Knight of Equestria - On Distant Shores

Chapters

Chapter 1: Accident
Chapter 2: Dream
Chapter 3: Agoraphobia
Chapter 4: Bonding Through Knowledge
Chapter 5: The Furthering of Science
Chapter 6: Theory
Chapter 7: A Shadow of Myself
Chapter 8: A Stranger I Remain
Chapter 9: Perspectives
Chapter 10: Everybody Talks
Chapter 11: Suffering for Art
Chapter 12: Better Left Unknown
Chapter 13: Frostbite
Chapter 14: Familial Bonds
Chapter 15: Alone With You
Chapter 16: The Fear Within Us All
Chapter 17: The First Move
Chapter 18: Innovation
Chapter 20: The Last Drop
Chapter 21: Caladrius the Storm Bringer
Chapter 22: Murder on the Ponyville Express - Part 1
Chapter 23: Murder on the Ponyville Express - Part 2
Chapter 24: Murder on the Ponyville Express - Part 3
Chapter 25: How Vinyl Got Her Groove
Chapter 26: Island of Fools - Part 1
Chapter 27: Island of Fools - Part 2
Chapter 28: Maybe It's Better This Way
Chapter 29: The Spectacled Specter
Chapter 30: Rhyme & Punishment
Chapter 31: Matthew Nabal and the Psychic Circus
Chapter 32: The Wanderer Returns
Chapter 33: Hail to the King
Chapter 34: Politics
Chapter 35: Power
Chapter 36: Cruelty & Greed
Chapter 38: Human
Chapter 39: I Refuse
Chapter 40: Steal Away Tomorrow
Chapter 41: The Battle for Canterlot
Chapter 42: Hatred's Right Arm
Final Chapter: Knight of Equestria
Epilogue: Afterlife
Prologue
Chapter 19: The First Sip
Chapter 37: Tears & Deceit

Chapter 1: Accident

In a small, quiet town nestled between a great forest and a looming castle, sat an equally quiet library. Within it's walls sat a young genius and her faithful assistant. They were up later then usual, surrounded by piles of books and stacks of paper. She was flipping through a rather large book until she found what she was looking for.

"I've found it!" she exclaimed "I've found the spell!"

Her assistant, however, was much less excited about her discovery.

"Uh... I don't know about this, Twilight. The instructions are kinda… weird."

She scanned her eyes over the page again.

"... 'Must be performed at approximately midnight with complete and utter concentration.' That doesn't sound so bad, Spike. What time is it?"

"It'll be midnight in about ten minutes."

"Well we're just in time, then."

She began clearing a space in the center of the room, levitating books and papers out of the way, all the while looking over the page once again.

"Although it is a pretty advanced spell. Stand behind me, just in case."

He did as she said, and she closed her eyes to begin concentrating her magical energy. After a few seconds, a small, purple, glowing sphere appeared above the spot she had cleared. Before long, the sphere started to grow. She could feel the strain on her mind as she continued to focus. The sphere eventually formed itself into an oval, glowing an intense white in the center.

After awhile the center began to display an image. It was showing an odd creature, wrapped in black with what seemed to be book resting on it, and it appeared to be sleeping. The image in the oval quickly faded, and began showing a spiraling blue vortex with something flying through it. This faded as well as the caster began to lose control. Her eyes snapped open as a blinding white light escaped from them, until the oval unexpectedly collapsed in on itself for a mere second, then exploded violently in a spectacular display of light and sound. The shockwave sent the pair flying into a bookshelf nearby.

A silence then fell over the mess of a library. She dug her way out of a pile of books and rubbed her head in pain.

"Ugh... Are you okay, Spike?"

She looked around for her young assistant. He was lying just behind her, unconscious from the impact. Before she could check on him, however, she saw something move in the corner of her eye. She looked over to spot where the oval was just moments ago. In its place rested a lone figure on the floor. It was wearing black cloth, which offset its pale skin. The more she analyzed the thing on her floor, the more confused she became. Its anatomy was vastly different from her own and more similar to that of an ape. She began to move closer.

As far as she could tell, it was breathing. She had intended to wake the creature, to make sure it was okay and try to communicate with it, but curiosity and fear made her hesitate. She continued to stare at it until she noticed a small gray book resting on top of it. Delicately, she levitated the book from its assumed owner and opened it to the first page. It seemed to be a journal of some sort, and it was in her native language.

"I'm not entirely sure why I'm doing this. My aunt gave me this journal, told me to vent and what-not. I don't think writing will ease any pain, but I suppose I can try."

At the bottom of the page was the name of its owner as well as what she assumed was the date it was written.

"Matthew Nabal, 7/18/2012"

Before she could turn the page, she heard a noise from across the room. Her assistant had regained conscienceless and knocked over more books whilst getting up. She quickly glanced back at the creature on the floor, afraid that it may have heard that as well. To her shock, it's eyes were open and staring into her own.

Chapter 2: Dream

Deep violet eyes were now staring into a pair of intensely dark brown ones. Her first reaction was to back away, or shriek in terror and surprise. All she could do, however, was stand there, frozen with fear, gazing into the darkest eyes she'd ever seen. The creature didn't move either, never taking it's stare off of her own.

He hadn't expected this. He was woken up by the sound of something dropping and now something was looming over him, staring at him. It had odd, purple fur, with eyes of the same hue. Its mouth was hanging open, seemingly from surprise, and its eyes were locked on his. Their apparent staring contest was cut short when a small shriek was heard from across the room. The creature looming over him turned its head toward that direction. Then he heard a voice.

"T-t-twilight, what is that thing?"

The creature turned its attention back to him.

"U-um... Are you alright?"

This thing looming over him was concerned about his safety. He glanced around the room he was in; quickly discovering that it wasn't his own. Where was he, how did he get there? In any case, he didn't feel any pain or discomfort.

"Yes... I believe so."

She let out a sigh of relief. The creature spoke her language and didn't seem to be hostile. Judging by its voice, she guessed it was male.

"Oh, uh... Good."

He sat up and began to look around the library. His dark, fast eyes seemed to examine everything in the room before settling back on her.

"So many books... Probably a library. Everything's a bit too colorful, though." he thought. "Ah, and this strange little creature... A horse? More pony-sized, though... With a horn? A... Unicorn? Wait, no, it also has wings. What's the technical term for that? Winged-Unicorn? Horned-Pegasus? And it spoke to me. A talking Winged-Unicorn. In a library. That fact in mind, I'm probably dreaming. Lucidly." he turned his attention back to the aforementioned Unicorn. "I think I'll let this one run its course. My interest is piqued."

"If you don't mind me asking, where exactly am I?" he said.

She seemed a bit calmer now, giving him a kind smile.

"Equestria. Ponyville to be exact."

He gave a small smirk. The thought of him dreaming up such horse-themed nonsense amused him. It was then that he noticed a small, quivering purple mass behind one of the Unicorn's hind legs. It appeared scaly and was fearfully clutching at her leg. Perhaps a pet? He ignored it and continued his conversation.

"Alright. Would you mind telling me how I got here?"

"Oh, um... I'm not exactly sure." she replied. "I was just trying a new spell and..."

The small quivering purple creature was now peering around her leg with a mixture of fear and curiosity in its green eyes. It just stared at him, bewilderment plain on its face. He once again tried to ignore it.

"Interesting." he replied. For some reason or another, he gave a dream horse magic power. He decided on evaluating his mental state whenever he awoke.

"I just don't know what could've gone wrong..." she said, levitating a book up to her face somehow and flipping through its pages."Maybe I overcharged it? No, I'm sure I had complete control..."

Matt brought himself to his feet while she rambled on about her 'magic'. He easily doubled her stature, which he assumed was something around three feet. She dug her face out of the book she was reading, seemingly remembering his existence.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Twilight Sparkle." she gestured to the small purple reptile cowering behind her. "And this is Spike."

He choked back a laugh and extended his hand to her.

"Matthew Nabal. It's a pleasure."

Twilight extended a hoof and he grabbed it for a handshake.

She was surprised. The creature, that she now knew as Matthew Nabal, the confirmed owner of the journal she found on him earlier, was polite and well-mannered. His arms didn't end in a hoof or claws, but soft, warm appendages, similar to those on a monkey or ape. Although he wasn't covered in fur, save for a patch on the top of his head that was near shoulder length. His skin was a pale cream-ish hue and his hair was a dark golden-brown.

As soon as they retracted their friendly gesture, a voice was heard from outside a window.

"Hey, Twilight, you alright in there? There was a loud crash near the edge of town and I saw your house flash..."

She recognized the voice immediately; her friend, Rainbow Dash.

He heard the voice from outside and gave a sigh. Now what? Another horse with a blue coat and wings flew in through the window.

"... I figured you probably had something to do wi-"

She stopped dead in her mid-air tracks with a face of obvious surprise. This didn't last for long, however, as she quickly pinned him to the ground, holding him down with her hooves.

"Go get help! I'll hold it here!" she yelled.

Matt just laid there; the sudden shock and pain making him go blank for a moment.

"Rainbow Dash! Get off of him, he's friendly!"

She looked down at him for a few seconds, and turned back to her friend.

"You sure?"

He regained his senses and instantly began wondering how deep he was dreaming considering how bad his back was aching.

"Do you just tackle people you've never met before on a regular basis?" he said.

She gave out a sharp squeal of surprise.

"It talks?"

"Yes, now would you mind getting off of me?"

"Oh... sorry." she said, fluttering off of him and onto the floor.

She stared at him for a few seconds and then turned to Twilight.

"What is it?" she asked.

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, when another voice came from outside the door.

"Twilight? Are you okay? I heard a big loud BOOM! And your house was all, PHWOOSH!"

Another pony, this one pink, came literally bouncing in as Matt recovered from his earlier assault. The moment her large blue eyes noticed him, she let out a gasp and rushed over to him. She began bombarding him with all sorts of questions and was speaking too fast for him to follow.

"Pinkie! Give him some room to breathe!" shouted Twilight.

She did as she was told and backed away from him, targeting Twilight with questions instead.

"Who is he? What is he? Where's he from?" she asked.

"I don't know, he hasn't said yet."

Pinkie turned back to him and asked the same questions. He was beginning to get irritated at this point, but decided to continue to play along.

"My name is Matthew Nabal, my species is referred to as 'human', and I'm from a place called New York. Satisfied?"

The pink one, ironically named Pinkie, nodded her head enthusiastically. The one called Rainbow Dash seemed unimpressed.

"Okay, but, how'd you get here?" she said.

"Excellent question. I woke up here about fifteen minutes ago. So I can't answer you." he said

Twilight had her book open again, and seemingly found the explanation.

"Well..." Twilight began, "I was attempting a spell that creates a dimensional rip that allows you to peer in on other dimensions, like a window..." she paused to continue reading, "I guess instead of a window... I made a door?" she said, smiling sheepishly.

Matt began to toss the idea around that maybe he wasn't dreaming. He quickly dismissed this thought, however, when he glanced back at the Technicolor ponies before him.

"I would work on finding a solution, but that spell really drained Me." she yawns, "Until I can find a way fix this, you're welcome to stay here."

Spike, who had been silent until now, let out a surprised "What!?" in unison with Rainbow Dash.

"Twilight! You're letting him stay here!? Aren't you worried about what he might do?" said Dash.

Pinkie Pie, on the other hand, was ecstatic.

"Oh oh OH! If you're gonna be staying, that means I get to throw you a welcome party!"

"Pinkie!"

Despite Dash's protests, Pinkie kept rambling on and on about a party to welcome Matt to Ponyville she'd be throwing tomorrow, at a place called 'Sugarcube Corner'. She then took off as quickly as she came.

"A-anyways," Dash began, "You're really going to let him stay here? What if he tries hurt you or something while you're asleep?"

"Dash, if he hasn't tried anything yet, I'm sure it'll be just fine."

"Fine." she said, "But I'm staying here to keep an eye on him."

Twilight gave a sigh of defeat.

"Fine, but don't make too much noise for no good reason. We'll see you in the morning." she said as she and Spike began to walk toward their shared room.

On her way to her room, she noticed the grey book she was reading earlier was near her door. She must've been so shocked she flung it across the room. She wanted to give it to its rightful owner, but curiosity overcame her and she took it with her.

As soon as Twilight and Spike were gone, Rainbow Dash returned her attention to Matt.

"If you try anything, I'll be on you faster than you can blink."

Matt was sick of it at this point and just wanted to go back to reality.

"Yes ma'm." was all he said as he lay himself down on one of the library's couches, the pony called Rainbow Dash taking the one opposite him. As he closed his eyes he noticed that she was staring a hole through him with her intensely hostile glare. He just tried to ignore it and return to sleep.

Chapter 3: Agoraphobia

His eyes snapped open when he heard the screams. The screams of a woman in pain. He found himself in a circle of fire and metal chunks. He could see the figure that the screams were coming from, set ablaze by the surrounding flame. Any attempt to move was halted by the large piece of metal that covered his legs. He couldn't help her. He couldn't save her. He closed his eyes in desperation, trying to make everything go away. His wish was granted, but from an unlikely source.

"H-hey, are you okay?"

He awoke with a gasp. He was breathing heavily, desperately trying to regulate his breath and calm himself. He's had that dream before. Many times, in fact.

After he sufficiently calmed himself, Matt turned his attention to the voice that woke him. To his shock, across the room, was the sky blue, rainbow maned horse from last night's other dream. She was looking at him suspiciously, but also with concern.

"Are you okay over there? You're making a lot of noise..."

He could feel his heart begin to race as his mind did the same.

"This... This isn't possible." he thought, "This was a dream, nothing more." he took a look around and found that he was still in the library from the dream, except that it was morning now. "Maybe I've finally cracked. That's the only rational explanation. I'm insane."

As he continued to have a rational meltdown, Rainbow Dash had gotten up to inspect him closer.

"Hey, do you even hear me?"

Her words had made him pause his mental breakdown and stare at her with a look of confusion and fear. After a few seconds he nodded his head slowly.

"Bad dream or something?" she asked, stretching her legs and wings.

He quickly concluded that he must have woken her during his nightmare. He merely nodded his head again.

"It's still pretty early. Twilight and Spike aren't up yet..."

Matt was still going through possible scenarios in his head, trying to find a rational explanation to his current surroundings. The only possibilities that seemed more and more logical were that this was reality somehow, or he had lost his mind. He began leaning toward the latter when he remembered something the one called Twilight had said last he saw her.

"I was attempting a spell that creates a dimensional rip that allows you to peer in on other dimensions, like a window... I guess instead of a window... I made a door?"

"No. Dimensional travel is just science fiction. We don't even know if there are other dimensions. Then again, that would account for most of the current situation and it would mean I can still trust in my sanity. All I need to know is how... Wait, how was that purple one levitating that book? Magic or something?"

As questions kept entering and leaving his mind, Rainbow Dash merely watched him in confusion.

"Are you sure you're okay? You're still kinda... twitchy."

Lost in his thoughts, he had forgotten that he wasn't alone. He had also forgotten that his mind and body were still in shock from his nightmare, combined with waking up in a place he thought was a dream. He realized that the night before his behavior was radically different and he was now likely to draw even more suspicion from the blue Pegasus who seemed to already distrust him.

"Sorry, I... I guess the shock finally caught up with me. It's a bit unnerving to wake up somewhere so... different from your home." he said whilst sitting up.

Her eyes shifted a bit and her expression lightened.

"Oh c'mon, how different can it be?"

He smirked at her question.

"Well, for one, the horses didn't talk."

"Really? You have ponies that can't talk?"

Ponies? They were in fact half the size of a normal horse. Pony really was more appropriate.

"Not exactly. Our version of your species is about twice your size. They can't have wings or a horn either. Nor are they as... colorful. And no, they can't talk."

Rainbow Dash gave a wide-eyed expression and her ears drooped back a little.

"Seriously?"

"Mhmm. Humans are the dominate species where I come from. What are they considered here?"

"Beats me. I've never even heard of a 'human' before you."

"No humans? At all? Does that mean ponies are the replacement? And where does that leave cats?" he thought. He decided to ponder that later and continue his conversation.

"Interesting. What else can you tell me about this place? I'd like to know at least something about my new, temporary domain."

Though hesitant, Dash began to tell him virtually everything he needed to know in order to make his stay easier. She explained that there are three different types of ponies, Earth Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi, and that the town they were in was a part of a country called Equestria. She also explained that the country was a monarchy under the rule of two sisters, Princesses Luna and Celestia, and that herself and her five friends were the 'Elements of Harmony' and often protected their small town of Ponyville and the capital city of Canterlot.

She then took the time to go into great detail about herself and her accomplishments.

"About two and a half years ago, I won Best Young Flyer in Equestria for my awesome sonic rainboom. And then, not too long ago I became top of my class in the Wonderbolts Academy. And I have a couple of novels I'm working on..."

She continued on for quite some time, while Matt just listened in fascination. But one thing was gnawing at him.

"Wait, a sonic rainboom? Is that anything like a sonic boom?" he asked.

"Well, yeah. It's kinda in the name."

"So what you're saying is that you've broken the sound barrier with no protective equipment and somehow stopped yourself without sustaining any major injuries?"

"Yep."

"That's... astounding." he said. "And impossible."

Her mouth turned into a prideful grin.

"I know, right?"

It had been nearly an hour since she began talking, and Twilight wasn't awake yet. Rainbow was, probably for the first time, tired of talking about herself and decided to learn more about her new acquaintance.

"So, uh, why don't ya tell me a little about yourself?"

Matt was slightly surprised. She had seemed perfectly content talking about herself.

"Ah, well, my life is really very boring."

That wasn't the whole truth. He just didn't want to talk about it.

"It can't be too boring. My friend Applejack kicks trees all day."

Persistence. He somewhat expected this from her. She seemed quite headstrong.

"Well, growing up I was usually more invested in my studies than anything else."

"Oh, so you're like Twilight."

That made sense to him. He assumed that this was Twilight's library, and she did in fact live here. She must be quite studious. However, Dash wasn't finished.

"Does that make you an egghead too?"

A what?

"... I suppose that's one way of putting it."

"It's no big deal. I read a lot too, ya know."

They continued talking about reading and Dash's feats, among other things.

Twilight Sparkle awoke to the sound of voices from downstairs. She recognized one as Rainbow Dash, but couldn't quite place the other. She then saw a gray book in front of the bookshelf nearest her bed. The happenings of the previous night came back to her; accidentally summoning a friendly creature from its home dimension and Rainbow Dash staying to keep an eye on him. She remembers the creature, named Matthew Nabal, had this book resting on his chest when he arrived here. It was a diary of sorts, and she couldn't resist her curiosity and had taken the book to read later. Now was a good as time as any. She felt bad, but she needed to know more about her new house guest. She opened it to the second entry.

"I had a visit today. My father's best friend and his daughter. I've known both of them since I was very young, and they were some of the few people I called 'friends'. He wanted to know if I was alright here alone, suggesting that I go and stay with them and their family. I told him that I just wanted to be left alone, that I preferred it this way anyway. He knew I was lying, but respected my choice anyway. His daughter didn't say a word while they were here. She just looked at me with sad eyes. I suppose she felt sorry for me. But I don't need her pity, or anyone else's."

At the bottom, the page was signed and the date was marked.

"Matthew Nabal, 7/21/12"

Twilight was surprised. He had seemed so polite and well-mannered, not at all like the person who wrote those words. The words made him seem anti-social, but she could still hear him chatting with Rainbow Dash in the next room. Was he putting on an act? She kept these thoughts in mind as she descended the stairs and opened the door.

The door to Twilight's room opened, and the Horned-Pegasus emerged. Rainbow Dash turned to her immediately.

"Hey Twilight, you were right. This guy's pretty cool."

Matt smiled to himself. He had succeeded in earning her trust. Maybe he could get some sleep without the feeling of being watched now.

"Good morning, Miss Twilight." he said. Judging from what Rainbow had told him, they were a group of six really close friends. One down, five to go.

"Good morning. And please, just Twilight is fine." she said. "Did you sleep alright? I imagine it couldn't have been easy."

"To be honest, the realization didn't really hit me until I woke up. It's still pretty difficult to wrap my head around, though."

"I'm sure Pinkie Pie will be able to help you adjust. And you'll have plenty of time to meet everypony at the party later."

He remembered Pinkie spouting some nonsense about a party yesterday, something about welcoming him to town. He saw this more as a nuisance than an actual event. A thought crossed his mind. Exactly how big was this town? How many people would be there?

"Oh, yes, a-about that. How many... guests... do you think will be there?" he asked, preparing for the worst.

Rainbow Dash interjected before Twilight could.

"Knowing Pinkie, everypony in Ponyville'll show up."

Fantastic. His first day and he already has to deal with one of his greatest fears.

Seeing the distress on his face, Twilight tried to calm him.

"I wouldn't worry about it, I'm sure everypony will be happy to meet you."

"Or they could assault me in fear and panic, like your friend here did." he thought, but decided to keep his snarky comments to himself and just nodded his head.

"It's already noon. The party's starting soon." said Rainbow.

Twilight seemed a bit embarrassed.

"I guess I overslept..." she chuckled."I'll go wake Spike up and we'll go."

She ascended the stairs back to her room to get her small reptilian companion, leaving Rainbow Dash and Matt alone again.

"So, Dash, if you don't mind me calling you that, how many is, uh, 'every pony' in Ponyville'?"

She thought about it for a moment, placing a hoof under her chin.

"I dunno, somewhere over a hundred."

Matt could feel his stomach start to churn and his eyes go wide.

"A-a-a hundred, huh? G-great."

"You okay? You're getting twitchy again."

"I'll be fine." he said. "If I don't vomit from the nervous tension and paranoia, that is."

Before he knew it, they were on the way to their destination. Spike still seemed nervous around him, and Rainbow Dash took off ahead of them. It was an awkward walk. They kept attracting attention from passersby, which Matt had expected. Though they weren't always staring at him, but at Twilight Sparkle, who was walking a few feet ahead of him. Was she a celebrity or something? He decided to inquire about it later and just focused on trying to keep his composure with all those eyes on him. The walk was made worse by the fact that he hadn't any shoes and he was sure it was late autumn.

They arrived at the shop named Sugarcube Corner and Twilight went inside, motioning for Matt to follow. He took a deep breath and entered. The ceiling was quite high despite its short residents, and the room was filled with ponies. Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns in all sorts of different colors were chatting and eating and the like, but they all stopped dead whenever he entered the room. Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be found and Twilight and Spike were standing next to a white Unicorn and an orange Earth Pony wearing a Stetson-style cowboy hat, both of which were staring at him in bewilderment, much like the rest of the room was. He felt like he was going to be sick.

Before he could, however, the silence was broken by Pinkie Pie, who had just noticed he had arrived.

"Oh, you're here! Come on in!"

She quickly got behind him and pushed him further into the room. At this point, the ponies had started talking again, most of them about him, he assumed. Pinkie had pushed him over to a table that had a huge spread of varying types of sweets, all the while rambling on far too quickly for him to understand.

Twilight merely watched as her new friend was dragged into the party by Pinkie Pie. The way he totally froze worried her, so she'd have to check on him in a little while. Her two friends, Rarity and Applejack, had just stopped staring and turned to her.

"What in tarnation is that thing?" said Applejack.

"That's the 'person' I was just telling you about. His name is Matthew Nabal, and I accidentally brought him here yesterday."

"Well, that's mighty fine sugarcube, but what is he?"

"He says he's called a 'human'."

"A hu-what? Y'know, that doesn't exactly answer my question..."

Her other friend, Rarity, began to inquire as well.

"How on earth did you bring him here, Twilight?" she said.

"Oh, well, I was trying this new spell I came across and..."

Rarity and Applejack both looked at her with an 'of course' look, and Twilight just sighed.

"Look, it doesn't matter, he's friendly."

Before she could continue, Pinkie had shoved Matt over to them and began introducing him to her other friends.

Matt had just been pushed all around the room, being introduced to nearly everyone there by Pinkie Pie, whom he now began to dislike immensely. She finally stopped for good when she pushed him over to Twilight and the two ponies he saw earlier.

"And this is Applejack, and this is Rarity. There, now you know everypony!"

He was trembling at this point, and desperately trying to keep himself collected. He felt something grab his right hand, and shake it vigorously.

"Howdy pardner!"

She seemed quickly accepting, not making a point to ask him any questions or cut right to the point. He also noted that she had a southern accent. The language here seemed identical to his own. When Applejack let go of his hand, the other pony extended her hoof hesitantly.

"Hello, it's a... pleasure."

He extended his hand and grabbed her hoof softly, shaking for only for a few seconds.

"I-it's nice to meet you." he said weakly.

Just then, Rainbow Dash had entered the room, along with a scared-looking yellow Pegasus. When she saw him, she gasped, but didn't stare. She just followed her friend over to them, all the while avoiding eye contact.

Matt felt a tad at ease. At least someone he knew was here now. She flew over and dropped down next to him, the other Pegasus right behind her.

"Hey Matt, this is Fluttershy. She and I go way back."

The Pegasus called Fluttershy let out a soft and fearful 'hello' and nothing else. Matt responded in kind as another awkward silence ensued. Applejack was the one to break it this time.

"So, uh, Matt was it? Why don't ya'll tell us a bit about yourself?"

Why was it everyone he met here so interested in him?

"I... suppose I can do that." he said. As much as he hated talking about himself, he thought it would help him relax. He took a seat on a nearby stool. "I'm from a really big city called New York. M-my father was an esteemed business-man and my... my mother was a retired veterinarian. I have two sisters who moved out when I was younger. I graduated top of my class earlier this year after twelve years of education. Anything else?"

The group before him was stunned. He was clearly uncomfortable, but quickly listed off facts about his life as if they were just that; facts. He hadn't paused to elaborate on anything he said. Twilight, on the other hand, was just curious the moment he said 'education'.

"Twelve years? That sounds similar to the grade system we use." she said. "What did the curriculum consist of?"

"Mainly mathematics and literature with a few different kinds of sciences mixed in. Chemistry, biology, astronomy, etcetera."

"What about magic? Are there special courses for magic training?"

Magic? He recalled her talking about spells and such earlier, even citing a spell as the method he was brought here.

"No. We don't really have 'magic' where I come from. However we do have fairly advanced technology, which is 'magic' in itself."

Twilight seemed disappointed that she couldn't discuss magic, but was still eager to learn all she could and Matt was beginning to see why Dash referred to her as an 'egghead'. Before they could continue their educational and technical jargon, however, they were interrupted by Applejack trying to get back on topic.

"Anyways, how're ya taking to Ponyville?"

He paused for a moment to pool all the information he was told by Dash and his own observations together. The town seemed old, and from what he's seen their greatest technological feat were trains. It was quiet. Peaceful, even.

"I do quite like this place. The air's much cleaner than where I come from, and the residents seem nice enough." he said.

Applejack wasn't too keen on his machine-like responses, but let it slide because she didn't know how his kind was supposed to talk.

"Well, uh, that's good."

Another silence. Unexpectedly, it was Rarity who piped up next.

"Pardon me, darling, but what in Equestria are you wearing?"

He looked down and saw that he was still in his solid black long-sleeved button up pajamas, minus any type of footwear.

"Clothes...?"

"Hmm..." she began to look him up and down. "No, no, no, dear, black simply isn't your color. I think you'd look good in a nice, vibrant red. You really should come by my boutique and let me take care of you."

"Oh, uh... okay?"

Everyone else in their little corner of the room began giggling at their little exchange.

"Sorry 'bout that, sugarcube. She does that to everypony." said Applejack.

He smiled while Rarity frowned at her friend's comment. They really did seem like close friends. Part of his mind reminded him that his days of caring for other beings were over. He would only earn their trust so his short stay was comfortable. He could watch them, though. Watch the interaction he was starved for.

Hours passed, and Matt found himself relaxing more than he had in months. The party had started to wind down, thankfully. He had learned quite a lot about his new 'friends'. Rarity was a dress maker, Applejack a farmer, Rainbow a 'weather-pony', whatever that meant, and Pinkie Pie, surprisingly enough, was a talented baker. At this point he found himself relaxing in a corner, watching the actions of those attending. Studying, in a sense

Just then, he noticed a pony wearing a bow tie he'd not seen before making its way through the crowd. It was somehow holding a small bronze-ish rod in one of its hooves and was pointing it at everyone it passed. The tip of it would glow and make a small noise, and then it'd move onto the next pony. When it noticed him, it trotted over quickly and began doing the same to him. It waved its hoof around until It flicked the rod abruptly, making the small tool extend. It stopped suddenly with a grin on its face.

"What universe did you spawn from?" it said in a sarcastic British man's voice. It caught him off guard, seeing how at this point he thought the entire species was female.

"… Certainly not this one." he replied.

"It speaks English! Because of the TARDIS, no doubt." he said, seemingly excited.

At this point, being referred to as an 'it' had gotten insulting.

"I'm not an 'it', my name is-"

"You're a human." the British pony said matter-of-factly."A human, on a planet of all ponies. Brilliant."

Now that caught his interest.

"Yes, but how would you know what I am? More importantly, who are you?" Matt asked.

The pony straightened his bow tie.

"I'm the Doctor."

Short of not making much sense, this served only to bewilder Matt further.

"Doctor… what, exactly?"

"Just the Doctor."

Just then, the annoying pink mass of energy known as Pinkie Pie was bouncing around them, once again babbling on near incomprehensibly. The Doctor, however, seemed to have no problem understanding every word she said.

"Oh, he didn't introduce himself."

"Not like I had a chance to." Matt thought.

Pinkie spurted out more gibberish, and 'The Doctor' adopted a grim expression.

"No, I never have…"

The clear tone of melancholy in his voice suggested whatever she asked him was a sore subject. Pinkie stopped her bouncing and looked down, unsure of what to say next. A yell was heard behind her.

"Pinkie!"

Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing and looked towards the voice. Twilight stood a few feet behind her, looking at her with disapproving eyes.

"I'm sorry about that, she really likes meeting new people." said Twilight.

"Tell me about it..." Matt muttered.

"It's fine. I once knew someone who could talk just as fast." he said.

" , uh, my name is Twilight Sparkle. I haven't seen you around before, what's your name?"

"I'm The Doctor."

"Doctor... who?"

"It's just The Doctor."

She stared at him blankly for a few seconds before blinking.

"Okay then..."

Before any kind of conversing could be continued, two ponies grabbed The Doctor from either side. One was a cream color and the other a mint-green. They began to drag him out of the building, all the while whisper-yelling at him. Twilight watched them until they were gone.

"Alright, that was just weird." she said.

"Agreed." said Matt.

"What was he talking to you about?"

"Something called a 'tardis'. Everything else seemed like crazed rambling."

"Well, on that note, we should be heading back. It's getting kind of late and Spike needs his sleep."

The dragon in question was already asleep near empty plates of Pinkie's confections. Twilight scooped him up onto her back, on top of her wings. Matt had to wonder how uncomfortable that probably was.

She said goodbye to her friends and they departed. The night was beginning to set in, and the temperature had dropped. Matt's feet were starting to feel numb. He'd have to ask about getting some shoes later.

When they got back to the library, Twilight put Spike into his small bed at the foot of her own.

"There's a storage room you can use." she said to him. "We should have an extra bed somewhere in there."

He smiled sincerely.

"Thank you. I really appreciate your hospitality to an odd stranger."

"Oh, you're not a stranger anymore. You're a friend now."

He chuckled to himself. The rate at which these ponies accepted another was astounding.

"Ah, one more thing. Where's your bathroom?"

"Second door on the left."

"Right. Well goodnight, Twilight."

"Goodnight."

He opened the door to the bathroom and was horrified by the lack of something very important. A toilet. He'd just have to hold it.

Matt went to the room that would be serving as his and quickly found the bed Twilight was talking about. It was rather small, but he eventually found a comfortable position and drifted off to sleep, thoughts of the day's events swirling in his mind.

Chapter 4: Bonding Through Knowledge

The sun began creeping over the horizon, blanketing the small town of Ponyville in its warm glow. Matthew Nabal awoke to the sound of birds singing, something nearly unknown to him. The noise he was used to waking up to were the bustling sounds of a busy city. Struck with confusion, he began to remember what had happened during the last two days. Trans-dimensional travel, ponies, a particularly agonizing party. The bed he had awoken in was a tad small for him, and he could feel an ache beginning in his back.

He rose and stretched, trying to work out the kink in his back to no avail. There wasn't a clock in his room, but judging from the position of the sun, it was around seven o'clock in the morning. His gracious hosts probably weren't awake yet. Since he would be here for an undetermined amount of time, he'd guess a week or so, he thought best to read up on his current residence's culture. He went out into the main chamber of the library, gazing at the plethora of knowledge before him. Half of the books were knocked off their shelves, resting in piles in front of them. He grabbed a book from a nearby pile entitled 'The Encyclopedia of Easy Equestrian Ecology' and began to read.

Twilight Sparkle awoke before her scheduled time to the sound of floorboard creaks throughout her old wooden home. She assumed her new house guest was up and about. Spike was still asleep and she opted to let him stay that way while she went and got more acquainted with her new friend. She was the first pony to see a human, and wanted to learn as much about him as possible. She telekinetically made her bed and brushed her mane before proceeding to the main room of the library.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she spotted Matt flipping through the pages of a moderately sized book. He didn't turn to face her, so she thought he was immersed in his reading. She drew closer until she was peering over his shoulder, eager to see what he was reading about.

He couldn't help but be amused. His guess that ponies replaced humans in nearly every aspect was accurate, although their anatomy wasn't the exact same to equines from his home. He was absorbed in the influx of new knowledge that he didn't notice the purple pony standing right behind him.

"What chapt-"

Before she could finish her sentence Matt had jumped from surprise and dropped his book. He turned to her, eyes full of fear before realizing it was her and calming down. She couldn't help but giggle before apologizing profusely.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I thought you knew I was here."

He probably should've heard her moving or felt her breath on his shoulder, but he was far too enthralled to pay any mind to anything else. He quickly tried to play off his unnatural reaction.

"It's perfectly fine; I'm still not... situated yet. I'm still a bit jumpy..."

After giving it some thought, if his assumption of her intelligence was correct, she'd probably noticed his behavior around crowds and surprises and would probably ask about it.

"Is something wrong?"

He hated being right. There was no point in lying to her.

"Well, not that it's a major concern, but I suffer from-"

"Some type of phobia?"

His assessment of her intellect was correct again.

"Yes. Like I said, it's not a major concern."

"No wonder you were shaking at the party yesterday. You should've said something, we could've had a smaller one." she said, concern in her voice.

He was beginning to wonder how obvious his faults were.

"Well, I, uh... A-anyways, these books are quite fascinating. Is there any that you recommend I should read? To help settle in?"

Her expression changed immediately from concern to elation.

"You should definitely check out 'The Big Book of Equestrian History'. Oh, and 'The Scientific Study of Magic', that's one of my favorites."

He smiled as she went on. She was just as passionate about learning and information as he was. At least if he was stuck there for a few days he was stuck with someone he could tolerate.

The next few hours were spent mutually reading with occasional conversing. Twilight said she had some studying to catch up on and Matt continued to study Equestrian history and culture. Apparently their monarchs, the princesses Luna and Celestia, have lived for at least one thousand years. It is also unknown where they came from, one passage citing it as 'the place where the sky and earth met', with no mention of parents. For some reason, the older books weren't in pure English, involving another type of lettering in their composition.

They continued on for quite some time, until the serenity of reading was interrupted by a very frantic Spike.

"Twilight! I'm sorry for waking up so late, I'll get started on your breakfast right away!" he said, rushing down the stairs.

"Settle down, Spike. We already ate."

That they did, although Matt couldn't say he was satisfied. The only things ponies seemed to eat were fruits, sweets, and some vegetation. He should've expected the fact that there wouldn't be any meat, seeing as horses were herbivorous. He settled on eating a few apples, which themselves were far sweeter than normal ones.

"We?" he said, confused. He noticed Matt sitting near her, reading intently and seemingly not paying any mind to them. "Oh... him..."

During the few days he'd been there, Spike had seemed nervous and wary around him. Matt could feel the young dragon's eyes on him while he continued to read, ignoring his stare entirely. Provided Spike wouldn't make things difficult, there was no reason to interact with him.

Spike broke off his stare to resume talking to his friend.

"Well... is there anything I can get you?" he said.

"Could you find that book on diplomacy we got last week?"

Spike dashed off to fetch the book. He returned in a few seconds, book in hand.

"Oh, and that one on foreign policy?"

Again, he was gone in an instant and back just as quick.

"Thanks. What about that new book detailing early rule in Equestria?"

This time, Spike grabbed a ladder and rushed over near where Matt was sitting and began climbing. He secured the ladder rather poorly; as it would wobble with every step he took. By the time he found what he was looking for, he had to drop the book to maintain his balance. Matt noticed this, but wasn't fast enough to react. The book collided with his head and fell into his lap. Though upset initially, he glanced at the cover and smirked. It was called 'Equestrian Rulers - A Reference Guide'. He couldn't help but wonder what she'd need a book like that for, seeing as the country has had the same rulers for quite awhile. Spike climbed down and hesitantly took the book from Matt's grasp. After he had, Matt immediately turned his attention back to the open book resting on his lap.

Spike sat the third book down on a small table next to Twilight.

"Alright, what else?" he said.

"Hmm... That's all for now." she said, stacking the books in the order she'd read them.

Spike raised an eyebrow. Twilight usually had him doing a lot more than bringing her just a few books. She seemed to be focusing on fewer things these days.

Twilight had cracked open one of the books and was beginning to read, when she noticed Spike still standing in front of her. He apparently didn't have anything else to do. She had to come up with something to keep him occupied while she was studying. An idea came to her as she glanced over to the quiet figure reading across the room.

"Why don't you go see if Matt needs anything?"

Spike's eyes widened as he shot a look at Matt, then back to her. She gave him an encouraging nod. He gave a sigh and walked over to where the young man sat.

"Uh... h-hey."

Matt's rather enthralling reading session was interrupted by a quivering voice. He lowered the book in his hands to see Spike stood in front of him, with a nervous look in his eyes.

"C-can I get you anything?"

It was Matt's turn to wear a bewildered look. Why would Spike go out of his way to socialize with him? He was clearly frightened and uncomfortable with the situation. He pondered for a few seconds, wondering what could have possessed the young dragon to do such a thing, before realizing that he could use Spike as a reliable book-fetcher.

"Actually, yes. Can you find something on Mechanical Engineering?"

"Mechana-what...?"

"... Industrial technology?"

Spike merely shrugged.

"... Machines."

He seemingly understood that one, and scurried off to retrieve a suitable book. As expected, he returned in a few seconds, handing said book to Matt.

"Thank you."

"... Anything else?"

Matt was slightly annoyed by Spike's unexpected persistence, but decided to humor him.

"Can you get me something on local history? A reference guide, preferably."

He thought such a task would take him a bit longer, but he was gone and back, just as quick as the last time. He had to think of something to challenge him.

"Thanks... What about some type of compendium on pony biology? The bigger, the better."

He thought that would do it, but Spike was gone in an instant, wobbling back with an unnecessarily large, golden-bound book. He sat it down on the small table near them, causing what felt like a small tremor.

"Ah... Well done. You're really quite astute for someone your age."

"Oh, uh... thanks."

Spike seemed calmer now, looking far less terrified than before. Although Matt wasn't necessarily found of the child, he didn't particularly dislike him. He seemed to really enjoy his work as an assistant, which only made Matt wonder how he ended up being an assistant to a librarian in the first place. From his limited knowledge on Dragons, they typically didn't live in Equestria long-term. Spike must've been quite the rarity.

Twilight could hear Spike and Matt having a conversation across the room. She was glad that they were getting along. As she continued studying the governmental structure of early Equestria, a rather large red flag went up in her mind. She hadn't informed princess Celestia of her extra dimensional guest yet. Naturally, she was overcome with panic.

She sprang up from her seat and began pacing back and forth rather irregularly.

Matt and Spike stopped talking and looked over to her, confusion on their faces.

"I haven't told the princess that you're here yet! She'd probably want to see you right away. This is a major scientific discovery..."

She continued running back and forth in the library's main chamber, frantically muttering about things she'd need to do in order to explain the situation properly.

"I'll need to send a letter right away... Oh, and a copy of the spell and the method I used..."

A thought entered her mind. As the first pony to see a human, it would be only fitting that she sent a research paper along with her report to the princess. But, how exactly would she go about asking him to be the subject for a scientific study? She'd have to approach this carefully.

Matt watched Twilight pace back and forth, muttering incomprehensible things to herself. It was amusing to see someone so orderly and organized in such a panicked state. She stopped abruptly however, and turned to him, smiling sheepishly.

"Uh, hehe... Do you think you can help with a little project?"

Chapter 5: The Furthering of Science

Deep within the bowels of the library there was a small makeshift laboratory, which was once the basement. Many exposed roots and machines of various sizes and designs covered the walls. Large glass tubes were filled with unidentifiable liquids. Matt took a moment to breathe it all in; It was magnificent.

Twilight had led him down here after awkwardly asking that he participate in a 'little project', leaving Spike to clean up the place. He initially wanted to deny her request, but found it hard to deny the person providing his home. Besides, how could he stifle the furthering of science?

He was looking around the room, marveling at the amount of equipment she had in such a small place. Twilight was getting out certain things she'd need for writing a detailed report.

"Thanks again for helping me with this." she said as she rummaged through a box in the corner of the room.

"It's no problem, though you haven't explained exactly what we're doing." he said, still standing at the bottom of the stairs.

She dug her head out of the box and levitated a few pieces of paper over to him.

"Something like this. Just so the princess knows what to expect."

The papers she gave him had detailed drawings of various creatures, all accented with various notes. Among them were a Griffon, a Dragon, a Draconaquis, and an insect-like creature labeled Changeling. It would seem that she wanted to catalog him for future reference.

"Ah, I see. I suppose that'll be fine."

She had seemingly found what she was searching for and motioned Matt to approach a small table in the center of the room.

"Now, just place your hoov- er, hands, on here."

The table had four silver half-circle ornaments on it. He placed his wrists in the middle-most two.

"I wonder why she needs me in this position..." he thought."These four silver things look like shackles... or handcuffs."

Just as he finished his thought, the outer two semi-circles began to glow purple and snapped shut. His arms were locked into position. He couldn't move. He also couldn't see Twilight. His mind began fearfully going through the possibilities.

"I'm trapped. What does she intend to do with me? I can't hear her, I can't see her..." His thoughts began to settle on what he thought was the most probable. His breathing began to pick up. "Oh no. This is it, isn't it? She's going to..." he gulps, "I should've guessed it. I'd make a better specimen dead."

"Are you ready?" he heard her ask.

"Not like this... I always thought I'd be killed in my sleep. But as a research specimen? If only I could break these cuffs..."

He could see a shadow being cast from behind him, and it was lifting something decently large over his head. He closed his eyes and tried to duck in preparation for the worst.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Matt didn't reply, so she assumed that there was something wrong. She had just finished searching for her readout helmet, which she hadn't used since an incident with Pinkie Pie awhile ago. From her position behind him, she could tell that his body was trembling. She began to lift up the helmet and paused when his head drooped. She delicately lowered it onto his head and then circled to a suitable position in front of him.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

He opened his eyes to see Twilight sitting a few feet in front of him. He felt something on his head and glanced up to investigate. There was a strange kind of headgear adorned with many lights resting on it. He looked back to Twilight, then to the helmet. A wave of realization hit him and he let out a relieved sigh.

"Oh... you just... ha-ha..." he said, trying to recompose himself.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. She was immensely confused at this point.

"I'm fine; I just... had a misconception."

"Are you sure?" she said, still looking mildly confused.

"Yes. It's just... the place I come from is a bit more... hostile. And the, uh... shackles... were a bit unexpected."

She looked a tad embarrassed, almost as if slamming them down was just something she did without noticing.

"Oh, those. Sorry, they just keep you in place so the helmet's reading doesn't get altered by movement. I probably should've said something first." she said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Probably." he said, "It's not a problem, though. You can start."

Her face lit up with joy at his words.

"Alright. I'll start with a few questions." she brought a clipboard to eye level.

Twilight began asking him questions, starting with basic things such as species name, abilities, and behavioral patterns. Matt responded to every question without hesitation, making the process go that much faster. She eventually began circling him and taking notes on physical appearance. She stopped when she noticed an odd mark on his right arm.

"What is that?" she said, moving closer to inspect it. "Some kind of birth mark?"

Matt looked down and his expression darkened. The mark in question was a dark line starting at the base of his palm and traveling up most of his forearm.

"No, that's... That's a scar."

He stared at it for a few seconds after that, seemingly lost in thought. She decided to move on and not ask about it.

"Alright, last question. Do your species have something similar to a cutie mark?"

His face turned into a rather large grin.

"I'm sorry, a what?"

"A cutie mark." she turned to face her side. "That mark on my flank? It appears when a pony discovers their special talent."

From the smile on his face, she could tell he was choking back laughter. He didn't falter however and answered her question.

"No, we uh... We just find them for ourselves."

She seemed satisfied enough with that answer. She released the shackles then unplugged and removed the helmet. Matt rubbed his wrists. Though the restraints weren't tight, it felt good to have his arms back. Twilight grabbed a large stack of paper out of a small bin that had a zigzagged red line on it. He guessed that it was the data from the helmet. They both headed back upstairs.

When they emerged, they found Spike re-shelving books. Most of the piles in the room had already been put back in their proper places, and it was dark outside.

"Good work, Spike." Twilight said, clearly pleased with his progress.

"As always."

Twilight chuckled. "Yes, I know. Anyway, I need you take a letter."

He scampered off and returned with quill and parchment in hand.

"Dear princess Celestia, I am pleased to inform you of the discovery of a new species in Equestria that arrived here two days ago via a trans-dimensional accident. I..."

Matt didn't pay much attention to what she was sending, instead planning his remaining time there based on what he assumed he had left.

"Now, if their postal service is anything like homes, it'll probably be at least a week before the letter gets there. Which raises the question of how someone can just send a letter to royalty anytime they want? Regardless, it'll probably be another week for the return letter to get here. So if I take the left half of the library this week, I can-"

His train of thought stopped when he noticed a large puff of flame had incinerated the data and letter.

"Huh? But... why...?" he said, trying to formulate a sentence.

Twilight, on the other hand, merely giggled at his apparent plight.

"Don't worry, that's just how we send letters to the princess. She should send a reply shortly."

He felt relieved that he wouldn't have to sit for another hour and get quizzed on mankind again, but her response just raised more questions.

"So... If you send them through Spike, how does she send the replies?"

For the first time since he arrived, Twilight looked absolutely stumped. Before she could respond, a rather unceremonious belch erupted from Spike, which somehow manifested itself into a scroll. Spike caught it, unrolled it, and read through it.

"She says she wants to see us in Canterlot tomorrow. Oh, and to bring Matt with us." he said, summarizing.

Canterlot. Matt had read quite a bit about it. It had been the capital city of Equestria for at least nine-hundred years. If he was right, it was the large castle like structure clearly visible from anywhere in Ponyville.

Twilight had since grabbed the letter, glancing through it herself.

"She'll be sending a chariot to pick us up. We'll need to be up pretty early, so we should probably head to bed now."

That suited Matt just fine. He was tired after a day of reading and experimentation. Judging from the way Spike was yawning, he would probably agree.

"Alright, then. Goodnight." he said, heading off to his 'guest room'.

"Goodnight." she replied as he closed his door.

She and Spike headed off to their bedroom. The young dragon was yawning profusely, which made sense, considering how long he'd been awake. The moment he got in his basket-like bed, he was asleep.

Twilight, on the other hand, was reflecting on the day's events. It was definitely a productive day, but something kept bothering her. Something about her human house-guest. He reacted extremely negatively when attention was called to the scar on his arm. For a few seconds, his personality seemed to change drastically. She decided to worry about it later and just get some sleep.

Matt was sat up in his bed, lost in a trance of thought. His priority was to focus on getting home somehow. Staying there wasn't an option. But what waited for him in the empty shell of a house he called home? Nothing. He needed to get back to his nothing. Where he belonged. He found himself enjoying life again, something he simply could not tolerate, and was becoming rather fond of his new associates. His arm was the reminder of what bonds become. He wouldn't let it happen again.

He sighed and tried to get comfortable, which he found to be nearly impossible.

Chapter 6: Theory

It was early morning and the sun's magnificence was in full splendor. It shone all across the land, a symbol of Equestria's ruler. Every time the sun would rise, the ponies would be reminded of who brings them their each and every day. She was aware of this, of course, as she looked out over the land from her grand castle. From its windows she could see all of Canterlot, and in the distance, Ponyville. She often watched over them when she wasn't busy with royal duties. Someone in her position of power usually had many things to worry about. But not today. Today she was receiving a visit from her student and beloved friend, Twilight Sparkle, who had reported an unheard of creature in the immediate vicinity.

"Sister..."

She heard a voice call out to her. A very familiar and cherished voice. She turned to see her younger sister standing in the doorway.

"They're here."

It was too early for this. It was too cold for this. He wasn't in the best of moods for this. And yet, after a half-hour trip by flying chariot, they had arrived at the castle of the princesses. He hadn't expected to fly all the way there. The higher altitude winds had his teeth chattering the entire way, and he couldn't feel his exposed feet. He really had to look into getting shoes.

The three of them were led to a large dining room. It had an impractically long table and large stained glass windows. The windows depicted various scenes of assumed triumph, some of them featuring Twilight and her friends. Oddly enough, Twilight didn't have wings in any of the window portraits. Even stranger, a few of them had an out-of-place looking blue box. He took his seat between Twilight and Spike and waited for the arrival of the princesses.

After quite a bit of silent waiting, the doors opposite the ones they'd entered through opened, revealing a tall white pony and a smaller blue one. The white one began walking, with the other tailing right behind. Matt was actually impressed. The taller one, who he assumed to be Princess Celestia, was as tall as him. She carried herself with the grace and elegance befitting of her title. The smaller, who he assumed to be Princess Luna, just strolled in casually. He noticed that their hair seemingly defied gravity. A few days ago, he would've questioned that. It didn't even affect him at this point. He then noticed that they had both a horn and wings, like Twilight.

The two Winged-Unicorns took their seats at the end of the table, hair seeming to defy gravity. Twilight looked ecstatic to see them, though she didn't speak. Maybe she didn't know how to begin the conversation. Or, maybe she was just content enough to bask in the presence of the princesses. Seemingly sensing the building tension, princess Celestia broke the silence.

"Ah, Twilight Sparkle, how are your studies progressing?"

Twilight's face read pure joy.

"Well, I recently began reading up on early rule in Equestia and early magic development, when I stumbled across some notes by Starswhirl the Bearded. They told of a very complex spell that..." she paused and brought up the previously mentioned notes. "...'creates a dimensional looking glass through time and space.'. I'm not entirely sure what that means, though."

"It implies that it creates a hole in the space time continuum, which isn't possible." said Matt unexpectedly.

Everyone in the room locked their eyes onto him. They probably hadn't expected him to speak so freely, much less understand what Twilight was talking about.

"You seem to be quite knowledgeable about this. Please, enlighten us." said Celestia.

Of course she'd ask him to explain. He needed to learn when to keep his mouth shut.

"Well, the theory states that all of time and space is like a fabric of some kind. It's quite possible that there are tears here and there, but never concentrated holes. Although, considering I am where I am, I'd say the theory has a few holes in itself."

"I see. I assume you are Matthew Nabal?"

"Yes, your majesty. I'm honored that you took the time out of your busy schedule to meet me."

He was used to meeting powerful figures, nothing quite like a princess, though. He just had to change the song and dance a little. He heard Twilight let out a sigh. She was probably relieved that he was making a good impression with the princesses.

"It's no trouble." she said, smiling. "Unfortunately, we haven't been able to find a way to send you back to your home yet." she paused as an armor-clad Pegasus whispered something into her ear. "Ah, but we can discuss that after brunch."

As if on cue, numerous ponies rushed out with serving platters. They placed one dish in front of each person at the table before disappearing as fast as they came. Everyone was served a gourmet-looking salad along with tea. Spike was instead served a plate of gemstones. Matt watched as the tiny dragon ingested gem after gem in a rather barbaric fashion. He turned to his own food. Finally, he could eat something of substance without being sick of the flavor after two bites.

Conversation was scarce, with only occasional snippets from Twilight. Matt took a look around the table. Spike had already finished his food, Celestia's face was nearly unreadable, and Princess Luna looked dreadfully tired. She would just sit there, staring off into space, occasionally glancing his way and looking away quickly.

Before long, everyone had finished their meal and Princess Celestia got down to business.

"As I was saying, we have not yet found a way to send you back. Attempting the same spell again is far too dangerous."

He had forgotten about the reported shockwave that erupted from Twilight's home upon his arrival.

"Until we can find the proper way to send you back, please make this place your home. Do you have living arrangements?"

Twilight responded before he could.

"He's been staying with me, princess. I figured since I was responsible for bringing him here, I could at least offer him a home."

Celestia looked rather pleased with her response and Matt could see the pride in her expression.

"Yes, and she has been an excellent host." he said, smiling sincerely. "It has been both a pleasure and an honor."

Twilight seemed happy enough with his input and Celestia chuckled a bit. These ponies were too trusting. It must be the flaw of their species. They were far too easy to manipulate.

"Very well. Twilight Sparkle, I am placing him in your care. Try to make his stay enjoyable. We will be searching for a solution." Celestia said, rising from her seat at the table. Luna rose shortly after.

"Yes, of course, princess."

And then they were gone as suddenly as they came. Though Matt thought the visit rather pointless, at least he had something decent to eat. They went to exit the building and he braced himself for the cold of the autumn air.

"Sister?"

She hadn't heard Luna talk the entire time during the meeting. She was probably very tired.

"Yes?"

"Why does Twilight Sparkle still refer to you as 'princess' even though she also carries the title?"

An unexpected question.

"I'm not sure. Maybe she isn't used to it yet."

Chapter 7: A Shadow of Myself

It had been a bad day. It was the day after their meeting with the princesses and on top of his lack of sleep, Matt's need for footwear was growing more and more evident. After his request for shoes, Twilight had sent him to Rarity with a few gold coins she called 'bits'. Though the job should've been simple enough, Rarity insisted on making him an entire outfit and wouldn't take no for an answer. She had him there almost the entire day, taking measurements and talking his ear off. By the time she was finished the sun had set and the night was settling in. His new shoes were a brown-ish color and made of some leathery material. He assumed it couldn't have been leather, though. That would imply the butchering of cows. The clothes she had made were almost identical to his others, except the new ones were lined in red and a bit too snug. He'd forgive her for that, as it was her first time sewing something in his body shape.

He was on his way back to the library when he stopped. The small town looked completely different in the dark. After minutes of wandering, he settled with the fact that he was lost. He sighed and sat on a nearby bench, looking around at his surroundings. Sugarcube Corner was in sight, but he denied it as an option. The last thing he needed today was anything to do with Pinkie Pie. It was then he spotted a small hill on the edge of town. Seeing it as the best way to get his bearings, he headed for it immediately.

The hill had a tree on the top of it and seemed like the perfect spot to see the entire town. After reaching the top, he looked over the town and was amazed. The entire place looked so serene and peaceful, and he could see all the stars in the sky, something he hadn't seen in many a year. The moon was even full that night. He took a seat under the tree and gazed out over the beautiful nightscape.

"Oh... I didn't realize somepony else was here..."

An intrusion. Of course there was an intrusion. He turned to see the person responsible, only to be surprised at the sight of Princess Luna. He quickly got on his feet and proceded to kneel to her.

"Greetings, princess. I'm sorry to have disturbed you." he said. "Even though I'm certain I was here first..."

She seemed much more awake and alert today than the previous, providing evidence to his theory of her being nocturnal.

"I-it's quite alright... Matthew Nabal, correct?"

She hadn't expected anypony to be in her favorite spot, much less the human visitor to the realm. His appearance intrigued her and his speech patterns were those of sophistication. She hadn't the chance to pursue her curiosity and speak with him yet, being too disorientated and bewildered the previous day. It was a pleasant surprise, indeed.

"Yes, your majesty. I'd hate to intrude, so I'll be on my way." he said, turning to leave.

"No! ... Erm, you may stay if you wish."

She mentally sighed. She hadn't yet mastered talking to her subjects normally.

Her little outburst hadn't gone unnoticed. He raised his brow at her strange behavior, but shrugged it off. Maybe she just wanted some company. He certainly wasn't in any rush.

"Alright, then." he said, retaking his spot on the grass.

She looked relieved and took a seat to his left, looking out over the scenery. Most of the lights around town had gone out, amplifying the glow of the stars and moon.

"So, um... what brings you to Ponyville, your majesty?" he said, trying to make conversation.

"I come here sometimes to... watch over them." she said, still staring out over the now dark village.

She spoke softly and never turned to face him. Her voice showed hints of remorse and sadness and Matt didn't quite understand why. He knew when to give credit where it was due, however.

"It's very beautiful. You should be proud, princess."

His compliments served only to make conversing more difficult. She wasn't used to prolonged talking with anyone other than her sister. She began wondering why she even bothered keeping him there in the first place. There was just... something about him. Something in his eyes.

"Thank you. I began raising the moon again three years ago. I assume you... know the tale?"

She didn't know why she was so interested in him, but she didn't show any signs of stopping.

He paused for a moment. He knew the story of how princess Luna once went on a rampage and tried to 'bring about eternal night', taking on the name of Nightmare Moon. She was imprisoned on the moon, but eventually found a way to escape. She returned and tried the whole 'eternal night' thing again, but was stopped and saved from the darkness that grasped her.

"Yes, I've heard."

She lowered her head, seemingly fascinated with the grass she sat upon.

"Sometimes... I wonder if that's all they will remember me as. A shadow of myself..."

She looked distraught. Distraught and confused. Probably wondering why she was telling him this, just as he was. She looked skyward.

"I missed so much... up there."

He looked to where she was staring. The pale moon glowed brightly in the night sky. Her eyes shifted to a much darker stare. A familiar longing appeared in her deep, glistening blue eyes. There was no way the malevolent entity from the past was this sad, innocent creature at his side.

"You can't blame yourself." he said. She looked over to him. "We have all had times when... when we've lost control. Don't dwell on it. Put it behind you. If you can't, it just... eats away at you. Besides, I doubt any of them hold it against you."

That was what she saw in him, in his eyes. They were kindred spirits. Though she hadn't intended to vent her emotions to him, she was glad she did.

"... Thank you." she said, smiling.

He was genuinely happy to see her cheer up. She had it far worse than him. It was a wonder she could be happy about anything anymore. He turned back to the scenic town ahead of them, as she did the same. They sat there for quite some time in silence.

"So... do you come here often?" he asked.

"H-huh?"

"... I'll come again, if you wouldn't mind. You're quite good company, princess."

"Oh... of course."

With that, he stood.

"Until then." he began walking away. "Wait; one more thing. Can you give me directions to the Ponyville library?"

Chapter 8: A Stranger I Remain

It had been a week since his first meeting with Luna and things were beginning to slow down. Not much happened in those seven days, and Matt was getting impatient. He didn't think it would take Luna and Celestia long to find him a way back home. But there he sat in Twilight's library, reading. His Horned-Pegasus associate was doing the same, as blissfully as ever, whilst Spike continued with his assisting duties.

He had met up with Luna several times since their initial meeting. She had told him that she and her sister were making little progress in the search for a way to send him back. That, along with no correspondence from Celestia, did not bode well. He would probably be there for at least a month.

As if in tandem with his thoughts, a belch from Spike signaled the arrival of a letter from Celestia. Matt let out a sigh and stood up. It was about time. He was hoping to put this whole experience behind him. Twilight stopped what she was doing and unfurled it.

"Dear Twilight Sparkle, after an extensive search through the royal archives, I regret to inform you... Oh dear."

Great. Some kind of complication. Why wouldn't there be?

He saw her eyes start at the top of the page again.

"... I regret to inform you that there... is no way to send your guest home. No such spell exists in the whole of the archives."

She stopped when she noticed his eyes widening. He stumbled backwards, into the chair he rose from. His face was blank as he stared up at the ceiling. He began breathing more intensely and was seemingly rendered speechless. Twilight thought it best to comfort him. She began to approach him.

"Listen, I know it must hurt, but-"

She stopped when his eyes locked onto hers. His stare was filled with rage.

"Shut up."

His voice was cold, as if all emotion drained entirely.

"B-but... We can help you through this."

"No. You can't, none of you can."

Something about his still-staring eyes made her feel uncomfortable, to the point of looking away.

"I know you haven't really adapted yet, but we're here for you."

"I don't need you." he shouted whilst rising to his feet. "With all your magic powers, you still can't do anything. What's the point of such a gift? You're a waste." He turned away from her, facing the door.

His personality had changed entirely and he was saying some very unkind things. She had expected him to be upset, but nothing like this. She thought back to his journal still stashed away in her room. His cold words reminded her of its initial entries. Maybe this is what he was really like...

He began moving towards the door.

"W-where are you going?"

"... Out..." he said in a gruff, angry tone.

With that, he walked out the door and was gone. She stood there, overwhelmingly confused.

"What was that all about?" said Spike, who had been silent until now.

"I'm... not sure, Spike."

But she was determined to find out. She went to her room to find the small gray book that would hopefully give her answers.

"Why?" he thought as he stormed off. "Why am I so upset about this?"

He didn't have any particular location in mind, so he just walked.

"I should be happy... elated, even. So why does it hurt so much?"

His thoughts were torn.

"Probably because I don't deserve this. I don't deserve another chance. I was just going to let myself fade away, but no. Now I have to perpetuate this sorry excuse of a life."

"That's still no excuse for treating her like that. She was only trying to help. I didn't spend all these years studying etiquette to just lose it like that. I could've handled it civilly. Now I may not even have a home."

"But what does that matter? I don't have a home anymore, anyway. It was just taken from me. Again."

"Although I wouldn't call that a home if I was sensible. All that's back there for me are memories. Painful, painful memories."

"And all that's here for me are friends, things I gave up when I chose to isolate myself. Then again, I didn't really choose my isolation in the first place. That was just how the rest of the world left me, and I told myself it was right."

"But I've been shunning them since I arrived in an attempt to continue that isolation. Maybe... maybe it's time I gave it up. Maybe I deserve this second chance. If I didn't, I would've died too."

"Or maybe I did, and this is just my version of hell."

His mental tug-of-war continued as he approached an intersection in the dirt path. From the left, an unearthly sound resonated. Loud enough to halt his thoughts. It stopped as he drew near the turn, and he decided to investigate. When he rounded the bend, less than thirty feet away sat a large blue box. It stood in front of a sweet shop and resembled old police boxes used in England more than fifty years ago. Of course, the only reason he knew that was because of a European cultures class. Upon closer inspection, he found that it was exactly that, complete with 'Police Public Call Box' around the upper rim. He circled the box, wondering how something like it could've ended up in the middle of Ponyville.
...............
She flipped through the book, quickly finding the third entry.

She came by again today. Her father didn't come with her. She was much chattier, asking me how I'd been. I simply demanded what she wanted. I didn't have the time to waste on her. She broke into tears and started begging me to go with her. She said we'd run away. After I waited for her to calm down, she began telling me that my life was in danger. That I needed to run. I told her that I didn't care. That I welcomed it. It was a bold-faced lie, but she seemingly bought it. She looked me in the eye and said that I had changed. I forced her out the door and proceeded to go about my business. She stayed at the door for at least an hour, pleading that I listen to her.

Matthew Nabal, 7/23/12

That explained his fear of surprises and that he was clearly not the nicest of people. But his life being in danger? Why didn't he say anything? She continued on to the next entry.

She didn't return after the other day. I'm sat here alone, and wondering when those supposed "assassins" are going to arrive. Today would be perfect. It would definitely be a decent birthday present.

The second entry didn't have a date attached. Before she could continue onto the next entry, a knock was heard on her front door. She expected Spike to answer it, but when the knocking persisted, she descended from her room to see who was pestering her.

She opened the door and was greeted by the odd chestnut stallion from Matt's welcoming party. He was now wearing a white collar with a red bowtie.

He flipped open a small piece of paper. "Books and safety."

"But... your paper's blank."

"Oh, too smart for the psychic paper, eh?" he slipped the paper into his collar. "Very well, I'm The Doctor. What books do you have on magic?" he said, showing himself in.

Though she was normally overjoyed to talk about books and magic, The Doctor was raising too many questions.

"Oh, are you checking them out for a friend?" she said as he began searching the shelves.

"No, no. Myself."

"But you're an Earth Pony. Only Unicorns can use magic..."

"But you're not a Unicorn and you use magic." he said, still searching the shelves.

She wanted to correct him, but remembered the wings that now adorned her back. He stopped searching abruptly and turned to her.

"So... what does that make you, Twilight Sparkle?"

"That's easy, I'm an Alicorn."

"Ah yes, the mythical flying Unicorns. Just like Celestia and Luna."

"Oh, you know the princesses?"

"Yes I do, princess." he said, giving a quick bow.

"A-anyway, we usually keep the stuff on magic over there."

She pointed to a wall opposite the one he was standing in front of. He trotted over and began searching through the books.

"Any renowned authors I should look for, known for revolutionizing the study?"

"Well, the most famous would be Starswhirl the Bearded..."

He pulled out a book and showed it to her.

"Is this a good one to start on?"

"... 'The Final Days of Starswhirl the Bearded'? I think that might be a bit too late..."

He began flipping through the book.

"It's never too late to start, at least for me anyway."

He began pacing around, still flipping through pages. How he was doing so was a mystery to everyone. He stopped suddenly. The page he stopped on had numerous notes scattered all over it.

"Twilight..."

"Yes?"

"Do you know who wrote these notes?"

"It's believed somepony helped him finish that book. Probably his nurse or something."

"Or maybe his doctor..." he said, pulling out a small tool and scanning it up and down the page.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because, this is my handwriting."

Twilight was immensely confused for the second time that day.

"Uh, handwriting?"

"Right, sorry, hoofwriting. But do you know what this means?" he said, smiling.

She had begun thinking that this strange pony was going mad.

"No...?"

"It's time to go meet him."

He headed for the door with book in hoof.

"Wait!" she shouted.

The pony stopped.

"Are you crazy!?"

He turned to her.

"Yes, I'm a mad man with a big blue box. Dreamer of impossible dreams, at your service." he gave another quick bow.

"But you can't take that book with you! This is a library! We have rules!"

"Right, and I have a library card." he flipped open another piece of paper. Though she couldn't make out the details, she saw the words 'Library Card' clear enough.

"Okay..." she said, defeated.

He trotted away happily.

She let out a rather large groan and fell backwards, lying on the floor. It had only been a few hours, but the day had already been quite the ordeal.
...............
His fascination with the blue box before him was baffling. He had been standing there, looking it up and down, for nearly five minutes. Something about it seemed off to him. He was standing behind it when he heard the doors open.

"Alright. Same year, same day... five minutes early!" said a familiar sounding British voice.

"Five minutes early?" said an unknown female voice.

"Wouldn't that be a paradox if we see ourselves?" he heard a second female voice say.

"Yes, unless you were supposed to see yourself. In which case; see yourself."

He circled around to the front of the box. There stood the chestnut colored pony he remembered distinctly as 'The Doctor', along with two ponies he didn't recognize. One was a cream color and the other a mint-green. The Doctor had his back turned to him.

He stomped his hoof on the ground "Right, so where to next?"

"Uh, Doctor..." said the cream colored pony. She had seemingly noticed Matt's existence.

"I've always loved going to Italy during the renaissance..."

"Doctor!"

"What?" The mint-green pony gestured behind him. He turned and spotted the young man stood a few feet away. "Ah! Mister Nabal. Still got legs, I see."

Part of him wanted to ask what he meant, but he didn't bother. Nothing really made sense there anyway.

"Indeed. How've you been, Doctor?"

"Good. Well, as good as you can be after fighting a Draco."

Again, he decided against asking questions. The less he knew the better.

"I see. So, is this Police Box yours?"

The mint-green pony responded before The Doctor could.

"Yeah, and it's a time-"

She was halted by a hoof to the head from the cream pony next to her.

"Well, it's called the TAR-" before he could say more, he was given the same hoof-to-the-head treatment.

"He built it from scratch." said the cream pony.

"Ow! Why did you hit me!?" he said, rubbing the spot she had struck. She did so a second time. "Stop it!"

Matt had since begun ignoring them, reaching out and rubbing the corner of the police box.

"Tardis..." everyone else looked over to him."It's called the tardis, right?" he said, recalling The Doctor speaking of it at the party.

"Yes!" exclaimed The Doctor before a third blow to his head made him fall to ground.

"T-that's right." said the cream pony. She looked a bit nervous for some reason. "Oh! My name is Bon-Bon and this..." she gestured to the unconscious mint-green pony at her side. "... Is Lyra."

"Matthew Nabal. A pleasure."

She quickly waved and began dragging the still unconscious Lyra into the nearby sweet shop, which he assumed was hers. The Doctor picked himself up, dusted himself off and straightened his bowtie.

"Are you okay?" said Matt.

"Yes. Sometimes you just need to learn when to stay down..."

"So, Doctor... why do you have a police box from my dimension? You couldn't have built it."

"Well, you know what it is. Rather, what it looks like. It's called the TARDIS. That's short for Time and Relative Dimension in Space."

"Oh, I see. TARDIS. What does it do?"

"Well, would you like to see for yourself?"

Matt stopped to think for moment. Does he actually care about what this wooden box does?

"Sure."

The Doctor reached into his collar. After a few seconds, he started searching deeper. He pulled his hoof out empty handed and muttered 'Bon-Bon' in an upset tone.

"Right, well, we're going to have to postpone this. I've got a score to settle..." he started to storm off before turning around mid stride and walking back to Matt. "Are you alright?"

That was unanticipated. Matt had thought he was hiding his distraught state, but The Doctor had picked up on it.

"I was informed earlier that the princesses can't find a way to send me back. I'm stranded."

The Doctor looked at Matt.

"Stranded? I know a thing or two about stranded. Being stuck on a space rock that is in orbit around a black hole is stranded. You're just… somewhere else. Think about it, a whole new universe to explore, new adventures, new dangers, a whole new perspective on life!"

He took slight offense to that.

"You wouldn't understand. I've lost everything. I don't want a new perspective on life. I don't want to be the only of my kind. I have nothing because I choose it. It needed to stay that way."

The Doctor sat down.

"Not too long ago I didn't care about anything. I lost my best friends. Because of me, because of my actions, they disappeared in to the past. Soon after I became depressed and hid away in the sky. After a while I saw what they did when they were cast away. They made something of themselves. One revolutionized medicine and the other became a famous author, and it was only after I looked back that I realized how proud I was of them. They both lived their lives with open minds, up until the very end..." the Doctors voice trailed off.

"I locked myself away to try and forget that… That it was my fault in the end..." he blinked his eyes, seemingly to hold back tears. "But sometimes we need a new perspective on life. It was my fault, but because of me they lived the rest of their lives together, long and happily." the Doctor gave a smile.

The Doctor's words had reached him. He was overcome with sadness and realization. He understood.

"... Thank you, Doctor." he said, genuine smile on his face.

"It's alright." The Doctor stood up from his spot "The way I see it, life isn't just a pile of good and bad things. You need to sort through the pile to find the great and amazing ones."

"I suppose you're right..."

He trailed off, suddenly remembering his actions earlier that day.

"I need to go apologize to Twilight... I said some very... Unkind things earlier."

"Unkind things? Is that why she was so upset when I visited her earlier? Well, you had better go apologize to her highness."

"Wait... Her highness?"

"Oh and before I forget."

The Doctor pulled a book out of his collar.

"Can you return this to the library? I checked it out earlier."

Before Matt could say a word the Doctor sauntered away.

"H-her highness...?"

Chapter 9: Perspectives

A familiar terror was streaking through his entire body as he opened the library's door. He had to tread carefully. He had unknowingly insulted royalty and now feared her wrath.

Princess Twilight Sparkle was in the library's main chamber with a glum look on her face. She had noticed him the moment the door opened and she didn't look necessarily happy to see him. She was sat on one of the library's couches, though she wasn't reading. Just sitting there. He held up the book he was given.

"... The Doctor sends his regards." he said, throwing the book onto a pile.

"Oh... thanks." she replied meekly.

The room quickly filled with an awkward silence. Matt was figuring out the best way to apologize, whilst Twilight was just hoping he wouldn't start randomly yelling. They were there for some time, staring off in different directions.

"I... I know I said some... very rude things earlier." he stopped to look towards her. She was looking back. He had her full attention. "I just wanted to say how deeply sorry I am. I understand if you want me to leave."

She perked up a bit, giving a kind smile.

"It's alright. It was the natural reaction."

That was a relief.

"Still, I feel terrible. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you, princess?" he said.

She clearly hadn't expected that. Her face blushed, something that Matt couldn't begin to wrap his head around considering she had a coat of fur. She seemed to respond oddly to being addressed as royalty.

"N-no, it's fine."

Persistence. He had expected this, but would not falter. He needed to show his appreciation for not being sent to a dungeon.

"No, really, I mean it. There must be something."

She really hadn't expected any of this. His words and actions were unlike any she had seen from him. He seemed different. She thought this would be an excellent time to try and understand him more.

"Well, Spike went out, so I guess you could keep me company."

"Of course." he said, smiling.

He took a seat across from her, on the very couch he slept on his first night there.

"So... you ran into The Doctor, huh?"

An odd smile spread across his face.

"Yes. He and his... associates." he said, recalling the two ponies The Doctor seemingly emerged from a police box with.

"Associates? He came by after you left and he was alone."

He took a moment to ponder that. How could he have gone to library and then across town in a span of about five minutes? He decided not to question it further. A lot of things revolving around the pony called The Doctor had him clueless.

"Their names were... Lyra and Bon-Bon, I think."

"Oh, those two. That's odd, I haven't seen them around in awhile." she said, thoughtful expression on her face.

"What's odd about that?"

"Well, usually Bon-Bon's around town and Lyra's always lounging about. But... I think the last time I saw them was at your welcoming party."

Though he wanted to forget that the party ever happened, he recalled two ponies escorting The Doctor out shortly after he arrived. If that was them, then they hadn't been around for at least nine days.

"They're quite the pair, actually." she continued, "Bon-Bon owns a sweet shop in town and Lyra used to play in an orchestra in Canterlot."

Now that was strange. From what Matt had heard and seen of the place, Canterlot was where most of the richer citizens lived. Why would she leave all that behind to move to what was essentially the countryside?

"Why'd she leave?" he asked, speaking his mind.

"I'm not sure. All I know is that she left nearly a year before I did."

He had forgotten Twilight also came from the capital city.

"What about you?"

That seemed to catch her off guard.

"H-huh?"

"Why did you leave?"

His newfound curiosity in her life perplexed her. He was being so talkative. It was like he was a completely different person.

"Oh, well, I didn't choose to, at first. After I passed my entrance exam to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, the princess took me as her personal pupil. Nearly three years ago, she sent me and Spike here to make sure everything was in order for the Summer Sun Celebration. That's when I met my friends and discovered that we represented the Elements of Harmony. After that, I was assigned to learn more about friendship, so we stayed here. I was still a Unicorn back then..."

She had a certain longing in her eyes, almost as if yearning for days long since past. Matt had heard bits and pieces of the same story from Rainbow Dash, but didn't know details. What got him most was the last thing she said.

"Not had the wings long?" he said, once again speaking his mind.

"No, only for a few months. I was made an Alicorn when I became a princess."

Alicorn! That's what the term was. He was satisfied to finally get an answer to that question. Even so, she raised more.

"You weren't born into it?"

She shook her head.

"It was a gift by princess Celestia. I'm still getting used to it, though."

That explained why she was studying up on politics and what-not. She was probably expected to be a ruler someday.

"What about your parents?"

"Oh, they still live in Canterlot. I try to visit whenever I can, but lately I haven't had the time."

Though still confused over the entire situation, she was beginning to like the new Matt. She figured it was a good a time as ever to change subjects.

"That's enough about me, what about you? You've never exactly gone into detail about your life."

His eyes shifted for a few seconds, reminiscent of how they'd look when he had one of his odd moments, before going back to normal.

"Anything in particular you're interested in, princess?"

A very unexpected reply.

"Everything, I guess. And you don't have to call me 'princess'."

"Alright, then. I was born the youngest child and only son of the Nabal family. My sisters had both moved out by the time I turned five. It was around then that my mother had me signed up for piano lessons, which, for some reason, I excelled at immensely."

"You can play piano?"

"Yep. And a few other instruments. Anyways, when I started school the following years I quickly found out that I was an adept student. I passed every grade with flying colors. Top of my class."

Twilight couldn't help but be reminded of herself.

"It wasn't just instruments and education, though. Seemingly everything I tried, I could do. Excellently, even. I was my father's pride and joy, and he wanted the whole world to know..."

He paused, seemingly lost in thought. She noticed him looking down to his right arm. Looking at his scar.

He stared down at the eternal reminder of past events on his arm. He had always told himself that it was a reminder of what bonds became. He believed that less now, as he decided to see the world with a different perspective. Now, it was just a reminder of home. Or rather, his old home.

"You... don't have to talk about it." he heard her say, bringing him back to thinking straight.

She was smiling with kind, understanding eyes. He couldn't help but smile back.

"Thank you."

She gave a nod, before once again changing the subject.

"So... did you read a lot? Who's your favorite author?"

"Hmm... I don't know. I didn't read much fiction. Who's yours?"

"Oh, Jade Singer! She wrote 'Canter in The Sky' and 'Re-Cant'. You've got to read them, they're amazing!" she said, her face reading pure joy.

"I'll do that." he said, smiling.

They spoke for the rest of the day, seemingly making up for his outburst earlier. He was thoroughly enjoying chatting with her and she seemed to be enjoying herself. For the first time in nearly six months he had let someone get close to him. He had made a friend, and this time he wasn't just saying that to get some peace and quiet.

After awhile, Spike finally returned.

"And where have you been?" Twilight asked.

"Rarity's..." he yawns, "Tired. Sleep." he said, wobbling up to him and Twilight's sleeping quarters.

Twilight giggled before yawning as well.

"I guess it is pretty late..."

"You should get some sleep. Sleep deprivation isn't healthy for the mind." said Matt.

"Yes, I know. What about you?"

"I think I'll stay up a bit longer. I want to start reading those books you recommended."

"Okay then. See you tomorrow." she said, heading off to her room.

She heard a 'goodnight' as she entered her bedroom. Spike was already asleep and Twilight was halfway there when she got into bed. Matt's sudden change of character was still somewhat concerning, but she decided to ignore it. She had felt a spark ignite within her, and it was very different from the spark of friendship.

Chapter 10: Everybody Talks

It was another glorious day in Ponyville. The chilly autumn air was offset by the warmth of the sunshine, making for a particularly nice day. The newest resident of the small town was strolling down the central avenue. Twilight had advised him to go out and become more familiar with the place. Despite his reluctance, he thought it best to heed her advice. She was in a similar situation years before. As he continued walking, unsure what to do or where to start, he heard a voice call out to him. The only thing he found odd was the fact that it came from above him.

"Hey, Matt!"

He looked up to see a sky-blue Pegasus resting on a cloud, something he didn't even begin pointing out the impossibilities of.

"Ah, hello, Rainbow Dash." he said, covering his eyes from the blinding sunlight.

She flew down and landed next to him.

"What's up?" she said, raising a hoof.

"Nothing much. Just getting familiar with the place."

"Familiar, eh? I thought you weren't staying long."

"Neither did I." he chuckled. "Turns out my stay is going to be quite long."

"... Really? How long?" she asked, somewhat anxiously.

"Permanent."

Her eyes seemingly got wider and a smile spread across her face.

"Awesome! Want me to show you around? I know this place like the back of my hoof."

Though it bugged him how happy she was that he was technically stuck there, he let it pass. He thought it would be perfect to get shown around by someone with a bird's eye view. Before he could agree, her face soured.

"Aw, shoot. I'm on weather patrol today. We'll go later, okay?" she said.

She took off in a gust of wind and trail of rainbows as Matt waved goodbye. Now that his potential guide was gone, he'd have to find his way around alone. He took a seat on a nearby bench and examined his surroundings. He could see Carousel Boutique and Sugarcube Corner. Though he had seen these places before, he still couldn't tell exactly where he was. His train of thought was effectively derailed when he noticed he was no longer alone on the bench. To his left, from seemingly out of nowhere, sat the pink mass of seemingly unlimited energy known as Pinkie Pie.

"Hi! What're doing all by yourself?" she said.

Though he normally couldn't understand her lightning-fast speech, today was different. He seemed to be able to comprehend her.

"Just out for a bit of a walk."

"But you're not walking. You're sitting, which is like, the opposite of walking."

Apparently nothing got past Pinkie Pie.

"Well, I'm trying to get used to Ponyville's layout. I'm tired of getting lost."

"Oh! Why didn't you say so!? I can help!" she said.

Though he thought her annoying, he couldn't help but be nice. She was the kind of person anyone enjoys to see happy.

"Are you sure? I'm sure you've got things to do, being a baker and all..."

"Of course I do! I'm doing errands right now. You can come with me, and I can show you all my favorite places!" she said, hopping off of the bench.

He hated admitting it, but her reasoning was sound. Perhaps there was more to her then he expected.

"Alright, then. Lead the way." he said, standing up.

She seemed more ecstatic then ever and began literally bouncing ahead, Matt close behind. Within twelve bounces, they were in what looked like a marketplace.

"This is the market, and over there's town hall, and that's the Ponyville day spa..."

She continued calling out names of all the buildings in sight, but not stopping anywhere.

"Uh, Pinkie? I thought you said you were on errands?"

"I am, silly. We haven't gotten there yet."

Despite how painfully obvious that was, she did have a point. Although he did find it strange that they were walking through a market on bakery errands and not buying anything. She did eventually stop outside a familiar looking candy store.

"And this is Sweetie Drop's."

She approached the door and tried to tug it open. She kept pulling with both hooves to the point of losing her grip and flying backwards.

"I... don't think anyone's home." said Matt, holding back laughter.

"Aww, I wanted super-sized cotton candy lollipop..." she said in a sad sounding voice.

She picked herself up and began bouncing again.

"Never mind, come on! We're almost there!"

He should've assumed she wasn't going there for anything important. What would a baker need from a candy store? They continued onward, passing many other interesting shops without stopping at any. Eventually they walked out of the town's borders on a dirt path. A large, red farmhouse-like building was in sight. As they approached it, Matt spotted an orange and blonde pony with a bucket of apples on its back. She noticed him and Pinkie and waved to them.

"Howdy, ya'll. Be with ya in just a sec." she said, opening a door in the ground and descending some stairs.

As they waited for Applejack, Matt inquired about their location.

"What exactly is this place?"

"This is Sweet Apple Acres, where Applejack and her family live."

He looked around at the withering trees, bare of fruit and leaves. The bucket of apples Applejack was carrying was probably the last of the season. Probably the end of the harvest, considering the change of weather.

"So... It's an apple orchard?"

"Uh-huh, and it's where the sweetest, juiciest, most delicious apples in all of Equestria come from!" she said enthusiastically flailing her forelegs in the air.

"You don't say..."

He recalled Twilight's food stock consisting mostly of insanely sweet apples. This was probably the source. Applejack popped out of the assumed apple cellar, a small basket of apples in tow.

"Here ya go, Pinkie Pie." she said in her usual southern tone.

Pinkie scooped up the basket before forcing conversation.

"Hey AJ, you remember Matt, right?"

"Yeah... I figured you'd be long gone by now."

Though he couldn't tell why, he could feel a hint of animosity from the orange mare.

"Believe me; I'm not still here by choice. I can't go back."

Her expression lightened somewhat.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

He stopped himself from asking what she meant by that.

"Thanks..."

Thankfully, Pinkie had some reason to leave.

She let out a large gasp. "I just remembered something! Come on!" she said, bouncing away.

He was relieved to have an excuse to get away from a pony he was sure didn't like him. Though, he couldn't help but wonder why Pinkie had taken off so suddenly.

"Pinkie? What did you forget?"

"I forgot I was showing you around Ponyville! We're almost done."

He sighed. Nothing she did made sense. Then again, most things didn't anymore.

They continued the tour, until they ended up back at the bench they started from. The sun was setting and in clear view.

"... And this is the bench we started from. There! All done!"

He sat down on the bench and she took a seat left of him.

"So, by 'errands' you meant, 'pick up some apples'?" he asked.

"Yep. We ran out at Sugarcube Corner."

"Of course..."

She took one from the basket, somehow holding it in her hoof, and finished it in two bites. She took another one and offered it to him.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry."

She then posed a very odd question.

"Do you even eat?"

He took a moment to register that in his mind.

"Of course I do."

"I've never seen you eat."

He stared at her blinking blue eyes in confusion. He grabbed an apple from the basket, took a bite, chewed, and swallowed.

"Satisfied?"

Instead of the expected reaction, she looked more confused than he was.

"I don't get it." she said. "Everypony in town's been talking about you all week. But you don't seem that different."

He wanted to question her quality of vision, but decided to go with a less insulting option.

"But I am. Clearly."

She shook her head rapidly. "You're just like me. Or Applejack."

"... I'm going to need you to explain."

"You can't fly or do magic. You're just like an earth pony."

The more he thought about it the more it made sense. From a technical standpoint, she was correct. Besides the obvious physical differences, earth ponies were just like the average human being. This, in an odd way, made him feel less alone.

"I wouldn't worry about it, Pinkie. Everybody talks. They'll find something else to gossip about eventually."

"I know. What if nopony could talk? That'd be so horrible! I couldn't talk for awhile this one time, almost a full day! Can you..."

She seemed to be spastic about everything again, which made him smile. She definitely had a lot more to her than just being a scatter-brained baker.

Before long she said her goodbyes and bounced off, leaving Matt to test his new knowledge of Ponyville's streets. It wasn't long before he realized they hadn't gone past the library the entire day.

Chapter 11: Suffering for Art

Matt stood outside the widely known Carousal Boutique, mind desperately thinking for an excuse to walk away. He had been standing there for roughly five minutes. A new type of fear was coursing through his veins as he hesitantly went to knock on the door.

After eventually finding his way home yesterday, Matt looked forward to relaxing. After his technical roommate had, for some unknown reason, noticed that his clothes were a tad snug, she sent him to what he could only describe as his impending doom. He didn't particularly have anything against the dress-maker supreme who owned the boutique, but he did in fact fear her ability to talk for hours on end.

His arm had stopped halfway to the door, almost as if giving him another chance to walk away. He let it drop back to his side. Maybe he could think of something if he gave it more time.

Unfortunately the world seemed to be against him. He could hear voices from inside, getting ever closer to the door.

"We haven't tried sky diving yet."

"How would we even get that high up? None of us can fly."

"Can you try to think of somethin' that won't put us in the hospital?"

They sounded noticeably younger than anyone he knew and one of them had the same accent as Applejack. Judging from how loud they were getting, he took a few steps back to avoid the swing of the door. It opened seconds later, coming inches away from his face. On the other side were three very small and very confused ponies. One was an all white Unicorn with two-toned hair, another an orange Pegasus with purple hair, and the third an odd light-yellow Earth Pony with red hair, topped with a pink bow. He assumed that they were children despite knowing they looked nothing like foals from his world.

The trio let out a unified "Whoa". The one with the bow spoke first.

"What in the...?"

"I dunno, but it looks awesome!" replied the orange Pegasus.

"It looks kind of like a monkey." added the Unicorn.

"Sweetie Belle!" said a stern sounding voice from inside the boutique. "Mind your manners!"

The small Unicorn, whom he assumed was named Sweetie Belle, hung her head low as the familiar form of Rarity came into view.

"I'm dreadfully sorry about that. Have you met my sister and her friends?"

He easily put together that the two Unicorns were related after seeing them side by side.

"I've... not had the pleasure." he said.

The orange one put a hoof on her chest.

"The name's Scootaloo." she said.

"I'm Applebloom." said the one with the southern accent.

The young unicorn perked up, hopping in place.

"And I'm Sweetie Belle."

"And we're..." began Scootaloo."The Cutie Mark Crusaders!" they shouted in unison at a near deafening level.

After recovering from the small sonic disruption that was 'The Cutie Mark Crusaders', he hesitantly replied.

"M-Matthew Nabal."

"Oh, you're that hue-thingy my big sister was talkin' about." said Applebloom.

That confirmed his assumption that she was related to Applejack.

"Now now, girls, go about your business. I don't want you scaring away a customer."

Surprisingly, the fillies did what they were told and scampered off. Rarity walked deeper into her store as Matt swallowed his fear and stepped inside.

"So, what can Rarity do for you today?" she said, turning to face him.

"Ah, yes, well..."

He let out an undignified scream as he felt multiple sharp objects pierce his back.

"Opal!" he heard Rarity shout as he turned his head to face his attacker. To his surprise, seemingly attached to his back was a fluffy white cat. The cat began to glow a blue-ish color before floating off of his back. It was dropped through a doorway as the door shut behind it.

"I am so sorry about that. Are you alright?" she said.

Considering he didn't feel anything trickling down his back, he assumed the cat hadn't broken skin.

"Yeah. I should be fine."

"Opal's never just attacked somepony before. Do you not like cats?"

"I like them just fine. However..."

"I understand. I'll just have to remember to keep her upstairs when you come by."

That only begged the question of where 'Opal' was when he was there a few days earlier, but he thought it best to just do what he went there for.

"Anyway, do you think you could resize these for me? Nothing major, just a tad... bigger."

He was in his black pajamas he had arrived in nearly two weeks ago. Rarity had stitched him together another outfit, but it was just a bit too suffocating to be worn regularly.

"Of course, dear. Why didn't you say something before?"

"Oh... I, uh, didn't want be a bother."

"It's no trouble. You'll have to forgive me; I'm not used to making anything in your shape."

"Alright, then. I'll just... sit over here." he said, pointing to a chair near the door.

She levitated a pair of red glasses onto her nose and moved the clothes over to a table with a sewing machine on it. They were falling apart, like she somehow began extracting the thread holding them together. She didn't seem to be in a talkative mood today, so Matt hoped things would go a bit faster. He was in the middle of 'Canter in The Sky' and wanted to get back to his relaxation.

"So, how've you been, Matt?" she said, delicately starting her work.

He sighed. He should've known better.

"Pretty decent, all things considered. What about you?"

"Oh, just fabulous. I'm preparing my winter line-up to be shipped to Canterlot soon." she said lazily.

Aside from him now feeling genuinely bad about bothering her, he took notice that she didn't speak very enthusiastically.

"You don't sound too happy about it." he said.

She paused for a moment and looked toward the ceiling.

"Well... it is an awful lot of work..." she went back to sewing as she continued."But even so, it is my passion, and I'd hate to disappoint all the ponies expecting my designs."

He watched her flow from one piece of cloth to the next. The rhythmic sound of the sewing machine filled the now quiet room. Matt didn't want to pursue any conversation, preferring the serene near-silence as he watched her work. She moved fluidly, her years of experience being fairly evident. He had really begun to admire her dedication. A few minutes later and she was finished.

"That should do it. Now, if you have any more problems, don't be afraid to stop by." she said, folding the newly re-stitched outfit and floating it over to him.

"Thank you."

She stopped for a moment, seemingly staring at his face. Before he could question it she spoke her reason.

"Have you not been sleeping well, darling? You've got such heavy bags under your eyes..." she said, clearly concerned.

"Oh, um... I've just been... reading late. Twilight introduced me to some books that I just can't put down."

A bold-faced lie. He didn't need to worry such a busy person like Rarity with his problems.

"Oh! That reminds me..." she grabbed a book next to some fabrics on a nearby shelf. "Would you mind taking this back for me? I borrowed it last week and haven't had the time to return it myself."

"Of course. I'll be off, then."

She cheerfully waved a hoof goodbye and he was on his way. This time, he made sure to remember his way back to the library so he would hopefully make it back without losing his way.

He was unaware of the turquoise eyes that followed him every step, until he was out of sight, their owner cursing her cowardice.

Back at the library, Spike was having a hard time finding a particular book. He checked where it should've been, before diving into the multiple piles of books around the library. Twilight was searching as well, growing more and more frustrated by the minute. Like most times when she needed guidance, she turned to books for an answer. Not being able to find the only book that could help bothered her. Immensely.

Their search was interrupted when the door opened and Matt strolled in. He saw the chaotic state of the library and stopped in his tracks.

"... What happened?" he said, obviously confused.

"We've been looking for a book all day." said Spike.

"And we can't find it anywhere!" Twilight exclaimed. "It's just... gone." she said, abandoning the search and sitting down, eyes cast to the floor.

"It wouldn't happen to be this one, would it?" she heard Matt say.

She looked up to him and saw the book he was holding in his right hand. Her eyes widened as she got up and trotted over, smiling all the way.

"Yes! That's it!" she exclaimed, "Where did you find it?"

"Rarity had it. She asked me to return it."

Twilight could now faintly recall lending it to her friend last week. She was quite embarrassed that she couldn't remember something so simple, her face turning a light pink.

"Oh... right..."

The book in question had a dark red cover with golden lettering. She magically snatched it from his hand.

"Thanks. Well, we better get this place cleaned up." she said, taking notice of how badly they had disorganized everything.

Spike took notice, too.

"Ugh, but we just tore it apart. It'll take the rest of the day to re-shelf all these books." he said.

"Well then, we'd better get started." she said, dropping the newly retrieved book near her favorite reading spot.

Spike let out a large sigh and got to work. Matt figured he should probably help out, too.

By night fall, everything was back where it belonged except the small red book Twilight had set aside. She had to read it next chance she could, as there were a few burning questions she needed answered.

Chapter 12: Better Left Unknown

Night had set in nearly an hour ago. Despite being mid-November, the air still held some warmth. Atop a hill just outside Ponyville sat a lonely, withering tree and an even lonelier princess. She sighed as she began to face reality. Though she hadn't expected her lone human subject to visit every night, it had been many a day since last he came. News of she and her sister's failure of sending him back to his home realm had probably infuriated him. She was a fool to think that they would be forgiven so easily. As she spread her wings in preparation to return home, she heard something move on the side of the hill.

After finally getting an afternoon of rest and relaxation, Matt had remembered something very important; he hadn't been to see Princess Luna in nearly a week. He had grown quite fond of the lunar princess and she seemed to equally enjoy his company. When he nearly reached the top of the hill they would meet on, he was relieved to see her still there. He thought she would've given up and gone home by now.

"Greetings, princess."

She folded her wings and looked over to the voice. To her surprise, it was who she least expected. She couldn't hide her happiness as a smile crept onto her face.

"Matthew Nabal? Greetings, indeed!" she responded, raising a hoof skyward.

His features seemed to relax after that, almost as if he was afraid of how she would react.

"I'm sorry I haven't dropped by in awhile, I've been... settling in."

"It is quite alright."

He sat down at the base of the tree without saying anything else. She moved closer to the tree, sitting down and facing him.

"I hope you are... not too upset with me." she said sheepishly.

"Hmm? What reason would I have to be upset?" he replied.

"I am partially to blame for your being... stranded here."

"I wouldn't call it 'stranded'. That implies I'm stuck, or trapped. It's more like... being cast away." he said, smiling.

Though dumbfounded, she felt relieved all the same.

"I see. How has... 'Settling in' gone for you?"

He took a moment to think about it. He was living in a library for no charge, with a princess, no less. He had also grown to know the village's resident party animal and the owner of a classy boutique. He had familiarized himself with Ponyville and the locals didn't seem to mind him much. Things were going well, if a bit boring.

"Pretty well. Everyone's exceedingly friendly around here, so I'm sure they're all used to me by now."

"I'm glad to hear it. Are you still staying with Twilight Sparkle?"

"I am. She's been... quite the generous host."

That she was, providing a home, food, and being insanely patient with his behavior.

"She has always been very helpful. I can think of many times when she went out of her way to assist me, as well." said Luna.

It was becoming more obvious to him why Twilight was gifted the title of 'princess'. She was a genuinely caring individual. Something still bugged him, though.

"I just wish somebody would've told me she was a princess. I... could've said something insulting, and nobody would want that."

After an extended few seconds of silence, he turned to see Luna staring off into literal space. She refocused on him when she noticed his confused stare.

"M-my apologies, I just noticed your... dialect."

Dialect? What dialect? He had lived in New York his entire life, and was proud to have never picked up the accent. He evaluated his last statement in an attempt to figure out what she meant. When he couldn't see a problem, he decided to ask what it was.

"Beg pardon, but would you mind explaining?"

She let out a small laugh, the first he'd ever heard from her. Normally Luna would just be glum or bored-looking.

"It's just, well... Nopony says 'somebody' or the like anymore. It's kind of odd hearing somepony say it after so many years."

It took a moment to click in his mind.

"Oh... oh..."

Another giggle escaped from Luna as Matt frowned.

"I'm sorry; I just find it… amusing." She said, struggling to maintain composure.

"I don't think that'll be changing anytime soon."

She seemingly got over her sudden infection of laughter.

"I understand. I myself am still not… familiar with modern speech."

He felt some small comfort knowing he wasn't alone on that front.

They continued to chat for some time, Luna explaining the proper use of pony-fied words. Eventually conversation devolved into talk of current events, in which she continued to do most of the talking. Apparently after Twilight's coronation things had been quiet and uneventful. After awhile she stopped rather abruptly, seemingly staring at his eyes. He assumed she would soon take note of how tired he looked.

"Your eyes are weary. Is something wrong?" she said as if on cue. She took a look around the night sky, noticing the position of the moon. "Oh, I'm sorry for keeping you out so late. You must be very tired."

He smiled warmly at her concern.

"Its fine, princess. I haven't been sleeping well recently, anyways."

Her expression only grew more concerned.

"What is it that troubles you? Perhaps I can assist."

He didn't see any harm in confiding in Luna, given their past experiences with loneliness.

"Well, for some time, I've been plagued with… nightmares. They began roughly six months ago and haven't ceased since."

Rather unexpectedly, Luna's expression became much happier.

"I believe I can help. As princess of the night, it is my duty to guard the dreams of my subjects. Would you like me to… take a look?"

His eyes shot wide open and his heart rate picked up. He had expected advice, not for her to offer to crawl around in his head.

"Uh, no, that's alright. I'll just, uh… do… something. A-anyway, thank you for the offer."

She stared at him blankly for a few seconds, clearly bewildered by his little outburst.

"Alright, then…"

He mentally released a relieved sigh. Though he would appreciate the help, he perceived the pony mind incapable of dealing with the horrors of the human world. Some things were better left unknown to them.

"In any case," Luna began, "You really should try to get some rest. I will… see you some other time." She said, smiling faintly.

"Very well. Until then, your majesty."

"Farewell, Matthew Nabal. May the stars guide your path." she said as she flew off.

He really should've told her that she didn't need to address him by his full name.

As he descended the hill and walked back onto Ponyville's dirt roads, he couldn't help but be bothered by something. Something unknown to him. Perhaps talk of his nightmares had him wondering why the same event replayed itself night after night. Or perhaps he had remembered why the nightmares began in the first place.

As he arrived at the library and slowly opened the door, he heard something much unexpected.

"Who?"

The lights were off in the main chamber save for a small candle on a desk near the window. There was also an owl perched on the forward edge of the desk, along with someone sat in front of it.

"Twilight?" asked Matt, struggling to make out the figure.

The figure turned towards him, revealing itself to be, in fact, Twilight Sparkle.

"Oh…" she yawns, "Welcome back."

He had never known Twilight to stay up this late. It had to be near three in the morning. He felt a twinge of guilt as he surmised the reason.

"You… waited up for me?" he asked.

She shuffled awkwardly in place.

"Well… yeah. I needed to make sure you got home alright."

There was a moment of silence in the near pitch-black room.

"B-besides, Owlowiscious helped finished up some last minute studying."

He could only assume she was talking about the Horned Owl perched on her desk. The little bird just sat there, occasionally blinking.

"I see." He said, approaching his bedroom door.

He stopped and looked back to her.

"Thank you, Twilight."

"You're very welcome." she replied, smiling warmly through the darkness.

With that, his door closed, and Twilight felt it time to head to bed herself.

Matt stared at the ceiling as he lay in his slightly-too-small bed. He felt bad for making Twilight stay up so late, but also felt a bit of unexplained happiness, which made him feel worse. He thought it best to think about it tomorrow, provided he could get any sleep.

Chapter 13: Frostbite

It was a quiet, chilly day in Ponyville. Clouds almost completely covered the sky, blocking most of the sun's warmth. The nearby forest was faring no better. The clouds overhead had near blotted out the sun, and the air seemed colder.

"This place feels… strange."

"I'd say it's more 'creepy' than strange. Or maybe 'diabolical'. Ooh, or maybe..,"

Matt and Pinkie Pie were trudging through the forest at the request of the Pegasus who walked quietly behind them. She had a saddle bag strapped to her back.

"Thank you both so very much for helping me. This place can be scary when you're alone." Fluttershy said softly, much like she said everything.

"Of course we'd help, Fluttershy!" exclaimed Pinkie.

"Yes, of course. What exactly are we doing out here again?" said Matt, folding his arms in a desperate attempt to warm himself.

Though he couldn't say he was happy to be wandering through a deep dark forest, he also couldn't say he wasn't interested in the place. The Everfree Forest had earned quite a sinister reputation over the years. He had come across numerous tomes on the subject, and they all warned that it was an unnatural and dangerous place.

Besides, he couldn't bring himself to deny Fluttershy.

"Well, there's a fruit that only ripens around the end of autumn. I need some for a special treat I'm making for Angel bunny." Fluttershy answered.

When she unexpectedly knocked on the library's door earlier that day and stammered out a request for help, he had no choice but to oblige. Twilight said it had probably taken her several days to work up the nerve. Apparently all of her friends were too busy to help out, so he was a last resort.

All of her friends except Pinkie Pie.

"What kinda treat? A cake? A pie? A tart? A super taste-errific rooty-tooty fruit salad?" she said, performing several indefinable gestures.

"A sundae, actually. And Angel is very particular about his food." replied Fluttershy, still gingerly walking behind them.

Given their greatly differing personalities, Matt was finding it hard to understand why they were friends, as the two ponies were near polar opposites. One would think Pinkie's random tendencies would drive such a shy person away.

As they continued wandering aimlessly, Matt had come to a realization; they were wandering aimlessly. Fluttershy had neglected to inform them of what exactly they were looking for.

"So… what kind of fruit are we looking for?" he said.

"Oh, well, they're small, have little spikes on them, and they're light blue in color." Fluttershy replied.

"Like Rainbow Dash?' asked Pinkie.

"No, Rainbow Dash is a sky blue color; these are more baby-blue."

At least now he knew what to keep an eye out for, even if he had little to go on. The group continued walking through the dimly lit forest.

"Hey, aren't those spooky ruins nearby?" said Pinkie, sporadically looking about.

"I think so. It's been such a long time since we were there." said Fluttershy thoughtfully.

"Ruins?" asked Matt.

"Yeah! It's where we faced off with Nightmare Moon." began Pinkie. "And then we all started floating, and Twilight was all, FWHIRRRN!" she closed and opened her eyes dramatically, before throwing herself on the ground, then standing back up quickly. "And then we went back to Ponyville and had this crazy party…"

All movement had come to a halt as Matt looked back to her, trying to make any sense out of whatever she just said.

"Um… I think Twilight called it, 'The Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters'." added Fluttershy.

"Oh. I believe I've read something about that. It was the former site of the capital, correct?"

She nodded. It was interesting to know that such landmark was nearby. Perhaps he could take a look after they found whatever-it-was Fluttershy had them looking for.

"Hmm…" he said, formulating a plan. "I think it'd be faster if we split up. We could cover more ground."

"I didn't know you were such a super smart-smarty-smart pants! I'll go this way!" said Pinkie Pie as she bounded off in a random direction.

"I guess I'll go this way, then." said Matt as he walked the opposite way.

Neither of them had heard the disagreeing pleas of the yellow Pegasus who now sat alone on the main path. She called out to them, but they were far out of earshot within the density of the forest. She tried her best to stop trembling and take another step, and soon found herself slowly walking ahead.

Despite being alone in a dark forest known to be filled with dangerous creatures, Pinkie was enjoying herself. She was always up for a scavenger hunt.

As she continued merrily bouncing along in search of the fruit, she had begun hearing odd noises nearby. Though she probably should've ignored it, she found herself unable to resist and curiously drew closer to the source of the noises. Before long, she came across what looked like a large fallen branch in the middle of the path. As she attempted to hop over it, the branch sprang to life and revealed itself to be a large snake.

She let out a large gasp and began to run the other direction when she noticed it wasn't chasing her. It was going in the opposite direction. Still facing her. While she was still frightened, she decided to follow it. A backwards-slithering snake was a sight to behold.

Fluttershy meekly marched through the density of Everfree in desperate search of a small blue fruit. Nearly every step she took was followed by a minute of cowering over something she thought she heard. She eventually took a few steps forward and heard an oddly familiar sound nearby.

"Baaa."

Instead of cowering, she raised her head higher.

"That sounds like a poor sheep got lost in here…"

She began to delicately make her way over to the source of the sounds.

Matt was beginning to get frustrated. So far, he had come across a strange hut he didn't dare investigate, an old rickety bridge, and a tree of rainbow colored apples. But he still hadn't found a trace of the mysterious fruit he was there for. He had all but given up hope when he came across a small clearing. A hole in the clouds let some sunshine through, and the area was noticeably warmer. Mere seconds after approaching the clearing, a smile spread across his face as he spotted traces of blue among the greenery.

The clearing had but a lone bush in its center. And upon this bush, on tiny stems, hung spiky blue berries. He reached his hand out to grab one, and on contact quickly pulled it back. The small fruits were abnormally cold. So much so that it stung to touch them. He assumed that this was why Fluttershy had brought along something to carry them in.

He sighed. Now he'd have to wait for his companions to stumble along. He stood there, arms crossed, and debated on whether or not he should start yelling for them.

Pinkie Pie had nearly lost sight of her slithering target when she had to stop to catch her breath. A few seconds later, the familiar shape of Fluttershy came into view out of the canopy. She too, was out of breath.

"Did... you see… a sheep run through here?" she said, exasperated.

"No… but… I saw… that." Pinkie replied, pointing to the reverse-snake that had just left their view.

Fluttershy wasn't as confused as Pinkie Pie thought she'd be, instead wearing a face of fear.

"Oh no… where's Matt!?"

As if on cue, shouting was heard across the woodlands.

"Pinkie? Fluttershy? I think I found them. They're really cold and on this bush…"

A loud roar ripped through the silence of the forest.

The ponies turned their heads to see something large rushing towards the direction of their friend's shouts.

After letting out a rather unceremonious screech at the sound of an assumed roar, Matt turned to face its direction to see trees being felled, along with something large knocking them over. As the beast drew closer, the only thoughts racing through his mind were which direction was the most optimal to run away in. He couldn't make up his mind fast enough, however, as the creature burst out of the tree line and into the clearing.

"You have got to be kidding me!"

It mostly had the body of a lion, save for the goat head next to the lion's and a massive white feathered wingspan. Its tail flipped around and revealed itself to be a large snake.

At a loss for further words, Matt could only stand and watch as the snarling beast drew slowly closer.

The only thing he knew about dangerous creatures was that sudden movements were a bad thing.

"Matt!" he heard from across the clearing. "You have to move!"

"You're being slightly counterproductive!" he shouted back, looking past the hulking beast and seeing his friends.

He couldn't tell the difference between Pinkie and Fluttershy's voices from this distance, so he couldn't judge credibility on that little piece of advice. As the beast before him broke into a full on sprint, he quickly weighed his options and dove out of the way. Astoundingly, the monster didn't pursue, instead going after the berry bush.

He picked himself up and watched in awe as all three heads demolished the small bush. Though he couldn't exactly see what it was doing, he assumed it was devouring the poor thing. A few moments later his pony friends caught up to him.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay!? That thing almost gobbled you whole!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, rushing to his side.

"Yeah… mostly." he replied, allowing himself to relax.

"You aren't hurt, are you? Oh, I should never have asked you to come along…" said Fluttershy whilst sadly looking towards the ground.

"No, I'm quite alright. Just a little… shaken up." he said in an attempt to cheer her up. "Anyway, it looks like our little journey was for nothing. I'm fairly certain that's the only bush of its kind anywhere near here."

Fluttershy looked toward the ground before putting on a bold face and slowly marching towards the ferocious beast.

"U-um, I don't think one little berry is worth it…" Matt stammered out in an attempt to stop her.

She poked its back, and the massive monstrosity turned towards her. Matt flinched and covered his eyes. He didn't want to see what would happen next. After seconds of nary an angered roar or terrified shriek, he slowly opened his eyes to see Fluttershy engaging the beast in conversation.

He leaned over to Pinkie Pie. "Uh… why isn't it tearing her into adorable tiny pieces?"

Pinkie giggled. "Fluttershy can communicate with animals, duh!"

While he wanted to ask what insanity she was spouting this time, he turned back to see the snake tail slowly dropping a few of the berries into Fluttershy's saddle bags.

"Thank you, sirs. Have a wonderful day." she said, smugly trotting back to them.

"Oh. I see. Uh… good work." he said in confusion.

She trotted past them and Matt and Pinkie were quick to follow behind.

"Way to go, Fluttershy!" shouted Pinkie as she bounced alongside her friend.

"Thanks. We're just lucky that Chimera remembered its manners."

"Manners?" asked Matt.

"Normally it's very hard to convince them to part with frostberries, but they were really nice about it."

"So…" began Matt, "They're herbivorous?"

"Not at all." Fluttershy responded. "Chimeras are omnivores."

"Omni-who now?" said Pinkie Pie.

"Omnivores. That means they eat most anything." answered Matt.

"Anything? Even us?" she asked.

Fluttershy's eyes seemed to widen as she looked back to the massive beast, still devouring the innocent bush.

"W-we should go." she said quietly.

The three exchanged looks and quietly began walking away.

The entire walk out of the forest was silent until the Chimera was spotted flying overhead, off into the distance. Everyone let out a breath and said their goodbyes, content to call it a day.

Matt arrived at the library sometime later, and was surprised to Spike sat alone in the main chamber, munching on gems.

"Hey Matt." He said in-between chomps.

"Hello Spike."

He took a look around and noticed something was missing. Something purple.

"Where's Twilight?"

"Upstairs. She hasn't come down all day."

He felt a twinge of concern for his Alicorn friend.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nah, she just said she needed to, 'study intensively'. Whatever that means."

"Ah. I see. Good."

He took a seat opposite Spike and allowed himself to relax.

"So what did you do all day?" Spike asked.

"Well, I ran for life from a huge three headed monster, watched in horror as it annihilated a small berry bush, and then proceeded to have my life saved by the last person I'd expect. So, in short, I learned a few things today."

"Wow! Did you wanna, y'know, send a letter to the princess?"

"… No?"

Spike looked immensely confused.

"Really? Whoa… that's the first time anypony's ever said that."

"I just don't see a point in pestering her with something so trivial."

Chapter 14: Familial Bonds

Another bleak, pre-winter day across Equestria, and Matt Nabal found himself en route to one of the last places he wanted to go; Sweet Apple Acres. After bumping into Rainbow Dash earlier that day, he was somehow roped into doing her a favor. She had apparently promised to assist Applejack in rounding up the last of the year's apple harvest, but was unaware of just how much winter preparation was required. She was needed along with the rest of the weather team to prepare the first snowfall of the year.

When he accepted to fill in for her, he didn't expect her to follow him all the way there. Her wings flapped softly as she hovered alongside him.

"So, we're gonna bring in all the clouds in from Cloudsdale by tomorrow. It's going to be one heck of a blizzard!" she said, clearly excited.

Matt, on the other hand, was much less so.

"That much snow? Why so early?" he asked.

"We're a couple days late on wrapping up fall, so we need to get all the snow on the ground."

The thought of someone actually wanting snow everywhere was beyond his comprehension.

"… Why?" he asked, coming to a halt.

Rainbow looked confused for a moment and landed on the dirt path, seemingly puzzled by his simple question.

"Because…" she began, "It… wouldn't be winter without it?" she guessed, holding a hoof up to her chin.

Figuring it was the best answer he would get, he sighed and continued walking. Rainbow trotted along by his side.

A few moments of silence passed as the red farmhouse that marked Sweet Apple Acres came into view.

"Hey…" said Rainbow Dash unexpectedly.

He turned his head to face her as they walked. She was, for some reason looking towards the ground.

"I-if you aren't doing anything tomorrow… I know a great spot to watch the snow fall, if you wanted to, I dunno… come with me?"

Though watching snow fall seemed immensely dull to him, Rainbow seemed very anxious about his response. He mentally sighed. He'd have to learn to say 'no' to these ponies eventually. Besides, it's not like he had anything to do tomorrow anyway.

"Alright. Just tell me when and where."

Her face lit up immediately.

"Cool!" she said, one again ascending into the air. She raised her left hoof up just above his eye level.

He stood there, confused, as she wiggled it back and forth.

"C'mon, don't leave me hangin'!"

It clicked in an instant, though he wasn't sure how to go about responding. Then he had an idea. He curled his right hand into a fist and held it up. He moved it forward a bit as Dash sent her hoof closer as well. They collided with a satisfying clop noise.

As she continued gushing with happiness, neither of them noticed the orange pony that had been approaching them the whole time.

"Rainbow Dash!" said a familiar southern voice. "And here I thought you were too busy helpin' the weather team."

Rainbow looked over to see Applejack, looking quite upset with her.

"I was. Uh, I mean, I am. I'll see ya tomorrow."

And with that, she took off, leaving nothing but a trail of rainbows.

"Get back here, you!" shouted Applejack.

When it was clear that Dash wasn't coming back, she turned her attention to Matt.

"Guess I'm stuck with you, huh?" she said, narrowing her eyes.

Though he had expected her unique brand unwarranted hostility, he didn't think she'd start off so strong. He held his composure and responded calmly. He refused to let her get the better of him.

"… I suppose so."

"Well, c'mon then." She said, turning away.

He silently followed behind, not bothering to make conversation. She seemed content with the silence as well, for awhile at least. When they arrived at what looked like a field of near-dead excuses for trees, she spoke quickly and in a stern tone.

"Here are the trees. Get to buckin'."

Despite how much he wanted to get this over with, he couldn't help but smirk at the prospect of kicking trees. When she actually began 'bucking' as it were, he merely stood there.

"S-surely you have a better way?" he said.

She stared at him angrily for some time until he got the message. Yes, she was serious.

He approached a tree slowly and noticed a few baskets lying around. He thought for a moment and began placing them around the tree.

Applejack wasn't in the most pleasant of moods. The last harvest of the season hadn't been picked yet. Big Macintosh was busy helping Granny Smith preparing for winter sales. And Rainbow Dash, who was her last hope, had blown her off. Now she was stuck with somepony she didn't want anything to do with.

She didn't have anything against him on a personal level. He seemed nice enough, and all of her friends had seemingly taken a shine to him. Something just didn't sit well with her. It felt as if he was hiding something and covered it up with fancy words, but she had no idea as to what. It gave her an ominous feeling when she was around him.

She glanced over at him to see him placing empty baskets around an apple tree. It took him probably longer then it should have to stop adjusting their position. She watched as he took a few steps back and admired his work. He then stepped forward again, now mere inches from the tree. He eventually raised an arm, before lowering it again, seemingly changing his mind. Before long he decided to go for broke and sent his fist at the tree.

The tree wobbled a bit. Seeing the pain well up on his face immediately, Applejack was launched into an immense laughing fit. Going so far as to roll around on the ground and let her hat fall off.

Matt recoiled his hand as the pain traveled up his arm. He shot Applejack a dirty look when he spotted her rolling on the ground at his expense. She noticed quickly.

"You… you didn't even shake one down!" she said, re-bursting into laughter.

Sure enough, when he checked the baskets he'd arranged, they remained empty.

"W-well excuse me for putting more value on intelligence than physical fitness." He said defensively, clutching his sore hand.

Applejack was now over her laughter and had gotten back on her hooves. She slowly began to saunter over to him.

"Oh yeah, genius?" she placed her front hooves onto the tree's trunk and gave it a shake. Shortly after, nearly all of the apples fell into the baskets.

Matt's mouth hang open as he stared in disbelief. Applejack struck a triumphant pose.

"They're witherin' apple trees. My baby sister could shake 'em down." She picked up her hat from where it landed earlier. "Now roll up yer sleeves and get to work!" she shouted.

While normally he'd ask a multitude of questions, he decided it best not to humiliate himself any further. But he would get to work. He wouldn't let AJ have the last laugh, not today. So he rolled his sleeves up and decided to show her just what exactly he was capable of.

He knew he wouldn't be able to match her pace, but his precision gave him an edge. Every now and then she'd stop to pick up some apples that missed the mark. He'd just shake and move, very rarely having to pick any stray fruit up. She noticed before long and, with a grin, began to speed up. A sharp smile spread across his face as well.

He had inadvertently started a race to an unknown finish line.

Several hours passed as they both began to show signs of fatigue. With one final, mighty buck, the last of the baskets had been filled.

"Alrighty." She said. "We're done."

Matt let out a sigh of relief. He probably wouldn't have been able to take much more. The sun had nearly set, making him realize just how long he'd been there. He took a moment to stretch out his tired, sore muscles.

Applejack had begun to feel the burn, too. But she knew they weren't yet completely done.

"Don't rest easy yet, partner. We still gotta take these to the cellar."

His face again turned to pure horror and Applejack couldn't help but chuckle.

"C'mon, it's not too far. Help me get some of these on my back, would ya?"

He did as she asked and stacked a few for him to carry as well. As they were walking, he felt compelled to speak. Give credit, in a sense.

"Hey, Applejack?" he called.

She cocked her head to look at him.

"I never really realized just how much work you do. Forgive me for underestimating you, and please, know I can appreciate what you do."

"Well, uh… thank ya kindly." She responded, looking back towards their destination.

He could still feel it. She didn't trust him, for whatever reason. It may have had something to do with how deceitful and manipulative he was when he first arrived, though he was certain he never slipped up on the act. Apparently she picked up on it sometime or another. He'd get through eventually, he was sure about it. After all, he was being genuine about the appreciation for what she did. Farming was hard work, and he could appreciate hard work in almost any form.

It wasn't long until they arrived at the apple cellar. Applejack went first with a word of warning.

"It's pretty dark, watch your step."

Silently thanking her word of advice, he ducked under the low ceiling and slowly descended the short flight of stairs. He found himself in a pitch black room. In a bright flash the lights turned on, revealing a warm room filled with apples, with the far wall being packed with bottles.

"… Impressive." Matt stated.

"Just set 'em down. Anywhere'll do." said Applejack, ignoring his compliment.

He did as he was told and followed Applejack back out of the cellar.

"So..." he began. "Now what?"

She turned back to face him.

"Huh? Well, you're done. Go on home."

She began to walk away, leaving him stand there.

"Oh and uh… thanks for your help."

Before he could respond, the front door to Applejack's home burst open. Out popped a yellow filly with a large bow adorned on her head.

"Applejack! Applejack!? Supper's ready!" said the filly.

He recognized her as Applejack's younger sister, Applebloom. She spotted him quickly and waved towards him.

"Oh, hey Matt! What're you doin' here?" she said.

He walked towards the porch so he didn't have to yell.

"Rainbow Dash couldn't make it, so she asked me to fill in."

"Oh. Well, ya wanna come in for dinner?"

While he was definitely sick of apples, he didn't want to impose. When he turned to Applejack, she clearly seemed displeased with the situation.

"Now Applebloom, I'm sure he's got thin-"

"I'd love to." said Matt, cutting off Applejack.

Sure, he didn't want to impose. But he felt as if he deserved to eat something of substance.

Within seconds of being whisked into the Apple family home he had a spot set up on the dinner table. In a brief rush he was introduced to Granny Smith and Big Macintosh. Granny Smith was certainly a treat to be around, but Big Macintosh puzzled him. The above-average sized stallion barely said a word.

The food was delicious and the company delightful. They seemed to be a very close knit family. Conversation would bounce around from person to person, minus himself. He was content with listening. Applebloom was just finishing up her account of the school day when she noticed his quietness.

"Hey, you feelin' alright?" the filly asked.

He was hoping to have gone unnoticed for the entirety of dinner.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, I'm alright. Just a bit tired is all. That, and… I'm just not used to sitting around a table anymore." He said.

"Didn't you eat supper with your family?"

"My father wasn't exactly a family-centric man. He was always busy. So my mother and I would eat together, or I'd eat alone."

His talk of parents made him realize that there weren't any present in the Apple residence. There were the three siblings and their grandmother. Where were their parents? He glanced about the room, and saw a somber look in Applejack and Big Mac's eyes, though strangely not in Applebloom's. They probably knew something she didn't.

"Oh, I forgot you haven't been here that long. You must miss 'em, huh?" Applebloom responded.

The young pony truly had no idea the circumstances of what she was asking.

"… Yes, I do. Very much."

A long silence filled the room as everyone picked at their food. Most of present company was in a sour mood now. Applebloom and Granny Smith seemed fine, though. Not wanting to look anyone in the eye, Matt cast his eyes to the things in front of him. He noticed his sleeves were still rolled up from earlier, exposing the scar on his right arm. In one quick motion he rolled them down, trying not to catch any attention. Unbeknownst to him Applejack had seen the whole thing, even catching a glimpse at his arm.

He rose from his rather-too-small seat.

"I really should be going. It's getting quite late."

He knew it was abrupt and looked suspicious, but he desperately needed time alone. After awkward goodbyes and a 'ya'll come back now' from Granny Smith, he found himself wandering back to Ponyville. Shortly after re-entering the town, he drew near Sugarcube Corner. While normally he'd avoid the route to avoid a certain someone, he let his legs wander as his mind did the same.

"Matt!" he heard a familiar, high pitched voice call out.

His focus returned as he faced the voice. Rather unsurprisingly, he was met with Pinkie Pie.

"What're you doin' out so late?" she asked.

He had lost track of time and realized just how late it was.

"Just… out for a walk." He replied.

She seemed as cheery as ever.

"I was looking for you, I wanted to show you something!"

"Sure. Where?"

"In my room. Follow me!" she said, bouncing further into the shop, not even waiting for him to follow.

He followed her in towards a set of stairs and noticed the place was closed. The assumed owners were cleaning the place up. He awkwardly waved to them as he ascended the stairs to Pinkie' domain. He opened the door and was surprised; it wasn't wall-to-wall pink. Pinkie wasn't anywhere to be seen, so he took a seat on her bed. She bounced back in with something green in her grasp.

"This is Gummy!" she held out her hoof to reveal what looked like a small reptile. It had glossy, blank purple eyes and tiny claws.

"He's… adorable." Matt responded, trying not to insult anyone.

"You can pet him, if you want."

With a sigh, he extended his hand to the little beast, only to have it bite him. He gasped in preparation for pain, but felt none. He had learned how Gummy got his name.

"Aw, that means he likes you!"

"Right, sure…"

She placed the toothless reptile back onto the floor, and proceeded to tend to other things while Matt had realized how comfy Pinkie's bed was.

"So, where have you been all day? When I went to the library, Twilight said you had went somewhere with Rainbow Dash, and when I found her, she was too busy to stop and talk."

No response was heard behind her.

"Oh, I just learned how to make these things called a crêpes, and…"

She stopped when she heard a soft sound similar to snoring. She turned to face her friend to find him laxly asleep on her bed. She couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

Chapter 15: Alone With You

Another day passes and another begins. A lone figure was asleep on a library couch. Sure, she had a bed, but she had fallen asleep waiting for a dear friend to come home.

"… Twilight?" a voice called out.

Her ears twitch as her violet eyes begin to open.

"Twilight? Why are you sleeping down here?" the voice asked.

She moved her gaze to the voice, revealing the small form of her closest friend.

"Spike? What do you…?"

Then she noticed where exactly she had fallen asleep.

"Oh… is Matt home?" she asked, remembering the previous night's worries.

"I don't think so. He's usually awake by now."

She felt an immediate rush of energy as she quickly rose from her place of rest, wings all a flutter.

"Oh no! He hasn't come back yet!? We need to find him, quickly. I'll send for a dispatch of royal guards, I-"

"Calm down!" exclaimed Spike, cutting her off. "I'm sure he can take care of himself. Besides, he spends so much time reading, he's bound to come back eventually. Just relax."

Her fear and worry were very overtaking, but she knew Spike had a point.

"I… you're right, Spike. You're right…"
...............
He felt a beam of sunlight creep over his eyes. Though he tried to deal with it, he decided it best to roll over. Although, he could've sworn his window was on the other side of the room.

As he adjusted in bed, he felt an unfamiliar feeling. A warm breeze that felt astonishingly like breath would occasionally brush his face. He slowly opened his eyes to see something he really hadn't expected; Pinkie Pie. She was soundly asleep next to him. A sense of panic and confusion overwhelmed him as he sat up and gazed around the room. He was in Pinkie's room, the same place he was last night. But he was in Pinkie's bed. Even under her blanket. He couldn't remember falling asleep at all.

His sudden movement had awoken the small pink creature next to him.

"Oh…" she paused to release a squeak of a yawn. "You're finally awake. Good morning, sleepyhead!"

"Yes… good morning, Pinkie… why exactly am I here?"

Pinkie had since gotten out of bed and took a moment to stretch about.

"Oh, well I brought you up here to introduce you to Gummy and talk about pancakes and you fell asleep. I didn't want to bother you because you seemed so tired, so I just cuddled up next to you and let you sleep. You're welcome!"

That matched up with what he remembered. Normally he'd apologize for being an inconvenience, but he knew Pinkie didn't mind. He stood up and attempted to crack his back, still being far from used to Equestria's smaller beds.

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie. But I really should get home. Twilight was probably expecting me home at least twelve hours ago."

"Okie dokie lokie, then. You and Twilight are pretty close now, huh?"

He paused to think. Certainly he spent more time with Twilight then with his other friends, but did he consider them closer?

"I suppose so. We do share a lot of common interests."

"That's so great! She's been busy with royal duties a lot lately, so the rest of us don't get to see her as much."

While it was true he rarely saw her not reading, he didn't think she was swamped with that many 'duties'. Maybe he just never paid enough attention.

"I see… Well I'll be off, then. See you around, Pinkie." He said, heading towards the stairs.

She enthusiastically waved after him as he began to make his way back to the Golden Oaks Library. He slowly opened the door, as he always did. He saw Spike gazing out the window and Twilight slumped over in despair. It didn't take them long to notice him. Twilight's slump vanished immediately.

"Matt! I… You're… Where have you been!?" the joy in her tone disappeared quickly and was replaced with what sounded like anger.

Matt simply tried to explain.

"Pinkie Pie's. I ended up sleeping there last night. I apologize for any-"

He stopped mid-sentence as Twilight's facial expression changed to one he'd never seen before.

"You were…? Pinkie Pie…?"

The anger had drained from her being as she tried formulating coherent sentences.

"Hey…" began Spike. "I thought you were at AJ's all day yesterday?"

"I was. Pinkie caught me on the way home and invited me in. The hard day's work really took it out of me. I fell asleep from the exhaustion." Matt explained.

Twilight's expression changed again.

"Oh… That's… That makes sense."

"I apologize for any worry I caused." Matt sighs and crosses his arms. "Things would be so much easier if only we had the web…"

"The web? What's the web?" Spike asked.

"Does it involve spiders? I really don't want to talk spiders right now…" added Twilight.

He couldn't help but chuckle. Things were so much simpler in Equestria. The only thing ponies had to really worry about was each other. It was certainly a liberating feeling.

He took a seat in his usual spot.

"No, no, it's nothing like that. It's not important."

Things seemed to return to normal, though Twilight's reaction earlier had puzzled him. He'd never seen her express anything like that. It looked like sadness, but a particular kind of sadness. One he wasn't entirely familiar with, but recalled seeing before. The only thing he wondered was; why? Why did she react so harshly? He decided to ponder that later and enjoy the current peace.
...............
She wasn't nervous. Why would she be? She was just hanging out with a friend. That's it. But if she wasn't nervous, why was she hesitating?

"… Ugh, c'mon Rainbow, you've flown through Ghastly Gorge! Suck it up!" she said to herself in an attempt to psyche herself up.

She sat laxly on a cloud high above Ponyville. She just sat there, thinking over the best way to meet him. Matthew Nabal had always intrigued her. Whether it was his quiet, mysterious demeanor or coolly-unique appearance, she found herself being drawn to him.

And today was the first snow fall of the year, and she had mustered the courage to ask him to join her in watching it. She was going to watch the snow fall with the only human in Equestria. All alone.

"… Aw, horsefeathers!" She said, taking off in a trail of rainbows.

She decided to swallow her pride and tackle this the same way she did most things; recklessly.

Within seconds she was outside the library and with a deep breath, flew through the window.

"Hey, Matt! Ready to go?"

The young man dug his face out of a book to look up at her.

"Ah, Rainbow Dash. Ready for…" he began, seemingly trying to recall plans.

Dash noticed that Twilight Sparkle was also present, reading a small dark red book. Spike was in the middle of a nap.

"Oh!" Matt exclaimed, "We're watching snow fall today, right. Just a second."

He stood up and slid the book he was holding back onto the shelf. Twilight had shifted her gaze from her book, to him.

"Oh…" Twilight began. "Today's the first snowfall of the year, huh?"

"Indeed." responded Matt. "Rainbow and I are heading out to watch it."

"Mind if I come with you?"

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as she landed.

"What? No, uh-"she stuttered. Everypony's eyes were focused on her now. "Y-y'know what they say, Twilight, three's a crowd… heheh…"

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Come now, Rainbow. The more the merrier, right?"

She stares at him for a moment before her resolve is weakened.

Rainbow Dash sighs, "… right."

She wasn't thrilled about the sudden change in events, but still, she would make the most of it. Or at least, try to. Matt and Twilight trailed behind her.

"Hmm, so…" she overheard Twilight say. "… nopony moves the weather clouds into place where you're from?"

"Not at all. Clouds aren't made in a factory like the one in Cloudsdale, either. They form from water vapors and just drift around on their own via wind currents." he responded.

"What about-"Dash began.

"What about distinct weather patterns like storm fronts and hurricanes?" Twilight asked.

The two went back and forth, talking about clouds and snow with words like 'precipitation' and 'meteorology', and Rainbow found herself unable to get a word in edge-wise.

She flew back, face-to-face with Twilight.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" she asked, pulling her away regardless of her answer. She flew back just as quick, facing Matt. "Be right back!" she said with a smile.

She flew back to where she left Twilight.

"I know what you're up to." She said, hints of anger trickling through her voice.

Twilight's eyes swerved around as she tried to regain balance. She hadn't expected to be whisked away so quickly.

"Huh? What?" she stammered out.

Dash's eyes narrowed as Twilight's began to focus. She noticed the angry look on her friend's face.

"Something wrong, Rainbow?" she asked.

"You know what's wrong." Dash replied sternly.

Twilight raised a brow. "No, I really don't. But if you tell me, maybe I can help?"

A grunt of frustration escapes Rainbow Dash as she realizes what she's doing is futile. Twilight Sparkle was definitely smart enough to play dumb.

"Forget it. Just remember…" she held a hoof up to her eyes, before pointing it at Twilight's. "I've got my eyes on you."

She slowly started walking away before quickly turning around and repeating the gesture. Twilight, though being immensely confused, shrugged it off and rejoined her friends to continue walking.

Rainbow Dash now clung closely to Matt's side and dominated all conversation. She was telling some story that Twilight didn't catch all of.

"… and so I said, 'in history, maybe!'" she finished, chuckling.

After a moment of silence, a smile crept across Matt's face.

"Oh, that's clever. I like it." He said.

Dash's eyes lit up. "Really? I mean, yeah it was pretty good."

Twilight could feel a burning sensation, as if a fire had ignited within her. Rainbow was one of her best friends, but she was interfering with something special. For one of the only moments in her life, Twilight Sparkle was jealous.

She flew over to Matt's other side.

"Oh, Matt…" she began. "Did I tell you about one of my new books that details the entirety of the early magical period?"

She knew he had a fascination with magic, even at one point trying to explain it with magnetism. When his theory couldn't support itself, he decided he'd look into it further.

"Really? Excellent, I'd love to learn about how it was discovered in the first place."

She smiled smugly ahead, tilting her head upwards. Rainbow had noticed this and sighed softly in frustration. This little game would not go without a victor.

"Aw, that's all you guys do is read. Don't get me wrong, it's great and all. But wouldn't you rather go out and, I dunno, do something fun?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Reading is fun, Rainbow Dash." Twilight rebutted.

"While I agree with Twilight, it wouldn't be too bad to get out more often. See the sights, and whatnot." Matt replied.

Rainbow hoof-pumped in victory.

They didn't exchange looks the rest of the way. No one even bothered to talk. That wasn't too surprising, seeing as everypony knew by now that Matt didn't usually speak unless spoken to. Twilight and Rainbow didn't really have much to say, either. They had more to think about, for now.

They arrived at the spot Rainbow Dash had specified. Matt wasn't entirely surprised to find out it was the spot he had met with Princess Luna regularly. It had a really nice view of the weather ponies moving clouds into position.

"If that were me over there, it'd be done by now." said Rainbow, seating herself in the grass.

She and Twilight sat at Matt's sides, Rainbow on the left, Twilight on the right.

"… Why isn't that you over there?" asked Twilight.

Dash turned to face her, finding that Twilight was still looking forward.

"Because I've been bustin' my hump all week. I deserve at least one day off." She replied.

"Hmm." Twilight began, "At least this way it'll get done thoroughly."

Dash gritted her teeth and glared at her before regaining her cool.

"You're right." She said, causing Twilight to break from her thousand-yard stare and look at her. "Those ponies are trained experts, who know what it means to get the job done. Unlike… well, you know."

Twilight frowned as Rainbow smirked. She knew what she was getting at. Twilight Sparkle was the only winged pony in Ponyville who didn't help prepping this winter. She wanted to, but she hadn't mastered full control of her wings yet.

Another awkward silence ensued. It was broken by an unexpected intrusion.

"Twilight Sparkle! Rainbow Dash! Matt! You guys came to watch the snow, too?"

It was Pinkie Pie, along with Fluttershy and Rarity. Spike had tagged along, too, seemingly upset that they left him behind while napping. They obviously had planned to watch the snow fall, too.

"We tried to invite you all…" began Rarity, "… But we couldn't find you. How quaint that you should already be here." She finished, smiling.

Rainbow felt her blood begin to boil. It was bad enough that Twilight had to come along, but now more than half of the group had shown up.

"Howdy, ya'll!"

Approaching from the other side of the hill, Applejack and the three fillies that made up The Cutie Mark Crusaders soon joined them.

"I promised the fillies I'd take 'em to watch the first snow." said Applejack.

Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Scootaloo greeted everyone else as they all began to converse.

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth in frustration, but refused to show her anger.

"Something wrong, Dash?" Matt questioned. Everyone else seemed oblivious, caught up in other conversations.

Seeing that no one else was paying attention, she had no qualms about venting.

"It's just… ugh. I just wanted today to go, I don't know, better?"

"I think it's been pretty good so far."

"Of course you do…" she trailed off.

"… well, in the least, I'm happy that I got to see you today, Rainbow Dash." Matt said.

"Huh…?"

"You're always so busy. As much as I don't show it, I really like having you as a friend. All of you."

"Really? W-well… I really like being friends with you, too. And don't worry, I'll have tons of free time soon!" she replied.

They looked at each other for a few moments before Dash felt her face get hot and she turned away.

"Look, everypony!" Scootaloo yelled.

The snow had begun to fall from the clouds and everypony had bunched together in a tight formation to watch excitedly, Matt, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle being caught dead center. It slowly drifted down and a snowflake touched Matt's cheek.

Rainbow was right; it looked so beautiful from up there.

Chapter 16: The Fear Within Us All

It had only been a single day since the first snowfall but the ground was blanketed in white. Ponies still went about their business as usual, bustling through town on errands and whatnot. Rainbow Dash was right; last night truly brought one heck of a blizzard.

Matt trudged through the cold, his leathery shoes protecting his feet from getting wet. He was on his way to visit a friend atop the very hill he watched the snow fall from last night. He noticed things were different around town, aside from the obvious coating of snow. Ponies didn't stare at him anymore, instead waving and smiling as he walked by. Greetings were common now and Matt had to try his best to memorize names. Ponyville was nowhere near the size of New York and it seemed everyone knew everyone else. He didn't feel entirely out of place now.

He arrived atop the lonely hill, surprised to find out that Luna hadn't arrived yet. He found a relatively dry spot under the tree and sat against it. He crossed his arms and decided to wait; he knew she'd arrive soon.

He gazed out over the town he called home as his eyes felt heavy. He decided to just rest them for a bit while he waited.

The princess of the night swooped through the sky, en route to the hill just outside Ponyville. She had expected to arrive before her friend did, but as the hill came into view, she spotted him lying back against the sole tree atop it. She landed softly near him and tried getting his attention.

"Good day, Matthew Nabal. I trust you are keeping well?" she asked, but he didn't respond.

She walked around to face him, seeing his closed eyes. She assumed he had fallen asleep. She could recall that he had trouble sleeping and his lack of rest must've been tiring him. He had grown very defensive when she offered to watch his dreams. She stood there, wondering what was going on inside his head. She thought it best not to pry and nudged his shoulder with her hoof.

He awoke with a shudder to find that Luna had arrived. He immediately calmed down breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh… It's just you, princess." He said.

He hadn't planned to fall asleep, but seeing that everything pretty much looked the same, he guessed he wasn't out for long. His heart was pounding abnormally fast. He had that dream again.

"Is… everything alright?" asked Luna, noticing his distressed state.

"Hm? Oh. Yeah. I'm fine." he said defensively.

"Have you still not been sleeping well?"

He sighed and regretted telling Luna about his lack of sleep in the first place.

"It is… certainly better. They… aren't as frequent anymore." he said in a melancholic tone.

Luna had assumed his problem was only a few weeks old, but she had no idea of the five months he spent with his nightmares.

"Perhaps if you give me permission, I could-"

"No!" he shouted, before regaining his composure. "Uh, that is to say, I'm sure it's something I have to resolve by myself."

Matt's was one of three dream worlds she didn't enter unless granted permission. One of the other two belonged to her beloved sister and the third wasn't even in Equestria half the time. Surely she could tread anywhere she pleased, but she stayed away purely out of respect and understanding. Perhaps another part of her feared what she'd see deep within the recesses of the three's thoughts. Of course, her curiosity and concern far outweighed her apparent fear.

"I understand, as long as you are sure." She said.

He nodded in agreement before changing the subject.

"You know, a group of us met up here last night to watch the snow. I expected you to drop by, too."

"Oh, that is a shame. I had a few… things to take care of last night."

"Things? Anything interesting?" he asked.

She smirked. "You have your secrets, Matthew Nabal. And I have mine."

He chuckles. "Alright, alright. Fair enough. And just 'Matthew' is fine. In fact, just 'Matt' will do."

The rest of the evening was spent mostly in conversation, until the time came to part ways.
...............
Sometime later, Luna found herself pacing around her room. A struggle was raging within her. She, and assumedly anypony else, could see that Matt needed help. The poor creature had immense difficulty sleeping. Sleep was her domain. It was her responsibility to help those suffering in the world of dreams. But she had promised she wouldn't meddle.

But it was driving her up the wall. He needed help and she needed to help him. It was the only way. Though she would break her promise, she hoped it would be for the best.

She had entered a trance like state to project herself into the dream world, but the hardest part was finding it. Hundreds flashed before her before she had all but given up. However, a new one had formed before her very eyes, and it radiated an eerie orange light. Like a moth to flame, she entered the unfamiliar dream.

The instant she entered, she was assaulted with lights and sounds. A brilliant display of fire surrounded the area. She could hear screaming. She looked around and spotted the wreckage of a large metal structure, burying a familiar form beneath it. She rushed over as her suspicions were confirmed.

Matthew Nabal lay amidst the burning ground, pinned down by a large metal chunk across his legs. He spotted her immediately, but didn't say a word. She shoved the metal off his legs, allowing him freedom.

He rose slowly, almost ominously slow, and began to walk forward. Luna tried to talk to him, but he paid her no mind. He walked to the edge of the flames, gazing down at something Luna couldn't see. She slowly approached his side and looked downward. In the fire writhed a desperately struggling creature, very akin to a human. It screamed and struggled to get on its feet, to escape. But it couldn't. It just writhed until the life drained from its body.

Mouth agape in horror, Luna turned to face him. His face was as stoic as ever, unblinking. She tried to speak, but no words came out.

Within a moment they were both snapped awake, the dream apparently coming to an end. Luna could feel herself trembling. What was all of that about? She could almost guarantee that he'd be waiting to meet her tomorrow. She just wasn't sure she could face him with all that she knows, all the questions she has.

The next day, as she approached the hill, she spotted him leaning against the tree. She landed near him and simply sat down. She didn't know how to begin, so she was hoping he would.

"That…" he began. "That was… my mother."

She didn't bother hiding the shock in her expression, yet she didn't speak.

Matt sighed. "I guess I'd have to tell someone eventually."

He turned to face her, solemn look on his face. She drew closer slowly, opting to sit closer to hear his tale.

"It… it was nearly six months ago. My family and I… we got into an accident."

He returned to looking away from her as he continued.

"My parents didn't make it. It was quick for my father, but my mother… she suffered. And this was all that happened to me."

He pulled up his right sleeve to reveal his long, deep scar.

"But it doesn't matter. What happened, happened. I'm over it."

Her heart ached from his tale, but his last statement bothered her. She simply couldn't understand how somepony could just get 'over it'.

"What do you mean you're over it?" she asked, speaking her mind.

"It already happened. It doesn't change anything. I'm fine."

She knew he was lying. You simply don't have nightmares about something you've gotten over.

"… Are you sure? If you wanted to talk about it, I can-"she said before being cut off.

"No. I told you, I'm fine. It just… lingers with me, for some reason."

"If you think it's for the best…"

"I do."

She sighs. "I understand."

A moment of silence comforts the racing minds.

"I…" Luna began. "I still have nightmares, too."

He looked her in the face, seemingly curious.

"They aren't frequent, but… I'm still haunted by my past misdeeds. I think… it has something to do with fear. The fear within us all. The fear of letting things happen the same way again, or repeating our mistakes." She said, in a comforting tone.

An unexpected smile creeps across his face.

"Perhaps you're right."

It was nice to finally recognize his fear. One day, he may share more with her, in an attempt to conquer their fears. He had a feeling he'd be sleeping better tonight.

Chapter 17: The First Move

After a few days of particularly fulfilling sleep, Matt Nabal had a realization; he was beginning to smell. He hadn't bathed since he arrived in Equestria. He knew Twilight had a bathtub, but for some reason he hadn't thought to make use of it. After having his Alicorn friend show him where she kept the soaps, towels, etcetera, he filled up the bath.

When everything looked ready, he began removing his long sleeved shirt when he noticed Twilight Sparkle hadn't yet left the room. She was more-or-less staring at him.

"Uh, Twilight?" he asked.

"Yes?" she responded, not breaking her gaze.

"… Privacy?"

Her face turned red as she realized exactly what she was doing.

"Oh! Um, right… sorry!" she said before turning and leaving the room.

He sighed as he continued undressing. Twilight had been acting strangely recently. While he didn't claim to know her better than anyone else, she seemed to be out of it most of the time. She was always reading that small red book he'd brought back from Rarity's or staring out into space or at him. He'd catch her every now and then, but she would quickly turn away.

He slid into the hot bath and exhaled a sigh of satisfaction. The hot water felt amazing in contrast to the bitter winter air. Warm enough to melt away his troubles. Naturally, the tub was significantly smaller than any he had seen back home, but it was relatively easy to get comfortable. He pushed his shoulder-length hair back and leaned against the edge of the tub, facing upwards. He hadn't noticed how long his hair had grown in the past six months. He assumed it looked pretty bad. He hadn't much of a reason to care about his appearance recently and still didn't, it's not like he was trying to impress anyone.

On the side of the bath sat numerous jars and bottles, almost all of which smelled like vanilla and lavender. He hadn't noticed the scent on Twilight, probably because he hadn't ever intentionally smelled her.

He let out another sigh. This was becoming a problem. For some reason or another, Twilight Sparkle kept constantly crossing his mind. It made sense to him, as he saw her every single day since arriving. She was a constant; something he had grown accustomed to and was one of his closest friends. He couldn't imagine life in Equestria without her.

He decided just to clear his mind and proceed with his bath. Spike had told him he once used up all the hot water in Ponyville with a single bubble bath. He didn't want to be responsible for something like that, especially in winter.

Meanwhile, in another part of the massive tree, Twilight Sparkle was frantically pacing about, small red book floating nearby. Today was important, the day she'd finally make a move. Spike watched her pace in amusement.

"What're you doing, Twi?" he asked.

She stopped suddenly.

"I… it's nothing, Spike. Nothing at all." She said quietly.

She opened the book again to review its contents as Spike raised brow. He decided just to stay out of it and began dusting another section of books. The book was called 'Object of Your Affection', which was essentially a filly's guide to approaching colts. She had read it numerous times, but she kept returning to it, making sure she knew all of its contents. Today was the day she'd use the knowledge within to make her starting move.

She heard a door open and lowered her book. Standing in the doorway was the very target of all her planning, drying his mid-length dark hair.

"I really needed that…" Matt said, taking his usual seat in the main chamber.

A smile crept across his lips as he opened a book. She'd only seen him smile a few times before this, and it took some getting used to. He looked different to her without his stoic expression. He seemed… content. Twilight glanced at the book again, then back to him, and once more before closing the small tome and setting it down. She walked forward and cleared her throat, raising a hoof to cover her mouth.

"Excuse me, Matt?" she said to get his attention. He peered up from his book, smile slipping away. This shook her confidence a little, but she pressed on. "W-what do you think of… me?"

His brown eyes refocused to the book as he replied. "You're an invaluable friend and a credit to your species." he answered in his usual tone.

The way his expression changed the moment she talked didn't perturb her too much. She too hated being disturbed while reading. She didn't quite expect his answer to be so blunt, either. Though her question wasn't completely answered yet.

"… Matt?" he heard a second time.

His eyes traced back up to his Alicorn associate.

"Yes?" he said again, annoyance withstanding.

"H-how do I look?" asked Twilight in a sheepish tone.

He took a moment to study her, scanning her up and down. She shuffled a bit and looked away as he did, her face a light pink.

"Adorable." He replied in his usual monotone voice.

Twilight's face went from pink to red in a near instant.

"Oh… you think so…?" she questioned, bashfully rubbing a foreleg.

He sighed and closed his book. Twilight was still acting strangely with seemingly no explanation. He decided to give her some space.

"You know, I think I'm going to go for a walk." He said as he stood.

The blush drained from her face as she turned toward him again.

"Huh? Why?" she asked frantically.

"I've been thinking about what Rainbow Dash said the other day, and I think I can stand some more 'adventure' in my life." He said.

"Oh… like what?" she inquired.

"I don't know. I'm sure if I wander the streets long enough someone will bump into me, and ask me to do something insane. Like go berry hunting in a dangerous forest, or something." He said.

He approached the door, ready to leave.

"Wait!" Twilight exclaimed, drawing both his and Spike's attentions. "Don't you want to… finish reading?"

"The books aren't going anywhere, Twilight. Ponies barely rent them out." He stated, noting the lack of visitors.

"But, I… uh…"

He slowly opened the door, only to watch it glow purple and close again. He looked back to see Twilight's horn glowing, too.

"But, we could… uh… play board games?" she pleaded, smiling sheepishly.

"I'll pass." He stated, reaching for the door again, only to have his hand blocked once again by magic.

Another sigh as he turns to face her.

"Alright, what's going on?"

"What? N-nothing, why?" she stammered.

"This isn't like you, Twilight. Is something troubling you?"

"N-no… I just… wanted to spend some time… with you… I mean, can't adventure wait until tomorrow?" she asked, her face once again flushed crimson.

"Maybe you should lie down. Take it easy for awhile. I'll be back in a few hours…"

Though his concern was real, he still seemed entirely oblivious to any sort of emotion being displayed. He was always like that.

He turned again to face the door. This was her last chance. She recalled a passage from the red book; 'Always play hard to get, unless they're getting away.'

He felt himself be levitated off the ground. His body felt stiff, and he could see he was covered in purple aura. She was using her magic on him.

She spun him around to face her again.

"Oh, come on, one game of Monopony?" she asked.

It was a strange experience, being levitated. He felt so confined, yet free of gravity. He didn't like it. He began to try to move his limbs; first the arms, then the legs. In a few seconds, a cracking sound was heard as the magic dispersed, and Matt landed on his rear.

Twilight recoiled a bit, whether in shock or pain he didn't know.

"Holy guacamole…" he heard Spike say from across the room.

"How did you…?" questioned an exasperated Twilight. It seemed his little breakout had caused her some kind of exhaustion.

"I'm… not exactly sure what just happened." He said.

"You just kinda…busted out! That was awesome!" Spike shouted in approval.

"I thought you said humans couldn't use magic?" Twilight asked.

"We can't. At least, not that I'm aware of." He stated as he stood.

He saw a scientific glimmer in Twilight's eyes.

"Do you mind if I… try again?"

He thought it over for a moment. Twilight looked pained when it happened. He certainly didn't want to see that again. But she looked very excited to try again.

"Just… not off the ground this time." He said. She nodded in agreement as Spike looked on anxiously

In a second, his body was stiff again, encased in a prison of violet. Instead of struggling like last time, he slowly began to walk forward, slipping right out of the magical grip.

This method didn't seem to bother Twilight at all. Good. He didn't enjoy whatever happened to her last time.

"Amazing!" Twilight exclaimed excitedly. "Your body just seems to reject magical energy! You've got to let me try more spells on you!"

She looked happy. She also seemed to have forgotten about the 'board game' scenario. He sighed and smiled.

"Alright, alright. What kind of spells?"

They tried spell after spell for what seemed like hours, discovering that almost none of them could affect Matt what-so-ever. Even spells that effect other objects. Whenever the object came into contact with Matt, all outside magic left it immediately. Eventually they decided to take a break.

"Whoa… forty-two spells, and none of them worked!" said Spike, who had been keeping track the whole time.

"Your ability to deflect magic seems to be directly tied to your will power. If you want it not to work, it won't work!" added Twilight.

He could see the happiness in her eyes as she continued explaining. Even Spike was having a good time. It made him feel warm inside, seeing them like this.

"I guess you were right, Twilight… Adventure can wait until tomorrow."

Chapter 18: Innovation

"I still don't understand how your digestive system can process minerals like that."

"Uh… what?"

"I don't know how you can eat gems."

"Ohhh…"

Spike tosses up a gem and catches it with his incredibly long tongue, much to Matt's horror.

"Ech. And I certainly don't like that."

Spike insisted the two of them have a 'bro-day'. Matt liked the young dragon enough, aside from his eating habits. They had stopped by Sugarcube Corner for a bite to eat and Spike ended up ordering jewel encrusted treats.

"Oh come on, lighten up." said Spike, before expelling a powerful, fire powered belch.

Matt jumped back in fear. "It's like you're a tiny, inexhaustible furnace."

"Hey, I'm not that small."

Matt looked down at him, noting Spike was about one-fourth of his size.

"Right… did you have anything else you wanted to do? It's getting terribly cold out and I don't have a thick coat or scales to keep me warm." Matt said with a shiver also noting that the day was almost over.

"Uh… Not really." replied Spike. "I was gonna head over to Rarity's… Hey! Maybe she could make you a jacket?"

Matt thought it over for a moment, before coming to an obvious conclusion; he was flat broke.

"That would be very nice, if I could somehow pay for it."

"Just ask Twilight to cover for you. She pulls in the big bits."

"I'd rather not. I don't need to burden her anymore then I already do."

Spike shrugs. "Hey, I tried. Maybe Rarity'll give ya freebie."

While the idea of a handout displeased him, it was better than nothing.

"Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose. Lead the way."

They made their way across town, headed to Carousel Boutique, making small talk all the while.

"So why do you think you can repel magic?" asked Spike, referring to the previous night's events.

"I'm not sure, although I do have a theory. I need to talk to a certain pony before I can confirm it, though."

"Who's that?"

"The pony who calls himself, 'The Doctor'. He knows something about humans." He said, recalling the odd chestnut coated pony. "I haven't seen him around in awhile, though."

"You know that weirdo?" Spike replied in surprise.

Matt sighs. "Yes, Spike. I do. Although I'd probably call him 'interesting' over 'weirdo'."

"Is he even a doctor?"

Matt sighs at just how valid the question is. "Probably not."

They arrived at the boutique, opening the front door to the sound of tiny bells jingling.

"Just a minute!" they hear in a sing-song voice.

Rarity emerged from behind a curtain leading to another room.

"Spike? Matthew? What a pleasant surprise!" she exclaimed.

Matt began to respond in a polite manner, but was cut off as Spike lazily walked towards her.

"H-hi… Rarity." He stuttered out.

"I'm in the middle of something, but do come in. I'll show you what I've been working on." She replied, signaling them to follow her beyond the curtain.

"I thought you had already finished your winter line?" Matt inquired.

"Oh, I have! I just shipped it the other day. This is just for fun." She answered.

Spike hazily waddled after her and Matt followed soon after. Rarity had led them to what Matt had assumed to be a work room. Within, he spotted what seemed to be Rainbow Dash, facing away from the door. She was all dressed up in a fancy, frilly, and elegant dress.

"Rarity, can you hurry it up?" pleaded Rainbow. "This thing's kinda tight…"

"I never thought I'd catch you in a dress, Rainbow Dash." Matt jested.

Rainbow turned, surprised to see who Rarity had brought back with her.

"Oh! Well… ya know…" she said, rather flustered.

"Rainbow's just helping me with a little pet project of mine." Rarity declared. "Maybe you can lend an opinion?"

"Hm? How so?" he replied.

"Well, I've been desperately trying to find a way for Pegasi to accessorize properly, especially when in formal wear. The addition of wings and a dress makes it near impossible to make room for something like saddlebags." She said.

Matt crossed his arms and circled around Dash. He looked her up and down, making Dash the slightest bit uncomfortable.

"I see what you mean." he finally said.

"Why not just give the dress big pockets?" Spike chimed in.

"Because putting something in said pockets may drag the dress down, maybe even tear it, depending on weight and fabric used. The risk is just too much of a chance." explained Rarity.

Matt had since moved on from the conversation and began to examine Rainbow Dash's back, where her wings were. He touched the space in between them which triggered Rainbow to unfurl them with a gasp.

"S-sorry…" she said. "They're a little sensitive, heheh…" she laughed nervously as Matt delicately continued his inspection.

The space between her wings wasn't the widest, but it could probably fit a small bag of some kind. Instantly, he was reminded of a style of backpack often found back in his realm. Single strap across the chest with enough room for a few items.

"I think I've got it." He declared.

"Uh… got what?" asked Spike.

"Just use a single strap to-" he cut himself off, realizing he didn't know the best way to explain his idea in pony terms. "It'd be easier to show you."

Rainbow let out a yawn. "Can it wait 'til tomorrow? I've been standing here all day."

Rarity was the next to yawn. "I'm feeling a bit tired myself."

"Alright, we'll be back tomorrow." stated Matt. "Come along, Spike."

He was met with no reply.

"Spike?"

He looked over to see the young dragon asleep atop a small table near the door. The ponies giggled as Matt bid them farewell and picked Spike up, ready for the small journey home and completely forgetting to ask for a jacket.

Spike was heavier then he looked.

He came home to find Twilight already asleep in her room. He delicately lowered his reptilian friend into the basket at her bedside before getting started. He silently took two quills, an ink pot, and some parchment with him on the way out.

Thanking his ambidextrous ability, he took a quill in each hand and began work on what he'd call a master piece, drawing up sketch after sketch and design after design. He worked long into the night, all the while feeling the indefinable urge to hum to himself.

Hours later, after the sun had already risen, Twilight made her way downstairs to see Matt asleep over piles of paper with one ink quill in his hand and another nearby. She smiled warmly and tiredly walked over to gently shake him awake.

"Matt?" she called softly. "… Matt?"

His eyes cracked open and he took in his environment, before quickly being at full alert. He stood; a desperate attempt at straightening out his back. He looked down and noticed the work of art in front of him. He then remembered he had finished his work and fallen asleep.

"I have to go." He said.

"… You just woke up." Twilight rebutted.

"I know, but Rarity has to see this. I'll be back!" he said, snatching up the paper and jetting out the door.

Twilight just shook her head. He left so quickly, she didn't have time to tell him about the ink smeared all over his face.

Moments later, he arrived at the boutique. He wasn't surprised to see Rarity just beginning to open up shop. It was still early, after all.

"Matt? What's all over your face?" she said the moment she saw him.

"No time for that, look!" he said, unfurling the paper in his hands.

The paper had a hand drawn picture of a Pegasus with a pack on its back, drawn from multiple angles. The pack was held on by one strap that wouldn't interfere with the limbs at all, resting just in-between the wings and crossing between the forelegs.

Rarity stared at the picture awhile longer.

"Do you like it?" asked Matt.

"… No." was her response.

He felt his heart sink at the thought of missing sleep for nothing until she folded up the paper and looked directly at him.

"I don't like it… I love it!" she exclaimed.

His expression rebounded immediately.

"Fantastic! Do you think you can make one?" he asked, letting his excitement show.

"Oh, darling… Of course I can. I just need some time…"

A day passes, and Matt eagerly awaits the results of he and Rarity's endeavor. He casually strolls into Carousel Boutique, hearing the familiar sound of tiny bells jingling.

"We're back here!" he hears what sounds like Rainbow Dash say from beyond the curtained hallway.

He rushes back to be greeted by a tired looking Rarity and an excited looking Rainbow. Rainbow also happened to be sporting a backpack that looked as if it were from his world.

"Amazing." he said, noting the quality of the pack.

"Oh… it is, isn't it?" said Rarity.

"I've gotta admit." begins Dash. "I had my doubts. But this thing is pretty cool!" she declares, all the while flying about to prove it can handle gravity change.

"It is…" Rarity trails off. "Matthew?"

He pulls his attention away from the pack to face her.

"Since you're the designer here, I'd just like to ask… Would it be alright if I sold these bags?"

He would've taken a moment to think it over, if it was his decision to make.

"Of course. I mean, I may have designed this one, but I'm not the original creator. And I doubt anyone from my world has anything to say about it."

"Oh fantastic! I have a feeling they'll be a hit!"

Rainbow Dash had since removed the bag, loosened the strap, and quickly slide it over Matt's form.

"I think it's only fair you get to keep the original. Besides, brown is not my color." she said.

He was happily surprised the bag had even fit around his torso, but accepted it either way.

Though he did forget to ask about that jacket.

Chapter 20: The Last Drop

It was a morning like any other, or so he thought. Everything felt the same. Even the same patch of sunlight assaulting his face. But something was different. The first thing Matt noticed was the chill in the air. It was colder than usual and he reached for his blanket, only to find his movement limited by a mass on his chest. It was warm. It was breathing.

He opened his eyes to find a sleeping Rainbow Dash nuzzling up against him. Oddly, it reminded him of the first time they met; which ended up with her tackling him to the ground. In any case, she was serving the task of a blanket quite well, so he opted to let her sleep and he would do the same.

Luck wasn't on his side, however, as the Pegasus began to stir. She let out a yawn and stretched out her forelegs before once again snuggling his chest. Seconds later her eyes snapped open and found his. Apparently she noticed he wasn't her bed. She promptly flew off of him in a flurry of 'oh my gosh' repeated at a rapid pace.

He sat up on the ever-soft cloud seat.

"Isn't it a little early to be scrambling around like that?" asked Matt while scratching his head.

She continued the 'scrambling' while Matt began to feel a terrible ache in the back of his brain. After a few minutes, Rainbow Dash had calmed down, seemingly able to recall the last night's events.

"So…" began Dash. "We just had a few drinks, right?"

"I believe so. My memory is pretty foggy regarding the whole affair."

"Mine too… Nothing… weird happened, right?"

"Nothing weirder than usual."

"Okay, good…" she trailed off while glancing outside."Whoa. What is going on out there!?"

Matt also turned his gaze and was shocked at the massive storm brewing outside. Large, black clouds were forming and a frightening chill was in the air.

"Wasn't there a blizzard just the other day?" he asked.

"I wasn't told about this… I need to go check this out. C'mon, I'll drop you off first." said Rainbow.

"Alright… do you have anything for this headache?" he said, rubbing the back off his head gently.

"You get used to it."

In minutes, they were off. The storm brewing in the distance was drawing ever closer. Matt was relieved he was going back to the warm embrace of the Golden Oakes Library. Rainbow dropped him off just outside the door and with a swift farewell gesture, she flew towards the storm.

He took a deep breath and opened the front door. He expected Twilight Sparkle wouldn't be particularly happy with him since he broke his promise.

He saw her in her usual spot and she was already glaring a hole through him.

He closed the door and raised his hands defensively. "I know, I know. But I can explain."

"I'm listening." She replied stoically.

"Rainbow and I were out a bit later than expected, so I thought it'd be easier to stay with her for the night." He explained.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Twilight responded.

"I see. So, you just… disregarded your promise because it was easier?"

"What? No, I… Look, I don't think either of us were in the right state of mind. Flying back was out of question."

"Why?" was the next question.

He waited a moment to try and disguise the fact that he and Rainbow were basically drunk late last night.

"… Applejack gave me this cider, and…"

Twilight let out an audible groan and rolled her eyes. "Of course. And Rainbow Dash is crazy for apple cider."

"Yes, exactly. I-"

"So, instead of fulfilling your promise, you and Rainbow downed the cider and had me worrying the whole night. How was I supposed to know you didn't fall through a cloud or something?" she asked, tones of seriousness leaking through her voice. She seemed to be genuinely upset.

"I understand you're upset, and I'm sorry. But I can handle myself. You don't have to worry about me all the time."

"Oh, yes I do. While you're here, you are my responsibility."

Though she probably didn't mean it, her response came off as a bit offensive to him.

"Excuse me? I am a living, breathing individual. I don't need someone to take responsibility for my actions."

"I-I didn't mean it like that… I just meant that if anything were to happen to you, I'd feel like it would be my fault since it's my fault you're here."

"So I can't have friends because you feel the need to dote on me?"

Another awkward silence ensued as Matt felt the pain in his head getting worse.

Twilight turned her gaze away and spoke softly. "I guess I might as well come clean…"she said as her face flushed a bright red. "I'm jealous."

He was already annoyed with this situation, but now he was near his breaking point. As far as he understood, her statement had nothing to do with what they were talking about.

"Please, explain what that has to do with this." He thought out loud.

Twilight's face was still red as her expression turned to confusion. "Y-you… you don't understand?"

"The only thing I don't understand is why you're acting like such a child about this whole thing. It's beneath you."

The blush in her face faded immediately and she couldn't believe what she had just heard. "… Excuse me!?"

"Honestly, I didn't think you'd be this upset about something so insignificant." He said.

Matt really had no idea exactly what kind of buttons he was pushing.

"Insignificant!? I, you… What!?" Twilight stammered.

"It's not like Rainbow Dash was inconvenienced. In fact, we had quite a lot of fun last night. I-"he said, before being cut off.

"Okay, that's enough! I don't want to here anymore about… whatever you were going to say!" exclaimed a surprisingly angry Twilight.

"You see, this is what I was talking about."

"I don't care if I'm being childish!" she exclaimed. "… You should leave."

He didn't know what he was doing to make her so upset, but it looked like it was too late now. The door turned a familiar purple color and opened by itself. Outside had turned into a whirling white vortex of frigid winds. He took a look back at her to see her still glaring expression. He sighed and began to march toward the door before stepping out slowly. The door slammed behind him immediately.

Inside, Twilight continued looking angrily at the door.

She hadn't noticed the silent observer in the room. "What was that all about?" asked Spike, who was sitting on the stairway the Twilight's room.

"You're better off not asking…" she replied

"… You really kicked him out into that blizzard?"

His question seemingly made her realize what exactly she had just done. She got up and ran to the door, looking out to find nothing but a storm of white.

"… Maybe I did overreact…"

Deep in the raging storm, the lone human walked. He couldn't even tell where he was and had no idea where to go. Since staying at a friend's place seemed to have negative effects in the past, his mind drew a blank on just where he could find sanctuary.

He trudged on, the pain in the back of his head spreading all throughout his skull. He didn't know many people. He had begun to think he wouldn't make out of this blizzard alive.

Just then, he heard a familiar sound over the howling of the wind. It was the same otherworldly sound he heard when he first saw that out-of-place blue police box. He looked harder into the wall of white and could make out some sort of pulsating light. He approached it, and saw it was in fact the police box, next to a large, shop-looking building. Running out of options, he quickly knocked on the shop's door.

When the door opened, he didn't get a chance to greet his salvation before collapsing on the floor, exhausted.

Chapter 21: Caladrius the Storm Bringer

The first thing he saw was a distinct orange glow. As his vision cleared, he recognized the light as a small fire a few feet away from him. To his left, just out of sight was a hooded figure, huddling near the flame for warmth. He looked around for nearly a minute, trying to ascertain his whereabouts, before the small fire erupted into a pillar of white hot flame.

But instead of fire, he realized he was now in a snowstorm. His breath was ragged and his visibility cut-off. All he could do was wander ahead.

Then, he heard the voices.

"… You promised me you wouldn't bring anymore strange… people into my bed."

"To be fair, you said 'strange stallions'."

He recognized those voices from somewhere. They were female, the first sounding bored and the second sounding kind, yet subtly angry.

Either way, he wasn't letting the comment slide.

"… I'm not that strange, am I?" he muttered tiredly.

He could tell that he surprised them with his sudden speech; the bored-sounding pony quickly shot back a response.

"Well, not as strange as the Doctor, but nowhere near as normal as somepony like…I dunno, Applejack?"

The Doctor? He began to recall the odd chestnut colored pony and his two friends. If he recalled correctly, their names were Lyra and Bon-bon.

He sat up from the bed he was in to see the two aforementioned ponies looking towards him. But the Doctor was nowhere to be found. He couldn't see then sun shining outside, meaning he was probably unconscious all day. He also spotted the clothes he was wearing earlier that day, hanging on a string by clothes pins. He quickly glanced down to make sure he wasn't naked.

He was relieved to see he was wearing a rather light, thick dress shirt and dark blue pants, which had suspenders attached to the belt loops.

Bon-bon seemingly noticed his investigation of his attire. "Don't worry, we didn't do it. The Doctor did."

"He's outside if you wanna go see him." said Lyra.

He raised his index finger in confirmation. "I should do that."

He stood and walked towards the front door. He noticed that the place he was in vaguely resembled a store of some kind. As he emerged, he spotted the Doctor waving around a small tool before retreating to the police box. Though it may be a tight squeeze, it would be better then standing outside. He pushed the double doors inward and looked around. The room inside was massively bigger then it should've been. He saw the Doctor running around a central console, clockwise. He approached and the Doctor finally took notice of him.

"Ah, Matt Nabal. Here." The Doctor threw him a tweed jacket he had over his shoulder. He took the hint and donned the jacket. Meanwhile, the Doctor grabbed a monitor from the console. "Look at this. This is a satellite view of everything within ten miles of Ponyville."

The monitor in question looked like a white screen.

"Now, what's wrong with this picture?" The Doctor asked.

"There is no picture." Matt replied.

"Wrong." The Doctor responded, pointing to a small brown spot on the screen. "This is a mountain southwest of Ponyville. Whatever's controlling this unnatural snow is up there."

Lyra and Bon-bon walked in from the door behind Matt.

"We…" the Doctor began. "… Are going to trek up to the top and stop whatever it is. Any questions?"

Lyra was first to ask one. "Why aren't we taking the TARDIS this time?"

"Excellent question." He responded by running around to the other monitor on the main console. "This is the TARDIS's navigational systems." He said, showing the group a monitor of white static. Everyone got the point immediately.

"I have a question." began Matt. "Why am I here?"

"You don't remember passing out on our doorstep when the snow first hit?" asked Bon-bon.

Matt took a moment to try and recall what happened. He could remember knocking on someone's door.

"Why were you out there anyway?" chimed in Lyra.

"Oh, Twilight threw me out of the library." He responded.

The three ponies looked at him with an odd expression.

"What? She was really in to you, right?" The Doctor harrumphed. "That's too bad…"

"Hm? What do you mean?" Matt responded.

The Doctor jauntily went around the console. "Oh, never mind. Aren't you going to ask why 'it's bigger on the inside'?"

"No. It doesn't really surprise me. Nothing does after three weeks of being here." Matt responded.

The Doctor smirked as he finished whatever he was doing at the console and sauntered over to him. "One more thing." He said extending a hoof in Matt's direction.

Somehow clinging to his hoof was a dark blue bow-tie. Matt accepted the tie, and quickly fastened it to the collar of his shirt.

"It's been awhile since I've worn one of these. I've always liked bow-ties." Matt declared as he straightened his newly-donned tie.

"Bow-ties are cool." The Doctor said, slowly pulling down a big lever as the lights in the TARDIS dimmed down. The large room was now incredibly dark, save for the soft blue lights around the room.

"Right then, on we go." The Doctor said, crossing the room and opening the doors.

While Matt wanted to ask why he had to come along, he figured he owed them for saving his hide earlier. The four of them began their arduous journey towards the mountain's base. Matt was much warmer than earlier, probably thanks to the thick tweed jacket lent to him. The ponies walking with him didn't seem very cold, either. Having a fur coat probably helped that a lot. They walked in silence until finally reaching the base of the mountain.

Matt had underestimated its size earlier.

"It's… All the way up there?" Matt asked.

"Yes…" the Doctor spoke mutely. "All the way up there."

Lyra sighed loudly. "I wish we could just use the TARDIS…"

The group started their ascent of the mountain.

"Why exactly could we not take the TARDIS?" inquired Matt.

"Not many things can scramble the TARDIS' navigational systems. On the list of things that can, there's Timelord tech and even that can't control the weather, and then there's…" he took a moment to ponder something, before quickly dismissing it. "… Well, it simply couldn't be that."

Trudging onward, the group came across a small gap in the mountain. They were going to have to jump across. As the three ponies quickly made it over, they realized Matt was not with them; he was still standing on the other side.

"Are you waiting on an invitation or something?" asked Lyra. "We don't have all night."

Matt surveyed the area. While the gap wasn't too wide, the fall would certainly be fatal. Given the slippery conditions of the snow and ice around him, he began to reconsider the point of all this.

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" he called out.

"C'mon, we need to save the town!" shouted back Bon-bon.

"We don't even know for sure if this storm is 'unnatural'…" he trailed off as a very sudden sneeze came on and another immediately after.

The Doctor seemed to be looking at him oddly, like something was wrong. The winds around them began to howl louder and the snow began to fall faster.

"What if he's right?" asked Bon-bon. "What if it is a normal storm?"

The Doctor didn't respond, he was glancing around, seeming to take note of the changes in the snow.

"You shouldn't have a cold…" said the Doctor, turning his attention to Matt.

"Of course he would, he's been out in this frigid weather. Longer than any of us, anyway." said Bon-bon.

"I agree." Matt replied. "I was out in this snow earlier; it's just a common cold."

"And this is a common storm, too." rebutted the Doctor.

The group's exchange was cut short by an unknown noise approaching from behind where Matt Nabal refused to jump. It sounded like moaning. Deep in the swirling white vortex Matt began to see what he thought was movement. Figures had appeared out of nowhere, slowly stalking in his direction with ghastly moaning following every step. He couldn't really see anything but their silhouettes and they varied in size and distinct features. There were at least four of them.

The chill running up his spine easily outmatched the cold creeping around him.

"Matt, you need to listen to me." He heard the Doctor call out. "You need to get over here, right now. Do you hear me?" he asked."Right. Now."

"Yeah, I… I get it." Matt replied.

Any reservations he had about jumping had vanished as he quickly hopped the short gap. Matt turned back to face the small gap and saw the figures grow closer.

"S-should we…?" stuttered Bon-bon.

A massive, white, clawed arm reached across the gap and dug into the stone of the opposite cliff.

"Run!" finished Lyra as she, Bon-bon, the Doctor and Matt simultaneously turned to run.

They headed into the white wind ahead of them, quickly becoming separated from each other. Matt could faintly hear what sounded like the Doctor relaying instructions on how to handle the situation. At the moment, he didn't care. He just kept running, the image of those frigid monsters flashing through his mind. He didn't know which way the others had gone and didn't particularly care. His only goal was to survive.

He couldn't hear the moaning of those white silhouettes anymore. He couldn't hear anything anymore. His hands gently clasped his ears in an attempt to warm them and prevent frostbite. He was starting to understand what his pony friend had meant by an 'uncommon' storm. Especially since the amount of snow and speed of the wind changed seemingly at random.

Before long, he had nearly walked into the side of the massive mountain. He decided to follow the rock wall, hoping to come across an opening of any size. His efforts were rewarded when he came across the entrance to a large cave. As he made his way inside, he began to hear voices from within. He proceeded cautiously. An odd buzzing sound was heard before light appeared a little deeper in the cave. As he drew near, he found a makeshift fire pit and his three pony friends sitting around it.

Lyra and Bon-bon were huddled extremely close to each other as the Doctor paced back and forth, flinging around the small brass rod he was so fond of.

"There you are!" exclaimed Bon-bon.

"I thought you were a goner." said Lyra dryly. Her cream colored friend jabbed her shoulder. "What? It's true."

Matt wasn't really paying too much attention to them. He was more fascinated with the random appearance of a fire pit.

"Did you make this?" he said, staring into the flame, but not moving closer to it.

"Of course not, we just found it all lying around. Looks like somepony likes to camp up here." said Lyra.

"How fortunate..." He replied, leaning against the wall of the cave.

"… You can move closer, if you want. There's plenty of room around the fire." said Bon-bon.

"I'm fine, thanks. I, uh… I'm not that cold." He lied. He slid the tweed jacket off of his shoulders and began flapping it rhythmically, an attempt to remove the snow it was covered with.

The Doctor seemed to be finished with whatever it was he was doing as he approached the fire. He flicked the rod one last time before tucking it into his collar.

"Do you remember that thing I mentioned earlier?" he asked, before elaborating. "That thing I said could not be causing all this?" he paused to affirm that everyone understood. "Yeah, well, it's the only thing that could be. And those Frozen Shades out there confirmed it."

"What exactly is 'it', Doctor?" asked Lyra.

The Doctor paused a moment before sitting down and taking a breath.

"There is a story they used to tell on my homeworld of Gallifrey. About how the coldest of seasons was not a natural occurrence and that it was simply the rage of a great beast. A magnificent bird they named 'Caladrius'."

"Wait, you're an alien?" asked Matt who was now leaning against the cave wall.

"Shh!" he was hushed by Lyra and Bon-bon in unison as the Doctor carried on.

"Now, this mighty Caladrius was said to bring about Gallifrey's harshest of winters for centuries. Not just Gallifrey, either, but most planets nearby. And it made no attempt of hiding itself. It went wherever it pleased, did whatever it wanted. Its frigid snowstorms could last weeks and claimed many victims. These victims are doomed to forever walk the storm and seek warmth, usually from other unfortunates caught in the blizzards. Until eventually, the Timelords managed to trap it, and imprison it in another dimension. I guess now I know where they sent it."

"So let me get this straight." Matt began. "Are you telling me that a giant bird from another planet and dimension is now wrecking havoc here? In Equestria?"

"It's not too surprising. We handle stuff like this all the time." stated Bon-bon.

Matt didn't have a reason to be surprised, so instead of reacting, he just sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Any idea how to stop the bird, Doctor?" asked Lyra.

"Yes, but we need to move quickly. I doubt the fire would attract the Frozen Shades this far into the cave, but stranger things have happened." He replied.

Matt let out an audible sigh. "It's just my luck to be caught up in such nonsense."

"Nonsense?" asked Bon-bon. "This is the fate of the town, maybe even the world we're talking about here."

"I don't know if you recall, but this isn't my world." Matt replied.

Bon-bon seemed surprised by his harsh response. Lyra, too seemed somewhat perturbed.

"Geez, I don't know who's colder. You or the snow." said Lyra.

For some reason, he felt her remark cut straight through him. It almost hurt, and was a feeling he was entirely un-used to. Perhaps because he knew what he said wasn't entirely called for.

"… Let's just go." He said, sliding the jacket back onto his shoulders.

"Lead the way, Two-legs." Lyra said.

As the group exited the cave the storm had calmed to a minor snowfall, but the clouds still blanketed the sky.

"Which way is up?" Bon-bon asked.

The Doctor pulled out his trusty tool and after waving it about for several seconds, he pointed the direction of progress.

The silence was deafening as they walked, sounds of snow-bound footsteps the only sound they could hear. No one had spoken since leaving the cave, almost as if the weight of what they were doing had finally set in. Though, this wasn't the case with all of them. Three marched to save a world, one marched to save himself and repay a debt.

They continued passed dead trees and snow covered rocks, until finally the silence was shattered.

"Guys? What's that...?" Bon-bon nearly whispered as her hooves came to a stop.

She then pointed out an object half buried in snow. It looked like anything else around, except for the wing sticking off of it. The four hurried over as Lyra and Bon-bon began digging whoever it was out of their frigid prison.

Matt was shocked the moment they happened to brush snow off of the pony's flank, revealing a cloud with multicolored lightning.

"No… Rainbow Dash?" he stammered.

As the two mares finally freed the pony, finding it was in fact Rainbow Dash, the Doctor knelt down and put his head against her chest.

"Is… is she…?" Matt trailed off.

"She's breathing. But she can't stay like this."

"What do we do!?" asked a panicked Bon-bon.

"We could take her back to the cave…" suggested Lyra.

"Unfortunately, we can't afford the time for the detour." said the Doctor.

"Are you suggesting we leave her here!?" Bon-bon retorted.

"We may not have a choice." Matt chimed in.

Lyra glanced at him for an instant, seemingly getting an idea.

"Wait… It would take two of us to carry her, but you could do it, right? Put that upper body to good use?" she said.

The other three apparently hadn't thought of that, and after passing a glance between them, the choice was obvious.

"I can certainly try."

After some help by his pony companions, Rainbow Dash was properly mounted on his back. Thankfully she was pretty light.

The four, now five marched on as the unconscious Pegasus remained unmoving.

"How'd she get here?" Matt asked aloud.

"Dash is a weather pony, she probably rushed in when the clouds appeared." answered Lyra.

"Then how'd she end up like this?"

"I think we'll find out soon enough…" said the Doctor grimly.

The group continued in silence as a whirlwind of emotion stirred within Matt Nabal. Part of him was still frustrated to be dragged along on this escapade, and another part was terribly worried about his sky-blue friend. If he didn't feel her heartbeat steadily beat against his back, he'd swear she was already gone. Rainbow made not a single movement as he carried her.

Unfortunately, Matt wasn't exactly built for this kind of work, friend or not. He felt his back and shoulders begin to ache, but he continued to tough it out. Surely they'd reach the peak soon.

Before long a distinctive sound could be heard in the distance. It sounded fairly reminiscent of a falcon's cry.

"Is that it? That Cala-thing you were talking about earlier, Doctor?" he heard Lyra ask.

Matt had just noticed how far ahead the others had got from him. They had even stopped moving. When he caught up, the Doctor was confirming everyone's suspicions.

"It is. We must be getting near its roost."

"Finally…" Matt muttered.

"So what's the plan?" Lyra asked tiredly.

"Simple. Walk up to it, tell it who I am, ask it to leave." answered the Doctor.

Matt nearly had an aneurysm.

"There's… There's more, right?" he asked feebly.

"If that doesn't work, I'll improvise."

If the winds weren't howling, a distinct shout of frustration would've echoed throughout Ponyville.

"You dragged us up here and that's all you've got!? I doubt the giant bird cares about what you have to say!" Matt yelled.

As if on cue, a sudden increase in ferocity occurred in the wind and snow, lowering visibility and dropping temperatures even more.

Matt was still huffing after his outburst as his pony companions looked at him in surprise. They probably hadn't expected such anger from a normally reserved person.

He had begun to calm down when he felt the Pegasus on his back begin to squirm.

"What's with all the noise…?" Rainbow Dash said weakly.

She awoke to three ponies staring at her and noticed she was higher off the ground than normal.

"W-what's going on? Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Bon-bon, this is Lyra." said Bon-bon gesturing to herself and Lyra respectively.

"I'm the Doctor." said the Doctor in his usual tone. "But that's not important. I need to know what the last thing you remember before passing out."

Dash shook off her sleep and tried to remember. "There was… this huge… blizzard, tearing through Ponyville square. There wasn't one scheduled for today, so I… I flew straight into it to try and stop it… There was this big, white bird in the middle, and… That's all I remember. How long was I out?"

"Probably a few hours." said a voice Dash was entirely unaware of.

Finally realizing that she was being held up by something, she looked down to see the familiar shape of the only human in Equestria.

"Are you alright, Rainbow? Your heart rate just increased…" Matt said.

"Uh… yeah, I'm fine." She replied before a loud sneeze.

There was an awkward silence and Rainbow Dash was glad no one could see her face.

"… Anyways." The Doctor began. "Before your… 'Interruption', Matthew, if everything goes right, then be glad it did. But if something goes wrong, I will need your help."

"Right…" Matt replied gruffly. "Not like I could do anything like this, though."

Everyone understood what he meant, even Dash.

"I-If…" Dash began. "I-If you guys are going after it, you should leave me behind."

There was silence at first. Matt glanced around at his compatriots until he locked eyes with the Doctor. He was giving a knowing look and Matt nodded in agreement. Matt delicately began to lower Rainbow to the ground.

"You can't be serious." Lyra reacted dryly.

"But she can't…She might-" started Bon-bon before being cut-off by the Doctor.

"She knows that."

Matt set her down against the side of the mountain.

"The needs of the many…" Matt said weakly. He knelt down and took off the tweed jacket he was wearing and blanketed it over her. "We'll be back for you."

"I know." Rainbow replied as she smiled weakly.

He began to walk away from her to the surprised expression of a certain cream colored pony.

"We're just leaving her here!?" Bon-bon shouted.

"We don't have a choice." Matt responded coldly as he continued walking, the Doctor and Lyra following suit.

Bon-bon looked back and forth before following her comrades as Rainbow Dash looked on before slowly losing consciousness again, all while the storm raged ever stronger.

Not ten minutes later, they had reached the peak. They were greeted by what looked like a wall off pure white and a distorted, falcon-like cry.

"It's just through here?" Matt asked.

A nod from the chestnut stallion confirmed his suspicions.

"We have to go in?" asked Lyra.

Another nod.

They lined up, side by side, at the massive white wall. Then they each took one step forward and were immediately sucked into the swirling white vortex.

When Matt regained his vision, all he could see was white. From what he could gather, the others weren't near him. All of them must've been sucked in and separated. He looked in every conceivable direction, seeing no difference in his surroundings.

"Doctor!? Lyra!? … Bon-bon!?" he yelled out, getting no response. He was alone.

Until he finally saw something. Something huge, circling overhead. Something that would make the most ear splitting eagle cry he'd ever heard. And it was slowly descending.

Matthew Nabal looked on in horror as the massive white beast slowly lowered the altitude of its never ending spiral.

On the long way up the mountain, he hadn't even considered that his life was at stake. As the bird grew closer and closer to touching the ground, he felt like there was no way escaping what it would do to him. He would become one of those white shadows he saw stalking near the cliffs, or freeze to death like Dash nearly had.

He fell to his knees and began to cough, getting a cruel reminder of his apparent sickness. His lungs felt like they were tearing apart. He knew the bird would hear him. When his coughing fit stopped, he looked up to see the bird called Caladrius finally touch the ground, landing softly in the snow as the winds continued to rage around it. It had appeared to be brewing the storm at will.

He thought the beast would soon notice him and end his life, but instead it merely faced the opposite direction and cleaned its wings. It didn't even care about him.

Resigned to his fate of freezing to death, Matt had felt the familiar sting of regret pang in his chest. If he hadn't upset Twilight, he wouldn't even be in this situation.

Twilight. He had nearly forgotten. If they failed in this mission, the entire town would be consumed by this monster. Even her.

He wished he could've warned her, or at least figure out what he did to make her so upset in the first place. Though he didn't understand it, this hurt him the most. He closed his eyes for what he thought would be the last time and fell completely into the snow, images of the friends he would be leaving behind flashing in his mind.

…..

Before slipping away, he noticed the howling winds begin to slow and the snow falter. He opened his eyes again and spotted Caladrius looking around, seemingly confused at why his storm had weakened.

That's when Matt pieced it together.

His mind flashed back to the events leading up the mountain. His refusal to jump a three foot gap and arguing with his new friends. His response to Lyra and Bon-bon's friendliness. His quickly made decision to leave Rainbow Dash behind, despite the risk to her life. His feelings of being helpless and the regrets coursing through his mind.

"I don't know who's colder. You or the snow."

Though it was a long shot he had to try. For himself. For his friends. For Rainbow Dash. For Twilight.

With all the strength he could muster, he arose to his feet.

The massive white beast still wasn't acknowledging him.

"I think I understand." He said to no one. "I understand why you're doing this."

If the bird had ears they would've twitched.

Matt began taking steps towards the beast. "I guess, really… None of this is your fault. It's not the people of Ponyville, either… It's me. You don't create the frigid air and snow from scratch. It came… from me."

His steps begin to falter but his legs stand strong. "You don't torment people for no reason… you show them the cold and sickness of their own hearts." He coughs. "I guess mine is the worst around here, huh?"

The bird still wasn't facing him, but it had turned to glance a few times.

"But I'm getting better. You've showed me what I am. Just the thought that this is all my fault…" Matt chuckles. "It's the worst feeling I've had in a while. I needed it, though. The magnitude of what you… and me, I guess, have put this town through just occurred to me. I was treating this like some kind of petty errand to pay back a debt. But I get it now."

He paused to catch his breath. "This is my home now. Those ponies are my friends, and I'm theirs. They rely on me and me on them. You made me realize this. I'm not the loner I once was, the person you're getting this cold from."

"My name is Matthew Nabal. Thank you, Caladrius."

With these words, the white avian finally turned to face him. As their eyes locked, Caladrius began to glow. A bright yellow light had begun emerging from the bird's chest. It took to the skies, flying the opposite direction then earlier and the storm began to dispel.

The warm light from Caladrius had nearly matched the sun itself and with one last cry, the beast dissolved into water, the storm had ceased, and the sun began to slice through the clouds.

Matt glanced around to spot his friends, Lyra and Bon-bon huddled together and the Doctor smiling whilst gathering the water that was Caladrius with a bottle he got from… somewhere. When he was done, he happily trotted over to greet Matt.

"Ah, Matt Nabal! I knew you could do it." He said, tucking the bottle into his collar… somehow.

"You planned this? " Matt replied.

"Nope. But good job anyway."

…...

Nearly an hour later, a still unconscious Rainbow Dash was placed gently on a bench in Ponyville.

"Will she be alright?" she thought she heard a voice say.

A buzzing was heard before another voice replied. "Fit as a fiddle. Might have a slight cold, though."

As her vision began to return, she heard an otherworldly sound and something blue in front of her began to fade.

"… Matt?" she called out softly.

She blinked a few times and looked around. She was back in Ponyville, but she was alone. As she stood, a tweed jacket slid off of her body. She picked it up and smiled.

…...

As the peculiar police box's doors opened and two mares emerged, into their own home, nonetheless. Inside, there stood a man and a stallion.

"I don't appreciate you giving my clothes away." said the Doctor.

"It's not like you could wear it." Matt replied with a friendly smile. "Anyways, I should be going. Thanks for the, uh… Experience."

Matt approached the doors of the abnormal box.

"You can come along, if you'd like." he heard the Doctor call out.

Matt turned around slowly. "To where?"

"Anywhere, anywhen. That's the beauty of a time machine."

He held his chin in mock concentration. "Can I sleep here for a couple of days?"

"Would you like some books in your room?"

"Can it have a toilet?"

The Doctor paused briefly to look at him oddly. "… Yes?"

"Then absolutely."

Chapter 22: Murder on the Ponyville Express - Part 1

In the pages of a gray book, written words form a cry of paranoia.

The date was written, but scratched out beyond recognition.

"I was visited by a man in a dark suit today. I didn't get his name and I still don't know who he works for. He said he came to me because I had a right to know what had occurred.

Allegedly, my father was involved with a small-time crime family. A second rate mafia outfit. And apparently, dear old dad got greedy. His disrespect and thievery were more than enough to get a hit put on him. We weren't in an accident. My father was (this word was scratched to be unrecognizable) and my mother was collateral damage.

This must've been what she was warning me about."

The next section is also scratched out, leaving nothing but a sea of black ink covering the inner thoughts of an addled mind.

Twilight Sparkle was beginning to regret continually flipping through Matt's forgotten journal. Every entry after that one seemed more and more like somepony was losing his mind. And to top it off, she could surmise the fate of his parents.

She had kept and concealed the small grey book since the very night Matt had arrived. Originally she had wanted to learn more about him and figured that his personal journal would help. Now it was more like curiosity for the morbid story unfolding in each entry.

Just then, the library's door was flung open and a familiar blue Pegasus flew in with some type of clothing on her back.

"Hey, Matt!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. After not seeing him, she noticed Twilight. "Oh. Hey Twilight. You seen Matt around?"

She had nearly forgotten about the young man himself and their little spat yesterday.

"… No, I haven't." Twilight replied, almost as if to herself.

"What? Doesn't he live here? I just wanted to thank him for earlier and give him this back…" Rainbow said, placing the item of clothing on the floor.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I should've known he'd go see you."

There was an awkward moment of silence as Spike emerged from the bedroom upstairs and sat on the steps, prepping for the inevitable argument. He wasn't sure why, but after Twilight became a princess, things seemed more hostile then before. Even though at the end of the day, everypony was still friends.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Rainbow retorted.

The two mares stared each other down, jealousy raging like fire in their hearts.

"We had… a disagreement yesterday, about… how late he was staying out and I asked him to leave." said Twilight.

"How late he was staying out? You mean 'cause he crashed at my place for one night?" asked Rainbow. "… You can't just have him all to yourself, y'know."

Twilight's cheeks turned a light pink. "I-I never said I wanted him all to myself! I… I just-"

"I get it." said Dash, cutting her off. "You just couldn't accept that somepony else had a shot with him."

Twilight's blush intensified. "T-that's not what this is about…!"

"Whatever." Dash rebutted, opening the door. "I need to go look for him."

And with that, she was gone.

"Look for him? I thought she saw him earlier…" muttered Twilight, coming to the realization that Matt was apparently nowhere to be found.

Spike had since descended the stairs and shrugged. "I don't get what all the fuss is about. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like Matt, too. But you guys must really like him to argue about him like that." He said.

Twilight hung her head in shame. "I just hope he's okay…"

Her shame faded quickly before being replaced by how adamantly she believed that she had every right to be mad at him.

"Spike, could you fetch me that folder about the Disappearance of '87? Princess Celestia asked me to research it to see if I can find some clue other ponies missed."

"You got it, boss!" he responded eagerly.
…..

"Well, that was delightful." Matthew Nabal declared emerging from a doorway in the Doctor's TARDIS.

The Doctor was trotting around the central console. "Ah, you enjoyed the room, then?"

"Certainly." Matt surveyed the abnormally massive room. It looked radically different when all the lights and systems were operating. There was no way to see the outside from within, but Matt assumed it had to be morning. After the incident yesterday, the Doctor had offered Matt a custom made temporary room, to which Matt accepted and slept off the exhaustion from dealing with Caladrius.

"Do you have any food on board, Doctor?" Matt asked.

The Doctor stopped his trot and glanced towards him, confused.

"Hm, no, I don't. Not much of a reason too these days."

"What do you mean by that?" Matt inquired.

"Never mind that, take this." said the Doctor as he tossed a small, leather-like wallet at Matt.

He opened it and saw nothing but a blank piece of paper inside.

"And… what do I do with this?"

The Doctor smirked. "Just think impressive thoughts and show it to someone."

Putting the wallet in his pocket and releasing an annoyed sigh, Matt headed out the TARDIS' double doors and into the light of day. Ponyville looked like it always had, just with an extra layer of snow atop it.

Matt made his way to a nearby food stall.

"Hey, uh… buddy. What can I get you?" said the food merchant.

Matt whipped out the wallet and flipped it open. The merchant stared at it for a moment, then to Matt. "You're the new health inspector? Didn't think you'd be around so quick. Lemme get you a free sample while you look around."

Matt smirked and put the paper away. "Great. Make it hot."

…..

On his way back from a delectable meal of baked potatoes, Matt spotted a group of ponies standing outside the blue box. He saw The Doctor, Lyra, Bon-bon, and two ponies he didn't recognize. They were discussing something, with the Doctor opening the TARDIS in frustration.

As he drew near, he overheard a little of the conversation.

"Fine, fine! Just keep your hands- hooves off the glowing things." said the Doctor. He then spotted Matt approaching. "Matt! Come along, we're off." He headed inside the box, before turning around and adding; "Oh and this is… Max and Chloe. They're coming along."

'Max' rolled her eyes before turning around to face Matt. While being slightly surprised at what she saw, she introduced herself. "My name isn't 'Max'. I'm Octavia, a pleasure." She said giving a slight bow, which Matt reciprocated. He couldn't help but notice her English accent, clearly not from around these parts.

"And I'm Vinyl, Vinyl Scratch!" said the 'Chloe' enthusiastically.

Octavia was grey with a black mane and tail, while Vinyl sharply contrasted her with a bright white coat and neon blue mane. Vinyl also wore black framed, purple-lensed sunglasses which hid her eyes.

He nodded her way in greeting before they all headed into the TARDIS' interior. Matt had surmised that Vinyl and Octavia must've been invited by Lyra or Bon-bon, seeing as the Doctor didn't even know their names.

"So, this thing's a time machine?" asked Vinyl.

"It's… so much bigger on the inside." stated Octavia.

"I said the same thing!" said Bon-bon, giggling.

"Yes, it is a time machine. Yes, it's bigger on the inside." replied the Doctor. "She can take us anywhere in the universe, and at any time we choose. Got anything in mind?" he asked.

"This is preposterous." declared Octavia. "I don't know how you made this box so big, but you cannot make it travel through time. "

The Doctor didn't react to her denial. "No requests? Fine, then. I'll just let her pick." He said as a lever on the console moved by itself and he began the piloting procedures.

The room began to shake and an otherworldly noise echoed throughout the room.

"Is it always like this?!" asked Vinyl.

"I don't know. This is my first time, too." Matt responded.

It continued for several seconds before calming down again.

"Right then, here we are. Somewhere on earth. Probably." said the Doctor.

"Oh, come now. Since when did shaking a room equate to time travel?" said Octavia as she headed for the doors.

"Sorry about her, guys. Octy's a skeptic when it comes to fun stuff." said Vinyl in a joking tone.

"Was I like that when we started doing this, Lyra?" inquired Bon-bon to her mint-colored companion, who responded with a smiling nod.

The other three headed after Octavia and Matt began to follow.

"Hold on, Nabal. Put this on." said the Doctor who passed him a small black device with blue lights on it.

"Alright." he said, clipping the device onto one of his belt loops. "What does it do?"

"It's called a perception filter. It analyzes surroundings and projects an image of what would disguise you best into people's minds. Just don't go near any mirrors." the Doctor explained.

"Mirrors?"

Lyra poked her head back into the TARDIS. "Uh, guys? We need you out here." she said.

After leaving the ship, they discovered that they were in some sort of luggage compartment. They followed Lyra out a doorway to discover where they were; in the luggage car of a moving train. Octavia and the others were talking to an engineer.

"Please stop the charade, sir. Let us off this train." Octavia said.

"Madam, I am trying to explain to you why I cannot do that." he replied.

"What's going on here? What year is this?" The Doctor asked.

"What's going on here is that while on my break I've discovered four- no, six stowaways who are demanding I stop this train to let them off."

"Yes, yes, yes, but the year?"

"It's 1987, why?" the engineer replied.

"Ha, see? Told you." The Doctor gloated as Octavia rolled her eyes again.

"And we aren't stowaways." added Matt. He pulled the Doctor's psychic paper out of his pocket and showed it to the engineer. "I'm special agent Morgan and this is Dr. Reid." he declared, motioning to the Doctor. "We're with the C.B.I."

"C.B.I.? What in Equestria is that?" the engineer replied.

"That's classified." Lyra interjected.

Their conversation was cut short when a scream rang out through the car ahead. The engineer ran to the next car to inspect what had happened.

"Well played, Matthew, well played." said the Doctor.

"Thank you, I thought so too." Matt responded, passing the paper back to its owner.

The engineer came back with a somber look on his face. "I'm glad you're here, agent. We'll need your help to keep everypony safe."

Everyone in attendance looked at him as if asking him to continue.

"… There has been a murder."

…..

Lyra, Bon-bon, Vinyl and Octavia had been moved to another passenger car while the Doctor and Matt had gone to investigate to keep up their 'special agent' status. There were other ponies in the car as well, including Pegasi and Earth Ponies of all shapes and sizes.

"Hey, Lyra? You notice that we're the only Unicorns on this train?" Vinyl asked.

"Hm?" Lyra took a moment to survey the car. "Oh, yeah. You're right. Unicorns of this time probably just stay up in Canterlot."

Silence continued to dominate most of the car while the four mares sat in contemplation.

"… Does stuff like this always happen to you guys?" Vinyl inquired.

"It doesn't usually get this bad so quickly." replied Bon-bon.

"Usually, we get there before the bad stuff goes down. Guess we were a little late this time, hehe." added Lyra.

"This is no time to laugh!" snapped Octavia. "Somepony…!" she quieted her tone of voice. "Somepony… died…" she said with a melancholy tone.

"Hey, hey… Relax, Octy." said Vinyl, placing a hoof on her grey companion's shoulder. "Everything will be alright."

"We couldn't change it if we wanted to, anyway." Lyra stated bluntly.

"Lyra!" Bon-bon scolded. "Quit being so insensitive!"

"What? It's true. Think about it; if we went back in time again who're the first ponies we'd bump into?" Lyra questioned.

"… Ourselves?" guessed Octavia.

"Bingo. And you do not want that to happen."

Another silence paralyzed the mares in its awkward grip.

"So, uh… H-how did you girls meet each other?" asked Bon-bon sheepishly, desperate to break the silence.

…

."You just had to say 'special agent', didn't you?" asked the Doctor as he and Matt were led to the scene of the crime.

"Don't act like you wouldn't have helped them if I said we were tourists." Matt shot in reply.

"Here it is agent, doctor." said the guard who escorted them.

The train car was older than the others, and mostly unused. Towards the center of the room there was a figure lying motionless on the floor, covered in a sheet. A window was broken and glass shards were spread all over the place. Matt and the Doctor approached with caution.

"You're right, I would've helped regardless. But you would've stayed behind with the others. We aren't fighting a weather controlling bird this time, we're fighting something far more monstrous." the Doctor said, grabbing a corner of the sheet with his hoof. "Are you ready?"

"I've seen worse."

Chapter 23: Murder on the Ponyville Express - Part 2

With a single motion, the Doctor lifts the sheet to reveal the victim. A small pool of crimson dots the floor near its body. The sight isn't pretty, but neither of them turn away so they can study all the details of the body.

"Female… Pegasus…" the Doctor says as he moves to a better space to observe what appeared to be the source of the red that stained the floor. "Looks like two wounds, in the back, between the wings."

Matt too, was inspecting the unfortunate victim. Her coat was a cream color and she had a wavy, mid-length, chestnut mane. Her eyes were closed and she looked almost peaceful.

"Do we know what caused them?" Matt inquired.

"The guard said they were inflicted by shards of glass, from that window over there." The Doctor responded.

Matt glanced about the room and spotted glass shards that were far larger than the rest scattered around. The shards were also dabbed in red.

"I see… What else do we know?"

"That's it. The staff is bringing us her possessions to see if we can find some kind of clue."

The Doctor threw the sheet back over the mare's body while the pair waited.

"… What would drive someone to this, Doctor?" Matt asked, leaning against the wall of the train car.

"Revenge, money, love, nuclear fission, Vashda Narda, anything really. Basically for the same reasons people murdered back on earth. That is to say, our earth." He said.

"I honestly don't believe that. I've read countless books back in Twilight's library, and none of them even hinted at violence like this. I just thought ponies weren't capable." Matt replied.

"Oh, they're as capable as humans, in most senses."

The door to the car opens suddenly, and the same guard who brought them there had a suitcase in tow, carrying it with the handle clamped between his teeth.

"Sirs? This is all we could find." the Guard said, leaving the suitcase on the floor before going back out the way he came.

"I don't feel right going through a dead person's belongings." said Matt.

"This is the only hope of finding any leads." the Doctor responded as he began unzipping the luggage.

Matt shrugged and knelt down to help him search. There were clothes, hair accessories, and numerous little knick-knacks.

"Says here that her name is… Merriweather. She isn't a local, seems like she was traveling here from… somewhere." The Doctor said, finding what seemed to be identification.

"Ah-ha, what do we have here?" Matt said, discovering a book-like object.

The Doctor leaned over his shoulder as Matt opened the book, discovering that it was actually a photo album.

"Ponies have Polaroid cameras…?" Matt questioned

"Every intelligent species does eventually." said the Doctor is response.

Matt began flipping through the album. It was almost like flipping the entire life of the Pegasus called Merriweather. The earliest pictures were her and assuredly her family when she was a foal, and the latest looked like it could have been recent. Most of the pictures after a certain point included a female Unicorn. Her coat was a saturated cream color and her mane was a bright orange streaked with yellow, which contrasted her maroon eyes. She seemed camera-shy and always had an annoyed smile on her face. Further down the photo-timeline, the Unicorn appeared less and less, while a particular yellow-orange stallion began showing up more and more. He was far more photogenic than the Unicorn, seeming to love being captured on film. He had a dark brown mane and dashing green eyes.

Matt, for a moment, felt like they looked familiar. "Don't these two seem kind of familiar? Do you recognize them?"

Instead of responding, the Doctor stared at the photos before trotting back towards the passenger car. Matt followed, eager to see what the Doctor had realized. When he caught up, he saw the Doctor staring through the glass of the door, and Matt joined him. He then saw something he didn't expect; the Unicorn and the Stallion were on-board the train.

"I wish I hadn't." he replied.

Meanwhile, inside the very passenger car Matt and the Doctor were observing, the four mares who came along with them were trying their best to relax. Everybody was still shaken up by current events and silence dominated most of the car.

Vinyl was tapping her hooves to the rhythmic beat of the train while observing the other ponies on-board. At one point, she had to do a double-take and lifted her glasses.

"Hey, guys?" she asked her three friends.

The three mares turned to face her. Vinyl pointed a hoof at another mare wearing a beige dress. She had the defining feature of being the only other Unicorn on the train, aside from Vinyl and Lyra. She looked incredibly down in the dumps.

Vinyl and the others approached her.

"Hey… you uh… you alright?" asked Vinyl.

The Unicorn sighed, but didn't break her gaze from the floor.

"I'm… I'll be fine." The stranger replied solemnly.

"Oh… alright, then…" Vinyl responded.

"I'm sorry, miss, but… do you know where this train is headed?" Octavia asked.

"… Canterlot." She responded, for the first time turning to face the group. Her expression changed upon finally seeing them, sadness fading from her face. "You… the two of you are… Unicorns?" she asked, somewhat ignoring the two none-horned members of the group who were present.

"… yeah?" responded Lyra, confused.

The Unicorn tilted her head before blinking softly, regaining composure.

"I've never seen another Unicorn before. That's why we were going to Canterlot…" she trailed off, seeming to remember the cause of the melancholic state.

"We?" asked Octavia.

"My... my friend and I. She and I were going to… before…" the Unicorn blinked back tears before refocusing on the floor in front of her.

Bon-bon was the first to surmise who her friend had been. "Oh dear, I'm so sorry." She said, which had apparently clued in her three friends to whom the Unicorn's friend was.

The mood had darkened even more than it already had given the current situation.

"I-I'm sorry for making you feel bad." The Unicorn said. "I'll be alright. I know Merriweather would want me to be strong. It's just… difficult." She said, forcing a smile.

"Did you know them long?" asked Lyra in her usual deadpan tone.

"Since we were fillies. We were practically sisters, her mother used to say." She answered. "Oh, forgive me. I haven't introduced myself. My name is Stardust."

…...

While the group befriended the mourning Unicorn, they were unaware of the staring eyes of Matthew and Doctor through the train car's door window.

"That's definitely her." Matt said.

"I noticed." The Doctor responded before shifting his gaze to the depressed stallion who was sat closer to the door. "And that's definitely him."

"Why haven't they said anything yet? Didn't the staff ask if anyon- pony knew the victim?" Matt inquired.

"That means they must have something to hide." stated the Doctor.

"Does it? Maybe they just don't want to talk about it." said Matt.

"If someone killed your friend wouldn't you want to help in anyway you could?" the Doctor asked.

"I see your point." Matt replied. "… do you suspect one of them?" he pondered solemnly.

"It's too early to tell, but they're our only lead."

"So what do we do?"

"Who would you rather interrogate?" The Doctor asked, somewhat whimsically.

"Seriously?" was Matt's only reply.

...

The two left the crime scene and approached their group of friends. They had seemed to have befriended the suspect Unicorn.

"Oh boy." said Lyra, noticing their approach. "It's the bow-tie brigade."

Matt and the Doctor adjusted their respective bow-ties.

"Have you two made any progress?" asked Bon-bon.

"A bit." Matt replied. "We actually wanted a word with you, miss...?" he said, gesturing to the cream Unicorn.

"You want to talk to Stardust? Whatever for?" Octavia said.

"We understand you and Merriweather were close?" Matt asked.

"... yes, we were. I'll answer your questions." Stardust replied.

"Fantastic, if you could just head down to the dining car I'll be with you momentarily." Matt said, directing her down the hall.

She went on ahead and Matt turned to the Doctor. "Where will you take the other?" he asked.

"We'll be in the cargo area. Be careful." the Doctor said.

"Understood." Matt replied.

"Is anypony gonna tell us what's going on here?" Vinyl asked.

Matt and the Doctor must not have heard her, as they split up to get back to investigating.

Lyra, Bon-bon, Vinyl and Octavia were worried for their new found friend Stardust, but hopeful that she could help solve the case.

...

Meanwhile, in the present, Twilight Sparkle was struck with confusion.

"Spike? You've glanced over this once before, right? Wasn't there only one disappearance?" he asked.

"Nope, I'm pretty sure it's always been two." her assistant responded.

Twilight glanced the compilation of reports all throughout, before shrugging and concluding that she must've remembered it wrong.

...

At a small table in the empty dining car, Matt Nabal pulled up a chair across from the mysterious Unicorn.

"Let's just get straight to the point, Stardust, was it?" he asked.

"Yes." she replied.

"Right, well, Miss Stardust, my first question would have to be; why were you on this train to begin with?"

"I simply wanted to meet others of my kind." she replied.

"I assume you mean Unicorns?" Matt asked.

"Yes. You see, I am not from Equestria originally. There were only two Unicorns in the town I grew up in, myself and my father. Unfortunately, he passed while I was still young." Stardust explained.

"I see... and Miss Merriweather? Why was she on the train?"

Matt noticed a small twitch in Stardust's eye when he spoke the name of the victim.

"Merriweather was my best friend for as long as I could remember. She wanted to come with me and see the majesty Equestria is famous for."

"Did Merriwether have any enemies? Anyone who would want to bring her harm?"

"The town we're from is very small, we knew practically everypony from there and none of them are on this train."

Matt was silent in contemplation at that statement. He thought about the stallion seen in Merriweather's photo album. He was on the train, and surely Stardust had to have known him if he was around Merriweather.

Matt's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound of light sobbing. He looked up to see Stardust wipe tears from her eyes. While he agreed with the Doctor that stopping the murder seemed unlikely, it hadn't fully donned on him that someone had truly died until that moment.

"... I should have said this sooner, but I'm sorry for your loss." Matt said in an apologetic tone.

Stardust replied with a forgiving smile. "I understand that you're just doing your job and I appreciate you for doing it, but..." she trailed off, formulating her next statement. "Do you know what it's like to lose somepony close to your heart?"

Matt's expression changed to a grim one.

"I do." he replied.

There was silence as both interrogator and suspect thought of what else could be said. Before anyone could continue, the door to the room they were in opened and the Doctor stepped in.

"Matt!" the Doctor exclaimed. "And, uh... you..."

"Stardust."

"Ah, yes, you. Could I have a moment?"

"Of course." Matt replied.

Matt and the Doctor stepped out of the dining car.

"What is it, Doctor?" Matt inquired.

"I wanted to speak with her a moment, i have an idea of what's going on here. Go check on the other one." The Doctor replied.

"Understood."

The Doctor stepped back into the car with Stardust as Matt preceded to the cargo area where the other suspect was no doubt waiting.

...

Back with Lyra, Bon-bon, Vinyl and Octavia, the four mares were discussing the reason as to why Stardust was taken in for questioning.

"They cannot seriously believe she had something to do with this, can they?" asked Octavia.

"Of course not! They probably just needed to know more about the victim." Bon-bon answered.

"I dunno, she seemed kinda weird to me." Lyra declared.

"Wow. That's cold, Ly." Vinyl responded.

Lyra reclined back in the sitting pose she was so fond of. "I just mean she had a weird look in her eyes, that's all."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Bon-bon.

"She just didn't look sad enough." Lyra replied.

"That's called composure, Lyra." Octavia retorted.

Lyra shrugged. "I guess. I've always been pretty bad at reading ponies."

"You can say that again!" Bon-bon teased.

The group laughed at Lyra's expense while she held her chest as if wounded.

...

Matt slid open the door to the cargo room, noting that the TARDIS was still in the corner. His interrogation subject was sat on a small crate in the opposite corner.

The pony looked relieved to see him. "Finally, you've come. Did you find out anything?" the eager earth pony asked.

"We're working on it. My partner wanted me to talk to you a bit first, mister...?"

The pony hung his head dejectedly. "My name is Ripple."

"Well then, I assume my friend already asked you some questions. Can you summarize them for me?" Matt asked.

Ripple closed his eyes, straightened his posture, and inhaled deeply. "I'm originally from Ponyville, Equestria but have a home in Canterlot. I spend most of my days wandering the world to see and learn all that I can. My favorite color is red, and yes this is an ascot."

Matt mentally made a note to ask the Doctor why he had asked about the suspect's favorite color or about his fashion accessories, then noticed that Ripple hadn't mentioned anything about his relationship with the victim.

"And what about Merriweather? How did you know her?" Matt asked.

Ripple's eyes narrowed at the mention of her name.

"Merri... she was my lover." he said softly.

Matt's eyes widened at his statement.

Ripple paused before continuing. "We met as I passed through her town several months ago. I was only meant to stay for one night, but I was enraptured by her beauty and found myself practically living in the small inn there."

"I-I see... and why did the two of you board this train?" Matt inquired.

"After proclaiming our love for one another, Merri had confessed to me that she desperately wanted to leave her small town. I told her of my home in Canterlot. You should have seen the twinkle in her eyes when I asked her to live with me..." he trailed off, before breaking into a loud sob. He put his head in his hooves and cried loudly. "Oh, my love! I will never see your beautiful form filled with life again! I will never hear your laugh again..."

Ripple continued his sobbing as the door to the cargo area slid open, revealing the Doctor.

"I think I've got it." the Doctor declared.

Ripple ceased his sobbing. "You do? You know who did this?"

"Come along, Matt. We need to discuss something." the Doctor stated, ignoring Ripple's questions.

"Alright, I'm coming." Matt replied, approaching the door.

"Wait!" Ripple shouted.

The two investigators turned back to face him.

"I know you can't tell me anything, but at least tell me; did you find her necklace?" Ripple asked.

"Necklace?" Matt and the Doctor said in unison.

"It's shaped like half of a heart. She always had that thing on. If you didn't find it, someone must've stolen it." he told them.

"We'll keep an eye out. You're free to go, for now." Matt said as they closed the door. "Doctor, I found something very odd in my conversation with him."

"Let me guess; he or Stardust didn't mention each other at all, right?" the Doctor guessed.

"Exactly." Matt replied as they made their way back to the crime scene. "It seemed pretty odd to me, since Stardust was apparently Merriweather's best friend and Ripple was her lover. Maybe they didn't get along?"

"I think it's more than that." the Doctor said, flipping open the photo album they had found earlier. "This must be the necklace Ripple had mentioned." He pointed to a picture of Merriweather leaning against a tree. Around her neck was what looked like a half of a broken heart.

"Well, I certainly haven't seen it. Do you think the killer took it?" Matt asked.

"More than likely. So, if we have all the passengers empty their luggage, we should have our killer within the hour."

"Do you think they'd all comply with that?"

"If they don't, it'd look awfully suspicious."

"I see your reasoning." Matt responded. "By the way, what happened with Stardust?"

"After questioning, I told her she could leave. She's probably in the passenger car now."

Matt nodded and they both headed into the full passenger car to start the search.

...

Ripple sadly walked back towards the passenger car, he passed an open washroom. Inside, he could barely make out the outline of a pony, using the sink. He stepped in and turned on the light on. He saw a saturated-cream colored Unicorn.

"Oh, I'm sorry for barging in." he said.

The Unicorn turned to face him. "Oh, uh, it's alright..." she said.

"I'm just a bit on edge at the moment, what with... current events." Ripple replied.

"Yes... So am I."

He turned to leave her, before turning around. "My name is Ripple, by the way."

"... Stardust." the Unicorn replied.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, the sink had started to overflow.

"Oh!" Ripple exclaimed. "Let me help you with that."

"N-no that's alright-"

Ripple was already swabbing the floor with a towel nearby as Stardust quickly turned off the faucet. There was an awkward silence between them as the cleanup commenced.

"I knew her, y'know..." Ripple said wringing the towel out.

"Who...?" Stardust asked, her expression turning dark.

"The victim. She and I were probably going to spend the rest of our lives together."

A glow appeared in the room and the light bulb blew out. Ripple turned to face the source of the glow, which turned out to be Stardust's horn.

"It was you!" she shouted.

The object she was washing floated out, revealing itself to be the half heart necklace Ripple had been searching for. It was stained dark red. Another glow appeared on Stardust's chest, when out from her dress came another half of a heart necklace. The two halves snapped together and rested against her chest.

"I-I... You...!" Ripple stammered.

The water still in the sink floated out with an eerie red glow, and thrust itself towards Ripple like a spear.

Back in the passenger car, Matt and the Doctor had enlisted their four friends to assist going through the various luggage on-board, when the Doctor stopped in place for a moment.

Matt, who was stood nearby, took notice. "Is something wrong, Doctor?" he asked.

"Everything."

"What?"

"Everything is wrong!" he said, pounding his hooves on the ground with each syllable.

The Doctor took off towards the murder scene, Matt quickly following.

"We have a possible motive, we have suspects! What do you mean everything is wrong?!" he shouted.

"What's the one thing we overlooked? What's the one thing that's been staring us in the face the whole time?" the Doctor asked, sliding open the door to the crime scene.

They both stepped over the newly added caution tape to block the door off, before the Doctor continued.

"We know what the murder weapon was. Glass, from that window." he said, gesturing toward said window.

"Yeah, okay, what's the problem?" Matt replied.

"You're missing the obvious question!" said the Doctor, walking towards the broken window. "How did the weapon end up over there?" he asked, pointing at the crimson glass on the other side of the room.

Matt looked at the window, then towards the weapon, then at the body. He approached the victim and threw the sheet off. A closer look at the entry wound made it some sort of projectile, but then he noticed something obvious.

"There's no exit wound." Matt said.

"Exactly. Meaning that they had been removed." the Doctor stated.

"And thrown across the room, indicating immediate regret and frustration." Matt added.

"Meaning this couldn't have been a murder in cold blood. The killer knew her." the Doctor concluded.

"The only two people on-board this train who know her..."

"Ripple."

"Stardust."

The two of them hadn't before considered either of the two ponies as the killer, but now they were both aware that they had each interrogated the killer and suspected nothing.

Chapter 24: Murder on the Ponyville Express - Part 3

Matthew and the Doctor stood silently in the old train car, both in deep contemplation. They had each finally narrowed down the murder investigation to two suspects; both of which they had let go earlier. They could be anywhere on the train at this point, and Matt and the Doctor knew it. Matt let his gaze wander and spotted the red stained glass used as a murder weapon. He had noticed something about it he hadn't before. He walked over, bent down to pick it up, then examined both shards thoroughly. They were the biggest pieces in the room, but were similarly shaped. After rotating them a particular way, the pieces literally clicked together.

"Doctor? Look at this." he said to his partner in investigation.

Matt turned to show that the jagged shards formed together into a glass heart.

The Doctor trotted over and analyzed them with his strange bronze tool, before heading over the rest of the shards of glass. "Bring those over here for a moment." he said.

Matt followed the Doctor to the broken window and knelt, placing the crimson heart onto the floor. The Doctor began moving various pieces of glass around the heart, finding that they fit together. Matt began doing the same, but quickly noticed the thin layer of dust across all the pieces as he began leaving fingerprints.

"The pieces are coated in some sort of dust." he said, voicing his thoughts.

"I noticed." the Doctor replied. "This is an older car, it's not surprising."

With a few more shards moved into place, the pair stood and backed away to look at the jigsaw-window they'd assembled.

"The whole thing is still here." Matt declared.

"Not only that, look closer." the Doctor responded, prompting Matt to glare at the construct.

On close inspection, the glass had been altered in some sort of way, and now contained a portrait withing itself. It looked like Merriweather's face, with the red heart placed toward her chest.

"This has some serious implications." The Doctor stated.

...

Back in the passenger car, the four mares had basically finished going through most of the ponies' on-board luggage.

"Did you girls find anything?" Bon-bon called out.

"Nope." Lyra replied dryly.

"Not over here, either." Vinyl shouted from the other end.

"No luck here, either." Octavia called back. She then noticed she had started to sweat, being around so many ponies in a tightly packed train car. "I'll be right back, I need to freshen up." she yelled to her friends before leaving the car to head to one of the on-board washrooms.

...

A feminine shriek was heard on the other end of the train, and Matt and the Doctor rushed immediately to investigate. After getting through a panicked passenger car, the saw their four friends comforting a shuddering Octavia.

"What happened?" Matt asked, out of breath from passing the crowded car behind them.

"H-he's... I-I..." Octavia stammered nervously.

"Shh... It's alright, Octy." said Vinyl in a comforting tone as she caressed her friend gently, then pointing into the washroom.

"It, uh... It doesn't look good." Lyra said as they approached the door.

They quickly peeked inside to see a stallion, face in the sink and leaning against it. They both rushed to his side and Matt pulled him out and leaned him against the opposite wall.

"My god..." Matt uttered, immediately recognizing it as Ripple, the stallion who claimed to be the first victim's lover.

The Doctor quickly analyzed him with his tool before placing hoof to Ripple's neck.

"We're too late again." The Doctor uttered darkly.

"Are we?" Matt inquired. "It would seem like he did this himself, whether to avoid the consequences or guilt."

"That's the obvious answer, but it doesn't sit right with me." The Doctor replied.

Matt then noticed the spots where he grabbed Ripple's body to move him were his coat's original color, while other parts of his body were off somehow. Then he noticed the water that was all over the floor, which had a small tint to it, just like Ripple's body and the glass from earlier. Then it snapped into place for him.

"Dusting..." Matt said.

The Doctor turned boldly from the body to face him.

"Twilight does a ton of dusting at the library." Matt continued. "She had told me that magic energy leaves a faint kind of residue, very similar to dust."

"Oh, that's true actually." Bon-bon added, leaning into the room for a moment. "I have to dust my shop a lot because of Lyra's magic abuse."

"That's it!" The Doctor exclaimed. "That's the thing we were missing!" He got up on his hind legs and put his forelegs against Matt's chest, shaking excitedly. "The glass, Nabal! The glass!" He continued, before fixing Matt's collar and bow-tie he had ruffled up.

After a second of thought, Matt caught on to what he had meant. "This is a moving train, yet all the glass from a broken window landed inside! The killer had to be using magic!"

"Which means... we only have one suspect." The Doctor said, his expression becoming dark before he took off down the hall with Matt in close pursuit.

"She had to go this way, we'd have seen her otherwise." The Doctor said, Matt nodding in agreement.

A few cars ahead, they came upon the improvised cargo car where the TARDIS was left earlier. It was opposite them, towards the other exit. There was a figure banging on the doors to the blue box.

The figure turned to face them, revealing it to be none other than Stardust.

"... I should've known you'd come looking." she said coldly. "I had planned to hid in this box till we reached Canterlot, but it looks like the cat's out of the bag."

She was looking at them now, her mane obscuring her eyes. The two quickly noticed the heart necklace around her neck with a split down the middle, just like the glass of the broken window.

The Doctor stepped forward. "This is your last chance. Be happy I'm even giving you one." he said, a rarely-heard serious tone in his voice.

The mare let out a giggle before breaking into a sinister laugh. She brushed her mane out of her face with a hoof. Her eyes were wide open and a grin crept across her face.

"And who are you to be giving chances?! You won't be getting any from me." she responded as her horn began to glow.

In a instant, a bolt of transparent red energy shot from her horn directly at the Doctor, knocking the stallion to the ground. Matt was startled at the shear speed of the blast, especially from how far away the caster was. Her horn began glowing again, still aimed at the Doctor. As she fired, Matt stepped forward on instinct, taking the blast to his abdomen.

The bolt didn't disperse immediately, solidifying for a moment before a violent cracking sound was heard and the bolt of energy shattered like glass, dispersing and giving Stardust enough recoil to knock her back. As the smoke cleared, Matt was seen still standing tall, covered in magic dust and brushing his shoulders off as both Stardust and the Doctor regained their footing. The device on Matt's belt seemed to take some of the hit, however, and the blue lights on it shortly flickered out, revealing his true form to those who hadn't seen it yet.

"And just what exactly was that all about? Since when?!" the Doctor asked loudly as he dusted himself off.

"I had forgotten to tell you about this, Doctor. It would appear the human body rejects magic. At least, the spells Twilight tried on me." Matt replied.

"Oh, now this is fair. You got to stay on two legs and you're the anti-magic?" the Doctor said, sounding a bit frustrated. Matt simply rubbed the back of his head and shrugged.

"Y-y-you...!" Stardust stuttered in awe of what one of the ponies chasing her had transformed into.

Matt quickly noticed his perception filter's malfunction and fiddled with it a bit, until the blue lights came back on.

Stardust was still in shock. "Y-you're a monster!" she said in fear.

When he was sure the device was still functioning, he turned to face her.

"I'm the monster here?" Matt replied.

Stardust's horn lit up again, growing brighter and brighter each moment. Matt prepped to take another blast, but Stardust just kept charging. Then, with a loud bang, the light on her horn exploded, blinding Matt and the Doctor.

The commotion attracted the attention of the four mares accompanying them, who quickly found Matt and the Doctor holding their hands to their eyes.

"What happened? Are you two okay?" Bon-bon asked with a worried tone.

"She's getting desperate." the Doctor responded, blinking as his sight returned.

"She went towards the front of the train. She's cornered herself." Matt added, his sight also recovering.

"I still don't believe Stardust would do something like this..." Octavia said as the group moved to follow Stardust's trail.

"She seemed much nicer when we spoke with her." Bon-bon added.

"Some ponies are great at hiding their intentions." Lyra commented.

Matt and the Doctor stopped at a doorway, opening it slowly.

"We should be close to the cab..." Matt said.

Everyone noticed what seemed to be the conductor lying motionless near the other exit. The Doctor rushed over to him.

"Another one...?" Matt asked.

"No, he's just unconscious." The Doctor responded. "But this means she's probably trying to do something in the cab."

Just then, the train began to speed up rapidly. Everyone struggled to maintain footing.

"I'm going to guess this is a bad thing?" Vinyl asked rhetorically.

"We've got to put an end to this." Matt said.

The group continued to approach what was certainly the cab of the train, and upon opening the door, a bolt of red magic flew over them.

"You stay back!" Stardust shouted, standing near the train controls. "It should only take another ten minutes..."

Everyone outside hugged one of the walls to take cover from any further magic attacks.

"Ten minutes till what?" Bon-bon called out.

"Oh, hey, we're close to Canterlot." Lyra observed

At the speed they were traveling, the group surmised what would happen in ten minutes at Canterlot station.

"You still have a chance!" The Doctor yelled out.

"What did I tell you, Doctor? You aren't the one giving chances here!" Stardust yelled back.

"Matt." the Doctor whispered. "Let's move up."

Matt nods in agreement and steps into the doorway.

A shot hits his chest immediately, but unlike earlier, it wasn't a beam connected to Stardust. Matt noticed a small black rock had landed in front of him. The Doctor stepped out behind Matt. The two attempted to move forward, but a shot flew between Matt's legs and hit one of the Doctor's forelegs, tripping him.

"Doctor!" Matt yelled out, kneeling to cover the gap Stardust shot through.

He was pelted by a barrage of coal, covered in magical bullets. Since the shots contained solid matter, the impacts caused genuine pain.

"Help me out here, guys!" He yelled to his friends, still in cover.

The mares helped the two up and back into cover.

"Are you okay, Doctor?" Matt asked.

"She's knows what she's doing." The Doctor replied, dusting himself off.

"She figured out a way around the magic recoil... What do we do?" Matt pondered.

"Well, I suppose we can try negotiating. Again." The Doctor replied.

"Stardust! It's not too late! Calm down and think about what you're doing!" Matt shouted into the cab.

"It is too late, 'agent'. She's already gone..." Stardust replied as she trailed off.

"If you surrender now, I'll make sure you only end up in Canterlot dungeon instead of trapped in an asteroid orbiting Saturn. or whatever else Celestia will do with you!" The Doctor yelled in, trying to dissuade her.

"Is that supposed to make her not wreck this thing?!" Lyra asked sarcastically. The train suddenly screeched to halt, the resulting force hurling the four mares into the cab.

Matt and the Doctor, who had been in cover, remained there.

"None of you move! Just stay put!" Stardust shouted, horn trained on them.

The train quickly began speeding up again, this time twice as fast. The four mares crawled off of each other and climbed to their hooves.

"Why are you doing this, Stardust?" Octavia asked.

"The better question is what are you four doing with that... that thing?" Stardust replied with her own question. "I couldn't see him at first, but it's true! That... 'agent' is some sort of monster!"

"Oh, him? He's not so bad." Bon-bon replied.

"You knew? You were... working with him?" Stardust asked, confused. "You were against me from the start? When you all comforted me earlier, was that because I was suspicious to you?!"

"Of course not!" Octavia replied.

"Yeah, don't be like that. We were just being nice." Vinyl added.

"We just saw that you were hurting, and we did what we could for you." Bon-bon said. "We would've never imagined that you could have done this..."

"Why did you do it?" Lyra prodded.

Stardust's face turned to an even angrier glare at the four.

"She did it to herself." Stardust said coldly. She looked away from the group as tears welled up in her eyes. "Since you consoled me... and since you won't be repeating this to anyone after the crash, I'll explain."

...

Several hours earlier, as most of the train slumbered, two mares snuck into an unused antique dining car.

"What did you want to talk about, Dusty?" asked the brown-haired Pegasus.

The pale yellow Unicorn turned her red eyes to look at the Pegasus.

"Who said anything about talking? I just wanted some alone time with you..." replied the Unicorn with a devilish smile.

"Oh, uh... W-we really shouldn't, Dusty. What if someone sees us togeth-"

"Has that ever stopped us?"

The Pegasus sighed, then walked passed the Unicorn and sat down.

"Alright, I know what that sigh means." said the Unicorn, sitting next to her companion. "What's wrong, dearest?"

"It's nothing. I guess I'm... just nervous about going to Equestria." the Pegasus replied.

The Unicorn nuzzled her companion. "I understand. I am too. Nervous about starting our new life together."

"About that..." the Pegasus replied, turning away from her friend.

The unicorn's crimson eyes showed a fair bit of concern. "D-don't tell me your getting second thoughts, dearest? We're already on the train..."

"No, of course I still want to go. But... It's just that this... 'thing' between us..."

A look of disgust came across the Unicorn's face. "... What do you mean, 'thing'?"

"You know what I mean." The Pegasus replied, standing back up and walking across the room, not looking at the Unicorn. "I-I think it has to stop."

"Why would you..." the Unicorn stood as well. "Why?! Merri, what's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

The Pegasus looked back to her. "No! You've been wonderful to me, Dusty. It's just... For all these years, we've had to do this in secret, a-and I..."

"Is there someone else?" the Unicorn asked coldly.

"Listen, Dusty, I'll always cherish you as my best friend, but you have to understand-"

"Does that necklace mean nothing to you?!"

The cream colored Pegasus held up the half of crystal heart dangling around her neck. "Stardust, please don't make this harder than it needs to be. I promise I'll still make time for you."

"I need you... You know I need you... why are you doing this to me?" Stardust stammered, overcome with tears.

"I can't be your emotional crutch forever. You have to stand on your own." Merriweather replied.

"There is someone else, isn't there?! At least tell me that much!"

A tear rolled down Merriweather's cheek. "There is. He's a wonderful Stallion, I'm sure the two of you will hit it off well."

"... a Stallion?" Stardust questioned, almost as if to herself. the window in front of her began to crack. The cracking become bigger, quickly spreading through most of the glass. "No... No I... refuse."

The glass of the window shattered completely, the shards covered in an eerie red aura, all of the shards floating into the train car.

Merriweather looked on in horror as her lover looked her in the eyes, tears streaming from them, yet an ecstatic grin spread across her face.

In an instant, two of the shards resembling the pair's matching necklaces flew across the room.

"I love you too much, Merriweather."

...

"After I found out who he was... Who she had betrayed me for... Well, I'm sure you've found him." Stardust said, finishing her tale.

The mares, Matt and the Doctor had all been listening intently.

"The two of you were...?" Bon-bon asked, trailing off.

"We were. For a couple of years, now. It was the happiest time of my life. Merriweather and I had first met shortly after my father passed. I feel like she saved me. But our relationship was frowned upon in our village."

A look of sadness overcame the normally stoic Lyra, though she remained silent. Vinyl and Octavia shared understanding glances.

"It's not like I expect any of you to understand, but that did manage to kill three or four minutes. Canterlot's coming into view. I'm... I'm sorry about this." Stardust said, looking forward out of the train.

"I understand." Lyra replied.

"Oh come on. How could you?" Stardust inquired.

"Well..." Bon-bon said, getting closer to Lyra. "I don't understand all of it, but you could call our relationship pretty odd, too." she said, Lyra nodding in agreement.

"Same." said Vinyl, tilting her glasses up to wink at a blushing Octavia.

"You mean you... and you, too?" Stardust asked, finally turning back to face them.

"Yep. And I know splitting up with somepony is rough, but..." Bon-bon said.

"It would've gotten better, if you tried to move on." Lyra finished.

Stardust was at a loss for words. Her emotions were tearing her mind apart as she kept trying to convince herself that what she had done wasn't her fault, but rather that Ripple and Merriweather had sealed their own fates. But upon meeting Lyra, Bon-bon, Vinyl and Octavia, she began doubting her choices more and more. Her self-justification was waning thin. She looked skyward, seeing something apparently no one else could.

"Merri, I..."

Tears seeped forth and began wetting the floor.

"I love you..."

Stardust fell to the ground, and the mares rushed to her side. Matt and the Doctor ran into the room and headed immediately for the controls.

"How is she?" The Doctor asked.

"She just fainted, focus on stopping the train!" Bon-bon answered.

"Ah! Yes! Right!" The Doctor said, quickly glancing over the control panel. "Any idea which one's the brake?" He asked, glancing up at Matt.

"None whatsoever." Matt replied, meeting the Doctor's gaze. The two began quickly pushing and pulling all the levers and knobs and such until the train came to a screeching halt just outside Canterlot station.

Matt and the Doctor shared a glance again, before both of them shrugged.

...

Later, a pair of royal guards placed Stardust's still unconscious body onto a stretcher while a third placed a cone-like device over her horn.

A crowd had gathered to watch the commotion as a majestic white Alicorn approached a chestnut colored pony standing near the halted train.

"I came as soon as I heard you were involved, Doctor." Celestia said.

"That's good, because I can't stay long. I've got some other things to do after this. Wait- how long have you known me at this point?"

"You're still the same old Doctor." Celestia replied with a chuckle. "Long enough. I'll let you get to it, but you have to come by the castle sometime for tea. Oh, and thank you for catching her, Doctor."

"All in a day's work and such. Though I did have a small request of you, Celestia..."

Inside the train, Matt and the mares were all sat around the TARDIS in the cargo area.

"Good job, 'special agent'!" Vinyl congratulated, nudging Matt with her foreleg.

"Can we drop the 'agent' thing? It was just a cover story." Matt replied, crossing his arms whilst leaning against the TARDIS.

The Doctor walked into the cargo car and the four mares got to their hooves.

"Right then, let's be off." he said.

"Aw, we don't get to say hi to the princess?" Bon-bon asked, dejected.

"I'd rather not, honestly. Just in case the perception filter malfunctions." Matt added.

"Yes!" The Doctor exclaimed. "We aren't needed here anymore anyway. We've got lots to do, and all the time in the world. Let's get back to it, shall we?"

Much later, Stardust awoke in her cell within what was assuredly Canterlot dungeon. On a small desk inside the cell lay the completed crystal heart necklace, one half still stained a malevolent red. It seemed to shimmer in the light. Stardust picked the object up and lightly pressed her lips to it before putting it on and lying back down onto her cot.

"I'm sorry."
...

In the present, a frantic Twilight Sparkle had several files and reports levitating around her. She was quickly glancing through them all.

"I don't understand!" she declared. "This was one of the most mysterious unsolved cases in Equestrian history! I've never seen any mention of these 'Agent' and 'Doctor' characters before..."

"I think you're overworking yourself." Spike said, having been observing this for sometime.

"Oh yeah? Well why would Princess Celestia have me research a solved mystery?"

Chapter 25: How Vinyl Got Her Groove

The otherworldly sound of the time machine hummed unnoticed as it arrived to a large field. The doors opened, and the Doctor was the first to lean his head out. He quickly looked back and forth, assessing the situation. Matthew Nabal leaned out above him to do the same.

"This is still earth, right?" Matt inquired to his space-faring friend.

"Yes, definitely. Probably." the Doctor replied.

One by one, the four mares aboard the TARDIS sequentially leaned out as well.

"Y'know Doctor, when I said I wanted to go do something fun, an empty field in the middle of nowhere wasn't what I expected." Vinyl remarked.

Everyone got out of the crowded doorway and out into the field. The Doctor locked the door behind them.

"I think we could all go for some fun, after all that train business." Bon-bon added.

"What's going on over there?" Lyra asked, gesturing to the opposite direction of the TARDIS' doors.

Across more length of the field, there was some sort of gathering going on. Banners and flags with strange logos were strewn about, and there were quite a lot of ponies nearby.

Vinyl seemed to recognize the gathering somehow. "Whoa... is that Hoofstock?!" she exclaimed.

"What's Hoofstock?" Bon-bon inquired.

"Only the biggest music festival in Equestria!" Vinyl responded. "I've been to nearly every one since I was a filly. I wonder what year this is..."

Matt let out an audible groan. "We live in a world of puns, and it just now occurred to me..." he said.

The Doctor pulled out his bronze and silver rod and began scanning the area, ignoring Matt's input.

"Nineteen ninety... something. Most likely." he said.

"I suppose that would be good for some fun." said Bon-bon.

"Yeah, I could go for some old music." Lyra stated in agreement.

Octavia let out a sigh. "Very well, since we're here. Let's head over." she said, sounding somewhat disinterested.

"Something the matter, Octavia?" Bon-bon asked as the group started walking.

"Oh no, it's nothing..." she responded.

"Octavia here has classic tastes." Vinyl said. "Like... really classic."

"Do you still play cello for the Canterlot Orchestra?" Lyra asked the gray mare.

"But of course!" Octavia responded proudly. "Although things have been rather bland without you around, Lyra."

"Yeah well, y'know. That stuff's behind me now." the mint pony responded.

Matt could tell Lyra was dancing around the subject, but he knew it wasn't his place to ask.

The group arrived at a field of tents and stalls of all sorts, all in front of a massive stage. Dozens of ponies littered the place, all assuredly avid music lovers.

"Oh, uh... oh dear. You know, I don't really do well in crowds, so I'll just head back to the TARDIS for now..." Matt said, looking into the large crowd of multicolored ponies.

"Really? You seemed fine on the train, and we were wedged in pretty tight." Bon-bon replied.

Matt hadn't noticed, but she was right. He had kept his composure during the entire ordeal on the train.

"Well I guess that's because I needed to be calm, given the circumstances."

"Aw, come on, dude! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!" Vinyl declared.

"I thought you said it happens every year?" Matt rebutted.

"You know what I mean."

"Honestly, I don't. Really though, it's no big deal. I'll see you all in a bi-" Matt turned around to walk away, walking directly into a poorly rooted flagpole. After recoiling from the pain and making certain his nose wasn't bleeding, he watched as the flagpole fell backwards, directly onto a tent.

Shouts were heard from inside the tent. "Oh no... do you think they're alright?" Matt asked.

A moment later, rumbling and what seemed like a small explosion erupted from the tent.

"They were." Lyra responded dryly.

...

Later, Matt, Vinyl and Octavia were all sat on a blanket near the stage.

"I hope nopony's hurt badly." Octavia said.

"It didn't sound too good." Vinyl added.

Matt was feeling awful over his accidental damage, remaining silent as they waited for the Doctor, Lyra, and Bon-bon to return and update them on the ponies involved in the accident. He sat there, legs crossed and waited patiently. Before much longer, the trio returned with smiles on their faces.

"Great news!" the Doctor declared. "No one was hurt too badly. I mean, they're alive at the very least."

Matt sighed in relief. "That's good to hear." he said.

"However..." the Doctor began, taking a moment to swivel a hoof in the air to try and formulate an explanation.

"We have to perform in their place." Lyra said bluntly.

"Yes, exactly. What she said." the Doctor added.

Matt, Vinyl, and Octavia were a tad taken aback.

Bon-bon noticed their shock. "I know it's sudden, but they really needed somepony to put on a show, and I know at least three of us are musicians..." she said, letting it slip that she was the pony to sign them up as a band.

"B-but I don't even have my cello..." Octavia said.

"We don't really have a choice. At least, I don't." Matt said, clearly resolved to make up for his earlier blunder.

"I tried saying we didn't have any equipment." said Lyra. "But they insisted that there is a ton of spare stuff backstage."

"Well I'm up for it!" Vinyl shouted, striking a pose. "C'mon, let's go!" she says as she heads off backstage, the rest of the group in tow.

...

Backstage, Matt and the ponies found that there were indeed a large amount of extra equipment for them to use. Instruments, amplifiers, cords of several different varieties all sat unorganized in a sort of pile. The stage itself was was mostly blocked off by a large purple curtain.

"A thought occurs;" Matt began. "How do ponies even play instruments?"

"Like this." Lyra responded, levitating a blue bass guitar out of the pile and giving it a few strums with her magic.

"So I see. But what about earth ponies?" Matt questioned.

By this point, the Doctor had retrieved a guitar from the pile as well. The Doctor sat on his haunches and began to attempt to strum the instrument, finding it to be far easier than he imagined.

"How are you even doing that without fingers?" Matt inquired.

"No idea. Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth, eh?" The Doctor replied.

"I didn't know you could play guitar, Doctor." said Bon-bon.

"Neither did I." he responded with a smirk.

"What about you, two-legs?" Lyra asked. "You ever perform before?"

"I have, actually."Matt was confident in his ability to play any instrument in the pile, but reached for a keyboard-guitar hybrid. "This'll do."

"Well this is going better than I hoped! I didn't know everypony other than me had musical talent!" Bon-bon exclaimed gleefully. "I guess I'll just... grab this tambourine, or something." she added, dusting off a shimmering tambourine. Upon shaking it, she realized that it let out various drum noises. Depending on which way she shook it, different noises and effects came out of it.

"Oh hey, that's one of those 'Drumbourines'." Lyra said. Bon-bon just stared at her, confused. "It's an enchanted instrument. Basically it's a hoofheld drum set." she added, clearing up Bon-bon's expression.

Vinyl, meanwhile, had been setting up her turntable. "This is gonna be so rad! I've always wanted to play at Hoofstock." she said.

Her partner, however, was having a far less enjoyable time. After searching through the pile for several minutes, Octavia had come across an issue; she didn't know how to play anything other than the cello and violin, neither of which were here.

"I-I guess I'll just be providing moral support from back here..." she sad somberly.

Vinyl placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Don't sweat it, Octy. The five of us should be more than enough."

Seeing Octavia cheer up a bit, Vinyl Scratch walked over towards the curtain separating the band from the waiting crowd. "There's gotta be a major crowd out there. I wonder if anypony knows about the change of band..." she peered around the curtain to check out the crowd, noting its still immense size. She nodded in approval until she spotted something that made her blood run cold.

Near the front of the stage was a young white Unicorn with an electric-blue colored mane, a large pair of purple sunglasses held up by her horn.

...

"Uh... Guys?" Vinyl brought her head back in from outside the curtain. "I think we have a problem. I'm out there."

"What? What do you mean you're out there?" Matt asked.

"I mean, I- me- little me is out there." she responded.

"Well I guess that makes sense. You said you had gone to Hoofstock every year since you were young." Bon-bon said.

"Well, yeah, but isn't it a problem for me to be here with... me?" Vinyl inquired.

"Probably." The Doctor replied. "The odds of it not being a problem are very small. Did she see you?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Good. You should stay out of sight."

"But what about the show?!" Vinyl asked, almost shouting.

"Sorry, V. This paradox stuff is something you don't wanna mess with." Lyra responded.

Vinyl let out a disgruntled sigh, before going back to her usual grin. "It's no big deal, I guess. There's always next year."

One of the festival staff ran into backstage, seemingly in a hurry. "Hey, are you folks about ready yet? This crowd is getting wild."

"Give us about five minutes." Lyra replied.

The staff member looked relieved and left the way he came in. The four performers, minus Bon-bon, began hooking up all their wires and amps and such. Bon-bon shook her drumbourine in all directions once more to try and memorize the noises it made.

Vinyl and Octavia just watched the other get ready.

"You don't remember something like this happening?" Octavia asked her companion.

"Not really. I just recall that one year I went the headliner was just some no-name band." Vinyl responded.

"You folks ready back there?" a voice yelled from outside.

"Yep!" replied Bon-bon.

"As I'll ever be." Matt shouted.

The curtain began to open slowly. Matt had began to quake a bit in his position. Lyra noticed this. "Nervous?"

"Just a tad, yes." he said in response, seizing his shivering and taking a deep breath.

As the curtain opened wider, the four stepped out to bright lights and a very confused looking crowd. There was no cheering, no jeering, just constants whispers of confusion. Noticing this, the Doctor stepped forward to an adjacent microphone.

"Ah, stunned silence. We do have that effect on ponies." he said, pausing a moment, presumably so ponies could laugh, which no one did. "Anyways... I regret to inform you that the mane attraction couldn't be here tonight due to a sudden case of explosions..."

Matt brought his palm to his face. There was another silence, a few coughs, and somepony shouting 'play Freebird' in the audience.

"... So in their place, you get us! And we are... we are..." Bon-bon added to the Doctor's introduction speech.

Matt tapped his mic to be sure it was working. "We are... The Band With No Name. Enjoy." he said, desperate to get started before the Doctor could make anymore horse-related puns.

...

As the impromptu band they had assembled began to play, Vinyl once again poked her head out to check on the crowd.

"They're doing pretty alright, considering nopony's thrown something yet." she said.

"I'm just surprised it sounds something like music..." Octavia responded.

Vinyl Scratch brought her head back in and laughed at Octavia's remark.

"Oh, c'mon Octy. I think it sounds pretty good, especially since they didn't get a chance to rehearse."

"I suppose so..." Octavia trailed off in thought. "How're you doing?" she asked.

"I'm a little bummed about not getting to perform, but other than-"

"No, not you you, her you."

"Oh. lemme check." Vinyl responded once again poking her head out to check on her younger self.

She noted that the crowd was seemingly enjoying the unique sound that the 'Band With No Name' was producing, including the filly version of herself.

"She's digging it. I am too, honestly. It sounds so... familiar." she said. Before a thought struck her.

"Y'know... I'm starting to remember this." she said.

"Does it match up to how this show went when you were young?" Octavia asked.

"Not exactly... It's almost as if... I'm forgetting... what i remembered?" Vinyl said confusedly. "Octavia... What if this changes me?"

"W-what do you mean, 'changes you'?" Octavia replied.

"My taste in music is a big part of who I am... and what if this changes that? I remember after getting my cutie mark at my first concert, I was somewhat confused. I knew I loved music, but it wasn't until like a year later that music really spoke to me, y'know?"

"And you think this Hoofstock is..."

"Where it happened, yeah... It's fuzzy and I'm not sure if I'm remembering it right, but... I'm almost sure this was where it happened. The only thing is... this isn't the music I remember. This is definitely different."

"You don't think this could really change who you are, do you?" Octavia asked.

"I dunno. I really hope not."

"Vinyl Scratch, there is more to you than your taste in music. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"So... you'd be okay with it, right?" Vinyl asked in a serious tone.

"Of course. Vinyl, you could despise music altogether and it wouldn't change how I feel about you." she replied, sweetness in her voice. "Although... I'm not sure if we even would've met if you didn't have the tastes you do."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Good thing that can't be changed, right?"

The two shared a glance that meant neither of them were sure if that was true or not. They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the noise from the concert turn more and more into music, and farther and farther away from what Vinyl remembered.

"I have an idea." Octavia declared. "Just to be sure. I'm going to regret it later, though."

...

Nearly an hour and a half of performing had gone by, and Matt and the rest of the band were becoming very tired. On top of performing their best for the crowd, they were having to come up with more and more material every few minutes.

In between songs, the lights on stage turned off suddenly. They then shone back on, all pointing to a spot near the front of the stage. Slowly, the floor opened up and what looked like a turntable slid out of the stage, much to the band;s confusion. Even stranger, Vinyl Scratch wasn't the pony wearing headphones and standing over the table; it was Octavia.

After a brief pause, assuredly for dramatic effect, Octavia hit a switch on the console in front of her and the records began to play. The band watched on in amazement as Octavia began working the table. More amazing was her apparent skill at doing so.

All sorts of electronic 'beeps' and 'wubs' began playing and the crowd went wild. The band stopped staring and began to join in. The white filly with the electric-blue mane was entranced, with a glint in her eye so bright that Octavia had noticed it. She also noticed that the filly's eyes weren't glued to the table producing the music, but to the gray mare herself.

Nearly another hour later, the band all decided their duty was done, took a bow and walked off stage one by one. Octavia continued working the table until the lights flickered before shutting off for about five seconds. When they came back on, the music faded and Octavia and the turntable had vanished.

As the staff and new fans rushed to meet the Band With No Name, they quickly discovered that the band had seemingly vanished, instruments left behind.

...

"That... was pretty amazing, Octavia." Lyra complimented her longtime friend.

"Didn't think you had it in ya." Bon-bon added.

"I didn't." she replied with a chuckle. "I borrowed 'it' from Vinyl."

"I guess being with me this long must've rubbed off on ya!" Vinyl replied proudly.

They had reached the TARDIS now, and all filed in once The Doctor unlocked the door.

"I must apologize for getting us into this mess in the first place." Matt said.

"Eh, forget about it, big guy." Lyra said tiredly.

"Yeah, it was fun." Bon-bon added.

"But do you know what wasn't fun?" Vinyl asked rhetorically. "Being the only one not jammin' at Hoofstock!"

The TARDIS began it's de-materializing as Vinyl made a fatal mistake.

"There's gotta be something on this thing that can play music..." she said while touching a few knobs and switches on the TARDIS' center console.

Before the Doctor could even shout his warning, the blue box began spinning out of control, tossing the inhabitants too and fro, before a sudden stop made Matt Nabal lose consciousness.

Chapter 26: Island of Fools - Part 1

At first there was darkness, before what looked like a moon in the distance lighting up the area. He spotted the hooded figure again, this time he was sure it was a pony of some sort. It called out to him in a soft voice.

"Come on, we're almost there."

He outstretched his right arm to the hooded figure, who disappeared towards what looked like a temple.

The smothering darkness began to dissipate quickly, as the moon in the sky became the blinding sun.

...

Matthew Nabal awoke on a beach, drenched, with his right arm extended as it was in his dreams. He quickly blocked his eyes from the intense sunlight overhead before climbing to his feet. He looked around, frightened and confused, before realizing three things; firstly, he was on a beach, nearby a dense looking jungle. Secondly, his body ached all over. Thirdly, he was alone.

...

In the present, Rarity was busy re-organizing various things around the Carousal Boutique. The bells attached to the door jingled lightly, and Rarity rushed to greet a potential customer.

"Hello and welcome to the- oh, hello Twilight Sparkle." she said, realizing just who the customer was.

Twilight seemed immensely downtrodden, something Rarity picked up on immediately.

"Hey Rarity..." Twilight responded.

"Oh, what's the matter, dear?"

"It's just... I haven't seen Matt in ten days."

Indeed, it had been quite awhile since Matt and Twilight's little spat. She hadn't seen any trace of Matt since that day, and after three days had passed she had begun looking for him around Ponyville. Nopony she asked had seen hide nor hair of the human.

"Really? But I thought he lived at the library with you?" Rarity replied.

"He does... Well, he did." Twilight said somberly. "We... had a bit of an argument."

"And he just disappeared?" Rarity inquired.

"Not exactly. I... more or less kicked him out?"

Rarity looked at her surprised for a moment. "Well, that must've been quite the argument..."

"It wasn't even that severe... both of us just..."

"Overreacted?"

Twilight was silent in response, answering Rarity's inquiry.

"It's nothing to worry about, darling. If Matt is half the gentlemen I think him to be, I'm sure he'll return and apologize."

Twilight perked up a bit at the thought. "At this point, nothing would make me happier. Though, I think I should apologize too."

Rarity smiled, glad to be able to brighten her friend's day, even just a little. As she saw the look in Twilight's eyes, she was reminded of something.

"By the way, Twilight. I've been meaning to ask you..." Rarity said.

"Oh? What is it, Rarity?" Twilight replied.

"I had that little red book from the library for some time, although I didn't really find it's methods too effective. Have they been working for you?" she asked with a coy smile.

Twilight Sparkle was immediately flustered. "I-I-I... Well, that is to say... No, not really." she stammered, blushing heavily.

"I certainly hope you weren't laying the royal charm on too thick." Rarity responded with a giggle.

"I wasn't! I mean, I think I wasn't... He just never really showed interest. He'd been spending a lot of time with Rainbow Dash lately, as well..."

"I've heard. Rainbow was here earlier, asking if I'd seen Matt around." Rarity replied.

Twilight's mood worsened quite noticeably.

"Maybe it's better this way..." Twilight said sadly.

...

Matt sat on a piece of driftwood that had found it's way ashore the island and gazed out to sea. There was definitely no land in sight. He had postponed going into the dense jungle behind him to allow most of his clothes to dry in the intense sunlight. Several thoughts swam through his mind at once; Where was he? Where were the others? Did anyone else survive the crash? He had no way of knowing. But he had felt the need to survive strong within him. He felt that somehow, he'd survive this ordeal and make it back to his warm bed in the library.

Grabbing his mostly-dry clothes, he began his trek through the jungle, hopeful to find his comrades all in one piece within.

After making his way into the thick of the jungle, he began to notice a strange lack of any sort of wildlife in the brush. Not so much as a bird. Nearly two hours into his journey, he heard something from a nearby bush. The rustling startled him greatly, but whatever was causing it didn't seem to notice. The bush just continued to shake. Against his better judgement, he approached and peered inside.

He was shocked to see a familiar mint-colored pony, seemingly asleep and tossing and turning greatly. He reached out and shook her gently.

"Lyra." he whispered. "Lyra!" he said louder. Lyra opened her eyes and let out a long yawn before seeing who woke her. She let out a loud gasp and quickly climbed to her hoofs.

"Whoa! Hey! Uh, look you, um... thing! I may not look it, but I'm a trained musician! So back off!" she yelled as she got into a defensive stance.

Matt glared at her for a moment. "Nice to see you too, Lyra. Are you alright? Where are the others?"

Lyra didn't drop her defenses. "How do you know my name?!" she questioned, before feeling sharp pain originating for the back of her head.

Matt quickly understood that something was wrong. He knelt down to Lyra's eye level. "Lyra? Lyra, are you feeling okay? Do you remember who I am?"

Lyra winced from the pain again, though she did seem to relax herself a bit. "N-no... Should I?"

"My name is Matt Nabal. You and I are friends. We got into... a bit of an accident, traveling with some other friends. We all got separated."

"We did? I..." she gently rubbed her head again. "I can't remember."

Matt stood again and crossed his arms. "It seems you have some kind of injury. Do you want me to take a look? I know some first-aid."

Her expression seemed to soften, before a sudden thought came across her.

"Wait... how do I know you're telling the truth? As far as I know, you could be just some kinda... weird, tall monster! Who else were we traveling with?" she demanded.

"The Doctor, Bon-bon, Vinyl Scratch and Octavia." Matt answered.

Lyra looked a mixture of surprise and confusion. "I-I don't know any Doctors... or anypony named Bon-bon... but, Vinyl and Octavia are good friends of mine..."

"So? Do you trust me?"

"I-I guess, for now." she replied.

"Fantastic. Now come on, we've got a lot of ground to cover if we're to find the others." he said, heading off in some direction.

"Any idea where we are exactly?" she asked.

"Not really, just that we seem to be on an island."

She sighed and followed after him. "I guess it could be worse."

...

"Well, this is just fantastic, Doctor." Octavia said.

"You should be happy we landed at all, and weren't lost in the time vortex." The Doctor replied.

"I just don't understand how a time machine can be so easily thrown off course..."

"Well don't look at me. I'm not the one who flung us here." he responded sarcastically.

"I... I know. Do you think Vinyl and the others landed alright?"

"I'm sure the others are somewhere on or around the island. I can't be certain if they survived, however. We need to get looking. We especially need to be sure the TARDIS is here, too."

"I-I understand. Please, lead on."

...

The other two members of the group were also lucky enough to find each other, somewhere deep into the dense canopy. Although, one of them wasn't quite themselves.

"Look, lady. You're cute, but the jig is up. I know this is some kinda prank." said Vinyl Scratch.

"For the last time, Vinyl; this isn't a prank, I'm not coming on to you, and we need to find our friends!" Bon-bon replied.

Vinyl rolled her eyes. "Alrighty, then. I'll play along. Lead the way 'friend'."

...

A few hours into their search for any sign of their friends, Lyra and Matt came to a consensus; they were both very hungry. The search for friends turned into a search for food.

"So what do you even eat?" Lyra asked.

"Same things as you, mostly." Matt replied.

"So fruits and veggies. Got it."

Matt looked about and discovered a small river nearby. "I wouldn't mind some fish, actually."

Lyra looked at him judgmentally. "What are you, an animal? Do you eat other critters, too?"

While he was aware ponies were vegetarian in diet, part of him longed for the taste of anything besides apples.

"Fine, fine. No fish." he looked around again, trying to spot any source of food as his stomach growled. "I'm gonna climb up a bit, get a better look."

"Yeah, sure. Guess I'll just sit here." Lyra replied.

Matt approached a strong looking tree and began his attempt at climbing it. Naturally, this being something he'd never even attempted to do before, he struggled a bit. Lyra noticed this.

"You alright, buddy? Ya need some help?" she asked.

"No, I can handle it." he replied, finally getting some footing on said tree. "It's just a tree after all."

As he continued to struggle with the simple task, Lyra took notice of what seemed like fruit in a few of the trees above, including the one Matt was climbing. The fruits were small and green, blending into the leaves easily. Lyra used her Unicorn magic to gather them en mas, even wrapping them up in some big leaves as a sort of cradle.

"Hey, Matt. You can come down. I handled it."

"What?" he asked, noticing the pile of fruits she had apparently gathered. "Oh, uh... good job."

"... You want some help getting down?" she asked in a mocking tone.

Matt glared at her before carefully making his way back down. "Ha, ha. You're the master of comedy."

"Thank you, but I already knew that." she replied, smirking.

After several hours of no luck finding any signs of their friends, Matt and Lyra decided to make camp for the night. Despite Lyra offering to do it with magic, Matt insisted on starting a campfire himself which after many failures produced a billowing fire pit.

"Way to go, two-legs. Too bad we don't have anything to cook." Lyra said.

"If ponies don't eat meat, what do they cook?" Matt asked.

"Oh, y'know. Corn and hay and junk. I thought you said you've live in Equestria, how don't you know this?"

"Well I haven't lived there for very long. Something like two-to-three weeks. Time has really be slipping away from me." he replied, leaning back against a tree.

"So what's up with that? How'd you get there?"

"From what I know it was a sort of... magical mishap. My friend Twilight-" he stopped when her name escaped his lips. "That is to say, Princess Twilight Sparkle somehow pulled me here from my native world."

Lyra stifled a laugh. "Did you just say 'Princess Twilight Sparkle'? Now I know you're messing with me."

"From what I know, her being a Princess is a recent development, you probably just forgot."

"Yeah, I guess..." she responded, rubbing the sore spot on her head. "But there is one thing I didn't forget; the love of my life." she declared.

Matt had come to understand she had forgotten Bon-bon along with the rest of their friends. "Oh? You didn't?"

"Nope! He's such a great stallion, and such a talented musician. We've been together for a few months now. I think you'd like him, he kinda talks like you. All fancy and proper." she gushed, a tender tone to her voice.

He certainly wasn't expected her to say that. On top of Lyra acting more lively, Matt had never heard anything about a man in her life.

Before he could question her, Lyra continued talking. "What about you, two-legs? I don't suppose you have somepony special back home?" she asked, half-joking.

Matt sighed. "To be honest with you, i know next to nothing about romantic interest. I once had someone tell me they loved me, but I just couldn't understand."

"Whoa, seriously?" Lyra replied. "You mean... you don't know what love is?"

Matt shrugged in response.

"Well, ya see... uh..." Lyra said, trying to form a good description. "It's when you like... think about somepony all the time, and... want nothing more than to, like... be with 'em a lot..."

Matt paused before responding, considering Lyra's partial description. He thought of the purple Alicorn who brought him to Equestria. He felt awful for whatever he did to upset her and wanted to rush to her side and apologize, so things could go back to the way they were. Twilight Sparkle had been on his mind for quite sometime, but Matt had always thought that it was because he had just been around her all the time. But he knew that things were too different and that she probably despised him after their previous argument.

"I... I guess you might be on to something, Lyra." he replied. "But, well... how do I explain this without upsetting you? You ponies are... 'cute', sure. But... it just couldn't work."

"But there was somepony in mind, huh?" she said, causing Matt to try and stammer a reply and Lyra to giggle. "Hey, relax. Somepony once told me, 'love transcends all'. Although... I can't exactly remember who said that."

"Sounds like solid advice, thanks." Matt said sarcastically.

Lyra rolled her eyes in response. "Whatever, do as you please. I'm going to bed." she said, lying back and turning away from him.

Matt thought it best to get some rest, too. He was still sore from the crash, and dozens of thoughts swam through his mind as he drifted off.

Chapter 27: Island of Fools - Part 2

Late into the night and deep into the jungle, the mysterious Doctor waved his mysterious tool about in the air. His mare acquaintance, Octavia, had fallen asleep some time ago. She had worn a worried look the entire time they looked for the TARDIS and their friends. The Doctor knew she needed the rest, but he hadn't slept in quite some time and was very interested in the mysterious nature of the island they were stuck on. The jungle itself was lush and very much healthy, yet there was nary a creature in sight. Not even insects.

He checked his tool again, finding the results less than inconclusive. Before he could continue his investigation, he noticed a bright light through the trees. the light was intensely bright and quickly moving toward him. As it drew closer he could see that it was a sort of wave sweeping over the entire island. He ran over to where Octavia was sleeping and desperately tried to wake her up.

But the light was faster than him, baring down upon him with such force that he was blinded before slipping from consciousness.

...

Several hours later, the sun began poking through the lush, tropical trees as Octavia stirred from her sleep. She stretched and rose to her hooves and immediately looked around for the Doctor, noticed he was asleep right next to her. Naturally, she was upset.

"D-Doctor!" she shouted. "What do you think you're doing?!"

The Doctor sprang to life with a bewildered expression on his face . He shook off the sleep and did a complete turnaround, as if looking for something.

"Don't ignore me, Doctor! While I see you as a friend that was a tad too close. What if somepony-"

The Doctor turned to face her. "Octavia. Where are we?" he asked.

"Don't be coy, Doctor. We're in the middle of..." Octavia also looked around and noticed that their surroundings had changed greatly. The thick and lush foliage had turned into dead plants, almost as if the area had been ravaged by some sort of storm or lack of rain, but even that wasn't an apt description. The whole area looked like it was dying.

"Doctor, w-where are we?!" she asked.

"That's what I want to know." he replied.

He picked up his tool again and scanned the area. "Ah! So, good news! We haven't moved."

"What do you mean we haven't moved? Of course we did!" Octavia responded.

"We didn't. Strange, isn't it?" he jokingly asked.

"W-well what do we do now, then?"

"We keep going. There's not much choice. Towards the center of the island." he said, beginning to trot away as Octavia followed quickly behind him, not taking notice of the numerous insects and lizards on the surrounding plants.

...

Meanwhile, on another part of the island, an amnesiac Vinyl Scratch approached a nearby river.

"Whoa... hey, uh... Bon-bon, right? You should come see this." she said.

Bon-bon walked over to observe the river as well, noticing quite a few dead fish were floating downstream.

"Oh my!" she said, turning away. "What could've done such a thing?"

"No, that's not what I meant. Look!" Vinyl insisted.

Bon-bon reluctantly looked back and gasped as the very same dead fish she had just seen began swimming back upstream, total unharmed.

"I know, right?" Vinyl responded to her shock. "They just keep doing that."

"Something is very wrong with this place." Bon-bon said.

"Yeah, no kidding. But we should keep moving, right? Gotta find those friends of ours." Vinyl said as she began walking along the river, upstream.

"So you haven't remembered any of us yet?" Bon-bon asked, walking just behind her.

"Nope. But hey, I have no reason not to trust you, y'know? Hey, after this did you wanna get dinner sometime?" Vinyl asked.

"Oh, uh... I know this might seem weird, but you're already in a relationship."

Vinyl stopped and turned to face Bon-bon. "Wait, seriously? Is she cute? Is she here, too? Why didn't you say that before?"

"Yes, yes, yes, and it never came up before. My partner is here, too."

"Whoa. So were we on like a double date or something?"

"Well... I guess you could call it that. I'm sure the others could explain it to you better, let's hurry."

...

Once again in the darkness of sleep, Matt Nabal spotted the familiar form of the mysterious pony who he'd been dreaming of. They were in a dark room, but the pony was emanating a light from somewhere on it's head, confirming the pony to be a unicorn. Before much else could happen, he was jolted from sleep by a dreadful feeling crawling on his back.

After springing from sleep, Matt quickly stood and shook whatever it was on his back, off. It was some sort massive spider, and it seemed unharmed. Matt sighed and was thankful he wasn't arachnophobic. But the sudden appearance of the only creature he's seen so far on the island caused him to take a look around to make sure things were still somewhat normal. He noticed the trees and plants were wilted and dying, the pile of fruit Lyra had collected had clearly rotted and had flies swarming all over it, and that Lyra herself was still asleep.

He quickly shook her from sleep, or at least, he tried to.

"Lyra! Wake up, something isn't right."

Lyra stirred from sleep slowly and began to rise.

"Keep your horseshoes on, I'm up." she said while yawning.

After rubbing the sleep from her eyes she smacked her lips and looked around for the food. She sprang to life upon noticing what happened to it.

"Ah! What- who-... What happened to the food, two-legs?!" she cried out.

"I don't know but I don't like what's going on here. In the few minutes I've been awake I've seen more lifeforms than all of yesterday."

"Oh, hey, yeah. How about that. So what do we do?" she asked.

"We need to find the others. We have no idea what kind of beasts are roaming the island now and they could be in danger. Let's go."

"Right behind you."

...

"Well look at this! Look at this..." The Doctor said, spotting what seemed like a building smack dab in the middle of the jungle.

Octavia was just a bit behind him, and also spotted the building. "Could it be? Civilization?" she asked.

"Doubt it, but it is... beautiful isn't it?" the Doctor responded. Upon reaching what seemed like a doorway into the structure, the Doctor once again pulled out his screwdriver-esque tool.

"How do we get in? This stone door looks nearly unmovable."

"It is. It's locked from the inside with some sort of complex mechanism..." he replied, scanning the door.

"How di-" Octavia began to ask.

"I didn't, just a guess." The Doctor said.

"Well, I suppose we should find another way in." Octavia responded, beginning to walk away.

"Hm? Why? Come on, we've got no time to lose." The Doctor said, revealing that he had somehow opened the unmovable door.

Octavia began to question what had happened but decided against it, knowing the Doctor wouldn't give her a straight answer anyway.

...

In a cave nearby, Bon-bon and Vinyl Scratch wandered in, seeking shelter from a freak rain storm that came on them suddenly. Thankfully, Vinyl illuminated their surroundings with her horn.

"This probably wasn't a very good idea." Bon-bon said.

"Yeah... I'm starting to realize that." Vinyl added.

As they ventured deeper and deeper into the cave, they noticed that they seemed to have entered a building as the walls of the cave became actual stone walls.

"Can't be sure. Seems very ornate, though." Bon-bon replied.

Just then, they heard something behind them. They stopped and turned to see if there truly was something there, but they saw nothing. Upon continuing on and facing away, they heard the noise again. This time they shared a glance before quickly running as fast as they could down the twisting halls of the labyrinth they had wandered into.

...

As the Doctor and Octavia walked through the doorway and into the halls of the massive complex, torches that lined that wall began to light up.

"Fancy that. It's like trick candles, I love it." said the Doctor.

"Yes, it's definitely not incredibly ominous or terrifying." Octavia responded.

Before long they entered a massive chamber with a hole in the ceiling, letting the daylight creep into the structure. Dead-center in the room, they spotted something familiar. A large blue box.

"Aha! There she is!" The Doctor exclaimed, dashing towards the TARDIS and embracing it. "I swear I'll never lose you again, you sexy thing."

Before any other celebrating could commence, Octavia approached a pedestal just in front of the TARDIS. It had what seemed like a giant slot, almost a keyhole, within it.

"Doctor, what do you make of this?" Octavia asked, pulling the Doctor away from his blue box.

The Doctor was very intrigued by the pedestal, most notably with the text atop it.

"Any idea what it says?" Octavia inquired.

The Doctor scanned his tool over top the text. "'None can find this place'..." he read. "'Except those who must.' Well, that just begs further questions."

Before any other questions could be asked, the pair were startled by the sudden sound of screaming coming from another hall parallel to the one they entered from. Much to both of their surprises, Bon-bon and Vinyl came barreling out of the hall at full gallop, before Vinyl suddenly stopped upon locking eyes with Octavia.

"Doctor! Oh my gosh, I'm so happy we found you!" said Bon-bon, seizing her galloping to catch her breath. "We... we really need your help..." she looked back to where she had come from, only to see Vinyl standing close to the doorway. "Vinyl! You have to move!"

Vinyl finally snapped out of her trance, turning around to see the face of the monstrous beast who had been chasing her and Bon-bon.

It looked like it was some kind of snake or dragon, definitely reptilian in appearance but aside from it's head she couldn't the rest of the beast. It's head reared back as if it was ready to strike, but the ceiling above the monster crumbled. As two beings feel into the room, the resulting rubble blocked the strange beast's only entry into the room. As the dust settled, two lifeforms in the room stood and dusted themselves off.

"Well, I hope no one saw that." Matt Nabal said.

"Hey, it's not my fault this temple's construction is so shoddy." Lyra added. "Oh, Vinyl. We found you." she said, noticing her stunned friend.

"Everyone else is here too." Matt said, spotting his friends standing near the TARDIS. "And you even found the TARDIS? Looks like we were late, Lyra." he said, expecting the 'master of comedy' to make some sort of remark as a punchline. "... Lyra?"

He turned to see her gazing into the eyes of a currently blushing Bon-bon. Lyra began to quickly gallop across the room to embrace her now-recalled lover.

"Whoa!" said Bon-bon, surprised by Lyra's sudden expression of affection. "Come on, Lyra. It's only been like a day and a half. But I missed you, too."

"It was longer for me." Lyra replied, not loosening her hug. "It was nearly my whole life..."

"Hate to ruin the mood, but..." said the Doctor, pointing to the now shaking pile of rubble.

Everyone quickly made a mad dash for the TARDIS and clambered inside just as the beast broke through the rocks.

...

Finally back in Ponyville, the blue doors of the TARDIS opened as Vinyl and Octavia exited the box.

"It's been real guys, but I'm completely beat and need a bed. Catch ya later!" Vinyl shouted.

"I would also love a bed, so I'm going with her." Octavia said. "But thank you for the, uh, experience." she said, bowing as she followed after Vinyl.

Matt, Lyra, Bon-bon and the Doctor all waved as they left before the Doctor pulled out his bronze rod again.

"I've got some timey-wimey things to check on, I need you all to do whatever it is you do all the time." the Doctor said, heading down beneath the TARDIS' main console.

"I'm gonna go get some tea started, alright?" Bon-bon said, giving Lyra a quick peck on the cheek. "Matt, you're welcome to join us." she added, heading out of the ship.

"Sounds delightful." Matt said, heading to leave the ship as well.

"Wait." Lyra said, grabbing his attention, He leaned on one of the rails and motioned for her to continue. "We need to talk about... some of the things I told you back on the island."

"Go on." he replied.

Lyra sighed before continuing. "That stallion I told you about? That, 'love of my life'? I haven't been with him for about five years. He was a world renowned saxophone player who had moved to Canterlot to join the orchestra there, the same one Octavia is a member of and that I was a part of. One thing led to another and we became a couple. Two young, musically talented ponies in the same group who had similar interests? It was bound to happen. He was a very charming guy, used a lot of sophisticated words to manipulate me." another long sigh before she cast her head down, almost as if in shame. "He used me. Used me for a lot of things. My friends, my money, my home, everything. Naturally, we ended up where most stories like this do; he cheated on me. More than once. Me being young and naive, took all of that pretty harshly and left Canterlot and the orchestra in shame. I didn't even tell anypony except for Octavia. I ended up here, in Ponyville, drowning my sorrows at a little place called Sweetie Drop's Sweet Shop. And that's where I met her..."

"Bon-bon?" Matt asked, almost as if in confirmation.

"That's what everypony calls her 'cause she hates her name, but I know her as Sweetie Drop. She was what i needed to pull myself back together, but..." her head rose to meet Matt's gaze. "I guess I didn't notice how much the breakup changed me, made me less... fun, I guess? Sweetie didn't deserve a partner like me, but she stuck with it, even when it was hard. But that all changes today!"

Matt smiled as warmly as his normally stoic expression would allow. "So the 'Master of Comedy' is sticking around for a bit?" he asked cheekily.

"More than a bit, I hope." Lyra replied, equally wide smile spreading across her face. "C'mon, the tea is probably done by now." she said, trotting past him before turning around for a meaningful look. "... Thanks for listening, two-legs." she said, quickly trotting off.

"Will you ever call me by my actual name?" he called out, following close behind her.

"Probably not!" she called back.

...

In the cozy little house attached to Sweetie Drop's Sweet Shop, Bon-bon had just poured three glasses of tea as Lyra and Matt walked in.

"What kept you?" Bon-bon asked.

"Oh, y'know. Feelings and stuff." she said, quickly returning the soft kiss from earlier onto Bon-bon's cheek. Matt sat down on one the pony couple's garishly pink chairs and began to sip from his piping hot tea. Lyra levitated her cup and saucer as she quickly began setting something up in the corner of the room.

"Ooh, Lyra! Are you going to play?" Bon-bon asked looking genuinely excited.

"Tonight's a good night for music." Lyra replied, magically sipping her tea as well.

Lyra used magic to set up a small stand to hold sheet music and her trusted lyre before beginning to play it with her hooves while using magic to turn the page when needed and sip her tea.

"In the two years we've been together, Lyra's only played for me once or twice." Bon-bon told Matt as they listened to the sublime melody Lyra playing.

"She's really quite good."

"Oh yes, I agree. Listen, Matt, i don't know what happened with you two on the island but thank you looking after her." Bon-bon said graciously.

"She did her fair share of looking after me, I assure you." he replied.

Bon-bon smiled before taking a long sip of tea. "Is there anything I could help you with in return? I can make you some really delicious taffy in the morning, if you'd like."

Matt couldn't think of an applicable answer and to turn her down would be rude, so he decided to ask about something that had been bothering him.

"I do have a question, if you don't mind." he said.

"Of course not! What's on your mind?" she replied.

"Can you... can you tell me what love feels like?" he asked, his eyes staring deeply into his cup of tea.

Bon-bon was a tad taken aback by such a sudden and unexpected question, especially from someone who had rarely displayed any strong emotion at all.

"Well, that certainly is a bit of a doozy..." she said, chuckling nervously. "Love is... a very special feeling you get when you're around somepony you really, really like. A feeling that you and that pony... belong together... and you... and you can't stop thinking about them."

Matt wasn't all too surprised her definition of love matched up closely to Lyra's. "I see, but... What if those two peop-" he stopped to correct himself. "-ponies aren't as similar as they should be? Or, say, of a... different species?"

Bon-bon's smile widened as she began to piece together what was going on. "Honestly? It's usually not to much of a problem. I mean, especially since times have changed. Remember back on the train? Stardust kept her relationship with Merriweather a secret. Back then, two mares being together wasn't anywhere near as accepted it is today. Hay, even my fourth cousin twice removed married a Griffin and they're the happiest couple I know. As they say, 'love transcends all'."

"I... I see." Matt replied near silently as gears began turning in his mind.

"If I may..." said Bon-bon, gaining his attention again. "While I know sometimes differences can be strange to work around and rejection is scary, I still believe that if you love sompony, you should tell them. Even if you're not sure, it'd help take the weight off your heart. That's what I think, anyway."

"I understand." Matt replied, before gulping down his now cooled tea.

"You do?"

"I do. My brain keeps trying to find answers to questions my heart has, but that's getting me nowhere. Thank you for the tea." He said, while rising. "I need to find these answers on my own."

Chapter 28: Maybe It's Better This Way

In his rush leaving Lyra and Bon-bon's home, Matt Nabal was suddenly halted while passing the Doctor's blue box as it's doors sprang open.

"Nabal! Where are you headed off to?" the Doctor asked.

"I've got some wrongs to set right. I'm heading back to the library." Matt replied.

"Ah, yes, finally..." the Doctor said. "Before you go, take a look at this."

The Doctor beckoned Matt inside and presented him what had seemed like a map, though all it showed was an ocean.

"Hmm... I see...?" Matt said in question.

"Actually, the problem is that you don't see. Neither do I." the Doctor replied cryptically. "The Island we just spent nearly two days on? Gone." he added. "It doesn't exist. Apparently it never has."

"But that's impossible, we were just there."

"I know. The other problem is that I cannot locate when exactly we were. You noticed the changes overnight, yes?"

"I did. It was like we traveled to when the place was nearly dead, yet the wildlife only started appearing then as well."

"Amazing, isn't it? Well, I'm probably going to stay put here in this time for a bit trying to figure this out. Be sure to drop in, we could go jousting. It's really a different experience without any riders."

"I'll keep it in mind. Farewell, Doctor." Matt said, leaving the TARDIS once again.

...

At the same time, across the small, snow covered town, Twilight was still at the Carousal Boutique.

"Maybe it's better this way..." she said sadly.

Rarity took a moment before responding to pick her words carefully. "Oh, Twilight my dear..." she placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "I know the subject of romance can be very confusing, but something I learned over time is that it never hurts to try. Now, I know Matt is definitely the quiet type, and maybe that's why he has trouble understanding other pony's feelings. If you still want to try and make it work with him, you must know how he feels on the matter."

Twilight seemed to perk up a bit. "... You're right, Rarity. When I find him, I'll make sure he knows exactly how I feel and ask him how he does!" she returned to her sad tone quickly. "Although, finding him is still an issue..." she said, recalling his ten day absence.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon. If I know Matthew Nabal at all, I know he is a refined stallion, or rather, human. He's not the sort to abandon someone, as Rainbow Dash told me."

"She said that? Did something happen?" Twilight asked, clearly concerned.

"Did I forget to mention? On that peculiar day nearly two weeks ago, with the massive, unscheduled blizzard? Matt and some other ponies saved Rainbow and stopped whatever made the weather that horrid. Or, so she says."

Twilight felt relief that Matt hadn't just wandered off aimlessly, but heavily concerned that he was involved with what must have been an incredibly dangerous task during the worst weather she'd seen in years.

"Did she say where she saw him last?" Twilight asked.

"I believe she said that when she awoke she was on a bench nearby Sweetie Drop's Sweet Shop." Rarity answered.

"I hope he's doing okay, wherever he is... I'm off to look around a bit more, thank you for the advice, Rarity!" Twilight said as she exited the Boutique.

"Good luck!" Rarity shouted back, hoping all would end well between Twilight and their human friend.

...

Matt casually strolled the snow-covered streets of Ponyville, determined to set things right with Twilight Sparkle. It was already dark out, so he was hoping she hadn't decided to turn in early. As snow crunched underfoot, he was formulating a way of explaining himself to her. No matter how many times he ran through it in his head, he just wasn't satisfied and decided to let his heart do that talking when the time came.

As he rounded a corner, he spotted her. She was walking away from him, several meters ahead of him. He was at first taken aback by seeing her. For a moment, his mouth opened to call out but all that emerged was a whisper.

"Twilight.".

There was no way she could have heard him, but she stopped in her tracks. She just stood there for what felt like hours. She slowly turned to face in his direction and the two locked eyes.

She looked somewhat surprised to see him, and quickly began to close the distance between them. He began to do the same. The two stopped nearly a meter apart and just looked at the other. Matt could feel some part of him begin to move and before he knew it, he had crouched down and held her in an embrace.

"I'm sorry." he spoke.

She returned the hug. Naturally she hadn't expected such an action from the normally stoic human, and heat began to rise in her face. "M-me too."

"You shouldn't be." he replied. "I know I have a tendency speak freely, and I... I was out of line."

Her reddened face grew even redder. "L-listen, I overreacted. I know it was foalish to get jealous over you and Rainbow spending so much time together, but I couldn't help myself..."

"That's another thing." he said, finally letting her go. He crossed his arms and turned away from her. "Hmm... how do I put this?" he once again faced toward her, arms still crossed. "I... apologize for not recognizing your feelings. And also... I accept the way you feel." he said. Before she could respond, he continued. "I would also like to, uh... reciprocate these feelings, if you'll have me."

Twilight Sparkle's eyes lit up like the very sky the pair stood under.

"Really? Y-you're sure about that...?" she stammered in response.

"I am. Though to be honest, I don't know the first thing about romantic interaction. You'll have to guide me."

She giggled at that. She thought it made perfect sense. "I think I can do that. I'm pretty new to this, too. We'll learn together." She smiled warmly at him, which he responded in kind. "Oh! But we should get inside, it's freezing out here!"

"Yes, let's."

...

As they arrived home, Matt sighed in relief of being back.

"I guess Spike went to bed already." Twilight said. "He'll be glad to see you, too. Oh and I've been meaning to ask you; what are you wearing?"

Matt took a look at himself and remembered he was still wearing the Doctor's slacks and shirt, suspenders dangling from loops in the slacks. He also noticed that his bow-tie and perception filter had gone missing, probably from the crash back on the island.

"I borrowed these from a friend. I must've left my other clothes at their place." Matt replied.

"Oh, so you were staying with someone? I'm glad... I thought you were out there all on your own."

"I ran into Lyra and Bon-bon again. They were kind enough to take me in during the storm. The Doctor was there, too."

"The Doctor? Isn't he that sort-of-strange stallion with the bow-tie?"

"The very same! He's a pretty interesting guy when you talk to him. As for strange, well... That's a long story." Matt replied.

Twilight wondered what he meant by that, but decided to ask a more important question. "You were with them for all ten days? That was generous of them."

"Ten days?" Matt asked. He knew it couldn't have been more than five days since he'd left. He then of course realized the only way it could've made sense. "The Doctor must have missed his timing a bit..."

"What do you mean by that?" Twilight asked, finally taking a seat.

"Oh, it'd take too much time to explain..." he said, sitting next to her. "So, uh,... What do we do now?" he asked, changing the subject.

Twilight turned to look at him, somewhat surprised he had sat next to her. "Oh, um..." she said, somewhat embarrassed by their sudden closeness. "Oh! That's why I have this!" she exclaimed, levitating a small red book from her usual spot.

As she brought the book closer to them and magically opened it, Matt looked down and noticed the book's title. "'Object of Your Affections'?" he said, in question.

Twilight blushed as she flipped to find a specific page. "It's a book that Rarity found one day here in the library. I've been using it as a... coach... to try and communicate my feelings to you."

Matt brought a a hand to his chin. "I see... that was a pretty good idea. Maybe it can help us now." he wondered aloud.

"I had the same idea!" Twilight replied happily. She finally stopped on the page she was looking for. "Here we go, 'Starting a New Relationship'." she began reading the passage. "While the prospect of finally starting a relationship with the special somepony you hopefully used this book to woo, if either of you are inexperienced in romance, there's no shame in taking things slow!"

"... Inexperienced?" Matt asked.

"W-we're inexperienced, aren't we?"

"Very much so, I'd imagine."

Twilight turned to another page. "Yeah, you're right. I've only ever had a crush on somepony before."

The two of them quickly read through the page as they continued talking.

"I was... 'involved' with someone before." Matt admitted somewhat shyly.

Twilight seemed a bit disheartened with this information. "Really...? I guess you have some experience, then. Was it, you know... serious?"

Matt sighed as Twilight once again flipped the page. "No. At least, not for me. She and I knew each other since we were young. I didn't exactly treat her as well as I should have, but she insisted on hanging around."

Twilight recalled a girl being mentioned a few times in Matt's journal and was almost sure that he was talking about her. Matt leaned back into his seat and let his arms rest at his side.

"Twilight..." he said softly.

"Yes?" she replied, setting the book down to pay attention to him.

"There is something else I want to share with you." he said somberly.

"Well, listening to your partner is one of the essential steps to any successful relationship. Go ahead." she said, smiling.

Matt weakly returned her smile. "Are you sure you want to do this? This whole... relationship thing?"

"Sure I'm sure. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because I know me, and I know I still have some... 'baggage' left to unload. A lot of things that have happened recently have taken my mind off of it, but I still can't stop thinking about it. But I want to stop thinking about it." he said sadly.

Twilight gave careful consideration to what her response should be.

"Well... If you want... we can talk about it." she gently put a hoof on his shoulder. "I'm here for you."

Matt closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Five months ago, my mother, father and I... had an accident. I'm the only one who walked away from it alive and unharmed. Well, not unharmed." he held up his right arm and rolled up his shirt sleeve to reveal his long scar. "This is all that happened to me. Physically, at least. For the next several days, I blocked out the world and blamed myself for surviving. I don't feel that way now, but... for some reason it still haunts me."

Twilight had already read these events in Matt's journal, but still had no idea how to approach the situation. "Oh, dear... Matt, I'm so, so sorry. I can't even begin to imagine what that feels like..."

"I didn't expect you to. But I do appreciate you listening. I do feel a bit better after talking about it."

"There's another thing I need to apologize for..."

...

In Twilight's room, Twilight levitated a grey book from her bedside to the waiting arms of her human friend.

"I read the entire thing, I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I just... I was... I wanted to know more about you, so..." she was deep red and fidgeting nervously.

Matt flipped through the book, which he recognized as his journal. He stopped on the last entry and read it.

"Growing up, I was always told that I was destined for greatness. I never really understood it back then, but as the years went on it became fairly obvious. I was a prodigy. Everything I tried to do, I was good at. Because of that I was spoiled and exploited at the same time. I wish I would have realized it back then. Maybe I would've stopped and things would've happened differently. But I didn't. I didn't stop my childish addiction to praise. I didn't stop myself from letting my ego swell and engulf me. I didn't stop myself from caring.

If I had realized it sooner I could have avoided this pain. I wouldn't have cared, and moving on would be simple. My heart is heavy with regret and sadness. I've no one to confide in here. I am alone, the way the rest of the world has left me. In a way, it's like I died, too. Perhaps this is also my fault. It's been five months, and no one's come by since the end of July. I probably drove them away. No family, no friends.

Not that it matters now, anyway. My entire life up until this point has virtually been worthless. It's like I never even existed. Maybe that's for the best. I don't feel like living anymore.

I need to sleep."

He closed the book silently. "Well then... I guess this saves us some time." he said.

"What?" Twilight replied. "You aren't upset?"

"No, I'm not. If anything, this helps me explain what I was talking about. The man in this journal... this is who I was. Who I don't want to be anymore. And now you understand me better, right?"

"I-I'd like to think so." she said in relief.

"Great." he responded somewhat loudly, causing the nearby snoozing Spike to toss a little in his sleep. He quieted back down to continue. "I'm feeling quite confident, now. Let's give it a shot, Twilight. You and me."

"You and me..." Twilight said with starry eyes. "You mean it? No more self doubts?"

"No more. I'm done being the sad person in these entries. Now I'm Matthew Nabal, citizen of Equestria, partner of Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"Ooh, partner, I like the sound of that. At least while we're taking it slow." Twilight responded. "Until we're ready, we probably shouldn't tell the girls. Things might get... chaotic."

"Agreed. Rarity'd probably start planning a wedding..." Matt replied.

They both laughed softly as to not wake up the sleeping dragon in the room. Twilight let out a long yawn.

"I guess it's pretty late... we should go to bed." she said.

Matt also let out a yawn while nodding in agreement. "Be ready for tomorrow." he said.

"Tomorrow?" Twilight asked curiously.

"All we've really done is talk about me, tomorrow I want to know all about you." he said.

"I'm looking forward to it. Goodnight." she responded.

Matt bid her adieu and returned to his guest room and somewhat small bed. He was still holding his now-returned journal.

He opened to a fresh page and dipped a quill in ink, and began writing.

Chapter 29: The Spectacled Specter

As the next day came, a sense of normality had finally returned to the library. When Spike awoke, he ventured downstairs to spot Matt and Twilight sitting side by side as they scanned through books and wrote things down together.

"See, Twilight, I told you he'd come back." Spike said matter-of-factly.

Twilight Sparkle broke from her concentration to acknowledge him. "Yes, Spike. You were right." she said.

"It says here that communication is vital..." Matt said, seemingly randomly. He then quickly scribbled something down before he too noticed Spike. "Ah, Spike. Good morning."

Spike didn't bother mentioning to them that it was already the afternoon and that he had overslept. They hadn't seemed to notice, being absorbed in whatever it was they were doing.

"I'm gonna have some breakfast, er, lunch. Did you guys want anything?" Spike asked.

"Ooh, some tea, please." Twilight replied.

"Tea sounds lovely." Matt agreed.

As Spike began preparing everything, Matt began to display a troubled expression. Twilight Sparkle took notice.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him.

Matt's expression didn't soften as he turned to face her. "We aren't rushing this, are we?" he asked.

Twilight was taken aback. "W-well it's hard to tell, it's been less than a day..."

Matt replied quickly. "The book suggests having a deep understanding of your partner is essential. Since my journal came through with me, you know a lot about me. But I still don't know too much about you. Like I said last night, I want to know all about you, so i guess I should ask some things?"

"What sort of things?"

"Well, things like... where you're from, or about your family."

"Oh, well that's simple. I was born and raised in Canterlot, and my parents still live there."

"Any siblings?" he added.

"Just a brother, his name is Shining Armor. Oh, and a sister-in-law named Cadence."

"Ah, so your brother got married. Do they live nearby?" Matt inquired.

"Unfortunately, no. They live in a place called the Crystal Empire." Twilight said somewhat sadly.

"Hmm. I'll have to make it a point to visit and introduce myself at some point. Your parents live closer, though. We should probably start there."

"I'm sure they'd like you, my brother especially." she responded confidently.

Spike had just finished making the food and tea and quickly got the hot beverages to Matt and Twilight, before beginning to demolish his lunch. As the pair sipped from their cups, a thought struck Twilight.

"I just remembered something! I have a scrapbook from Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding I could show you!" she declared excitedly.

"Sounds delightful. Where is it?" Matt replied, placing his tea on the nearby end table.

Spike chimed in after a large belch. "I think we moved it to the basement when you re-organized, Twilight." he said.

The three of them descended the stairs into the library's rather unclean basement as Twilight flicked on the light. "It must be down here somewhere..." she said. The trio began digging through boxes and drawers in search of the scrapbook. Matt noticed the machine she had him hooked up to a while ago was still there, as well as the paper with some sort of graph coming out of it.

Meanwhile, Spike was moving some boxes from a sizable pile and accidentally knocked the whole thing over, Spike buried inside.

"Are you okay, Spike?!" Twilight called out.

Spike's purple hand emerged from the now collapsed pile holding the scrapbook they were looking for.

"Excellent work, Spike." Matt complemented.

"I know." Spike said as he stood and dusted himself off.

Just then, the lights in the basement flickered and died, startling the group. Twilight Sparkle felt something grab onto her. Channeling magic through her horn, she illuminated the room and found Matt Nabal and Spike clinging to her in the darkness. Both of them let go and tried to brush it off.

"You were totally scared." Spike said, trying to be cool.

"I don't know what you're talking about; I was making sure the two of you were alright." Matt replied.

Twilight giggled. "Don't worry boys, the bulbs down here are old, they probably just need changed."

Suddenly, a strange giggling was heard somewhere in the basement.

"Uh... Twilight, it wasn't that funny." Spike said.

"T-that wasn't me..." she responded as the giggling grew louder.

Creaking of wood could be heard as the giggling became louder, seeming to come from an unused shelf across the room. Twilight Sparkle took a few steps forward to investigate as the shelf began to move. It opened like a door, as if on a hinge, and the giggling stopped when it opened wide. Twilight stopped in her tracks and glanced behind her to Spike and Matt, both of whom hadn't moved an inch. She faced the inky blackness of the hidden door and silently gulped.

"H-hello?" she said, almost a whisper.

A moment of silence passes before what sounded like hoofsteps came from the dark passage. They started slow but increased in speed before sounding like a full-on sprint. Twilight, Spike and Matt were frozen in place from terror.

A blur emerged and tackled Twilight Sparkle with enough force to knock her back into Matt and Spike. Twilight's magic flickered before refocusing, and instead of something horrible, she discovered she was being embraced by a familiar pink earth pony.

"Pinkie Pie?" she asked, confused.

Pinkie was still giggling. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist!" Pinkie replied, being overcome with more laughter. She stopped hugging Twilight and rolled around the floor, still laughing.

"I should've known it was a Pinkie prank..." Spike said, relieved.

"Does this happen often?" Matt asked, also relieved.

"She never dug a hole into the basement before." Spike replied.

Pinkie Pie stopped rolling and laughing, quickly springing up onto her hooves. "Oh I didn't dig this hole, but a hole I dug lead into it!" she explained.

"So... this passage behind the shelf was already there?" Twilight wondered aloud.

"That's odd you didn't notice it before." said Matt. "Any idea what could be back there?"

"All I saw were more books, that's how I knew it was part of the library!" Pinkie responded.

"W-we aren't going in there, are we?" Spike said sheepishly.

The allure of new knowledge intrigued Twilight greatly, but the pitch-black hall ahead made her just slightly nervous.

"I-It wouldn't hurt to take a quick peek, right?" Twilight said.

"Sounds like a good time to me!" said Pinkie, happily bouncing forward into the tunnel.

"Hey, if we're doing this, wait up!" Spike said as he followed after her.

Twilight Sparkle brightened her magical light and began to follow after them, Matt Nabal walking by her side.

"So, Twilight... Do you always chew on your hair when you're nervous?" Matt said.

Twilight looked down and noticed a loose strand of her mane in her mouth, something she must've done subconsciously. She quickly spit it out and blushed, embarrassed Matt noticed before she did. "Not always..." she said shyly.

"Relax." Matt said. "It's… cute." he said.

This only made Twilight's blush redden even more.

"It's a bit worrying, though. That both of us are willing to walk into a place like this just out of curiosity." he continued. "You'd think one of us would have better judgment."

"I guess both of us just can't control ourselves when it comes to books." Twilight replied.

Matt chuckled. "I suppose that's true. Doesn't help that we live in a library."

Now it was Twilight's turn to chuckle as the group entered a large chamber. There was a large centerpiece shelf as tall as the ceiling, about the height of Golden Oak's main chamber. Just before entering the chamber, they passed the hole Pinkie Pie assuredly dug in through. There were even small sitting areas on opposite sides of the central shelf. The group of four looked on in awe at the sheer size of the room and how it had gone hidden for this long.

"Whoa... aside from the seriously creepy vibe, this place is pretty cool." Spike said.

"I think so too! It's like a Nightmare Night version of the library down here." said Pinkie Pie.

Twilight Sparkle had already started examining books. "Just how old is this place?" she wondered aloud. "Some of these are in a... very strange language."

At the edge of Twilight's magical light source, Matt Nabal noticed another passage leading out of the room. "There would appear to be more, over there."

Twilight hadn't noticed the other passage herself nor Matt's mentioning of it. She had gathered a pile of books and floated them over to one of the sitting areas. She then levitated one of the nearby torches and guided it towards Spike.

"Spike? Can you light this please?" she asked.

With a small puff of green fire the dragon did as he was asked, the room now filling with a green light.

"Reading down here won't be good for your eyes, Twilight. You may even need glasses at this rate." Matt conjectured, even though the thought of Twilight wearing glasses somewhat appealed to him.

"I know, I know, but I'm just too curious to wait!" she replied, talking a seat and placing the lit torch into a metal sconce on the wall behind her.

Upon placing the torch, there was a strange clicking noise before the floor Twilight sat upon and the wall next to the sconce rotated and just like that, she was gone.

Matt, Pinkie and Spike all shouted her name is surprise and rushed over to the wall.

Twilight, though disorientated, quickly got back to her hooves and tried pushing on the wall that had rotated.

"I-I can't get it to move!" she said.

"Neither can we!" responded Spike as he, Pinkie and Matt also tried pushing.

"Step back, I'm going to blast it with magic!" said Twilight, desperate to return to her friends and the light.

"Wait!" Matt said. "This place doesn't seem like it could take the blast. We don't want the place caving in on us." Matt grabbed the torch out of the sconce to see if he could get the mechanism to reactivate, which it did not. "There must be some kind of device in place to rotate it again…"

"I-I'll check my side, too…" Twilight said, lighting her horn again. When she did, she noticed that she was in a dark room not unlike the tunnel they entered through.

Before long, neither side could find a trigger to make the wall rotate. Matt once again looked to the hallway opposite the entrance.

"Twilight." he called, leaning against the wall. He heard her place her forelegs against the opposite side. "There must be a way around through the other passage. We're going to find a way to reach you."

"We are?" Pinkie asked, seeming to finally notice the passage he had mentioned.

"We are. I promise." He said, trying to sound confident.

"Alright." Twilight replied. "I'll try to meet you halfway."

"Keep a lookout for any more traps!" Spike shouted.

After that, both parties went their separate ways hoping to find each other at the end. Twilight grimaced as she walked alone into the darkness.

…...

Twilight followed the corridor for what seemed like ages, before finally finding herself in what looked like a mirror image of the large chamber she had already been in. However, this second large room was well lit and maintained. The walls were lined with colorful banners suggesting a celebration of some kind had occurred. Instead of books lining the shelves, there were numerous objects of varying shapes and sizes almost as if categorized. The rooms lighting reflected off something on one of the shelves and Twilight moved to investigate.

The shining object was in fact a pair of reading glasses. Despite how immaculate they seemed in condition, they were certainly antique in design.

She reached a hoof out to touch them before being startled by a sudden gasp behind her. She turned to see a beige Stallion with a black mane wearing an identical set of glasses.

"Oh my stars!" the pony said. "I didn't think anypony would ever visit me!" he said, his orange eyes alight with excitement.

"Oh, hello! I didn't know anypony else was down here." Twilight responded.

The stallion seemed genuinely excited to have a guest, and even more-so when he noticed Twilight had a horn and wings.

"Oh my- And a princess as well! Good heavens! I'm so very sorry about the state of the Undercroft your majesty, I'm still waiting for the exit tunnel to be repaired!"

"The... Undercroft?" Twilight asked, still trying to process how long this stallion had lived in her basement.

The stallion didn't seem surprised at her response. "Ah yes, of course. I'm sure Princess Celestia has kept the whole thing top secret, she probably sent you down here without any details." He turned and gestured widely to the room of trinkets and bobbles. "This place is the Undercroft, home to dozens of the most powerful magical artifacts and ancient knowledge in all Equestria. I am the caretaker of artifacts, Clever Clover, at your service." he said with an exaggerated bow.

Twilight Sparkle had never heard of such a place, nor had she ever heard of a 'Clever Clover' in association with Princess Celestia. Clover had appeared to be telling the truth however, given the old tomes in the previous chamber and the collection of items around them. She had begun to wonder if Celestia actually had kept this from her for some reason.

She looked down to the pony, still in his bow stance before speaking. "I see... Clover, was it? How long has this place been down here?"

Clever Clover finally stood back up on all fours to reply. "Oh, it feels like we've been putting the place together for decades now. Progress has slowed greatly since the cave-in over in the castle exit tunnel. Not to mention how confusing it is to get around the blasted place with all these rotating walls." he lets out a sigh. "Sometimes I feel the princess is just pulling one over on us..."

Twilight smirked in amusement at the thought of Celestia pranking her subjects, before quickly realizing what else Clover had said. "Wait, you said an exit collapsed?" she asked.

He responded by pointing to one of the three tunnels that exited the chamber. "Yes, the one leading out into the perimeter of the castle. You know, nearby those ghastly woods, with the rope bridge?"

While she couldn't be certain, she assumed he meant the long abandoned castle Celestia and Luna ruled from centuries ago. Before she could confirm, Clover had pushed a cushioned seat over for her to sit on before also pushing one also for himself.

"So tell me princess." he said. "Did you happen to pass a mare on your way in?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, the only other pony I've seen down here is you."

Clover smiled warmly. "Ah, she must already have left the Undercroft, no doubt out through the library entrance. She probably went and chewed the foreman's head off for his teams shoddy job on the other path."

Twilight had never seen a mare or any other pony come out of the library's basement. She was certain the false shelf door was sealed until Pinkie Pie's little prank earlier, or else she would have noticed it beforehand. As she looked at Clover, he pushed his glasses back up his face causing them to reflect the light and obscure his eyes. Afterwards, Twilight felt remarkably at ease and her concerns over the odd things Clover had been telling her melted away.

"Is this mare a friend of yours?" she asked.

Clover's smile turned into a grin. "My best friend. She is my betrothed, and the first assigned caretaker of the archive half of the Undercroft. She also handles affairs at the Golden Oaks Library on the surface. I'm sure she would love to meet you."

…...

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" asked Spike as he, Matt and Pinkie continued walking the long abandoned tunnels.

"No, Spike. I was never sure. I will never be sure." Matt replied, frustrated by their lack of progress. "Everything in this damned place looks the same."

Pinkie Pie, bouncing gingerly ahead of them, stopped and turned to face the human. "Ooh, what does 'damned' mean?"

"We'll discuss that later, right now we need to focus on finding Twilight." Matt responded.

"Well in that case, why don't we just start throwing ourselves at walls until they spin again?" Pinkie asked innocently.

Matt, tired of walking in a straight line for what felt like hours, brought his hand to his face and sighed. "Sure, whatever. Why not?" he said, not thinking the pink pony would actually do it.

Naturally, Pinkie Pie was the first to try it. After comically splatting against the wall with no results, Pinkie got back on her hooves to try again.

Matt reached down to put a hand on her shoulder. "Whoa now, settle down. I really doubt you'll magically find the right wall on a guess. And I'd rather you not get a concussion." Matt leaned his back to one of the stone walls to think, planting the green torch in a a nearby sconce. "It feels like we've been walking in one direction for a very long time. But surely we would have found something besides just more tunnel, like a another room or even like-"

"A button?" Spike said.

"Yes, like a button. That would be magnificent." Matt said looking down to Spike, who was hovering a claw over a small round button next to the very wall Matt was leaning against.

Spike pressed the button and the wall behind Matt gave way to a pitch black shaft that Matt fell into with a surprised yelp. Without thinking, Pinkie and Spike reached out for him and also stumbled into the darkness, that section of wall closing behind them. They found themselves what felt like a slide of some sorts, twisting and descending deep into blackness. When Matt Nabal reached the bottom, he found himself in a dimly lit room. As he looked around to try and see what they had ended up in, his two companions collided with him as they too reached the end of the slide. The collision made them all roll forward into the room.

"Is everyone alright?" Spike called out as they climbed of each other.

Pinkie Pie giggled and snorted uncontrollably. "That was great!" she managed to say through the giggles.

"I'm glad someone enjoyed themselves." Matt said, dusting himself off.

"... it was pretty fun." Spike agreed.

Matt was glad they couldn't see him smiling in agreement in the dark. "Look there." he said, changing the subject. He pointed at a light In the corner of the room, quickly realizing there was a light in each corner.

The room had enough illumination that the trio could see after a few seconds off letting their eyes adjust. Matt reached for what looked like some sort of power switch and to his surprise, the lights in the room intensified to brighten up the whole room. The room was remarkably uninteresting aside from what seemed like a massive map of the complex and the skeleton of a pony in front of it.

Matt gazed at the map, showing dozens of intricate paths between massive chambers, one of which he assumed was the one they had started in. Upon closer inspection, he realized something. The long path they had walked before was set up almost like a treadmill according to the maps design specifications, meaning they literally hadn't gone anywhere the whole time until finding the slide, which he also spotted on the map.

Pinkie and Spike had noticed the map too, but were more focused on the bones in front of it.

"I-I guess we aren't the first to get lost down here." Spike said.

Pinkie Pie had picked up a small metal badge that had been nearby the skeleton.

"Oh hey look, this must've been the librarian before Twilight." she said. "Waaaay before Twilight."

She handed the badge off to Matt. It was definitely some sort of librarian badge, but the engraving was mostly unreadable due to how filthy the thing was. He put that badge in his pocket and looked back to the map.

"It looks like this..." he said, pointing to a path coming off of the huge chamber they were in earlier. "Is the path Twilight took. Which means we just have to go through here, here, here and here from this room to end up where Twilight must be." he said, pointing out the four paths chaining off the central room they were in that lead to another massive room. "Let's get going."

"Right!" Spike and Pinkie said in unison, before glancing back at the map and looking completely lost.

Matt chuckled. "Just follow me."

…...

Back in the artifact chamber, Twilight had completely forgotten why she was suspicious of Clever Clover to begin with. He seemed like a fine upstanding stallion and he regaled Twilight with romantic stories of he and his fiance.

"I assure you, Princess Twilight, she's quite the magnificent mare, I'm sure the two of you will get along swimmingly when she returns." he said.

"She sounds amazing, Clover. I can't wait to meet her!" Twilight replied enthusiastically.

As the conversation began to dull, Clover adjusted his glasses again before continuing. "What about you, your majesty?" he asked. Twilight looked slightly confused at his question, prompting him to elaborate. "Do you have a special somepony in your life? I promise not to tell!" he said.

"Oh! Uh..." for some unknown reason she was compelled to answer. "Well... there is somepony..."

"Oh?!" Clover exclaimed, adjusting his spectacles again. "Do tell!"

"I-It isn't anything official yet, we're kind of... working on it?" she explained, somewhat awkwardly.

"Ooh, scandalous!" What kind of Stallion is he?"

She smiled as she thought before answering. "He's... very smart, very quiet... mysterious... he prefers to keep to himself, mostly."

"... well, doesn't that sound exciting." Clover replied sarcastically.

Twilight giggled in response. "I know, I know. But we do share a lot of things in common. He also has some issues connecting with other other ponies, but he's been opening up to me a lot lately."

"Well princess, I hope things go well with your mystery-colt." Clover said with a wink.

Twilight blushed before remembering that Matt and the others were searching for her right now.

"If you'll excuse me, Clover, I must be going. He and my friends must be looking for me." she said, standing.

"Oh, but princess! Y-you can't go yet!" he stammered.

"I'm sorry, but my friends are wondering where I am, I should go find them." she replied.

"But princess..." said Clover, pushing up his spectacles again. "You should wait here, in case they come by."

"I should wait here... in case... they come by." Twilight repeated, almost as if in a trance.

"That's right, I'm sure they'll stop by soon..." Clever Clover said with a smirk. "In the meantime, have I shown you these glasses?" he asked, gesturing to the pair of antique glasses that mirrored his own upon the pedestal nearby. "I think they'd be a perfect fit on you..."

…...

"It should be just after this next room." Matt Nabal called back to his friends.

"How do you even remember that?" Spike asked.

"I've got a pretty decent memory." Matt replied.

"Me too!" said Pinkie, bouncing forward ahead of the others. "The last door is riiiiiight... here!" she said, smacking the wall of the room with a hoof. After a few seconds of nothing, Matt gestured for her to move to the parallel wall. After repeating her tap on the other wall, the door mechanism released and opened to what the group was looking for; the other grand chamber.

The chamber was strangely immaculate in comparison to the rest of the facility, and was even brightly lit. The group didn't have time to gawk about, however, as they all spotted the purple princess they sought to rescue. They all called out to her and she turned to face them.

Twilight's face briefly flashed between shock and relief upon seeing her friends. "Hello everyone!"

"I guess you took the initiative and just decided to wear a pair now, huh?" Matt said, commenting on her rounded glasses.

Naturally the first thing everyone noticed was that she was wearing glasses she hadn't brought in to the labyrinth with her, but considering the room had a bunch of other strange items lying around they didn't think it anything suspect.

"I did! What do you think? Do they look good?" she replied, fluttering her eye lashes.

"I knew it was only a matter of time." said Spike.

"You're really pullin' it off!" added Pinkie Pie.

The first thing Matt noticed was her speech patterns. Twilight didn't sound like Twilight. There was something about he she spoke that didn't sit right with him. He had assumed he was overthinking it.

"Let's get outta here." said Spike. "We have our very own human map to lead the way." he added pointing a thumb over his shoulder to Matt.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Spike. Except out of this place." Matt replied, crossing his arms.

"Human...?" Twilight said, almost as if in thought.

"Uh, yeah. That is what Matt is, right?" Pinkie Pie said, placing a hoof under her chin.

Matt raised an eyebrow and his gaze landed on Twilight. "Are you feeling okay, Twilight?"

"O-of course! Just still shaken up from being separated, is all." she replied.

"Right... well, come on then. The sooner we get out of here the better." Matt said, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Twilight exclaimed, once again drawing the attention of her friends. "D-did you see a mare on your way in? She had told me she would return..."

The trio exchanged glances. "We didn't see anypony else." Spike said.

"Well, we did find someone." Pinkie added.

There was a pause as Matt pulled out the metal badge they had found earlier. "It would seem we aren't the first people to get lost down here." he said, showing her the badge.

Twilight's eyes began to fill with tears and she began to sob. Once again, glances were exchanged among the others, as well as a trio of shrugs.

"Twilight." Matt said, kneeling down and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know it's a terrible thing, but there's nothing we can do for them now."

Her sobbing ceased but the tears kept flowing. "Get off me." she muttered, near inaudibly.

"Hm?" Matt pulled his hand back.

"You're lying!" She screamed, letting off a magical shockwave, knocking her three friends back.

After the dust settled, Matt, Pinkie Pie and Spike picked themselves back up.

"What the hay was that about?!" Pinkie asked, rubbing her now sore noggin.

"That isn't Twilight." Matt said. "Just look at their eyes."

As Matt had said, Twilight Sparkles normal violet eyes were replaced by a pair of amber ones.

"W-what's going on?" Spike asked.

The impostor used the magic in Twilight's horn to begin whipping up a small twister in the confined space. "You're lying!" she repeated. "She... she couldn't have..." Tears continued to flow from the now-orange eyes.

"I don't know who you are." Matt began. "But if you-"

"But if you hurt Twilight even a little bit..." Spike added, trying his best to look intimidating.

Pinkie pulled what looked like some form of military helmet out of nowhere and put it on her head. "It's go time!"

Matt smiled, enjoying the solidarity that came with a caring group of friends. "Yeah. What she said." Matt said.

And with that, magical blasts began being shot all over the large chamber, all of which originating from Twilight's horn. Matt found himself behind a knocked over couch, using it as makeshift cover as Spike soon joined him.

"So, what do we do?" Spike asked.

"Good question. Where's Pinkie?" Matt inquired, peeking over the couch to she Pinkie attempting to bombard the fake with pillows. "Ah."

"Aren't you like, magic proof or something?" Spike asked.

"Yes. I can resist the effects of any form of magic and cause some recoil to the caster. Which is the problem, I don't want to hurt Twilight if that is her body."

"You can make it up to her later, it's the only move we have!" Spike replied.

"Fair enough."

Matt stepped out from the cover and nearly immediately started getting blasted by magical projectiles. Mere moments after impact, the blasts were reflected and Twilight Sparkle was knocked to the ground. Matt ran over to her side, scooping her body into his arms.

"Twilight? Are you in there?" He said.

Orange eyes opened and the person puppeteering Twilight's body replied. "The guy... she was talking about... was you?"

He cocked his head to the side as a translucent specter leapt from Twilight's body, placing the round glasses onto Matt's face.

Matt placed Twilight back on the ground and turned to face Spike and Pinkie. His brown eyes now glowed a wrathful orange. "You're all lying. There's no way they just left us down here to rot. I'm going to take this body and find her myself." not-Matt said.

"M-matt..." whispered a nearly unconscious Twilight Sparkle from below, catching the glare of the faker.

"Whatever this thing is... A 'human' or whatever you called it. It's body seems quite durable." the impostor Matt said, examining his form.

A moment later, he was clutching his head in pain, giving Pinkie and Spike enough time to run by and move Twilight away. She seemed to be okay, yet no longer awake.

The being posing as Matt hunched over and screamed in agony, before calmly standing erect and turning to face the frightened friends. To their surprise, his eyes were back to being brown. He let out a sinister chuckle.

"You almost had a good idea, there. Problem is, whatever you're using to possess people..." he said, pulling the glasses off of his face and gazing into their lenses to see a reflection of the phantom. "These glasses, I assume? It's magic based. Unlucky for you that magic and humans don't mix."

"No!" shouted the apparition of Clever Clover. "I... I must go find my beloved. Let me go!"

Matt's devilish smirk turned to a face of genuine pity. "I'm sorry you waited however long you did down here, but she's already gone. I don't know if this realm has an afterlife, but if there is a heaven..." he dropped the glasses to the ground. "I hope you see her again."

With that, he brought his foot down and shattered the glasses, releasing at first a blue aura until silence returned to the chamber of artifacts.

…...

On the way back out of the winding tunnels of the Undercroft, Matt carried the still unconscious Twilight Sparkle on his back, arms supporting her hind legs.

"So..." Spike piped up. "How did you know what was going on with that guy?"

"When his spirit entered my body, I was unfortunate enough to see a bit of what I guessed were his precious memories. It's... kind of haunting, actually." Matt replied. Pinkie Pie chortled when he said 'haunting', earning an eye roll from the human. "Yes, yes. Ghost puns. Terrific."

Twilight began to stir on the human's back.

"Oh!" exclaimed Pinkie. "You're up!"

"Yes... and I hurt all over." Twilight replied, wincing.

"That would be my fault." said Matt, as Twilight noticed what position she was in as red crept up her face.

"Oh, it's alright. I know you just did what you had to." she responded.

"He said he'd make it up to you!" said Spike.

"That I did. Just consider me your royal attendant for as long as you need." Matt said, turning his head over his shoulder to look Twilight in the eyes and smiling warmly.

"I-I'll keep that in mind..." she said, tightening the grip her forelegs had around the human. She rested her head against his back as they continued out.

"Twilight?" Matt asked, glancing back to see if she was awake.

"Yes?" she responded, opening her eyes.

"When he had your body under control... did you see anything? Like, from his memories?"

"I... I did, I think. They were heavily distorted and..."

"Yeah, I know. We can talk about it later."

They were both content to end the conversation there. Twilight once again resting her head to his back and listening to the sound of his heart beating, almost as if in rhythm with her own.

Within her mind, she began to realize this second heartbeat was something she never knew she needed.

Chapter 30: Rhyme & Punishment

Two days after the incident in the Undercroft, Matt found himself following Twilight Sparkle into the Everfree Forest. She had told him that they were going to meet a friend of hers, but he still didn't like the idea.

"I'm sorry, Twilight, but I'm just not comfortable walking around in here considering the last time I was nearly eaten alive." he said, keeping an eye out for any sort of danger.

Twilight chuckled. "Don't worry, Matt. I walk this path all the time; I haven't been attacked once."

"There's a first time for everything..." he said, trailing off. He let out a sigh. "Who exactly are we meeting, again?"

"My zebra friend, Zecora. She has this magnificent foreign tea that helps soothes aches and bruises." Twilight replied.

Matt hadn't forgotten about the injuries Twilight sustained during her ghostly possession. The day prior, she barely moved around at all and he thought her wounds were more serious than she insisted they were.

"I'm sorry..." he said, thinking out loud.

Twilight stopped walking to turn and face him. "Don't be! I'm fine, really. Just a little sore from the recoil is all. Besides, who knows what Clover would've done if he made it out in my body?" she said. "I know you didn't want to hurt me, but you did what you had to."

"Yeah..." he responded halfheartedly.

"Hey, cheer up. The thought of my magic being used to hurt anypony makes me shudder."

She smiled at him and he tried his best to return it. They began walking again, deeper into the woods. "We're almost there." she said.

Matt's mind was swimming with a myriad of thoughts about the past several days. Upon his return to Twilight and the library, he and Twilight decided to explore the possibilities of a relationship. The following day the only thing they had managed to do together is be possessed by the same ghost. While Twilight was recovering, Matt spent all his time by her side. Partially out of guilt, but another part was out of affection. This genuine affection was a new feeling to him. He wasn't entirely sure how to process and react to it. He smirked in silence as he thought of how much he had changed since he first arrived in Equestria. Caring so much about another person wasn't something he thought himself capable of before.

"We're here." said Twilight, slicing through Matt's thoughts. After snapping back to reality Matt noticed the small cottage they arrived at and the tribal decorations adorning it. Twilight Sparkle knocked on the door and before long it creaked open.

Out emerged a zebra, just like Twilight had said. Matt didn't really know what he expected her to look like, the only thing he knew was that ponies and zebras weren't the same thing despite the obvious resemblance.

"Twilight Sparkle!" Zecora exclaimed. "Seeing you is always good, what brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"It's good to see you too, Zecora!" Twilight replied. "I was in a small accident the other day and was wondering if you had anymore of that muscle relaxing tea?"

Zecora smiled. "Of course, of course, anything for you." she paused, seemingly just now noticing Matt standing a few feet behind Twilight. "... forgive me, but who are you?"

"Matthew Nabal, madam. It's a pleasure." he replied.

The zebra looked him up and down a few times, almost as if confirming something. "So formal and polite; though I did not expect you to be such a sight."

"You've heard of me?" Matt replied, puzzled as to why it seemed like she was expecting him at some point.

"How rude of me to presume, but I was told of you by dear Applebloom." Zecora responded before turning around and walking back into her hut. "Please come in, it is cold out there. The fire keeps my home warm, I swear."

Twilight Sparkle began following her inside before Matt leaned down to her ear level. "Does she always rhyme like that?" Twilight's response was merely a nod. Matt shrugged and followed them inside, making sure to duck the doorway. There was just enough room for him to stand within.

Zecora was already preparing the tea in what seemed like a cauldron in the center of the room. "Now, forgive my questions, I do not mean to pry. But how did you end up here, Matthew? And why?"

Before Matt could respond, Twilight took answered instead. "Actually, both of those are my doing. I was trying a spell to peek into other realities and, well..."

Matt smiled. "She botched it."

"Hey!" she replied with a laugh. "I didn't botch anything. I just cast the wrong spell. Besides, I think everything turned out for the best, don't you?" she added, locking eyes with the human.

Brown eyes stared into violet for what was just a moment, a reflection of the first time they had met. "I do." Matt replied softly.

"Ah, I see. Another realm is your origin. I imagine Equestria has made your head spin." Zecora said as the tea boiled.

"Oh, absolutely. I never imagined a place like this could exist." Matt chuckled thinking about just how strange everything around him truly was in retrospect.

Zecora calmed the fire and filled three cups she had nearby and served the hot tea. "Here you are, pony and man. This is the most soothing tea in the land."

They all began to drink after a small toast and Twilight let out a lengthy sigh. "Ah, I believe you. If I knew it was this good, I would've flew!" she said enthusiastically.

"Indeed." Matt began. "It's simply divine. I'd do whatever I could to make it mine."

After another sip, the pair seemed to realize something. They shared a glance before Twilight spoke again. "Then again, I still feel a bit funny. Maybe I could add just a smidgen more honey?"

"Yes, I agree. Perhaps another cube of sugar or three." Matt replied.

The couple shared another glance before Zecora began to laugh. "Oh my, the tea I did select... it has a few potential side effects."

"This didn't happen last time!" Twilight exclaimed. "At least, I don't think I began to rhyme."

The zebra collected herself before continuing. "It doesn't happen every time, in fact this is the first. I've never seen someone suffer from the tea's 'curse'."

Matt sighed and brought a palm to his face, "You knew the whole time and didn't warn us? I mean... I guess if it's that rare you didn't want to cause a fuss."

Zecora nodded. "Do not worry; it lasts for less than an hour. It is part of the tea plant's secret power. Poets tried to use it for inspiration long ago. If you ask me, it's more like cheating though."

Matt shrugged and finished his cup as Twilight did the same. Twilight stretched her body about, finding the the tea's curative properties still worked. "Well, rhyming or not I can feel it flowing. Thank you so much, Zecora, but we must be going. We're traveling to Canterlot in a few days so we need go pack. When our business is over, I swear we'll come back."

Matt had forgotten about that with everything clouding his mind that day. After the discovery of the Undercroft Twilight wanted to consult Princess Celestia about it. Coincidentally, the princess requested her and her friends presence for something unrelated, so the whole group was going to Canterlot in a few days time. Twilight had mentioned wanting to introduce Matt to her parents, so they had hoped to stay there for a few days.

As they left, Matt waved back to Zecora to avoid saying any more rhymes. She didn't seem to mind, waving back and smiling as they walked back to Ponyville. They stayed in silence for the most part, and Matt's thoughts drifted back to what he was thinking about on the way there. Suddenly, a thought struck him as they cleared the forest.

"Twilight?" he called out, relieved he could say one word sentences without being forced into a rhyme. She looked his way and he continued. "Although this rhyming thing isn't too great, what would you say... if I asked you out on a date?" he asked, somewhat hesitantly. He knew they had something to prepare for, but he figured the wouldn't lose too much time.

Twilight was shocked from the sudden offer. It was true they hadn't done any of the typical couple things at this point and Twilight was surprised it was his suggestion, not hers. "O-of course, I would love to! What would you like to do?"

"It's getting a bit late, so I say what get some food. I hope the suggestion doesn't come across as crude." he replied.

"No, not all, food would be excellent. There's someplace I've wanted to try after Rarity told me she had went."

"Then by all means, lead the way." he said, gesturing her to lead on. "And as you do, I would like to say-" They began walking and talking through Ponyville. "At first I hated this rhyming curse, but now I'm thinking it like writing a verse. Like songs, or poetry. I bet all artists wish rhyming was always this free."

"Well Zecora did mention they tried to use the tea for ease. But maybe they wanted to come up with their own work instead of rhyming whenever they please?" she responded.

They shortly arrived at their destination and the place was packed. Twilight went inside to ask about getting a table as Matt waited outside, as to not take up too much room in the doorway. He stood there, looking out over the snow covered town he had grown to call home. He had now memorized the layout of most of the town, so getting lost was a thing of the past.

As he waited there, reminiscing on his early days in Ponyville, he was surprised by the sudden appearance of a blue blur in front of him. "There you are!" said a female voice. After his eyes caught up, he found that it was Rainbow Dash. "Where have you been? You can't just save a girl and disappear like that."

Matt had forgotten the last time the saw each other was during the Caladrius event which was a few days ago for him, but two weeks ago for Dash.

"Forgive me, but I've been busy with a few things. Have you healed up? How are your wings?" he asked, recalling she wasn't in the best shape during the storm.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Nothing can keep me grounded for too long!" she said proudly.

"I'm happy. I wanted to make sure before we left, but the Doctor said you'd be fine, and it'd be snappy."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow, noticing the strange way Matt was structuring his speech. "Thanks... Have you been back to the library yet? I know Twilight threw you out, I can try to find you somewhere else to stay if you want."

"A lot has happened since that day in the storm. Rest assured, I'm sleeping safe and warm."

"Okay, are you rhyming on purpose?"

Matt was getting so used to everything he was saying came out as rhymes that he had forgotten somehow. "No, it's not me. On a visit to Zecora she served me some weird tea."

Rainbow Dash seemed to understand immediately. "Oh, I see. I knew it was something like that." then she had an idea. "Hey, why don't you get me up to speed with what happened after that storm?" she asked, grinning.

"Of course." Matt said, clearing his throat. "After we dropped you off we took a small trip. But things got complicated real quick, rail travel was always romanticized but a murder made those poor ponies bloody traumatized. A pony named Stardust had committed the deed, you see; a crime of passion born out of jealousy. Justice was served but those types of wounds hurt forever. I didn't get to meet her, but my heart weeps for Merriweather."

When he started his tale, Rainbow Dash had started beat-boxing to accompany Matt's rhymes, seemingly having planned this all along.

Matt paused, taking another breath. "We did what we could, the culprit was apprehended. I just wish there was another way it could've ended. We got out of there after all was said and done, and Vinyl suggested that we go somewhere more fun. So we dropped in on a concert from the nineties, in time we, saw why she, fell in love with music in the first place, the first taste. She got to see the show from backstage and in the stands, not to mention that the rest of us replaced the band."

Matt was getting more and more into making sure his words were on beat, something he wasn't even aware he was doing. Rainbow continued the beat, so Matt continued his tale.

"Our last stop was on this god-forsaken rock, where we crashed and scattered, then unconscious i was knocked. I landed next to Lyra, who seemed to have lost herself. Her memory misplaced, but at least we still had our health. Overnight the place changed from green to rotted. We knew we had to go, to a temple we had spotted. Lyra and I got somewhat stuck and burst through the ceiling and upon seeing Bon-bon, her memory started healing. We escaped back to Ponyville relieved to be home, from places unknown, I had a heart-to-heart with Bon-bon in a heartfelt tone, then realized that I didn't want to be alone. "

Rainbow had raised an eyebrow again, not quite understanding what he was talking about. With another breath, Matt began what would be the final stretch.

"I bumped into Twilight, you could say she bumped into me. We had a long talk and after I presented my plea; I apologized, she apologized, now everything was back to the normal... Until we found a secret passage that led to a pitch-black hole. A maze deep underground, Twilight got lost within. Pinkie, Spike and I set out, hoping no more walls would spin. We found her alone, possessed by some ancient apparition. Then he went for me, too bad I never gave permission. The villain's plans I did foil, somewhat accidentally. Twilight was hit by the recoil, nobody was to blame but me. As she recovered I doted on her like no other. Of course I felt guilty for injuring my-"

Matt quickly stopped himself. He had nearly forgotten that he and Twilight had decided to keep their relationship a secret while they sorted things out.

Rainbow seemed disappointed. "Your what? You went for so long! Did it wear off?"

"N-no, I-" Matt said as the door to the eatery opened up and Twilight Sparkle emerged.

"Matt!" the princess called. "They have a table ready for us..." she trailed off, noticing Rainbow Dash's presence.

Rainbow's eyes narrowed as she put two and two together. "I see what's going on here. You disappear for two weeks and when you get back I don't even get a chance."

Matt was slightly confused. "A chance for what?" he asked, not noticing that the rhyming curse had indeed worn off.

Rainbow was taken aback. "You... you didn't even notice?"

Matt had the feeling he was stepping on somepony's hooves accidentally again. "Dash, I..." he began, but she had already taken off back into the skies.

He watched the direction she flew until she vanished from sight. He turned to Twilight, genuinely not understanding what had happened. "Did I miss something?"

Chapter 31: Matthew Nabal and the Psychic Circus

An old, abandoned castle sat within a dense forest. A hooded figure in purple robes stood waiting in front of its large doors. The figure had the same general body shape and proportions as an average pony. As he walked closer, the figure lifted it's head to smile at him.

"We're home." it said in a clear, female voice.

"We're home." he repeated, even though his voice was not his own.

A flash of light came from behind him and he turned to find a large violet vortex swirling just a few meters away.

…...

Matt awoke in his bed in the library. He sat up and rubbed his head. This was the third time he had experienced a dream like this, but this was the only time he could remember it clearly. This was also the only time he could hear the dream clearly. He didn't recognize either voice, but it was better than nothing. He had begun to think to ask someone about his dreams when there was a knocking at his door.

"Nabal! Are you awake?" called a male voice from the other side of the door. The door opened before Matt could reply. A familiar chestnut colored stallion entered. "Ah, there you are! Come with me, I've something to show you." said the Doctor.

He closed the door just as quickly as he opened it. Matt chuckled and stood to get dressed.

Meanwhile, the Doctor was pacing around in the library, much to the amusement of Twilight Sparkle. "He isn't much of an early riser." she giggled.

"Clearly..." The Doctor replied. "I'm glad the two of you patched things up, makes it much easier to find him."

"Oh, you heard about that?" Twilight responded.

Matt's door opened and out he came, adjusting the blue bow-tie the Doctor had given him previously. He was wearing the clothes he was given on their last adventure, minus the jacket. "That's not what suspenders are for, but we haven't the time for that. Alons-y!" said the Doctor, quickly walking out of the building.

Matt grabbed one of the dangling suspenders. "I thought it looked pretty good." Matt said.

"It does." Twilight reassured. "Try not to be gone for two weeks this time, we have to talk to the princess tomorrow." she added.

Matt nodded and bid her farewell. As he went outside, he didn't see the Doctor, but instead the Doctor's blue box. He opened the door and entered to find him within.

"Do you remember the island?" the Doctor asked.

"Of course." Matt replied. He seemed to recall it vanishing after they escaped it.

"I finally figured out the blasted thing. The island was named many thousands of years ago, the loose translation is 'Island of Fools'. It's described as a mirage." the Doctor said flipping through a book nearby the main console.

"Well clearly that isn't true, we saw it up close for ourselves." Matt responded, leaning in to see the book as well.

"it's both true and untrue. The island is in a state of temporal flux; it and everything on it travel through their lives in a random, timey-wimey fashion." the Doctor leaned off to type something in.

"Does that mean that Lyra and Vinyl were made younger?" Matt had recalled the two of them losing memories up to a certain point.

"That's what I thought at first, but it just seems that their minds were effected. Seeing something important to them was strong enough to bring them back up to speed."

Matt had wondered why they seemed to freeze up, even during such a dangerous situation.

The Doctor pulled down a screen from above. "Ah, here we are." On the screen was an image of a half faded island, judging from the temple in the center Matt could tell it was the same one they were on.

Just then, the TARDIS began to shake. The Doctor looked around confused. "I swear if that's Pinkie again..." he said, going towards the doors. He found them unable to open.

"Based on your reaction, this isn't good?" Matt asked.

"That depends on what we see when the doors open." almost as if on cue, the twin doors began to creak open. Matt and the Doctor stepped out and seemed to find themselves outside of some sort of circus tent. The sky was dark, the snow had disappeared and they certainly weren't in Ponyville anymore. "No, this is not good."

The tent before them had a large banner above it that read 'The Greatest Show in The Galaxy'.

"This cannot be here." The Doctor said, walking off into the tent.

Matt knew better than to let him go alone and followed quickly behind. The interior was also dark, but with a spotlight shining down on and orange pony stallion in the middle. He wore a large hat and strummed on an acoustic guitar quite passionately. The Doctor whipped out his screwdriver and scanned all around the tent, getting a particularly strong signal from across the entrance, to seats in the near empty crowd.

"That you Ragnarok? Stealing the name of the Psychic Circus, are we?" The Doctor shouted across the tent.

The orange guitar player disappeared in a puff of smoke and the spotlight that was on him now shone on Matt and the Doctor. Another light turned on and shined down on whomever the Doctor was talking to. Matt didn't believe his eyes. There were three humans that made up the audience. A mother, a father, and a small girl.

"What the hell...?" Matt said.

The three humans spoke in unison. "The Doctor? You were the last person we expected to come across..." The humans turned into identical stone statues. "And a human? This is unexpected... but not unwelcome. You will serve as prime entertainment."

The eyes of the statues began to glow and a dark smoke surrounded Matt and the Doctor. Within moments, they were rendered unconscious.

…...

Matt awoke with a fright, his head spinning. He looked around to find himself in some sort of cell. He noticed the Doctor was there with him, already awake and pacing.

"Doctor?" Matt called out, rubbing his temple. "What's going on here? Those things... looked human at first."

"A disguise. They go by 'The Gods of Ragnarok'." The Doctor responded.

"Gods? This universe has gods?" Matt replied, struggling to take in this information with his splitting headache.

"They can exist wherever and whenever they want. Probably the closest things to real gods that exist." The Doctor was still pacing. "Last I saw them, I was in my home universe; I was still a Timelord, not a pony."

"What do they want with us?"

"They said it themselves. They want entertainment. That's why they have all these cells."

Matt stood up and walked to the edge of the cell and looked out. There were at least six other cells, most of which had occupants. The one directly across from them held the orange pony they had seen earlier. Matt could see more clearly now that his large hat was a sombrero, and he had the rim casting a shadow on his face. He looked to be asleep.

"So what do we do?"

The Doctor stopped pacing and turned toward Matt. "Just give it some time, I'll think of something."

Across from them, the pony stirred. "In the meantime, can you keep it down? Some of us are trying to sleep." he said.

Matt chuckled. "Do you not realize the situation you're in?"

The pony flicked up his hat revealing his smirking expression and brown eyes. "Ah, perhaps it is you who does not understand." he picked up his guitar and strummed a tune. "For where there is music, there can be no evil." He had what Matt would swear was a Spanish accent, something he didn't know there was an equivalent to in Equestria.

"That's quite the devil-may-care attitude you have." Matt replied.

"You are not the first to think so; you will not be the last. Now let us discuss something far more interesting. What in the world are you? You resemble the fleshy forms of our employers, but not so much the stoney part." he asked, strumming casually.

Matt wanted to correct 'employers' to 'kidnappers' but decided to answer instead. "My name is Matthew Nabal, natively not from here but I make my home in Ponyville. And you are?"

"My name is Quixote!" the pony announced triumphantly. "The greatest performer in all of Las Pegasus. Remember the name, the world will know it one day."

Matt had let out a small laugh at 'Las Pegasus' before turning his attention back to The Doctor, whom had began scanning the lock on their cell with his screwdriver. "They let you keep that thing?"

"They don't see us as a threat." The Doctor replied as the door to their cell opened. "Come on Nabal, let's take a look around."

Quixote dropped his guitar and propped himself up on his cell door. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! I hope you plan on releasing all of us!" he said.

"Thought you were catching up on some shut-eye?" Matt asked sarcastically.

"I... suddenly felt the urge to stretch my legs." Quixote replied with a grin.

The Doctor opened all of the cells, much to the joy of the inhabitants. Matt noticed that everyone there was of a different species. All in all, aside from him, The Doctor and Quixote, there were six others. A Griffin, a Changeling, a small Dragon, a Hippogriff, a Pegasus, and a Unicorn.

Quixote slung his guitar onto his back. "I owe you, my new friends. No one else here would even tell me their name."

"We already told you." the Griffin said, rolling her eyes. "We can't remember our names."

"The strange gas they used to drug us probably has something to do with that." The Doctor said. "Long exposure would probably erode memories, to condition you to only perform. How long have you been here?"

The group collectively looked downtrodden. "None of us remember that, either." the Dragon said.

"I do!" Quixote exclaimed. "I have been here for one month. Or... was it two...?"

"Any ideas on escape?" Matt asked.

"Nothing any of us has tried has worked. Out of our cells is the farthest we've been." the Unicorn replied.

"Come now, a group of so many different minds like this? We'll think of something." Quixote said.

Just then, smoke surrounded the Hippogriff and they had vanished. "I assume that's our 'employers' demanding some entertainment?" Matt asked, specifically looking toward Quixote.

"Yes, we are whisked away to perform our hearts out to them on center stage. When they tire, they send us back here." Quixote answered.

The Doctor was busy inspecting the confines of the room they were sealed in. It was a very uninteresting room, seemingly made to house the cells and nothing more. At the very least, they seemed to be given fresh air from somewhere.

"Have they been feeding you?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes, food appears in the cells at a regular time. We don't know what time it happens though, since we can't see outside in here." the Changeling said.

"I-I had a watch, but it doesn't work anymore." said the Unicorn, holding up a gold pocket watch.

"Well isn't this fantastic. We could be here for years and never notice." Matt said.

"Come now, it isn't so bad!" Quixote said. "At least we have purpose here, no?"

Everyone in the room collectively glared at the orange earth pony. "I wouldn't call being a slave 'having purpose'." Matt replied.

"Eh, whatever your stance it's better than being homeless." Quixote responded with a shrug.

The Hippogriff was transported back into the room, gasping for breath."T-they said I wasn't good enough..." she said, sitting down. "They said they want you." she added, pointing at Matt.

"Me?" he replied, being whisked away by smoke.

…...

After the smoke cleared, Matt covered his eyes from the blinding lights in the massive tent.

"Human!" three voices said in unison. As his eyes began to focus, he looked ahead to see the three stone statues he had seen before. "We have not seen a human in many years. You will be a welcome change from the average creatures of this planet."

"I'm nothing special." Matt said. "The most I could do to entertain you is juggle, but I'm sure..."

As he said that, a pile of multi-colored balls appeared at his feet. Matt sighed and picked them up, hoping he hadn't forgotten how juggling works.

…...

What seemed like hours later, Matt was returned to holding area.

"Welcome back!" Quixote greeted. "You were up there for four hours, what did they have you doing?"

"Four hours?" Matt asked in disbelief. "They made me juggle for four hours?" His arms were very sore, and he noticed the food they had discussed earlier had appeared in he and The Doctor's cell. He couldn't identify what it was. "I am not eating this."

The Doctor, who had been shoving his equally strange food in his mouth, protested. "You should, it'll keep your strength up."

"Not to mention..." Quixote chimed in. "It's delicious!"

Matt let out another sigh and ate a small piece of the mystery food. To his immediate surprise and delight, he found it to taste near identical to his mother's home cooking, something he hadn't tasted in months.

"What the hell is this?" he said, eating another piece.

"It seems to adapt to whomever eats it. It becomes whatever your taste-buds adore most." said The Doctor.

"Really?" Matt asked between chewing.

The Doctor's response was to shrug and eat more.

Quixote had his guitar in hoof again, and began to casually play as everyone else joined them, sitting in a circle and eating.

"You are quite good, Quixote." Matt said.

"Yeah, that's the only thing he's good for." said the Griffin.

Quixote laughed, but did not protest. Matt looked around at his fellow prisoners. Aside from in books, he had never seen a Griffin, Changeling or Hippogriff before. He couldn't help studying them, but the Griffin seemed to take notice.

"Dude, can you not?" she said.

Matt shook himself back to reality. "M-my apologies, I've just never seen a Griffin before."

"Yeah, well, I've never seen a whatever-you-are before either."

"What are you anyway?" asked the Hippogriff.

Matt took a breath before explaining. "I'm a human, originally from another dimension, brought here by magical portal mishaps."

"Another dimension? That's... pretty cool." the Griffin responded.

"Watch out, amigo." Quixote said. "I think she likes you." he said with a laugh.

"Oh as if. Just like I told you, Quixote. I'm not into guys." she replied.

"I know, I know, and I respect that. I'm just teasing." Quixote said.

Everyone continued to eat and Matt had an idea. "We really should come up with names for the six of you."

"That's not a bad idea." Quixote replied.

"Just so long as it isn't lame, I'm game." the Griffin said.

"Ditto." said the Dragon.

Matt cupped his chin and studied the group again. He walked over to the dragon first. She was small for a dragon though bigger than Spike, with deep red scales and small wings emerging from her back.

"Hmm... Scarlet?" Matt said, in obvious reference to her red scales.

She crossed her arms and smirked. "Yeah, I can work with that."

His next visit was to the Unicorn. He was a rather large, dark blue stallion with a nearly white colored mane. His cutie mark resembled a star. He looked almost regal in appearance, though Matt was sure he hadn't heard him talk since he got there.

"You, my good man, look like a member of high society. Like a duke, or a baron..." Matt snapped his fingers in realization. "How about Baron?"

"That sounds... nice." he responded. His voice was deep, but he spoke quite softly.

The Pegasus was next. She had a yellow coat and blue mane. Her cutie mark seemed to be droplets of water, like rain.

"You look like you have some input. Were you already thinking about this?" Matt asked her.

"Yup!" she answered cheerfully. "I can't remember much about what I did before they snatched me..." she said. "But I think I worked with weather? So I was thinking something like 'Aqua'."

"Works for me. Next would be..."

Matt turned to the Hippogriff. Matt had recalled Hippogriffs hadn't been sighted for a long time, and this particular one seemed older. She was cyan in fur and feathers and her hair was golden.

"You, madam, seem very dignified. I say you look like a 'Duchess'."

"Duchess? Oh, you're a charmer, young man." she said with a warm smile.

The Changeling, dark in color with blue transparent wings and glass-like blue eyes caught the human's gaze next.

"From what I recall reading, Changelings are insect-like in nature, right?"

The Changeling nodded. "I served a queen as part of a hive, but I can't remember anything besides that." he said.

"Unfortunately I don't know much about entomology to give you a fitting nickname but... how about Hyaline?"

'Hyaline' gave a swift nod in affirmation.

"Alright... so last but not least-" Matt said, getting cut off.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can pick my own name." the Griffin said. She was mostly brown with white feathers, though she has some pinkish-purple coloring on the ends of them. "How about... Bloodwing!" she said, striking a pose.

The Doctor, who had been eating the entire time, turned to face her. "Pretty sure that one's copyrighted."

"Oh..." she replied. "How about... Talon?" she asked, doing a less dramatic pose flaring her front talons.

"Yeah, that works." Matt said. "Now conversations should be slightly less awkward."

The group finished eating and everyone returned to their cells and the makeshift bedding they were provided. Quixote tapped on the bars of Matt and The Doctor's cell.

"Honestly, I've never seen the others happier than they were today." he said. "I'm sure getting to stretch their legs was part of it, but I think they really appreciated getting some identity back."

Matt sat up to speak with him. "I can't imagine how long they must've been here to forget themselves like that. Now all we have to do is make an escape plan and get the hell out of here."

Quixote smiled. "Well, if anypony can do it, it'd be you, Jefe. Just uh... don't try too hard, yeah? I want to enjoy having a roof over my head just a bit longer."

Matt wanted to ask what 'Jefe' meant but thought it best to ask the more important question first.

"You mentioned being homeless earlier. I take it you've fallen on some hard times?" Matt asked.

Quixote sighed and walked into Matt's cell and took a seat.

"Si. I love Las Pegasus, but the price of living is quite steep." he said.

"I thought you said you were the 'greatest performer in all of Las Pegasus'?" Matt inquired.

"And that I am!" Quixote responded triumphantly. "... that is, street performer." he added with a small laugh.

"Ah, I see. Why not just relocate?" Matt asked.

"I doubt I'd get any peace and quiet anywhere else." he said with another sigh. "My family probably has most of Equestria looking for me." Matt didn't respond, but he did raise an eyebrow, which Quixote noticed. "Yes, Jefe, I am on the run. But I swear I didn't break any laws! At least, no important ones."

"Sounds exciting. But why run away?"

"I come from a long line of service to the Equestrian crown. My ancestor was a Knight of Equestria, you see. When I was younger, it was what I was groomed for. To serve, like my father before me, and his father, and so on. But it was never truly what I wanted to do. Besides, there hasn't been any knights in hundreds of years, they were more or less replaced by the Royal Guard."

"I know what it's like, living for other people's expectations. I was brought up the same way." Matt responded.

"Truly, we were born to be examples of misfortune, and a target at which the arrows of adversary are aimed."

"You can say that again..."

They sat together in silence for a few minutes as the Doctor walked back into he and Matt's cell.

"Think of any escape routes yet, Nabal?" The Doctor asked.

"Nothing yet. What about you?" Matt responded.

"Oh, I haven't been looking. I figured I'd leave this to you. Besides, Twilight would get upset if we were gone for too long, right? That should motivate you." he replied.

Matt looked at him perplexed as the Doctor lay onto his makeshift bedding.

"Twilight? Who is Twilight?" Quixote asked.

"She's my-" Matt started before cutting himself off. "Uh, that is to say..."

A grin stretched across Quixote's face. "Ah, say no more. Love, as I have heard say, sometimes flies and sometimes walks; some it cools, others it burns, so-"

"We're still working on it." Matt said, interrupting him.

"Ah... so you are saying it is not love?"

"Quixote, you know that's a loaded question. Neither of us have much experience in relationships, so we're taking things very slowly."

"I see, I see. Just remember this; where there is great love there is often little display of it."

"I'll keep that in mind..." Matt said, desperately thinking to change the subject. "What about you? I imagine you've left a trail of broken hearts all throughout Las Pegasus."

"Ah, and right you are! I shall regal you the many loves of Quixote!"

…...

While they couldn't actually tell the time in their prison, Matt had guessed they were there for around three days. No escape attempt had even remotely succeeded, as everyone who tried was transported back to the cells. The Gods didn't take any chances and the initial entrance they used to access the big top was gone. It was feeding time and the mysterious, delicious food was distributed. The group sat around in a circle, which they'd done since being released from their cells.

Quixote wiped sweat from his brow. "Today was a bit exhausting. They had me dance around and sing in addition to playing my guitar."

"Don't get me started. Once they found out I can do more than juggle, they've been coming up more and more mundane things for me to do." Matt said.

"They've been like that to all of us." said Talon. "I'm starting to think trying to escape without a plan wasn't such a good idea, all we've done in make them mad."

Duchess looked more exhausted than the rest. "A lady my age needs rest, but they haven't been giving me very long."

"Doctor, what have they been having you do?" asked Baron.

"They've just been interrogating me, to be honest." The Doctor replied. "Aside from berating me, saying things like 'your simple band of mortals tried to escape again' and such."

"Why haven't you been trying?" Scarlet asked.

"Without the TARDIS, it's not like we'd escape wherever-we-are anyway."

"None of us know what that is." said Aqua.

Hyaline didn't speak, he just continued to eat.

"So... they just think of us as 'simple mortals'." Matt said.

"Well... I say we show them what mortals can do!" said Quixote.

"I envy your optimism." Matt replied. "Wait a minute... we might actually be able to push that angle."

…...

In the main tent, a swirl of smoke brought the human from his cell onto the main stage. The Gods of Ragnarok were ready to watch him dance for their pleasure.

"Just a moment!" Matt yelled.

"We didn't ask for your input, human."

"This isn't input, it's a challenge."

The God's eyes began to glow and they floated over to Matt, orbiting around him. "And what could you possibly challenge us with." they said. Based on the way they reacted Matt had succeeded in getting under their skin.

"Just a simple game."

"What kind of game?"

"I think any game would do, but... How about a game of chess?"

"We do not believe this to be as simple as you say." one of them said.

"And you're right. I would wager freedom that I could beat you."

The Gods laughed in unison and stopped floating, settling on the ground around him. "We already own you. What makes you think we would give that up over a game?"

"I just didn't think all-powerful Gods would be afraid of a 'simple mortal'."

After a few second of silence, the Gods floated back to their original seats. The room filled with the swirling smoke, and the rest of the prisoners were transported to the big top.

"We will accept your challenge. But on our terms."

Matt smirked. "And what terms would those be?"

"You, human, will play the game. But the others must act as your pieces. If one of their piece is taken, we will terminate them. If you lose, we will terminate all of you."

Matt turned back to face his comrades, all his his previous bravado gone. Everyone was horrified at the offer, except for two. Quixote and the Doctor both stepped forward to join him.

"I have the utmost faith in you." The Doctor said.

"Me too, Jefe. As long as we stick to the plan." Quixote added. "It is either dying on our hooves or living on on our knees, amigos." he said to the other six.

Hyaline stepped flew forward next. "I must return to the hive, at any cost."

"Our lives being on the line wasn't part of the plan, but if Mr. Nabal pulls it off we could all go home..." said Baron softly, joining them.

"Eh, what the heck. Better than living in those cells forever." said Scarlet, stepping forward.

Talon's shocked expression gave way to her usual tough facade. "You better not mess up." she said to Matt. "C'mon ladies, it's this or nothing." she said, as she, Aqua and Duchess walked flew forward.

"Am I the only one kinda excited?" Aqua asked.

"My heart is beating quite fast..." Duchess admitted.

Matt turned back to the Gods. "We accept."

The smoke once again filled the room as everyone was transported again. Matt found himself on a podium with a small chess board overlooking a massive chess board, his friends on the board behind white pawns.

"I seem to be the king." The Doctor said.

"I don't know how chess works." said Talon.

"You are the queen, Talon." said Quixote. "The most powerful piece on the board. Baron and I are knights, Scarlet and Aqua are rooks, and Duchess and Hyaline are bishops."

"... Yeah, I still don't get it." she replied.

One of the gods appeared behind a podium opposite Matt's.

"I will be your opponent. Rassilon named me 'Rok'." it said.

The other two Gods floated nearby and one manifested a timer. "Thirty seconds per move, the mortals move first. If you exceed the time limit, you lose. Are you ready?"

Matt looked down at his compatriots who all smiled up to him. "We are."

"Begin!"

…...

Things went south not very long into the game. The plan was simple; get the God distracted so they wouldn't move within the time limit so that they would win by default. Matt had tried his best and so far kept all his friends alive, but the plan they had worked on the previous day hadn't yet worked. All he had to do was get Rok talking.

"I hope you aren't nervous." he called out in a weak attempt to rattle Rok, who hadn't taken any bait yet. He sighed and looked back to the board. "Talon, I need you to move over here." he said, tapping the spot on the mini board on the podium. The corresponding spot on the large one began to glow and Talon knew where to go. "Your turn." Matt said.

Rok moved quickly and ruthlessly, taking one of Matt's pawns without so much as a word. Just like that, it was Matt's turn again.

"Keep your cool, Jefe. We haven't lost yet." Quixote called up.

Matt swallowed hard and moved another pawn, not realizing it wasn't exactly the best move. He was playing incredibly defensively in an attempt to make sure everyone came out alright, though as he looked at the board he realized that may be impossible.

Rok's turn came and went, taking another pawn. The weight of every move he made began effecting Matt's judgment. "I was a fool to think this would work." he muttered.

Quixote had noticed Matt's condition and cursed under his breath. None of them had anticipated the Gods taking this so seriously.

Matt saw an opening and took one of Rok's rooks with his queen.

After Rok's next move Matt felt his stomach drop. If he didn't react appropriately, his queen would be taken. Talon would be terminated. He could move a knight to take the piece that would claim the queen, but then the knight would be lost for certain. Quixote had noticed this as well, being the knight who could intercept. He looked horrified for a moment, then smiled softly.

"Jefe! … Matt?" he yelled up. Matt looked down to his orange friend. "I see the situation you're in. I know the only moves you have."

The Doctor had noticed, as well. "Don't even suggest it." he said.

"We don't have a choice!" Quixote yelled back. "It's her or me, and I volunteer."

After he said that, Talon seemed to also understand the situation. "N-no, wait, I can't let you do that."

"It's not our choice, amiga." he said, flashing his trademark smirk to her. "It's alright Matt, you can make the move."

"How can you ask that of me...?" Matt said. "How can you ask to choose between people's lives like this?!"

"Well, that's easy. The plan hasn't worked yet, but maybe we should just give him something to gloat about." Quixote replied. "Besides, I basically threw my life away, remember? I'm sure Talon has much more to live for."

"I'm sorry I dragged you all into this... I should've known it wouldn't work... this is my fault." Matt said, tears forming in his eyes. He knew the risk, but his overconfidence in their flimsy plan had only now just dawned on him. Now the only choice left to him would either kill one of his new friends or all of them if he did nothing.

"My name is Quixote. I come from a long line of warriors and knights, but I chose the song before service. Let this be my deed to honor my ancestors! I shall fulfill my duty as a knight, figuratively and in a sense, literally."

Matt's hand trembled as he selected the piece and square to move. The distinct 'L' shape path of the knight led to Quixote's destination, and he knew it to be his end. Everyone gasped as he walked the path, yelling at him to go back, at Matt to find another solution. Quixote removed his sombrero and tossed it to Talon along with his guitar.

"Tell my legend, friends. 'The Tale of Quixote the Great' sounds pretty good, right?"

As he approached the final tile, he turned back up to face Matt. "Give your Twilight my best, my friend."

When it was Rok's turn, a rook came thundering down to the spot Quixote once stood and the orange earth pony vanished. The tears Matt had been building had begun to flow. Most of his compatriots were crying, as well. Matt's fist slammed into his podium in frustration and he fell to his knees.

There was silence on their side, as the clock ticked on. When there were ten seconds left, The Doctor called up to Matt. "I understand you're distraught, but you need to move or all of us will join him."

The time kept ticking and when there were three seconds left, Matt decided his move without saying a word. It moved Talon out of danger, but probably not for long. As Rok picked up his piece immediately, he was frozen in place at the sound of laughter.

Across the God, the human had begun to laugh uproariously. "Why are you even bothering? We've already won." Matt said to the God between his laughter.

"Oh have you now?" said Rok, annoyed. "Please explain, because from my perspective you're losing terribly."

"It's simple you overblown God. You underestimated us. You thought just because we lost someone we would falter and fall? You accepted this challenge thinking you would win easily, and yet here we stand."

"Bite your tongue or have it removed, mortal." Rok responded.

"It's not my fault you're failing to see the situation you're in. All that power must be blinding. Or is it your arrogance? Whatever the case, Quixote's sacrifice was for us to win. Because of him, the rest of us will walk free."

"You are a fool. I can see every possible move on this board and you won't last five more turns. Perhaps the travel from your home dimension altered your mind, because you have lost. The pony's sacrifice is as meaningless as the rest of your lives."

"It doesn't matter what excuses you make." Matt said, still brimming with confidence. "You lost the moment you accepted the game, and Quixote sealed your fate." Matt said, snapping his fingers.

As he did, the chess timer went off. Thirty seconds of back-and-forth had gone by quickly. "You failed to make a move within the time limit. You lose." Matt declared.

Rok was instantly furious. "You think you can cheat a God like this and get away with it, fool? You and your friends will be atomi-" Rok had vanished.

The other two Gods of Ragnarok transported everyone back to the main chamber.

"As frustrating as it is." said one of them.

"Rok has failed us. You are free to go. We will return you all to the place and time we took you from." said the other.

"I'm gonna miss you guys!" said Aqua.

"If we see each other back on earth, don't be afraid to say 'hi'." said Baron.

"Hey, Matt." Talon said, putting Quixote's hat on her head. "I can't play, and he'd probably want you to have it." she said, handing Matt Quixote's guitar.

"Thank you. I'll be sure to tell his story, and I hope all of you will too."

Everyone agreed to tell his legend. As they were saying their goodbyes, portals emerged behind everyone minus Matt and the Doctor. "Until we meet again!" Matt called out as they all vanished through the portals. The blue police box arrived via smoke and The Doctor ran to hug it.

"Begone from our realm." said the two Gods in unison.

"You don't have to tell us twice." The Doctor said, unlocking the door. He and Matt stepped inside and the TARDIS began to rumble once again.

…...

"Matt, I'm sorry. The only reason you were dragged into this was because of me." The Doctor said.

"Well, the only reason someone got hurt was because of my stupid plan." Matt replied.

"The Gods should leave earth alone for awhile, lest we humiliate them again. Had I known they could exist here as well I would've been better prepared."

Matt was somewhat distracted, examining Quixote's guitar. "Doctor, is there an afterlife in Equestria?"

The Doctor sighed. "There is a place called Tartarus where evil souls are kept, so there must be somewhere opposite it."

The ride back to the library was a quiet one. Matt absentmindedly strummed Quixote's guitar. Though they didn't know each other long, the impression the pony made would last a lifetime. Once they arrived and Matt bid The Doctor farewell, he stepped outside to see the sun setting. He walked into the library to see Twilight in the same spot she was in when he left.

"Oh, you were only gone for five hours. That's a reli-" Twilight was cut off by a sudden embrace from the human. She didn't know what prompted this hug, but she was content to hold it as long as he wanted to.

Chapter 32: The Wanderer Returns

Twilight Sparkle awoke bright and early the next day to prepare for the trip to Canterlot. As she and Spike went about their morning routines, she made her way downstairs to find Matthew Nabal asleep with a book in his lap as well as a large pile next to him. She peeked down at what he was reading. It was a book documenting mysterious disappearances, and the orange pony on the page was described as a 'popular street artist' from nearly sixty years ago.

After he got home yesterday, he shakily told Twilight about the events that took place after he left with The Doctor. Though it was hard to believe at first, she had never seen the human so shaken up. He spoke of an orange, guitar playing pony who gave his life for the other prisoners there to escape. She recalled Matt saying everyone was snatched from different points in time, and she deduced he was searching for his friend, probably all night.

She gently nudged him. "Matt? Wake up, we have to get ready." she said softly.

His eyes opened quickly, glaring forward until he noticed Twilight. His glare softened quickly. "Right." was all he said.

He snapped the book closed and placed it on the same pile next to him. He stood up, stretched, then went to his room for a change of clothes.

…...

After a short while, she, Spike and Matt were at the train station awaiting the other members of their group. Matt had barely said a word to her since they left, but she kept trying to start a conversation.

"I know you aren't really a morning person, Matt. I hope you aren't too groggy." she said.

"Could do with a coffee. Didn't get much sleep." he replied.

She wanted ask why, but she already knew and didn't want to bring up such a tender subject.

Thankfully, the silence was broken by Spike. "Look, there's Rarity!" he exclaimed.

Sure enough, Rarity, as well as a large luggage bag, was making her way to the station. "Good morning, everypony!" she said.

Everyone greeted her and she seemed to notice the state Matt was in. "Matthew, darling, are you alright? You look so... drained." she said.

Matt tried his best to smile. "You could say that. But I'll be fine." he replied.

Rarity nudged Twilight. "Have you made any progress?" she whispered. Twilight blushed but didn't get a chance to respond, as if Rarity had read her mind. "Ooh, you'll have to tell me the details later!" she said excitedly.

"Howdy y'all!" they heard from the opposite direction as Applejack briskly trotted over to join them.

"Good morning, Applejack." Twilight responded. "Have you seen the others? They seem to be running late."

"Now that you mention it, I haven't. Although when I spoke to Rainbow Dash yesterday she said something about not coming." Applejack replied.

Matt's expression soured, knowing he was probably the reason.

"But... This is important!" Twilight said. "Has anypony seen Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy?" she inquired.

"I'm already here!" Pinkie Pie said, suddenly being among the group.

No one bothered to question how that was even possible, or ask when she got there.

Rarity squinted and looked skyward. "Look, there they are!" she said, spotting the two pegasi en-route to their location.

Fluttershy smiled when she saw the group, but Rainbow Dash didn't even look at them. She looked quite upset. As they landed, they both greeted the group.

"Sorry we're late everypony." Fluttershy said softly. "Rainbow had something she needed to talk to me about."

As Fluttershy explained, Matt locked eyes with Rainbow Dash who quickly looked away angrily. He sighed a defeated sigh, and began to board the train silently. He took a seat in the back of the car and leaned his head against the glass of the window. He thought back to the last time he was on a train, when traveling with The Doctor, Vinyl, Octavia, Lyra and Bon-bon. He thought of the music festival they crashed, he thought of the island they were stranded on. He thought about the prison he and The Doctor were held in for three days. He wondered if he would see any of his fellow 'performers' ever again. He had no way of knowing when they were returned to.

As he was lost in thought, his friends also began to board the train. Twilight spotted him in the back and came to join him. "Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked.

His train of thought was derailed. As he looked at her. "Of course not." he said, patting the seat next to him as an invitation. He then propped open the window to get some fresh air.

"Are you sure you're okay? It's alright to to take a break if you're not." Twilight said. "I haven't seen you like this since you arrived here."

He smiled softly, genuinely. "I appreciate your concern, Twilight. I'll be okay." he said. Twilight still didn't believe him, but she decided not to push the issue anymore.

"Hey, what's with that guy?" Spike asked, pointing out the window.

Everyone looked out the window to spot a pony in an all black jester costume, with tiny silver bells and studs all throughout it. He was singing something.

"His mind was once innocent, his heart was once pure. He was driven insane, he was driven unsure. All will suffer under his red throne. With wrath in hand, The Wanderer has returned home!"

"Didn't think Equestria had doom prophets, too." Matt said, disregarding the strange pony.

"I've never seen him before, but it looks like he's having fun!" Pinkie Pie said, giggling.

The strange pony continued his song and dance routine even as the train pulled away.

"Can we all agree that that was strange?" Rarity asked.

Everyone nodded in unison as they went back to conversations they were having beforehand. Matt noticed Rainbow Dash glaring at him from the corner of his eye again, only stopping to respond to Applejack talking to her.

Matt sighed. "Rainbow is still pretty upset, it seems." he said.

"Yeah, I noticed that too." Twilight replied.

"I understand she's mad at me but I don't understand why. Nor do I understand why she's mad at you." he said.

Twilight knew the reason, but she was trying to find the best way to explain it to Matt. "Matt, she... was 'interested' in you. Like I was, er, am."

A wave of realization hit Matt quickly. "Oh. Oh."

"I don't think she realized how oblivious you could be. No offense."

"None taken, it's true. Now I feel even worse." he replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Please don't feel bad, I still like you!" she said. "I'm sure Rainbow will get over it and we can all go back to being on friendly terms."

"You're right." Matt said, honestly hopeful that would be the case. "And Twilight? I still like you too."

Twilight giggled. "Well I would hope so!" she said.

Rainbow was looking back at them again, this time looking more sad than angry.

…...

Before long the group arrived at Canterlot Castle. The Princesses Celestia and Luna were waiting to greet them.

"It is so wonderful to see you all again." Celestia said.

"Before we attend to the business at hand, we request you all join us for a royal breakfast." Luna added.

"Breakfast? Yeah! I'm starving!" Spike said.

As the Princess sisters led the way, Twilight caught up to Celestia.

"Excuse me, Princess? I have something I needed to discuss with you."

"Of course, my pupil." she said. "Luna, please lead the guests to the dining hall." she said as her and Twilight branched off to talk in private.

Matt approached Luna. "Excuse me, Luna." he said to get her attention. "Do you have any coffee here?"

"Of course, my human friend! I brew it myself." she replied, proudly.

"Have I ever told you that you're the best?" he said with a smirk.

"I don't recall, but I look forward to hearing it more."

…...

Twilight and Celestia moved to an unoccupied chamber. "What is it you needed to discuss?" Celestia asked.

Twilight cleared her throat before starting. "The other day, Matt, Spike, Pinkie Pie and I came across a hidden room in the library that lead to a very strange place." she said.

Celestia's eyes widened for a second. "Go on."

"We found a room filled with many old books, and another with all sorts of artifacts. Everywhere we stepped there seemed to be a trap of some kind. We also found a spirit possessing a pair of old glasses. His name was-"

"Clever Clover." Celestia said.

"That's right!" Twilight exclaimed. "He said you had him placed in charge of the artifact wing and he called the place 'the Undercroft'."

The taller princess paused for a moment, her composure nearly broken. "Y-yes... the Undercroft. It was meant to be a place of storage for powerful knowledge and items. I canceled the project, and I thought we had sealed it off."

Twilight took in the information for a moment. "Wait, sealed it off? So the cave in was on purpose?" she asked.

"It was. I was sure to evacuate the facility beforehand. We couldn't collapse the other entrance, so we just had it sealed and hidden."

Twilight looked aghast. "There were two ponies still down there... and you just left them?"

"Twilight, I had no way of knowing they were trapped inside."

"But you didn't look for them after they disappeared?!" she replied, raising her voice slightly. "Clover... Possessed me. He possessed Matt temporarily, too. When he did, we saw his memories. We saw you. We saw you promote him and his partner to caretakers."

"Twilight Sparkle!" Celestia exclaimed, attempting to stop her protege from rambling. "I swear to you, if I knew they had been trapped I would've done everything in my power to save them. I had assumed they fled Ponyville, upset at me they had lost their positions due to the Undercroft project being canceled."

"But why didn't you clear the place out if the artifacts were 'powerful'?" Twilight asked.

"I had assumed they were well hidden. It took nearly five hundred years for anypony to find it."

Twilight sighed. "I'm sorry, Princess. The way Clover's memories painted you was... disturbing."

"I suppose that's understandable. He probably hated me, thinking I abandoned him." she closed her eyes and exhaled. "Come now, I think we should rejoin the others."

…...

Meanwhile, in the dining hall, everyone had already begun to eat. Matt Nabal sipped at his coffee casually, wearing a satisfied expression. He sat opposite Luna, who had an empty, large chair next to her. To his left was Applejack and to his right was another empty seat. Spike sat next to Rarity, and Fluttershy between Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

"Luna, you do masterful work." he said.

"This is true." the Princess replied, clearly proud of her coffee brewing skills.

Matt looked around at the ornate room. Behind him were three large windows, and behind Luna was a large door, guarded by two royal guards. Twilight and Celestia arrived through said door and both took their seats at the table.

"Is everything to your liking?" Celestia asked. Everyone replied positively and she smiled warmly. "Excellent. Now, I'm sure everypony is wondering why I called you here."

Matt had thought he was the only one uninformed, but it seemed like no one knew for sure. Luna continued where her sister left off. "We called you here to discuss plans for our Hearth's Warming celebration."

Rarity let out a small gasp. "Oh dear, I've been so busy I nearly forgot it was so soon!" she said.

"Hearth's Warming?" Matt asked.

Twilight took a bite of breakfast and levitated her fork back to her plate. "It's an annual winter holiday we celebrate here in Equestria to celebrate its founding. We exchange gifts and decorate trees."

"Ah, I see. We have something similar where I'm from. We called it 'Christmas'." Matt replied.

Suddenly, Rarity, Twilight, Celestia and Luna all shouted out in pain. The four of them clutched at their horns.

"Whoa, are you alright?" Spike asked.

As sudden as it came, it seemed to go away. Matt placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "What was that?"

"I have never felt something so awful in all my life." Rarity said between breaths.

"Neither have I..." said Twilight, gasping for air. "Princess?" she called out, looking at Celestia to see her equally distraught.

"I-I..." Celestia stuttered, a rare moment of broken composure. "I don't know what that was."

There was a commotion from the hallway outside. The group heard a royal guard talking to someone. "You there! Halt! You can't be here, you need to leave-" he stopped what he was saying and began to scream, it sounded like he was in pain. The two guards at the door looked at it with confused expressions.

Just then, the outside guards body was thrown through the door and landed several feet behind Celestia and Luna, who both stood to face the apparent intruder. The two guards rushed to their fallen comrade's side and then took a defensive stance facing the door.

A large, imposing figure stepped through. They were tall, taller than Celestia by a few inches. Draped over the left side of their body was a large, red-scaled dragon wing, which obscured their left side almost entirely. Their right arm was also covered in reddish-brown scales and what looked to be a dark metal, the arm ending in five long, black claws. Dark metal and red scale also made up a chest piece of sorts, the middle of which was inscribed with unknown letters. Their face seemed reptilian, though it's eyes and mouth had not yet moved.

It walked forward into the room and the guards tighten their stances.

"Who are you?" Celestia asked.

"And what do you want?" Luna added.

A small chuckle escaped the figure as he glanced around the room. He raised his right arm in a half-shrug.

"I can't believe you've forgotten me so easily." it spoke in a gravely, masculine voice.

"Answer the questions." Celestia said firmly.

Matt and his friends were incredibly shaken and confused as the exchange continued.

The figure continued to ignore their questions. "After all this time, Celestia, and you still have no taste for interior design. This castle is still beyond tacky." as he spoke, his face didn't move, even slightly.

"Quit talking as if we know you." Luna demanded.

"Luna, Luna, Luna. Ever the subservient little sister. Fine." he said, wagging a claw before pointing it at the sisters." I've returned for your throne."

"Guards!" Celestia shouted, and the guards rushed the mysterious intruder.

As they did, what looked like a force-field intercepted them and threw them back. The figure laughed.

"How foolish of you! You thought I would return alone?" he said.

Next to him, light began to distort revealing the shape of a pony. As the light finished distorting, out stepped a hooded figure, wearing a purple cloak lined in gold. They flipped off their hood, revealing a violet unicorn mare, wearing what seemed like a metallic headband to hold her mane back. She wore a cold expression and dropped the force-field covering her and the stranger.

"That was an invisibility spell... I've never seen one cast so perfectly." Twilight said, staring in awe.

"Quit playing games with us and explain yourself!" Luna shouted.

"As you wish..." the stranger said, as reached for his neck with his clawed hand.

He slowly pulled what was revealed to be helmet of some kind off of his head. As he did, long black hair escaped and flowed downwards. His skin was a ghostly white, his teeth long and sharp looking. As he opened his eyes, he revealed two malice-filled red orbs. Despite his oddities, everyone knew exactly what he was.

He was Human.

"My name..."

He placed his arm across his chest and bowed deeply

"... is Gabriel."

He dropped the helmet onto the ground. "Now as I was saying. I've returned for the throne."

Matt found himself standing in shock. "What the hell is going on here?" he asked.

Gabriel let another laugh escape. "What's the matter, boy? Thought you were the first?" he said.

"He is the first." Twilight said, rising to her hooves as well.

"And only." said Rainbow Dash as she and the rest of the group stood as well.

Gabriel looked to be in his early thirties. He was constantly smiling, exposing his elongated, vampire-like teeth.

"Sorry to disappoint, but..." his smile vanished, replaced by a scowl. "I won't have the nine years I suffered here ignored, regardless if all of you forgot."

Celestia and Luna had apparently heard enough and began to charge magic with their horns. As the discharged their blasts, they realized that what came out was no bigger than a walnut. As they impacted Gabriel' chest, he made over dramatic, comical gasps of pain before smiling again. Celestia turned to her sister, bewildered, to find Luna looking at her the same way.

"I'm insulted." Gabriel said. "The two of you thought I wouldn't plan ahead? Not like it matters, humans are magic-proof."

Twilight came to a realization. "That sudden pain in our horns... That was you?" she asked.

"Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no! Not me." he gestured to the mare at his side. "It was however, her. Nicely done, Amethyst."

The mare stepped forward. "The effects you're feeling are the result of my magic suppression field. It is a spell of my own design." Her facial expression never changed from being uninterested, though her voice was firm and cold.

Twilight's mind was racing. What sort of magic could suppress three Alicorns, she wondered.

"Now, then." Gabriel said, also stepping forward. "Make this easier on yourselves and surrender."

"We will not. You have no claim to the Equestrian throne." Celestia said.

A delighted look spread across Gabriel's pale face. "I was hoping you'd say that."

He lifted up the wing draped on left side revealing two things. Firstly, he didn't have a left arm. Secondly, at his waist was a large metal handle that he grabbed and drew. A large, thick, double-edged metal blade emerged from a scabbard, bearing pink glowing runes much like the ones on his breastplate along the blade. The sword was very large, even for a human, and had to be immensely heavy. He propped the blade on his right shoulder.

"My claim is very simple, very straightforward." he said, stabbing the sword into the floor in a quick motion. His eyes burned with scarlet light and the runes did the same. "I claim the throne by right of power!"

As he shouted the last word, a shockwave originating from the sword flung everyone ahead of Gabriel into the wall. It flipped the table and broke the windows as well. Matt's head hit the stone wall quite hard. As consciousness faded from his body, he watched Gabriel and Amethyst carry off Celestia and Luna respectively, both of whom also seemed to be knocked out.

"You know where to take her, Ammy." he heard Gabriel say, Amethyst responding with a quick nod.

Matt locked around to see Twilight knocked not to far from where he was. He reached an arm out to her, finding himself unable to move.

"As for the rest of you? Get out of my city."

…...

His prisoners locked away, Gabriel walked passed the bodies of knocked out guards and made his way to throne room. He stopped in front of one of the large stained glass windows, one depicting a strange blue box. He smirked and tapped the glass, breaking it in an instant. He approached the throne, stabbing his blade in the ground and dragging it as he walked. He opened a hole that shadows flooded out of, which began to take the shape of skeletal creatures, bowing to him as he passed.

Amethyst was already positioned to the left of the throne. Gabriel stood in front of it, seemingly disappointed.

"Something wrong?" Amethyst asked.

"I, uh... didn't expect the throne to be so low to the ground..."

He tapped the side of the throne with the flat side of his blade, seeming to force the earth underneath it to raise it up. He stabbed the blade into the tiled floor, leaving it off to his right as he sat down. He crossed his legs and rested his head on his fist. Another skeletal creature emerged from the ground and formed next to him.

"What are your orders, master?" it said.

"Fix that window. And for the love of god, destroy those awful drapes."

Chapter 33: Hail to the King

The first thing he felt was a painful throbbing in the back of his head. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was at the Canterlot train station. He sat up, gently rubbing his head to find a large bump. His vision was slightly blurry and he saw a orange pony nearby wearing a stetson hat.

"Applejack?" he called out while trying to stand, quickly losing balance. She caught him on the way down.

"Easy there, big fella. You hit your head somethin' fierce." she said.

She helped him lean against a wall, which he slide down into a sitting position.

"What happened?" was all he could ask.

"After that blast, me and Rainbow Dash woke up first. We thought it best to do as that weirdo said, so we got everypony back here safely."

Matt let out a weak laugh. "And here I thought you didn't like me..." he said.

She smiled at the human. "Glad to see you're still as smarmy as ever." she replied.

"Where's everyone else?" he asked, resting his eyes.

"Rarity woke up and said she had to find her family, somethin' about them being in the city to meet up with her later. Twilight, Spike and Fluttershy are still out cold, over there." she said, gesturing to across the platform to where their friends were currently resting.

He noticed Rainbow Dash flying around overhead and Pinkie Pie sitting by their friends. He shakily got up and began hobbling over to them, despite Applejack's protests. He discovered quickly that his body was sore all-over, not just his head. As he almost fell forward, it seemed that Applejack wouldn't be able to catch him as Rainbow Dash swooped down to provide support.

"What are you doing, walking around already? You need to rest." Rainbow said.

"Those are the first words you've said to me all day." he said weakly.

"Yeah, well, I'm still not done being mad at you. Or Twilight. But this is no time for that." she replied.

She set him down next to Pinkie Pie, who looked uncharacteristically downtrodden. He looked down at his still unconscious friends. Seeing them injured hurt him deeply, but there wasn't much he could do for them in his state. He just hoped they'd feel better than he did when they wake up.

"So what's the deal with that guy?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I thought humans couldn't do magic?"

"We can't. Well, I can't." Matt replied.

"Well what are we supposed to do, stand around and do nothing while he kidnaps the princesses?" Rainbow asked.

Applejack walked over to join the group. "You got a better idea? You know this was the most the two of us could do on our own." she answered her blue friend.

"I know, I'm just... frustrated!" Dash responded, kicking dust.

"I understand, but we gotta get them back to Ponyville. I don't think this Gabriel is one to mince words; he wants us gone."

The conversation stopped as Fluttershy began to stir.

"Fluttershy!" Rainbow and Pinkie exclaimed simultaneously, rushing to her side. "How do you feel?" Pinkie asked.

Fluttershy seemed to be going through similar pains as Matt. "Bad." she said with a whimper.

"Just take it easy, Fluttershy. We aren't in any rush." Rainbow reassured.

After making sure Fluttershy was comfortable, Rainbow Dash flew over to take the spot Pinkie was in.

"... I'm sorry you and Applejack had to lug me out of the castle." Matt said to his pegasus pal.

"You should be, it took both of us." she responded with a snide grin.

"For a moment, it felt like I was dying." Matt said, somewhat absentmindedly.

Rainbow turned to face him, concerned why he would say such a thing. He quickly leaned over and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Thanks."

The sudden closeness made blood rush to her face. "D-don't mention it. I'm gonna keep a lookout for Rarity, you get some rest." she said, breaking off from him and taking flight.

…...

Princess Celestia awoke with a fright to find herself in her own bed chambers. She stood and walked around confused, until she noticed a set of what looked like violet, glowing prison bars blocking off her door and window. As she approached the bars, she began to feel pain in her horn; the same pain that pulsed through her mere hours ago. She tried to fire a blast of magic at the bars, only to find her magic still suppressed like earlier.

Her door swung open and in walked her human adversary. "I figured you'd be waking up about now." he said.

She glared at him and looked around, trying to find any means of escape.

"There's no gap, if that's what you're wondering." Gabriel said, as if reading her mind.

"What sort of trick is this?" she asked.

"Trick? Hardly. This is a smaller version of Amethyst's magic suppression field. Much smaller scale than the full thing, that one probably hit every unicorn in Canterlot. All she has to do is refresh it daily and you won't be going anywhere. At the very least, you have access to your own bath chambers. Oh, and we can't stop you from raising the sun and such. Do so at your own free will."

"So that's it? You plan to keep me prisoner?" she asked.

"I'd consider it a kindness. I didn't turn you to stone, send you to the moon, or banish you to walk the earth for eternity. You'll be provided food, so I'd be grateful if I were you." he replied, toothy grin spreading across his face.

Celestia desperately tried to search for any sort of solution to her entrapment, but knew Gabriel would just toy with her. "And where is Luna?"

"Safe. I'd get some rest, you've had a big day." he said, opening the door and leaving as quickly as he came.

As he walked down the hallway, a serpent like shadow appeared behind him. "Considered my deal, Lord Discord?" Gabriel said.

"Let me make sure I understand your terms." Discord said, manifesting a small pair of glasses and a paper contract with nothing on it. "You want me to not intervene in your Equestrian insurrection in exchange for...?" he trailed off.

"A display of true and utter chaos, yes."

Discord thought about it for a moment with several exaggerated thinking noises. "You know what, human? I'll go along with it, but you had better deliver."

"I've been waiting years for this. Delivery is assured." Gabriel said as the two shook hands.

…...

Luna felt a pounding headache crawl it's way into her consciousness as she awoke. She saw quickly that she was in her bedroom, and that she was not alone.

"So, you're finally awake, Princess?" said the purple unicorn.

"I am... and who are you?" Luna asked, trying her best to shake off the pain.

"Oh, my apologies. My name is Amethyst, faithful of the King." she said calmly.

"King?!" Luna exclaimed as the memories of what happened before she was knocked out replayed in her mind. "He fancies himself a King?!" she walked towards the unicorn, enraged, only to notice the purple bars separating them that cause a tingling to travel though her horn.

"I wouldn't recommend getting too close, Princess. The pain from the suppression field is enough to make one sick."

Luna took several steps back. "Then why isn't it hurting you? You're closer than I am."

A small laugh escaped the unicorn's lips, the first time her expression wasn't deadpan. "Because I'm the one who cast it. Though you may not believe me, I have no desire to hurt you."

"You're right. I do not believe you." Luna replied with a huff, turning away.

"Gabriel has put me in charge of your care, so we'll be seeing each other quite often. Ah, that reminds me; I have your dinner. Or would it be breakfast for you?"

Luna looked out the window to see the moon had yet to rise and then to the clock to see that she was a couple of hours late.

"Not even the suppression field could stop you or your sister from raising the sun and moon, Princess. That power is too unknown, too... ancient for me to stop." Amethyst said as she slid Luna her food through the magical bars.

Luna brought up the moon and felt the sun move as well, meaning that her sister was alright wherever she was.

"I would love to stay and chat, but I have several other duties to attend to."

"Wait!" Luna exclaimed, remembering something important. "What about Twilight Sparkle and the others? Are they alright?"

Amethyst smiled softly at the moon princess. "They are."

As she left the room the smile was replaced by a sly smirk. "For now."

…...

Back at the train station, Spike had woken up and was thankfully more exhausted than wounded. Rarity had never returned, so the group began loading up on the next train back to Ponyville. Twilight was still unconscious, so they gently lay her in a seat next to Matt and Spike.

"I-I still don't feel right leaving without Rarity." Spike said.

"None of us do, Spike. But we don't have much of a choice, this is the last train back for the night." Applejack replied.

Just then, the sky adjusted to being nearly night time.

"I guess that means the princesses are alright." Rainbow Dash said.

A white pony with purple mane and tail suddenly entered the train. "Oh, there you all are!" Rarity said.

"Rarity!" Spike exclaimed, rushing over to her side. "Are you alright?" he said.

"Oh, Spikey-wikey, I'm just fine, thankfully." she said, patting a hoof on his head.

"I thought you said you were looking for your family?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I was, but I couldn't find them. I'm hoping they forgot it was today and stayed in Ponyville." Rarity replied. She then noticed the state a half dazed Matt was in next to an unconscious Twilight Sparkle. "Oh my goodness... are you alright darling?" she asked Matt.

"Does it look that bad?" he asked, coming to attention. "I don't feel all together, honestly..."

"I took a look at him after I was able to stand and I think he might have a concussion." Fluttershy said.

"Why aren't we getting him to a doctor, then?" Rarity asked.

"... That Gabriel fella told us to leave." Applejack said.

"And since when do you listen to the bad guy, Applejack?" Rarity asked.

Applejack placed a hoof on Rarity's shoulder. Rarity could feel her friend trembling. "Matt might look the worst for wear but all of us are hurt. I think it's wisest to listen to that nutjob. It sounded like more of a threat than an order." she said.

Rarity could feel the fear in the air among her friends, a fear she shared. She had assumed Applejack and Rainbow Dash would want to storm the castle but was proud of them for retreating. "That probably is the wisest choice." She turned her attention to the sleeping princess in the car with them. "Twilight still hasn't woken up?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not yet." Spike replied, taking his seat next to Twilight and Matt.

The train began to move, bound for Ponyville in a short time. Everyone took their seats and a relaxed silence fell over the friends. As it got some distance away from Canterlot, they felt the ground shake.

"M-my horn just had the weirdest feeling..." Rarity said.

"Look!" said Pinkie Pie, pointing out the window to Canterlot castle, slowing getting smaller as the train continued to move.

A violet beam of energy erupted from the castle before forming a large elliptical dome around it which shimmered against the moonlight.

"What the hay is that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"It looks like a barrier spell. Shining Armor cast one around his wedding, remember?" Spike said, having studied magic with Twilight a lot in the past.

"Well, whatever it is, I felt it from here." Rarity said.

"That unicorn girl that was with Gabriel was almost as scary as he was." Pinkie Pie said.

"Y-you can say that again..." Fluttershy added.

The magic ripple was strong enough for Twilight to feel, too, as the disturbance began to rouse her from her slumber. She opened her eyes to see Matt and Spike gazing out the window, only to quickly notice her.

"Twilight!" Spike exclaimed.

She brought herself to sit up and was immediately hugged tight by Matt and Spike.

"Easy, boys." she said with a small giggle and a wince. "I'm still kinda dizzy..."

The other mares shared a giggle before coming in for a group hug.

"I suppose a little longer wouldn't hurt."

…...

As they returned to Ponyville, those among them that needed medical treatment were escorted to receive it. Afterwards, Applejack looked off into the distance to the purple-cocooned castle, now silhouetted by the moon. Rainbow Dash fluttered down to stand next to her.

"What are ya thinking, AJ?" Dash asked.

"I'm thinking that this is just the beginning. And that we gotta spread the word about what happened." she replied.

"Spread the word? Have you met me? Everypony in Equestria will hear about this by tomorrow, at latest."

They share a hoof-bump as Rainbow flew off into the dark. Applejack took another look at the castle before deciding to return home for the night.

…...

The next two days passed quietly despite the entire nation being on high alert. There was no sign of the human usurper since the day he arrived, although the barrier protecting the castle still told of his presence. The royal guards had all been thrown out of the castle, so they took up positions around it. They were all watching, waiting for even the slightest movement. Early in the morning on the third day, a carriage pulled by skeletal beasts emerged through the barrier with a hooded pony riding atop it. It rolled along near-silently until it reached the center of the city. The pony lowered her hood and unfurled a scroll using her magic.

"Citizens!" Amethyst shouted to command attention.

A crowd gathered around, many ponies leaning out of their homes and shops see what was happening.

"By order of the King; Canterlot is to be evacuated of all inhabitants within the next six hours. Anypony found within the city limits will be punished severely." she rolled the scroll back up. "I would not recommend being caught, my lord has been eager to make some examples." she added. She tucked the scroll back into her robes as the carriage turned to head back to castle.

There were a few minutes of calm as the carriage rolled away before chaos broke out. Dozens upon dozens of ponies scramble to leave as quickly as possible. Pegasi began flying away in droves, unicorns and earth ponies filled the streets.

Gabriel stepped out onto a balcony that also held a large telescope. He put his arm against the railing and leaned over. Shortly after, Amethyst joined him.

"I see Rainbow Dash performed admirably. They all took the declaration seriously." he said.

"Was that really necessary, Gabriel?" she asked, leaning over as well to watch the madness unfold.

"Had to pay Discord sooner or later, didn't want him interfering with my plans. Besides, isn't it delightful, Ammy? Look at them, buzzing around like insects under a magnifying glass." he replied.

Amethyst sighed and shook her head. "Even now, you're much too carefree."

"You were the carefree one when we were younger. I have to pick up the slack now that you're all business."

"... Are you really only giving them six hours?" she asked, looking his way.

"Hmm... maybe five-and-half, depends on how bored I get." he answered, returning her gaze. He then shifted his eyes, seeming to notice something in the far off distance of Ponyville.

…...

Matthew Nabal stood on the small balcony of the library, looking out to the distant castle still wrapped in purple energy. He gently rubbed the back of his bandage covered head, relieved that the swelling had gone down. Life had gone from fun, sometimes dangerous slices-of-life to just waiting, and a sense of dread hung over him. After his experience with The Gods of Ragnarok who had disguised themselves as human, he had no idea what to make of this Gabriel who stole the throne. He couldn't be sure what he truly was. He had considered asking The Doctor, but he couldn't locate the police box and Lyra and Bon-bon hadn't been home in several days.

"What are you thinking about?" Twilight Sparkle asked, joining her human partner.

"Nothing in particular. Just letting my mind wander."

An answer she expected, mostly. "I heard back from my brother. He and Cadence are making preparations to come help, all the way from the Crystal Empire."

"Good, good. Guess we need all the help we can get." was all he said.

Twilight now stood at his side. "You know, if something's bothering you, you can tell me." she said reassuringly.

Matt let out a long sigh. "I know. It's just... I haven't seen another human in so long. I didn't think there could possibly be any others here. Lo and behold, the only other one I've met and he's... he's such a..."

"A jerk?" Twilight finished.

"Yeah. A huge jerk." he affirmed as they both laughed. "And on top of that, he hurt my friends. He hurt you. I get the feeling he isn't through hurting people just yet."

"Hey, don't worry, everypony's all healed up now. Besides, you took the biggest hit of all of us. Does it still hurt?" she asked.

"Ever so slightly. A very dull pain, it shoul-" he cut himself off, noticing a large disturbance coming from within Ponyville. "What's going on over there?" he asked.

Twilight noticed it as well. "I don't know. I'll go check it out."

"I'll come with."

A short walk over to the Ponyville train station revealed a large crow of ponies arriving via train. There was quite a commotion going on and Matt could hear snippets of 'King' and 'evacuate'. A pony that seemed to know Twilight approached her.

"Princess Twilight! You have to help!" she said.

"What's going on? Start from the beginning." Twilight replied.

…...

Celestia could hear the commotion outside from her room but couldn't see what was going on. As she tried to get a good angle without touching the suppression field bars, she heard her door open and the wheels of a cart. Gabriel pushed in a cart, on top of which sat what the princess assumed was her lunch.

He hadn't visited her since the first day of her imprisonment, her food and other necessities provided by one of his skeletal servants. Gabriel had stepped out of armor, now only sporting a deep blue vest with a high collar. His clawed gauntlet was also removed which revealing a bandaged right arm up to the elbow. The spot his left arm would've been was visible without the wing draped over it, wrapped in some sort of brace. His large sword was still sheathed at his hip.

"I would've brought this earlier, but I had to eat mine first. Amethyst is a wizard in the kitchen." he said.

He pushed the cart through the bars and Celestia stopped it with a front hoof. She stared him down for a moment.

"What?" he asked. "The bars aren't physically there. Objects can pass through." he said, pulling out a green bottle with a red ribbon on it, uncorking it and beginning to drink. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Celestia lobbing one of her large pillows at him. He quickly lowered the bottle so as not to spill it and took the pillow directly to the face.

She grinned with narrowed eyes at the human. "Sorry, I just had to make sure." she said.

Gabriel unexpectedly broke into laughter. "I'll give you that one; it was funny." he said.

The noise outside grew louder and louder, prompting the Princess to ask. "What's going on out there?"

"Oh, that? I'm having the city fumigated for pests. Large, four legged pests with hooves."

"Wait... so you're..." she said in realization.

"Relax, I'm just forcing them to leave. I have my own aspirations for Canterlot, those pompous fools will just get in the way."

"But you're displacing hundreds! You can't just expect the entire city to move!"

"I both expect and demand it. After their time limit is exceeded, those who remain will be hunted." he said as he left.

"Wait!" She called after him. "You can't do this!" she shouted, worried terribly about her subjects.

…...

Twilight Sparkle had done her best to manage the situation at hand. The second train had just arrived with more refugees as Canterlot was evacuated. She worked quickly with help from Mayor Mare and others to calm and organize the new arrivals. She stood at a podium to address the crowd.

"Attention everypony! I know we're all scared and confused, but we need to get everypony situated in an orderly fashion. While we work out a solution for temporary housing, Pinkie Pie has been generous enough to donate her inordinately large amount of tents for your use." she spoke into the microphone.

Pinkie Pie and Matt stood close behind, Pinkie waving when her name was mentioned.

"Twilight never ceases to amaze me." Matt said.

"I know, right?! She's always so organized!" Pinkie replied.

"Yo!" they heard shouted in their direction.

They turn to see a white unicorn wearing purple shades and a beige earth pony walking towards them.

"Oh hey, it's DJ PON3!" Pinkie shouted as she enthusiastically waved towards them.

"Vinyl, Octavia. It's been a while." Matt greeted, also waving. "Were you two on that last train?"

"We were..." Octavia said, clearly relieved to be no longer on-board.

"I can't believe both of us fit, it was so tight in there!" Vinyl said.

"What exactly happened up there?" Matt asked.

"We didn't see it ourselves, but apparently our new 'King' ordered everypony to leave." Octavia said.

"And he only gave us six hours." Vinyl added.

"Six hours? For the entire city?" Matt asked, earning a nod from the mares.

"That's what I said!" replied Vinyl.

Behind them, the crowd twilight was trying her best to quell was getting louder and louder.

"What's with them?" Matt asked.

"The upper crust of Canterlot, forced to live like normal ponies. There was bound to be some social discourse." Octavia answered.

Matt gave his attention back to Twilight and the crowd, finding it to be some sort of interrogation as the crowd shouted questions at the young princess.

"How will we take back Canterlot?!" someone shouted.

"I'm working on that right now, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor are on their way from the Crystal Empire to provide support." Twilight answered.

"Weren't you there when it happened? Why didn't you stop it?!" another pony yelled.

"The two individuals who invaded the castle were incredibly careful about their planning, not to mention they used powerful magic to incapacitate me as well as the Princesses."

"Well... What about that thing?" someone said, pointing at Matt. "Isn't he a human like the guy who attacked the castle? What if he was working with him?"

This was the only question to make Twilight flustered. "M-Matt is-... Matt is not related in any way to the human who attacked the castle. He was with me when it all happened." she said.

The crowd either didn't hear her or didn't care as a wave of suspicion flooded towards Matt. He was being accused, blamed and suspected of all manner of things. Matt's expression could only be described as wounded as he headed off back to library, unwilling to bare any more accusations.

Pinkie Pie stepped up to the podium ahead of Twilight.

"You should be ashamed! Matt's a nice guy, he would never do something like that!" she said before she hopped after the human.

Twilight glared at the crowd before following after him as well. Vinyl shook her head at the crowd.

"Most uncool." she said.

Back at the library, Matt was sitting down and reading as Pinkie and Twilight arrived.

"I hope they didn't upset you too much Matt. They have no idea what they're talking about." Twilight said.

"Yeah! Don't worry, we know you didn't do anything wrong." added Pinkie.

Matt closed the book and rested it on his chest. "Thank you. I should have assumed that the only other human in Equestria would be suspected because of Gabriel's actions. Doesn't make me feel less attacked, though. I guess I'll be staying indoors until this Canterlot situation gets resolved."

…...

Amethyst checked her pocket watch, seeing that the citizen's designated six hours was nearly up. She stepped back onto the balcony she and Gabriel stood on earlier to find him there again, adjusting the dragon wing that hung over his armor.

"You waited the whole time limit?" she asked.

"I figured I'd use the time to have my armor polished." he replied.

"It does look quite good on you." Amethyst said, coyly smiling.

"I appreciate the flirting, but we have something to attend to." Gabriel said, returning her smile.

He stepped up on the railing of the balcony.

"Try not to damage the brickwork too much on the way down." she said.

Gabriel leaned forward and fell off of the balcony. He fell rather quickly, then stabbed his sword into the wall of the castle, ripping open a hole for more shadows to crawl out of. He kicked off the wall much closer to the ground and managed to land on his feet. As the shadows formed around him, they took the shape of skeletal ponies, large beasts and a few winged ones that gathered around him. He looked back to the wall he stabbed earlier to see a large gash in the bricks from his blade.

He shrugged, slung his sword onto his shoulder and began marching forward. Amethyst appeared in a flash of light to follow behind him.

"Find any stragglers. Bring them to me."

Chapter 34: Politics

The streets of Canterlot were now nearly empty, save for the beasts crawling the streets. The King cloaked in red walked the streets as well, hoping some ponies hadn't made it out in his time limit. There had been no signs of life. The city was deathly quiet. Though within it, there in fact was a small group of stragglers. Lead by a white unicorn stallion who wore a suit and monocle, they carefully snuck around the roaming monsters. The group was entirely unicorns, all but three of which were local residents.

They moved silently and communicated through hoof gestures. They headed in the direction of the city limits since the train was no longer running. As they continued to sneak, the smallest among them began to fall behind. A filly with a light gray coat had gotten one of small hooves stuck in some uneven bricks in the road, which lead to her father going back to help her. As he did, one of the winged monsters unleashed by the usurper spotted them.

The silence was broken as their leader shouted "Scatter!" and the young pony's hoof finally came unstuck. The filly and her father were joined by her mother and the three of them took off in some random direction as the hunter closed in. The beasts that roamed the streets were now making all sorts of noises, more than likely spotting the ponies as well. They ran and ran, taking every sharp corner they could to try and throw off their pursuers.

Unfortunately for them, they found themselves at a dead end. One of the large beasts, cat-like in mannerisms, closed in on them slowly. Like a predator closing in on prey. It's bony face bore large fangs, and the parents tried their best to shield their child. As the monster reared up on it's hind legs to attack, a large blade pierced it from behind. The ponies began to unfurl from their defensive positions. The runes on the blade began to glow a deep red and the creature seemed to get sucked into the sword itself.

There before them stood the human who had stolen their kingdom.

"Now, now, can't have any of that. Not yet, anyway." he said, sheathing his sword. "I assume I don't need to tell you things will be worse if you run from me, correct?"

…...

Back in Ponyville, Matthew Nabal sat alone in the library, casually gazing out of the window. Ponyville had become somewhat of a refugee camp, and Twilight was out managing the chaos with Spike assisting her. The library had been suddenly lonely as night began to fall outside, at the very least a comfort that Princess Luna was still okay. He had considered reading, but found himself so lost in thought that he couldn't focus. The ponies outside who had escaped Gabriel's grasp had quickly turned on Matt as another human. It was a prejudice he was unused too, seeing as most people, no matter the species, seemed to be pretty accepting.

The library door burst open, shaking Matt from his pondering. In walked two young fillies Matt had recognized as two thirds of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Aw, she isn't here either, Scootaloo." said Applebloom.

"Well where else could she be? We've been looking all day." Scootaloo replied.

"Missing someone, girls?" Matt asked from his seat at the window.

"Oh, hey Matt. We can't find Sweetie Belle anywhere!" Applebloom said.

"She's not at her house and she's not at Rarity's." Scootaloo added.

"Hmm... well, she hasn't been by here. If I recall correctly, Rarity mentioned that her family was in Canterlot. Maybe they're stuck in all that confusion outside?"

"Oh yeah, she could be! Thanks Matt!" yelled back Scootaloo as her and Applebloom left as quick as they came.

Matt had begun to wish they had stayed a bit longer as the loneliness crept back into the library. He laughed to himself as he recalled a time he wanted nothing more than to be alone. Nearby him on a small table sat his journal, filled with excerpts and ramblings from the man he used to be. He had started writing in it again since Twilight gave it back to him. He picked it up, dabbed a quill in ink and wrote. He wrote about the state of things in Equestria, the loneliness being ostracized was bringing, and the dull pain that persisted on the back of his head. He would write about anything to distract himself.

He had been writing for so long, he hadn't noticed the time pass. The moon was high in the sky as Twilight and Spike finally returned home.

"Welcome back." Matt greeted.

"Tired. Sleep." was all Spike said, something Matt swore he had heard the young dragon say before.

Twilight looked very tired as well as she mustered a "Hello." upon shutting the front door.

"I'm sorry I can't help with the workload, Twilight." Matt said. "I don't think those Canterlot ponies would want my help, anyway."

Twilight smiled weakly at the human. "I know you would help if you could, Matt. I'll be fine." she noticed the quill and book nearby him. "Were you writing something?"

"Oh, yes. I just had the sudden urge to write down my thoughts."

Twilight walked over to him and sat down next to him. "May I?" she asked.

Matt held the book up and Twilight floated it over to herself before magically dropping it. Matt picked it up and held it open for her. "I know you've read most of this already, but I've tried to add to it every so often-" he stopped as he felt her weight suddenly fall onto him. She was suddenly asleep next to him, leaning against him for support.

Matt smiled at the sleeping mare next to him as he reached down and brushed some of her striped mane out of her face. He pondered a way to get up without disturbing her before being content to lean back in the seat and let her rest. He had slept in worse places, after all.

The next day, Matt awoke in the same chair he slept in, but Twilight was gone. After getting up and looking around, he found that Spike had gone, too. He surmised they were back outside, helping with the Canterlot refugees.

As he looked out the window he noticed that the commotion had all but ceased and that some sort of vehicle was rolling towards Ponyville. He couldn't get a good view, but he definitely saw a hooded pony riding atop it. The frustration of being unable to do anything had reached a peak, so after a moment of hesitation, he decided to go outside.

…...

Meanwhile, Rarity had come to Twilight Sparkle as she helped settle the now mostly calmed wave of Canterlot ponies. "Twilight!" she shouted. "Have you seen my parents or Sweetie Belle? I haven't seen them since that horrible Gabriel arrived." she asked, desperately.

"I haven't seen them, Rarity. But they must be here somewhere; I'm still looking for my own parents as well, there are just so many ponies to get to."

"But Twilight, why wouldn't they just come find us right away? What if they got stranded in Canterlot?" Rarity said hysterically.

"Rarity, they can't-" Twilight stopped as she noticed the approaching vehicle.

It was slightly bigger than a carriage and had a pony wearing a violet cloak with gold trim riding on it, assuredly Amethyst, while it was pulled by large skeleton horse-like creatures. Every pony in the area backed away from it's path. It came into town and stopped with it's side facing the crowd, as well as Twilight and Rarity. Amethyst flipped off her hood to address them.

"Ponies of Ponyville!" she shouted in a cold, stern voice. "... and former residents of Canterlot." she added. "As you know, the city of Canterlot was to be evacuated by order of the King. While most of you actually followed instructions, there are those among you who defied the King's order. These ponies must be punished!" she said.

She teleported from the top of the caravan as it unfolded, revealing seven ponies chained to the caravan's floor. Horror overtook Twilight and Rarity as they were revealed.

"Mom...? D-dad...?" Twilight uttered.

"Sweetie Belle! Mother, father!" Rarity yelled, quickly trotting over to the caravan, only to be intercepted as Amethyst reappeared directly in front of her. Rarity looked up and noticed the other two ponies as well, being well-known celebrity Fancy Pants and the white unicorn super-model who was always with him.

"These seven unicorns were found within city limits after the designated time limit was exhausted. As such, by order of the King, they will be made examples of." Amethyst said.

Twilight Sparkle had approached the makeshift stage as well, Amethyst moving to intercept her as well.

"And what are you going to do to them?!" Twilight demanded, mere inches from Amethyst's neutral expression.

"That isn't for me to decide." Amethyst said, taking a few steps backwards as a sword pierced through the ground between her and Twilight. Every pony took several steps back as the sword, from underground, ripped a gash in the earth. After the hole was opened, the sword went back into it only to be replaced by a clawed hand that pulled itself onto solid ground.

"Greetings, my little peons!" Gabriel said, after crawling from the hole and taking a bow. The spot he had cut through had sealed itself. He inhaled deeply as if taking in the world and wore a large smile. "Now today is a fine day for a public execution!" he said, climbing aboard the caravan and next to his prisoners.

"Y-you can't do that!" Twilight shouted, desperate for all of this to stop.

"Oh, I can. The real question is where to start." he replied.

The prisoners wriggled in their binds and tried their best to ignore what Gabriel was saying.

Rainbow Dash, who had been patrolling nearby, dived as fast as she could in an attempt to save them. She was shocked to be clutched by a human hand as Gabriel grabbed her mid flight, by one of her hind legs, no less. "Hey! Put me down!" she insisted.

"Heroics are overrated, my dear." he said, tossing her into the air. She regained her mid-air balance and resumed hovering. "Try that again and you'll be joining them." Rainbow growled in defiance and gritted her teeth, ready to try again no matter the cost. Gabriel noticed this and drew his sword, resting it near the unicorn Fancy Pants' head. Rainbow Dash slowly fluttered to the ground in defeat. "Now that's more like it." Gabriel said, laughing.

The human paced around his captives, sword held down as if to make sure they saw it. "Now then." he said, turning to face the crowd. "Should we have a vote to decide who goes first?"

Rarity had approached the caravan and looked up to him. "Please, sir, can you find it in your heart to release them? They haven't done anything wrong." she said, trying to reason with him.

Gabriel crouched down to be nearly eye level with her. "Trying to appeal to my sympathy? I admire the effort, but my sympathy died when I was banished all those years ago. My word as King is law. Lawbreakers must be dealt with." he said. He stood back up and walked to the prisoners once more. "If the people won't decide, I'll just start with..." he pointed his sword at Rarity and Sweetie Belle's father. "You."

As he raised his sword, ready to crash it down on the stallion, the crowd gasped and most covered their eyes.

"Wait!" someone from the back shouted.

Gabriel smirked when he noticed who it was. He pointed his sword into the crowd. "Step forward." he said. At the back of the crowd stood Matthew Nabal. The crowd parted to allow him to walk forward. "Matthew Nabal. Am I to assume you wish to join these lawbreakers on the chopping block?" Gabriel said.

"I-I do not, your majesty. My wish is for you to reconsider their sentence." Matt said, somewhat shakily.

"I see. Perhaps you did not hear me earlier, but-"

"With all due respect, sire, I do not mean to appeal to your sympathy." Gabriel looked annoyed, but gestured for him to continue. "We hail from the same universe, correct?"

"As far as I know, yes." the King answered.

"You seem to me like a man of culture. Someone who is well-read?"

Gabriel balanced his blade by its tip and placed his hand on the pommel. "You assume correctly."

"The road of human history is long and paved by the bloodshed of innocent people. I implore you, spare these ponies the same fates as so many from our realm."

"Hmm." Gabriel thought about it for some time. "'If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared'. I believe Machiavelli said that. My execution of these criminals will serve as such an injury." he said.

"But there hasn't been any war in Equestria for hundreds of years, these ponies know nothing of revenge or rebellion."

Gabriel laughed at the notion. "While these ponies are as ignorant as you say, the outside world is far crueler. This place is as rotten and corrupt as the world we came from. Even Celestia and Luna overthrew the previous ruler of this land to take it for themselves."

Matt had read that a being called Discord had ruled Equestria at one point and that the princesses dethroned him due to the unhappiness of the people. "I understand your point. Even so, regardless of whatever it is you plan for Equestria as its leader, I beg you to spare its people the violence of human nature."

Matt's heart was beating incredibly fast as he watched the other man think. "Why is it you care for these beings so much? Why would you, a foreign entity in their land, even bother to come to their defense?" Gabriel asked, somewhat angry in his tone.

Matt stayed silent for a few moments, searching for the perfect words to speak. "Because this is my land, too. Equestria is my home, these ponies are my people. The time I have spent here makes me certain that they deserve to be defended." Matt was joined by Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and Rarity in the center of the crowd and felt the solidarity among them.

Gabriel chuckled. "You are a fool. You will never truly belong here. However, your naivete is quite amusing, so..."

Gabriel gripped his sword and raised it again, but this time he quickly swung it down. The crowd watched collectively looked away as the sound of of the sword hitting the platform was heard. What followed was the sound of chains rattling. As they looked back, they saw that the sword had cut the chain holding his prisoners, and it began to dissolve across them all. The captive ponies looked to Gabriel who gestured for them to go. The seven unicorns hopped off the platform and Rarity and Twilight's families rushed to their side. Fancy Pants was followed down by Fleur de Lis as they walked into the crowd of upperclass ponies.

"I will release these ponies, since you begged so finely. Rest assured the next time it happens that there will be no second chances." Gabriel said as he sheathed his blade.

"I understand. Thank you, your majesty." Matt replied as the caravan folded back up and Gabriel and Amethyst rode atop it. The beasts pulling it circled around and began the walk back to Canterlot.

Amethyst looked at the crowd before turning back to Gabriel. "I'm surprised you let them go. Did he really amuse you so much?"

Gabriel was still grinning. "His faith in these ponies, I find quite funny. One day, he will learn. But enough about that. It's time our plans advanced a bit. To conquer first we must divide." he said.

Matt watched as the King and his faithful slowly rolled away. His heart was still thumping fast and his legs still unable to move. Rainbow Dash flew in front of him and waved a hoof in front of his face.

"Matt? You in there?" she asked.

Matt's focus returned to him as he responded. "Yeah... yeah, I'm here." he replied.

"Good, because that was awesome!" she said, offering him a hoofbump which he accepted.

"I can't believe I even did that." Matt said, placing a hand on his chest to feel his rapid heartbeats.

"Well I can. I think you somehow made a point to that jerk." Dash said.

"Either that or he really was just amused that I would even plead for them."

Matt felt a tugging on one of his pant legs and turned to see the filly who was in chains mere moments ago.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Matt." Sweetie Belle said.

Matt smiled warmly at the young pony. "Ah, don't mention it, Sweetie Belle. I hope he didn't scare you too much."

Rarity approached behind Sweetie Belle with two of the other captives. "Matt, I can't thank you enough for saving my family." Rarity said.

Rarity's father was a light grey stallion with a brown colored mane and tail, including a mustache. Her mother was pale fuchsia with and indigo colored mane and tail.

"Thank ya so much, young fella. I guess that guy liked your reasonin', eh?" her father said.

"We really, really appreciate it. That Gabriel guy sure is scary." Rarity's mom said.

Matt found it slightly funny that despite Rarity's refined way of talking, her parents had such relaxed speech. "I'm just happy that no matter the reason, I managed to change his mind. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did nothing."

"If you need anything, and I mean anything, darling, don't hesitate to ask. I owe you so mu-mu-mu-" Rarity said, before beginning to stutter.

Matt turned to see what she was looking at behind him and he saw the white unicorn with the monocle who had also been a prisoner. "Excuse me, good sir." he said.

"Yes?" was all Matt said in response.

The unicorn extended a hoof to him, which Matt grabbed and began to shake. "I just wanted to shake the hoof of the stallion who saved my life, and the lives of the other ponies who managed to get stuck in Canterlot. Though I suppose you aren't a stallion, nor do you have hooves. What do you call those things?"

"Hands." Matt responded.

"Ah! Well, I wanted to shake your hand. Thank you for all that you've done. My name is Fancy Pants, and if we ever get back into Canterlot I hope to host a party in your honor."

"That's a bit much, isn't it?"

"Nonsense!" the stallion cheerfully said, finally letting Matt out of the handshake.

The white mare who was with him grabbed his hand after Fancy Pants let it go. "Fleur de Lis, super-model. Charmed to meet such a brave, uh, person like you."

"... Thanks?" was all Matt responded with.

As Fancy Pants was pulled away by the upper-crust crowd, Fleur de Lis and Rarity followed after him. Rarity's family had walked off as well, assuredly to go home.

Matt was thinking about home as well, hoping to return to the library to calm his still frayed nerves. He turned in the library's direction and was quickly hugged by Twilight Sparkle. She was flying slightly off the ground so she could wrap her forelegs around his chest. As he returned the embrace, he found his arms getting tickled by her wings as she flapped them.

Matt thought he felt tears on his shoulder. He had hoped it was from tears of joy. Matt heard someone clear their throat and cocked his head to the side to see too ponies behind Twilight. "Oh, right!" Twilight said, breaking off the hug and landing. "Mom, Dad, this is Matt. Matt, these are my parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light." she said as she introduced them.

Matt had quickly realize that they were the other two ponies who arrived on Gabriel's caravan.

"Our daughter has told us a lot about you, my boy." her father said.

"I'll say, you're practically all she talks about in her letters!" her mother added.

For one of the only times he could recall, Matt felt blood begin to migrate to his face. "R-really..."

Night Light was a azure stallion with a darker blue mane and Twilight Velvet was grey with a two toned mane and tail, striped white and purple.

"We got stuck in the city after doing our best to help the others escape. Thanks to Fancy Pants we almost made it out, but got caught at the last second." Night Light explained.

"We bumped into Hondo, Cookie and Sweetie Belle along the way. After the trains stopped running there weren't too many way to leave easily." Twilight Velvet said.

"I'm glad you all made it out okay." Matt said, genuine smile on his face.

"Oh, you should come back to library!" Twilight said to her parents. "I think we all need to relax after that..."

"Yes, please." Matt agreed. "By the way, Twilight, where's Spike? I haven't seen him all day."

"Oh, he was helping out the Cutie Mark Crusaders since they needed a third pony but couldn't find Sweetie Belle."

Matt only responded with an "Oh", not expecting such a simple answer.

…...

Twilight's parents, who Matt had just began to call mister and misses Sparkle, stayed at the library for some time. Spike had come back sometime after Matt and Twilight had returned. The four of them did some catching up as Matt mostly stayed silent, comfortable enough to just relax and write in his journal. They talked for hours before Mrs. Sparkle let out a long yawn.

"I think it's time to turn in for the night, we had a long day." she said to her husband.

"You can say that again, dear." he replied.

They stood and began to leave as Twilight called out to them. "Goodnight!" she said before letting out a yawn herself. "I'm pretty exhausted, too. Spike?"

Spike just shrugged. "Eh, I can't say I'm exhausted but it is already dark out."

They headed off to Twilight's bedroom to prepare for sleep as well.

Matt sipped from his beverage before finishing what he was writing in his journal about the day's events and decided to head to bed as well. As he opened the door to his storage room turned bedroom, he was surprised to see Twilight's parents lying in his bed, Mr. Sparkle reading a news paper and Mrs. Sparkle reading a novel.

"Oh, uh..." Matt said, having thought they had left.

"Did you need something, my boy?" Mr. Sparkle asked.

"Uh, no... no. Sorry to bother you." Matt replied, closing the door gently.

Matt slowly opened Twilight's door see Spike climbing into bed and Twilight preparing a large blanket.

"I must have missed something." Matt said.

Twilight giggled in response. "I told my parents they could stay here while Canterlot was under lock-down. I asked you if they could use your room, remember?"

Matt scratched his head before quickly thinking of a cover-up. "Right, I uh... I forgot. But where am I supposed to sleep?" he asked.

Twilight placed the blanket on the bed before gesturing to it with her hoof. "In here with us. Unless you didn't want to." she said.

Matt observed that Twilight's bed was bigger than the one he had been sleeping in and even with the two of them he imagined it would be quite comfortable. Spike was already curled up in his smaller bed off to the side of Twilight's. Still, he felt a tad awkward. One look at Twilight told him she felt so as well.

"That sounds... nice." he said.

…...

Matt had been right that getting comfortable was quite easy. He and Twilight lay back to back, the combined warmth of each other's body heat a nice contrast to the cold night air. It had been roughly an hour of laying without sleep as Matt found his eyes wandering about the room. He had only been in Twilight's bedroom a few times but wasn't surprised to find more books.

"Matt? Are you still awake?" he heard whispered from behind him.

"I am." he whispered back.

He heard the sounds of Twilight rolling over. "I just... wanted to thank you again for what you did today."

Matt rolled as well to speak to her face-to-face. "You don't have to. I have a feeling he just let them go on a whim."

"You were the only one there to try. I wanted to, but... I was just so scared." she said remorsefully.

"I don't know how to explain it, but... something told me I had to try. My mouth called out without being told to, I guess."

He felt Twilight's hoof reaching for his hand, so he grabbed it lightly. She looked as though recalling her state of terror was making her very distressed. Matt ran his other hand through her mane, feeling the silky smoothness of her hair. He smiled to try and make her smile, which she did.

"T-this is a bit forward, isn't it? So much for taking it slow..." she said with a soft giggle.

"I suppose one could think of it that way..."

Spike suddenly sat up in his bed. "For Pete's sake, you two! Ponies are trying to sleep!" he complained.

Matt and Twilight shared a laugh and apologized to the dragon before drifting off to sleep, hand still clasped around hoof.

Chapter 35: Power

Author's Note

With the upload of this chapter, everything I've had stockpiled is up and all that's left is what I'm writing now. Updates will unfortunately slow down from here.

Also big thanks to any and all who've been reading the story!

Chapter 35: Power

The next day, the train from the Crystal Empire finally arrived with Twilight's brother and sister-in-law aboard it. Twilight, her parents, Matt, and Spike waited to greet them at the station. The train wasn't very crowded, as word had spread of the new King and ponies didn't want to head towards the danger. It wasn't long before Cadence and Shining Armor stepped out and onto the platform.

Twilight and her parents trotted over happily to greet them. "Mom, dad, Twily!" said Shining Armor, embracing his family. Cadence laughed and joined in as well. "We heard about what happened at one of our stops. I can't believe that maniac almost..." Shining Armor spotted Matt, standing next to Spike.

After the group hug ended, Twilight lead her brother and Cadence over him. "Shining Armor, Cadence, this is Matthew Nabal. He's the one who saved mom and dad yesterday."

"An honor to finally meet you, Matt." said Cadence, offering a pink hoof clad in a golden boot to him.

Matt leaned forward and grasped her hoof gently before calmly shaking it. "The honor is mine, your majesty." he replied. He had known Cadence was a princess beforehand, though he was still surprised with the sheer abundance of princesses in Equestria. As he let go of the princess's hoof, Shining Armor offered his as well. "And to you as well, my lord."

Shining Armor laughed as he shook the human's hand. "He's so formal. Where'd you find this guy, Twily?"

"You can be yourself, Matt. They're family, after all." Twilight responded with a giggle.

"Sorry, I'm just so used to talking to these stuffy Canterlot ponies. Present company excluded, of course." Matt replied, letting go the prince's hoof.

"Don't sweat it. Hey, let's head to the library and get settled in. Mind helping with the luggage?" Shining Armor asked the human.

"Of course not." Matt replied.

As they unloaded Cadence and Shining Armor's things, Matt waited until only he and Twilight were left. Twilight floated some bags with her magic and Matt pulled one bag with wheels and slung another over his shoulder.

Matt leaned down to Twilight's ear. "Why do I get the feeling that you told them?" he asked quietly.

"What? What do you mean?" Twilight replied.

"He looked at me like he was suspicious of something. Like a defensive older brother would." Matt clarified.

"Oh. Oh. I may have mentioned it before... Sorry, Matt. He's my B.B.B.F.F., I had to tell him." she said sheepishly.

"I just hope you'll have my back if he asks any weird questions... Twily." he said with a grin before walking ahead.

"H-Hey! Wait a minute!" she said as blush crept over her face at the use of her nickname before pursuing the human.

…...

High above them in the clouds sat a sky-blue pegasus. She sighed as she watched them go. Her original plan was to talk to Matt about how she felt to try and patch up the rift forming between him and her. At this point she wasn't even mad at him, but an aching feeling took root in her chest whenever she thought about him. She had talked about it with Fluttershy, who encouraged her to pursue him if that's what her heart wanted. Unfortunately for her, Twilight Sparkle now stood in her way. Rainbow Dash had known since the day of the first snowfall that Twilight was also interested in the human. Rainbow had thought about it as more of a competition, and she'd never thought she had a chance of losing.

She rolled over on the cloud and stared up into the higher clouds above her as she let her mind wander. She hadn't any weather duties for the day, so she opted to just relax. She would try to talk to Matt another time. She closed her eyes for a bit, thinking about what to do to occupy her time. She decided she had a craving for something sweet, so she flew down to Sugarcube Corner.

She opened the door as the bells rang to alert the Cakes or Pinkie Pie that someone had entered. Rainbow dash didn't see anyone inside at all. "Helloooo?" she called out. "Anypony home?"

Since no one responded to her, she quickly flew up to Pinkie's room, finding it empty as well. Not even Gummy was there. She began to leave through the front door, but noticed a rug on the floor had been noticeably moved and had what looked like a trapdoor under it. She approached it and opened it, gazing inside to see nothing. She flew down into the basement, the light from above being the only light available. The air was stale with mold. "Hello?" she repeated, but no one responded.

The door above her slammed shut and she felt herself get grabbed by something. She struggled as the thing seemed to strap her onto something and when it was done, she couldn't move at all. "Hey! Let me go! Pinkie Pie, if this is a prank it's gone too far!" she exclaimed.

"I don't know, it's pretty funny from where I'm standing." a gravely male voice replied.

Dash froze in her struggling as she had recognized the voice. A hanging light flickered on overhead and revealed a tall figure clad in red scales and black metal. He was turned away from her, standing over what seemed to be an operating table with a tray of tools next to him. She looked down to find herself strapped to a table much like the one he was facing.

"W-What are you doing here?" she asked, trying not to let any fear trickle into her voice.

"A bit of this, a bit of that." Gabriel said as he placed a tool on the tray and picked up another one. "Not that I need a reason to drop in on my favorite pegasus."

She tried to see around him to what he was working on, but couldn't quite see it. All she could see were traces of orange and purple, dotted with splashes of red. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Just what I said. You're a truly remarkable specimen, Dashie. In all my years wandering the earth I've never met another pony quite like you." he replied, followed by a slicing noise that made Rainbow wince.

"Well what do you want from me?" she asked, incredibly weirded out by the use of the odd nickname.

"Can't a man just chat with a friend without any ulterior motives?"

"We aren't friends." Dash responded quickly, disgusted by the very idea.

Gabriel peeked over his shoulder at her. "You wound me, Rainbow Dash. Fine. I did have another reason for talking to you." he admitted, going back to his work. "I'm handpicking candidates for the Wonderbolts."

"You're- you're doing what?!" she asked, dumbfounded.

"The Wonderbolts. I'm recruiting." he affirmed.

"But why would they have you recruiting for them?" she stammered.

"Because the Wonderbolts are also being reformed. No longer just a team of elite performers; but a force of my will, and Equestria's air superiority."

She didn't quite understand what he meant by that. "Whaddya mean, 'air superiority'?" she asked, speaking her mind.

A chuckle came from the human as he swapped out the tool in his hand for another. "Did you think stealing the throne was the only thing I returned for? No, the whole world is my goal. And think about it, Rainbow Dash, join with my new Wonderbolts and I can guarantee a life of fame and fortune. You'll be showered by diamonds. The entire planet will know and fear your name."

Rainbow Dash's mind was swimming at the man's words. The goal she had for most of her life was being offered to her on a silver platter.

Due to her silence, Gabriel decided to continue. "You'll be adored by our nation, most certainly. At that point you could have anything, anyone you please. All you have to do is say yes."

If her mind was swimming before, it was racing now. Anything, Anyone. Could this human really offer her anything she had always wanted? For a moment she found herself ready to accept the deal, it was too good to be true. But the more she thought about it, the more clarity was granted to her. Fame and love just given to her isn't what she wanted. She wanted to earn both. She wanted to deserve both.

"I won't do it." she said.

Gabriel dropped his metal tool onto the tray before flipping over the operating table he was standing by, which was followed by a large crashing sound and a sickening thud. He walked over towards her, a look of malice on his face. "How dare you. How dare you! I offer you everything you could ever want, and you have the gall to reject it?!" his clawed hand cut into the table near her face. "Are you really so foolish as to turn this down?"

"Of course I'll turn it down! Even with everything you could give me, fame and love don't matter if they aren't earned!" she exclaimed, almost as if she was trying to convince herself, too.

Up close, she could see Gabriel's sharp features and sharper teeth even better. It was an amazing contrast to Matt's much softer-looking face. "So you really refuse this offer? You won't join me and be given the power you've always wanted?" he asked.

"As if I'd ever join you, anyway! Element of loyalty, dude!" she said, mustering her pride despite her fear.

"How noble of you. So, you're content to lose him to Twilight..." he said, lips curling into a smile.

"How did you...?" she began to ask.

"I'll leave the offer open for you, Rainbow Dash. Something I hope you'll come to agree with me on one day;" he said, pulling out his claws and moving directly under the dangling light, reaching to grab its bulb. "Loyalty is no match for power."

He crushed the bulb and Rainbow was immediately free, finding herself on a tree, below where she was resting earlier. She looked around and saw no trace of the mad King, but did notice that some time had passed. She concluded that it had to have been a dream, despite how real it felt. She laughed to herself but lost her balance on the tree and began to fall.

It happened too suddenly for her to correct, so she braced for impact. When she did impact, it felt strangely like being caught by something and didn't hurt at all.

"Now this is the strangest rain I've ever seen." said a familiar voice. She opened her eyes to see that Matt Nabal had caught her. As he put her down, he continued talking. "You're a hard mare to find, Rainbow Dash."

"Don't you have something better to do? I know Cadence and Shining Armor arrived today. Shouldn't you be talking with them about this whole Gabriel thing?" she asked, somewhat dismissively.

"I was, but... politics are pretty boring. It's not like I could do anything about him anyway, Shining Armor and Cadence are the reinforcements. Besides, I wanted to see you." he said, sitting on the nearby bench and gesturing her to join him.

Rainbow Dash marveled at her luck while also cursing it, she hadn't wanted to have this conversation yet. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked, feigning ignorance. She had expected him to be disappointed in her.

"I'm sorry." he said. While it wasn't what she expected, it made her happy to hear it. He sighed and leaned back on the bench before continuing. "I truly didn't know how you felt at the time. Honestly, you and Twilight's affections completely flew over my head. Had I known... I would've been more straightforward with you. You're my closest friend and it was wrong of me to overlook you like that."

"I-I'm sorry too." she said. "I, uh, took it pretty hard. I just can't help what I'm feeling, y'know?"

"Of course I do, and you have nothing to apologize for. I just hate that I'm the one that put you through that."

They both stared off in different directions but somehow turned to the other at the same time. "Is their any future like that between us?" she asked.

"I don't know. But even if there isn't, I'll always be there for you." he replied.

She smiled at her human friend, which he returned. "I'll always be there for you, too." she said as they shared a hug. "But Twilight's still one of my besties, so you'd better not mess things up and hurt her." she added.

Matt snickered at her words. "I'll do my best."

After they separated, Rainbow moved closer to human, close enough to feel his warmth.

"Can we stay here a little longer?" she asked.

Matt wrapped an arm around his pegasus pal as they both stared into the sunset.

"Of course."

Chapter 36: Cruelty & Greed

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 38: Human

Twilight Sparkle had been working overtime lately, but finally most if not all of the Canterlot refugees had been settled in. Some of them had moved to other nearby towns to stay with relatives, or to get away from the clutter in Ponyville. Things sped up quite a lot since Cadence and Shining Armor arrived to assist her. She had just finished one last meeting with the mayor and was on her way back to the library. Spike dutifully walked by her side, carrying a clipboard.

"That just about covers it for today." the young dragon said with a yawn. It wasn't even that late yet, but the both of them felt pretty tired.

"Thank goodness." Twilight replied. "I really need a break..."

As they returned home, they spotted the resident human writing away in his journal. He looked up to greet them. "You two look terrible." Matt said.

Twilight smiled slightly and rolled her eyes. "You really know how to make a girl feel special."

Matt chuckled softly. "I'm sorry, but I know a thing or two about not getting enough sleep. I'm starting to get worried about the both of you."

Spike had been rummaging around for something to eat. "Eh, don't worry about us. We're pretty much done now." he said.

Twilight sat next to the human. "Where's everypony else?" she asked, noticing her family was absent.

"Oh, I think they went out to check up on some ponies. Something about friends in Ponyville."

"I see." Twilight replied. "I guess that... gives us some time to ourselves..." she said, leaning against the human.

Matt felt his body stiffen up immediately at the sudden contact. "I,uh... yeah, I guess it does." he said, locking eyes with her.

"Sheesh, get a room you two." Spike said, eating a large gemstone. After he eat the rock whole, he belched green flame. "Excuse me. Wait a second..." he added, noticing a small scroll and picking it up.

"Is that..." Matt began.

"A letter from the princess?!" Twilight finished.

…...

A little while earlier, Princess Celestia was looking out her window longingly. A sigh escaped her lips as she had finally accepted how helpless she was. She had begun to feel worse and worse, knowing that her people were suffering and there was nothing she could do. She knew that Twilight and her friends could probably contain the chaos, but she still felt terrible that there was nothing she could do.

She heard a disturbance from somewhere behind her and turned to see Gabriel sitting in a chair, drinking out of a green bottle again.

"I'm sorry, did I distract you from your moping?" he asked.

"Yes, you did." Celestia replied. "What do you want? My dinner was already brought to me by one of your monsters."

"Monsters? That's harsh, they were people once." he responded, taking another drink.

"If you only came to pester me, I'm going to go back to my 'moping'." she said, turning away from the human.

"I'm trying to remember why I came in here in the first place..." he said with a hiccup. "Oh right! I wanted to tell you about next week."

"Next week? What, plan on celebrating Hearth's Warming?" Celestia asked.

"In my own special way, yes I do. My gift to the world will finally be unveiled. War."

Celestia felt her stomach drop. "War?"

"War! Equestria will wage a war against the rest of the world!" he said, drinking once again.

"And how are you planning to do that? Equestria doesn't have a proper military force." she said.

"Oh, the ponies will serve. If they don't, they'll see no mercy from the edge of my blade."

"Why would you do such a thing? What benefit do you gain by fighting the world?" she asked, flabbergasted.

"Ah, now that is a simple answer. I gain power. Every foe that falls increases my strength. I will sit atop my throne and control the ebb and flow of the entire world. And I'll do it all from your kingdom."

Celestia had lost her composure at this point, and aside from every other insane thing he had said she still had no idea why he was so upset with her.

"What could I have possibly done to you to cause this? Please, at least answer that truthfully."

He placed his bottle on the floor and stood from his seat. "It has been nine years, nine long years. You banished me from Equestria and forced me to walk the earth, never to return. You took my home, my friends, my family. You took everything from me. All over an accident, something that happened beyond my control. Nearly every day I wandered I felt the hatred burn in me. Hatred for you. Hatred for everything in Equestria I once loved. And that's the truth."

Celestia had no memory of anything the man before her was saying, but the rage and venom that dripped from his every word told that even if she could disprove him, his conviction was too strong to get him to stop.

"Then why not just end me and be done with it? My people don't deserve to suffer like this." she said, regaining her calm.

A wild laugh followed by a toothy grin erupted from the human. "Because, Celestia, I'm going to do to you what you did to me. I'll rob you of everything. I'll tear your world apart. Then, and only then, will you be allowed to die."

The human King turned away and grabbed his bottle, taking another swig at the mystery liquid within. "I have one last friend to drop in on. You may resume 'moping'." he said, slamming the door on his way out.

Celestia was trying her hardest to process what she was just told. Equestria was to be militarized and would wage war on the whole world. She would be kept close by to watch the carnage as a part of Gabriel's revenge. Revenge for events she couldn't recall occurring in the first place. Her feeling of powerlessness had peaked; she was prepared to give up hope. If only there was some way she could contact the outside, contact Twilight Sparkle and warn her of the mad King's plan.

She noticed the pile of unused scrolls next to her ink pot and quill, her usual means of communication to her pupil. Though the barrier should halt all magic cast from within, she had to try something. She wrote, in detail, about where she was being held, Gabriel's plan, and a desperate plea to stop him. When she finished, she focused whatever power she had left to try and send the letter off. The violet bars of magic began to glow as she could feel herself being restrained by their power.

Miraculously, the scroll vanished. She had somehow succeeded. The pain coursing through her horn as well as the rest of her body made her collapse, but she did so with a smile on her face.

…...

Hours later, Twilight Sparkle lay awake in bed, staring up at her ceiling. Upon reading the princess' letter, she had a lot of things to process. The knowledge that the usurper King's plan to reek havoc across the globe in the name of revenge that would start on Hearth's Warming day had sent her head spinning.

She had known that help from the princesses was unlikely, but now she knew that the last hope for Equestria rested on her and her friends. She had sent Owlowiscious out with letters to her friends, inviting them all over the next day to discuss what to do with the knowledge they now had.

"Can't sleep?" asked the human who lay next to her.

"Nope..." she replied, turning from the ceiling to face her human partner.

"I know the responsibility must be weighing on you pretty harshly." he said.

"You can say that again." she confirmed.

"i know you'll come through. While I wasn't here at the time, I've heard the stories of you and the others thwarting evil before. Gabriel should be no different."

"Thanks, Matt. I just wish I had your confidence. The way Princess Celestia wrote that letter... everything down to her formatting told me she was scared. I haven't seen her like that in ages."

"It's only natural to be scared in the situation she's in. I know she believes in you, just like I do." Matt said reassuringly.

"Well, knowing you believe in me makes me feel better. I promise I won't disappoint you."

"That's the spirit. Now get some sleep, with everything you've been doing around here you deserve it."

She smiled as she did as he suggested, and went back to trying to fall asleep.

Suddenly, she felt as if she was falling, eyes shooting open in fright. She looked around to see that she hadn't fallen anywhere, she was still in bed. Although something concerning was that Matt had vanished. She assumed that he had gotten up to do something, but she could hear a faint sound coming from downstairs.

She got out of bed and headed down. "Matt?" she called in a whisper, not wanting to wake anypony else. She then noticed that Shining Armor and Cadence weren't asleep in the main room. They were nowhere to be found, either. She noticed the door to her basement was wide open and she could swear for a moment she saw a tall silhouette descending the stairs in the darkness.

She followed after the silhouette, finding the lights in the basement not functioning. She lit up the basement with her horn and called out again, only to be greeted by the same sound she heard upon waking up. It was some sort of pulsing or beat in a slow rhythm, and it was much louder downstairs. She noticed next that the bookshelf concealing the entrance to the Undercroft was wide open. Accompanying the slow beat was now what sounded like footsteps, not hoofsteps, from the tunnel beyond.

She nervously swallowed before following after them. The only person she could be following was her romantic partner, and whatever he was doing was highly unusual. A light at the end of the tunnel revealed that the Undercroft was still in the same state it had been the last time she was there, with an odd, out of place light shining down to one book on the floor. The book was charred black from obvious burns, leaving the cover horribly disfigured. She reached out to touch the maimed book, only to hear the slow beat get much louder directly behind her. When she turned, she found nothing, not even the entrance she used to get there. Upon re-orientating herself, she found that she wasn't in the Undercroft anymore. All features of the room she was in had vanished, the strange pale light overhead the only source she could see.

She amplified the magic in her horn to make it glow brighter, finding the pitch-black void around her swallowing all the light from it. The slow beating sound now sounded as if it was right in front of her. She squinted to see if there was anything to be seen, when she spotted two faint, glowing red orbs in the darkness. As she spotted them, they began to glow brighter and trailed away, leaving a streak of red light.

"Nine years..." called a voice from beyond the blackness, a voice she recognized as the usurper King's. "Nine years since I've been able to see you, to speak with you."

Twilight felt her body quiver as the slow beat and red lights began to move around her. "B-but we've never met." she said softly.

"I wanted to spare you this, I truly did. But just as you failed me, I must fail you." he said.

"I failed you...?" she asked.

The slow beat began to beat faster. "When the ponies of Equestria called for my banishment and Celestia complied, you did nothing. None of you did."

"Nine years ago I was just a filly, what did you expect me to do?" she asked, confused by what he was even talking about.

"I know Celestia sent you a letter. She told you about my plan, did she not?" Gabriel replied, completely changing the subject.

"How did you know about that?"

"I'll give you one chance. Just one." he said, ignoring her. "Join me now and you and your friends will be spared my wrath. I won't even force you to fight my war."

"I-I can't... I won't. What you plan to do, it's wrong. You can't just expect me to join you when you plan to do something so awful. If something did happen to you like you said, then I'm sorry. But you shouldn't take it out on all these innocent ponies, and all the other people of the world."

The lights stopped dancing around her and began to moved toward her. The beating grew faster and faster, almost like a heartbeat. Gabriel stepped forward from the shadows.

"I've been lost before, and I have been led astray. But this path I follow, these fires of destruction are my choice, and I've been seduced by the light of the flames. The only thing that will stop my constant pain is to make everyone else weep with me." he turned away from the young princess, back into the shadows. A snapping sound could be heard.

…...

Twilight jolted up from bed. Panic overwhelmed her before she realized everything seemed to be normal. The human sleeping next to her confirmed that what she just experienced must have been a nightmare. She cuddled close to him, partially for warmth and partially to feel more secure.

Despite what happened seemingly like a dream, the idea that Gabriel knew Celestia had sent her a letter sent shivers up her spine. Could it be possible he invaded her dream somehow? She decided to get some rest and discuss it with the others tomorrow.

…...

Gabriel sat upon the edge of the bed he had decided to claim in one of Canterlot castle's many accommodations. His armor and sword rested nearby, haphazardly thrown into a pile. He was flipping through a malformed book, burned black and brittle. Amethyst entered the room wordlessly, crawling onto the be and resting her head in his lap.

He looked down at her curiously. "I sense you want attention?" he said.

"Besides that. Do you think we got through to any of them?" Amethyst asked.

"I'd like to think we got through, just a bit, to all six of them." he replied, turning back to the book in his hand.

"So, we're still going though with it?"

"We are."

Chapter 39: I Refuse

The next day, the library's main room had become very crowded. All of Twilight's central group of friends, as well as the family members that had been staying with her had gathered to discuss Princess Celestia's letter. She had just finished reading it out loud and was allowing the information to sink into everypony.

"He's gonna start a war? With everything?" Applejack asked.

Twilight, Matt and Spike all nodded simultaneously in response.

"That's... nuts." Rainbow Dash added.

"You can say that again..." Spike said.

"What does that 'he gets stronger with every defeated enemy' part mean? Is such a thing possible?" Rarity asked.

"We can't know for sure, we don't even know the extent of his magic." Twilight said.

"Or how he can use magic in the first place." Matt added.

Fluttershy had been quiet up until now, seeming to come to a realization. "So that's why she asked me to tame animals..." she said softly.

"Huh? You say something, Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked.

"Um, yes." she said, clearing her throat to get everypony's attention. "The other day, Amethyst visited my cottage. She told me Gabriel wanted me to help him tame animals, but he wanted to use them like tools. He must... must've..."

"He must have been planning to use them as troops." Matt finished. Fluttershy quickly nodded her head, horrified at the thought of animals being used for war.

"Funny that you say that, she visited me, too." Rarity said. "She asked if I wanted to redecorate the castle for them, although of course I refused. No amount of bits could change my mind, although she did leave me quite a lot."

"The two of you got off easy, Amethyst and that whacko himself showed up to the farm. Asked me about feedin' his army or somethin'. Tried to bribe me, too." Applejack added.

"Oh, well, they didn't visit me at all!" Pinkie declared. "I did have a weird dream about him, though."

"Wait; he showed up in your dreams? Was it eerily realistic?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Oh, yeah it was! I don't even remember falling asleep." Pinkie replied.

"The same thing happened to me. What a weird coincidence." Dash said.

"I don't think it was a coincidence..." Twilight said. "He appeared to me in a dream last night. He said he knew that Celestia had sent us a letter about his plan."

"But how can that be?" asked Cadence. "The only pony I've ever met who can enter dreams is Princess Luna."

…...

"Princess Luna?" called out Amethyst.

Luna was trying to fall asleep in her prison when the purple unicorn entered. Part of her wasn't even tired, she had grown bored.

"What is it that you want?" Luna replied, facing away from the robed pony.

"I just came to inform you that I won't be taking care of you after today. I need to help Gabriel get prepared for the road ahead of us." she spoke calmly.

"... what do you mean by that?" Luna asked.

"Oh, one of the Shades will still bring you food and anythin-"

"No, not that. What 'road ahead'?" Luna clarified, cutting her off.

"Oh, of course. Gabriel intends to expand the borders of Equestria through warfare. As I'm sure you can imagine, that isn't something easy to prepare for."

"He intends to what?" Luna asked, standing up off of her bed.

"His perfect vengeance can't be attained until he controls the world, so that is our next step."

"What gives him the right to wage war on our throne?!"

"It isn't your throne anymore. It's his. Honestly, you have no one to blame for this but your sister. She's the one responsible for Gabriel's vengeance."

"As if I care to hear an explanation from the servant of the lunatic! You know nothing of ruling a nation, let alone leading it into the future."

Amethyst's composure cracked at the princess's words, showing anger for the first time Luna could recall.

"I am no one's servant! Gabriel and I are equals, a partnership of mutual respect." she defended.

Luna chuckled. "So you say! Is that why he has all the power, all the titles, and orders you around?"

Amethyst's anger was replaced by a coy smile. "Gabriel thought it would be amusing if we never told any of you that Equestria finally had a Queen instead of multiple princesses."

Luna's smug face dissolved into a confused one. "What do you mean by that?"

"That's what I would be, right?"

Luna had quickly become confused at the information presented to her. "You... and he...?"

"We've been traveling together since the day he saved me and lost his arm. It was only natural that I would fall for him eventually, but what took me by surprise is that he fell for me too. I will use every part of my being for that man. He would do the same for me." Her usual cold demeanor returned. "Listen... he may be out of his mind, but some day I hope you will see, same as I did, that sanity has left us all blind. "She pulled out her small silver pocket watch. "Goodnight, moon princess. I must be off." she said as she left Luna's chambers.

Luna stood there, processing everything that she had just heard and how strange it all seemed, although it did explain Amethyst's undying devotion to the human usurper. She suddenly felt a sneeze coming on, and after it passed she lay back down, deciding it best to rest.

…...

Back in the library, Shining Armor had begun pitching a plan.

"... so after arriving in Canterlot via the train, we're likely to be met by heavy resistance. Assuming we can fight through the hordes of those weird skeleton monsters, our next obstacle is that barrier around the castle."

"I think that's the biggest problem." Rainbow Dash said. "Do you think you guys could punch through it with magic?"

"I don't know if we could, but even if we wanted to, Amethyst would probably just cast her suppression field as soon as she noticed us." Twilight said.

"And then there's this 'Gabriel'... I haven't seen him yet, but from what you've all said he sounds... intimidating." Cadence said, an affirming nod from everypony in the room who had met the man.

"Our best bet would be to get in, get the princesses, and get out as quickly as possible." Shining Armor said.

Matt, who had been quiet as they discussed a plan of action, spoke up. "And if he catches you?"

"Well, I guess we'd be in for a fight." Shining Armor replied.

"I don't think that would be a 'fight' as much as a 'slaughter'." Matt said.

"You saying we don't have a chance and shouldn't even try?"

Matt rose to his feet as he explained. "With all due respect, you weren't there. In one quick motion he took out three Alicorns and the rest of us. My head still hurts."

"Well we won't get anywhere if we do nothing. If only we could pass the barrier..." Shining Armor trailed off.

Twilight was struck by a bright idea. "I have an idea! Matt, you can get us passed the barrier!"

"He can?" asked everypony else in unison.

"I... I probably can." Matt said.

"Oh right, I forgot your body rejects magic. You should be able to get us through!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Yes, but-"

"Alright! We have our way in. Now do we know where the princesses are being held?" Shining Armor asked.

"Princess Celestia said she was being held in her bed chambers, but she doesn't know where Luna is." Twilight replied.

"Now hold on just a minute." Matt said, seemingly annoyed about being ignored. He seemed to get everypony's attention. "I don't like the sound of this."

"We aren't done making the plan yet, it'll sound better when we are." Shining Armor said.

"No, I mean... it would be best if we didn't go through with it." Matt said.

"What are you saying? You want us to just do nothing?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"That's exactly what I want us to do."

"I didn't think you were so yellow-bellied, Matt." Applejack said. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"The worst that could happen? The worst that could happen is none of us returning." Matt replied.

"Somepony doesn't sound very confident..." Rarity said.

"Confidence isn't a replacement for strength, and the simple fact is Gabriel is out of our league." Matt retorted. The room grew silent as Matt began to realize that convincing them not to go was probably futile, so he would do the next best thing. "I won't take part in this. I refuse."

"B-but we need you to get passed the barrier..." Princess Cadence said.

"Then I guess you aren't getting passed it." he replied.

"What's your problem? If we don't do something, who will? You need to buck up." Shining Armor said.

"H-hold on-" Twilight began to say.

"And you need to realize that lives are on the line here. Gabriel said there would be no second chances." Matt replied, cutting Twilight off.

"This is the fate of Equestria we're talking about! It doesn't matter how scared you are, we need to do something."

Matt felt a wealth of emotions well up inside him. He thought about his parents, taken from him right before his very eyes. He thought about Quixote, a pony who gave his life so that Matt and others could go on living. He refused to let it happen again.

"I refuse to let anyone else I care about die!" Matt shouted, composure shattered and surprising the room of ponies.

There was a strong silence in the library. Matt couldn't stop himself from moving so he headed out the front door wordlessly.

"Matt, wait!" Twilight Sparkle called out, getting no response.

Rainbow Dash flew over to a window to watch him walk away. "Way to go, Shining Armor." she said sarcastically.

"If he doesn't want to help, we're better off without him." Shining Armor responded.

Twilight glared at her brother, ready to give him a piece of her mind before the library door burst open. A chestnut colored pony wearing a bow-tie came in, somewhat out of breath.

He looked around at the gathered group of ponies as he caught his breath. "Where... Where's Matt?" The Doctor said through gasps.

"Oh, you just missed him!" Pinkie Pie said. "Are you here to help with the Gabriel plan?"

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Gabriel? He's already here?"

"Do you know him, Doctor?" Rarity asked.

"In a manner of speaking... if he's here, we don't have much time."

"We know, we're working on a plan to stop him right now." Cadence said.

"You? As in, just you?" The Doctor asked.

"You're starting to sound just like Matt." Shining Armor said. "Win or lose, we have to try something."

"Gabriel is a monster. I'm sure you've seen that blade of his, right? 'Wrath', he calls it. It's an extremely powerful sword that imprisons the soul of whatever it falls. You've seen the skeletons he has parading around? Where do you think they come from? This isn't about winning or losing; this is about saving the world, and everyone on it."

…...

Matt found himself sitting up but the tree he used to meet Luna at, although now he was alone. His thoughts swirled around in his mind, tearing him in two different directions. He truly did want to help the princesses, but he hated that he would have to put the lives of those he cared about in harm's way.

"I thought I'd find you here." said a familiar, accented voice.

"Doctor?" Matt said, looking to see the pony in question.

"I stopped by the library, they caught me up to speed. There are some things I thought I should tell you about Gabriel."

"You're familiar with him? And you never mentioned it?" Matt said, somewhat hurt.

"Listen, it's been... quite some time since I was here last. A lot of things happened, but what I can tell you for certain is that Gabriel needs to be stopped." The Doctor said firmly.

"Did they send you to find me to try and convince me to help?"

The Doctor was silent for a moment. "I came on my own. I intend to give everything I can to help bring Gabriel down. But we still need you to get passed Amethyst's barrier."

"You said you had some things to tell me." Matt responded.

The Doctor let out a large sigh as he sat down in the snow. "Another place, another time, Gabriel and I were on the same side of the line. His lust for power and revenge led him down a dark road I couldn't save him from. He's too far gone now, and needs to be dealt with."

"So you were friends?" Matt asked, earning a nod in response.

"The ponies of Ponyville are brave, but they don't stand a chance against him. Not alone. They need us. They need you." The Doctor continued.

"I... I'm sorry, but I can't watch someone I care about die again."

"I know all too well what it's like." The Doctor replied. "But that's exactly why we have to fight. Alone we have no chance of winning. But I promised a friend that if he ever got out of hand, I would do everything I could to bring him down. I don't mean to push this onto you, but I almost feel as if since he came from the same world we did that it's my responsibility to stop him." He said. "Besides, didn't Twilight tell you? We have one last ace-in-the-hole."

Matt pondered about the 'responsibility' the Doctor referred to, but wanted to know about the trump card more."We do?"

"The Elements of Harmony. Luckily, we have the six bearers on our side, too." The Doctor said.

Matt had all but forgotten about the Elements. He knew they were incredibly powerful and that his friends were the bearers of the individual six elements, but somehow he had neglected to even consider their application.

"Also, not to brag or anything, but you have me." The Doctor continued. "I happen to know most of what Gabriel's powers are capable of."

"Well... that does turn the tide a bit for us." Matt replied.

"Ah, now there we go, see? You've gone and got your confidence back."

"There is one thing that has been bothering me, though." Matt added. "You said you were friends with him, right? Did he really arrive here nine years ago like he says?"

The Doctor was silent, almost as if trying to put the answer into words. He didn't get the chance too, though.

"There you are!" said Twilight Sparkle, approaching the duo.

"Right on time, Princess." The Doctor said. "We should be heading back, we've got a plan to make." he said, trotting off.

"Does that mean you've decided to help us after all?" Twilight asked. "The Doctor told us a bit of what Gabriel's capable of and what's really at stake."

Matt stood up and gently patted Twilight's head. "He told me about a friend he had and a promise he made, and about his responsibility. A responsibility that I'm starting to feel, as well."

Matt had decided that if Gabriel would bring about the destruction of the world as they knew it, he would feel partially responsible since they came from the same world. He felt as if the Doctor must've felt this way, as well.

"Let's head back home." Twilight said. "Somehow... I feel like we're being watched."

…...

Far off in the castle of Canterlot, the large telescope adjusted to the hill with the lone tree and watched as the human and his partner headed back into town. The man behind the viewing lens grinned a wide grin.

"And so the pieces fall into place..."

Chapter 40: Steal Away Tomorrow

"Right then! Let's go over Gabriel's powers, shall we?" The Doctor said.

Everyone had once again gathered that night and were in the process of preparing for their attack.

"As he is, Gabriel is an ordinary human, so he's immune to most forms of magic. But his sword, 'Wrath', is an ancient and powerful sword made from a dragon's tooth, which also eats the souls of those it cuts down. I know that sounds bad, but it gets worse. Whatever abilities the soul's owner possessed gets transferred into the sword as well, so Gabriel has access to a myriad of powers. Timberwolf breath, night vision, limited manipulation of various elements, etcetera. But aside from that, the blade gives it's wielder enhanced senses and accelerated healing. He's also had the sword for so long that it has imprinted on him; no one else can wield it." he explained.

"Are the skeletons part of the sword, too?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yes, the Shades are physical representations of the souls trapped inside the sword. His control over them is limited, so they can't manifest as whole beings, only bones." the Doctor explained.

"Sounds overpowered..." Rainbow Dash said.

"You'd think that, but the important thing to remember is it's all about the sword. If he was kept away from the weapon, he wouldn't be able to use any of it's abilities."

"How many ponies did he have to..." Fluttershy began to ask, hesitating. "How many did he...?"

The Doctor paused, grim look on his face. "Too many. And not just ponies. Dragons, Griffins, and almost every other creature under the sun. All so he could increase his own power."

The room grew somber as the gravity of Gabriel's madness was felt among them all.

"The first thing we need to work on is getting us all there. Is the conductor for the Canterlot Express still here?" The Doctor asked.

"I think he's still in town. I'm pretty sure I can take you to him." Twilight answered.

"Brilliant, the rest of you need to gather some materials; we're going to armor a train."

As the group began to disperse, Matt slung his bag over his shoulder before leaving the library. Outside, he found Shining Armor and Applejack waiting for him.

"Something the matter?" Matt asked.

"I wanted to apologize for sayin' you were bein' yellow-bellied and all." Applejack said.

"Me too. I shouldn't have been upset with you for being scared; I'm pretty sure we all are." Shining Armor added.

"Don't worry about it. Yes, I'm still terrified, but I know now that I need to do all I can, no matter what. Now what do you say we gather some stuff to reinforce this train?"

"Sure thing! Although... that Doctor fella didn't say what we should be lookin' for." AJ replied.

"Hey, I just thought of something! The blacksmith who makes the armor for the Royal Guard should be here somewhere, I'll try to find him to help." Shining Armor said.

"Guess we should try to find some metal for him to use, then."

…...

The next day, progress had begun on reinforcing the train that would be driven to Canterlot. Twilight and the Doctor had managed to find the conductor and had recruited him to get them there. Matt was taking a break from train reinforcement inside the station.

"Oh my goodness... Matt?" a familiar female voice called out to him.

He turned to see a yellow pegasus with a cyan mane and tail, as well as droplets of water as a cutie mark.

"... Aqua?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah! Well, no... Sunshower Raindrops is my actual name." she flew over and hugged him. "I never thought I would see you again, but after the Gods sent us back I had recalled seeing you around town before."

"So they snatched us from the same time..." Matt said. "Either way, it's great to see you! Have you bumped into anyone else we were trapped with?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing..." she replied, downcast.

"Aside from the Doctor, I haven't either. Although... I did some digging, and found out when they grabbed Quixote. It was nearly sixty years ago." Matt's face soured as he recalled the smiling face of their fallen friend.

"So we might not have ever seen him again anyway..." Raindrops said, noticing Matt's expression. "You don't still blame yourself, do you?"

"Of course I do. What happened only happened because I cracked under the pressure and made a mistake. I survived while someone else died in my place... again..."

"Hey, none of that. If Quixote were here he'd bonk you on the noggin with his guitar for talking like that. It wasn't your fault. He did what he did to save all of us and it worked." she said reassuringly. "As long as we keep his memory alive, it's like he's still with us."

"I... suppose you're right. Thank you, Aq- er, Raindrops."

"No problem! Now why don't you catch me up with what needs done? I originally came to offer to help prep for the attack on that Gabriel guy."

"Oh we've still got quite the ways to go. Including today, we have four days until he starts his campaign. We plan on striking Hearth's Warming Eve, so it's really three."

…...

Another day of preparation passed and Matt was met by the Doctor and Rarity.

"Matthew, dear, if you have a moment." Rarity said.

"Yes, come along Nabal. We've something to show you." The Doctor added.

They led him to Carousal Boutique, to a table with a large paper rolled up on it.

"I figured the odds needed to be evened up a bit more, so I asked Rarity to design something a little different than clothes for the battle." The Doctor said.

"It took some doing, but I think it came out quite well." Rarity said, unfurling the scroll.

The paper detailed plans for a sword. A straight, double-edged blade approximately three foot in length. The design was beautifully made, detailing engravings and accurate measurements.

"You're going to be making a sword?" Matt asked.

"Hey, Gabriel's a human with a sword. We needed one on our side too." the Doctor replied. "It should be quite handy in clearing out the shades that swarm Canterlot."

"I can't make it here, but if you find somepony who can you're welcome to the design." Rarity said.

"I think I know just the pony." Matt said, curling the sheet back up. "Thank you so much, Rarity."

"Anything for you, darling. It should make getting to the castle much easier." she said.

As Matt left the Boutique, the Doctor scrambled to catch up with him. "Nabal! Nabal, there's something I forgot to mention." he said, catching up. "I know I said that Gabriel was an ordinary human, but that's not entirely true. He was once a prisoner in a scientific compound where they conducted numerous experiments on him, one of which gave him some limited magic-like powers."

"What do you mean 'magic-like'?" Matt asked.

"He can extend the range of his sword or claw swings by projecting an extension of energy, but it takes him quite some time to prepare it."

"Good to know, although I hope we don't have to actually fight with him directly. The Elements of Harmony should be enough to deal with him."

"Right, right..." The Doctor replied. "Back to it, then?"

.....

"Goooood morning, Ponyville! This is a test broadcast for the emergency broadcast system brought to you by Vinyl Scratch..."

"And Octavia."

"That's right! If any of King Nutjob's spooky monsters try to make a move, we'll be the first to know and you'll be the second. In the meantime, remember to lock your doors and be safe!"

Matt smiled as he heard the announcement that boomed throughout the whole town. He was impressed Vinyl and Octavia had gotten something set up so quickly. The train had finished it's improvements and was ready for the ride to Canterlot, so Matt was relaxing with a mug of hot cocoa just outside the station.

"Hey there, two-legs!" he heard shouted o him. He knew immediately that it had to have been Lyra. Naturally, Bon-bon was close by as well.

"Good morning, ladies. Where have you been? I assumed you came back with the Doctor but I couldn't find you." Matt said.

"We were taking a break. Too much excitement on our last outing, right Bon-bon?" Lyra replied. "Bon-bon...?" she repeated when she didn't get an answer.

Bon-bon had seemingly spaced out staring at Matt as he took a sip from his mug, almost as if she was seeing him for the first time. She snapped out of it after Lyra waved a hoof in front of her face.

"O-oh! Yes, too much excitement..." she stammered.

"Riiiight... Are you two joining us for the attack?" Matt replied.

"Oh, no... we couldn't..." Bon-bon answered.

"We already told Vinyl and Octavia that we'd help them keep ponies informed here. Somepony's gotta stay behind while the rest of you go do all the heroics." Lyra said.

"I see. Well, it was nice to see you again. We should catch-up sometime, I want to hear about your adventures with the Doctor." Matt said.

"If only you knew, two-legs. " Lyra replied cryptically. "Speaking of, the Doctor said he was looking for you, I think he parked the TARDIS by Sugarcube Corner."

Matt waved after the pair and finished his cocoa before heading off to see the Doctor. He spotted the TARDIS quickly, and as he approached the door burst open and the frantic Timelord emerged.

"You wanted to see me, Doctor?" Matt said.

"I did? Ah! I did! Good timing, we just finished." The Doctor said.

"We? Finished what?" Matt asked.

"That blacksmith you brought me hadn't forged a weapon in many years, but we somehow managed." The Doctor said as said blacksmith emerged from the TARDIS, pushing a small cart with a bundled up cloth atop it.

"It wasn't my area of expertise, but I think it came out rather well." the smith said.

"Tempered by the heart of a dying star..." The Doctor said, unwrapping the cloth to reveal a glistening sword. "The Blade of Harmony. For you, Nabal." he said, gesturing for Matt to pick up the weapon.

The sword was truly a thing of beauty, made to the exact specifications Rarity had set. The blade shone brilliantly in the sunlight, and Matt could make out the same engravings Rarity had designed for it. The hand-guard and handle were made of gold, the handle wrapped in a smooth brown cloth. The golden pommel had a thin pink cloth dangling off of it.

Matt picked the sword up, finding it lighter than he had expected but still having a nice weight to it. He held the weapon straight up and noticed his reflection in the blade. His once shoulder length hair had gotten quite long during his stay in Equestria, something he had somehow not noticed before.

"Don't forget the scabbard!" the smith said, passing a durable feeling sheathe for the weapon to Matt. It came included with a strap for across his waist and diagonally across his chest.

"Get some swings in with that thing, you'll need it for the Shades." The Doctor said as Matt sheathed the blade and attached the scabbards straps to him. The sword rested comfortably on his right hip.

"I'll be sure to practice. I have to ask, why go for gold in the handle?" Matt asked.

"The Doctor said it's for 'magical conductivity', I just think he wanted it to look nice." the blacksmith answered.

"A bit of both, truthfully." The Doctor said.

…...

The day of the attack had arrived, and Matthew Nabal swung his new sword into the open air of a field nearby Ponyville. Rainbow Dash lay idle on a cloud floating low to the ground.

"You've been swinging that thing for hours. Do you feel any better with it?' she asked.

"Hard to say..." Matt said, sheathing the sword. "I feel like all this has really taught me is that I'm out of shape..." he said, huffing for breath.

Rainbow Dash giggled. "I thought you said you were good at everything?" she teased.

"Hey, I said things I tried. Never in a million years did I think I'd be swinging around a sword to help save a kingdom."

"Whatever you say, Gary Stu. Let's get going, we're heading out in a few hours." she replied, flying off.

"And what's that supposed to mean? Rainbow Dash!" he called after her as they headed back to the train station. As they arrived, Matt saw Twilight speaking with the conductor.

"Thank you so much for everything you've done." Twilight said.

"Anything to help the princesses, ma'am." the conductor replied.

The conductor walked off as Matt and Rainbow approached.

"Everything good to go?" Rainbow asked.

"It would appear so, just as soon as everypony arrives." Twilight said.

Matt, Rainbow and Twilight all sat down, Matt between the two mares. "So this is it, huh..." Matt said.

"Sure is! Time to kick this guy's butt straight out of Equestria!" Rainbow replied.

Matt was absently staring out into the sunset, unaware of how much his body began to tremble as he thought of what lay ahead of them. He felt Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash reach for one of his hands.

"It'll be alright." Twilight said.

"Yeah, we've got this, no problem!" Rainbow reassured.

"... I know." Matt answered. "I know as long as we're in this together, we'll be alright. We're going to steal away tomorrow, right out from under his nose."

"That's the spirit!" Rainbow said as the group noticed more ponies arriving.

"Now Applebloom, you gotta stay here and help keep everypony safe. Leave the rest to us." Applejack said to her younger sister.

"That goes for you as well, Sweetie Belle. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are most needed here at home." Rarity said.

Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo all gave them a salute and swore to do their best.

Spike followed Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, both of whom were giving him instructions to care for their pets.

"C'mon, guys, I've taken care of Angel and Gummy before. I know what I'm doing." Spike said.

"Better safe than sorry, Spike. Thank you so much for taking Angel for the night." Fluttershy said.

"I would've brought Gummy with me, but he's cold-blooded so he has to stay home and warm." Pinkie said.

Twilight smiled as her friends all got onto the boarding platform. She then noticed Cadence and Shining Armor arrive as well. Before they could all board the train, somepony called out for them to wait. The Canterlot celebrity Fancy Pants had come to see them off, along with a large group of other ponies.

"I thought it best the citizens of Equestria come see you brave heroes off!" he said. The crowd he brought with him cheered and celebrated, the group all waved to them with smiling faces. Matt and Fluttershy seemed a bit uncomfortable, while Rainbow Dash and Rarity seemed to be enjoying every second of it.

"Oh my gosh, I almost forgot!" Twilight Sparkle said as she opened a large book she had brought with her, revealing the hiding place of the Elements of Harmony. As she floated the five other Elements to their proper bearers, she adjusted hers within the tiara atop her head. The crowd seemed to get even more excited at the sight.

"It's time we headed off." The conductor called back to them. "Night has officially fallen."

With that, everypony resumed boarding as the engine roared to life. Matt was surprised to see the Doctor was already aboard, watching Canterlot castle in the distance out his window. The doors shut as they all began to take their seats.

The Doctor seemed to snap out of it as the train began to move. He looked back to see the nearly full train car. "When did all of you get here? Eh, doesn't matter. Let's go over that plan one last time."

…...

"They should be on the way, soon." Amethyst said as Gabriel rose from where he was lying.

"Already? I was having a lovely little nap..." he replied with a yawn, noticing her downtrodden expression. "... You don't have to do this. I forgive you if you don't."

The mare sighed as a sad smile graced her features. "I knew you would say that."

He placed a hand on her shoulder gently.

"You may want to put your armor on." Amethyst said, noticing he was still in plain clothing.

"Of course, of course." he said as she headed for the door. "Oh, and Amethyst?" he called out. "I love you."

She didn't turn to face him, but she hesitated before leaving. "I love you, too."

Chapter 41: The Battle for Canterlot

The train ride was lively, the excitement of the oncoming trial seeming to infect everyone aboard. Jokes were told, speeches were given, memories were recalled. Matt sat quietly in the back of the car, mind wandering off toward the shielded castle they steadily approached. They were nearly there now, and Matt had expected some resistance instead of the relatively calm ride. It was then that Matt noticed something flying towards them.

"... and then I was like-" Rainbow Dash said, in the middle of an anecdote.

"Sorry to interrupt, but what the hell is that?" Matt asked, pointing outside.

The rest of them seemed to notice it now as well. There were multiple flying objects heading to intercept them.

"They almost look like..." Twilight began.

"Dragons?" The Doctor finished. "He sent dragons? Everyone, brace for impact!" he said as the train began to be pelted by fireballs.

The train shook from the force for what felt like several minutes. After it stopped, the group observed the dragon shades doubling back to hit them from behind.

"Can we take another volley?" Shining Armor asked.

"Mr. Conductor, damage report!" The Doctor yelled to the cab.

"The armor held up, we should be fit as a fiddle!" the Conductor yelled back.

"What if they start shooting at the windows...?" Matt asked, quickly getting an idea. "Do you think magic could strengthen the glass?"

"Glass is a pretty decent conduit for magic, so that might work!" Twilight said as she, Rarity, Shining Armor and Cadence began to reinforce the windows.

Another volley of fireballs began to hit the train, and as Matt had predicted some of the shots were aimed precisely at the windows of the car.

"Good call, Nabal." The Doctor said.

"W-where are they going now?" Fluttershy asked, noticing the Dragons turning around once again.

Instead of pursuing the train or shelling it with more fire, the shades seemed to be in flight toward Ponyville. The magic in the windows began to fade, and the windows themselves seemed to lose their strength as some of them broke. Even from as far away as they were, they could hear the sirens of Vinyl and Octavia's emergency broadcast radio.

"That spineless... He sent them to attack the town instead!" Applejack said.

"Relax, Lyra and Bon-bon know how to deal with shades. They have a chance at fighting them off." The Doctor said.

"A chance?! What about everypony else?!" Applejack asked, clearly frustrated that there was nothing they could do.

"... If we deal with Gabriel, the shades will disappear. That should be our goal." Matt added calmly.

"We have another problem! Dead ahead!" called the conductor, prompting some of the group to lean their heads out to see what he was talking about.

Ahead of them, rushing down along the tracks were what seemed like hundreds of shades. Their skeletal forms raced toward them in an attempt to slow the train down.

"Ah." the Doctor said. "Mr. Conductor, I do believe it's time you use that thing I gave you."

"You got it, sir!" the Conductor yelled back.

"What 'thing' did you give him?" Twilight asked.

"A piece of very rare and very powerful enchanted coal. It will give the engine a massive burst of energy and speed. Think Pinkie Pie, but with caffeine." The Doctor replied.

After a moment, the burst of power kicked in and the whole group was thrown from their seats into a large pile in the back of the car. The sounds of many, many things impacting the train from outside and the crunching of bones underneath them were all they could hear, aside from the roar of the engine.

"This is AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Provided we don't go flying of the tracks, I agree!" Matt shouted in response.

Through glimpses out the windows, many different shades could be observed trying their best to stop the train, although their brittle bodies didn't get them very far. The sounds of impacts and bones began to die down as the train kept rushing forward. With one last mighty roar, the enchanted coal burned out and the locomotive began to slow. The group began picking themselves up and out of the heap they were thrown into.

"Aw, and we were all getting so close!" Pinkie Pie said, giggling at her own joke.

Matt smiled and rolled his eyes at her pun. "At the very least, I don't know what else he could throw at us. We're almost there." he said.

"I'm beginning to think that Gabriel had anticipated us..." Rarity said, dusting herself off.

"He probably did. Despite his madness, he's quite the tactician. Since he knew about Celestia's letter, he more than likely guessed something was coming." The Doctor said.

"That reminds me, Doctor; when is Gabriel from? Nothing about him is an obvious hint to his time period." Matt asked.

"Ah, well... he's from the modern era, same as us. Something I had thought about for awhile now is how we crossed an ocean of existence, yet no distances in time." The Doctor replied.

Just then, the train began to slow to a halt as the exterior began to glow. "Oi! What's the holdup, Mr. Conductor?" The Doctor called out.

The Doctor trotted up the cab to investigate, while the others leaned their heads out of the windows again, spotting a familiar purple-cloaked pony standing on the tracks.

Amethyst slowly walked towards them as the glow around the train began to get brighter.

"I'm sorry, but the city of Canterlot is closed!" she shouted. The train began to be lifted off the tracks by her magic. "Although I suspect you already knew that." with a single flick of her head, the train was thrown into the air, off the hill the tracks were on. Her task complete, Amethyst smirked as she vanished in a flash of light.

Shrieks of terror erupted from the train. In a desperate attempt to save them, Twilight began to use her magic on the train same as Amethyst did, somewhat slowing its descent. Shining Armor noticed her efforts and quickly began formulating a plan.

"Rarity, Cadence! We have to help her!" he shouted.

As the other three focused their magic on the train as well, it began to slow to a near halt in midair, slightly crooked to the left side.

"I-It won't move anymore! We can't push it back!" Twilight said, clearly under great stress.

As Matt picked himself back up, he scrambled to think of any way to help, but found that there wasn't much he was capable of. Looking around the train, he spotted Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and got an idea.

"Rainbow!" he called out. "Do you think you and Fluttershy can push the train back towards the tracks while they hold it up?" he asked.

"Hey, yeah! That should work! C'mon, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Oh my... I'll do my best!" Fluttershy replied, following her blue friend out the window.

"Everyone else, we should lean to the other side to make it somewhat easier for them!" Matt shouted to the others inside.

Slowly but surely, the floating train began to slowly push through the air. With some adjustment from the magic and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's efforts, it was no longer lopsided and was nearly overtop the rails when it began to fall faster. The strain of holding up the massive metal machine had began to tear at the poor magic users who floated it.

"Dash, ya'll need to align us faster!" Applejack shouted.

"We're... trying...!" Rainbow replied in between breaths.

Fluttershy huffed much heavier than Dash did, but quickly began to push herself to try and match Rainbow's pace.

"C-can't... hold it!" Twilight said as the magical grip slipped even more.

The exertion of the ponies paid off as the train reconnected to the rails below, albeit just barely. The magic pony collapsed to the floor, exhausted. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew back inside and joined them.

"That was amazing! You guys actually did it!" Pinkie said, producing confetti out of nowhere.

"You're dang right we did..." Rainbow said through deep breaths. "Good hustle, you guys." she said, congratulating the magic team.

"Couldn't have done it without you..." Twilight replied, equally out of breath.

The two mares smiled genuinely at the other as the Doctor came back from the cab. "Right, well, now that we're back on track, we're arriving at Canterlot station." he said.

Pinkie Pie rolled on the floor from laughter while the rest began to pick themselves up.

"Does anyone need any help?" Matt said.

"Nah, just winded is all. That thing was heavy." Rainbow said.

"You could say that again..." Fluttershy added.

"As long as I go easy on the magic, I should be fine. Although I wouldn't mind if you... wanted to carry me around..." Twilight said.

"Now's not the time for that, you two! We have a fight to win!" Shining Armor said.

"He's right. Let's get going." The Doctor said. As the group left the train, the Doctor turned around to the conductor. "You might want to head back to Ponyville, they'll need all the help they can get. My bet is that some of the shades who tackled us kept going."

"Thank you, sir. I wish you all the best of luck." The Conductor said, retreating back into the cab.

"Now then, just a quick jog up to the castle and we'll be done with it, eh?" The Doctor said.

"Somehow I doubt it'll be that easy." Matt Nabal replied.

The streets of Canterlot were somehow silent, devoid of any sort of life. The abandoned homes and shops around gave off an ominous air.

"Seeing Canterlot like this... It feels wrong." Princess Cadence said.

"You could say that again, this is easily the most quiet it's ever been." Twilight added.

"It would almost be kind of nice... if it weren't so creepy." Fluttershy said.

"Hey, did anypony else notice that it's like, really warm?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Matt looked around and noticed a lack of snow anywhere in sight, and despite how late at night it was in the dead of winter, it was warm indeed.

"Now that you mention it..." Matt began.

The Doctor, who was leading the unit, stopped in his tracks. He pulled out his screwdriver and scanned around with it. "We've got company. Time to see if the Blade of Harmony makes the cut, Nabal."

"Oh my go- since when did you make terrible puns?" Matt asked.

"I blame Pinkie Pie." he replied.

"That's fair!" Pinkie said between giggles.

Just then, countless shades began to emerge from every abandoned building nearby. The streets ahead of them began to flood with the skeletal beasts of many different species.

"Remember everyone; they can't take too much punishment, just go crazy and try not to hit each other." The Doctor said.

Matt drew his sword, letting rest in his hand for a moment. "I hope it's as easy as you say it is..." Swallowing hard, the human charged forward and slashed down at a shade. After an odd crunching sound, the shade's eyes went dark and its body dissipated with a poof. "Oh... good."

Applejack ran ahead and kicked with all her might, resulting in another fallen shade. "Well how about that! This should be easy as apple pie!" she said.

Twilight Sparkle blasted a line of shades with a magical beam. "They fall easily, but there's a lot of them. I'm afraid that this might take awhile."

Rainbow Dash tackled a bunch of shades in rapid succession. "Then let's get to work!" she said.

As the group began to fight through the shades, more and more kept appearing. The enemy was slashed, kicked, blasted and tackled over and over again. Pinkie Pie had brought along one of her party cannons, although she had loaded it with something besides confetti. As she fired the cannon, whatever it was loaded with impacted a shade and exploded, taking out others nearby it.

"Pinkie... what did you put in there?" Fluttershy, who was hanging back to avoid combat, asked.

"Oh these?" Pinkie said, shooting another blast. "These are my special super-spicy tamales!"

Matthew Nabal cut through two shades who had leapt at him. "There are too many of them. We need to move while we fight." he said, trying to come up with a plan.

A few more slashes dropped a few more shades before an idea struck him. "I've got it! Rainbow Dash!" he called out. Rainbow flew up from the swarm of shades to spot the human holding up his free hand and beckoning to her. She flew over to him. "What do you say we start an aerial assault?" he asked.

Dash grinned at his suggestion. "Oh yeah, now we're talking!" she said.

She grabbed onto his free hand with her front hooves and lifted the human. "Head towards the castle! Everyone, follow us!" Matt shouted.

Rainbow did as she was asked as Matt slashed at every shade the passed over, cutting a path for the rest of them to follow. As they made some major ground, they slowed as they saw a large shade that resembled an ogre of some sort.

"Hey Matt, I don't think that one will go down in one hit. But I do have an idea..." Rainbow said.

"Alright, let me hear- whoa!" he said as Dash began to spin rapidly, causing Matt to spin too. As they spun, his sword hit many shades nearby before Dash flung him at the large one. Matt regained his senses as he flew toward the over-sized monster and held his sword out in front of him.

Matt's flying form skewered the beast, the human landing with a small roll on the other side as the beast began to crumble. He held his head as if trying to stop his vision from shaking. "Well done, Rainbow... although, I wish you'd properly warn me next time."

The group had mostly caught up to them but they were still some ways away from the castle and it's barrier. As yet even more shades began to flood nearby, Matt found himself getting overwhelmed. As an arm from one of the monsters was about to hit him, he closed his eyes only to not feel the blow. When he opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by a blue magical barrier. The barrier expanded, smashing many shades into the walls of buildings and disposing of them.

"That was a close one. There are way too many of them to try and ignore to get to the castle." Shining Armor said as he trotted over to the human.

"I noticed... but you just gave me a great idea." Matt replied. He whispered his plan to the stallion who responded with a sly grin.

As a group of beasts began to rush them, Matt pointed his sword forward. "Bubble 'em." he said.

Shining Armor created a large dome of magic around the approaching horde. The shades scratched and clawed at the wall of the dome as it began to shrink. The sounds of crunching bones and screams of pain erupted from the barrier dome, as it was now small enough to be passed by effortlessly.

Matt walked to the small bubble and slashed it in two, causing everything within to dissipate.

"Where do they go when they 'poof' like that?" Shining Armor asked.

The Doctor, who was following closed behind, answered him. "Most likely they're returning to Wrath. Merely defeating them wouldn't release them from Gabriel's control."

"So, wait." Matt began. "Does that mean we're fighting the same ones over and over?"

"That's possible. After returning they do need some time to reform, but he can send them back whenever they're ready." The Doctor answered.

"Then we should hurry." Shining Armor said before he heard a call for help from the rest of the group nearby.

"W-we need some help back here, guys!" Twilight said, clearly getting overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

As Shining Armor went to help, he was intercepted by more shades. Matt quickly tried to come up with something to help, remembering what the blacksmith had told him about his sword's magic conductivity.

"Twilight!" he yelled, immediately getting her attention. "Use this!" he said, throwing the sword in her direction.

As the blade flew closer to her, Twilight caught it using her magic, finding the weapon nearly weightless in her magical grasp. She flung the blade down on a shade, splitting it instantly. Picking the sword up again, she ran it through several more shades, diminishing their numbers rapidly. She began to thread the blade through the enemies like a needle, allowing them all to regroup as she dropped more and more foes.

"Well..." The Doctor said. "Guess I should've made her one, too."

"She's amazing..." Matt said, clearly distracted.

When a large section of the horde had been cleared, Twilight began to rejoin the group as well, spotting a reptile-like shade sneaking up on Matt.

"Matt, look out!" she said.

Matt snapped out of his gawking and turned to see the beast, large claws outstretched and getting closer to him. In desperation, Twilight launched the blade back toward her partner, shouting his name as she did. Matt noticed the blade darting toward him. As it flew slightly passed him, he reached for the handle and swung to keep the momentum going, splitting the lizard shade in two.

Matt wiped the sweat from his brow before turning to Twilight again. "You're the best, Twilight."

"Let's keep this momentum going. That last wave proper cleared them out, we should be able to make it there." The Doctor said.

As everyone rushed ahead, Matt waited for Twilight. He sheathed his sword and gently patted her head. "I mean it. You're the best."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short, you had some moves out there too. We're the best." she replied, fluttering up ever-so-slightly to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"W-w should try to keep up, don't want to get separated." Matt said, trying to hide his blush.

Twilight giggled as they ran to catch up with the others. A few more groups of shades blocked their path, but nowhere near the amount that had faced them earlier. Before long, the reached the edge of the barrier, just outside Canterlot Castle.

"Finally... Matthew, if you would be so kind." The Doctor said.

Matt reached his hands into the barrier, finding it somewhat difficult to break through. When he did, he used his arms to split open a hole into the barrier. "Alright, everyone in. I can't do this forever."

As they all began entering the dome, many loud sounds came from the city behind them. The shades they had defeated had begun to return in number and Twilight, Shining Armor and Cadence were all still outside the dome.

Cadence and her husband shared a glace and a confident look before Shining Armor pushed Twilight and Matt through the dome, which also caused it to close.

"What are you doing?!" Twilight asked, rising to her hooves.

"The last thing we want is for these goons to follow you guys into the castle. I'm sure that Amethyst girl would let them in if she wanted to." Shining Armor said.

"We'll stay back and distract them. Since the six of you have the Elements of Harmony, you need to make it inside." Cadence added.

"We should get going, the trip here combined with our trek to the castle ate up a lot of time. We only have a few hours till sunrise." The Doctor said.

Twilight sighed in frustration. "Fine! But we'll be back for you, I promise!"

Cadence and Shining Armor turned to face the horde as their comrades ran to the castle. "Are you ready, darling?" Cadence asked her husband.

"Of course I am! If we're fighting together, there's no way we can lose!"

…...

As the last of them entered the castle, The Doctor once again drew his screwdriver. "Right then, I'll work on freeing the princesses, the rest of you deal with Gabriel."

"Are you sure you don't need me to come with you, Doctor? I'm sure they're being held magically." Matt asked.

"No worries, my young friend." The Doctor said, pulling out a small purple stone with a metal ring attached to it. The claws on his screwdriver attached to the ring, turning the glow of the screwdriver from green to purple. "This is my anti-magic countermeasure. Not as effective as you, but should do well enough." he said, following the glow of the screwdriver off on his own.

"I-I guess it's just us, then..." Fluttershy said.

"Yep! Time for the final boss!" Pinkie Pie said.

One last shared laugh among the group as they began to head for the throne room, determined to save their home from Gabriel's violent machinations.

A sense of camaraderie filled each one of them, unity that would endure no matter the outcome of the trial ahead.

Chapter 42: Hatred's Right Arm

Nearly an hour before Matt and the others reached the castle, Gabriel observed the group moving through the city from the telescope mounted on one of the castle's towers. He found their struggle rather amusing, but knew he shouldn't waste any more time watching them. He retreated back into the castle and began to make his way to Celestia's chambers. As he stopped at the door, he took a deep breath before opening it.

He strode inside to find a still awake Celestia who met him with a glare.

"What do you want?" she asked.

He chuckled at her bluntness before responding. "I just thought I'd inform you that some of your subjects are on the way here."

"They are...? Who?" she asked, climbing off of her bed.

"Don't act like you don't know. You sent the letter, did you not expect Twilight and her friends to come running to try and save you?"

"Y-you knew about the letter?" Celestia asked.

"Of course I did. Looks like they're being led here by the Doctor... A shepherd leading his sheep right into the jaws of a wolf. They even brought their human with them." Gabriel said, running a clawed hand through his hair.

Celestia looked distraught as she tried to come up with some way, any way to warn Twilight and her friends. Or at the very least, some way to beg Gabriel to spare their lives.

"Twilight certainly is following in your hoofsteps..." Gabriel said, regaining the princess' attention. "Much like you, her life is about to be defined by her failure."

"Please; have mercy on them. Your anger is with me." Celestia said, ignoring his taunts.

"My anger is with the entire world!" he shouted, getting closer to the magical bars that separated them. "My hatred for this damned dimension I'm a prisoner of stretches far and wide. The people, the nations, the rulers; all of them! That's why I'm going to tear it down, starting with you. You failed Luna one thousand years ago, you failed me a decade ago, and now you're going to fail Twilight and the rest of Equestria."

Gabriel began to walk through the magical prison bars, being merely a meter away from the princess.

"And yet even knowing all that... Despite everything I've waited so long for being within my grasp...!" Gabriel said, his hand trembling as he raised his claws against her.

He lunged at her suddenly, the princess flinching and shutting her eyes in anticipation for the attack. Instead, she found herself wrapped in an embrace by the tall human. His clawed right hand gently gripped the back of her head.

In an instant, Celestia began to see a series of visions. She saw Gabriel marching towards Canterlot castle with Amethyst. She saw great battles that he was in the center of, using his blade to cut down both sides. She saw his marriage to Amethyst. She saw somepony she didn't know dying in his embrace. She saw a poison in his left arm, slowly creeping up higher and higher. Left with no choice, she saw him remove his own arm to cut the venom off.

Then she saw herself, banishing him from Equestria forever. As the events of his life unfolded in reverse before her eyes, she saw his friendships with ponies of Ponyville, his first love, and even the event that brought him there. As the visions began to fade, Celestia felt tears roll down her cheeks. The shock of what she had just witnessed left her silent.

Gabriel leaned in to her ear to whisper one last message.

"I forgive you."

He pulled away from the embrace and made his way out of her chambers, leaving the princess still stunned at the clarity presented to her.

…...

"Is it just me, or did they tear down all the curtains?" Rarity asked.

The group moved cautiously through the castle, carefully making their way to the throne room. They passed several broken stained glass windows and ruined drapery. As they got closer, a voice began to boom throughout the castle.

"I swore to myself that day to get as strong as I could. My strength would tear the borders of this world down and plunge it into a world-wide hatred. But before all of that, I knew I had to deal with Celestia."

The voice was clearly Gabriel's, and it's point of origin seemed to be the throne room they were inching towards.

"Her cowardice is the center of all of this; everything I have done, she is the one to answer for."

"Blaming the princess for his cruelty... unbelievable." Twilight said.

"His delusion is what led him here in the first place. He must think he's justified." Matt added.

Gabriel's voice continued, almost as if reading off a script. "All these years, the only thing pushing me forward was my lust for revenge. I know better than anyone that it has consumed me. Should I ever make my way home... Should I ever find myself back in Equestria..."

They reluctantly opened the door to the throne room and spotted the usurper King sitting on the throne, holding a charred black book.

"May my hand forget its skill." he finished, closing the book and setting it down on one of the throne's arms.

After a moment of hesitation, the group all entered the room. Gabriel crossed his legs and smiled his toothy smile at them.

"So, I'm going to assume you're here to discuss my offers? One at a time, please." Gabriel said.

"Pfft, as if we'd change our minds!" Rainbow Dash said.

"So... those dreams really were you?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Of course. Had to siphon a little power from Luna, but it surely saved me some time." Gabriel responded.

…...

Princess Luna lay in bed, gazing listlessly out the window. It was late into the night, and normally she'd be up and about doing her duties. For some reason she felt as if getting up would take too much energy. On top of that, the loneliness of her isolation had begun to take hold of her. Her eyes glanced around from her window and noticed a bouquet of silver-white flowers on the stand nearby her door, just within the magic suppression field, with what looked like a note attached to them.

She willed herself out of bed to go over and inspect them. The flowers glimmered when touched by the moonlight coming in from outside. She picked up the note attached, which was folded in half with the words 'Thank you for everything' on it. She unfolded the note.

"Dearest Luna,

We didn't get much time to catch up, which I deeply regret. I say that, and yet I never had the courage to come and see you. No matter what, however, my ambitions could not be reached without you. What I hope to accomplish tonight will change the world. You're a part of that, so you are owed a thanks.

The flowers are Lunar Orchids; a strain that feeds on moonlight as opposed to sunlight. I think they reflect the beauty of your night as much as anything could."

That's where the note ended, although she didn't know what she was being thanked for. She placed down the flowers in an empty vase nearby her window, assuring they get plenty of moonlight. She read the note again, resting on her bed once more.

…...

"Siphon? You stole her power?" Rarity asked.

"Well, her and Celestia. Amethyst may be a powerful mage on her own, but her magic suppression field can sap the magical strength of any within it. Her power, and by extension mine, has only grown since we've been here." Gabriel explained.

"I-In any case, we're here to stop your war." Twilight said, opting to not think about the idea that the princesses were being drained of energy.

"And to save the princesses!" Pinkie Pie added.

Gabriel's eyes swept over them, noticing the accessories that they each wore as well as the sword at the other human's hip.

"Those... are the Elements of Harmony, right? How... interesting." Gabriel said as he rose from the throne.

Matt stood by as the ponies moved forward, the magical relics that adorned them glowing faintly.

"If you know what these are, you should know what they can do against the forces of evil." Twilight said. "We'll ask you once to stand down."

The scarlet King stared back at her, meeting her determined gaze with one of amusement. He began to laugh uproariously. "If only I could clap, I'd give you a round of applause my dear." he said as his laughter subsided. "Very well." He said, extending his arm and beckoning. "If you think you can subdue me, then do it. Give me your best shot."

"You asked for it... ready, girls?" Twilight asked her friends.

The bearers of the Elements responded enthusiastically. They all closed their eyes as the relics began to glow and they all started floating, just off the ground. The light coming off of them was intense, Matt had to squint as he watched them. Twilight's eyes opened, revealing two glowing orbs as the magical energy flowed through her.

A large wave of brightly colored energy erupted from the mares and the artifacts they wore. Gabriel was swallowed up by the light, seeming to completely disappear within it. The force coming from them was intense enough for Matt to brace himself, lest he be sent flying.

As the magic kept flowing from the ponies, they had begun to notice that not much else was happening.

"Does it usually take this long?! I feel like this is taking longer!" Rainbow Dash shouted over the roar of magical energy.

"Um... I don't remember, honestly..." Fluttershy said, barely audibly.

"I can feel it!" Twilight said. "Something's definitely happening!"

"You've got that right." said someone unknown as the sound of something cracking could be heard.

A shadow could be seen in the stream of magic, moving closer to Twilight. The stream of magic solidified, causing it to stop erupting from the Elements and breaking apart, knocking all the mares back. Twilight Sparkle was caught in midair by her throat as her tiara went flying behind her.

"Well, so much for that." Gabriel said, his clutch around the princess's neck causing her to squirm. "Even magic that ancient can't punch through the human body. Probably helps that the resistance is based on willpower."

Gabriel held the princess up higher, his clawed gauntlet beginning to draw small amounts of blood. "What will you do now, Twilight? Perhaps my offer is looking much better now." he chuckled. "I'm done asking for your fealty." he said, rearing back his arm to toss her. "I demand it!" he declared as she went flying through the air.

Twilight's vision spun as she herself did, bracing for an impact with the ground that didn't happen. Instead, she was caught from her fall, wrapped in the arms of her human partner. Matt had been blown back by the blast earlier, but not to the extent of the other ponies. He was able to recover in time to catch Twilight.

He sent her down gently, examining the small cuts around her neck.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Don't worry about me... we need to get out of here, quickly." she replied.

"There's no way he'd let us go so easily. You pick up the girls, I'll try to hold him off." Matt said, shocking Twilight.

"Matt, you can't! He shrugged off the Elements of Harmony, he'll... he'll ki-" Twilight stammered in protest.

"Even if he does, the Doctor is saving the princesses. If all of you make it out alright, I know you'll think of something." he said.

"I can't just leave you here... you said you didn't want to watch anypony you love die, well neither do I! We'll try again, we have to try something." Twilight replied.

Matt sighed in frustration, knowing he was unlikely to change her mind. "If anything does happen to me, promise me you'll get the others out safely." he said.

Twilight was about to protest again, but decided against it. "I promise." she said.

Matt stood up and began to draw his sword, turning to face the King. Gabriel didn't hide his amusement as the other human began approaching him.

"Oh? You're coming right at me? And is that a sword you're brandishing?" Gabriel said jovially.

"It is. Dealing with you should be my responsibility, anyway." Matt replied.

"You think so? And why would it fall to you, boy?" Gabriel asked.

"You're from the same dimension as me, and we're both humans. Your sins feel like my sins." Matt explained. "You need to be stopped, and my resolve is to do everything I can to stop you."

"Very well, then. Nothing's stopping you, go on and stop me." Gabriel said, beckoning the younger man.

Matt rushed forward, swinging his sword down at the king who caught the blade. Gabriel examined the sword caught in his clutch.

"It's a very lovely blade, although it seems to have the slightest of imperfections riiiiiight..." Gabriel twisted his wrist and closed his palm, breaking the sword nearly in half. "... here!" Gabriel looked closely at the blade half still in his hand before tossing it aside.

Matt was shocked by the ease of crushing his weapon, but still held it up in a defensive stance. When he refocused, he saw that Gabriel was no longer in front of him. He looked around for the mad King, panicking at losing sight of him. He felt someone tap his shoulder and when he turned to see who it was, he was met with a punch to the gut. The air was knocked out of him and he dropped his half of a sword, doubling over in pain.

"Huh? Was that it?" Gabriel asked. "Your brave final stand is over already?" Matt was still trying to stand despite his pain. "Fate may have been kinder to you since arriving on these distant shores, but my anger is what fuels me. Hatred fuels my blood. But what fuels you? 'Friendship'? Perhaps, 'love'?" he taunted. Gabriel let fly another blow, this one hitting Matt in the chest, pushing him back substantially. "You have the nerve to preach to me with words like 'resolve' and 'responsibility' and yet here you are."

Twilight cringed at the sight of Matt being attacked, but had successfully helped all of her friends back to their hooves, and now were trying to gather the Elements of Harmony that got scattered around the throne room.

Gabriel had began swinging at Matt more frequently now, his anger clearly growing. "My 'resolve' is revenge. Not just on Celestia, but on this whole damn world. My only 'responsibility' is to myself and my path. I'm going to rip this planet apart with my bare hand and no one as weak as you will stand in my way." Despite the blows he sustained, Matt still stood. "You, who reject what you are in favor of pretending to be righteous. You're a human! Without us, there is no hate. There is no anger, no vengeance, and no destruction." he said, using his fist to knock Matt skyward. "We disguise our true selves with false truths and empty words, and yet we prosper." he caught the young man by an ankle on his way up and dangled him upside down, watching as the blood from his wounds began to drip. "We are destined to repeat the sins of the past until it no longer matters. Until it's too late. This is what it means to be human!" he reeled back and threw the younger human much the same as he did Twilight Sparkle earlier, watching as he landed hard, face-down. "... what it has always meant."

Twilight and her friends had finally found the last of the Elements, and Twilight had told them of her plan to try and use them again against Gabriel. Her and her friends began charging them again.

Gabriel noticed and laughed again. "Really? Again? Be my guest, I'll make fools of you twice!"

Matt lay there, on the ground, feeling the most pain he'd ever felt. Despite his state, he could hear the Elements being charged again, meaning Twilight and the others had decided to try again instead of escape. He wanted to yell at them to run, but he knew they wouldn't listen. Gabriel had said it himself; the Elements, nor any other kind of magic could work on a human if their willpower resisted it. He knew what would happen after they let loose the next blast. They would be reduced to the same state as him, maybe even worse. An idea began to form in his mind, but he had no idea if it would work, or what the consequences would be.

Matt moved his broken body, trying desperately to stand again, much to the surprise of Gabriel and the ponies. Crimson dripped from his wounds and the slashes in his clothes from Gabriel's claws.

"Twilight!" he shouted. "Everyone! Blast me!" he continued.

Twilight was taken aback by his request, but trusted that he had some sort of plan. "Are you sure?!" she asked.

"No, but we're out of options!" Matt yelled back. His eyes were locked with Gabriel's, who stared back at him with disgust in his eyes.

Twilight shared a glance and a confident nod with her friends, deciding to go along with Matt's impromptu plan. Now that the Elements had charged, they began to project the energy at the human who had requested it. As the light washed over him, he relaxed his mind and let the Elements into his body. Gabriel used his hand to shield his eyes from the blinding light. As the light subsided, the Elements returned to their default state.

Matt still stood there, but now it seemed as if he was giving off light of his own. His wounds had appeared to heal, his hair was lighter in color and was flowing freely, much like Luna and Celestia's. His eyes glowed white with energy, like Twilight's did as she focused the Elements.

Matt extended his left arm and opened his hand. The broken half of the Blade of Harmony flew into his hand, the sword beginning to overflow with energy as well. In another flash of light, the blade extended and became curved where it was broken, creating a jagged edge. The golden hand guard expanded and resembled Twilight's tiara, complete with a large star-shaped jewel. The once pink cloth dangling from the handle was now multicolored, resembling Princess Celestia's mane and defied gravity just the same.

"Well, well, well!" Gabriel said. "It seems like we hav-" before he could continue, Matt had made his way across the room and landed a strong punch right to his face, sending the King spiraling away. Now, it was Gabriel laying face down on the throne room floor.

"Whoa..." Rainbow Dash said.

"Anypony know what's goin' on over there?" Applejack asked, receiving several head shakes in response.

Gabriel picked himself up, laughing quite hard the whole time. "Impressive!" he said between laughs. "I felt it, in that punch." he said, rubbing his jaw. "I felt your resolve. Now you're worthy of my attention. The rest of you, however..." he trailed off, snapping his fingers.

Amethyst appeared in a flash next to him. "I expected you to call earlier. We could've been done already if you had." she said.

"Now, now, Ammy. Why don't you go distract our other guests while I deal with this one?" Gabriel asked.

"Understood." she replied, warping over in front of the group. Flames from the torches within the room began to glow purple with magical power, being guided to create a wall of flame between the ponies and the humans.

Gabriel reached behind his left shoulder, unhooking his dragon wing cloak and throwing it aside. The cloak's color began to distort from brownish-red to an off white color. Where Gabriel's left arm should've been was a small pauldron like piece of armor.

"Surely you must've known that humans are naturally sinful creatures." Gabriel said, drawing his sword, Wrath. "The Elements will attack that evil within you, you're unlikely to survive unscathed."

"I know." Matt replied. His voice was distorted yet controlled. "But that doesn't matter. I'm dealing with you first."

"Ah, so he says. Fine then, let me taste of your power." Gabriel responded, sprinting forward.

Upon seeing this, Matt rushed forward as well and the two humans clashed. Stopped by their swords, mere inches apart. Even then, Gabriel was grinning.

…...

"I thought I told you all earlier, Canterlot is closed." Amethyst said.

"Please, stand down. We need to help Matt and we don't want to hurt you." Twilight said.

"Well, that's a shame." Amethyst said, as some of the flames began to creep up her cloak. "Because I don't mind hurting you." The purple fire burned away her cloak, revealing a light set of black armor underneath. Her hairband separated and half slid down, covering her eyes like a visor. "You won't be getting in our way, not when we're so close."

"If that's how you wanna be, we have no problem kicking your flank first!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Um, actually I..." Fluttershy began before being cut off.

"What she said!" said Applejack in agreement.

"Numbers won't help you. Then again, I hardly expected you Equestrian ponies to know how to anything on your own." Amethyst said. Magic flew from her horn, spreading out into the air and form small spheres. "Let's begin." she said, causing the spheres of magic to all simultaneously fly at them.

Twilight produced a magical barricade to cover herself, not realizing that some of the orbs weren't aimed at her. Dozens of them flew at the other members of her group. Rainbow Dash dodged them easily, as did Applejack. Rarity had some trouble until she did as Twilight did. Pinkie Pie was enamored by how pretty the balls were as they flew past her. Fluttershy, however, panicked and flew away terrified, which worked in her favor as it caused the magic to miss.

As a second volley of shots were launched by Amethyst, the group all moved forward behind Twilight.

"We have to fight back, we can't just defend the whole time." Twilight said, forming an idea. "Rarity, I need you hold the barrier up." she said.

Rarity did as she was asked, absorbing the shots as Twilight charged her counterattack. When the hits stopped coming and Amethyst began to charge another volley, the barrier dropped and Twilight's magical blast erupted from behind it. Amethyst was forced to move and stop her attack, which let her foes begin to close in.

…...

On the other side of the flames, sparks danced as blade clashed against blade. Matt's swings were fast and aggressive, contrasting Gabriel's slower, heavier hits. The power coursing through Matt's body gave him the strength to block the King's blows, something he knew he wouldn't be able to do otherwise. The sheer force from Gabriel's blows that Matt dodged created small fissures in the ground.

"The Elements seem to be enhancing your physical ability, I doubt someone like you could've withstood a blow from me otherwise." Gabriel said.

Gabriel's banter was ignored as Matt continued his attacks.

The older human blocked his swing, and in the same motion swung horizontally, something Matt had barely dodged. There was some distance between them now.

"Where's that bravado you spoke with?" Gabriel asked, pointing his sword at the other human. "Surely you're enjoying this, at least somewhat?" Matt continued to glare as his only response. "Perhaps I'm not even talking to you, just the Elements controlling your body."

"The Elements are raging inside me right now. I can hear them even though they don't speak. They cry out in anger over your actions. As for me?" Matt's gaze glanced down to the sword resting in his hand, glowing with magical energy. "I hate this. My body is burning up but it's the only way I can stop you. And I have to stop you. It's my responsibility to put you down."

"Well you should try to have some fun before the Elements kill you, or turn you to stone, whatever it is they do." Gabriel replied.

Matt raised his sword, mirroring the way Gabriel was holding Wrath. "It doesn't matter what happens to me, so long as you die first."

Gabriel smirked. "That's more like it. Let's have some fun!" Gabriel said, stabbing Wrath into the ground.

From beneath the tiles of the throne room, square pillars of stone began to rise, large enough to hide behind. Gabriel pulled his sword out of the earth and rushed into the new forest of pillars. Matt knew he would've had a hard time tracking him inside if he didn't go in as well, so he did.

Despite his best efforts, he lost sight of the madman. He looked around the pillars cautiously, not seeing or hearing anything. A slash came through one of the stone columns, cutting it in half and nearly cutting Matt as well. Gabriel was nowhere in sight behind the falling pillar. After a few more moments of silence, Matt cut through a pillar situated behind him, as Gabriel leapt from behind it to dodge his slash. The falling pillars began to knock over the standing ones. Swords were swung between the remaining columns, neither human landing any solid blows through them.

Gabriel stabbed through the stone, sure he had landed a hit. To his surprise, a cloud of sparkling dust was the only thing he hit. The cloud moved quickly, collapsing in on itself to reveal Matt.

"I guess physical ability isn't the only thing they changed." the younger human said, rushing back in to the fray.

…...

Twilight and her friends rushed Amethyst, quickly getting closer and forcing Amethyst to go on the defensive. Amethyst used her magic to float, gliding away in an attempt to avoid them. Rainbow Dash had already caught up to her and tried to tackle her. Amethyst shot a blast her way forcing Dash to dodge. Meanwhile, Applejack approached her from a lower angle, ready to buck with all her might. Her hooves were met by a small bubble shield, sparing Amethyst the blow.

"You've got the force, but not the speed!" Amethyst taunted as the shield repelled the earth pony. She had a smug look as the shield dropped.

"Wowie! How'd you get so good at magic?" said Pinkie Pie, suddenly behind Amethyst, startling her.

In this moment of distraction, Rainbow Dash homed in on the villainous unicorn and tackled her hard, landing her a few feet from the raging inferno.

"How's that for speed and force?" Rainbow asked, hiding that the hard impact against the armored mare hurt more than she expected it to.

"Why you little..." Amethyst said, picking herself up.

Before they could continue, stone pillars from the other side of the fire began to fall around them, forcing them all to dodge. Amethyst seized this opportunity, catching some of the pillars and levitating them using her magic. She launched the pillars like javelins at the opposing ponies. Fluttershy and Rarity didn't understand what was happening before the pillars collided near them, almost directly hitting them. They had been cut off from the rest of the group, but mostly unharmed.

Applejack saw the incoming pillar and leaped as high as she could, landing on the pillar she dodged.

"We need to finish this; she'll only get more dangerous as the fight goes on." Applejack said.

Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle had used their wings to avoid the pillar-missiles launched their way, flying close to Applejack.

"Yeah, but what can we do? She's making it a huge pain to get close to her." Rainbow responded.

"Between the fight to get here and now... I'm feeling magically exhausted." Twilight said. "But I think I have a plan to finish this." she said, whispering her plan to her friends.

Applejack smirked. "Alright, Twilight. But you better not miss." she said, running up the length of the pillar she stood on and jumping toward the mare throwing them around.

Amethyst lined up her shot and charged her magic before shooting AJ down in midair.

"You really thought a frontal assault would work? You're dumber than you look." Amethyst said.

As Applejack fell backward, Twilight Sparkle zoomed past, using Applejack's attack to mask her own approach.

"What did I just say?" Amethyst said, charging another beam before being suddenly grabbed from behind. "What the hell?!"

"Twilight! Do it now!" Rainbow Dash yelled, holding the armored enemy tightly.

Twilight began charging a magical blast with all the magic strength she had left. Amethyst began discharging blasts, trying desperately to slow down the advancing princess. Twilight wasn't exactly skilled at flying yet, but with Rainbow messing up her aim she had an easy time dodging the incoming attacks.

Twilight pulled up, now face to face with the invader. "Sorry about this! Now!" she shouted.

Amethyst felt Rainbow Dash began to let go of her as a massive wave of energy hit her head on. She was sent flying into a wall, sliding down as the visor part of her hairband broke off and landed nearby. She tried to lift herself up one last time before collapsing, unconscious.

Twilight felt herself begin to fall like a brick, her energy spent. She was caught by Rainbow Dash who let her down gently.

"Did... did I hit you...?" Twilight asked between heavy breaths.

"Oh, uh, nah... I mean, not too much." Rainbow replied with a confident smile.

"And I..." said Pinkie Pie, carrying Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack. "Saved these three!" she added, gently letting them down.

"I really shoulda protested my part in the plan... I'm gonna be feelin' that one tomorrow." Applejack said.

"You did great, AJ! We couldn't have done it without you." Rainbow said reassuringly. "Though we're all pretty exhausted. Hope Matt can handle the rest."

…...

As the pillar separating them crumbled, Gabriel stood unamused on the other side.

"You're determined to make this not fun, aren't you? Fine." Gabriel stomped and the rest of the pillars, as well as the remains of the fallen pillars, crumbled and retreated into the ground. "Guess playtime's over." he added as he swung his sword at the other human.

Matt blocked his swing with his own sword as Gabriel began to swing faster. Matt had a hard time blocking so many powerful blows, looking for an opening to dodge.

Gabriel laughed as he noticed the heat generating between the swords. "Fun fact; Timberwolf breath is incredibly flammable." he said before exhaling a puff of green breath which ignited by the heat and sparks caused by the swords, creating a small explosion.

Gabriel used the force of the blast to jump into the wall of fire. He began to exhale, the trails of green breath become flames that Matt had to dodge with his newfound teleportation ability. Gabriel blew his breath along the length of his sword, and with a mighty swing, coating it with the fire from the wall and simultaneously extinguishing the blockade from the force of the swing alone.

The King rushed the younger human, his flaming sword creating swathes of flame in the air. Instead of blocking the next swing, Matt turned into sparkling dust again and began to reform behind Gabriel. He was surprised that Gabriel had already swung in his direction.

"You leave a trail when you do that, fool. You won't escape!" Gabriel said, pressing his advantage.

Matt blocked the blow, the heat from the fire burning his hands. He knew he had to back off somehow. He hopped back as Gabriel swung upwards, creating a small column of flame, obscuring Matt's vision of the man.

When the fire died off, Gabriel was nowhere to be seen. No trace of him was evident. Matt spun around, checking in every direction for a hint of red. He saw that since Gabriel had extinguished the wall of fire, he could see his friends on the other side. They looked tired and somewhat injured, but Amethyst was lying unconscious on the ground, meaning the threat to them was taken care of.

In this small moment of hesitation, a slashing sound was heard, like a blade ripping through something. Matt looked around for the source, any sort of trace of the mad King. He realized too late the one place he forgot to look as he just barely saw Gabriel falling from a tear in the space above him. He had no time to react. Gabriel brought Wrath down and landed a powerful slash to Matt's back as the younger human howled in pain.

Every nerve in Matt's body screamed in pain. He felt the blood begin to flow from his wound in ludicrous amounts. Despite this, his grip on the Blade of Harmony only tightened. He spun around, landing a strong two-handed slash to a surprised Gabriel's chest. His surge of adrenaline faded as he fell to one knee, using his sword to support himself.

Gabriel hadn't expected such a sudden counterattack. Blood had started flowing from the new crack in his chest-plate. He staggered back a few steps before regaining his balance.

"Now that... that felt like resolve." he said, stabbing Wrath into the ground before inspecting his wound. His clawed gauntlet felt around the damage area of armor. He held his hand up and marveled at the blood dripping from it. "Another blow like that and I may have to call it quits..." he said.

He grabbed the handle of Wrath as the runes on the blade and Gabriel's eyes began to glow. "Just kidding." Matt watched in horror as Gabriel's wound began to close. When the runes of the sword stopped glowing, his wound had entirely closed back up. "Alright... ready for round two?"

Matt brought himself back to his feet. He felt an intense burning from the wound in his back.

"Oh ho! It would seem that the Elements still have use for your body, they don't want you to bleed out."

Matt reached a hand back and discovered that Gabriel was right; his wound had mostly healed, assuredly from the magic coursing within his body.

"I've stopped having fun with this. And judging from what happened over there..." Gabriel said, gesturing to the group of ponies watching from across the throne room. "So has Amethyst." he picked up his sword and propped it up on his shoulder. "It's time to end this."

Matt pulled himself together into a combat stance and stared Gabriel down.

Gabriel's smile was gone. Matt could tell he was taking this seriously now. The mad King let out a war cry and advanced, prompting Matt to do the same.

…...

Princess Celestia's chamber door opened suddenly. She sprang up out of bed, hoping to not see Gabriel and his hate filled eyes. To her amazement, she found only a chestnut colored pony wearing a bow-tie.

"Doctor?" she asked, astonished.

"Sorry I'm late, princess. I had to wait for the time to be just right." he said, waving his sonic screwdriver in front of the magical bars keeping her imprisoned. The small purple stone on the end of the screwdriver began to glow bright and the bars began to shatter.

"Doctor, Gabriel, he's..." she started.

"I know, I know. But there's no time for that. We have to save Luna first." the Doctor replied. "Did he hurt you? Can you walk?"

"He often threatened to, but never did. I'm fine." she replied.

"Fantastic. Let's go." he said, taking off down the hall with Celestia in close pursuit.

"What did you mean, 'waiting for the time to be just right'?" she asked.

"I was told to wait a bit before rescuing you two. Keeping to the schedule, and all." he answered.

"By who?"

"Ah! Here we are!" the Doctor said as he threw open Luna's chamber door.

Luna jumped in surprise at the sudden entry. "What in the... Doctor? Sister?!" she said, instantly elated to see them. "Oh, I'm so relieved that you're alright!"

"As am I." Celestia replied as the Doctor began to destroy the bars with his screwdriver.

"Does this mean that the battle is over?" Luna asked, climbing off her bed and stretching her legs.

"I'm afraid not, but it should be soon." the Doctor answered.

"Where are they?" Celestia asked.

"They should be in the throne room still, unless... Oi! Where are you going?" the Doctor said, noticing Luna taking off down the hallway.

He and Celestia shared a glance before following after her.

…...

Twilight and the others watched as the two humans slashed at each other relentlessly. Fluttershy couldn't bear to watch it any longer and Rarity began to comfort her.

"There there, darling. Everything's going to be alright." she said.

"They're... they're ripping each other apart..." Fluttershy said quite sadly.

What they had seen could be described as 'ripping each other apart' and as such, Rarity couldn't really think of a way to reassure the yellow pegasus.

"I hate just sitting here, doing nothing." Rainbow Dash said, clearly frustrated.

"Not much we can do. Dealing with Amethyst drained all of us." Applejack replied. She noticed that Twilight was staring at the battle, near motionless. Applejack tried to watch, but couldn't help but wince at the sheer amount of blood being spilled. She then noticed something else.

"Are they talking?" she asked out loud.

Across the room, a flurry of cuts spread a tempest of blood around the two humans.

"Not too bad for being self-taught. Keep that stance a bit wider and you might be of some worth!" Gabriel said, thrusting forward with a powerful kick. Matt blocked the kick, though the force still sent him backward.

Gabriel began charging energy into his sword and Matt had recalled some advice the Doctor had given him beforehand.

"Another tip about sword-fighting; you should keep your body lowered!" Gabriel shouted as red energy extended the blade by several feet, long enough to hit the wall behind Matt. He swung the elongated sword horizontally and Matt had barely ducked the edge of the energy-blade.

The castle's wall behind him was cut in half, most of it crumbling down as Matt used this opening to rush the older human.

Gabriel wasn't willing to let him get too much closer while he had the range advantage. He stopped his swing and swung again, once again horizontally although much lower this time. Matt had anticipated this, and instead of trying to duck the swing he had jumped over it.

Gabriel's extended blade was long enough to nearly hit the ponies watching, as well. They all ducked just to be safe, and a small snippet of Twilight's mane and been cut.

Gabriel knew he had almost no way of stopping Matt's next blow except for retracting his energy blade which he quickly did. He blocked the young mans aerial swing, albeit just barely.

The flurry of sword swings continued as Amethyst began to stir. The group of ponies prepared for another battle, but Amethyst merely watched the fight after getting back on her hooves.

"Hey, uh... you don't wanna fight anymore?" Rainbow Dash asked, surprised.

"There would be no point." Amethyst answered.

"Sure there isn't. I don't trust her." Applejack said.

Twilight studied the mare closely. She knew they couldn't trust her, but she didn't seem to have any ill-intent towards them anymore. She gasped as she noticed a tear drip off of her face. Almost silently, she had begun to cry as she watched the two humans fighting.

"It's almost over..." Amethyst said, almost as if a whisper.

Matt knew he couldn't defeat Gabriel with a mortal blow. He also knew that if he kept the Element's magic within him, it would only hurt him more. He truly couldn't think of a way to end the battle at all. Any wound they would inflict on the other would heal, meaning they would most likely fight until the Elements consumed him.

Only one idea came to mind. One last desperate move to put the human King down. If it failed, Gabriel's machinations for the future of Equestria were certain to happen.

He also knew that he would probably die either way.

In the middle of their storm of swords, Matt used the stance Gabriel had used earlier in their fight to block a swing from the King and immediately counter. Instead of a slash, Matt stabbed the Blade of Harmony into Gabriel's abdomen.

Gabriel was surprised at this maneuver, and even more surprised as Matt plunged the blade in deeper. He knew he would recover from this, he had recovered from much worse in the past. That's when Matt clutched the handle with both hands and began to release energy into the sword, and thus into Gabriel.

An overflowing amount of light began to leave Matt's body and enter Gabriel's, causing them both to scream in pain. Matt's hair and eyes began to return to normal. As the light began to die down, Gabriel dropped Wrath and placed his hand on Matt's shoulder.

"Forcing... the Elements... into my body... heheh..." Gabriel said, gasping for air. "You did great..." he added.

Matt didn't have the strength to move as Gabriel leaned forward and rested his forehead against the young man's.

Suddenly, Matt's mind was flooded by visions. What he saw he knew could only be from Gabriel's mind. Memories of great battles, scenes of unimaginable horror and grief. He saw he and Amethyst's treasured moments. Faces of friends long since passed flashed as well. Everything he saw, he saw from Gabriel's eyes. His crimes, his vile deeds, his slaughters. Matt could feel the crushing weight of every life Gabriel had ended.

His memories continued to rewind. Matt watched as he cut off his own arm, an attempt to stop poison spreading through him. He saw as he discovered Wrath for the first time, among a pile of treasure. He saw his sentencing by Princess Celestia to be exiled.

His saw his days of leisure with his best friends, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy.

He saw his blossoming romance with Twilight Sparkle.

He saw the accidental portal that had brought him there in the first place.

He saw the accident that robbed him of his parents.

As the visions stopped, Gabriel pulled his head back as the door to the throne room opened, and in walked Luna, Celestia, and the Doctor.

Gabriel's hair began to turn a lighter color as scars began to appear all over his body.

"It's in your hands, now."

He pushed himself off of the blade and fell backward onto the stone floor, a pool of crimson emerging from under him.

Celestia, one of the few people present who knew the truth of what had just happened, decided she could do one last thing. Although it was early, she began to raise the sun. Matt's shadow passed over Gabriel before sulight washed over the broken human, who struggled to block the sun from his eyes.

"Even after all I've done... you would embrace me one last time?" he said with a small laugh. "You sentimental old fool..." He closed his eyes and let his clawed gauntlet rest on his chest. "Still, I must admit... I've seen this world through the eyes of a nomad... It was great to be home."

He smiled as the life faded from him.

Matt watched all of this in quiet disbelief before he felt the toll the Elements had on his body.

He dropped his sword and fell back, watching as everything went black.

Final Chapter: Knight of Equestria

Matt awoke with a shock, sitting in an ornate chair in a immaculately white room. The sun was shining bright outside. All the furniture in the room was a pale white color. A large white piano was being played on the other side of the room.

"Where am I?" Matt asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Only you, can make this world seem right. Only you, can make the darkness bright." sang the piano player, a voice Matt immediately recognized.

The piano was on a small rotating platform which rotated to reveal the performer.

"What the hell is going on here?" Matt asked.

"Settle down, you look like you've seen a ghost." Gabriel replied, continuing to play his song.

"How are you even...?" Matt began to ask before seeing what seemed like light coming from Gabriel's left side, forming an arm of some kind.

"What's wrong, don't like it? I suppose we didn't really care for music, did we?" Gabriel asked.

"Shut up."

A low chuckle escaped Gabriel. "Fine, fine. I guess I should be going, anyway. Everything went perfectly, so I should be off." Gabriel said, standing from behind the piano.

"'Perfectly'? It went 'perfectly'?! You terrorized a nation and hurt my friends! You killed untold amounts of people to even get here in the first place!"

"I did what I had to!" Gabriel shouted in response. "I don't expect to be forgiven for anything I've done. But none of this was for me! It was for you! It was for your future! One day I hope you'll understand that..."

A blinding light appeared from behind Gabriel and he turned to face it.

"Now then..." Gabriel shouted as Matt covered his eyes from the blinding light. "Pass into history, and become a legend! Live the life I couldn't!"

"No, wait! Get back here!" Matt said as Gabriel began walking into the light. Darkness had begun to emerge from behind Matt, almost as if trying to swallow him whole. "Get back here you bastard!" Matt demanded, taking some steps towards the light as well. The darkness grabbed onto his legs with invisible hands, tripping him.

"You can't end it like this! I... I can't..."

He screamed in defiance, tears streaming down his face as the light faded.

The last thing he saw was his own hand reached out in blackness before it consumed him.

…...

After the battle, the injured were taken to the finest medical facility in Canterlot as the citizens were allowed to return. Twilight's neck wound was cleaned and dressed, Applejack had suffered some minor sprains, and even Amethyst was patched up before being put under extreme surveillance.

Twilight walked into to Matt's room to see how he was doing, only to find him still asleep. When the fight was over, she rushed to his side only to find him in a deep slumber. They arrived for treatment at the same time. Matt's wounds were treated, the worst of which was the large wound on his back. They weren't fatal, but he still didn't wake.

"I'm afraid he's been like this since he arrived." said the doctor who was treating him.

"I'll wager the Elements of Harmony did quite the number on him." said Princess Celestia as she entered the room.

"Princess!" said Twilight as the doctor bowed in her presence.

"Hello, Twilight. I've come to check up on all of you who fought so bravely in our stead." she said. "When I was told Matt had taken the Elements within himself, I was very worried. It would seem they have... shut him down, so to speak." she concluded.

"So... will he wake up? Is he going to turn to stone?" Twilight asked, fear making her voice quiver.

Celestia gently placed her horn against Matt's chest. It began to glow faintly. "I... can't tell the extent of the damage. His heartbeat seems abnormally slow..." She lifted her head back up. "I can't imagine he would've let him go through with it if it would be fatal..." she said, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"'He'? Who are you talking about, Princess?" Twilight asked.

Celestia gently placed a hoof on Twilight's head. "There are some things you deserve to know. That you need to know. Come with me to the castle and I'll tell you everything."

…...

Later that night, another patient seeking treatment snuck her way into Matt's room. She gently closed the door behind her as she softly trotted over to his bedside.

"Hey Matt..." Rainbow Dash said. "Word travels pretty fast, and I didn't even spread it this time! Princess Celestia and Princess Luna made a statement about the whole Gabriel thing. They said you were a hero!" the excited expression left her face before she continued. "... They also said that it almost costed your life. Your doctor told me that you hadn't woken up and I... well, I'm having a lot of emotions right now."

She brought her forelegs up to his hospital bed. "When I saw what you and Gabriel did to each other, a-and when they told me you didn't wake up, I..." tears began to drop from the proud pony's eyes. "I was so scared... I know we haven't known each other for too long, and we're not... 'together', but you're special to me. If you don't wake up, I don't know what I'll do..."

His calm expression as he slept didn't do much to make her feel better, but it did somewhat reassure her. He was still here.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you why I'm in the hospital, too." she said, wiping her eyes. "When I held Amethyst for Twilight's attack, I took more of a hit than I thought I did. The doc says it's a minor concussion. I'll be fine, and you better be, too. Goodnight, Matt."

With that, she tried her best to sneak back out as quietly as she snuck in. She hated the idea of getting scolded for a breach of visitation hours.

…...

The next day, Twilight made her way back to the hospital to check on Matt and her other friends still receiving treatment. She stood in front of the door to his room, a deep sense of unease overwhelming her.

Princess Celestia had done as she said she would and told Twilight everything. She now knew the magnitude of who Gabriel was and the impact of the revelation had shaken her to her very core. She knew she had nothing to fear from Matt, but she worried more about whether or Matt knew the truth as well and how he would take it, on top of worrying if he would even wake up.

She slowly and gently opened the door to find Matt already had some visitors. Applejack, still wrapped in bandages herself, along with Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie.

"We figured you'd stop by sometime today." Applejack greeted.

"Twilight, darling! How is your wound healing?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, it was just a scratch. Compared to Applejack and Rainbow Dash, it's nothing."

"Speaking of injuries, Matt's doctor was just here! He said something about internal damage caused by the Elements of Harmony, but everything else is a-ok!" Pinkie Pie said.

"B-but he hasn't woken up yet..." Fluttershy added.

"Oh, yeah, there's that..." Pinkie replied, calming down a bit. "I'm sure he's just tired! He really must've exhausted himself fighting back there."

"I do hope he gets better soon, I'm sure the ponies of Equestria would love to celebrate such a heroic individual." Rarity said.

Twilight paused to wonder if Matt would consider himself a hero. She supposed it depended on whether or not he knew the truth. She also decided that no matter his choice, he was a hero to her.

"I hope so, too..."

…...

Another day goes by and Rainbow Dash was told she could go home, but to go easy on the flying while she recovered. She was happy to hear it, excited to be able to sleep in her own bed. On her way out she decided to stop by and check up on Matt who hadn't yet awoken, or so she was told.

When she opened the door to his room, she was somewhat surprised to see Twilight Sparkle already inside. Twilight was resting her head on Matt's bed and Rainbow had guessed she was asleep until she heard the door open.

"Wha- oh, good morning, Rainbow Dash." Twilight said.

"It's already passed noon." Rainbow replied with a laugh.

Twilight, clearly embarrassed, laughed as well. "I-I knew that..." she said.

"Haven't been sleeping well?" Rainbow asked, taking a seat next to her alicorn friend.

"Is it that obvious?" Twilight answered. "I've just been so worried about him... I don't want to miss the second he wakes up."

"I know how you feel, I'm worried too." Rainbow said. "But if Matt were awake, he'd probably tell us both to knock it off."

Twilight giggled at the thought. "That sounds like him. So unconcerned about himself that he wouldn't want anypony else to be concerned about him, either."

"That's not gonna stop us, though!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "We're gonna be there for him every step of the way, right?"

Twilight smiled brightly. "Of course." she replied, looking a little sadder. "Rainbow, I'm sorry about ignoring your feelings and, well..."

Rainbow looked a little surprised. "Hey, don't sweat it. Romance isn't really my thing anyway. Besides, I think the two of you are great together." she added. "We're still friends and it's not like you two being together will change that, right?"

"Right." Twilight responded happily.

…...

As the days crept on, the assurance that Matt would wake up began to fade. He hadn't so much as moved a finger for an entire week. Numerous ponies came in to visit him, and some even sent him flowers.

The princesses had made sure to tell the people of Equestria of his deeds of heroism, so now the sleeping human was beginning to become somewhat of a celebrity across the land. The princesses had also mentioned his lengthy hospital stay, and so the nation cried out in hope that he would have a swift recovery.

Twilight Sparkle rarely left his side, ever vigilant. Her friends had offered to take her place watching over the human, but she politely declined. She hadn't gotten a restful night's sleep ever since the battle. She struggled to keep herself awake and would often drift off to sleep, but never for long.

Late the evening of the seventh day of his slumber, Princess Luna burst into his room, startling a snoozing Twilight.

"P-princess! Hello! W-what brings you here?" Twilight stammered.

"Celestia had told me that Matthew Nabal was still sleeping soundly, but I had to see it for myself." she approached and looked down at the human closely. "Hmm... Despite my loud entrance, he remains asleep. So it is true..."

Matt and Luna had become fast friends shortly after meeting. She missed their long conversations late into the night. She noticed out of the corner of her eye, Twilight Sparkle had let out a large yawn.

"My sister has also told me that you've been here in the hospital with him for a week." she said.

"Yes, I... I want to be by his side." Twilight responded drowsily.

"That is admirable, but I cannot allow it!" Luna exclaimed, lifting Twilight with her magic and placing her on her back. "Your vigil is lacking due to your exhaustion, you will come with me back to the castle and have a good night's sleep." she said, more of an order than a suggestion.

Twilight wanted to protest, but decided it was better not to. "You're the boss... one night couldn't hurt." she replied.

"Then, onward!" Luna said as she dashed out of the room, only stopping to gently close the door behind them.

A few hours later, an otherworldly sound filled the small hospital room as a large blue box began to materialize within. Three ponies quietly stepped of it. Lyra, Bon-bon, and the Doctor approached Matt's bedside.

"I thought you said we'd get back a week after the fight. He's still asleep." Lyra said.

"He is..." the Doctor said, scanning the human up and down with his screwdriver. "That's odd." he declared.

"I think the Elements did more damage than you thought they would." Bon-bon said.

"I think Gabriel did more damage than I thought he would." the Doctor replied. "He didn't hold back, even slightly. Without the Elements healing him, Matt probably wouldn't still be breathing right now."

"Well if that's the case, why is Two-legs still out?" Lyra asked.

"I have absolutely no idea." the Doctor said, putting his tool away. "This is clearly something magic related. If I had to guess, his internal injuries were too severe for even the Elements to heal all at once. It's possible they're keeping him asleep to keep him from interrupting the healing."

"How would he interrupt it?" Bon-bon inquired.

"Human magic resistance is based on willpower as well as emotions. He will most likely to go through quite the emotional roller-coaster when he wakes up, which could jeopardize his well-being. I mean, assuming my theory is correct. Only time will tell." the Doctor said, heading back to the TARDIS.

"Get well soon." Bon-bon whispered as she followed after him.

"Yeah, what she said." Lyra added, following as well.

As the TARDIS dematerialized, silence once again came over the small hospital room. In the corner of the room, the air began to distort and glowed faintly as a pony appeared from within.

Amethyst stepped out from her cloaking spell, relieved to finally be alone with the human.

"Hopefully there are no more surprise visitors." she said to no one in particular.

She walked over to his bedside. She gently placed a hoof on his chest.

"I had guessed something like this would happen. I guess it was just a risk he was willing to take."

She focused magic into a circle underneath her hoof and just above his chest. The circle spun rapidly before dissipating.

"Ah, it would appear the Element of Magic bonded with you the deepest. That would explain the teleportation, I guess. It also seems to be healing you internally, like the Doctor said... I need to get back to my cell before they noticed I'm gone. But..." she leaned in close, right next to his ear and whispered. "Come see me after you wake."

And with that, she teleported away, back to her cell in the Canterlot Dungeon.

…...

Two more days had gone by with no noticeable improvement in Matt's condition. Twilight had returned the morning after her restful night at the castle and resumed her constant watch over the human, despite how tiring it may have been.

Matt's doctor had begun to worry about the princess, not wanting her to risk her own health in the process.

"Princess Twilight, as a medical professional, I must tell you that what you're doing isn't very healthy. We don't even know if he will wake up..."

"I... I know that. Thank you for your concern, but I'm not giving up on him." she replied.

"O-of course, your majesty." he replied as he left the room.

Twilight leaned forward onto Matt's bed, knowing that such a position would probably lead her to fall asleep. She was determined to be there to wait for him as much as she could, no matter what it cost her. She placed one of her hooves in his hand as she began to drift off.

"Please come back..."

…...

Endless, eternal blackness. That was all that lay before Matthew Nabal. He didn't even know if he was laying flat or simply floating, and he didn't even care. Darkness had consumed all that he knew. The only thing that filled his mind was hate.

Hate.

Hatred for the man who destroyed his life. Hatred for the killer who shared the weight of his sins with Matt. Hatred for the man who was allowed to die and be free of that weight while it crushed him from within.

His hatred for Gabriel and hatred for himself were the same thing in his mind.

He spent his time in that darkness blaming himself for everything Gabriel had done.

Snippets of light let in familiar voices, none of which he could hear clearly. He didn't know how long he had been there. He had nothing to take out his newfound anger on. He couldn't even move his body.

There he remained, seething with his hatred for what could've been eons as far he was concerned.

Eventually, he heard a voice again, but this time he was certain he knew who it was.

"Please come back..."

Instead a small flash of light cutting through the dark, this was a mighty light that blinded him. The dark in front of him dissipated and he unconsciously took a step forward. Surprised that he could moved again and that his feet were on solid ground, he immediately began to run. He was desperate to escape that darkness. As he got closer and closer to the source of that light, he jumped and reached out to grab it.

…...

Twilight Sparkle felt something wrap around her hoof. She awoke to see that Matt's hand had gripped her. This being the first time he had moved in nine days, she immediately jolted awake.

"Matt?!" she exclaimed.

The young man's eyes began to open. He wasn't still in the throne room of the castle and wasn't back at home in the library. He scanned the room, looking for any indication of where he was until he spotted a tearful Twilight.

"Twilight? Why are you crying?" he asked.

The princess leapt up and wrapped her hooves around the human and began to cry into his shoulder.

"I was starting to think that you would never wake up..." she sobbed.

She explained to Matt that after his battle with Gabriel, he had fallen into a nine day slumber. She also explained that after Gabriel's defeat, he was being celebrated as a hero. As much as she didn't want to leave his side, she quickly went to inform the others about his awakening.

Matt stood from his hospital bed and immediately felt pain in his back. He stood back facing a mirror and grimaced at the long scar running diagonal across his back. All his thoughts of scars lead him to look down at his right arm and the scar that ran up it. The sight sparked an idea in his head.

He luckily found that his clothes from the battle and been repaired, most likely by Rarity. He got dressed and left the hospital, ignoring the protests of his doctor and the other medical staff.

He had something he had to see for himself.

…...

As he made the short trip through Canterlot to get to the castle, many ponies recognized him and sang his praises, a stark contrast to the way he was treated by Canterlot ponies not too long ago. He politely waved back to them and continued his walk.

When he arrived at the castle, he had a peculiar request for the guards out front.

"Take me to the body."

After a shocked reaction, one of the guards did as he asked while the other assuredly went to report to Celestia. When he arrived at the room Gabriel was being kept in, he waved the guard away and thanked him for his service. The blue room was bizarrely cold, a pattern of a snowflake emblazoned on the floor. Laying on an ornate table was the fallen human. Matt approached hesitantly and removed Gabriel's clawed gauntlet before turning his arm over, revealing the same scar that ran along Matt's arm.

Having confirmed the visions Gabriel had given him with own eyes, he felt overcome with rage. He knocked over another ornate table in the room, thrashing about until he found himself leaning forward on the wall of the room, tears streaming from his eyes as he expelled a scream of pain.

"He wasn't a good man." said a voice. Matt looked up to see the Doctor. "He was a monster. But in the end, he did the right thing."

"You knew...?" Matt asked weakly. "You knew!" he exclaimed, more of an accusation.

"I did." was the Doctor's reply.

"That story of a friend you promised, all that talk of responsibility... it was all a lie?"

"No."

"Than what was it then?!"

"Gabriel was the friend I promised." this response made Matt silent again. "Long before he lost his way, he asked me to step in if he was too far gone. I did all that I could, but I couldn't stop him."

"... what was the point of all of this?" Matt asked, still crying.

"To save the future." this had caught the young human's attention. "When he and I... When you and I arrived here, we completely upset the balance of things. Gabriel's actions had set this world on the path to devastation. But something in him changed. He became remorseful of the crimes he committed. After finding a way to return to the past, he had concocted a plan and sent me a letter asking for my help."

"So all his talk about war..."

"Lies. Complete fabrications. His real goal was you."

"Me? That maniac planned for me to kill him?" Matt asked, wiping his eyes.

"He did. He knew that the root of his madness stemmed from his banishment from Equestria, so he decided the best way to pay for his crimes would be to become a grand villain that a brave hero could defeat. He had me guide you along the way."

"And how exactly does this solve anything?" Matt asked, glancing at the lifeless body of the fallen King, and then to his right arm which he found had begun to twitch.

"Well, there's no way for you to be banished now. The future where Gabriel stole countless souls in pursuit of revenge can never come to pass now. Which means the reality-destroying disaster he inadvertently started won't happen, either." the Doctor explained.

"There had to be a better way than... this. How am I supposed to live with myself with what I know? With what I've done?" Matt asked, desperate for an answer.

"You aren't him. Don't try to convince yourself that you are."

"Ah, there you are!" said Princess Luna, following the sounds of voices until she found them. "Amethyst wishes to speak with you."

…...

Matt entered a small cell in Canterlot dungeon. Despite being a cell to imprison someone, it had a bed, table and even two large cushions. Matt suspected Celestia had place these here deliberately.

"So, you've finally come. Did you sleep well?" Amethyst said, taking a seat on one of the cushions.

"What do you want from me?" Matt asked bluntly.

Amethyst closed her eyes for a moment before continuing. "I understand your hostility, but all I want to do is give you some parting gifts."

Her horn lit up with magic as two items appeared on the table between them. One was a green bottle with a ribbon tied around its neck. The other was the book Gabriel was reading when they arrived in the throne room. Matt picked it up and opened it, taking note of it's charred texture and worn pages. The first page read:

I'm not entirely sure why I'm doing this. My aunt gave me this journal, told me to vent and what-not. I don't think writing will ease any pain, but I suppose I can try.

Matthew Nabal, 7/18/2012

He stared down in disbelief. What he was holding was an aged and partially destroyed version of his personal journal. As he flipped through it quickly to see how much was there, he discovered that after a certain point the journal did not match his own and far exceeded its length.

"He kept it the whole time...?" Matt said absentmindedly.

"These were his prized possessions. He wanted you to have them." Amethyst said. Matt almost seemed like he didn't hear her, still so enraptured with what he was holding. Amethyst laughed softly. "You look just like he did when we first met..." she said, trailing off.

Matt didn't know how to feel about her comment, and felt his burning hatred from earlier begin to cool. No matter how he felt about Gabriel, he didn't need to take his anger out on others.

"I'm... I'm sorry for taking him from you." Matt said, closing the book.

He noticed Amethyst's expression light up, as if she were glowing. "I appreciate that. I know what he did was necessary, but... it doesn't make the hurt go away. I know our actions may seem extreme, but the time we come from needed to be changed. The two of you saved the world."

Matt couldn't help but smirk. "But at what cost? Is what had to be paid really worth it?"

Amethyst rose from her seat. "I think that's for you to decide. He wanted you to live the life that he couldn't, what you do with that is up to you."

Matt recalled the last vision he had of Gabriel had told him something similar. He still felt that dark hatred inside him for Gabriel, but he felt as if he understood him somewhat now.

"What will you do now?" Matt asked, also standing.

"Well, Celestia told me I was free to go, hence the lack of guards outside. Not as if they could contain me anyway. As part of the deal for me and Gabriel traveling back in time, I have someone I need to report to. After that, who knows?"

"Will we ever see you again?" Matt asked.

"Oh, I'm sure you will. No idea when, however." she said as they headed out the door.

Luna and Celestia were waiting for them outside and they bid farewell to Amethyst, who disappeared in a bright flash of light.

"She's an interesting one." Luna said.

"I feel like she was trying to be mysterious on purpose." Matt added, causing the three of them to laugh. "I should be going. I didn't tell Twilight where I was so I'm sure she's worried."

Luna and Celestia shared a look. "I will find Twilight Sparkle and her friends. We have something to give you as well." Luna said, heading out of the dungeon.

"What does she mean by that?" Matt asked, noticing the sly look on Celestia's face. "Okay, you're scaring me."

…...

"I hope you don't pull a disappearing act again..." Twilight Sparkle said with a hint of snark.

"Twilight, I already apologized. I needed to see some things for myself. Plus, it helped me cool down." Matt replied. "Hey, can you tighten that strap?"

Twilight did as she we asked. "I know, I know. Just some warning would've been nice. I waited by your side so long, when you weren't there I sort of... freaked out." she said. "Be sure to straighten the cape." she added.

Matt adjusted the cape attached to the front of his armor. "Well your concern means the world to me, you know that." He parted his hair and adjusted his gauntlets. As he did, the sounds of trumpets just beyond the door began to play. "I think that's our cue." he said.

"Are you sure you can handle this? There's a lot of ponies gathered for this..." Twilight said, remembering his fear of crowds.

"Oh, absolutely not. But with you by my side, I think I'll manage." he replied. "Let's not keep them waiting."

With that, the two of them stood side by side in front of a large ornate door that lead to the castle's main hall. As the door opened, an eruption of cheers greeted them as the walked inside. At the end of the room stood Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, and just off to the side stood their friends and Twilight's family. A massive crowd of ponies gathered on either side of the hall, with a path through the middle of them.

Everyone was incredibly well dressed, something he had thought they probably owed to Rarity. Twilight was also in an immaculate deep blue dress adorned with stars.

Matt wasn't clad in fancy dress, however. He instead wore brilliantly shining golden armor, made especially for him by the Royal Guard's blacksmith. A long blue cape followed after him as he and Twilight made their way through the room. They waved as they passed the crowd, both of them spotting ponies they recognized. Matt had seen the Doctor, as well as Lyra and Bon-bon.

As they reached the end of the hall, Twilight joined the other princesses as Luna levitated a small cloth trimmed in gold onto the floor, in front of Matt's right leg.

Matt knelt down, the clink of his armor echoing through the now silent chamber.

"Do you swear to always uphold justice and to always speak the truth?" Celestia asked.

"I do." Matt said, bowing his head and closing his eyes.

"Will you remain loyal to Equestria and her people, and always defend those in need?" Luna asked.

"I will."

"Are you prepared to face danger with bravery, and hatred with love?" It was Twilight who had the role of asking him that.

He reflected on the meaning of those words, love and hatred. He didn't know the meaning of either of them until he arrived in Equestria.

He glanced up at Twilight to see her beaming expression. A special bond connected them now, a certain type of joy that Matt hoped would never end.

He looked down at his shaking right hand. A man who was fueled by his hatred, or so he said. Some of that hate had rubbed off on him, he felt. He had never despised someone more than he did himself. He clenched his fist, pushing that feeling deep within him.

"I am." he answered.

Celestia stepped forward and rested her horn on Matt's right shoulder, gently lifting it and then resting it on his left.

"I dub thee Sir Matthew Nabal, Knight of Equestria. Arise, Sir Nabal!"

Matt stood to the thunderous applause of hooves thumping against the ground. Twilight and the rest of his friends rushed to embrace him. If he could stay like that, stay the way he felt in that moment forever, he would be content.

Epilogue: Afterlife

While the festivities of Matthew Nabal's knighting ceremony continued, a small group had left to visit Canterlot's graveyard.

Matt himself, along with Twilight Sparkle, had been ordered to attend this secret meeting deep on the edge of the cemetery, looking out over the lands below.

"The princess told me right after the battle, apparently Gabriel had told her everything." Twilight said.

Matt would rather Twilight had never found out about the truth about him and Gabriel, but it was too late. "... I'm sorry." was all he could say.

"What are you apologizing for? You're not him, and he's not you. This doesn't change the way I think about you." Twilight replied.

"... Thank you." he responded, softly.

Gathered around a large coffin were what Matt suspected to be the only people who knew the truth. The Princesses Celestia and Luna, the Doctor, Lyra, and Bon-bon. He and Twilight greeted them silently and took their place within the circle.

"I have gathered you all here today to swear an oath." Celestia said. "As the ones who know the truth behind Gabriel and his plan, we all must take a vow of silence from ever speaking about that truth, lest the future he gave us be jeopardized."

They all nodded their heads silently as a mechanism, presumably powered by one of the princess' magic, began to lower the coffin into the ground.

Matt stared at that large box as it was lowered, feeling conflicted inside. He then noticed the headstone that marked the grave.

Here lies one who gave up everything to give us tomorrow.

Matt decided his uncomfortable feeling inside was too much and that he needed to take a walk. His golden armor glimmered in the light of the setting sun as he turned and walked away. His blue cape flowing behind him in the cold winter wind.

"He still needs time to process everything, I guess." Celestia said.

"I'm afraid all the time in the world might not be enough." the Doctor replied.

Twilight quickly followed after him, catching up before long. She stood on her hind legs and wrapped him in a hug before letting go just as quick.

"I know you need your space. I just wanted to remind you that I'm here for you." Twilight said.

Matt gently ran a hand through her mane. "I know. I'll be alright." he said.

Twilight trotted back over to rejoin the group as Matt hopped up and sat on the edge of the stone cemetery wall. He looked out over the horizon. He could see Ponyville from where he was. He reflected on what he'd been through since he arrived there. Being ripped from his reality, finally bonding with other people, finally recovering from the death of his parents.

The amazing memories he had made in his short time there had changed who he was. He had once mused that Equestria was like an afterlife, some type of heaven or hell he'd been sent to when he died.

After everything he had seen, everything he had been through, he decided that if that was the case, he didn't deserve it. This afterlife was too good for him.

He sat there, thinking about what he's made of his time there. He reached into his golden chest-plate and pulled out Gabriel's tattered, burned journal.

He flipped through pages until he found where the differences started in their lives, and he began to read.

Prologue

Growing up, I was always told that I was destined for greatness. I never really understood it back then, but as the years went on it became fairly obvious. I was a prodigy. Everything I tried to do, I was good at. Because of that I was spoiled and exploited at the same time. I wish I would have realized it back then. Maybe I would've stopped and things would've happened differently. But I didn't. I didn't stop my childish addiction to praise. I didn't stop myself from letting my ego swell and engulf me. I didn't stop myself from caring.

Not that it matters now, anyway. My entire life up until this point has virtually been worthless. It's like I never even existed. Maybe that's for the best. I don't feel like living anymore.

I need to sleep.

Author's Note

I unfortunately abandoned this story for like six years when I originally meant to post it here. Thought it best to finish it off before the series ended. Takes place post season 3 pre season 4. Slowly transferring over from FF.net.

Chapter 19: The First Sip

Beneath the snow covered fields of Sweet Apple Acres, a single light fixture swayed to and fro, illuminating a small room filled with apples. The eerie lighting had left half of the room mostly unlit. Matt had followed Applejack down there at her request.

"Remind me again why we're in your creepy cellar?" he asked.

"I already told ya. It's a surprise!" she replied.

He sighed. He had learned to grow wary of pony surprises. At the very least, AJ didn't seem to totally hate him anymore. He could barely see her with the room's terrible lighting and he could hear her rummaging around in… something. He heard the distinctive sound of glass clinking together.

"Aha! Here we go…" exclaimed Applejack. She picked something up with her mouth and brought it into the light. "Now, this here is the good stuff!" she said, setting it down.

It appeared to be a cardboard carrying device cradling six glass bottles, all of which had an apple logo on one side.

"Good stuff?" he asks.

"Yup. Traditionally made Apple family cider!" she said proudly.

He stood there, seemingly unimpressed.

"So… it's just apple cider?"

"Just apple ci-! This is the best apple cider in all Equestria!"

He quickly realized that he offended her.

"My apologies, I-I didn't realize. Why are you giving me this?" he asked.

"Consider it payment for helping me the other day. Cider season's long gone, but we saved a coupla batches down here."

He placed the six-pack of cider into his bag.

"I see. Thank you, Applejack."

"Don't mention it. Now we're even." She replied.

They went topside and headed their separate ways, Matt heading towards the center of Ponyville. While he was grateful for the gift, he was a little disappointed that it hadn't taken up more time. It was still midday and he didn't want to go back to the library just yet. He walked through the center of town, surprised to see a lot of ponies still out and about despite the chilly weather.

He eventually found his way to his favorite bench, which was amazingly clean of snow. He took a seat and continued to observe the populace. The hustle and bustle was as persistent as ever, though one thing caught his eye. It was a tree, one of the mid-sized ones in the town square. The strange thing is that it was completely clean of snow and hadn't withered completely yet.

He approached the incredibly out of place plant and began to hear what sounded like snoring. As he got closer, the pieces all fell together. Rainbow Dash lay asleep on a branch, pillow and blanket included. She'd probably kept the tree clear of snow specifically to nap on. He shook his head and smiled slyly. Even when asleep, she moved around a lot. Since he himself hated to be woken up prematurely, he decided to let her sleep. Though, he was hoping she could provide some sort of distraction.

Just as he turned, he heard what sounded like a yawn and the sound of the branch bending. He apparently didn't have to be the one wake her up. He turned back to see her rubbing her head tiredly.

"Busy day, Rainbow?" he called out.

"Oh, haha…" she replies tiredly, slowly turning her head to face him.

She squinted a bit, eyes adjusting to the light. "I'm surprised to see you out of the library… alone."

"I thought it would be nice to get some fresh air for a change. What are you up to?" he asked.

She had since flown down and landed on solid ground. "Oh, you know. Enjoying my time off."

"So you're free today?" he asked, smiling at the idea of something to alleviate boredom.

"Sure am." She replied, before suddenly getting an idea. "Hey! Did you want to go to Cloudsdale with me? I'm heading up for a bite to eat."

Naturally, he had read a book or two about Cloudsdale. A large city made of clouds, hence the name. Primarily populated be Pegasi. He was also aware that there was a flaw in Rainbow's plan.

"I would love to, but isn't there a rule about walking on clouds?" he inquired.

The 'rule' he mentioned was a naturally occurring phenomenon that permits cloud-walking can only be done by creature with wings.

She looked saddened for a moment, before quickly snapping back a response.

"Not if you're friends with Unicorns!"

Minutes later, Matt popped back into the library.

"Twilight? Mind lending some magic?"

Twilight Sparkle was in the middle of writing… something.

"Huh? For what?" she asked.

"Rainbow Dash offered to show me around Cloudsdale, but I'm sure you can see the hole in that plan."

"I do. You probably won't be able to walk on clouds, so you thought about using the old cloud-walking spell, right?" she responded.

"Correct. I'm glad we're on the same page." He said, happy she got the point so quickly.

"Hmm…" she said, trailing off while levitating a book near her face. "Here's the spell, but…"

His glee vanished. There always seemed to be a 'but'.

"What if your body rejects the magic?" she asked. In truth, she was worried about what might happen if he suddenly fell through the cloud layer.

He cupped his chin with his right hand. "Right, right. We determined that it works based on will, right? I guess I can just try to… let it work."

She closed the book and aimed her horn at him.

"Alright, just… try to relax."

He closed his eyes and tried his best. He felt the wave of magic engulf him, surrounding him in light and warmth. It felt somewhat nice. When it stopped, he opened his eyes and looked himself over.

"Think it worked?" he asked.

"I suppose there's only one way to find out. I have to finish this report, just promise me you'll be careful?" pleaded Twilight.

"I promise." he replied, hoping nothing went wrong.

He headed for the door to the in-waiting Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, and Matt?" he heard Twilight call his name. "Try to be home at a reasonable hour."

"I promise that, too." Matt said, shutting the door behind him.

Though Matt spending time with Rainbow Dash didn't exactly sit right with her, she needed the time alone anyway. After the disastrous results of her 'first move' she needed to form another plan of action.

Rainbow lounged about on a small cloud she'd apparently brought down herself.

"Right, well." Matt began when he emerged from the giant tree. "How exactly am I getting up there? Some kind of transport vessel? A balloon, perhaps?"

She laughed as she hopped down from her cloud.

"Yeah, sure." she responded, gesturing towards the low-floating cloud. "Here's your 'vessel'."

He raised a brow at the idea, though he knew better than to argue with Rainbow Dash.

"Right…" he responded solemnly.

He approached the cloud, making sure he wouldn't pass through it. It felt amazingly soft, yet somehow firm. He slowly climbed atop it, finding a comfortable sitting position almost immediately. He felt Rainbow grab the end of the cloud towards his back. He knew what she was going to do.

"N-now Rainbow, I have to ask that you take it slowly. I'd rather not end up a stain on the ground." He said.

"Oh, please. I'd never let anything like that happen to you…" she replied, quickly realizing how soft it made her sound. "… Well, here we go!" she exclaimed before taking off skyward.

They were off, Matt hanging on for dear life.

"I thought I said slowly!" he yelled back to her.

She smiled in amusement. "This is slow!" she yelled back.

Though it only took a few minutes, it felt way longer for Matt. Needless to say, he was not enjoying the experience. As they reached their destination he quickly dismounted his fluffy transport.

"We need to have a serious talk about what 'slowly' means." he said shakily.

"I think we should have a talk about what hair is supposed to look like!" she responded, pointing at his head and laughing.

He couldn't see his hair, but he could feel that it was out of place. Far out of place, and somewhat stiff.

He ran a hand through his dark locks in an attempt to straighten them out. While doing so, he turned his head and noticed the sprawling cloud city before him.

"Wow… It's more impressive then I'd heard." he said.

"A lot of ponies say that their first time here." Rainbow said proudly.

He immediately took notice of how thin the air was at that altitude. It was also astonishingly cold, yet free of snow. He was thankful for that.

"So, where are we headed?" he asked.

"Just a little place in the center of town. You can see it from here." She replied, pointing towards a large cloud building.

It didn't look that far, but as Matt began to walk towards their destination, he noticed that the gaps in the clouds prevented easy access.

"Do you wanna get back on the 'vessel'?" asked Rainbow Dash with a grin.

He shuddered. "N-no no, that's quite alright. I can just walk."

Rainbow began to soar around him as he slowly made his way across the cloud path.

"What's wrong?" she called out. "You look pretty nervous."

"Can't imagine why." He said, glancing downward.

"What're you worried about? The spell lasts for like, three days." she assured.

"Still… It's a long way down."

She stopped her circular flying to hover next to him.

"Relax; I'm more then fast enough to catch you."

"I know, I know. Doesn't make falling anymore appealing…"

He continued his less-than-fast pace until finally touching down on the cloudy mainland. Rainbow Dash led on until they arrived at a food court like area.

"You wait here." commanded Rainbow. "I'll go get the food."

He sat at the quaint little cloud booth, appreciating the addition of a cloud parasol. He sat for a few minutes, idly twiddling his thumbs, until Dash came back with a tray of food.

"I didn't know what you would want, so I just got you some hay fries. Oh and some orange juice. I guessed you'd be sick of apple by now."

"You guessed right." he said sticking a bendy straw into his drink.

He wasn't exactly happy about the concept of hay fries, however. He took a bite and was surprised to find that they didn't taste horrible. He went back and forth between food and drink, noticing that Dash was doing the same. He slowed down for a moment as a question came into mind.

"So why did we have to come up here? Isn't there a place just like this back in Ponyville?" he inquired, taking a sip from his juice.

She swallowed hard at his question, as it had caught her off-guard.

"O-oh, well it's… I just started to miss the place, alright?"

He took another sip of his drink. "Yeah, alright. I'm going to get a refill."

He got up to proceed over to the counter he saw Rainbow go to earlier. He knew she had an ulterior reason for wanting to come up there, but he didn't want to pry. He was sure she'd tell him later. He was more concerned with getting some customer service.

As he walked off, Rainbow felt her hoof reach her forehead. She was slipping up, losing her cool. Which was not something she liked doing. She sighed and slumped over onto the table. She glanced over to see where he walked off to and saw him chatting to the clerk.

"Rainbow Dash!" She heard two voices call from the opposite direction.

She turned to see to two familiar, very similar looking grayish-blue ponies.

"Oh, hey Flitter, Cloudchaser." she greeted them. "What're you guys doing here?"

"We're just visiting some family." replied Flitter. She and her sister, Cloudchaser, looked striking similar, though Flitter adorned her mane with a tasteful pink bow.

"But forget that, what're you doing here?" asked Cloudchaser.

Dash glanced back towards her human companion, before smiling sheepishly.

"Oh, y'know… just visiting." She lied through her teeth.

"Oh yeah? Who's your friend?" asked Flitter, motioning in Matt's direction.

"Him? H-his name's Matt. You haven't heard about him yet?"

"That's him?" Asked a surprised Flitter. "Wow. I thought he lived at Golden Oakes… What's he doing in Cloudsdale?" She had noticed Rainbow Dash's flustered expression. "Are you two… dating?"

The red in her mane couldn't match the red on her face.

"W-what!? N-no! I'm just showin' him around…" she hurriedly replied.

Both of the Pegasus sisters giggled in unison. "Relax, Dash! We're only teasing." Said Cloudchaser.

"Teasing about what?" said a male voice unexpectedly.

Rainbow turned to see Matt sitting across from her again, sipping that drink of his.

"Oh, nothing. We'll see you around, Rainbow Dash!" exclaimed Flitter as the twins flew off.

He watched them fly away, still giggling.

"They seem nice." Matt said.

"Yeah, that's one word for it…" she trailed off. "Anyway! Let's go, we've got plenty to see." she said.

Matt sat his drink onto the table and stood up. "Alright… wait, do I have to ride on the cloud again?"

"Yep. Don't worry, we're going sight-seeing. Cruisin' speed!" she declared.

He sighed heavily. "Fine…"

Instead of walking back to the cloud they used to get there, Rainbow had already corralled a new one for him to ride on. He took his seat and they were off. Rainbow was true to her word, and the speed they kept at was vastly slower than earlier.

Cloudsdale seemingly had everything, including a large racetrack, several homes and businesses, and a factory that allegedly creates weather. It was all very interesting and unique to Matt, but he eventually couldn't take the frigid air any longer. He told this to Rainbow, who insisted she had one last thing to show him. She flew him to a large, floating cloud structure just outside Ponyville. It had a rainbow fountain and several columns in its build.

"… and last but not least, this is my little slice of Cloudsdale." said Rainbow Dash, setting Matt's cloud onto her home. She opened the door and invited him in.

It was probably warmer inside so he went in without hesitation. Dash's home was decently tidy, but he assumed it couldn't be that hard to clean clouds. She walked with him into the living room and he took a seat on a cloud-couch. When he did, his bag hit the back of the couch with a distinctive glass clink.

"What have you been lugging around all day?" asked Dash. "Sounds like you may have broken it…"

He took the forgotten six pack of apple cider out of his bag, relieved to see them all intact. Rainbow Dash's eyes lit up at the sight.

"Y-you have Apple family cider? Where did you…?" she stammered.

"Applejack gave it to me earlier, in return for helping her out the day."

Rainbow glanced at him, then the bottles, then to him again. He noticed this behavior.

"… Would you like some?" he offered.

The euphoria that overcame her was impossible to hide as she nodded vigorously.

He freed a bottle from its cardboard prison and handed it over to her. He took one out for himself, too.

"Oh man, cider season's been over for months! This is gonna be great!" exclaimed Rainbow.

"If you say so. It looks pretty regular to me." He responded.

"Oh, you'll see." She said, raising her bottle. He tapped it with his to produce a satisfying clink, than took his first sip.

He quickly found that the cider was of magnificent quality. He also soon discovered what the closest thing in Equestria that equated to alcohol was.

"Wow… Yeah, that's pretty great." He said.

"I know, right? I can't get enough of this stuff!" replied Rainbow.

As he continued drinking, he felt himself warm up in his core. It was an unfamiliar feeling, but he enjoyed it. There were a few minutes of silence as the two friends enjoyed their beverages. Rainbow Dash had already started on her second bottle.

"So, hey…" she began. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

He blinked a few times, seemingly trying to clear his vision. "Go ahead." He responded.

She took another sip before continuing. "Don't you miss your home? Like, at all?" after a few minutes, she noticed his cold eyes no longer looking at her, but staring off into space. "It's alright, you don't have to-"

"No."

"Huh?" she was surprised by his response. "Really? What about your family?"

"I… I don't have a family." He responded.

Now she was even more confused. "What? But, everyone has a family, right? Brothers or sisters?"

"Dash…"

"And of course you've gotta have parents…"

"Dash."

"I mean it's cool if you don't wanna talk about them, I know how much of a drag parents can be."

He let out a long sigh before cracking open his second bottle.

"My parents… passed away." He said solemnly before taking another gulp.

He wasn't looking at her but could tell her expression had changed to one of shock.

"O-oh, Matt… I-I didn't know, I…" she stammered.

"How would you?" he asked rhetorically. "I haven't told anyone about them yet."

"Oh… How long…?" she tried to ask.

"It's been a bit over five months now."

The room turned silent as Matt seemed lost in thought and Rainbow Dash tried to think of something appropriate to say.

Before she could say anything, Matt spoke up.

"That's why I acted so cold when I first got here. I didn't want to get attached to anything I'd have to leave behind. But now... I've come to realize I needed attachment." He brought a hand to caress his face. "When my parents died in the accident, I tried to shut the rest of the world out. It worked, unsurprisingly. I thought I deserved it for surviving. But eventually, my self-imposed isolation was broken by Twilight ripping me from the clutches of solitude. Being here has taught me that friendship can warm the coldest of hearts, and it saved me from myself."

Another moment of silence passes before Matt lets out a small belch.

"Or maybe that's the cider talking, I don't know anymore." He said.

Rainbow Dash was deep in thought about what Matt had told her.

"Wow." She said aloud. "You really are something else, Matt."

He cocked his head to the side at her comment and she giggled at the sight.

"It's no wonder Twilight's so into you…" she added. She had already thought she knew him well, but he had another level to his personality she could never have foreseen. She felt like she knew him better now.

Her mind stopped at the slip of what she'd just said, however.

He looked to her, as if in question. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"O-oh, um… Y'know, just that you're a really cool guy and, uh…" she stopped before the cider made her blurt out something she'd regret. She gathered her words and tried again. "I, uh… Matt, have you ever had a crush on someone?"

"Hm. Nope." He said coldly.

"R-really?" she asked. She was learning a lot about him today.

"I never had the time for stuff like that. I was far too busy with my studies and such."

She'd nearly forgotten that he was quite the egghead. "You've never had… somepony special? At all?"

He began to reply, but stopped himself. "Well, at one point my friend from childhood asked to be in a relationship with me. I told her yes, though I hadn't a thorough understanding of what exactly that meant. I still don't, really." He responded.

Her mind was swimming with thoughts about what he meant by all of that. He really didn't know what being in a relationship was?

"Did… did you love her?" she asked suddenly.

"Not particularly. I mean, we knew each other for years but I never really placed much value on people back then."

"… What was her name?"

He thought for a moment before his face turned to despair.

"I… I don't remember. I've all but just forgotten what she looked like. I don't remember what color her eyes were, or any unique features…" he quickly realized that he had entirely forgotten who that person was in the span of five months.

"So…" began Rainbow Dash. "You don't know what love is like?"

"Not in the romantic sense, no. It never really bothered me much. Though I know what sentimental love feels like. Twilight, the library, Spike, Pinkie Pie… you." He said, facing her way.

She felt perturbed that he had mentioned Twilight Sparkle first on that list, but was also touched that, in one way, he had just said he had affection for her. Though not exactly the way she'd hoped, she was still excited by the sentiment.

She wore a bright smile on her face the rest of the night.

"Hey, I bet I can drink my last bottle faster than you!" she challenged.

"Ah, but I think you'll find your esophagus is thinner than mine. You're on."

Chapter 37: Tears & Deceit

Pinkie Pie happily hopped along the snowy streets of Ponyville like she always did. She was out and about running errands for the Cakes, greeting everypony she met with a smile. Despite the situation Equestria was in, with Hearth's Warming being only a week away Pinkie couldn't help but be in a good mood. Sugarcube Corner was sure to be busy baking all sorts of festive treats which was something she looked forward to.

As she hopped along, she noticed a path she had never seen before. A dirt road that lead outside the town somewhat. Curious, she changed her course to see where it lead. It lead a decent bit out of Ponyville, stopping at a large, square patch of land she had also never seen before. A fence marked an area that was closed off for some reason or another. She shrugged before turning around to go back to town, only to find the path she walked had vanished. Ponyville had also disappeared from sight.

"Pinkamena, my dear!" a voice called from behind her, in the direction of the empty lot.

She turned back around to see the tall shape of the human King. A straw hat rested on his head, covering his eyes and casting a shadow over his face. He also held a wooden cane. Behind him was a large gate, open wide and leading to what appeared to be a large amusement park. Many colored lights flashed as a ferris wheel spun and roller-coasters rocketed down the track.

"What do you think?" the human asked. "I made it just for you."

Pinkie was wide-eyed at the sight. "For me?" she asked.

Gabriel posed with his cane as if to invite her inward. "But of course! You can enjoy it as much as you want, Pinkamena." Pinkie began to excitedly hop into the park before being stopped by the cane. "Ah, just one moment. Something I need make sure you understand, first. This place is special, since it was made for you it reflects the type of pony you are. Do you understand?" he asked, receiving a very fast nod in response. "Then knock yourself out..." he said, bowing to allow her entry.

Pinkie was riding everything she saw and having a blast. The rides were fast, fun, and plentiful. It seemed that every ride she had ever enjoyed being on was there somehow. Every now and then she'd catch a glimpse of Gabriel standing high on a ride she wasn't on, but she didn't pay it much mind. Something she that did bother her, though, was how she was the only one enjoying the rides. Somehow nopony else had seen the place and wandered onto the park. As she got off a large twirling ride, she looked around to find another ride she hadn't been on yet.

She heard a large metallic clanging noise as the ride she had just gotten off of began to fall apart. Then the ferris wheel somehow unattached from it's hinges and rolled into part of the roller-coaster track, sending the car of the coaster into another ride. As the chain of destruction spread even further, Pinkie began to hear the screams of someone she couldn't see. She was sure that there was no one here but her, and yet the screams reacted to everything falling apart. As the dust cleared and silence returned, Pinkie looked around at the destruction that seemed to surround her. The lights had all gone out, the sound of amusement rides and screams had stopped. She was alone.

"How unsurprising." she heard as a clawed hand rested on her shoulder. "This happened much faster than I thought it would."

"W-what happened? Did something go wrong?" she asked.

"You could say that, although I would say it's more accurate that something wasn't right." Gabriel replied.

"... what does that mean?"

"Well, it's as I said, dear Pinkamena. This place embodies the pony you are. I may have made it, but it came from within you."

"This is... who I am?" she asked, not quite understanding what he meant but feeling sad nonetheless.

"Surely the thought has crossed your mind. The life you lead will burn bright like a star, before the inevitable crash. Nothing lasts forever." the human answered. "Although... it could."

Pinkie Pie, who at this point seemed to be losing her characteristic cheerful personality, looked to him as if in question.

Gabriel grinned at the mare. "Your problem, my dear, is a lack of focus. Your default chaotic nature and free willed spirit are only damaging if you don't reign them in. I can teach you focus. I can give your chaos form. Perhaps you'll actually make something of yourself. Think it over, I've got something else to attend to."

In a flash of light, the human was gone. She was left alone in the wreckage of what she was told would be her life. Was he telling the truth? She couldn't know for sure. She felt a wave of nausea wash over her and lost control of her legs, quickly blacking out among the ruins.

When she came to, she was back in Sugarcube Corner. Her saddlebags full of supplies and other things she had spent the day collecting was with her. She didn't know exactly what happened, but was relieved to be home, even more relieved that her encounter with the human King seemed to be a dream.

…...

At Sweet Apple Acres, things were as serene as ever. Applejack didn't have too much to do, so she was just making sure the Apple Family house was as winter-proof as possible. As she did her inspection, her younger sister ran up to her.

"Applejack! Applejack!" Applebloom shouted, clearly distressed.

"Whoa there! Where's the fire, sugarcube?" the elder sister responded.

"You know how all the apple trees have withered because of the winter?" the younger asked.

"Yeah?"

"And how none of them have any leaves or apples?"

"Yeah?"

"And how it'll be months before they come back in season?"

"What in tarnation are you gettin' at?"

Applebloom pointed toward the orchard without another word. As Applejack looked to where her sister pointed, she felt her jaw drop. At the edge of the orchard stood a bright green apple tree, the delicious red fruit even visible from where they were. Needless to say, Applejack was stunned.

"What the hay is that doing there?" AJ asked.

"I know, right?! That's what I said!" Applebloom responded.

Applejack began to slowly approach the somehow green tree, Applebloom following close behind. As they got closer, they noticed that the grass around the tree was also green, somehow uncovered by snow as well. When they reached it, Applejack reached a hoof out to feel the bark of the tree, finding it strong and firm, and most importantly; it was definitely real. She looked up into the leaves and saw the many apples that still hung on it's branches.

"Do you like it?" said a feminine voice from behind them.

Applejack and Applebloom nearly jumped out of their skins at the stranger's question, turning around to find a purple unicorn in a long cloak. Applejack immediately recognized her as the unicorn who accompanied the human Gabriel.

"Applebloom, go back inside." Applejack said firmly.

Applebloom did as she was told and ran back to the Apple house as fast as she could.

Applejack watched her go until she saw the door shut and turned her attention back to the purple trespasser. "What're you doin' here?"

Amethyst slightly raise an eyebrow. "I'll ask again; do you like it?"

"This tree is your doin'?"

"It is. I'm not from Equestria, you see, so when I heard how acclaimed Sweet Apple Acres' apples were, I needed to see for myself." Amethyst replied, floating an apple down from the tree using magic and taking a bite.

Applejack was visibly displeased. "Yeah, well, just because you used magic on our tree doesn't mean the apples are free." she said.

"Oh, I know. I never expected a handout." Amethyst said, pointing upward into the tree.

As Applejack looked up, a large sack came flying down from within the leaves. As she picked it up, she heard the clanging of coins and noticed the bag was quite heavy.

"I assume that will cover it." said a male voice from within the tree. Applejack looked up again to see Gabriel sitting casually on a branch, eating an apple. The human jumped down from the branch, landing next to his unicorn accomplice. He took another bite from his apple. "Nearly a decade and yet they're still so sweet..." he said.

Applejack was a bit disturbed at seeing the human's elongated sharp teeth tearing into an apple, even more disturbed that he was on her farm.

"Is that all you two wanted? Some apples?" Applejack asked.

"This is an apple orchard, isn't it?" Amethyst asked sarcastically.

Applejack narrowed her eyes at the unicorn as Gabriel finished his apple. "Is that the thanks we get for restoring your tree? Maybe we should do more?" he said.

Gabriel drew his sword and with a great sweeping motion cleared the grass and a bunch of other trees free of snow. Amethyst's horn began to glow and Gabriel planted his sword into the earth. Magic covered the trees as they came back to life and the grass below grew back green and healthy. Applejack couldn't see the extent of their restoration, but knew it had to be at least a dozen trees.

While she was amazed, Applejack was still suspicious. "A-and what are y'all asking in return?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just a deal with you and your orchard." Gabriel answered.

"What kinda deal?"

"After the recruitment for my army is complete, obviously I'll need to keep them fed. Naturally you'll be paid handsomely and your trees will be kept healthy all year 'round."

Applejack wanted to refuse, but the weight of the sack of bits already given to her had temporarily made her hesitate. Then she remembered that he had used the word 'army'.

"An army for what?" Applejack asked, speaking her mind.

"Oh, a bit of conquering, a bit of border expanding." Gabriel responded.

Amethyst pulled out her silver pocket watch. "We need to be going, Gabriel."

"Ah, so we do. I'll expect your answer by Hearth's Warming, Applejack. Don't disappoint me."

Gabriel slashed his sword into the first healthy tree, creating a hole he stepped through which quickly closed behind him. Applejack didn't even notice, but Amethyst had vanished as well. As they left, the trees they restored began to wilt at an accelerated rate, returning to how they were before.

Applejack sighed and picked up the bag of bits they had given her. She hated the idea of working with someone who had hurt her friends, so she knew she would refuse the deal. But at the very least she could afford to get the roof fixed.