//------------------------------// // 1 - The Summons // Story: Shadows Within the Heart // by Oddling //------------------------------// The dark void was silent once again. It had been like that for quite some time today. Something had happened in the outside world… something substantial. Golden brown eyes slowly opened to stare into a semi-transparent window to the world outside. Mathew gazed at the two dark Alicorns on the other side. Something had upset Princess Luna as she held a look of confused anger upon her face. Mathew looked to the other Alicorn, noticing that Nightmare had turned away to speak to Luna. Something was off about the dark goddess, though. Try as he might, the young man just could not find what it was that made Nightmare different this time… but he was not happy about it. A long sigh escaped Mathew as he pondered about Nightmare’s subtle difference. After some time of watching them, he decided he would focus on something else. Perhaps he should look into that strange disturbance that he felt a little while ago… ~~***~~ Twilight was seated in her favorite chair reading a tome on high-level spell casting for a future magic lesson with Starlight Glimmer when a panicked young purple and green dragon burst through the door of the room. The purple Alicorn Princess looked away from her book with a raised brow. Just what could have flustered Spike so much that he wouldn’t even knock first? Spike skid to a halt right next to Twilight, huffing and puffing from his sprint. He looked up with panicked emerald eyes as he held out a scroll. At first glance it seemed like any other scroll she might have received from Princess Celestia, but the mark of the princess’ sun with a spear lanced across it said this was no simple message. Twilight’s horn lit and she snatched the scroll from Spike’s grip. She quickly scanned through the official document only to stare in disbelief moments afterward. Twilight shook her head and reread through the scroll’s contents. Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle, A matter of great urgency has arisen in Canterlot. I apologize for this arriving in such a time sensitive manner, but I urge you to gather your friends, the Element Bearers, and bring them with you to the Castle as soon as possible. I wish I could tell you more about the reason for this summons my former student, but there is no time. Please make haste for your departure. Sincerely, Princess Celestia Twilight swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat as she read the letter. Something about it made her fur stand on end. There was real urgency in this message. She quickly placed a bookmark in the tome and set it down on a nearby table, she could afford to reshelf it later. “Spike,” she said quickly, “we need to get the girls together and leave for Canterlot immediately!” Spike lifted a claw to inquire, but before he could speak Twilight had teleported away. His clawed hand hung in the air with his jaw agape. With a tired huff he slumped and turned to grab a few things before the time to depart arrived. ~~***~~ In less than an hour, Twilight and her five friends had gathered at the train station. Nopony other than the purple Princess of Magic knew what was actually happening, and even she knew the bare essentials. An aura of uncertainty hung in the air as they anxiously waited for the train to arrive. “So… what exactly is going on again?” Rainbow Dash asked as she looked around, her rose colored eyes taking in the expressions of unease from her friends. Twilight sighed softly as she looked to her rainbow-maned pegasus friend, then to the others. “I received an urgent request from Princess Celestia, earlier. She said that we were needed at the castle. That’s all I know, but from the feeling I got when I read the letter… something big is happening,” she explained. “Yes, well,” Rarity started tiredly, “I understand that things might be a little… how should I put this… potentially hazardous? But was this truly so important that we had to be awoken at such a late – or rather, early hour?” she asked, her purple mane still a little messy from her recently disturbed rest. “Ah hafta agree with Rares on this,” spoke Applejack, her blonde mane equally as messy as Rarity’s and without her usual ties to keep her ponytails in place. “Ain’t this a tad late for this sort of thing?” Twilight sighed again, though more apologetically this time. She really was sorry that she had to wake her friends so late, but she just knew this was too important to not act on it as quickly as possible. “I’m sorry girls, but you have to trust me… something is happening. I don’t know what, but I can almost feel it in the air.” “I don’t think you’re the only one, Twilight,” Came Fluttershy’s soft voice from the side of the group. Everypony turned their eyes to her, only to spot her gently petting Pinkie Pie, who’s pink fluffy mane was looking a little deflated. Rainbow quickly flew over to her pink friend and she softly touched Pinkie’s shoulder. “You okay, Pinks?” she asked. Pinkie sniffed and cast her sky blue eyes up to look at Rainbow sadly. “I think this really is a big one, guys. Twilight can feel it, too, but I know something is happening again. But… this doozy isn’t like the last one. Even the others are expecting something big to happen this time. So something big has to be coming.” Twilight looked to Pinkie curiously. “When you say ‘the last one,’ are you talking about…” she trailed off as she noticed Applejack’s ears droop. Pinkie Pie sniffed again and looked over to Twilight with sad eyes. “Yeah… this is almost like the time Mathew fought against Celestia. Do you think that… that he might be coming back?” Everypony looked around to each other. Feelings were mixed on that subject. Though Fluttershy, Pinkie and Applejack liked the idea of seeing the human again, Rainbow was still scared of him. Heck, the poor prismatic mare had suffered the occasional nightmare of that day when he showed her just how insignificant she was compared to him. Rarity was unsure of what she felt about the human. He had shown her both his good and bad sides. Twilight, on the other hoof, was unsure of Mathew for a few reasons. She was torn by the fact that he frightened her with how powerful he had been, yet she admired him for everything he had done to save Princess Celestia and many others. Then there was her undeniable sense of guilt for what she had done to him because she refused to listen to him. Even now she struggled to understand why she reacted the way she did. At one point she trusted in him, but doubt had wiggled its way into her heart somewhere. From that moment on, she viewed him as a monster for trying to make her mentor, the most important pony in her life, into a villain. Applejack looked to the evening sky, "Ah would hope so..." came her voice, soft and full of emotion. Awkward silence filled the air for a time while each pony simply thought about their time spent with Mathew. Unfortunately, that time was interrupted by a pair of flashes as somepony teleported onto the train station’s platform. Twilight and her friends all looked toward the disturbance to spot the dark forms of Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon, the latter looking slightly annoyed. “Luna, Nightmare, what are you doing here?” asked Twilight, shocked. Nightmare sighed and glared gently at the young Alicorn. “We are here to take you to the castle. Was it not made clear that Luna and I would be arriving at your castle?” she asked. All eyes turned to Twilight, who blushed from embarrassment and shook her head. “It’s alright,” came Spike’s voice as he popped up out of Luna’s mane. “I couldn’t catch her in time before she teleported to get the girls. Don’t be too upset with her, Nightmare… uh, please?” Nightmare shifted her gaze to the little purple dragon with a slightly amused grin. “Fear not, young drake. If it weren’t for the simple fact that she is needed alive and unspoiled… then I might have done a few things to make sure she took the time to get all the details before acting,” she said and her face became serious. “But since time is of the essence, I shall save the reprimanding for later. Gather around us, young ponies. Luna and I shall take you to the castle now.” Everypony nodded and did as they were requested. They all closed in to stand beside the dark Alicorns and were promptly engulfed by the power of darkness. Within the blink of an eye the group found themselves standing in the throne room of Canterlot Castle. “Ah, good, you have all arrived,” came Princess Celestia’s warm voice. Everypony except for Luna and Nightmare turned a slightly uneasy gaze to the sun princess. It had been quite some time since they had seen her last. Celestia stood atop her throne, still as white and pristine as they all remembered, but there was sadness deep within her magenta eyes – her magical, multi-colored mane seemed to lack some of its luster as well. Silence reigned over the room for a small eternity before Nightmare decided it was time to address the Manticore in the room. The dark goddess let her magic take hold of her and she melted into the shadows to reappear between the ponies and Celestia. “Enough! You can make up with each other later. We have a crisis to avoid in the meantime,” she said before focusing on Twilight Sparkle. “Equestria and the entirety of Equus is on the brink of total destruction,” Nightmare declared firmly, drawing gasps from the Element Bearers. “Good heavens, what ever do you mean, Nightmare?” Rarity asked with wide eyes. “Yeah, like, what could threaten the whole world?” Rainbow chimed in. “That,” Luna began, “is why we have brought all of you here. Earlier today, the three of us were pulled into a vision. In the vision we were confronted by… sadly, the one who sired Celestia and myself.” “What!?” Twilight cried. “Your father met with you in that vision?” Fluttershy asked quietly, a look of confusion and concern on her face. Nightmare Moon sighed and closed her eyes. “Yes, Celestia and Luna’s father contacted us. He gave us a warning… he is coming back to this world for them.” Rainbow shook her head and stared at Nightmare, confused. “Wait… how is that a bad thing? Wouldn’t it be cool if their dad came back? Like, isn’t this sorta like a reunion?” she asked. Celestia shook her head. “I’m afraid that is not the case, my little pony,” she said sadly. “He is coming to take us away. We do not know what his true goal is, but we do know that he has threatened to destroy Equus if we refuse to mold the cosmos with him.” “Mold the cosmos?” Twilight repeated curiously. “What does that mean, exactly?” “It means,” Nightmare began gently, “that he wishes to take them and have them help him to create chaos throughout the universe. I’m sure you all can gather just what kinds of methods he is willing to use to find amusement, given the history you know already,” she said and looked away from them sadly. Luna stepped closer and nuzzled her mother softly. Even Celestia appeared with a gentle pop of magic to offer Nightmare some caring nuzzles. The sight of the three being so close to one another left everypony else to stare in both amazement and bafflement. A lot had changed since the last time they had been to the castle. It was a sobering reminder of what a mere three years could do. After a few moments, Nightmare lifted her head and placed soft kisses to the tops of Celestia and Luna’s heads. “Thank you, my daughters,” she said with a small smile. The two Alicorn sisters simply looked back and offered Nightmare their own heartfelt smiles. It truly was a touching moment, but one that could not last forever. Celestia turned her gaze to the Element Bearers once more. “As you all know, this god of chaos is willing to let others die for his amusement. I know it is hard to comprehend just how dire things are right now, but you must know this, my little ponies… Absolution will stop at nothing to get what he wants. There is little that can be done now that the Elements have been completely sealed away from you all, but there must still be something that you can do to help in this dark time.” Twilight’s ears drooped along with her head at those words. Princess Celestia’s words were referring to what had happened after the last time the Elements had been used. Though they had been isolated within the depths of the earth, fixed to the Tree of Harmony, Twilight had found a way to summon them in dire circumstances. That was how she caused them to manifest the day that she had forced the Elements to fire at Mathew. What nopony knew, until much later, was that in using the Elements of Harmony in that way, Twilight had forced them to reject their bearers. Well… that was to say that Twilight and Rainbow Dash could no longer harmonize with the Elements. Silence filled the room as everypony looked to Twilight’s depressed state. It was no secret that the young Alicorn regretted her actions and what they had caused, but there just was nothing that could be said or done that would make her feel any better about it – all of her friends had tried over the years. Celestia took in a slow quiet breath as she braced herself before she walked over and placed her wing over twilight comfortingly. Twilight started and looked up to her former mentor. She saw the warm gaze she knew so well and felt the empathy radiate off of the white Alicorn. There was simply nothing more to do for Twilight, so she buried her face into Celestia’s side as she let herself cry softly. The others looked on with small happy smiles at seeing their friend and the princess sharing such a sweet moment once again. The sight was enough to warm Nightmare’s heart to the point that her eyes watered, but she refused to let the tears fall. The dark goddess glanced to her daughter, Luna. The warmth in her heart slowly faded as she saw the all too familiar look of longing on Luna’s face. As an afterthought, she turned her gaze over to Applejack to see a similar expression on her face as well. Nightmare sighed quietly as she looked between the two. She knew how her daughter, Luna, pined for Mathew, but seeing the same degree of want from the orange earth pony mare was… difficult to take in. In a small part of her heart she too desired the human’s presence, though her desire was far less romantic in nature. She thought on the dilemma for a short time before an idea formed. Being as subtle as possible, Nightmare lit her horn with the softest glow of green she could manage and she tapped into the shadows behind Luna’s ears. “Luna… I shall stay here to speak with them further on the matter at hand. Would you do me a favor and go check on the crystal?” she asked telepathically. Luna’s eyes widened slightly at the sudden voice from just behind her ear. Though she knew it was from her mother, the sensation reminded her of the time Mathew had done a similar trick before. Her heart was heavy with emotions as she recalled that moment, but she nodded nonetheless. “One more thing… take young Applejack with you. I think the two of you could use the time to… come to grips with each other, so to speak. You’ve avoided her for long enough, I think.” Luna sighed gently, but nodded her head again before she turned to walk around the back of the group. Nopony noticed her movements, except for Pinkie Pie, but she simply smiled knowingly at the lunar princess. Luna arrived beside Applejack and gently brushed a few feathers against the earth pony’s shoulder, drawing Applejack’s attention. “Come with me, Applejack,” Luna whispered. Applejack lifted a curious brow, but followed quietly. Though the situation seemed a little odd, she did have to admit that she had wanted to talk with Princess Luna about a few things for quite some time. The two quietly left the throne room and began their slow walk through the castle. As they walked, Luna struggled to keep her eyes forward. Part of her wanted to stop and bow before Applejack to ask for forgiveness for being so rude in the past, but also for loving Mathew. The other part of her wanted to defend her position as Mathew’s only love interest… even though it had not been said that he loved her – not in his own words. Mathew’s parting words had hinted strongly that he might have come to love her, but he never said that he did. A slow sigh escaped her as that depressing thought took root in her heart once again. “Uh… you alright there, Princess Luna?” asked Applejack. It was then that Luna realized that she had stopped walking and had just been staring ahead into the empty hallway. She shook her head abruptly and looked to the orange pony behind her. “Oh, forgive me, Applejack… I lost myself in thought. And please, you may simply call me Luna in private. We are friends…” she said though she was a little unsure of the last part. Applejack gave a slight smile as she looked at Luna. “That we are, Luna. Still, what were ya thinkin’ about? It must have been important if it made you forget to keep walkin’.” “Well…” Luna started only to lose sight of what she wished to say. She was well aware of Applejack’s innate ability to tell truth from lie. However, if she were to be honest with the farming mare… how would Applejack react? Luna sighed as she looked away from Applejack. “Give me some time to formulate my thoughts… please follow me until then, Applejack.” Luna slowly started walking again, Applejack only waiting for a short moment before following behind her. As they walked, Luna thought about how she should broach the subject. She had no choice but to be honest, but how would she word her concerns without losing her friendship with the farmpony? Luna soon became deeply focused as they progressed, but all of her thoughts and worries came to an abrupt halt when she felt a wave of calming warmth pass over her. “What was that?” asked Applejack. Luna paused once more and looked to Applejack curiously. “You mean you felt it as well?” “Yeah… it was kinda familiar, and pleasantly warm. Ah think it’s comin’ from that door over there…” Luna looked in the direction Applejack pointed and her eyes widened. Without another word, Luna sprinted forth to the door. She almost missed the door as the usual guards were nowhere to be found, which struck her as highly unusual. With a flick of her magic, Luna opened the door and skid to a halt within. The lunar princess scanned the room for any signs of entry. Nothing had changed within the room. Bafflement filled Luna as she looked around once more. There had to have been something different… but what? Meanwhile, Applejack walked in behind Luna and eyed the room curiously. “So… what’s going on, Luna?” Applejack asked as she examined the room’s interior. The one thing that stood out was the sight of a tall dresser. Most of the time the royal rooms had nothing like that within them, since everypony generally used the large walk-in closets or lived out of their suitcase. Luna, without looking back, replied gently, “This room is supposed to be guarded at all times. The guards are gone… and it would seem that nothing within the room has been tampered with, but that doesn’t make sense.” “Well, what’s so special about this room?” Applejack asked with a lifted brow. Luna’s ears wilted slightly as she looked back to Applejack with sad eyes. “This room… was Mathew’s when he stayed here… and it is also…” Luna’s horn lit briefly and her eyes flashed white, revealing the crystal coffin that held Mathew’s body. “His resting place…” Applejack’s eyes widened like dinner plates as she saw the crystal. The last time she had seen it was when Nightmare’s spell had surrounded Mathew’s lifeless body. The reaction had been immediate. Once Nightmare’s magic touched his body, Mathew jolted awake with an alarming gasp. His eyes had been wide with surprise… until an odd grin spread over his features. Then, without any warning, Mathew’s skin paled rapidly just before the crystal started to form from his body like water seeping from a saturated sponge. The end result was the crystal coffin, though it had been more transparent in the past. “Is it really him?” Applejack asked softly as she took a step closer. “Yes… mother has kept him here the entire time and she has watched over him every day. She says that she can see him sometimes… that he’s been searching for something, but he hasn’t tried to speak with her,” Luna said before a small smile graced her lips. “She even says she’s seen into his dreams and that he likes to dream of me… and you.” Applejack pulled her gaze away from the crystal to look at Luna. She could tell that there was something on the moon princess’ mind, but there was something she wanted to say now that she had the chance. “Ya know… ah was jealous of you for a while,” she said gently. Luna’s eyes widened slightly as she locked eyes with Applejack. “Ah had been so upset with ya for being the one that Mathew had confessed to liking so much. It… it hurt not being able to know what he thought of me. Ah’ll admit that ah cried a lot after that day… but after ah had some time to really think about what he had said to me… ah dunno, ah guess ah got to accepting that things were better if he was with you,” Applejack admitted and turned her gaze to the floor. Luna’s heart ached as she watched the tears begin to form in Applejack’s eyes. On silent hooves, she crossed the distance and gently placed a hoof beneath Applejack’s chin. “I was jealous of you as well, Applejack…” Luna said as she softly coaxed the farmpony to look her in the eyes once more. “Mathew was friendly with me, and yes he did hint to possibly being able to love me in the end, but he never opened up to me in the same way he did with you. The bond you two shared was more meaningful… and it upset me greatly. At one point I even thought of imprisoning you just to separate you from him… so that I could get closer to him.” Luna sighed as she looked down to the floor. “I was being very selfish in my desires and I even started to feel that if I continued to feel that way… I might lose myself to my inner darkness once more. I am sorry… for the way I acted, and for wanting to keep Mathew to myself,” Luna admitted. Silence filled the room for a few moments before Applejack’s hoof gently lifted Luna’s face to look at her. There was a kind smile on Applejack’s face. “It’s alright, Luna. Ah… kinda wanted him to myself, too. Trust me, ah know how ya feel, and… ah’m glad we had this chance to talk. Besides, ah don’t think Mathew’d let us get away with being all jealous.” Luna smiled as well and sighed pleasantly. “Knowing him, he’d force the two of us to hug and be nice to each other.” “Actually… I’d make you two kiss and make up,” came Mathew’s voice. Both Luna and Applejack’s heads whipped around to stare at the crystal as a faint glow emanated from within it. Just before they could respond, or even act, a pulse of magic flung out and the world went black for them. They soon opened their eyes, feeling a distinct numbness throughout their bodies, to see a window of magic hovering in front of them. Standing on the other side, with a warm smile on his face, was Mathew. “It’s good to see you two again,” said Mathew. Luna stared with wide eyes at Mathew. He looked just like he did the very first time she had seen him, though the clothing was faded to grey. “Mathew? Is that really you?” Applejack asked in a near whisper. Mathew’s smile warmed a little more as he took a few steps closer to the window. “Yeah… it’s me. How have you been, Applejack?” he asked. “How’ve ah been?” Applejack repeated before she reared up and slammed her hooves against the window. “You had us all worried sick! Do ya have any idea what we’ve all gone through thinkin’ nopony’d ever be able to see you again?” she asked with a mix of joy and anger. “Why if ah could get to you ah’d-” “Kiss me?” Mathew interjected with a smirk. Applejack sputtered and blushed as she stared at him for saying something so bold. Luna, on the other hoof, quickly suspected something was amiss. The lunar princess narrowed her eyes. “Mathew… you’re purposely diverting away from something. Why have you brought us here? Surely it wasn’t just to tease us…” Mathew’s smirk melted into a very somber expression as his golden brown eyes met with Luna’s turquoise. A deep sadness lingered in the depths of his gaze as he stared silently. “You would be correct; I didn’t bring you here to poke fun. I brought the two of you here because you are the only ones that I can reach out to at the moment. I need your help… to stop that thing from ending all life on this planet.” Luna’s eyes widened for a moment. “How do you know about that?” she asked. Mathew turned away from them and lifted a hand into the air above him. Another window of energy, much like the one they were looking through, descended to float in front of him. Images of all kinds started to ebb and flow within the new window, showing all kinds of sights across Equestria. Then, as if the window had become a movie, images of Luna’s experience with Absolution started to play. Mathew turned his head to them with a look of melancholy. “Being trapped in here gives me plenty of time to watch the outside world.” Applejack was slightly confused by the images in the other window. She heard no sounds from it, so there was little to add context to the imagery, but one thing she was sure of was that she did not get a good feeling about the large creature that towered over the two princesses and Nightmare Moon. Seeing something so… formless and dark as if every unsavory form of magic had come together to form the horrid amalgamation made the hair on her neck stand on end. Luna’s gaze went back and forth between the window and Mathew. As realization dawned on her, her ears slowly folded back as a sad expression tugged at her features. “You’ve been watching all this time? Why didn’t you try to speak with us sooner? Mother has tried countless times to converse with you, but you’ve never once looked her way. Why?” she asked, fearing the answer. Mathew sighed softly as his gaze lowered. He was silent for a long time before he looked back to the two mares sadly. “I can’t leave this place.” It was Luna’s turn to stomp her hoof in slight anger. Why would Mathew not give her better answers? What was he hiding? “Then why did you choose now to reach out to us? If you cannot leave… then why did you isolate yourself like this? You could have spoken to us sooner… you could have put our hearts at ease. So why – why now of all times?” she asked with a tightening throat. Mathew continued to look at her sadly as he answered. “Because it took me this long to find a way to reach out to anyone. I know it must have been hard on you all… but it’s not been easy being stuck here either.” “So… what has it been like for ya in there?” Applejack asked gently. Mathew looked away to stare at the other window again for a moment as he rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s been torturous, to put it mildly,” he replied as he returned his gaze to the two ponies. “I’ve wanted, so badly, to get back into my body… but nothing I’ve tried has worked. There is magic in this place, yet it only lets me use it in small amounts. It’s almost like… well, it’s like I’ve become a prisoner within my own mind. There have been countless times where I’ve wanted to help you… to talk to you… but nothing I did worked. Hell, I can hardly believe that this worked. I don’t even know how I actually got the two of you in this place. I just tried something new – winging it.” Luna sighed and stepped right up to the window. “Mathew… I’m sorry. I thought that maybe… you didn’t want to see us. Please forgive me for assuming something so poorly.” “Luna… no, I’m the one who’s sorry. If I had been better prepared to talk Celestia down, then I might not have even been in this kind of situation. I was too rash and I didn’t think everything through as well as I should have. This is all my fault… and everyone paid a price for it. I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through because of me…” Mathew said, his voice laced with regret as he stared pathetically at the darkness before him. Luna watched Mathew silently. She wanted to rush to him and embrace him, to tell him all was forgiven and that she only wanted to be with him. Yet there was nothing she could do. The window in front of her radiated an icy chill that told her that her beloved was beyond her reach. She would have voiced her feelings, but for some reason she was simply stuck in place while Mathew hated himself for lacking the strength to make everything right. Applejack’s hoof gently brushed against Luna’s foreleg, drawing the lunar princess’ attention. The farmpony smiled kindly for her before turning her attention back to Mathew. “Ah can’t say that anypony… or anyone is at fault,” said Applejack softly, “but ah can say that it’s wonderful to know that you’re still with us in some way. What ah don’t understand is what we were brought here for. Mathew… how can we help you?” Mathew’s sadness slowly melted away as resolve took over his expression. He straitened up and looked right into Luna’s eyes. “Absolution is coming to take you and your sister away to influence the two of you to be more like he is. Even if he fails to change you, he’ll still find a way to find amusement in the process. That right there, is the biggest problem I have with him; he’s only doing this to get a rise out of it. Everything he’s done has been nothing more than a means for his self-satisfaction. He needs to be stopped at all costs!” “But how? He’s a god, Mathew. You of all should know what the power of a god or goddess can do. How do we stop him?” Luna asked pleadingly. Mathew’s conviction took a backseat as his lips curled into an assuring smile. “That’s where the benefit of being stuck in here comes in. I spent some time searching through the world… there are a few places that you and Celestia have forgotten, and it is in those places that you can better prepare yourselves to fight against your father. There’s not much else I can do to help, but I can still point you all in the right direction.” Luna and Applejack looked to one another for a moment as they thought about that. Then Applejack looked back to Mathew with determination. “Tell us what to do, Mathew.” Mathew smiled confidently. “That’s the spirit. There is still time before Absolution arrives, and I’ll be out of magic for a few hours after this, but I need to speak to Nightmare, Celestia and Twilight later. Luna, you’ll need to be with them since you’ll need to know the details of my plan, too. For now, just go tell everypony that… that I’m finally able to help out again. Also… make sure that everypony knows that what lies ahead is not going to be an easy road. There will be blood, sweat and tears to be shed in order to obtain victory. I’ll see you again soon…” he said and the window connecting Mathew to Luna and Applejack started to fade away. Luna reached out and placed her hoof against the fading pane of magic. “Mathew…” “Don’t worry, Luna. This isn’t goodbye. I will see you again. I promise…” Mathew assured her. Applejack’s hoof touched the window as well, a smile adorning her muzzle. “Just remember, Mathew… you still need ta finish tellin’ me what you were gunna say before.” Mathew chuckled weakly and nodded. “Yeah… I haven’t forgotten. Please wait for me… I’ll finish where we left off when the time comes.” Applejack nodded as she and Luna quietly watched Mathew’s image fade away. They found themselves alone in the darkness of the void for a few moments before light started to filter down from above. The light intensified until an all consuming blinding glare filled their world before they suddenly jerked awake to find themselves staring at Mathew’s floating crystal coffin. The two mares exchanged a look and nodded to each other. “Let us inform the others swiftly,” Luna said and the pair quickly left to tell everypony of what had just transpired. Meanwhile, deep within his own mind, Mathew stared ahead into nothingness. Silence filled his world once more as he thought about his next move. Time was not on their side, that much he knew, but there was still hope for Equestria’s survival. He turned around to look into his window to the outside. He watched as Luna and Applejack barged into the throne room and rushed up to the assembled group with Twilight, the other Elements of Harmony, Celestia and Nightmare Moon. Mathew’s eyes watched as Celestia reacted with wide eyes to the news. “You will be the hardest one to guide, Celestia,” Mathew murmured softly. “You know he is responsible for your mother’s death… but I wonder if you learned your lesson. Please… listen to me this time.” A sudden strange feeling overcame Mathew for a moment as he looked on and his eyes flicked over to see Pinkie Pie looking right at him through the window. A soft chuckle slipped through his throat as he eyed her. “Everything’s gunna be alright, Pinkie,” he said. He was unsure how, but the little pink pony had a way of knowing when he was watching her. She even seemed to know when he was speaking to her, which was proven when she smiled and nodded subtly to him in response. “Stay strong, Pinkie. I’ll do everything I can to help, but you’ve gotta keep your friends together and happy like always. I know you can do it… I believe in you. I’ll see you all again soon,” he said before the window winked out of existence. “Looks like it’s going to be another boring couple of hours while my magic recharges… I guess I’ll take another nap,” he mused quietly to himself. Mathew closed his eyes and let his consciousness wander for a little while. Things had finally started to go his way again. It had been nice to see Luna and Applejack in person (in a way), and he felt good that he could finally help them once again, but there was a lingering feeling in him, somewhere deep in his heart. Doubt festered beneath his newfound confidence. He was afraid of failing them again. If he could not lead them to victory over Absolution… then everything would be lost. With a deep sigh, Mathew curled up to float in the nothingness that was his inner sanctum and prison. He had to try his best… he would do everything in his power for them. There was no room for error, but he also knew a tired mind would do them no good. With a little bit of effort, Mathew cleared his thoughts and soon found himself immersed in another dream… one where two happy mares greeted him with open arms.