification. Mathew’s self-loathing hit new levels as he explained what had happened after Absolution’s blast had destroyed his body. By the time his explanation had come to its end, Luna was a sobbing mess against his side and Celestia was… distant. Anger burned in her eyes while she glared at him, but there was also something else behind her gaze. Sadly, Mathew had not gotten the chance to know what it was that Celestia felt about the way things turned out for she left the room before Mathew could try and offer her whatever comfort he could.

Mathew knew that Celestia had been upset about how things had played out. Whether her anger was toward Mathew, Absolution, or both, had yet to be determined. All he could do now was let the sisters come to terms with what had happened… while he continued to suffer inside every time his mind drifted back to the subject.

Mathew sighed and nuzzled into Luna’s cheek. “I’m sorry…” he whispered again.

Luna swallowed a lump in her throat as she returned Mathew’s nuzzle. “I know, but I do not hold you responsible. Mother did what she did for a reason, Mathew. I cannot be angry… not completely. I just wish I had gotten the chance to say goodbye,” she said quietly.

Mathew let out another shuddering breath as he nodded. “Yeah… but I wish I had never been forced to say goodbye to her. I really miss her…”

“Me too…”

~~***~~

“Heheheh… how sweet. Two young lovers, comforting each other in their time of need,” Absolution mused to himself as he floated within the safety of his personal pocket dimension. The old god looked down to the rest of his body, noticing that he had yet to fully heal from the last attack he had suffered from Mathew’s rage. It had been ages since the last time he had been injured like that. His burning gaze drifted back up to the portal he was using to view his prey through. Absolution simply watched Mathew for a long time, his mind wandering through scenario after scenario of how he could find amusement from the new demigod.

Unlike Absolution, Mathew had not been reborn as a true god. This meant that he had to be careful in how he dealt with the young demigod; otherwise he might lose a source of fun too soon. Though it would have been satisfying to simply swat Mathew like the bug he was, it wouldn’t have provided anything worthy of Absolution’s time and effort to accomplish that. No… what Absolution wanted was to enjoy the continued suffering of his newest toy. But how? All Absolution knew about Mathew was that he was a powerful new demigod who seemed to bounce back and forth between being an Alicorn and human in appearance.

Wait… I wonder…

A sinister smile spread across the evil god’s maw as the beginnings of a plan started to form. He would need time to accomplish what he wanted, but it would be deliciously worth the result. Absolution’s eyes flashed brightly yellow and he started to chuckle deeply. “I’m going to enjoy this, Mathew. Don’t disappoint me now...”

Author's Note

Alright, this is officially the end of the first act. I've got some ideas in mind for the next part, but I need to try and formulate things so that it makes sense before I try to pull it off. With that said, I may take a little longer than normal before I release the next chapter. If it takes longer than a month for me to get my thoughts and ideas organized I'll be sure to let you guys know in a blog post. See you guys on the other side! :D

As always, I hope you enjoyed the read. Look forward to the next chapter. :twilightsmile:

9 - In A Game of Chess...

The sounds of gentle metallic clops echoed off of the halls of Canterlot Castle as the Princess of the Night casually made her way through them. She passed by a few stationed guards, giving them a small nod of acknowledgement while maintaining a neutral expression and nothing more. Before long, Luna arrived in front of the doors to the throne room. Using a little bit of magic, she opened the large pair of doors and entered into the room. Her turquoise eyes scanned the room briefly before locating the pony she wished to speak with.

Princess Celestia, the solar co-ruler of Equestria, stood in front of one of the many stained glass windows of the grand hall. The visage within the window was one that had been commissioned in honor of, and to celebrate, Nightmare Moon. It was an image of Luna, Celestia, and their mother… together at last.

Luna slowly approached Celestia and she turned her head to look upon the window as well. The two sisters stood side by side in companionable silence for a time. Luna was unsure what her sister was thinking, but her own thoughts drifted back to the day they had brought Nightmare to see the completed work of the window. A smile of melancholy formed on her face as the memory drifted to the forefront of her mind.

Nightmare had been shocked, awestricken if one were to be perfectly honest. Never in all her years of watching over Luna from afar had Nightmare expected to be placed in any form of remembrance, let alone for her to be seen beside her daughter. Yet there it was, standing in the warm rays of the sun and glowing radiantly. Each perfectly cut piece of glass, painstakingly selected and chosen with only the sharpest of Pegasus eyes, was set into the masterpiece that now adorned one of Canterlot Castle’s most important hallways. The sight of herself standing between Luna and Celestia in such a magnificent display had left Nightmare to shed tears of utter joy.

Luna’s smile warmed a touch as she recalled how wonderful it had felt to be embraced by her mother in that moment, wrapped in a hug that crushed both Celestia and herself together with the power of motherly love.

The memory came to a swift end as her sister finally broke the silence. “Good afternoon, Lulu.”

“Good afternoon, Tia,” Luna replied and she turned to gently nuzzle Celestia in greeting.

With their sisterly affection completed, Celestia pulled away slowly to smile softly at Luna. “It’s good to see you. How did the conference fair?”

Luna sighed softly as she shook her head and smiled a little ruefully. “About as well as I had expected it to go. Even after so many months, the nobles are still going on about how they knew it was a bad idea to allow mother to stay at the castle. Everything somehow always comes back to their fear of her… or rather, of me when I was lost to the darkness. Then of course, they bring Mathew back into the mix, saying that he needs to hurry up and accept his new position as a royal.”

Celestia’s eyes dimmed slightly at the mention of Mathew. “I see… speaking of him, how has he been lately?” she asked.

Luna’s expression quickly lowered into a frown and she sighed. She was well aware of how her sister had been toward Mathew in recent months, though the real reason for it was unknown to her. She found it odd that Celestia would ask about Mathew. “He has been well… at least physically,” she began slowly. “He still refuses to be recognized as a prince, even despite many requests to accept it from his loyal guards. All of them seem to revere him in the highest manner.” A small smile of amusement slipped across Luna’s features for a moment. “Mathew really does not like how devoted they have become, but he lacks the heart to tell them to stop. Though he has no qualms in expressing his displeasure of it to me when we are alone.”

Celestia hummed calmly to acknowledge her sister’s comment, even smiling at the thought of Mathew venting his frustrations to Luna. Sadly, her smile did not stay for long as her thoughts drifted back to why she had asked about the dark Alicorn Prince. “I see… has there been any improvement in his… searching?” she asked.

Instantly, Luna’s expression saddened. This seemed to be the only thing that Celestia persistently inquired about and, if she was being honest with herself, it bothered her deeply. It was not so much that Celestia’s asking was the problem, but more that it brought up a difficult topic for her to deal with. Luna sighed slowly as she looked back up to the stained glass window. “No. He has seen nothing that might lead to Absolution’s whereabouts.”

“I see…” was all Celestia could say in that moment as she, too, looked back up to the only physical reminder she had left of Nightmare Moon.

Though they had different reasons and perspectives for feeling it, both sisters shared a concern about Mathew. Celestia was the first to notice it as the dark Prince of Equestria began to change over time. How could she not take notice? In the beginning, Mathew had spent a great deal of his time looking to the night sky. It made sense since the night had been Nightmare’s domain… her home… and it was an ever-present reminder of the dark goddess. In an unfortunately painful way, his devotion to watching the night sky reminded Celestia of the days that Nightmare had spent looking out the window as she guarded Mathew’s crystal coffin. That, however, was where the similarities ended. During the three years that Nightmare had guarded him, she had never once neglected any who came to her. Mathew, though he had enjoyed company in the beginning, steadily grew distant from those around him as the weeks passed.

The more the distance formed, the harder things became on everpony… especially Luna and Applejack. The two of them had been at Mathew’s side every day for the first few weeks. Mathew had welcomed their help openly back then, gladly embracing them and sharing his love with them… though there were faint signs of regret hiding within his eyes every so often. It started out slowly at first, but as the weeks turned into months, Mathew stopped opening his heart to them. To this day, nopony knows what made him grow to be so cold.

Eventually, Applejack could bear it no longer and she, with great regret, took her leave of Canterlot to go back to her farm and family. Mathew had shown his sorrow only to Luna after that, but even then his pain was briefly lived. Something more spurred him on until he stopped eating and sleeping altogether. The only thing that mattered to him was finding Absolution and that was what Celestia feared would happen. She could see the signs for she had lived through them personally. Yet, for reasons she could not explain, Celestia refused to open her mouth on the subject. She couldn’t bring herself to tell Mathew that he had taken things too far, that he was lowering himself to the very same levels of obsession that she had in the past. It hurt her too much to admit that the very one who had been her salvation… had become the very same thing that he had saved her from. Or had he?

Celestia sighed silently as her gaze landed on Nightmare’s smiling face once again. She knew she had to do something to help Mathew, but she just did not know how. Her heart ached once more as she wished that Nightmare was still with them… to help her find the right path.

The low thud of the large doors to the throne opening drew Celestia and Luna away from gazing at the window. A member of Celestia’s royal guard breathed heavily as he ran up to the two princesses. He stopped before them, gasping for air, and looked to them in mild panic.

Celestia stepped closer to him and she lifted her head regally. “Catch your breath my little pony, then tell us what it is that has you so flustered.”

The guard nodded and swallowed before he stood at attention. “Your highnesses! We’ve just received reports from Cloudsdale of an anomaly. A dark portal has been spotted to the west of the Pegasus city.”

Both Celestia and Luna shared a glance of concern before a swirl of shadow in the center of the room heralded the arrival of the Equestrian Prince. Mathew stepped out of the darkness as it retreated back into his shadow beneath him. He looked to the two sisters, his gaze smoldering with long harbored anger. “It’s him… Absolution has finally made his move.”

Author's Note

I know I know... this is such a horrible teaser. :fluttershbad:

I really am going to continue this story. It's just saddening when I keep writing for Hazel Eyes and this story just keeps collecting dust. I had started this a while back and just finished it so that I could show you guys that it's not dead. I am planning to start this story, as well as Shifting Mask, up again sometime in the near-ish future. For now, this is a small taste of what's to come. I left off with Absolution planning something diabolical... we'll get to see what that plan involves in the next chapter. Look forward to it guys, I've got a few surprises in store that you won't want to miss! :pinkiehappy: