Welcome the Unknown

by Equestria Buck Yeah

Chapter 20

Matt collapsed onto his knees. The stabbing pain at his chest was worse than it ever been in the past and it never glowed before. The purple hue was visible through his shirt and pulsed with evil. The girls backed away slowly. After what Discord had told them about what was causing his agony before, they had a feeling they knew what was going on. It only took Matt a second to figure it out as well.

"But...but he's...how...ngh!"

He fought as hard as he could to keep what was digging out of the recesses of his mind back but it wasn't enough. His eyes glowed again and he struggled to stand.

Matt began to laugh, but it wasn't his voice they heard. "You didn't think it'd be so easy to get rid of me, did you?"

"How are you still here? We just beat you!" Twilight demanded he answer.

"You turned my body to stone, yes, and if this fool...ngh!...that was unusual...if this fool didn't steal away my spirit too...agh! –" Discord struggled to breathe as he felt his own sharp pains, "–then that would have been the end for me. But he did, so here I am! Ah! What keeps doing that?"

"Matt! Can you hear me?" Twilight called out.

"Come back to us! Fight 'im!" Applejack begged.

Matt's eyes lost their glow. "Get...get out of me!" The stress of his internal war was evident on his face. He had no idea what to do. He had suckered Discord out of all his strength, and now he was about to take it all back.

The demigod reemerged and lit up his eyes again. "Um, no. I think I'm going to like it here, even if this...ergh!...stop it!...even if this new body is a bit dull. Maybe I could spruce up the place once you're gone."

"What do you mean 'once he's gone'?" Rainbow asked threateningly.

He winced again and stumbled slightly as Matt continued to fight back. "In just a few more minutes, Matt will be gone and I'll be all that's left, if he wasn't so stubborn!" Discord explained, flaring his nostrils in anger. "The best part? Nngh! The best part is I know everything he knows now, thanks to a quick trip through his head. Maybe once I'm finished with Equestria, I'll–" he clutched at Matt's chest, "–I'll go say hello to Rachel!"

"You leave her alone!" Matt yelled as he briefly returned. His explosion of rage fired bolts of yellow energy from his body and created low-lying dark clouds overhead. Flashes of lightning and claps of thunder seemed to vocalize his anger like a dreadful symphony.

"Why do you even care about a place you can never return to?" Discord angrily snarled. Getting rid of Matt was proving to be more a fight than he originally anticipated.

"It was my home. It was my life! And you stole my life away from me!" Matt screamed, tightly clenching his fists. The ground began to shake as he started losing himself to his anger again.

"And you just tried to steal away mine, so I guess that makes us even!" Discord retorted. "But, once I'm done, your friends won't be able to hurt me, and neither will you!"

Amidst the desperate struggle, Matt was able to make his right hand glow.

-----

His home in Ponyville was peaceful despite the struggle that was threatening to consume its owner. Some of the memories of his time there hung on the wall. A picture of him with the girls after his presence was made public. A copy of Equestria Daily showing him in front of the dead Ursa behind a piece of glass. The pair of knives he used to kill it hung crossed on a ceremonial looking rack. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and only one remained.

-----

The knife appeared in Matt's hand and he drove it down into his thigh with a gut-wrenching scream. Discord's yell mixed with Matt's as he collapsed onto the ground. He heard and felt a sickening cracking of bone when he drove the blade into his leg. Blood poured out of the wound like a river. Matt yanked the knife out and dropped it by his body. He squeezed tightly as the pain increased with each passing second.

Matt managed to mock to his enemy under his breath in spite of his self-inflicted injury, "H-hurts, don't it?"

"Ngh! I hate you!"

"The f-f-feeling's mutual!"

The girls panicked when they saw what he did. "What's he doing?!" Pinkie shrieked.

"Girls! Do your thing!" Matt called out, struggling with his words as he bled. "I...I don't know how long I can...h-hold him off! Do your thing!"

"But Matt, you could be–" Twilight started to protest.

"Don't worry about me," he whispered. "Do it!"

They looked at each other with uncertainty. They didn't want to risk losing him after everything they've been through. Unfortunately, they knew Equestria had to come first. With tears forming, they turned and faced their struggling friend. One by one, the jewels on their necklaces began to pulse.

"Ngh, no! I won't be beaten again!" Discord reached slowly at the six with Matt's arm and it sparked ominously. "I won't let y–aaah!" He was cut off by a blade driven into his arm.

Twilight's tiara came to life and they were lifted into the air by their signature white light. Their rainbow shot to the heavens again and landed by Matt's head on the ground, forming a multicolored whirlwind around him.

"No! Noooo–!"

The whirlwind enveloped Matt's body and absorbed itself into him. His body began radiating bright rays of the same white light and they fired out of him in all directions. A blinding flash overtook Ponyville and faded away shortly after.

The girls laid on the ground, looking utterly exhausted. They inspected the area. The dark, foreboding clouds were gone. The sun shone brightly in the sky. None of the buildings looked damaged. Finally, they saw Matt's body laying motionless on its side in the road with the knife next to him. They galloped up to him as quickly as their legs would carry them. Twilight's horn flickered and gently rolled him onto his back. He was breathing normally.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and took a deep breath. He saw six pairs of worried eyes looking right at him. He carefully sat himself up and quickly noticed he fighting against a demented spirit nor was he in any pain. None in his leg, his arm, or thankfully, his chest. He squeezed his thigh and arm to be sure, but both of the wounds he just gave himself were gone. Even the shattered bones seemed fine.

He noticed the knife laying beside him instead of in him and picked it up. The blood on it was gone too. Any that had been spilled was washed away, even on his clothes, and the bandages and wounds from his encounter with the cockatrice earlier in the day had also disappeared. The girl's worry was replaced with cautious optimism. He set the blade down and looked the mares over. They all appeared to be fine as well.

"Is it over?" he asked carefully.

"I think so," Twilight responded. "Can you still do anything magical?"

He focused, trying to blink away. Nothing happened. He asked the knife on the ground to come to his hand. It laid there motionless. "No."

"Then, yes. It's finally over," Twilight sighed with relief. The others were just as happy that this whole debacle was done as well. Seeing Matt finally free of their hated enemy and back to normal again was just as welcome a sight. He was suddenly enveloped by six big hugs at once.

"Do you think Discord could come back eventually?" Fluttershy wondered.

"I honestly don't know," Twilight stated. "But seeing as how the Elements just destroyed not only his magic, but everything about him as well, plus the fact that his body is careening through space somewhere...I don't see how he could. But if he does, we'll just have to be ready again."

"So, what now?" Matt asked.

Pinkie spoke up with her usual amount of hyperactivity, "What do you mean 'what now'? Discord's gone and you're okay!"

"Later, Pinkie," Matt cut her off.

"Awww."

-----

Twilight had sent a letter the next morning to Princess Celestia reviewing the incident in detail – how Discord had returned, why Matt was here, and how they all had beaten the ancient enemy. Celestia had stopped by shortly after with Luna to scan over Matt and make sure the threat was really gone this time. After an exhaustive amount of magical checking, they concluded that any trace of Discord that resided in Matt had been completely destroyed.

A few days after the ordeal, Princesses Celestia and Luna had a ceremony for Matt in the heart of Canterlot. Just about all of Ponyville was in attendance. At the Princesses' behest, the entirety of Canterlot had joined them as well though they weren't as enthusiastic about his presence as the Ponyvillians were. They may have been aware of who he was thanks to the papers those few months ago, but his heroic deeds didn't occur in the royal city, so they weren't quite as interested as the rest.

Celestia presented him with a medal of honor and had a statue of his likeness created for display in the royal gardens. Matt looked over the award and thought of a place on his wall at home where he could hang it. Celestia even told him of a transmogrification spell she was willing to use on him with his permission. He could figure out what it was thanks to all the gaming he did back home but had to turn her down. He did everything as a human. He felt it would take away from what he accomplished, and she completely understood.

The celebration for their guest of honor lasted well into the wee hours of the night.

-----

A few boring weeks had gone by. They were the good kind of boring though. No ancient evils decided to attack. No invasions from other parts of Equestria. No rampaging wildlife. Things seemed to be exceptionally normal.

Matt was visiting Twilight and Spike in the library that beautiful Tuesday. They chatted about what they had been up to recently and what they had planned for later. The usual pleasantries.

"Oh yeah, jeez, I almost forgot the main reason I came here," Matt said. "Spike, would you take a letter please?"

The dragon perked up at the request. That was something one of the girls usually needed. Matt had never done so before, but that didn't detract his enthusiasm at the task. He grabbed a nearby quill and parchment. "Sure, Matt! Go ahead."

"Dear Princess Celestia and Princess Luna," he began.

"Both of them? Must be something special going on if you want to get both of their attention," Twilight joked.

He shrugged. "Kind of." He cleared his throat, ready to continue. "This is Matt. What's up? I'm having a party this Saturday at Sugarcube Corner, my treat. I'm inviting you both to join us and whoever else Pinkie decides to invite. I haven't told her yet, but I doubt she'll say no. Could you also see if Shining Armor and Princess Cadance would like to join us?" Twilight smiled with glee upon mentioning her brother and sister-in-law. It was so infrequent that she got to see them, given their obligations. "They were really cool at that party you had a few weeks ago, and, seeing that they're related to Twilight here, I wanted them to come too. Let me know, thanks! Sincerely, Matt."

Spike rolled up the paper and sent it away.

"Your treat? I didn't know you had so many bits," Twilight commented.

"Yeah, I've been saving up quite a bit. You know how many little odd jobs I always seem to have. I'm assuming you both will be there?" he asked with a smile, already knowing the answer.

"Heck yeah, Pinkie's parties are always awesome!"

Twilight giggled, "Of course, Matt. Did you want some help passing out the invitations to the others?"

"Nah, I'm cool. Be nice to get out for a little while and take a walk. I'll ask Fluttershy if she'll come with me through the Everfree Forest to Zecora's. Wanted to give her one too and Fluttershy does live right there, and I don't know if Pinkie would stop to think to invite her." Matt secretly hoped the pegasus' shyness wouldn't be an issue when it came to trekking through the forest. Fortunately, she did trust him, and after making up from their fight a few weeks prior, she'd never felt closer to him. "Let me know if you hear from the princesses later, okay?"

"Will do. See you later!"

-----

So far, Matt was four for four with his invitations. Applejack and her folks, Rarity and Sweetie Belle, Fluttershy and Zecora had all agreed to come. He asked Fluttershy if she would give Rainbow Dash her invitation, as well as inform Scootaloo of the party, since he was never sure when or where the weather team captain would be, given his lack of wings. He found Rainbow Dash knocking on his door later that day saying they'd both love to come.

Pinkie was as about as ecstatic as she could get when Matt told her his intentions. As he predicted, she couldn't say no. He gave her full say on who else to invite beside their friends and the Princesses since he wasn't as familiar with everyone as she was, even after a few months. Many of the ponies did have matching colors or mane styles and it would still sometimes throw him off. He also still felt it a little weird to look at their butts as though they were some kind of ID card.

"Hey! This would be a great opportunity to try a nice recipe I wanted to have specially dedicated to you!"

His cocked an eyebrow curiously. "Oh yeah, what'd you have in mind?"

"I dunno. I'm still working on it. I'll have something ready by Saturday though! Promise!"

He put down a nice payment up front to the Cakes and headed on his way.

-----

The party was already underway for a little while early Saturday afternoon. Matt recognized most of the others Pinkie had invited. He was a little apprehensive when he spotted Lyra in the crowd with her friend, but oddly enough, she seemed rather collected. Maybe she had finally relaxed enough to not make him feel wary around her. The three Princesses and Shining Armor all were able to put their duties aside for a day and stop by Ponyville, more than happy to attend such a fun occasion. Spike and the girls sans Pinkie, who was busy at the counter, were sitting together in one of the booths. The Crusaders were running around being themselves.

Matt had been mingling with some of the guests and was already a few cupcakes into Pinkie's new recipe when he needed to know what was in them. He went to go talk to her as she handed out treats. She said she called them 'Cherrinana Mattcakes', and everypony couldn't stop talking about how good they were. He was inclined to agree.

"Where'd you come up with that?" he asked.

"Well, I had a bunch of stuff on the counter in the kitchen, trying to figure out what to use but I couldn't come up with anything. I was getting sooo frustrated I slammed my head on the counter and when I looked up, there was a banana and a couple cherries sitting next to it and I thought about that time in the tub when–"

He wrapped his hand around her snout when he heard mention of the word 'tub'. He couldn't have been more mortified.

"Hry! Is's a lrt ersrer tr trrk whnn oo do ris!"

"Uh, you haven't told anyone else where you got the idea for these, have you?" he asked as he removed his hand.

"Nope!"

"Could you please promise me you never do? Pinkie promise?"

"Aww, okay," she said with a heavy frown. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"

"Thank you," he sighed. He returned to the others at their booth with Pinkie in tow.

"Enjoyin' the party so far, Matt?" Applejack asked. He smiled and nodded, helping himself to another of Pinkie's more interestingly inspired creations.

"I have to say, Pinkie dear, you've outdone yourself again! And these new cupcakes, oh my..." Rarity complimented. Matt looked away, silently embarrassed.

"Thanks!"

"So, how's your day going, Matt?" Twilight asked.

"Good. Damn good."

Comments

[LegalTroll]

first?

[Mawxter]

Any chance of a sequel?

[ombranox]

I don't recall a tub... Context and/or location in the story if I missed it somehow?

[Equestria Buck Yeah]

1075381

Thanks! Only thing I wish I was better at was having a bit larger vocabulary when it came to descriptive terms. Maybe I'll pick up a few things from other fics I've been reading, who knows?

1075444

Probably not, but if anyone would ever want to write one, I won't stop them!

[Equestria Buck Yeah]

1075467

When they were cleaning him up after they pulled him out of the Ursa. Chapter 12, just checked!

[ombranox]

1075481 Oh yeah... forgot about that.

[The Poster]

i think it needs more vodka

[Talking Tails]

great fic man definitely one of my favorites so far

[Equestria Buck Yeah]

1583922
Oh wow, another comment on this story! Hopefully you'll enjoy it! I admit I kinda messed the 2nd chapter up a bit, but I was a newb back then and was unsure with the way to go about doing a few things. But it only takes one time for me to learn!

[Equestria Buck Yeah]

1584107
All shall become clear nearer the end, sir!

[Equestria Buck Yeah]

1584972
You shall see!

[themanesix]

that was well done....I also agree with the above for a sequel.....whatever you decide congrats on a well done 1st story

[Equestria Buck Yeah]

1585984
Glad ya like, dude! I was recently thinking about a possible sequel. The potential idea was.. interesting to say the least. Not sure how I'd end it though. Have you checked out the other stuff yet by any chance?

[themanesix]

I may have skimmed the titles, but no, this was my 1st one from you.....I'll take another look at them, see if any pop out. Your welcome to check out mine too if you have the time

[Equestria Buck Yeah]

2718160
The coat type jacket. He magically popped the garment onto Discord so he could lazily hold him up while pummeling the shit out of him. :P Though wrapping Discord in a potato would look pretty damn funny. Fimfic artists, get on this!

[Equestria Buck Yeah]

3615056
Thank ya :P Like the description says, before I start working on the long overdue sequel, I do want to touch up Chapter 2 a bit. I'll probably put up a 'check out the sequel' shortie chapter when I'm ready to go. Besides wanting to touch up things and make them a little more...realistic?...fixing up Chapter 2 will give a little more weight to what I intend to do with the sequel from the start. Would love to know what people think of the face lift when it's done.

[damnaion]

mmmm

[Muet]

[WorldWalker128]

Maybe she had finally relaxed enough to not make him feel weary around her.

He feels tired around her? I think the word you're looking for is 'wary'.

[Mr Swanky Hat]

5198572
Maybe stuff was happening "off screen?" Wink wink, nudge nudge