A Demon in Ponyville
Ch. 20: Angry Matthew is Angry
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to MLP or any of its subsidiaries. All other characters are mind.
Twilight sat silently before Princess Celestia and Luna. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Applejack looked between Twilight and other princesses. Each pony was situated around the end of the dining room table as Discord slowly revolved around them with an unusually serious expression on his face. After waking up from the nightmare inducing events that were Matthew’s memories, Twilight and her friends had indulged the entirety of their experience.
“Is that all?” Celestia asked, her eyes moving from each face, taking a second to read their expression. Twilight’s was the most solemn.
Something inside Twilight was conflicted at those very last moments. What she had saw where unlike anything that could be described. It was a twisted mockery of such darkness and flesh she could not truly put it to words. It was something that should be thrown into the darkness and locked away with every key available.
Discord’s observant eyes watched Twilight, seeing the flickering shadow in the corner of those wide orbs. A sneaking suspicion entered Discord’s unusual mind. “What was his name?”
Twilight turned to Discord, noting his very serious expression. “I’m not sure what to make of it,” Twilight muttered to herself, “It was something else…”
“I didn’t ask for an analysis. I asked for the name, the full name,” Discord sternly said, his yellow eyes flashing in the light. A spear of fear flickered through Twilight’s fluttering heart.
“His name is Matthew William O’Connor, the Fallen Man, Humanity’s Mistake, Shadow of Great Azathoth, Pilgrim to the far Daemon-Sultan Throne, Reaper, Death Dealer, Oath Breaker, Flickering Candle, Shadow in the Noonday Sun, Corrupted Blood and Mind, the Lone Light in the Night,” Twilight said, keeping her eyes on Discord. The words felt wrong on her tongue. The way the shadow of Matthew’s mind had said them, the words felt almost physical. As if those names had some weight to them. When Twilight had spoken them, they were just words and nothing more.
All of the ponies were turned from Twilight towards Discord. Discord’s normally calm visage was replaced with a paled expression of shock. “Did you say Azathoth? Pilgrim of the Deamon-Sultan Throne?”
Celestia asked, her tone raising an octave to her raising concern, “What does that mean, Discord?”
Discord turned to her snapping, “Nothing that concerns you!” Discord moved closer to Twilight, looking deep into her eyes. Twilight tried to pull away, but an unseen force kept her still. “You’ve seen him haven’t you? You took a glimpse of great Azathoth.”
Twilight’s eyes turned to the side, unable to meet those red irises boring down on her. Discord’s head turned to look over each and every pony by utilizing his long neck. Then something strange happened, Discord began to laugh. This was not the fun laugh they had normally known. This was a cold and hollow laugh. “Oh this is rich! And here I thought he was just lucky with an unusual amount of power, but this takes the cake! Azathoth blessed him to less than a pawn!”
“What do you mean Discord?” Celestia’s hard voice cut into the draconequus’s tirade. But even the scolding motherly tone could not dampen Discord’s mood.
“Oh Celly,” Discord laughed, appearing next to Celestia and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s break this down to your level. Azathoth is the primal Chaos, sitting at the center of the Universe kept in eternal sleep by the maddening beating of vile drums and the thin monotonous whine of accursed flutes. He is the beginning of Us. And if he wakes, we will disappear along with the dream.”
All of the ponies looked to Discord in utter confusion. “And what doest that mean?” Luna asked in confusion. Discord rolled his eyes as the rest of the ponies shared her level of confusion.
“Don’t you ponies ever read your forbidden books of untold madness and evil?!” Discord rubbed the bridged between his eyes. “Azathoth is the god among gods. We are his dream and if he wakes up, we cease to exist. End of story.”
All of the ponies’ eyes went wide at the statement. Rainbow Dash asked, her voice quivering, “T-tthere’s no way that’s real… Right?”
Discord merely gave Rainbow Dash a deadpanned stare, “Yes. Yes he is.”
Celestia’s brain was slowly grinding against her skull, “Could something like that exist?”
“Of course. You’re having difficulty with this because you’re one of the biggest fish in the pond that just realized there’s an entire ocean out there,” Discord nodded sagely.
“Wait a second,” Twilight interrupted with a raised hoof, “If this, Azathoth is asleep, how was he able to talk to Matthew? I remember the conversation and he talked.”
“And when he talked, didn’t feel like you were dying on the insides. Like you were withering away into nothingness,” Discord watched the Mane 6 shift uncomfortably in their seats. “And to answer your question, I would guess lucid dreaming. Azathoth doesn’t intentionally cause anything to happen. By using varying rituals, Azathoth’s followers can reach a small fraction of his image. His image is so powerful it can twist and affect the viewer. However, now and then a small fraction of Azathoth’s consciousness is able to register the small spark of consciousness. What he does with it is his own business.”
“Ah have no idea what’s going on,” Applejack rubbed a hoof against her forehead at the building tension.
“Why did you say Matthew was less than a pawn?” Rarity piped in, wrapping her mind around the implications of Discord’s words.
“What I mean is that with the title of Pilgrim, Matthew is manly a free traveling entity and able to move of his own accord. He’s not bound to any predestined purpose. Next would be the title of Shadow, if Matthew were of any major value he would have a higher role. An example would be the Hand or Word of Azathoth.” Discord began pacing, his feet walking on the open air deep in thought. “I would say that would be a blessing in terms of gifts from an Outer God. Most either cause countless pain and suffering or madness. Delicious, magical madness.”
“What does that mean for us?” Celestia asked, unsure of what to make of this.
Discord sighed, looked towards Celestia with distain, “Don’t go starting all that fear about powerful being in Equestria you can’t control. I know you’re thinking about it.” Discord pulled a rolled up newspaper from the air, lightly tapping Celestia on the end of her muzzle. “Stop it. Stop it.”
Celestia did not appear amused. After torching the magic with a flicker of magic, Celestia broached a new subject to try and quell the rising tension. “I think we should move on. I have made an interesting discovery about our newest… Ally.”
All eyes and ears turned towards Celestia with interest. Discord was so interested he stopped embarrassing the Princess Celestia with another rolled-up newspaper and took a seat.
“While each of you were under, I performed a series of scans on Matthew to better understand his connection to magic,” Celestia began.
“Isn’t that invading his personal privacy?” Pinkie asked in confusion.
“Says the pony who stalks every pony entering Ponyville to perform a welcoming song and not leaving them alone until they become friends with you,” Fluttershy pointed out, remembering Cranky.
“It’s like herding cats with some ponies,” Celestia mumbled to herself, running a hoof down her face and muzzle. “After performing my scans, I’ve discovered quite a shocking truth.” Celestia’s one visible eye caught sight of each individual in the room leaning towards her, their eyes filled with an intense hunger. “Matthew’s magic capacity is ranked at an average of C.”
A calm stillness followed this declaration. Twilight and Luna were the only one not wearing a shocked expression, their jaws almost touching the spotless tablecloth.
“What does a C rank in magic mean?” Rainbow Dash whispered to Rarity.
“It means,” Celestia said, “That a magic user has very poor magic. That they are only capable of the simplest tasks.”
“Then why do they look so shocked?” Rainbow Dash pointed towards Twilight and Luna.
“Because as an alicorn, Matthew would have the magic of all three tribes at his grasp,” Celestia began to explain. “But Matthew’s capabilities in any of the three areas of magic (Pegasus, Earth Pony and Unicorn) are barely negligible. This is very disturbing in terms of Matthew’s capabilities as a pony. He can fly and levitate items, but anything else will be beyond his capabilities.”
Celestia watched the ponies deep in thought, her mind considering the implications of why Matthew’s form was that of an alicorn with such low magic capabilities. Discord’s expression was what caught the Princess of the Sun’s attention. His smile was wide and full of vigor.
“Do you know why, Discord?”
“Oh I have a theory,” Discord responded, his single fang glinting in the light.
“Would you like the share with the rest of us?” Celestia had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at the draconequus.
“The answer is simple,” Discord held up the finger on his lion’s paw. “Since Power is opposite of magic, Matthew’s is currently in a state of flux. His Power is being bound by the magic that transformed and surrounds him.”
“And what does that mean?” Luna asked, working her jaw to ensure it was still working and practicing her modern day speech.
“It means that that horn is a weakness,” Discord shrugged, “It’s preventing Matthew from accessing his full potential. Eventually, Matthew will have to remove it so he can return to his previous state.”
“What does that mean?” Twilight asked, trying to remove the tension rising in her barrel.
Discord looked to Twilight, “Don’t be afraid Twilight. He likes you. To answer your question, I don’t know. I can’t read him properly with all the magical interference. I can’t say what he is capable of. I can say he has a good heart and that is all you should care about.”
“I’ve got a question,” Pinkie Pie broke through the conversation. Every eye turned to the pink pony, “Where were you during the attack on Canterlot?”
The Mane 6 and both princesses turned towards Discord with hard eyes. Discord scratched the back of his head with a rising blush, “I was preoccupied.” His mind however returned to the time of the events, sitting in his tub munching on a rainbow swirled Sunday while a grizzle bar was juggling chainsaws and whistling ‘I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandee.’ Coughing a few time, Discord recovered quickly, “You know, dealing with inter-dimensional issues and god stuff.”
Before they could continue, a loud moan filled the castle. A very Matthew sounding groaned could be heard, “Oh god, my head. What did I do last night? Where am I? Gotta stop with the Tequila, it just isn’t worth it… Or until I drink more.” A couple muffled voices could be heard, but Matthew’s was the loudest, “I’m talking really loud? Well, I don’t hear it.” A loud shuffling was heard and voices where raised, but Matthew ignored the doctor’s words as he left the room.
Everyone in the dining room remained silent, listening to Matthew slowly bumbling through the hallways as his body smacked into the marble sides. After several minutes and a large amount of loud banging along with equal cursing, Matthew finally pushed his way into the dining room.
His eyes were red and the vein in the center of his head was throbbing violently. Twilight feared that said vein would explode in a bloody mess. “Finally found you guys,” Matthew lazily moved towards an open table. All eyes were on him. Matthew placing his forehead on the cool table, “That feels so good.”
Silence followed Matthew’s surprise arrival. Luna asked, “Uh, Sir Matthew? Are you all right? You look unwell. Maybe you should return to the nice doctors.”
“I’ll be fine,” Matthew mumbled. “Probably got into the Tequila again, that stuff just makes me sick to my stomach. That’s why I don’t drink it much. I kinda remember the one time I drank it in Mexico with some new buds. Woke up three days later in a fridge without any clothing, sick to my stomach and somehow I had a bunch of piñatas with me. Never figure out where the piñatas came from. But luckily this time I remember my pants.”
“Well…” Pinkie Pie began.
Celestia quickly cut her off, “Give it a second.”
“Hey! What happened to my pants? It’s like Christmas all over again, but furrier.”
“You weren’t wearing pants to begin with,” Twilight responded with a sigh. In that release of pent up breath, Twilight felt the pressure lessen in her chest. She was being silly trying to judge Matthew on his mysterious limits of strength. He was the same idiot she yelled at the other day and Twilight felt comfort in that fact.
“So commando it is. Giggity!” Matthew responded with a tired chuckle. Ignoring any conversation Matthew continued, “I had the weirdest dream. All you girls where in it and there was the big door. Pinkie opened it and all you went on a long walk through what looked like my memories. Then there was this pale bastard I don’t recognize and a little Pegasus.” Matthew chuckled more at the ridiculousness of the situation, “Crazy right?”
Matthew’s ears swiveled at the lack of response from the ponies around him. A cold realization slowly dawned over him, “That wasn’t a dream was it?”
“No,” Applejack answered, finding it better to be upfront than hiding the fact. “But to be far, ya were dying and we did it to save ya.”
The ponies and Discord waited, allowing Matthew to contemplate Applejack’s words. “Huh, this is a new feeling,” Matthew mumbled to himself, “A complete understanding of what you’re saying and slightly happy at the fact you risked your lives to save me.”
“Well isn’t that nice,” Rarity smiled slightly, almost to the point of sweating at the rising tension.
“Unfortunately, it’s being overshadowed by this unyielding rage!” Twilight and her friends held onto the table to steady themselves as the room began to shake under Matthew’s growing rage.
Celestia and Luna went wide eyed at the building as it suddenly began to rumble with such force. Discord appeared to be unaffected, watching the events with some amusement.
“And what exactly are you planning on doing, Matthew?!” Celestia exclaimed, using all her will not to shake at the force pushing down around her. “Hurt them? Kill them?”
“What?!” Matthew yelled, the force around them suddenly disappearing at the disgusting remark. “I’m not gonna hit girls! That’s just low man! I’ll probably … just … stair at them… angrily… until they submit!”
“That’s it?” Luna asked, not really sure she was understanding what Matthew was saying.
“Or I’ll do what I did with Derek,” Matthew thought deeply for a second, “And prank them until they submit to my greatness.”
Applejack turned to Rainbow Dash, “Sorry fir saying you have a big ego Rainbow. Ah just found an ego bigger than yours.”
“When did you say that?!” Rainbow Dash snapped at Applejack, her mind latching onto something familiar to her perception.
“Ah say it all the time, ya just don’t catch it,” Applejack winked, getting Rainbow Dash’s face to turn a deep shade of red.
While the two continued to bicker like a married couple, Matthew continued his earlier thought, “Except for Fluttershy.” Matthew motioned with his hoof towards the yellow Pegasus.
“Why not Fluttershy?” Pinkie Pie asked, the purpose of someone being left out of a prank just wasn’t right to her. That left that pony out of the fun. And everypony deserves some fun!
“Because I feel like she could barely handle a dark shadow, let alone what I’m gonna bring to the game,” Matthew explained himself. “On a better note, you girls don’t have to worry too much. I’ll probably stick to a day, maybe two if I feel like it. I’m not that angry of a person.”
“What happened to that unyielding rage? Rarity muttered under her breath.
“Too tired. Sleep now. Wake me when we get to Applejack’s place,” Matthew sighed.
Celestia and Luna exchanged confused expression, “Is he really going to-“
“Zzzzzz,” Matthew’s snoring emitted from his unresponsive form. The ponies could only respond with a shake of their head and preparing the citizens of Canterlot to rebuild their home once again.
A cold quivering in their hearts followed the Mane 6 throughout the day, knowing that when Matthew awoke from his rest he would deliver righteous vengeance upon them. How? They did not know. And that is what made them fear so much. What type of prank was an inter-dimensional travel capable of pulling?
0 0 0
The cold morning of Ponyville was brisk. The air was heavy under the weight of the large grey clouds casting heavy shadows across the dirt and multiple rooftops. Today the weather team was scheduled to perform the fall monsoon, a series of heavy showers and increasingly cold temperatures to welcome winter.
High above the sky, Rainbow Dash slept quietly in her bed, wrapped in her Wonderbolts comforter. The previous night had been tiring moving all of those clouds into place very late in the night. But her sleep was not to be enjoyed.
A bucket suddenly found itself over her body. Her rainbow mane was disheveled and adorable as she curled tightly into a ball. The metal instrument holding an unknown liquid found itself being tilted towards Rainbow Dash, spilling the ice cold water it held.
“COLD!!!!”
Rainbow Dash’s screams echoed through the early morning hours. The shock of coldness invaded her body like a penetrating spear and driving her to the waking world. Her maroon eyes shot open as her spine shot straight up in her bed. Her mouth was still releasing her displeasure when she jumped out of bed.
Ice cubes flung in every direction, Rainbow Dash’s heart bashing against her chest. Before the cyan Pegasus could register the entire situation, a loud banging from outside her bedroom caught her attention. Rainbow burst through the door. What she found was quite surprising.
A single brown bag was on fire on her dining room floor. On instinct, Rainbow Dash quelled the flame by smothering it with her hooves. After a few strikes, the flames were out. Rainbow looked to her hooves, a strange brown matter covered them.
“Wait! Is this…”
From outside, Rainbow Dash’s screams of outrage woke a majority of Ponyville that were not woken by her first scream. None of the ponies saw the dark shadow with a spiky mane slip into the shadows behind Sugarcube Corner.
0 0 0
Mrs. Cake yawned, rubbing her eyes as she began prepping the latest batch of cupcakes for the oven. The baker was grateful that her husband was taking care of the twins’ breakfast this morning. She did not relish at the mushy mess they would inevitably create.
The strangest thing was a missing pink pony. Mrs. Cake ran a hoof across her head, looking towards the second floor where Pinkie Pie slept. With a flourish, the blue Earth pony with the pink swirly mane placed the raw pastries into the large oven. Taking a moment, Mrs. Cake decided to check on Pinkie.
Quickly she ascended the stairs, her hooves echoing loudly on the wooden steps. “Pinkie? Are you in there?” Mrs. Cake called from the hallway. Mrs. Cake received a muffled call. Opening the door, Mrs. Cake could only gasp in surprise and confusion at the sight above her head.
Encased in a silvery cocoon of pure duck tape, Pinkie Pie’s blue eyes stared down at her boss. Mrs. Cake could see a small portion of pink poofy hair that managed to slip between the multiple layers of industrial grade adhesive tape.
“Um, Carrot dear?” Mrs. Cake called down to the first floor.
“Yes, sugarplum?”
“Can you keep an eye on the cupcakes? I have to save Pinkie Pie from metamorphosis.”
“Sure- Wait what?!” Mr. Cake called from the first floor.
0 0 0
On Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack moved diligently through the barn. Quietly she organized the barrels of apples. There was no major work scheduled for today on account of the large storms set for the next couple of days. Her brother Big Mac was out in the garden, picking any vegetables ready to be consumed.
The silence of the barn was peaceful to the farm mare. Sometimes Applejack just wanted to enjoy a day without any craziness. No explosions. No villains trying to conquer Equestria. Just a single day without trouble was what Applejack wanted. Was that too much ta ask for?
A soft rustling caught the orange mare’s attention. Turning to the haystack, Applejack slowly approached. Normally, Applejack would assume it was a rodent. But Ah havent’ seen Matthew all day today, Applejack thought to herself as she slowly approached a rather noticeable lump in the dry plant.
“Alright Matthew,” Applejack called loudly, “Git outta the hay before Ah make ya.”
The lump remained still and unmoving.
With a sigh, Applejack grabbed the rack from the pile of tools leaning against the wall. Pointing the round end towards the unseemly bulge, Applejack gave it a light jab.
Applejack’s victory was a bucket of brown slop falling from the roof. “EW!” Applejack screamed as the slime covered her head and hat. A loud, hollow bang startled Applejack and making her jump several feet into the air.
After wiping the mud from the pig pen from her eyes, Applejack’s green eyes found the lone pale and the empty rafters above her head her only company.
Applejack was annoyed, but to be honest this was not the worst thing she was covered in.
At least it’s better than tree sap.
0 0 0
Carousel Boutique was a fine establishment of designer clothing and home of one Rarity. The fashion diva continued to sleep in the lavish comfort of her silky sheets. A green facial mask covered her pale complexion along with several rollers to keep her mane curly.
Rarity slowly stirred in her bed, her thin form not wanting to wake up. The morning would not be denied and soon Rarity pulled herself from the soft comforts to welcome the morning. Wrapping herself in a pink robe with matching slippers, Rarity removed her standard eye cover with a flicker of magic.
Moving into a pristine polished bathroom, Rarity passed her countertop covered in far too many products to properly name. Turning on the water, the white unicorn waited patiently for a healthy amount of steam to waft lazily from the warm water. Gently she pulled the rollers from her purple mane.
Disrobing, Rarity slipped into the running water with a content sigh. A series of scrubbing and application of her favorite body wash followed with Rarity being none the wiser that her favorite soap was previously tampered with food coloring.
Steam filled the wide bathroom, blocking the wide mirror with heavy moisture as Rarity left the shower. Wrapping her body with a towel and her mane, Rarity took her seat in front of the lavish mirror. Its border was embezzled with swirling leaves and vines.
With a flash of blue magic, Rarity dispersed the swirling mist and moisture blocking her from her mirror. What she saw next would haunt her for many months.
From outside Matthew grinned wolfishly, his teeth flashing the poor light. “GREEN! HE PUT GREEN COLORING IN MY PRODUCTS!”
Matthew cocked his head to the side, surprised at the shaking air and ground. “Who knew she didn’t like green? Huh… That worked out better than I thought,” Matthew thought to himself before he disappeared suddenly.
Only the echoes of an enraged Rarity followed Matthew’s wake, “I AM GOING TO MURDER YOU MATTHEW! AAAAH!”
0 0 0
Noon passed by, the rain having already started with a steady downpour. Heavy raindrops pelted Twilight’s roof and windows. The purple alicorn looked in confusion at her friends sitting around the circular table in the center of the library. Their raincoats dripped quietly onto the hardwood flooring, darkening it. Applejack was looking at the rest of the group with a mixture of confusion and amusement. Her traditional Stetson was missing due to the need to launder it. A vein in Rainbow Dash’s forehead throbbed as violently as the scowl she wore. Pinkie Pie was wearing a set of butterfly wings and long antennae. Rarity was wearing a dark cloak and refused to take it off. From what Twilight could make out, splotches of green littered her usually perfect white coat.
“So let me get this straight,” Twilight took a deep breath. “Rainbow Dash had a bucket of ice water dumped on her and then fell for the flaming bag of dog poo. Pinkie Pie was wrapped in a cocoon of duck tape. Applejack was covered in mud. And something happened to Rarity she refuses to talk about. But what happened to you Fluttershy?” Twilight turned her eyes to Fluttershy.
The yellow Pegasus had a woven wicker basket in her hoof, looking at each of her friends with confusion. “Oh. Well, after I was done getting all my animal friends ready for the rain I found a basket of muffin sitting in my living room with this note.”
Twilight took the note in her magic, moving it closer to read the blocky writing on the torn piece of parchment.
‘Hey Fluttershy,
Thought I’d give you a basket of muffins. This mare was selling them and they are GOOD. I thought you would enjoy them.
So enjoy,
Matthew.’
Twilight gently laid the letter down, looking towards Fluttershy. The yellow Pegasus offered the basket to her friends, “Muffin?”
Twilight nodded, taking a blueberry muffin with her magic, “Thanks Fluttershy.” Before she could enjoy the pastry, Twilight caught sights of the wary eyes all of her friends where shooting her. “What?”
“You’re next,” Applejack said.
“What do you mean ‘You’re next’?”
Rainbow Dash answered, “ We’ve all been pranked. You’re the only one left Twilight.” Rarity nodded silently, refusing to show her muzzle to the light of the library.
“Oh come on,” Twilight tried to brush off the issue with a wave of her hoof. Hot coal entered her stomach at the thought. “It’s just a prank. Nothing more.”
If looks could kill, Rarity’s sparkling eyes would have pierced Twilight’s very soul. Twilight cringed at the sight, pulling her eyes away.
“W-would any of you like to have a sleepover tonight?” Twilight offered, sweat starting to develop on her brow.
“Sorry sugarcube,” Applejack nodded, “Ah promised Applebloom some hot chocolate and board games.”
Rainbow Dash sighed, the dark bags under her eyes becoming more apparent as her anger cooled slightly. “I’ve got to get home and feed Tank. And get some sleep. I could really use a nap. I also don’t wanna fly through these clouds again.”
Fluttershy hid behind her mane, “Sorry. Angel doesn’t like the rain and I have to get home before the rains get too bad.”
“Um, what about you Pinkie?” Twilight asked, hope fluttering with the beating of her heart.
“Sorry,” Pinkie smiled sadly. “Tonight I get to pre-make the cookies for tomorrow while Mr. and Mrs. Cake play with Pound and Pumpkin.”
Twilight’s shoulders sagged, “At least I have Spike.” Said dragon was currently in the kitchen, a large pot of stew slow cooking to perfection. Twilight then turned to less important thoughts, “By the way, Pinkie Pie. What’s with the butterfly wings?”
“Oh that’s easy. I left my cocoon of duck tape and morphed into a beautiful butterfly,” Pinkie’s eyes sparkled with an unseen light. Her wings flapped in the unseen breeze. Their plastic fibers moved in stiff jerks on each side.
Twilight wanted to say that she hadn’t really become a butterfly, but she did not want to open that can of worms. “That’s nice.”
Twilight bid well to her friends after a quick round of warm tea, getting to work on dusting and re-organizing the library. Light faded fast, creating a deep penetrating night with no light break though the almost physical darkness.
The day passed with relative ease. Twilight delved into the newest Game of Thrones novel while Spike busied himself with a puzzle. Pieces littered the central table. Spike hummed to himself, the image of an airship slowly becoming clearer. The evening held an air of bliss. Tranquility was such a rare thing for the princess.
Leaving the room, Twilight called over her shoulder, “Spike, do you want a cup of tea?”
“Sure,” Spike called, looking intently at the piece held between his claws.
Twilight used her magic to quickly boil the water and brew a warm cup of her favorite leaves. When she turned back to the living room, Twilight raised an eyebrow at the suddenly dark room.
“Who turned out the light?” Spike asked, annoyed at the sudden interruption.
“Hello, Twilight,” a male voice said from the center of the darkness.
Twilight sighed, knowing what Matthew was here for. Flipping on the lights with her magic, Twilight looked to Matthew with an annoyed expression. Twilight approached Matthew. The stallion was smiling from his position on the couch. With a forced calm, Twilight placed the two tea cups on the table next to Spike’s puzzle. The small dragon looked between the two ponies trying to discern what was going on.
“Alright Matthew,” Twilight’s eyes stared blandly into Matthew’s dark brown irises, “Get it over with.”
“Get what over with?” Matthew raised an amused eyebrow.
“Whatever prank you’ve picked. You’ve already got all my friends and I’m the last. So let’s just get this over with,” Twilight did not look amused.
Twilight’s expression turned sour when Matthew’s grin grew wider. “All right then,” Matthew reached behind the arm of the couch while keeping eyes on the purple pony.
Twilight’s muscles tensed, awaiting something both childish and gross from the examples she had heard him use earlier.
What Matthew brought before Twilight was not what she expected.
Instead of something childish or a Rainbow Dash styled prank, Matthew presented Twilight with a wicker basket that included a French bread roll, several cheeses, two bottles of wine, and an assortment of other snacks. All of which were wrapped in a plastic covering to protect the contents.
Twilight’s purple eyes moved from the basket to Matthew then back again. “I don’t get it,” Twilight responded with a cock of her head.
“That’s simple,” Matthew began, enjoying the rise in tension. “My ultimate punishment is for you alone Twilight Sparkle. You get to spend some personal time with Me.”
Twilight felt her heart drop, “That’s so stupid.”
“It’s not stupid! You’re stupid!”
“Why?” Twilight pressed a hoof against her temple, trying to massage the growing headache.
“Because you went into my head and learned a bunch of junk about me, but I don’t know much about you,” Matthew motioned with his hoof. “So I thought I would spend some time with you. Learn a little about you. And enjoy some of my old friend Mr. Alcohol at the same time.”
Twilight wanted to argue, but a startling fact entered her brain. “You’re not leaving until I agree and I actually talk about myself, are you?”
“What wrong Twilight? Are you afraid of a little mature talk with a mature stallion while drinking a mature drink?” Matthew’s coy smile was starting to get on Twilight’s nerves.
With a huff, Twilight said, “Fine. I’ll get us some glasses.” Celestia knows I’ll need it.
Twilight turned her back towards the kitchen, Spike calling out at her, “Can I have some?”
“You can try wine when you’re old enough,” Twilight called back, eliciting a wine from the baby dragon.
Matthew’s smile continued as he unwrapped his gift package for the evening. Truly this was the greatest plan. It was brilliant in its simplicity. Step 1: Spend time with Twilight. Step 2: Drink some wine. Step 3: Find some of her darkest and/or hilarious stories from her childhood. Step 4: Tease Twilight at a later date.
Matthew patted the seat next to him, indicating for Twilight to take the seat so close to him. Twilight responded by sitting directly across from the stallion.
“So, where’d you grow up?” Matthew asked, opening a wine bottle with a loud pop before pouring Twilight and himself a glass.
“In Canterlot,” Twilight answered, taking the glass in her magic. Her purple lips barely pressed against the cool glass. The rich red liquid barely stirred as she sipped with practiced grace.
Ah… She knows how to enjoy her wine, Matthew’s mind dissected the physical traits of the alicorn princess. She’s taking it slow so she won’t be getting drunk any time soon. This is going to be quite the challenge to unlock that story. Challenge accepted!
“My mom works as a theoretical physicist and my dad’s a doctor. I grew up in the Sparkle family home with my brother. Not much to tell other than that,” Twilight shrugged.
“Oh really. What was it like living with that tool, Shining Armor?”
“He is not a tool!”
“Of course he is,” Matthew nodded knowingly. “If he’s as much of a perfectionist as you are, Shining would never consider breaking any rule or order even if his life depended on it.”
“I am not a perfectionist,” Twilight simmered.
“Need I remind you the Want It spell when you thought your friendship report was going to be late?” Spike offered with a role of his eyes.
Twilight’s cheeks heated up, glaring at the dragon. “Ooooooooh, please tell me what happened there?” Matthew leaned forward, his dark eyes flashing in interest.
“Oh you should have seen it,” Spike began the story with a toothy grin.
Only half of Matthew’s attention was on the small purple dragon. Every now and then, his eyes would flash towards Twilight. The purple mare was sipping more of her wine. Her cheeks were losing their red tint. She continued to sip the wine while listening to Spike’s monologue. Matthew felt there were a few other things below the image of the mare before him.
The conversation continued with a slow warmth growing in Matthew’s stomach. Matthew continued to question not only Twilight, but Spike. The young dragon was surprisingly fun. If I had to guess. I’d say he’s the comedy relief. In my opinion, more snarkiness and dark humor is required in the sugar coated fantasy land.
Matthew learned quite a bit about Twilight Sparkle, Minus the title. She was an absolute nerd. Like mega nerd and Matthew was not afraid to voice his opinion. While eight years old, Twilight had spent an entire week in her room just reading. Not studying for a test. Not catching up on her favorite book series and fangirling over the main protagonist. She was reading maintenance books because she was bored. She could have gone outside anytime to get some sunlight, but little Twilight wanted to read about the oven.
I now have more respect for Shining Armor by getting this kid to get out of the house at all, Matthew found himself regretting the fact that he had some respect for the Prince of the Crystal Empire.
Twilight and Matthew spared with words, the alcohol loosening their tongues. Matthew described the one time Derek had managed to use a tow cable and deliver the ultimate wedgie when Matthew had laid down to sleep. Matthew’s response was a Mexican Burn, which involves a bottle of Tabasco sauce, Derek, his underwear and several hundred pounds of torque.
Twilight found the blur of emotions and conversations enjoyable. She would be laughing to fuming and back again. If Matthew hadn’t shared his own embarrassing stories, Twilight would have just blocked the conversation with something else. But the act of sharing opened Twilight to the idea of sharing with the stallion before her. If he was willing to share something equal with her, it was only natural for her to respond with something equal.
Spike left to bed as the two adults continued with chuckles flying across the air along with their words. Twilight didn’t mind and neither did Matthew. Spike was a fun little dude, but even youth had their limits.
Twilight blinked in confusion, Matthew’s was lying on the ground before her and holding his sides. “It’s not that funny!” Twilight tried to snap, but her own laughter threatened to break her false composure.
The room span around Twilight. She knew the amount of wine would come back to bit her tomorrow. The Twilight of right now did not care. Those where long gone along with her inhibitions, restraint and motor functions.
“Y-yyyyyou wore worried about never having kissed a guy that you tried kissing a stuff animal to practice,” Matthew howled. My lungs hurt so much. Please make it stop!
“I was a teenager and I never had a relationship,” Twilight yelled, leaning forward while holding her own sides.
“How was Mr. Smartypants?”
Twilight couldn’t help it, her pour motor functions and compromised equilibrium caused her to fall onto the ground. Her weight wasn’t a difficulty for Matthew to handle. Leaving both ponies in a laughing heap of fur and splitting sides.
After what felt like hours, Twilight finally managed to control her laughter. She ended up lying her head down on a still shaking Matthew’s sides. Both were gasping for more oxygen to support life. Twilight held her eyes close, trying to hold the moisture sticking to the side of her eyes. Matthew’s ribs pressed against her head, causing to rise and lower.
The laughter died down. Twilight could only hear the breathing of Matthew and feel the beating of his heart against the back of her head. She could smell the dirt and sweat on his coat. This stark contrast hit Twilight like an electric shock. She was touching a male.
Twilight shot up, stumbling away from Matthew to end up sitting awkwardly next to the table. Matthew looked to her in confusion slurring, “What’z wrong?”
“I-I-I shouldn’t have done that!” Twilight stuttered, her slurring making the worlds difficult for the drunken Matthew to understand.
“Why not?”
“It’s indecent! Only couples should touch like that!”
“I’m surprised you can say that while being smashed. But it was just my ribs,” Matthew shrugged. “It’s not a big deal.”
“B-but my head was close to your… stomach.”
Matthew looked down, “Are you afraid of my abs? Cause if you wanna touch them, they won’t mind.”
Twilight groaned in drunken irritation, “Check lower than your abs.” Twilight couldn’t look further south on Matthew. She did catch a sight of said abs, Nice.
Matthew looked to her, then down at himself. The drunken gears were grinding slowly developing a large amount of heat. “Twilight? Have you never been with a man?”
Twilight’s sudden twitching and bright red face were enough of an answer that even a drunken Matthew could understand, “Ha! So I’m not the only one here!”
Twilight’s flushing suddenly broke, her laughter returning. “That’s… you’re so stupid! Sweet Celestia you’re an idiot!”
“Hey don’t call me an idiot! I’m not the drunken bimbo laughing at the guy who saved her!”
“No. You’re the drunken bimbo who saved me and is still a bimbo!” Twilight responded with a snort.
“Oh yeah! Well… I think I deserve a thank you!”
“Okay! Thank you, you egomaniac!”
“No,” Matthew drew out the word, “Say it like you mean it.”
“Alright,” Twilight took a steadying breath, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Matthew added sincerely. “Now give daddy some sugar.”
“Buck you!”
“F*** you!”
“Go F*** yourself with a giant stick!”
“Oh please! I’d save that for you. Except the stick is my penis!”
“You barbaric dick!”
“Naïve child!”
Twilight loomed over Matthew, angrily yelling, “You are one of the most aggravating ponies I have ever met! I’ve dealt with saddle soars more appealing that you… you crude dumba**!”
Matthew and Twilight stared into each other’s eyes. Fire burned behind each of their eyes. Their intensity caused sparks to fly across the open space. Twilight had never felt such heat inside her. Her heart pumped rapidly, forcing adrenaline through her veins at high speeds. She leered down at him with as much wrath as the hand of god.
Twilight took a long look at the pony before her, from his golden coat, muscular physic and those blazing eyes burning with their own intensity. She had never felt such emotion towards a single pony before. The rage burning through her being at a single pony made her pupils constrict.
For the first time, a male had finally dug far enough under her skin to enact a completely new response. Twilight’s brain didn’t have an answer for such raw emotion. But her boiling blood had a response.
Wrapping Matthew in purple magic, both ponies disappeared in a flash of light. In the distant, lighting struck and thunder rumbled in the growing night.
0 0 0
Twilight’s tree house shook violently. The truck and branches shifted under a continuous shifting of internal forces. Loud banging and several flashes of purple light burst from the top window looking into Twilight’s room. Said object sounded fleshy and had the annoying habit of yelling at Twilight.
“Is that all you got?!”
“No! This is!” Twilight matched Matthew’s volume. What followed was not more yelling, but something of a more personal nature. “Now put that on!”
“Yes Ma’am!”
Golden Oaks Library became more violent in its sporadic behavior. The force of two ponies meeting together in such a unique manner made the tree’s bark tremble in fear. The only thing keeping such an old structure up was the long developed root system several feet under the earth.
But nothing could protect the hearing of the sensitive plants.
“Right there!”
“There?”
“Yes there! NOW faster!”
“Going faster!”
“There it is! Sweet Celestia there it is!”
Thankfully the heavy breathing and panting was blocked by the thunder, wind and the creaking groan of the worn wooden home.
“Oh! OH! Gonna-
Gonna-
Fire!”
An explosion of pure black energy erupted from the room, tearing through the roof and tearing across the sky like a vengeful banshee. From atop Canterlot Castle, Princess Luna looked upon her beautiful night with a loving eye. Until an explosion of utter blackness knocked her off her skippered hooves with a deafening roar of air and sound.
The cursing of the Night Princess could not be heard at the still standing Golden Oaks Library. Its leafy roof was illuminated by the stars shimmering in the now open sky. Low murmuring could be heard from the structure. It was a soft murmuring that would soon give way to panic.
“Oh no!” a high pitched female screamed.
“What?”
“The condom broke!”
“The condom broke?”
“Yes! What do we do?”
“I don’t know! The dating sims stop at this point!”
“Well I don’t know what to do?!”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”