It was another perfect morning. The Ponyville Weather team had done a spectacular job, as usual. The dew had started to dry up, but there was still that crisp fresh smell in the air from it that just made Mathew’s entire body relax. He was on his way to visit Applejack, since he had said he would help her with a few things when they had talked at the party. So far, he was about half way down the road that led to the Apple Family Farm.
It was a strange experience for Mathew, when he had first set eyes on the apple trees. It was the first time he had seen so many perfect fruits – crispy, juicy, and completely delicious, as they were. It was also odd that there were quite a few trees that had three different colored apples on them, yet they were all perfectly ripe. Logic had tried to battle within Mathew’s mind at first… until he just gave up.
Up ahead he spotted the white gate and the lush arbor that signaled the entry into the farm. Sweet Apple Acres… it was quite the sight. The massive barn was the biggest he had ever seen – much larger than anything from Earth. The design was interesting, though, with so many apple related decorations and accents it all just fit rather than seem totally overused. Up on the hill, way off in the distance behind Sweet Apple Acres, was their neighbor who had a carrot farm. Mathew thought it was a little funny how the pony farmers could be so focused on one type of crop.
He passed through the front gate and had just started to look around when he felt something in the air. His senses switched to viewing the magical flow around him and he quickly spotted the source of the disturbance. Three fillies were hidden behind some nearby barrels. Two of them wore big mischievous smirks on their muzzles, the little white unicorn filly seemed to have been eyeing her two friends with a speculative look. No doubt, they had something planned to surprise Mathew with.
After a nonchalant sweep around him, Mathew quickly spotted the makings of a surprisingly complex series of booby-traps. He noticed Applejack in the distance and a slightly devilish idea came into play. Mathew cupped his hands around his mouth and whistled loudly to get the orange mare’s attention. She saw him and he gave her a friendly wave. When Applejack started to approach, it was hard for Mathew to keep a strait face.
The three fillies quickly lost their amused expressions and shock and unease filled them. Mathew watched them squirm as Applejack grew ever closer to the trigger of the trap. Applejack was so close… just a few more steps and the fun would ensue… almost there… but nothing happened when she stepped right onto the string. The three filles exhaled a sigh of relief, which seemed to quickly turn to confusion.
Applejack greeted Mathew with a big smile. “Well ain’t you up early. What brings ya to the farm, Mathew?” she asked.
Mathew smiled wide. “You mentioned you had a few things that could use some fixing up, so here I am. My magic studies with Twilight have come to a short end, to give us both time to rest. I figured I could put my skills to good use here, since… well… I kinda don’t have any responsibilities outside of learning under Twilight. Do you mind if I help out today?” he said, looking around the farm a little more.
Applejack’s smile grew and she seemed to bubble with excitement. “Of course not, c’mon, ah’ll show ya what needs doin’ and we can get started on whatever tickles yer fancy.”
Mathew followed her toward the side of the barn. As he walked, he kept an eye on the three fillies. Sure enough, they walked over to the trigger for their little setup. As soon as they got there, though, Mathew let his magical hold on the string release… the looks they had as their own prank went off in their faces was priceless – even more so when they looked over and saw Mathew wink at them with a big grin across his face.
As it turned out, Sweet Apple Acres was a very large farm, almost on the scale of what would have been industrial sized on Earth. There was a lot of land, almost every inch of it devoted to their apple trees, and along with it came the maintenance. Funny enough, most of the things needing to be fixed were around the family house and adjacent buildings. Mathew summoned a roll of parchment and an enchanted quill, a present from Twilight to help in his studies, and started making a list of everything he was shown.
- One of the water pumps is rusted solid, it might need to be replaced.
- Some of the rain gutters are slipping away from the house.
- Two of the tool sheds have started to sink into the ground.
- The big wagon’s axel has been tweaked from hitting a large boulder.
There were a few other odd jobs to be done as well, but one specific task caught Mathew’s attention. Aside from the other things, the biggest dilemma for Sweet Apple Acres was one of their orchards had not been doing that well recently and nopony knew the reason for it.
Mathew decided he wanted to take a look at the orchard and see if he might be able to spot any problems. Applejack simply shrugged, and led him out toward the northern most orchard. It did not take too long to get there, but Mathew had already started to get an idea about what might be causing the problems for that area. As they walked around the newest apple orchard addition, Mathew made a point to get a few key bits of information from the orange farm pony. “Hey, Applejack, can you tell me more about how you grow your apples? Specifically how you treat the soil, manage irrigation, handle pests, and what went into choosing this location to start up this part of the orchards?” he asked.
Applejack eyed him with an odd expression and slowed down to answer him. “Well, ah don’t rightly know about some o’ that ya just mentioned. Most o’ the time we just find good open spaces, remove any big rocks that are in the way, and till the upper layer of the ground before we plant our seeds. This area was nice n’ flat, so we expanded out into it just last year. What with the increase in some of our yearly expenses we decided to try increasing our orchard sizes to try brining in more bits,” she paused and lifted a brow at him. “What’s irrigation, by the way?”
Mathew sighed softly and offered her a kind smile. “Irrigation is where you dig into the ground to form paths for water to flow. It allows farmland to better spread moisture through it so that the crops get all the water they need. It’s also a good way to make sure there’s not too much water in one place, so you don’t bog down your fields, either,” he said.
Applejack got the general idea behind it and nodded slightly. “Ah see… ah take it that’s what the farmers from Earth had to do?”
“Yeah. I don’t see much of it on your farm, so I’m guessing irrigation isn’t a problem. It would make sense though, Equestria seems to have a lot of magic in the soil that probably does a lot to help the plants grow so well,” Mathew said. He looked around them and decided he’d ask the next question. “So, if I’m right in this, and earth pony magic has an effect on your orchards, have you noticed anything different about this location that sets it apart from the other orchards on your farm?”
Applejack looked around with a curious expression before looking at Mathew in a more serious way. “Ah don’t think so. This location was just like the rest of the farmland. If anythin’ the only real differences were that this area is across the stream and the soil was more crumbly. Why’d ya ask?” she said.
Mathew looked around once more. It was not easy to tell, not with the way the ground had been worked, but his eyes could just barely notice the difference. He knelt down and placed both of his hands on the dirt. With a thought, he let his magic flow out and into the ground. Using his eye’s unique magical vision, he watched as his magic spread out through the soil. He watched the pulse flow out and he swiveled his head around to pay attention to the differences between what was further north and what was to the south. The results were quite interesting.
He stopped the flow of magic and stood up to face Applejack. “Well… I think I know what the problem is,” he said with a slight smile that was only betrayed by the unpleasant look he had in his eyes.
Applejack gave him her full attention and he continued, “I just felt around with my magic. The soil to the south is very good, it’s got minimal amounts of rocks, good aeration, and it’s been saturated by your family’s magic. Unfortunately, this northern portion has a hidden surprise,” he said.
Applejack gulped and cringed as she asked, “And what’s that?”
“There are a lot of gems in the ground out here,” he stated.
Applejack’s brow went up and she looked at him like he was trying to pull a fast one on her. “Is that all? Gems shouldn’t really be that surprising, ah mean, there’s a ton o’ them all across Equestria,” she said.
Mathew lifted his finger to stop her and then pointed down. “Yes, but you’ve got a cavern down there that spans across this entire orchard. To put it into a better perspective, the only reason your orchard hasn’t fallen into it is because the gem clusters have strengthened the cavern’s roof. However, what’s weakening your trees is the proximity of the gems and the tree roots. The trees out here are getting too much exposure to the magic of the gems – or that’s what it looks like. We should ask Twilight or Rarity about this, since they would most likely know more about how gems affect plants,” he told her.
Applejack suddenly looked shocked and glanced around the orchard. Mathew noticed and asked her what was wrong. She looked him in the eyes, her expression almost one of heartbreak. “Are you tellin’ me that all of this work we put into this orchard was fer nothin’? Are we gunna lose all of these trees?”
Mathew saw the hurt in her eyes, and he knew what his words meant to her. He had essentially told her that the cavern below was damaging the apple tree roots. To make it worse, he had dumbed it down on purpose so he did not stand out; he knew that the gems were killing the trees and that the entire orchard would die in a few years. Mathew stepped closer to Applejack and placed his hand on her shoulder with a gentle squeeze. “In a sense, yes… yes I am. With so many gems in the ground out here, it’s going to keep hurting the trees. I don’t know much about transplanting, but if we want to save the trees we’ll have to move almost all of them,” he said, trying to show her there was still a chance to save the apples.
Applejack looked around and her ears fell back against her head. “There’s more n’ eight hundred trees out here… we’ll never get them all moved in time. We hardly have enough time to spare as is, how can we make enough bits if we have to move alla this, too?” she said, depressed.
Mathew reached up and gently tapped her nose and gave her a warm smile. “I’ll help. Tell me what to do and I will do everything I can to save your trees. I’ll even help dig to the caverns – you might be able to sell the gems down there for some extra income,” he offered.
Applejack took a breath to say something, but she stopped just before she could utter a word. Her mind started to turn over as ideas came to mind. After a few long moments, the normally stubborn farm pony looked up at Mathew and gave him a confident smile. “Tell ya what, ah’ll accept your help. Ah gotta tell the rest o’ the family about this, but if you want to help that’d be a might nice thing. However, Ah’d like to make a deal with ya,” she said.
Mathew cocked a brow at her and crossed his arms. “What did you have in mind?”
“Ah think this is an opportunity for the both of us,” she said. “Ah heard that you were lookin’ ta find some work, and since this is gunna be quite the doozy of a project, ah’d like ta hire ya.”
Mathew instantly shook his head. “I decline, but I’d accept it if you changed a small part of that. I’ll work for you, but I won’t accept any payment until we’re sure that your family can make enough of a profit to afford my services. Since my body hardly needs food, and I’d prefer to just volunteer, I don’t require any money.”
“But what about paying for a place to stay? Spike mentioned that you were looking to get your own place,” Applejack countered.
Mathew simply shook his head. “Don’t need it. As it turns out, I can just sleep outside. Besides, I don’t plan on making any plans to stay in this world for too long… I plan on returning to my world… eventually.”
Applejack’s eyes went wide and her mouth hung open when she heard him say that. Then, as the good-hearted mare that she is, she stomped her hoof and leaned toward him in a firm stance. “Ya ain’t gunna be sleepin’ outside! If it came to it ah’d force ya ta stay in our house, but there’s no way ah’d ever let a friend be without a place to stay. Even if ya don’t plan on stayin’ in Equestria forever, that don’t mean ya should be left in the cold,” she declared firmly.
“Eeyup,” came the deep voice of a pony Mathew did not know. He and Applejack turned around to see a very muscular red earth pony with an orange mane. The red stallion wore a thick workhorse collar around his neck and sported a wheat stalk in his mouth. Mathew quickly noticed that the stallion wore a lazy smile and held a peculiar look in his calm green eyes. The red stallion also had a big two-toned green apple for a cutie mark, with a few seeds in the middle.
Applejack gasped at the red pony. “Big Mac, what’re ya doing out here?” she asked.
Ah, so that’s her big brother then, Mathew thought.
Big McIntosh gave his sister a long glance and then looked at Mathew. Applejack then let out a nervous laugh and rubbed her front leg with her hoof. “Oh, right, ah forgot ta tell ya about that. Mathew, here, was helpin’ ta figure out what’s wrong with this orchard,” she said.
Mac looked from Applejack to Mathew and it quickly dawned on him that he was expected to say something as well. Mathew cleared his throat and gestured to the trees around. “Right, I used to help a friend of mine on his farm. I thought I could lend a hand, since Applejack mentioned there were a few things to be fixed on the farm. I also found out what’s weakening your apple trees out here,” he said.
Mac lifted a brow, still offering his lazy smile. Mathew took the hint and continued. “There’s a large cavern beneath this orchard. It’s filled with gems. I think the residual magic from so many gems is hurting the tree roots.”
“Yeah,” Applejack cut in, “and ah was just talking with Mathew about hiring him to help us. We gotta move these trees ta a safer place.”
Big Mac looked around at a few trees and his smile slowly slipped away. He turned back to Applejack and she lowered her ears again. Mathew saw this and decided he’d speak up before they got the wrong idea. “Big Mac, I know how your family has been struggling with income recently. I know that Applejack wouldn’t want to have me work for free, but I really don’t need the bits. I’m more than willing to work as a friend and it would do me a lot of good to use my magic. Let me help,” he said.
Mac eyed Mathew for a long while. Then he flicked the wheat stalk to the corner of his mouth and smiled. “That’s mighty nice o’ ya, Mathew. When can ya start?” he asked.
Mathew smiled back and nodded. “I can start right now. Twilight and I are on a break from my magic studies. I’m sure I can talk to her tonight about this and I’d be able to help until the job is done,” he replied confidently.
Mac held his smile and nodded. Then he gave Applejack a gentle look and walked away. Mathew thought it was interesting how the red pony was able to communicate with so few words. He turned to Applejack, expecting to see her smiling, but instead saw her frozen in place with her mouth open. Mathew stepped in front of her and she blinked a few times.
“Did I miss something?” Mathew asked her.
Applejack shook her head slightly and then looked him in the eyes. “That’s gotta be the first time Mac’s ever spoken to somepony like that. He never accepts help from others on the farm,” she said, still in shock.
Mathew tapped her nose again to snap her out of it. “Well, I’m not some pony. Besides, I get the feeling he and I will get along. He’s pretty expressive with his eyes, which I kind of have a knack for reading. In any case, I do believe he’s left me in your care for the time being. So where should we start?” he said, grinning all the way.
~~***~~
The glow of the setting sun painted the sky in a beautiful array of orange and gold. A pale blue aura of magic held a tree up while dirt was moved around it and pressed into a firm base. The magic faded and another of the many apple trees now rested in its new home. Wiping away the sweat from his forehead, Mathew stepped back to admire his work. For the first time, since he found himself in Equestria, he felt like he had done something worth living for. Mathew missed that feeling, he realized, and it really felt good.
His inner warmth was dimmed when he looked at his progress for the day. He had managed to move thirty-seven trees over the ten hours he had worked, but there were still so many more left. At that rate, it would take him quite a few days to finish. Still, he had to keep in mind that he could not overuse his power, or he’d draw unwanted attention. His feelings on the matter were making things harder on him than he would have liked.
Mathew sighed, feeling a little disappointed with his progress, but then he had an idea. He could fix the axel on the big wagon, which would allow him to move around a lot more trees at once, and he’d still manage to stay under the radar. He set his mind to that task and turned to proceed when he caught sight of the blonde mane and signature hat of Applejack. She had quite the grin on her face and carried a basket on her back as she approached. “Are ya done for the day, Mathew?” she asked.
Mathew smiled and shook his head. “Not yet. I was going to see about fixing that wagon. If I can get it working properly it’d make this a little faster,” he replied.
Applejack looked at his progress and lifted her brow at him. “Ah reckon you’re not feelin’ like ya did enough? To be honest, you did quite a bit, considerin’ it was just you doin’ all the work. If’n it helps at all, ah think ya did a mighty fine job, so far. Here, have a bite ta eat before ya go off ta fix that busted wagon,” she said and offered him the basket.
Mathew gave Applejack a small smile, since he had told her not to waste her family’s resources on account of him. He appreciated the gesture, but he still felt bad for taking away from their food stores. His magic covered the basket and he floated it in front of him to look inside. There was a small assortment of apple-related food items in it. The apple pie and the muffins caught his eye, but he settled on two muffins. Out of the corner of his eye, Applejack did not seem happy that he had only taken two small things for himself.
“Don’t worry, Applejack. My magic had plenty of time to recover when I walked back to pick up more trees. Thanks for these, though,” he said.
Applejack sighed, but smiled anyway. “Just don’t work too hard. Ah’d hate to see ya have a burnout. Ah’ve seen it happen to Twi an’ Rarity… it doesn’t look fun at all when it happens to them.”
Mathew slipped into a sly grin and eyed the orange farm pony. “You sure worry about me. Thanks for keeping my health in mind, but I’ll be perfectly fine. I am an indestructible oddity from another world, after all,” he teased her.
She simply sighed and rolled her eyes at him. “Ah can’t help it. Ah mean… it’s just…” Applejack’s expression filled with a deep sadness and she struggled to look at Mathew.
Mathew quickly figured out what she meant and he looked away from her. “You’ve been picking up on it, then. I’m not surprised… it’s your element’s specialty.”
“So… how much of what you said was a lie?” she asked.
Mathew thought for a few seconds, before he looked deep into Applejack’s eyes. He could feel Nightmare’s fear spike, despite her knowing what he intended. He took a long deep breath before he spoke again. “Very small parts of what I told you all were false. Some of it was altered, or worded to fit my side of the conversation… but most of it was truth. Now before you ask me anything further, tell me what you see inside of me – take a good long look and tell me,” he said calmly.
Applejack swallowed the lump in her throat and looked deeply into his eyes. She searched long and hard, watching for the slightest thing that might make her right, to justify her fears. Her teeth started to grind together after a small eternity passed then she huffed and looked at the ground. “Ah don’t know what ah see,” she answered.
Mathew sighed and then placed his hand under her chin to make her look at him again. “Then this is where things get difficult. I know that you’re all supposed to be watching me. I know that Nightmare Moon is a great threat to Equestria… or the one that you’re all familiar with. However… I also know that I was serious when I said I wanted you to use the elements against me if I fall into darkness,” he told her.
Applejack’s eyes widened as she heard him speak, then she pulled her head away from his hand, keeping her eyes fixed on his. “What do you mean when you say the Nightmare Moon we’re familiar with?”
Mathew’s eyes softened and he looked up to the sky. The sun was nearly set by then, and the glow had turned to reds and purples. “Are you sure you want to know the truth, Applejack?” he asked her, and looked back into her eyes. His expression was no longer one that held back his feelings. Now, he was fully open to her, and his eyes were filled with a gentle plea.
Applejack took a step back. Seeing such a sad look in Mathew’s eyes was painful. There was a heavy weight on his heart, but he was ready to be completely honest with her if she asked. She knew it, then, that she was more afraid of knowing the truth. If he was a tool for Nightmare Moon then she would have no choice but to tell her friends and they would have to… kill him.
Mathew saw that the situation was starting to crumble. He was not sure how he could rectify it, but a sudden idea came to mind that might give him the right push. He took another breath and closed his eyes. “Applejack… do you remember what it was like when you first encountered Nightmare Moon?” he asked.
Applejack blinked and thought about her past meeting with the dark being. She nodded, then nearly facehoofed when she realized Mathew’s eyes were shut. “Yes. It was probably the most scared ah’ve ever felt. There was just… something about her that made me shiver inside.”
Mathew opened his eyes and met Applejack’s gaze. She gasped and her pupils shrunk as her ears flattened against her head. Mathew’s eyes had changed to look like the same turquoise slits that Nightmare moon had. She felt the strongest urge to run away… but something kept her heart from racing and her body just stayed in place. Something was different about those eyes…
“Looks like I was right,” Mathew said. “You can see the difference.”
“What did you do?” she asked in a hushed whisper.
“I used her power.”
“Wha-“
“Applejack… this may be difficult for you to understand, but I’ll say it anyway. The Nightmare Moon that you and your friends fought was not the same one that brought me here,” Mathew stated calmly.
Applejack’s ears lifted up as her curiosity began to grow. “What do ya mean?” she asked.
Mathew sighed and looked at the sky again. “There’s a lot more behind the relationship between Luna, Celestia, and Nightmare. Unfortunately… Luna seems to have forgotten everything and Celestia wants nothing to do with me. All I have to prove it is… well, what Nightmare has shown me – what I saw when she and I completed the bond.”
“What bond?”
Mathew sighed and looked back into Applejack’s eyes. “The bond with her essence. The crystal that fused to my heart was part of Nightmare’s core. The magic problem that Twilight saw was happening because Nightmare and I weren’t bound completely. We completed the bond a few nights ago. When it happened… our minds melted together for a while. I’ve seen everything that Nightmare has gone through – everything from the time of her ‘birth’ until now,” Mathew said and then he closed his eyes. He opened them again and his pale blue color had returned.
Applejack was stunned. It had not been easy to tell when Mathew was telling the truth before. She had her suspicions when he was not being honest, but it was almost impossible for her to tell. The only sign she got was a weird feeling in her gut. Now, though… now she could easily tell that his words were true. Her hooves took her forward a few steps until she was standing right in front of him, gazing up at him. “So… ya really do have Nightmare Moon inside o’ ya? But… she ain’t the same one that we defeated to save Princess Luna? Does that mean that… that we won’t have ta worry about usin the elements against ya?” she asked, growing ever hopeful.
Mathew, though, did not return that same hopefulness. He firmed his gaze at her and frowned slightly. “I don’t know. Nightmare’s mind may have influenced me during the bond, but I feel the same as I did before I was teleported to Equestria. The only thing I’m certain of is the fact that I need help from you and your friends. You’re all I can count on if things go wrong. For now, though, I feel that Nightmare isn’t a threat and I know that this one is different from what took over Luna,” he explained.
Applejack looked thoughtful for a moment before she asked Mathew, “Why did… this Nightmare pick you? Why’d she bring you here?”
Mathew’s eyes softened, which Applejack instantly noticed, and he took a few moments before he answered her. “She needed me because I’m one of the very few who can understand what she’s gone through. The fact that my body has a natural ability to lessen the effect of magic was a bonus. With my help, she stood a better chance at succeeding with what her heart desires,” he said.
Applejack placed her hoof on Mathew’s thigh and looked him square in the eyes. “And what does her heart desire?” she asked softly.
Mathew’s face reflected the pain of both his past and Nightmare’s as he answered, “Family…” then he looked away and steeled his resolve. “And I’m sorry, but that’s all I can tell you. I won’t lie to you again, but I will not tell you everything. All I ask is that you trust in her heart… and don’t try to over-think what I’ve told you… and if you could keep this a secret from everyone else, that would be appreciated,” he said and started to walk toward the farmhouse.
Applejack suddenly felt the chill of the air on her hoof, Mathew’s warmth having departed. Then, without even putting much thought into it, she bolted after him. She swung around him and slid to a halt right in his path. “Mathew, wait… you do know that ah’ll have ta tell Twilight about this. This was something that we promised to do, that we’d all report what happens when we are around ya, and ah just can’t break that promise,” she said, clearly upset that she had no other choice and that she was afraid of what might happen.
Mathew stopped and looked at her with a level gaze. “Then tell her. I can’t stop you, nor do I want to, but if you’re so afraid of what might happen then do what I did; tell the truth, just not the whole truth. I know that it’s just as bad as telling lies, if you compare it to open honesty, but it can remain truth if you say it just right. That’s why you had trouble seeing through my lies before… I was being honest, but I only told you what you needed to hear,” he said and waited for Applejack to make her choice.
Mathew watched as she stared at him. At first she was nervous, her eyes constantly twitching around as she thought about her options. Then she switched to a deeper thought process, where her eyes drifted to a random spot and lingered in an unblinking fashion. A spark of anger flared in the depths of her green eyes and she seemed to show signs of a self-loathing expression. It was around that point that Mathew felt she had made her choice, so he moved to walk away.
Suddenly, he heard the ground grind beneath something and, the next thing Mathew knew, he was slammed against a tree. He flipped around, forcing his body to ignore the broken bones in his hip, and came face to face with Applejack’s hard stare. Mathew went to adjust so his hip would stop hurting, but the instant he moved two powerful hooves slammed into his shoulders, pinning him to the tree. He stared into Applejack’s eyes, wincing from the force of her weight. Earth ponies were stronger than they looked.
“I want ya’ll ta tell me one thing,” Applejack growled, glaring into Mathew’s eyes.
“What?” he answered.
Another strong shove against his body, and Mathew noticed moisture forming in the corners of her eyes. He sighed and did his best to relax his expression to be more respectful. “What do you want to know, Applejack?” he asked in a low whisper.
“Can ah trust you?” she asked.
Mathew fought hard to keep from eyeing her quizzically. What does she mean? I just told her everything, almost, so why would she ask that? he thought. “Of course you can trust me, Applejack,” he said softly.
Another shove, this one softer than the last but still firm none the less. “Ah want ta hear it from her…”
Mathew’s eyes widened slightly. Oh… so that’s what she wants… Nightmare?
“I don’t want to do so… but if it is your wish, then I shall surface to answer her,” came Nightmare’s response. Her tone was quiet, almost timid. It was clear that she was scared of what might happen if she showed her true self to the Element of Honesty.
Mathew sighed, giving her permission and ensuring her that she had nothing to fear. Even if things turned sour, he had already prepared to live in the wilderness in order to get at least three more chances to get Nightmare to meet with Luna. Nightmare allowed herself to feel slightly more at ease with that knowledge.
Mathew’s eyes closed for a few agonizingly long seconds. Applejack was about to lose her will to keep him pinned when she felt the change pulse through Mathew’s body. His hair grew a few inches longer and took on the undeniable appearance of Nightmare Moon’s starlit mane, waving in the air more like slow motion fire with its shorter length. Mathew’s eyes opened and had become turquoise slits again. Mathew’s body let out a sigh and Applejack saw the fangs just inside of his mouth. “You want to know if we can be trusted, young one?” came Nightmare’s own voice.
Applejack gave into her fear for a moment, then she steeled her resolve and gave Nightmare’s intimidating gaze an equally firm glare. She nodded and narrowed her eyes as she peered as deeply into the snake-like eyes as she possibly could. “Mathew is my partner. I have given myself to him on a level that you could never understand, but he spoke for both of us when he said yes. But since I know you won’t believe it from him… you will hear it from my own mouth; yes, young Applejack, you can trust me… you can trust us,” she said, her voice growing softer near the end.
Applejack was amazed at the fact that Nightmare had told the purest truth she had ever heard. She wondered exactly what she meant when she said that she gave herself to Mathew in that way, but another thought took precedence over that. “So does that mean that you really are different? Yer not gunna try an’ take over the world or throw Equestria into an eternal night? Ya ain’t gunna try and take the throne and banish the princesses?” she asked.
Nightmare sucked in a deep breath, she wanted to huff her annoyance at such outlandish ideas, but she felt it best to be more humble for once. Just as she had seen Mathew do in the past, she exhaled through her nose and relaxed her nerves. “That was never my goal. World domination, selfish conquest, and the hatred for Princess Celestia were the ideals of a tainted gift… a gift that I regret giving. I cannot change the past, but I can promise you that I have always had the best of intentions for Equus. Mathew is my only chance at making amends for my mistakes in the past,” she said.
Applejack was speechless. Even as she watched Nightmare Moon’s appearance fade from Mathew’s form, she could do no more than silently watch. Mathew’s hair went back to the dark silver, but the blue highlights had increased along with the number of spots that glowed. The excess length seemed to fade away in a black smoke. He reopened his pale blue eyes, which seemed to glow for a few seconds before they went back to normal.
He gave Applejack a few more moments to come to terms with what she had just seen before he reached up to tap her nose. His fingers stopped just before he touched her, then he pulled his hand back and looked at the ground. “So now you have your answers. What will you do?” he asked solemnly.
Applejack blinked a few times, still struggling to come to grips with everything. She never would have thought that Nightmare Moon was so… normal? Genuine? Whatever it was, it was the furthest thing that the Element of Honesty had expected. Her opinion of the once-enemy-now-mystery had drastically changed. She looked at Mathew and cleared her throat. “Well… whew… ah gotta say ah was not expectin’ that. And now ah’m not at all sure how ah’m gunna be able to explain any o’ this to Twi. This is all so… unreal,” she said.
Mathew actually found it in him to chuckle a bit at that. “You have no idea. My concept of reality was shattered the day I arrived in this world. Still… the only way that things can stay civil is if you find the right way to explain everything to Twilight. I expect an army to come for me if you tell her everything, and I won’t let myself be captured… not yet. So what will you do?” he asked her.
Applejack watched as Mathew’s expression changed from friendly to melancholic. She already started to think of how things could turn out badly, should she say everything. Her heart told her to keep some things secret from her friend, while her stubborn pride told her that she should never do anything that could be seen as a lie. Suddenly, Mathew let out a long sigh and closed his eyes… and a feeling of dread swept across Applejack’s entire being.
She quickly stepped away from Mathew, nearly stumbling onto her flank in the process. Mathew was not oblivious to her movement, nor that look of terror that had started to etch its way onto her face – going so far as to overtake the depths of her eyes as well. He quickly got up and put his hands on her shoulders.
“Applejack, what’s wrong?” he asked her, fighting to keep his voice calm.
Applejack locked her gaze onto Mathew’s eyes and her lip trembled as tears started to form in her eyes again. Then, without warning, she wrapped a hoof around him and buried her face in his chest as the first sobs ripped through her.
Mathew was at a complete loss for words. Something had happened to her, but he had no idea what – though his imagination was pumping out quite the plethora of possibilities. Eventually he reeled in his thoughts and focused all of his attention on comforting the poor mare. He gently pet her head and neck, making quiet humming sounds to try and sooth her. It took quite some time, more than enough time for the sun to set and the night to come into full view, before she stopped crying.
Mathew waited patiently for her to find her voice. Eventually she lifted her head from his chest. She was glad that it was dark, since she was positive that she had thoroughly soaked his shirt. She stayed pressed against him, though. His warmth and the comforting feeling of his hands on her made her feel a lot better. “Ah’m sorry…” she said and heaved a shuddered breath. “It’s been a while since ah’ve had that happen ta me.”
Mathew pulled her against his chest again, gently rubbing her neck. “Do you want to talk about it? I’m pretty worried about you… I’ve never seen that kind of look in anyone’s eyes before,” he said in a low calming tone.
Applejack slumped against him and sighed deeply. “It’s not a pleasant story. Ah’m not sure ya noticed, but it’s just Granny, Mac, Apple Bloom and mahself on the farm. Mah folks… they aren’t around anymore,” she said uneasily, struggling not to cry again.
Mathew gently placed a finger on her lips and sighed sorrowfully. “I’m sorry to hear that. In a sense… I can relate to how you feel, but I won’t pretend to know your pain. Don’t tell me if it’s too painful for you,” he whispered.
Applejack gave him a small smile and gently pushed his finger away from her lips. “It’s alright… I trust ya. Ya deserve to know it, ah think,” she took a deep breath before she continued. Applejack’s parents had gone off to make a delivery. They were taking a shipment of apples to her mother’s family’s orange farm, which still rests between the cities of Manehattan and Fillydelphia.
Applejack said that her parents had taken one of the roads that runs along the base of Foal Mountain, which was a small series of mountains, high enough to be capped by snow year round. As her parents got near the middle of the mountains, they were caught by a rockslide. Neither of them had survived the accident, but Applejack still had the occasional nightmare where she watched them get killed. She even found ways to feel guilty about it, since she had insisted that her parents leave early so that they could come back home sooner.
The painful tale was short, but the emotional impact behind it was enough to make Mathew shed a few tears for Applejack’s loss. Then his breath hitched when she said what had caused her to lose it in the first place. “When ah saw ya exhale just then… it looked like you had let your life slip out. It looked like you had died… right under mah hooves. Ah realized that… that ah don’t want to see that happen to ya. Ah don’t want ya ta die…” she revealed.
Mathew was still for a moment, as he processed her words, and then he hugged her tight. “You goof, it’d take a lot more than a good buck to get rid of me. Trust me, I’m not going to die anytime soon… heck, I died a few times right after I got here, so it’s almost impossible for me to stay dead,” he said teasingly.
Applejack sighed and let out a short laugh. Then she nuzzled into him again and sighed contentedly. Her eyes dropped slightly and she looked at the tip of her front hoof. “Sorry for actin’ all dramatic. If Rarity were here, ah’d bet she’d never let me hear the end of it. This sort o’ thing is her deal… ah can’t believe ah’d cry like that,” she said quietly.
Mathew gave her a playful noogie and laughed. “Trust me, it’s not easy carrying around the pain of losing such important people… er, ponies. I don’t hold it against you, not in the slightest. Even I cried the other week… I don’t know how my father is doing back on Earth… and I’m afraid that he might have died out of grief by now. So I know how you feel, in a way, and I see no reason to fault you for it. But if you ever feel the need to talk about it, I’ll always be there for you,” he assured her.
Applejack sighed and hugged him. “Thanks… ah appreciate it,” she said.