A Demon In Ponyville

by Terciel1249

Darkness, My Name Is

A Demon in Ponyville
Ch. 16: Darkness, My Name Is
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to My Little Pony. All other characters are mine.

Twilight and her friends watched in horror as Matthew writhed on the ground. His hands wrapped around his throat. Black fluid spilled from the younger man’s mouth. Matthew’s face paled, trying desperately to get his breath. Instead all the girls could hear was the sound of a chocking and dying man.

Matthew’s eyes burned with desperation, red rimmed and starring at the black raven. His lungs froze under the influence of the black poison. The act of breathing felt like the ocean was pushing down on his chest and he was breaking under it. His nervous system screamed as the lights began to dim. The low light of the cave became faint, only a glimmer of grey in Matthew’s eyes. Matthew screamed in anger at the feathered demon.

Fluttershy held her hooves to her ears, trying to block out the chocked screams of Matthew’s younger self. She did not want to see him suffer like this. To watch as Matthew’s life was slowly snuffed out. Rainbow Dash and Applejack paled, holding a hoof to their mouth to prevent them from losing their lunches. Pinkie Pie’s hair even deflated, falling flat over her neck.

Pinkie Pie turned to the smiling Dark Matthew, his pale visage almost luminescent in the dark background. “Why?” Pinkie Pie’s voice quivered.

Dark Matthew’s eyes pierced Pinkie Pie’s. In those eyes, she could see the cruelty, the anger, and the madness. “Because,” the pale pony answered, “my power is not in the conscious mind, but the subconscious. And what brings out the animal than a struggle to-“

“You mean self preservation,” Pinkie Pie interrupted. “You mean by killing you, this Raven could draw something out of you.”

“Why yes,” Dark Matthew blinked in surprise. To be honest the dark entity was disappointed. He rarely got the chance to monologue and the world needed to hear his voice even if they.

“That’s- that’s twisted,” Pinkie spluttered.

Time was slow. Time felt like nothing when dying. To feel the mind slowly darken with no horizon in sight was the most terrifying moment Matthew could feel. And the ponies had a front row seat to the light fading from Matthew’s dark brown eyes.

Pinkie watched Matthew’s corpse twitch. The last of the electrical signals finished dispelling themselves across his nervous system. Then there was nothing. No movement. No pulse.

Pinkie Pie turned towards the still form of the Raven. The Raven’s eyes held a unique emotion. The gold rimmed irises seemed to glow with disgust. But Pinkie felt it was not directed towards the deceased teenager. Something told her it was something else.

The black bird approached Matthew’s corpse. Raven’s movements were fluid, so elegant when he knelt next to Matthew. Raven slowly outlined the sharp chin and cheek with a single claw, deep in thought. These were not smile lines, but the lines of a stressed boy starting from the corner of his eyes and reaching out along with the lines developing around the corners of his mouth.

Raven moved his eyes towards Matthew’s chest. If he could be any more disgusted with his actions, now would be the time. Raven raised his claws high into the air, the black claw on his index finger held at the ready.

“I’m sorry.”

With deft precision, Raven began the arduous task of etching runs into Matthew’s flesh. Rarity fainted, the black talon of Raven carving just deep enough into Matthew’s chest. Neither clothing, nor modesty stopped the raven as he imprinted onto Matthew strange and ethereal runes of rigid and curved proportions unknown to Twilight or any being outside of the darkest corners of reality.

Fluttershy paled, becoming a sickening shade of white, feeling lightheaded as she dropped onto her rump. Pinkie Pie’s hair quickly turned a few shades of grey, putting both hooves to her muzzle as her cheeks expanded to comical proportion in a desperate attempt to keep her sugary treats from greeting the air. Applejack and Rainbow Dash gulped, forcing their trachea to keep their lunches down. Twilight could only mouth wordlessly, her lavender eyes stuck on the black edge slicing through the upper skin layers, red blood slowly oozing through the runes.

The only sound the girls could her was the whisper of meat being carved. The sound echoed inside the system of tunnels as Raven continued his work on the arms and legs.

“Why?” Twilight asked, forcing her gaze from the mutilation in front of her.

Dark Matthew remained silent, but the sharp toothed grin sent shivers down her spine causing her fur to stand on end. Turning back to the large bird and Matthew, Twilight watched Raven finish his work all the way to Matthew’s feet. Sliding to Matthew’s head, Raven began etching across the forehead, cheeks and chin. The horrifying thing was Matthew’s dead, open eyes. Raven grasped each side of the human’s skull with the edge of his talons. Taking a deep breath, Raven began a ritual that transcribes human knowledge. The words were grating on the ponies’ ears. The language was indescribable, piercing each of the Elements of Harmony like a physical blow to the cranium.

What happened next, Twilight, Pinkie, and Applejack could not describe what they were seeing. The air shimmered before melting away into a cacophony of colors and sensations. Shades of every color twisting and forming into unrecognizable patterns stretched the minds of the small group of ponies standing haplessly before it. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy fell into unconsciousness, the stress of these cyclopean images straining the cortex of their minds was too much to bear. The remaining three ponies held a hoof to their head, a spiking pain excavating deeper into their grey matter.

The only recognizable object was Matthew’s immaterial state of being, or soul if you want to be lazy.

That is until Matthew’s decent into the unknown and unknowable was stopped, halted from further progressing into the rhythms and motions beyond the world he knew. What stopped Matthew’s spirit was something beyond mortal comprehension.

Twilight felt her eyes burning at the sight before her. She looked outside the order universe to an amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the center of all infinity.

“What the hell am I looking at?” Twilight screeched, trying desperately to understand or put into words what was going on.

“Horseapples,” Applejack muttered, her green eyes reflecting the blurring light of an eldritch being. Pinkie Pie wrapped her arms around Applejack, bringing her into a tight hug for comfort. The pink party pony trembled uncontrollably next to Applejack’s still form. It wasn’t bravery that Applejack stood still, but the overwhelming terror coursing through her veins.

Lucky for the ponies, this was merely an imperfect memory. The presence of this being could only be compared to drowning underneath the sea as the heavy ocean pressed down upon the chest, crushing the life out of its unsuspecting victim while every cell was on fire and his brain being scrambled into a pudding mush. Don’t ask me how that work, it just does!

Matthew’s eyes widened, his face contorting into the cross between ‘Shit my pants scared’ and ‘I’m f***ed.’ Here he was, a single man, in the presence of the infinite. The raven had sent Matthew in spirit to the being of infinite possibility, the boundless daemon sultan Azathoth; a corporeal cloud of shifting cosmic dust, perpetuating an endless cycle of change and metamorphosis. His tendrils flowing far into the universe beyond what Matthew could make out.

Twilight turned to Dark Matthew, “W-what is that?”

“The ultimate deity,” the dark pony said, his eyes wild, full of a madness Twilight could not begin to comprehend. “Matthew was sent on a mock pilgrimage to seek the knighted throne of the far daemon Azathoth.” Dark Matthew took a step towards Twilight, seeing the mare flinched caused Dark Matthew’s smile to spread. “He is the primal Chaos, the Cosmic Upheaval, the Blind, Idiot God who slumbers under the influence of the demonic drums of his children.”

“Why are you here?” Applejack whispered, watching the glowing body of Azathoth, its face held in shadow. But she could feel the looming god’s presence.

“To be a pawn, a bargaining chip,” Dark Matthew hissed with glee. “Raven knew that he had to ensure the survival of the world, or else more horrifying things would befall all of creation.” Dark Matthew pointed towards the Outer God, “If the balance falls, the creatures in the dark will rise to see the disturbance brought by Lucifer and Hell’s army.”

Dark Matthew laughed, that’s all Matthew was to those people, a pawn to be used by greater beings. Even as Azathoth slept, his influence still existed, his mind still existed. The creator of darkness felt the spec of Matthew enter his domain at the nucleus of the universe. The markings in Matthew’s flesh told the Elder God why Matthew was here. He was an offering to Azathoth. The raven hoped that the man with potential could catch the Eldritch God’s attention in his continuous slumber.

It did, but not in the good way. The ant that sent Matthew thought he, Azathoth; father of the Darkness, Yod-Sythod and so many others unknown horrors would be interested in Raven’s schemes.

Twilight, Pinkie and Applejack watched the shifting cosmic cloud extend from Azathoth’s center towards Matthew. A part of the Great One’s flittering subconscious creating a platform for Matthew to lie on. Even in his limited state of existence, Azathoth could perform simple acts.

Matthew’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, bleeding at the sight of Azathoth. His spirit screamed at the pain of such connection. But Azathoth did not mind, Matthew’s sparks of pain were interesting to the great being. Having no physical body, Azathoth did not know what feeling was. It tickled Azathoth, while Matthew felt like he was being torn apart.

“The human mind,” Dark Matthew muttered, “cannot see to infinity… And when forced to look upon it, the mind brakes.”

Azathoth sent an impartial message to his tiny visitor. Twilight and her friends felt a small wave of something wash over them. It told Matthew to stand. Matthew’s body obliged the command of this god. Twitching, blood spewing from his eyes, ears and through his mouth as the contact ravaged his spiritual flesh and bones; Matthew’s limbs pushed against the cosmic substance. Every action that happened in this space, beyond time and creation, impacted his physical body in ways Matthew may never fully understand.

“Azathoth,” Dark Matthew said to the ponies, his eyes studying the horrified and sickly expressions of the mare, “Does not take sides. He does not take well to commands. But what he loves is games.” Dark Matthew looked to the memory, a cold chill racing up his spine, recalling the true glory of Azathoth. The human shakily getting to his feet, his stance was off, feet wide apart like a drunkard trying to regain his equilibrium. “He would send me back, but not as a pawn of the raven, human or foul demon.”

A single shard of light, lifted from the platform of shifting gases. Barely bigger than a dime, the white hot sphere shot into Matthew’s chest. There Matthew was held at the complete mercy of this unquestioning deity, everything he was and all of his memories were there for Azathoth to see.

The pain was indescribable. Applejack placed her hooves to ears, grinding her teeth as Matthew’s chocking sobs filled the air. His bones twist and broke under the absolute power, filling the air with dozens of meaty cracking. Twilight watched Matthew’s arms twist until they turned a full hundred and eighty degrees, his spine bending to the obscene angle. His fingers splintered backwards touching the back of his hand. The ponies’ ears flattened, a series of popping emitting from Matthew’s chest; the eldritch deity testing Matthew’s chest cavity by pushing it further out and looking inside. Could make dirty joke, but pain blocking funny. Must remember this later.

”Dear child,” the ancient and elderly voice spoke through Matthew. Twilight could not describe it. Azathoth spoke through their bone and flesh, the voice beyond any Equestrian vocal cords or any living being. Matthew’s gargling response was all he could answer answered, his lungs not working while Azathoth decided to play with all the mushy bits that were Matthew’s organs. “You are suffering child.”

“No shit,” Pinkie Pie responded, tears flowing from her eyes. Watching Matthew’s flesh darken, bruising and bleeding under the strain.

Twilight and Applejack turned to Pinkie Pie, the uncharacteristic venom and vulgarity taking them by surprise. Applejack would have moved away from the pink party pony, but Pinkie’s grip was like iron and no one could escape a Pinkie Pie hug whence they were ensnared in the pink furred trap.

“I know why you are here, but you do not.
You are but a small pawn in their mitts, nothing greater than that.
That bird believes he can bargain your life away, for my help.
But I want to know, what is it you want?
Please tell me, I am quite curious and would love to hear your response.”

Besides just, looking into his brain, Azathoth wants to have a nice conversation. It’s been ages since the last conversation he had. Matthew’s voice was soft, barely audible in the absolute silence of this void in space, “I want to live.”

The Outer God chuckled. Such a simple answer it was. Matthew did not care for anything other than his own survival. He had no love, no possession in his small perception of the world; just his own life.

”I like it…
So eloquently put if I do say so myself.
Hmm…
I think I will give you a boon.
Why you may ask-”

“No one’s asking.”

“Kinda bored. And messing with Earth sounds fun.”

The ponies watched with great admiration and confusion. The center of Matthew’s chest began to glow, burning with ethereal fire. His mind was being torn apart alongside his body. Azathoth tore from Matthew some of the most important memories he had.

“ And there we are.
Feel this pain, the burning in your chest.
That is your pain. Your heart.
You will always remember this pain.
It will be your burden, to never be able to recall what you once had and to feel it every waking day of your life.
Their names are gone, you’re childhood made moot.
This burning emptiness is my gift to you.
They will lead you to your primal instincts.
Your greatest attribute, the animalistic nature hidden under the mask of mankind.
I will not allow you to be their pawn.
You belong to Me and you will break from them.
Because I will take you away from them, far from their reach.
In this burning fire, you will strive to survive, strive to grow stronger.
And it will consume you, making you something else.
This is my gift to you.
The pure nature beyond humanity.
Destroy them… Save them…
These are your choices to make.
But you will remember this moment.
The moment I break you,
The moment you found madness, marking your evolution from pawn.
Today, I deny them a weak Matthew.
No, I give them you.”

The cosmic mist, material more benevolent than any matter found on Earth wrapped around Matthew’s broken twisting body. For a god, he talks a lot. I don’t think the Bible has this much of god's dialogue in it.

“Become something great, my child.
Let this flame burn brighter and never stop striving.
Achieve the impossible, gain worth through your actions.
And when you do, I will know.
I will know the day you grow from a single chess piece and become what I will you too be.
And I will not create such an insignificant being.
I will make you a king, or emperor, I don’t know. I’m kinda rambling at this point.
See ya later kid."

A blinding white light engulfed Matthew, throwing him back to his world and to his physical body. Back to the Raven, his claws placed on each side of Matthew’s head. The still warm blood stained his long fingers. The bones of both Matthew’s hands glistened in the poor lighting, the fingers contorted beyond humanly capable. Fluttershy could see the sharp edge of white sticking from the human’s cavity. A rib bent to the point it tore through Matthew’s dull skin.

Raven’s eyes were closed, maintaining his rhythm and chanting.

“It’s sad really,” Dark Matthew commented. “He was so desperate; he tried to deal with powers far beyond his station. His only choice was to stop Lucifer’s actions at all cost.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, pulling her eyes from the dead body to look at Dark Matthew.

“I’ll save that explanation for later. Don’t want to spoil the surprise!” Dark Matthew responded with a toothy smile.

The ponies groaned in exasperation. This little charade was getting a little ridiculous. But what choice did the ponies have. This was Matthew’s story.

A shaking, gargling sound drew Twilight’s eyes towards Matthew’s body. The human rib cage slowly expanded, releasing the meaty crunching sound as they began to move again. Raven became silent, opening his eyes to see Matthew’s slowly rising and falling chest.

Raven jumped back, Matthew’s back arching, his head and feet pushing against the ground. An unearthly scream filled the room, striking the ears of both ponies and bird. The sharp sound woke Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Rarity from their sleep, jerking them awake from the land of unconsciousness to the view of Matthew’s body dripping with dark crimson blood.

It was the eyes that were the most horrifying. The entire iris and white sclera were completely black. Nothing of color could be seen through those patches of nothingness. Before Raven could act, Matthew collapsed on the ground, but his eyes, those horrifyingly empty eyes were still open.

Raven slowly moved towards Matthew, he could feel those eyes on him, filling the room with an air of menace. Both gold and black eyes stared at each other, watching, waiting for something.

In a blur of movement, Matthew made his first move. Muscles contorted in his right hand, forcing bone and the remaining sinew of his skin together in the mockery of a human hand. His hand was around Raven’s neck, the silky feathering tickling the damaged flesh for just a moment.

Raven was faster, slipping under Matthew’s guard. His eyes were wide with shock, his feathers fluffing out to express the concern he was feeling in his heart. Yet Matthew continued to move, slowly, in a jerking manner Matthew turned to face the demon profit. His face expressed no emotion, but the weight of Matthew’s eyes was heavy, those black holes looking into the demon.

Raven watched as Matthew’s face slowly changed, becoming something beyond anger. Matthew was looking at the monster that sent him into that place beyond space and time. Matthew could feel it, a great cold knife in his heart. Their faces were in front of him, but he could not make them out or even remember their names. He loved them and now they were gone.

Dark tendrils wafted from Matthew’s right arm. Raven watched the animalistic expression Matthew’s face displayed, this was more than anger or fury. This was absolution. Applejack wanted to look away, but the terror she felt was overwhelming and attracted her eyes against her will.

Raven watched Matthew’s right arm explode in black fire, the shifting and turning flames a reflection of his dark nature. By removing and eliminating several key features, the emotional toile took a chunk out of Matthew’s humanity. And when the humanity went away, the animal was ready to play.

“Now Matthew.”

Matthew’s head cocked to the side, a silent tension sparking between the two. Time stretched out, Raven waiting for Matthew to make a move. “Matthew,” Raven said when nothing happened. “I know you’re angry and I know you have no right to trust me, but I need you to listen to me.”

Matthew remained silent, his dark eyes watching every move the oversized bird made.

“But right now, your friends are in danger,” Raven pressed, not daring to make any sudden movements. “Many will die if you do not help them.”

Matthew’s face flickered, his lips and brow jerking to find the appropriate emotion. His friends, so few but their faces were still there. He felt some kind of connection to their images imprinted on his brain.

Fluttershy blinked, when she opened her eyes Matthew was standing directly in front of Raven. Their faces were barely an inch apart. One demon and one animal met in a connection of hostility and something akin to understanding. Raven then whispered, inching his beak to Matthew’s ear, “You can save them. You can save them all.” Matthew remained silent, his breathing becoming erratic straining to understand what he wanted to do. “Besides,” Raven continued, his voice soft in Matthew’s ear, “Imagine the fun you can have. The blood of those who want to hurt your friends spilling onto the ground.”

For the first time, Matthew smiled. It was a sick and twisted smile that none of the ponies had experienced before. “Oh yes… There will be blood.”

The scene blurred in front of Rarity and Rainbow Dash, not helping with the massive headache they were experiencing. Thankfully the shifting colors settled to the damaged city of Los Angeles, but the sound level increased to the absurd and defining. Alarm horns blared loudly, announcing the arrival from the harbor.

Ten tall humanoid beings marched into the city proper, their long strides passing city blocks with ease. Three females to seven males, the titans ranged from five stories to a hundred. Their faces were pulled back in cruel, cold smiles, holding no emotion in their large eyes. Their hair color ranged from black to brown, their skins were light, reflecting the rays of the overhead sun. Standing on the shoulders of the tallest titan, a balding man, was a single entity wearing completely black armor. Spikes outlined the black plates, matching the long horn sticking out of the demons head. It started small, but the single horn extended a good foot above his head to a wide plate of sharp material. In all honesty, the approaching demon looked like a beetle that had the misfortune of being a little boy’s experimentation with the glue gun. Way to many spikes.

Screams echoed across the worn streets; men, women and children ran to their loved ones or raced to exit the doomed city. Only the angel Gabriel stood firm, holding a flaming sword in one hand. His armor reflected the light, lighting his surroundings with an ethereal aura.

Behind him stood the group of reluctant teens, lines of soldiers running around the group to prepare some form of defensive perimeter. Machine guns and RPG’s were being placed at any available building to shoot at the approaching menace. Derek, Mari and Shannon stood in formation behind the angel. Derek’s voice rose above the sound of countless screams and the relentless pounding of boots on the asphalt, “Is that a titan?”

“It would appear so,” Mari said, her stoic voice remaining bland as always.

“Huh,” Derek said, his brow furrowed in thought. “Well I got to admit, that is a lot more naked that I expected to see today.”

Shannon turned to Derek, “Where do you think they’d get cloths? A giant K-mart?”

“I don’t know,” Derek snapped. His hands were held at the ready, bright claws ready to tear into the colossal threats. A slight tremor was noticeable, the fight or flight instincts were kicking in and pumped copious amounts of Testosterone into Derek’s bloodstream. In other words, Derek was scared out of his mind right now.

“Don’t worry kids,” Gabriel called to the small group, “Just remember what I taught you and everything will work out a-okay.”

“Bitch all you did was say ‘Believe in yourselves’,” Derek called. “How is self belief gonna kill that.” Derek motioned towards the brooding hoard of monsters.

“First, I’ll start with this,” Gabriel smiled, lifting his left hand and pointing his index and pinkie towards one of the smaller titans. A bright blue bolt of pure energy shot from between Gabriel’s fingers striking down one of the smaller titans. Derek, Shannon and the rest of the group gasped as the small titan was incinerated. Blood, flesh and bone rained onto the worn roadway, splattering against the ground in glorious gory fashion.

Gabriel continued to rain destruction on the titans, washing the streets with their blood. But when the angel turned his sights on the tallest, his bolt of bright light bounced of what could only be described as a black barrier.

Again and again the angel tried to penetrate the armored demon’s power, but to no avail. Gabriel felt a cold sweat on his brow. The titan was approaching and many innocent lives would perish when the titan got to the residential areas.

Taking a deep breath, Gabriel centered his makeshift blade of burning energy with both hands. Before Gabriel could charge forward, Mari’s voice broke through the air, “Isn’t that Matthew and that one guy?”

Gabriel scanned the streets before him, his eyes settling on the two figures standing directly in front of the titan. “Oh that can’t be good.”

Raven stood next to Matthew, the young human’s gaze stuck on the colossal beast before him. The titan looked down at the ants before him, regarding them as no threat. Matthew responded to the titan’s disturbing smile with a blank expression, his dark eyes taking in the magnitude of his opponent.

The armored demon looked down at Matthew and Raven, the light reflecting off of his armor. The demon’s eyes focused on Raven, knowing full well who he was. With a lazy motion of his hand, the armor demon set his colossal titan on Matthew and Raven.

“I’ll leave this too you,” Raven said, taking a few steps back as the titan raised his massive fist into the air. Matthew began to smile, the multi-ton hand racing down to meet him.

With a small cry of excitment Matthew drew back his right fist. The dark fire flared in response, the delight of this fight was something new and exciting to the animalistic mindset. The fist drew closer now, its shadow encompassing Matthew and the entirety of the street.

Fluttershy closed her eyes, waiting for the moment two forces struck. Matthew’s fist shot up, connecting with the flesh of the titan.

From afar, Derek and the rest of the human gasped in surprise as the titan’s arm exploded in dark energy. The titan screamed, its shrill cries far reaching across the concrete landscape. Bone and torn flesh flew high into the air, the remnants of the titan’s arm unrecognizable from Matthew’s attack. “Woah,” Derek muttered, surprised at the scale of this attack. The energy he felt was familiar, but its tones were sporadic and chaotic.

The titan crashed into the building to his right, thrown off by the impact of Matthew’s attack. Still, it continued to scream bloody murder. Raven held a hand above his head, warding off the crimson liquid raining down from on high. Matthew did not, he stood stalk still with his eyes closed. The first sensation the animal would feel, the warm blood raining down upon him. This was the day he was born, baptized in blood.

Raven’s golden eyes looked up, watching the armored demon jump from the shoulder of the titan. His fall would put him on a direct course to crush Matthew. Matthew continued to hold still, his eyes closed and wanting to continue to feel the sensation of his birth.

The raven was about to call out, to warn Matthew of the impending threat, but Matthew’s shadow arm caught the demon. His fingers held straight out, penetrating the armor like it was nothing. It was a sad sight really. Such a low level demon hiding behind a poorly forged armor was nothing to Raven. And Matthew felt the same way.

With little effort, Matthew forced energy into the demon’s body. Blood, organs and bones expanded outwards as more energy was pumped into the faceless body. That was until the demon exploded in a glory spectacle, sending pieces of armor in every direction.

Raven watched Matthew’s expression, his smile had vanished. Instead he was looking at his hand. He felt empty inside. The rush of excitement was extinguished when the pitiful demon sought to challenge him.

“What was that?” Gabriel’s voice broke Raven from his reveries.

Turning to the angel, Raven saw the large group of children and soldiers standing close together behind the glowing humanoid. Raven opened his mouth to speak, but an explosion interrupted him. All eyes turned back to Matthew, seeing him blast the titan again. This time the titan’s chest exploded as it tried to advance on them.

Falling backwards, the titan’s upper body crashed into the tall skyscraper. Concrete and metal exploded onto the street. Everyone raised their hands to defend against the onslaught of blunt objects, running for their lives. Matthew’s eyes moved from the destroyed titan, watching the top of the skyscraper tipping to the side towards another building. The moving concrete walls and metal skeleton cut into the next building, tearing through the structure with ease.

Matthew’s eyes turned to the crowd. He could see them; Derek holding one arm over his head while pulling on Shannon with the other. Mari was moving with them, the shadow of concern visable in her eyes. They were going to be hurt, maybe even die.

That felt wrong to Matthew. The animal’s warped perception felt he had to act, the urge was there. He had to save them somehow. Turning back to the building, Matthew saw the base of the building cracking and bending. The front of the building was falling forward.

Derek saw Matthew, his black empty eyes turning back to him. A cold chill ran up his spine. Then, he was gone. Matthew disappeared in the blink of an eye.

But Raven and Gabriel saw Matthew. The young man forced himself against the cracking structure, forcing every ounce of power and strength to slow down it’s decent to the ground. Matthew screamed in challenge, his voice rising above the rumble of stone and screaming people.

Raven was surprised by this development. This swift action caused the collapsing structure to groan loudly, its decent slowing ever so slightly. But the laws of gravity would not be stopped. The sudden force of Matthew dislodged larger chunks down onto the crowd of people.

Gabriel’s flowing blade caught the pieces of concrete, turning them into harmless powder. Matthew continued his efforts, not knowing the structure was coming down on him as well.

Whether luck, or chance, the crowd of fleeing soldiers and teenagers made it clear of the building’s shadow before it finally crumbled. Dust swallowed the street, billions of particles getting caught in everyone’s throat and eyes. But they were alive, that’s what mattered.

Twilight and her friends squinted desperately, trying to see through the heavy cloud of shifting dark brown and grey. They waited for several minutes, trying to discern what was happening to Matthew. Slowly, the cloud began to fade, allowing the lowering sun the break through its muddy haze.

“Oh no,” Fluttershy’s hoof met her muzzle. Matthew’s body became visible through the musty haze. His lower half was trapped underneath a broken and crumbling wall; several metal beams were staked around him to create a type of protective tent. This barely provided Matthew with a foot of breathing room. His left arm was held close to his body through an act of self preservation. His right arm appeared to be fine; except for the fact a piece of rebar seemed to have penetrated his shoulder. That can’t be good.

The inconvenience appeared to be of little consequence.

Fluttershy watched blood swell around the metal shaft. Matthew’s face appeared bland, watching the crimson fluid seep from him. Matthew turned his eyes upward, or in this case forward, watching the flecks of dust catch the bright rays of light filtering through the small opening in his dark gray prison. It was very peaceful here, only the soft sounds of his breathing, the creaking of the structure around him brought Matthew’s animalistic a moment of peace and quiet.

He had done it, he helped save those he cared about… but this emptiness persisted. Even with the slight warmth brought to his heart by performing a deed He felt was right, that did not rid Matthew of this sense of cold inside his chest.

This pain meant nothing to the animalistic side. Pain was what it was born from and Matthew would grow from it. It would make him strong. But inside, the animal could not feel right.

Maybe, it was about being both.

Matthew felt that he would have to exist between both of these emotional extremes. Like his current prison, stuck in a dark twilight. Only a few rays of light could penetrate the unknowable influence that had effect Matthew.

This would be his home, neither truly good nor truly bad, but something in the middle.

The ponies watched a smoldering fire burn underneath Matthew. Searing through skin and clothing, this red fire presented Matthew with his third mark. The mark for acceptance and understanding of where he and his powers would lie, it was not something he could have discovered through any teacher. It had to be felt. This power had to be felt to his very core.

With a newfound knowledge, Matthew screamed. He was enraged by it. The consequences where right in front of his eyes. There would be no heaven to aspire to and no hell to avoid. He would forever be alone, in this balance of no rewards or returns. That was what the Great Elder did to him. He made Matthew into more of an animal to attain his next level of power, taking away the restraints of humanity to do so.

Voices could be heard, their muffle calls carrying through the few openings around Matthew. Through the chaotic mess of words, Twilight could just make out two very distinct voices.

“Do you know what you’ve done?” came the raging voice of Gabriel. His voice trembled with unbridled fury, wanting to unleash itself on some unfortunate soul.

“I do,” the calm voice of Raven slithered its way down to Matthew.

“Then tell me what you did,” Gabriel’s words passed through gritted teeth.

“I did what was necessary,” Raven responded coolly. Twilight could picture those burning gold eyes drilling into the angel of God.

“What happened to him? His eyes are not human and from what I can tell, his presence is tainted by something far different than you or any demon I have come across. So spill it!” Gabriel was practically shouting at this time.

“I decided to enact the help of a… very unique individual,” Raven snapped.

“Did that individual happened to be an Old One or perhaps and Eldritch Spirit?”

“I would say there is a good chance of it,” Raven answered.

“Why in the name of Cerberus’s nine balls would you do that?!?”

“Because,” Raven slowly answered, his tone implying that Gabriel was a little slow in the head, “I can see the f***ing future. And believe me, there are worse things than a rogue angel you need to worry aout.”

“That makes no sense!” Gabriel’s vocal cords were really getting worked today.

“Unlike the rest of you stuck-up cloud dwellers, but the rest of us that live in the dark know just how deep the ocean is.” The sound of scuffling could be heard, but Matthew had no idea what was happening. “And I will tell you this; Lucifer has the entire entity of Hell behind him. You know, that place for all condemned souls go to. He has made them his strength and I have seen his twisting darkness winning in many of the possible futures. I have seen what happens if his influence spreads across creation. Matthew is just one of my experiments to improve the likelihood that we get to live in a future without squid tentacles or some other very nasty surprise.”

The sound of vigorous shaking could be heard, causing Pinkie Pie to asked, “What is going on up there?”

“There is darkness worse than Lucifer, beings of unknowable terror that would make Lucifer look like a choir boy,” Raven’s words were becoming rapid, a fear entering his system that made everyone stop rather than saving Matthew. Priorities, right! “I’m talking about shit that would make Lovecraft spin in his crave. Lovecraft man!!!”

Dark Matthew chuckled, the scene expiring around the ponies. “Wait! What happened next?” Rainbow Dash screamed.

“Oh they dug me out and I spent several months in an intensive care ward,” Dark Matthew said, bored of what happened in that cold, colorless room of healing.

“Really?” Twilight asked, “You just went to the hospital. Nothing else?”

“Well what did you expect?” Dark Matthew smiled, “I did have my legs crushed, ribs cracked, a huge amount of internal bleeding, two broken arms and two mutilated hands. Oh and don’t forget blood lose, that’s kinda a big deal. Where else would I go? The automotive shop?”

Everyone just sat there in silence, until Pinkie Pie responded with a surprising amount of distain, “That was pretty bad. I mean, that was really bad and you should be ashamed of yourself for not taking this serious.”

“Sorry,” Dark Matthew rolled his eyes, “I’m not the creativity one. Go find the kid, he’s the funny one.”

“Oooh,” Fluttershy felt a heat rise in her cheeks at the thought of the small Pegasus from earlier. Guilt plagued her mind and she really wanted to go back and make it up to him. But the other girls didn’t want too and who was she to question the group vote.

“How about shock humor?” Dark Matthew smile. With a wave of his paw, Twilight and the girls were graced with an image of Matthew’s bandage covered body covered in a comical amount of penises drawn on his casts.

“Wow,” Rainbow Dash said, surprised they could fit that many penises on a single casted person. “Somepony has way too much time on their hands.” Rainbow Dash’s eyes turned back to Dark Matthew, “Also, not that funny.”

Dark Matthew chuckled, “This may not be that funny, but the reaction sure is.”

Rainbow Dash and crew watched from the hallway of the hospital, staring directly at the door. “Derek! I’m going to kill you!” The door exploded in a violent shower of wooden splinters. Matthew’s stiff legs carried him out the room, his surgical gown providing a pleasant breeze as he shuffled down the hall. His IV was held high above his head, “I will be avenged!” The confused nurses and numerous patients watched as a patient with two legs casts somehow managed to hobble down the hall, covered in cartoon penises, towards his just vengeance. Derek’s screams would forever be engrained into the minds of every nurse, doctor and patient. Also Derek calling for help over the IV lodged up his rectum was something to remember as well.

“And there we go,” Dark Matthew said, waving his hoof to disperse the scene.

“Now before we leave,” Dark Matthew turned, his eyes scanning the confused faces of the ponies, “Any questions?”

“Now that you mention it-“

“Too late!” Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity plummeted through the floor into the awaiting darkness. Dark Matthew whipped his brow, sighing in exasperation, “That took forever. Hopefully the next levels don’t take as much time.”

Comments

[Terciel1249]

7281032

To the first question it was Matthew getting the wing boner. Sorry about the confusion, I intended his thoughts text to explain it but I'll think about a better way to edit that line of text.

To the second, I felt that when Matthew landed on his tail the vertebrae would be shoved into his spine. I picture it like landing on your tailbone. Very painful. With the pulling, I felt it wouldn't put too much stress on the spine like the opossite direction Matthew landed on. I think I remember seeing a pony getting pulled by there tail and not having a problem with it, but my memory of this event is kinda blurry so I can be very wrong. If I am wrong, my bad.

[VikingOtaku6]

7404735 You've got your Lovecraftian factions a bit mixed up there; Azathoth, the Nucleus Chaos in the Center of the Universe, the Blind, Idiot God, the Daemon Sultan, is an (read: THE) Outer God... You know, the faction that opposes the Elder Gods?

[outerjay]

well dam get super serious why dont you and then brake it all with a penis joke, also tits

[Terciel1249]

7405019 Quite right. I do apologize. Kinda got mixed up in his ranking. Did some editing, should sound a lot better now. Thanks.

[VikingOtaku6]

7407543 Many thanks!

[zooba]

So is this an AU Azathoth? If I remember right from the original mythos, all of reality is just his dream and he has an army of demons constantly drumming a lullaby to keep him asleep because when he wakes up the universe will stop existing.

[Terciel1249]

7409345 Yes. AU Azathoth

[Blodhgarm]

Update?

[Terciel1249]

7441921 Just updated with a chapter or are you asking for when the next update is? The next one will be in a little bit. I have some studying to do for my state license.

[Mortefleur]

Huh, so Cerberus has nine balls.

[Kadigan]

8035907
That is the part you take away from this.

Priorities, right!

Also, what follows is that he has four-and-a-half dicks. What "and-a-half" means, I leave to your imagination. And no, I don't sell brain bleach.