Darkness. The endless void stretched on for as far as the eye could see. There was no sound within the vast plane of nothingness, not even temperature registered to the senses. It was empty space. Mathew floated within the void, his mind blank as he stared off into the blackness. Time seemed to be nonexistent as he drifted…
An eternity passed. Mathew, seemingly nothing more than a hollow husk of what he used to be, watched his memories pass over and over. He relived his days on Earth, watching as his younger self grew distant from others before an older gentleman took him away from the orphanage. He watched as that same man did his best to help him reconnect with the rest of the world again… only to fail in the end. Mathew never really healed from his experiences, and secretly he always expected his adoptive father to abandon him like his mother had done. Even after being in the man’s care for many years and growing to love him as real family, Mathew was still plagued by his emotional scars.
Time passed in his memories. Mathew went to school, made a few friends… temporary friends. There was little point in forming lasting bonds with those who would later move on in life; a notion that eventually became reality as the friends Mathew made moved away with their families. After all, life in a small town in the countryside wasn’t for everyone, especially for the younger ones who had more energy than they knew what to do with.
A few friends stayed in the small town. Zackary, Eric, and Mellissa had known Mathew for the entirety of their school life and then some. Even then, Mathew never truly opened up to them. Heck, if it had not been for him reliving the memories, he never would have remembered their names. Mathew found it easy to forget people after not seeing them for a few months. Well, that was not entirely true. He still remembered his father’s name, and Terry had been one of his best friends that had deeply imprinted onto his memory from the good times they had spent together back on the farm. Mathew even recalled the names for a few of his former classmates that had wronged him on occasion, with Jeff being at the top of the shit list.
Overall, Mathew was forgetful of others unless he met with them on a more regular basis. You could say that he was a loner, but it never really occurred to anyone that Mathew was just avoiding any meaningful bonds with them. Mathew always went with the flow in their eyes, giving him the image of just another casual guy. In reality, Mathew was always one wrong word away from walking away from them and never looking back or giving them another thought. No one ever learned of his past in the orphanage either, which ultimately meant that Mathew held no trust for others. It was his way, in both an active and subconscious manner, of making sure he held others far enough away from him that he would never feel the sting of losing them like he had so many times before in the past when he was young.
Mathew continued to stare as his life proceeded forth. Most of his life was ultimately uneventful. He went to school like everyone else, put on his fake smiles and pretended to be a part of his friend’s lives, and did what kids usually do. He progressed through to middle and high school, watching as his friends either stayed or left. He caught the interest of a girl at one point in his high school days, managing to form enough of a bond with her to get his first kiss… but that was as far as he went with her before she started seeing parts of his true nature. They eventually broke up, but she did what she could to keep him as a friend.
The memories blurred together after that. Mathew eventually graduated from high school, tried to get into a nice college but wound up being rejected due to his previous schooling not being adequate for the places that Mathew had applied to. It wasn’t so much that Mathew had not done enough for his education, what with him keeping an average of at least a B in all subjects, but that his schools had poor reputations in comparison to other schools in the state. From there, Mathew decided to look for work, figuring it was better to get a career started and maybe move up in life. He started off doing small yard cleaning/maintenance jobs before landing a spot at the hardware store a few years later. Life was looking rather stable for Mathew at that point in time and he was looking forward to possibly getting a promotion.
It was at that point that Mathew’s life changed forever. After his shift had ended, he had gone out for just another one of his relaxing outings… where fate decided it was time to give him his first real hurtle in life. Through the combined magic of two Alicorn Princesses, Mathew was ripped from his world and into the magical land known as Equestria. This new land was dominated by sentient ponies, all of whom were influenced by the magic of their world.
With no way to return to his original world, Mathew found himself forced to adjust to his new home. Under normal circumstances, anyone else may have lost their mind for a time… but being normally disconnected from the world around him, Mathew simply took it as he normally would. What else could he do? Panicking over it would have solved nothing. Fighting it and refusing to accept reality would have just been stupid. It had still been weird to see ponies talking and to learn that magic was a real thing, though. In the end, Mathew just let the following events unfold without really letting himself feel like he was a part of their world.
Yet… something changed during the first week after his arrival in the realm of the ponies. The dark Alicorn Princess, the one called Luna, started visiting him more and more often after his near death experience. Mathew never even realized it until it was too late, but he found himself opening up to this strange creature. He appreciated her honesty with him and found himself always smiling genuinely with her playful antics. It wasn’t until he had to leave the castle with the young purple Alicorn that Mathew came to realize that he had somehow allowed himself to make a real friend.
Mathew watched blankly as his mind shifted the order of events. For the third time, he watched as he channeled magic to try escaping from the barrier that he had made. He fired the beam, resulting in a violent explosion. Darkness, much like what he currently floated within, greeted his mind’s eye. A voice echoed in the darkness. Mathew challenged the voice. Nightmare showed herself, those bright turquoise serpentine eyes piercing through the darkness at him. But then something happened that wasn’t like the previous times he had seen that part of his memories… the eyes became filled with sadness. “Mathew…” came her whisper.
Mathew blinked blankly.
“Mathew…wake up…”
Mathew’s eyes closed halfway as something tried to stir within him.
“Mathew… come back to me…” came the whisper again, this time a little louder.
Mathew’s heart beat once… twice… he closed his eyes as his memories shot forth to his fight with Absolution. Nightmare’s voice called to him again. The beam of magic shot through the sky and Nightmare’s whisper grew louder, more defined, and Mathew’s heart beat again, stronger. The attack connected with the god’s arm and the world was saturated in a bright light from the explosion. Mathew watched for any signs of Absolution, trying to see through the cloud of magical residue to locate the god’s outline. Then the wind shifted and a beam of red power struck him. Pain erupted throughout Mathew’s body.
“MATHEW!”
Mathew’s form pulsed and he gasped for air as he opened his eyes wide. His face was swiftly and gently cupped in the embrace of warm hooves as Nightmare’s face materialized in front of him, her eyes filled with worry. Mathew’s heart raced in his chest as his lungs heaved rapidly. Nightmare softly started caressing his cheek as she cooed, “Shh… shh, it’s okay, Mathew. Calm yourself. You must regain your composure, please…”
Mathew complied to the best of his ability, doing his utmost to slow his breathing. Meanwhile, Nightmare continued to look into Mathew’s eyes and do what she could to pass on as much of her calming emotions as possible. In time the effects began to take hold and Mathew slowly calmed down enough to manage himself. He swallowed, noting the extreme dryness in his throat. “What happened?” he asked hoarsely.
Nightmare’s ears splayed back as a look of uncertainty crossed over her features. “I am not entirely sure, Mathew, but I fear that we may have been outclassed in power. I cannot sense anything from the outside. You’ve been in a state of shock for a short time… I was scared for you,” she replied, nuzzling under Mathew’s chin.
Mathew’s breathing slowed down to more normal levels and he hugged Nightmare to him. “I think I’m alright now, but I don’t know why I feel so beat up. I don’t normally feel anything when I’m in this place,” he said as he looked around. The endless void that he had been in was now gone, replaced with the darkness that he was familiar with as the memory orbs twinkled all around him. “Got any ideas as to what happened?”
Nightmare was silent for a time as she collected her thoughts. She had an idea as to their fate, but was unsure how she should explain it to Mathew. She sighed quietly as a lump formed in her throat. “I don’t have words to express what has happened… but I believe you will understand if I show you.” Nightmare’s horn lit up faintly and she pulled herself gently from Mathew’s embrace.
The starry realm slowly melted into a new image. Mathew looked around, slightly surprised at the change of scenery and he took in their new surroundings. They were within the middle of a burnt and smoldering wasteland. Beneath them was a dark crater of some kind, yet Mathew felt as though he was standing on a hard surface still. He turned a questioning look to Nightmare, but she was focused on something else. Mathew followed her gaze to something in the distance.
Mathew’s blood ran cold as he spotted a very familiar group of ponies. They were all looking up at something far off in the distance, their poses defensive. He tried to look further out to see what it was that they were facing, but the view was warped as if there was melted glass in the way. Mathew’s gaze quickly returned to see the state of the group. Rainbow Dash was frozen in the air mid-flap and her ears were splayed back as tears dripped down her face into the fierce pain-filled snarl on her muzzle. She almost seemed frustrated that there was nothing she could do.
Twilight was poised in front of the group, standing in between whatever it was in the distance and her friends. Rarity was staring at the ground with wide eyes, as if she had lost all her senses and was simply resigned to letting herself become void of all thought. Fluttershy was curled up on the ground, her mane covering her face, completely hiding her away from the rest of the world.
The sight that really hit Mathew, though… was the agony etched into both Applejack and Luna’s faces. There was so much pain in their eyes as they looked directly at him in that moment frozen in time. Just seeing so much hurt in them made Mathew’s heart burn something fierce. His eyes teared up as he continued to stare.
“I believe we have been defeated… and that we are sitting on the precipice of death, Mathew,” Nightmare said quietly.
Mathew shook his head slowly. He couldn’t believe that. If that was even remotely true then it meant that he had failed to protect the only ones that mattered in his life. He turned a shock-filled stare to his partner, only to see a look of deep sadness on her face. “Nightmare… there’s no way. We can’t fail… not when everything has only just begun. We have to get out and protect them. This must be some kind of prison that we’ve been trapped in – like when I was stuck in that crystallized magic.”
Nightmare shook her head for a moment before she paused in thought. Her eyes widened slightly. “You may be partly right, Mathew. I think I finally understand why that realm with our memories exists now…”
Mathew eyed Nightmare with a little hope, but he had a growing feeling building inside of his chest for some reason. Nightmare’s eyes lost focus as she thought about her idea before eventually locking onto Mathew’s eyes. Something flickered deep within her gaze that made Mathew’s stomach sink.
“Mathew… that realm was a place that formed within my core. That is where we are right now. Our body was destroyed… and my core is all that remains.” Nightmare’s eyes flickered again as Mathew’s eyes widened. “There is still a way to help them, Mathew.”
The feeling in Mathew’s chest increased and he stepped away from Nightmare. “No… I don’t know what you’re planning, Nightmare but I don’t like it. What are you not telling me?” he asked with a trembling voice.
A small smile spread across Nightmare’s lips, but the smile did not reach her eyes. A sadness that Mathew had never thought he would ever feel started to latch onto his heart as he watched Nightmare slowly step forward toward him. Mathew went to step away again, but his legs failed to move. He looked down to find his legs encased in shadows, ones that refused to bend to his will. His eyes darted back up to Nightmare as he tried again to move away. “Nightmare, stop it!” he begged.
Nightmare continued to approach him as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. “We can save them, Mathew,” she said quietly.
Mathew doubled his efforts to free his legs as tears dripped down his cheeks. “Nightmare! Let me go! Please stop this…” he pleaded.
The tears fell down Nightmare’s cheeks as she finally stopped just one more step away from Mathew. Her eyes wandered over Mathew’s face as her emotions jumped around. She looked down to Luna and Celestia for a brief moment. “You made me a promise… you promised that no harm would come to them. Can you honestly say that you’ve held your end of that agreement when my daughters look so hurt?” she asked.
Mathew’s body halted its struggle against the shadows as his head slowly lowered in slight shame. He knew where Nightmare was heading with that question and he remembered everything that he had done to fulfill his last promise to his partner. Nightmare’s hoof gently lifted his gaze so that he was looking into her crying face. She held a deep remorse within her gaze, yet there was warmth as well. Mathew swallowed the tightness in his throat as a new wave of tears fell down his face. “Nightmare…” he croaked.
“Shh… I know, Mathew. But you must understand it by now. My children need you.”
“They need you, too,” Mathew paused as a sob escaped him. His eyes started to burn as he tried to fight back his tears. “They need their mom.”
The warmth in Nightmare’s eyes grew a little more and she pressed her forehead against Mathew’s. “I’ll never leave them… not completely. There will be a part of me with them, always… and with you as well. I’ll live on as a part of you.”
Mathew choked back another sob and he tried to glare at her, only partly getting the look across before his heart ached again forcing him to cringe instead. “Y-you’re lying. You’re not going to l-live through this…” he said weakly.
A wave of sadness swept through both of them as Nightmare lifted her hoof and pressed it to Mathew’s chest, the appendage slowly starting to sink into him. A sob of her own rocked through her body as Nightmare looked back down to her daughters. “In a way you’re right, but you know that part of it is true. By giving you this final gift, I will become you. So long as you live, I shall as well. This is the only way… and we both know it.”
Mathew’s heart ached harshly as his emotions finally came to the surface. A mournful cry filled the air as he gave in and grabbed hold of Nightmare’s arm. He merely held her as she continued to press more of herself into him. The rest of Nightmare’s body started to bleed away into a magical dust that slowly drew itself into Mathew until all that remained of her was her caring face. Just before the last of her joined with Mathew, he swallowed his pride and looked right into her eyes. “You were like a mother to me… and I’ll always love you for that, Nightmare.”
Nightmare’s smile widened and one last tear fell down her cheek. “Thank you, Mathew… you will always hold a special place in my heart as well. Now go… keep your promise… and protect my daughters…”
Nightmare’s face melted away into the mist and gathered in front of Mathew’s heart before slowly being absorbed into him. In that moment, the world around Mathew pulsed and his eyes flashed a deep black as everything that made Nightmare who she was fused with him. Sorrow filled his entire being for but a moment before he turned his gaze up to the once blurred image of Absolution. Sadness quickly burned away as Mathew’s fury spread like a wildfire on steroids.
I’m going to KILL YOU!
~~***~~
Absolution watched the smoking crater for a brief time, a look of boredom on his visage, before he spoke. “Such a shame. I had expected more from them. Then again, Abyss was never a good judge of others. It’s no surprise that her contract partner turned out to be so weak. Oh well, I have forgiven them, and soon I will forgive every other being on this planet.” The god’s eyes lowered to his daughters. “It is time, my daughters.”
Celestia whipped around and glared daggers at her supposed parent. Twilight jumped in front and spread her hooves defensively, though deep down she was terrified of Absolution. Sensing that everything was lost, Fluttershy buried her face in her mane and laid flat on the ground as she mourned Mathew’s death and feared what was to come next. Rainbow Dash could only hover as she realized that she had lost Mathew again and that she was helpless to stop it, a fact that made her angry as she bared her teeth toward the ground. Rarity’s mind finally hit the breaking point and she just let herself give in as shock swept through her. She just knew that there was no hope without Mathew to fight for their sake. Pinkie Pie stared off into space as her mane lost some of its poof… but not all of it. There was a strange look in her eyes as little parts of her body twitched and trembled.
Meanwhile, Luna and Applejack just stared at what was left of their beloved, neither one could do anything more than let their anguish flow freely from their eyes. Mathew was gone, and nopony knew if he would or could return this time. The faintest traces of Mathew’s magic suddenly vanished, along with Nightmare’s, and Luna’s heart skipped. “No…”
A hum rumbled from Absolution and he brought his hand up to rub his chin with a smirk. “Goodbye Abyss.”
Luna’s anger flared and she spun around to face her father. She charged her horn and fired a beam of magic at him. The attack created an explosion half the size of what Mathew had accomplished. The resulting cloud of residue was slowly waved away by Absolution’s hand and he placed his hands on his hips with a disapproving look at his daughter. “Do not waste your time with such pointless attempts, Luna. It will take far more than that to do anything to one such as I. If you continue to act like a spoiled little brat then I will be forced to punish you.”
Luna grit her teeth and fired another beam at him as she screamed in her rage. Again the attack did nothing and Absolution shook his head with an annoyed sigh. Absolution lifted his hand and an orb of red power formed from out of thin air. The sphere of magic then shot out a tendril toward Luna. Twilight shot a beam of lavender magic at the approaching string of possible death in an attempt to protect her friend, but the act proved to be in vain as the tendril pushed through the explosion un-phased.
Celestia lit her horn and threw up a wall of magic in front of the tendril only for it to shoot around the barrier. Rainbow yelled in panic for Twilight to get them out of there, but by then it was already too late. The crimson tendril slammed into the ground and sent multiple coils around Luna, shackling her to the ground. Luna’s eyes darted down as she felt the tendril squeeze her neck firmly before she looked up in shock to see the disappointed look on Absolution’s face. He lifted his hand and readied his fingers for a snap. “I hope you learn your lesson from this, daughter. It’s the only one I will give you. Next time I will have no choice but to find forgiveness in my heart for you…”
Absolution’s fingers snapped and the red tendril lit up as it charged. The shackles then turned black and sizzled into dust. Luna’s heart raced as she looked down at where the tendril had been, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. At the same time, Absolution’s eyes widened. “What!? What did you do?”
As confusion spread throughout the rest of the assembled group the wind started to blow, first as a gentle breeze but it quickly started to blow harder as the seconds passed. Every pony and god alike looked around in confusion and small twisters of dust began to form all across the land. Something warm brushed against Luna and the others, drawing their attention back to where the crater was. They all looked back and shock filled them from what they saw.
The crystal that made up Nightmare’s core hovered in the air as it glowed a gentle pale blue. Absolution started to chuckle. “What’s this? Abyss, are you coming out to play?”
As if responding to the god’s mocking tone, the core shifted from pale blue to pitch black and sparks of black lightning arced around it. The crystal pulsed angrily and a crack formed across its surface. Black ooze dripped out from the damaged gem to pool on the ground beneath. The instant the substance touched the charred earth, pitch-black flames erupted and a wave of heat slammed into the nearby group of ponies.
Thinking quickly, Twilight lit her horn and surrounded her friends with a magical barrier. She instantly thanked her lucky stars as an arc of dark magic shot out and slammed into her shield, yet she also nearly cursed as her mind was flooded with a powerful feeling of hatred. It took almost all of her remaining focus just to resist the urge to stop channeling her barrier and attack Absolution. Celestia and Luna quickly took notice of the fluctuation in the barrier and they lent their aid to Twilight. They too felt the wave of hatred flow through the barrier into them, but they managed to suppress the urge more effectively.
Fortunately for the three princesses, as soon as the dark magic ceased touching the barrier, moving off in a violent and random path away from them, the feeling stopped. They breathed a short sigh of relief before turning their attention back to the crystal. The pool of fire had become a large inferno and the surrounding soil had melted into a glowing orange bowl around the black flames. Celestia and Luna shared a concerned glance with each other. “Luna, didn’t Nightmare say that if she ever set foot on Equus it would be too dangerous? What if she destroys this entire area with her presence?”
Luna stared at the bleeding crystal as its dark fire engulfed the ground beneath it. Something tugged at her from deep within, as if she somehow knew that this was not what her mother meant. “No… something else is happening, Tia. That compulsive urge we felt… something is very wrong with mother. What if-”
Another arc of dark lightning shot out, slamming into what remained of the plateau and ripping it apart like a vicious diamond dog through a stack of paper. It was in that moment that the crystal cracked again, the sound similar to a thunder clap. The gem splintered and exploded in a cloud of black mist. The darkness spread out across the crater, almost far enough to brush against the erected barrier, but it stopped just a few feet away. Luna’s fur stood on end as she gazed into the formless mass of shadow. Something was looking at her from within the darkness and she felt deeply afraid.
In the next moment, whatever resided within the cloud of darkness shifted its attention to Absolution and the god’s eyes narrowed as a chill ran up his spine. That is not Abyss, he thought.
The cloud suddenly swirled around, becoming a vortex of rage. The howl of the winds soon gave way to the roar of something far more unsettling as the tornado of shadow shrunk and condensed into a sphere. The orb solidified and a pulse of power rocked the world even more forcefully than when Absolution had before. The winds instantly vanished and an eerie silence fell across the world. A single word, spoken in Mathew’s voice, shattered the quiet.
“Die.”
A deep boom and a wave of pressure slammed into the barrier that Twilight, Celestia and Luna struggled with all their might to maintain. The force was still strong enough to send the others to their knees, even forcing Rainbow Dash to the ground to stand on shaky hooves. The prismatic pegasus mare’s head darted up to see a line of pure shadow streaking across the sky toward the huge-tastic jerk of a god. Her gaze zipped back and forth between Absolution and the solid sphere of darkness that had fired the beam. What the heck is going on!?
The others could only lay on the ground and watch on in fascinated horror as the dark beam of power reached further up into the sky toward Absolution. Twilight grit her teeth as she pushed against the force of the magic, doing her best not to watch as the weight behind the sphere’s attack literally stripped away the land around it. Were it not for the aid of Celestia and Luna, Twilight was almost certain that her barrier would have shattered by now.
Celestia’s jaw was set in a firm frown as she fought against the pressure of the sphere’s attack. She was positive that the desert would never be the same after this event, but that thought had taken a back seat to her wondering what Nightmare was thinking. Surely her second mother was aware of the destruction that was happening to Equus because of this, so why was she letting Mathew use so much power? She had thought that Nightmare would know better than to allow so much destructive magic to be used like this…
Luna’s efforts reflected that of her sister, only her feelings and thoughts differed. She was more concerned for Nightmare and Mathew’s state of mind at the moment. There had been so much hate before, hate that Luna could not possibly fathom as to what would have caused it. Yet beneath it had been something more concerning… overshadowed by the intense anger was a deep mournful sorrow. What had happened to the two of them to cause such powerful emotions to influence their magic so? In addition, what was it that had made her so afraid of the darkness? She had never been so scared of the shadows, yet Luna had been utterly terrified by it in that single moment, as if the dark would have consumed her completely.
While everypony wondered what was happening, Absolution simply stared at the display with curiosity and mild uncertainty. He could feel incredible power wafting out from the odd sphere of darkness, but he did not recognize it in the slightest. It was not the same energy that the human had wielded nor was it that of the dark goddess. He was intrigued by the new development, but his priorities needed to be put in order first and foremost.
Absolution’s arms bolted forward and he formed a thick crimson barrier around his body. A moment later the beam of shadow crashed into the red protective orb. A blinding flash of white light erupted and Equus shook from the shockwave of yet another powerful explosion. The beam faded and sputtered out shortly after and the atmosphere above was saturated in a beautiful array of colors, like an aurora, as the magical residue drifted through the sky.
All eyes stared in shock and awe as the cloud of color drifted away, slowly revealing something that nopony would have expected. Floating in the middle of a crumbling and mostly destroyed red barrier was the angry god, Absolution… what was left of him. His body had become a formless swirl of deep red, leaving only his head and part of an arm intact. Absolution glared down at the one responsible for attacking him and causing such an injury to his form. Then, as if a switch had flipped in the god’s mind, a sinister grin split his maw and he chuckled ominously. “Ah~ now I understand. You have been reborn. This little trip to retrieve my daughters has granted me quite the profitable boon. Our time together has only just begun, young one… be sure to entertain me further, Mathew. A mad cackle ripped through the night as Absolution’s body swirled away to vanish in a snap of lightning.
At the mention of his name, Twilight, Celestia and Luna all quickly looked back to where the black orb was. There, scowling up into the sky and partially surrounded by wisps of dark mist, stood the naked human form of Mathew. Ebony vapor trailed from the dark voids of his eyes for a brief time before Mathew clamped them shut and fell to his knees. “Absolution, you bloody COWARD!” he screamed before punching a fist into the ground. Immediately following his declaration, Mathew’s chest heaved as his sorrow returned in full force and his wails of pain and loss echoed through the air.
Nopony knew what had happened to him, but one thing was for certain, Mathew was hurting… yet not even Luna had the strength to approach him. As the distraught human cried, Celestia tore her gaze away from him to take in the devastation of his powers. The desert that they had once walked through was no more, replaced by a glassy, jagged wasteland of melted sand in the shape of a massive bowl. The only place that had not been affected as much was the precarious pillar that the group of ponies found themselves on top of. Their barrier had withstood the power of Mathew’s magic, but everything else around them had not.
Celestia’s eyes slowly returned to Mathew and a shiver ran down her spine. The thought of so much damage having been possible when she had fought with him made her stomach knot in knowing that there could have been so many lives lost. Nopony moved for a long time, all they felt they could do was to let Mathew cry.