• Published 14th Sep 2016
  • 4,097 Views, 60 Comments

Shadows Within the Light - Oddling



A crystal of unknown origin was found in the heart of the Everfree Forest. It was brought before the two royal princesses where they discovered an ancient evil's power dwelling within... Nightmare Moon left a gift for them. What is it meant for?

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13 - Finding Solace

The six mares, that represented the Elements of Harmony, stood around the living room of the Apple family home. All eyes were fixed upon the body on the floor, slowly panting as it stared at the ceiling. Rainbow Dash had asked it a question, and its gaze had hardened from the simple query. Were it not for the intense look in its eyes, she would have pressed the issue.

Mathew was deep in thought. Celestia, for one reason or another, could see the future. It was not known the exact degree of her capability, but it changed little when compared to the grander scheme. If she could see the future, then she must have known about him. She must have seen how Luna would have come to him, seen him tell her of her past, and knew what he would have revealed. Still, his mind turned over everything he knew, searching for that key that would open up his mind’s eye to the truth behind it all – only to trip up and find nothing.

He finally reached the end of his patience and slammed his hand down on his forehead, groaning in frustration. “Nothing makes sense!” he exclaimed.

Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind her mane. Rainbow Dash simply eyed him and Twilight’s eyes went wide in confusion. Rarity stepped off of her seat and walked over to Mathew. “Might I inquire as to what you have been thinking about?” she asked him.

Mathew sighed and ground his teeth before relaxing enough to reply. “I just used up more of my magic to get an important piece of information from Luna, right before the guards could take her away. It was a shot in the dark, but I tried to replicate a listening spell and modify it to transfer thought to a precision location. I succeeded. Luna gave me the one thing that I needed to try and piece together something that happened to me earlier, but I just can’t seem to put it together,” he explained in an exasperated fashion.

Twilight stepped forward next. “Would you mind sharing with us what you know? Maybe we can help,” she offered.

Mathew looked at her, which made her flinch, and he quickly realized how fearsome his appearance looked. He closed his eyes and turned away from her. “Sorry… I’m sure you’re all terrified of the way I look. I must look like a complete monster to you all.”

“Heheh, not really,” Pinkie Pie chirped cheerfully. “I think your eyes look super cool, like a dragon, and the hair really suits you and it kinda gets you thinking that the writer might be aiming for the whole ‘make-the-human-have-epic-Alicorn-powers’ angle, but I think most people are wondering if it’ll be AJ or Luna, but what I want to know is – wait, why are you all looking at me like that?”

Mathew was simply staring at Pinkie with a raised brow while the rest either stared at her blankly or were exchanging glances with each other. Seriously, how random could she possibly get? Mathew sighed and looked back at twilight. “Back to what we were discussing; I don’t know if I should tell you guys about what I know. I was about to tell Luna… but it seems Celestia has something else in mind,” he said.

Twilight lifted her brow and her ears perked up curiously. “What would Princess Celestia have to do with this? I mean, I know she was the one that ordered those guards to get Luna, but I don’t get what more there could be. Luna wasn’t supposed to be here, so it would make sense for the guards to come get her… right?” she said unsurely.

“That’s the thing. How long ago did you send for Luna? How quickly did she get here? How long would it have taken for those guards to get here in comparison? The train ride alone, from Canterlot, took nearly two hours. You know the times of their departure, what does the math tell you?” Mathew said, getting strait to the point.

Twilight did her calculations, her brilliant mind making it an easy feat, and her eyes suddenly went wide with realization. Her mouth opened and she looked back at Mathew. “They would have had to know about it at least forty-seven minutes before I sent the message to Luna. That’s impossible, though, because I had Spike send that message strait to Luna!” she exclaimed.

Mathew nodded to her and sat up from his spot on the floor. “That’s where my last question to Luna comes in, which leads me to an odd event from earlier today when I passed out. After I saved Scootaloo, I lost consciousness. When I was out, I was taken to, for lack of a better explanation, the innermost layer of my mind – it’s where I can freely speak with Nightmare. This time, however, something happened while I was there,” he said and proceeded to explain the specifics of his vision to them. It was heartbreaking to tell about the dead ponies, especially when the mention of it had made Fluttershy start to cry and Pinkie’s mane deflated slightly.

Twilight reeled at the end of his telling. It was almost impossible for her to see Princess Celestia doing such a thing. From the looks of shock on everypony else, none of the others could imagine it either. Still, Mathew knew what he had seen, and he had gone over the scene more times than he would have liked. After calming down enough, Twilight ventured to try and resolve everything. “So… if that really was a glimpse of the future, or a possible outcome, what I don’t know is what would have led the princess to do such a thing in the first place. I can’t even think of a possible reason for it,” Twilight said, mulling over the details once more.

Mathew went unusually silent and his eyes seemed to drift off somewhere. His focus snapped back when he felt a hoof touch his shoulder. He looked over and saw Applejack looking at him questioningly. The act sparked everpony’s curiosity and he sighed. “I think I know what would have fueled that kind of anger,” he said dourly.

Twilight stepped closer and looked deep into his eyes. She could see the pain, but it was as if it was from both him and Nightmare Moon. “What would that be, Mathew?” she asked him slowly.

Mathew’s eyes started to shine with tears that were not his to shed as he stared into Twilight’s purple eyes. He took a breath and let it out through his nose before he answered. “This might be hard for any of you to fully accept… but Nightmare Moon is Luna’s mother.”

Gasps interrupted him and he lifted his hand to stop anypony from speaking. “But the reason why Celestia might have done what that vision depicted, is possibly due to the fact that Nightmare was responsible for accidentally ending Celestia’s mother’s life – now don’t jump to conclusions yet! I saw how it happened. When I said it was an accident, believe me… it really was. Nightmare had been friends – maybe even best friends – with Celestia’s mother, but something happened that made the two… grow distant,” Mathew said sorrowfully.

Fluttershy placed her hoof on her chest and leaned forward in her seat. “What happened?” she asked quietly.

Mathew quelled another wave of sadness from Nightmare and swallowed. “Nightmare and the Life Giver were tricked. The entity that fathered Luna… also fathered Celestia… and he toyed with the two mothers to make them fight. Don’t make me share any more… this is more painful for Nightmare than I ever thought it would be. She needs time to calm down before she’ll permit me to say anything further,” he said, fighting back Nightmare’s tears. He knew that she might have had a hard time letting others know about what she had done, but the looks of sadness, and even sympathy had brought forth a new facet to her emotions.

Mathew suddenly found his body being embraced. First Fluttershy hugged him, then Applejack, then Pinkie, Rarity, Twilight, and lastly Rainbow gave in and joined in. They were all showing their own sorrow for Nightmare’s pain, and it was too much for Mathew to resist – he gave in and let both his and Nightmare’s tears stream down his cheeks.

~~***~~

It took the better portion of half an hour, but eventually everypony was ready to proceed further. Twilight took the lead and asked Mathew. “So, if Nightmare Moon caused Celestia’s mother to die, that would give her a reason to become like she appeared in your vision. What I don’t understand is why she has not come after you yet. If she knew about this, then what’s stopping her from attacking Nightmare now?”

Mathew thought for a few moments. He had a few ideas, but nothing that would hold up without any proof. Then his eyes narrowed. “You have a point. Another thing I’m curious about is why I didn’t see what happened to my body or Nightmare. We had both been present in my mind, I saw her right beside me, yet she saw the same thing I did. Even so, we did not see each other,” he said.

Applejack brushed Mathew’s leg to get his attention and she looked at both him and Twilight. “Ah think there might be somethin’ more to it. Twi, you remember how you became an Alicorn, right?” she asked.

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, I had completed the requirement when I was able to finish Starswirl’s spell.”

Applejack nodded in response. “Right, but you said that you entered some kind of magic place and met Celestia there. She said she had watched ya all this time, but ah wonder if maybe that was only part of it. The way everythin’ fell into place seems more like it was… well, almost like it was planned out fer ya.”

Something clicked in Mathew’s head and his head started to slowly tilt as he thought. His stomach started to twist as a terrible idea started to take shape in his mind. Twilight looked at him and tentatively asked if he was alright. He slowly shook his head and swallowed against the feeling in his gut. “What if Celestia had planned everything out from the very start – like all the way back from before she even found the Elements of Harmony?” he asked in a tense voice.

Twilight’s eyes widened, then narrowed as she thought on it. “Given what we know, it wouldn’t be outside of the list of possibilities, but…” a flash of doubt crossed over her face and she shook her head. “No! The Princess wouldn’t have done that. There’s just… she couldn’t…” she faded into silence and turned her eyes to stare at her hooves.

“Ya alright, Twi?” asked Applejack.

Rainbow and Fluttershy flew closer to their friend with concern in their eyes. Rarity was caught between helping Twilight and keeping up with the conversation’s ultimate goal. Pinkie moved closer, her ears flipping up and down with her conflicting emotions. But Mathew, he simply looked at her with a growing sense of apprehension. He held her in his steady gaze and took a preparatory breath before broaching the topic. “Twilight… was there something specific about that meeting with Celestia that stood out? Did she tell you something that might have to do with what I thought?” he asked her.

Twilight’s eyes flickered with a brief unease before she sighed, keeping her eyes fixed to the floor. “She said that my becoming an Alicorn was one step toward fulfilling my destiny. Unfortunately, I’m still not sure what my destiny really is… I thought I knew, but…” she trailed off and shut her eyes with a soft sigh.

Mathew stood up from the floor and swept his eyes over everypony present, his gaze lingering on Applejack for a little longer than the rest, then he walked to the doorway that led to the hall. He paused there and spared a glance over his shoulder. “I’m going to go get some air… and think for a while. You all should probably get some rest,” he said quietly.

Applejack quickly got to her hooves, and took a few steps toward Mathew. “Ah don’t think it’s a good idea for you ta go out alone,” she said softly, yet firm enough to make her point.

Mathew eyed her for a moment before shaking his head. “Don’t follow me. Twilight needs you more than I do.”

Rainbow Dash’s ears sprung up and she zipped over to hover right in front of him, her hooves crossed over her chest. “Hey, what about the fact that you don’t have a whole lot of magic left? Are you crazy? We won’t let you go out on your own,” she said.

Mathew instantly lunged forward, his eyes glowing fiercely and his fangs bared with a low throaty hiss. Rainbow shot back, but was caught by a black magical aura so she avoided hitting the opposite wall. The display left everypony speechless. “I’ll give you one piece of advice, Rainbow Dash,” Mathew said in a low growl. “It’s never a good idea to follow a monster into the night. All of you will stay here, or go home, but don’t even think of following me… I’m not in the best of moods right now and I want to be alone.”

Before anything else could delay him, Mathew’s body was engulfed by shadow and he vanished silently. He reappeared in the darkness behind one of the tool sheds. His feet started to take him deeper into the shadows of the apple orchards. There was no destination in mind, only the need to distance himself from the ponies – especially Twilight. Nightmare Moon was curious about Mathew’s behavior, but she knew better than to start asking questions.

Mathew lost all sense of time as he wandered through the night. At some point, much later in the evening since the moon had traveled a fair distance through the sky, his mindless wandering brought him to the side of a stream. He came to a stop at the water’s edge and swept his gaze from left to right. A long sigh slipped through his lips and he went to walk along the stream. His body refused to respond.

“Nightmare…” he said, slightly annoyed.

You need to tell me what is bothering you,” Nightmare Moon replied softly. “Whatever you saw… it’s caused our bond to weaken. I’m shocked that you could have thoughts that I am unable to see. What has upset you so?

Mathew clenched his jaw and glared into the shadows across the stream. Then he relaxed and his hand glowed with the borrowed black magic, with small specks of pale blue sparkling around the edges. A glob of water lifted out of the stream and lifted up in front of his face. The blob flattened into a transparent sheet… which reflected the glowing yellow eyes that were both his and not his. “I’ve seen this kind of thing before, Nightmare. Just like then, I’m different from them and I’ve given one of them just the thing they needed to start their feelings down the path to hating me. Twilight hates me, even if she doesn’t know it consciously, I could see it in her eyes. I just took everything she’s worked for and, essentially, ripped the floor out from under her,” Mathew said solemnly.

Why do you think that? From what I saw, she is simply having trouble accepting the truth about Celestia.

“Trust me… I’ve seen that look before. At the rate that she processes information, I expect her to be openly hostile toward me within the next two days,” Mathew replied in a low tone.

“Well, that would be quite the sight to behold.” Came a new voice from above.

Mathew’s eyes darted up to see the strangest thing he had ever witnessed. The creature was larger than Celestia, sporting a long serpentine body. It resembled a dragon, only with a mixed up collection of different animal parts. The head was long, with an antler and a ribbed unicorn-like horn, goat ears, mismatched yellow and red eyes, and a pair of bushy white eyebrows with a matching tuft of a beard on the chin.
On its back were a dragon wing and, what looked to be, a Pegasus wing. It had a lions arm paired with a large eagle talon for arms along with a hoof and reptilian scaled appendages for back legs. Ending the ensemble was a red scaly tale, tipped with another tuft of white hair.

Mathew’s expression was one of curiosity, but soon slipped into a suspicious look as he started getting an idea of what, or more precisely, who the strange being was. He narrowed his eyes and addressed the thing above him cautiously. “Do you have business with me? And who are you, exactly?” he asked.

“Why, I’m the great Lord of Chaos, Discord… though I’m sure you had an idea of that already. After all, Nightmare Moon and I have met quite a few times,” Discord replied smoothly, eying the claws of his eagle hand. “As for your first question, well… you could say that I might have some form of business with you. It really depends on how specific you want to be,” he said as a small smirk played across his features.

Mathew quickly realized that Discord had something in mind. He had heard a slight mention of the chaotic entity, but those eyes alone were enough to tell him everything about what kind of intention it had. Mathew crossed his arms and eyed Discord. “I’ll be more specific with you then. Why did you come out here to speak with me? Surely a Lord of Chaos, such as yourself, has better things to do than waste time talking to a human who has the embodiment of Nightmare Moon inside of him,” he said rather bluntly.

Discord snapped his finger and was suddenly reclining in a comfortable looking leather chair. “Oh, there are plenty of things, indeed, that I could be doing right now. It’s been a few days since I was last around these parts, and I do so enjoy toying with the princesses, but…”

Another snap of his clawed fingers and Discord was suddenly standing right in front of Mathew. “When I arrived from a little trip, just a while ago, I started to feel a rather familiar vibe from this area. I must say, I haven’t had the pleasure of feeling such chaotic magic like this for a few thousand years – and that was from my predecessor, no less,” Discord said with a very devious grin.

Mathew sighed and looked right into Discord’s mismatched eyes. “Care to elaborate on that?” he asked flatly.

Discord chuckled and reached his lion paw up to stroke his beard. “Hmmm… no, not really,” he said smirking.

Mathew rolled his eyes, turned away from Discord, and started to walk away. “Then go bother someone else. Twilight and her friends should still be around Applejack’s place,” he bluntly stated.

The telltale snap and a flash of magic put Discord right in front of Mathew again, his arms crossed and eyes half lidded in a bored expression. “You know, any other Draconequus might be upset by such blatant disinterest… but I suppose humans don’t have much humor in them when they’re a long way from home.”

“What do you want?” Mathew asked, holding back his annoyance.

Discord sighed. “Many things… but I’ll spare you my personal wishes of world domination and secret fantasies regarding a romance with a certain yellow Pegasus. I wanted to talk to you about your magic.”

“What about it?” Mathew inquired, not entirely interested in what Discord had to say. In fact, if the old Draconequus did not get to a valid point in the next thirty seconds, Mathew was going to find a way to give Discord the slip.

“To put it simply,” Discord said, gesturing to Mathew’s chest with his lion paw, “your magic is potentially more chaotic than my own. In fact, I’d be willing to bet my immortality on it. The best part is that your magic is intrinsic, which adds to the potential. Oh, I’m getting excited just imagining the possibilities!” he said, literally vibrating with anticipation.

Mathew hummed and raised an eyebrow to his current conversational partner. At the very least, Discord had brought up an interesting thing, but it left Mathew with a few more questions. “How is my magic intrinsic? Humans don’t have magic. My magic comes from Nightmare’s core.”

“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong, my good chap. Humans do have magic – they just don’t tap into it often enough for it to be common knowledge,” Discord countered smoothly. “The proof lays in those little acts of heroism. You know, when a human achieves something that was supposed to be impossible – like lifting a car off of a trapped child?”

Mathew chewed on that little bit of information for a moment. It made sense, if only for the sake of Discord’s argument, but what did it truly mean for him? “Okay, so if that was true… wait, how did you know about cars? How much do you know about my world?” he asked Discord, suddenly realizing there was more to the chaos lord than he thought.

Discord simply shrugged and tilted his head. “What? I had to find something to do while I was a statue. Moony isn’t the only one who’s taken a peek at your world,” he said smugly.

Well, that’s interesting… I’m not going to bother asking how he could do that while he was petrified, Mathew thought. He sighed softly and reorganized his thoughts – he still needed answers about his magic. “Right… So then, how exactly do I use this intrinsic magic of mine? As far as I’m aware, I’ve only been able to use what I gained from Nightmare – who really hates that nickname, by the way,” said Mathew.

Discord grinned cheekily and crossed his arms. He then proceeded to explain that Mathew’s magic had conditions, which needed to be met before he could tap into them. “So, if you want to get right into it, you’ll need to use those fun little emotions of yours to open up the lock on your magic. Once you break through that inner wall, your magic will be yours to command in any way you desire. Being chaotic, your magic will have almost no limitations – quite like my own powers. If you can imagine it, your magic will make it reality,” Discord said with a toothy grin.

“Which emotions do I use to unlock my magic, then?” Mathew asked. He was not getting a good feeling about what Discord might have hinted toward.

Discord’s grin widened and he lifted his hand up in a dramatic flare. His fingers snapped and a large banner floated in the air above, decorated with roses and frilly pink streamers. Two spotlights lit up the display. Mathew’s eyes shot wide for an instant, only to narrow angrily seconds later. He flung his hand up and the banner burst into flames. His gaze then dropped back down and he glared at Discord. “What, exactly, does a picture of Luna and I kissing have to do with anything?” he growled menacingly.

Discord merely smirked and eyed the angry human coolly. “Oh, I’m sure you already know the answer,” he said in a low tone. “A strong emotion is needed to break through that lock. What would be better than using love to shatter that which binds your inner strength?” Discord asked.

Mathew looked away from Discord, scowling bitterly. “Unlike you, I don’t have any delusions about romancing a pony of this world. I do not, and will not, love any of them.”

“If you say so,” Discord shrugged. “Anger would be your next best. It’s not as effective… normally… but I’m sure you could find something to use as hate fuel. In fact… why not take some time to look back on why you’re here? You’ve had plenty to be angry about, but you haven’t taken any time to seek it out,” said the Draconequus. Then he spread his wings and slithered into the air.

Discord hovered above Mathew for a few seconds, a look of amusement on his face. “Well, I think that’s enough for me. This whole ‘being helpful’ thing gets boring after a while. I think I’ll go and say hello to my dear friends at the castle,” he chuckled softly, a sneaky grin tugging at his toothy maw. “Good luck…”

Discord then vanished, leaving Mathew alone, silently brooding. To say that he was pissed… would have been an understatement. For the first time in years, Mathew was itching to hurt something. The subtle sound of movement suddenly caught his attention and Mathew’s head whipped around. His glowing yellow eyes glared at the form of a pony, which recoiled at the sight of him. Mathew’s anger instantly subsided as he realized who it was.

Applejack slowly moved from her spot beside an apple tree. Her steps were cautious, fear clearly evident in her green eyes and her ears flat against her head. She stopped once she had come out from behind the tree and her gaze fell to the ground. “Ah’m sorry… ah know you said you didn’t want any of us followin’ ya. We were just worried about ya, is all,” she said meekly.

Mathew took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he let his expression and emotions slip into a more neutral state. “How long have you been there?” he asked calmly. He had his answer almost instantly. Applejack’s ears twitched and hugged closer to her head and her face showed slight signs of hurt.

He sighed and turned away from her. “I see,” he said.

Applejack looked up toward him and reached a hoof out, only to tentatively pull it back and rub at her front leg. “Is it true… that you and Princess Luna…” she started to ask before stopping herself from finishing the question.

Mathew’s gaze drifted up to the stars on the horizon. “We did. She stole my lips a few nights before I came to help out on the farm. Since then, she’s avoided me… until tonight,” he said quietly.

“Oh… ah see…”

Mathew sighed and continued to stare at the stars, picking out random patterns while he formulated his thoughts. He wanted to say something to comfort Applejack. It was evident in her voice that she had not taken the knowledge of what he and Luna had done well. Deep down he already knew that she had felt something for him, but he had tried to pass it off as just him and Applejack being good friends with common interests. With the way things had turned out, he now knew the blunt truth, even if she did not openly admit it… yet.

An awkward silence filled the air. Neither he nor Applejack had the right way to speak what they wanted. So, they remained quiet… until Applejack could stand it no longer. “Mathew… ah want ta know…” she said softly. “Why won’t you let yourself fall in love?”

Mathew grit his teeth. He really did not want to discuss it, but he felt guilty about pushing her away so cruelly. The least he could do was tell her his reasons. He did value the friendship he had with her, so it was only fair. “There are… a few reasons. The obvious one is because I’m not a pony. I don’t belong in this world. At some point I’ll go back to my world. But… in the event that I can’t, or don’t go back… I still can’t fall in love here. Being an immortal makes it difficult…” Mathew said and he turned his head back toward Applejack, a sad look painted upon his face. “Having eternal life means that I’ll outlive any who are trapped in their mortality. Even if I were to develop feelings for another immortal, time changes things – for better or worse. Whatever the case may be, it would not be fair for me to let others fall in love with me, much less fall in love with them. I can’t do that to anyone… or anypony. It wouldn’t be right.”

Applejack looked into Mathew’s eyes. She watched him for a few moments, thinking on what he had just said, before she took a deep breath and firmed her resolve. She marched right up to him, never breaking eye contact. “Ah can understand your feelings on that, but ah think you should hear this from somepony on the other side of this perspective. To me, it seems more unfair for you to deny yourself, and others, that kind of happiness. Even if you outlive us… you should try to cherish the time you have with somepony. It might be painful when you lose them, but at least you’ll always be able to remember the love you shared with them,” she said.

Mathew turned away from her again and sighed. “That may be true… but I don’t see things that way. I don’t know why you and Luna came to like me the way you do, but I do know that I can’t return your feelings.”

“So… you won’t even consider it… at all?” asked Applejack.

Mathew inhaled a shaky breath. His heart had started to hurt from the discussion. Emotions were running rampant within him; regret for not seeing Luna’s and Applejack’s love for him sooner, sadness for having to let her down, and frustration from being helpless to stop himself from hurting her more. He wanted to make things right, to explain things to her so that she would better understand why he could not let his heart feel love for her.

His frustration built up until a new feeling sparked. He clenched his fists and slowly turned to face Applejack. Mathew’s face was mixed with his sadness, but the telltale signs of his building anger seeped from a faint magical aura from his eyes. “Applejack… please understand, I can’t do this right now. Just let things be… I can’t fall in love,” Mathew said, his voice cracking slightly.

Applejack sighed, but decided to dig her hooves in. She knew he did not want to continue talking about it, but it just was not enough for her yet. Spurred on by slight jealousy, she scrunched up her muzzle and lowered her head to peer at him from just below the rim of her hat. “How can ya say that so easily? Have you even tried to give it a chance? What if you change your mind after you stay here long enough? Is it really so bad to think that you might like one of us more than just being friends?” she pressed.

With that, Mathew relaxed his hands, his body became still as a statue, but his eyes flared with a bright magical glow. A deep growl rumbled in his throat and his lips peeled back on one side to bare a fang. “I have not given it any more thought than that. To be perfectly honest, I have had more important things to think about,” Mathew said in a low, nearly threatening tone. “Do you have any idea, just what I’ve been through? Ignoring the fact that my life has been in jeopardy because I’ve had Nightmare Moon inside of me, do you know what I’ve been through?” he asked.

Before she could reply, Mathew continued, his voice slowly getting louder. “I’ve been taken from my home. Placed in this world where I’m a stranger to it and my own body. Forced to adapt to a whole new culture, with new laws, and magic. Then I find that I’ve been cursed to live as an immortal. Now… I find myself at the center of a love triangle, while the Lord of Chaos himself finds amusement in leaving me with a riddle. ALL of this… every… single… PART OF IT – I never thought I’d be forced to endure – but I NEVER WANTED ANY OF IT! I WANT TO GO BACK HOME AND BE WITH M-"

Mathew’s body suddenly froze as a pulse of magic shot out from his heart. The steady sway of his magic-imbued hair came to a stop. Within seconds, the magic that had altered his body softly fell away, like a magnet losing its magnetic field letting the dust simply drift from it. His eyes were back to their original golden brown. His hair, however, held onto the black coloration and seemed to spark with bright blue arcs of power – as if he was generating an electric field.

His body pulsed once more, a mist of the deepest black, so dark it seemed to choke the light around him, began bleeding out of him. Mathew was aware of everything, every image his eyes saw and every sound and sensation, yet he could do nothing more than wait. Instinct begged him to do something – anything – but he simply watched as his senses dulled… tingled. The world around him came to life in an array of colors that started to swirl and elongate to form a tunnel.

The voices of Applejack and Nightmare Moon melted into the buzz of power that soon consumed Mathew entirely. The tunnel of lights pulsed and a brilliant flash blinded him. The next thing he knew, Mathew was standing on a sidewalk. His eyes dashed around and a strange feeling took hold of him. He knew that place… he was back on Earth… he was home.

Author's Note:

This was another fun chapter to write. Everything is going to build up from here and peak for my grand finale! In the next chapter, Mathew finally gets a few answers. Look forward to it! :yay:

As always, I hope you enjoyed the read. :twilightsmile:



Also, If you're interested, I put up a blog on my page that gives some details of what I've got going on currently and what you can expect in the future. Check it out. :raritywink: