Shadows Within the Heart

by Oddling

2 - Hello Again

Mathew awoke with a start, his eyes opening to see an odd glow coming from somewhere within his void. He quickly spun around to face it, only to come to a realization that he must still be dreaming. On the other side of a magical window, relaxing on a beach and wearing a bright blue and yellow Hawaiian shirt, dark red sunglasses and sipping from half a coconut shell sat the one and only, Discord.

“Why hellooo~ my good man,” came Discord’s voice before he sipped some of the mystery beverage from the coconut. “my, it has been so long since we last spoke. It’s almost as if you don’t believe I’m real…”

Mathew groaned and facepalmed. “Nope… this isn’t a dream… damn it. Alright, Discord… what do you want this time?” he asked reluctantly.

Discord snapped his finger and was suddenly standing right beside Mathew within his mental realm. The look on the Draconequus’ face was one of utter seriousness. “I want you to keep that a secret.”

Mathew looked Discord in his yellow and red eyes firmly. “Not a chance. They need to know and, in case you’ve forgotten, they’re going to need you to help them,” Mathew said resolutely.

“Ugh! How many times must I say this, Chaos beings like us can’t work together in that way!” Discord rebuked in an annoyed fashion.

“I never said you’d have to fight with them,” Mathew countered. “This time you need to help guide them. You’re the only one who can enter this place to communicate with me directly. I need you to show them the way in my stead. Come on man… I told you you’d have to play a major part months ago. This is too important for you to back out on.”

Discord huffed and crossed his arms as he eyed Mathew, clearly not happy with the idea. “Fine. I’ll help. Only because this is about the only way that I can keep Fluttershy safe. She’s the only reason I’m even allowing you to get away with this.”

“Oh? I thought it was because my body is protected by a magical crystal formation that cancels magic and that you can’t lay a finger on me in my own realm here,” Mathew added with a smirk.

“If you ever get out of here, I swear I’ll find a way to get back at you for that one. Only I’m allowed to be that smug,” replied the lord of chaos, his maw slowly shaping into a mischievous grin.

Mathew chuckled lightly as his smirk melted into a genuine smile. “That’ll be the day. It would be nice to be free… this place is slowly crushing my sanity. I don’t know how long I can stay here before I lose my mind. Still, it’s good to know I’ve got a friend outside who’s waiting to show me a good time.” Mathew’s head twitched as something caught his attention on the outside of his prison. He then looked back to Discord with a lifted brow.

“Say, Discord… do you plan to be in attendance for the meeting?”

Discord’s grin melted away instantly and a look of suspicion replaced it. “What meeting?” he asked.

Mathew’s smile widened a pinch as he lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. An instant later revealed the forms of Princess Celestia, Luna, Nightmare Moon, Twilight Sparkle and all of her friends (which included the little dragon, Spike). Discord’s eyes widened before they rolled out of their sockets and down his face to land in his gaping mouth. He swallowed them with an audible gulp before shaking his head rapidly and glaring at Mathew, his eyes back in place.

Mathew simply grinned at the upset lord of chaos for a moment before he turned his attention to the ponies on the other side of a larger than normal window. “Hello again, everypony. I take it you’ve been brought up to speed on a few things?” he asked.

Luna stepped forth and nodded. “We told them everything from our last meeting.”

Mathew smiled with a small nod in return. “Good. I’ll get strait to the point since I’m not going to have as much time for this with all of you present. Absolution will be arriving in a few months, unless he catches wind of my knowing of his current plans. He’s going to be very difficult to deal with, but it’s not impossible to beat him and save Equestria,” he said and looked to Celestia for a moment.

“I need all of you to be aware… this is not going to be a walk in the park. You will get hurt, you will have to make tough choices… and you could die. I know it’s asking a lot of you all, but I need you to be heroes… only if you feel you can give this your all to save lives. Is there any one of you who feels that you cannot do this?” Mathew asked.

Silence filled both sides of the void. Rainbow Dash hovered above her friends, looking to them to see if any of them might consider backing out. She had come a long way in getting over her nightmares of Mathew, but it was taking every ounce of her willpower to not tremble at the sight of him. Even though he looked nothing like what she was used to… he still had that piercing focus. In addition, the thought of being put in a dangerous enough situation like he had just said elevated her fears. Rainbow spotted the wilting ears of her fellow pegasus friend, Fluttershy and her heart filled with relief knowing that there was a chance for her to back out of the coming trials.

Fluttershy took in a deep breath and steeled her nerves as she reminded herself that she needed to be strong for her friends. She stepped forward proudly and opened her mouth. “I won’t run away! I will do whatever it takes if it means keeping all of my friends safe – even my animal friends,” she declared boldly, garnering her the admiration of her beloved Discord.

Rainbow’s ears sank back as she gave up any hope of backing out.

“Rainbow Dash,” came Mathew’s voice as he looked right at her.

Rainbow’s wings stopped flapping as fear gripped her heart once again. She floated in the darkness and stared at Mathew with wide eyes. A seemingly large lump formed in her throat and she tried her best, to no avail, to swallow it and get a hold of herself. Her struggling silence was all Mathew needed to know as his eyes filled with a deep regret. Seeing the intensity of his emotional pain suddenly brought forth a need to go to his side for the prismatic mare and her wings slowly started to beat once more as she unknowingly drew closer to the window.

Mathew broke his gaze to look at the nothingness to the side. “I am so sorry for what I’ve done to you, Rainbow Dash. I don’t expect you to forgive me, and I actually don’t want you to, but I at least want you to know that I’ve seen how much I’ve hurt you… and I hate myself for it. I never meant to scare you that badly. I just thought that a simple display of power would keep you out of the way… it never occurred to me that I might have done more damage to your mind until I saw the results for myself later on…”

“W-what do you mean? How d-did you see what happened to me?” Rainbow croaked out meekly.

Mathew’s face sank further, along with the rest of his body, as he let his depression show through. “I’ve been watching what goes on outside. All I’ve been able to do is see you all whenever I have enough magic built up. I tried, countless times, to talk to you all… to tell you to watch out for this, or to just go ahead and do that… or simply to try and apologize for what I did and to say how badly I feel about it,” Mathew admitted while glancing to Celestia, Twilight, Applejack and Luna. He fixed his sad eyes back on Rainbow’s before he continued.

“I’ve seen some of your nightmares, Rainbow. Each time, I tried so hard to break out of this prison to save you, to tell you that everything was alright, that I can’t hurt you anymore. But I failed every time. I know that you’ve been conflicted about how to feel about the time we spent together. I know that you miss me sometimes… but that deep down you hate me as well, and you can’t find the answer as to which you should feel for me the most. I’ll tell you now… hate me, Rainbow. You have every right to for what I’ve put you through…”

Rainbow Dash’s face slowly shifted from uncertain to determined, though her eyes still twinkled with slight trepidation as she hovered even closer to the window. “N-no… I w-won’t hate you!” she said firmly.

Mathew’s eyes dropped with a heavy sigh. “Rainbow… please, despise me, hate me, loathe me – anything so long as it makes you see me as anything other than some terror of the darkness.”

“No!” she repeated louder as she inched even closer, her eyes slowly starting to burn with an almost extinguished passion she thought she had lost for Mathew.

Mathew turned to her with a pitiful look on his face, as if he was begging her to hate him to the core. He opened his mouth to say it once more, but Rainbow Dash’s hooves slammed into the window hard enough to send a ripple through it. The cyan pegasus mare glared down at Mathew as she yelled, “NO! I won’t hate you – I can’t! You scared the hay outta me, but I can’t find it in me to hate you for what you did… you did everything to save everypony. I got in your way… I know why you did it. And if you know so much then you know that I’ve felt completely guilty for it. It’s hard to admit it, but you showed more loyalty to us than I did… and I’m ashamed of myself for it. So I can’t hate you… if anything, you should hate me for being such an unfaithful friend!” she said and cringed as she prepared for some form of whiplash for her outburst.

Warmth slowly spread over Rainbow Dash and she slowly pried open her eyes to see herself coated in a bright blue magical aura. She turned her rosy gaze back to Mathew to find him smiling kindly for her. “You’re still a loyal friend Rainbow. If you weren’t, then you’d have felt nothing about what happened to separate us for that brief span of time. Thank you for being honest with me… and take this little bit of my magic. It will help you in the future,” he said as his power formed a crystal choker on Rainbow’s neck.

Rainbow looked down at the new piece of jewelry and gently touched it with her hoof, feeling her heart warm up from the touch as if her bond with Mathew had strengthened. Her eyes flicked back to Mathew as a big confidant smile graced her face. “I won’t let you down, Mathew,” she said.

Mathew nodded and looked back to the others. “Sadly, this is all I can offer at this time. You’ll all need to find the rest on your own. The first thing you’ll need to do is locate the ancient vault that holds Celestia’s old relic, the Effigy of Solaris.”

Celestia’s eyes widened. “That relic should have been destroyed, along with everything else in that place…” she whispered.

Mathew shook his head. “It was… well, its container was. The power that it contained is still there, and it will be your first test. You must rein in the unstable magic and create a new container for its power. The only one who can do that is you, Celestia.”

Silence followed once more as everypony looked to their solar princess. It was clear that Celestia was unsure of how she could accomplish such a monumental task, but as the seconds ticked by her uncertainty slowly shifted to unyielding determination. She looked back to Mathew firmly and bowed her head. “Tell me how I can succeed.”

Mathew frowned at her display. He had known that Celestia held him higher than before, but seeing her nearly worship him in such a way was… unsettling. He flung out his hand. “Don’t bow to me, Celestia. You are the royalty, here. If you must show me any form of respect, then do me the honor of calling me your friend.”

Celestia lifted her head and stared firmly into Mathew’s eyes. “You are more than just a friend for me, Mathew. You are my guide… in that memory of my mother’s, she told me so. I will do as you ask, Mathew, but don’t expect me to ignore your importance in my life. Besides… I owe you a great deal. Permit me this… and command me.”

Mathew glared at Celestia for a few long moments before he sighed through his nose. He wished he had more time to deal with her, but he was running low on magic as it was. There was nothing he could do for her at this time, but he was going to have a more detailed discussion with her about her views of him at a later time. “I will permit it for now. Don’t get used to it, Celestia,” he said and turned his attention to the rest of the group once more.

“Celestia will need help in containing the power of the Effigy. Twilight, Luna and Nightmare will have to coordinate and channel the power toward her. The most danger will fall toward Nightmare and Luna, since you two are more aligned with the power of shadow, but I have faith in you all. Keep your minds clear and your hearts pure and the power should move to your will.”

Twilight stepped forth, a sad look painted on her face. “Mathew… what of the Elements? Will we need to recover them somehow?” she asked softly.

Mathew sighed and closed his eyes. “There is a chance to recover them and use them… but you are not ready for that yet. Focus on the present task, Twilight. Don’t dwell on something you have no control over anymore… and don’t blame yourself for what happened. Trust me… I’m more to blame than you are, even if you can’t believe it. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on how I handled everything. I was… I really should have been more thoughtful about what I did and said.”

Twilight opened her mouth to say otherwise, but her voice died on her lips. As Mathew opened his eyes and looked into hers, she could see something deeper and meaningful in his gaze. If he had been spending his time watching the results of what he had done, as well as using the power of visions, then there must have been some weight behind his words. The young Alicorn sighed and yielded to Mathew with a hesitant nod.

Mathew’s gaze drifted over everypony else as he gauged their reactions to what had been said thus far. As expected, Twilight’s friends looked a little lost and seemed to think that there was nothing for them to do to help, but they wanted to support each other. Luna simply held her gaze upon Mathew though her ears would flick as she thought about something. Nightmare, though… she had stared at Mathew stoically from the very beginning – never even blinking as she eyed Mathew. He knew that the gears in her mind had been grinding to formulate something and he sighed internally.

Luna looked to her mother for a brief moment before she took a single step closer to the window of magic. Her turquoise eyes locked onto Mathew’s golden brown as she struck a regal pose. “This is all well and good, but I want to know why you have not offered to join us in this effort, Mathew,” Luna asked.

Mathew held his gaze with the lunar princess for a time as he thought about how to best explain the impossibility of him being able to leave the crystal. Applejack looked to Mathew expectantly, and even Celestia’s ears perked up as she was curious to know the answer as well. The others simply glanced back and forth between the human and the princess of the moon.

“I cannot leave this place,” Mathew said solemnly.

Nightmare stepped closer, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Is that true, or is it simply another case in which the effort seems wasted in your opinion? I know you know something, Mathew… I learned how your eyes shift slightly to the left as you try to hide things from others, much like they did when Luna asked you that question. Why do you not offer your help?” she asked firmly.

Mathew’s gaze hardened as he looked to Nightmare. His fists clenched and the temperature of the void dropped slowly to an eerie chill. “Releasing me will doom your world. It won’t do you any good to have me back… not yet.”

Nightmare’s horn flared as she stomped her hoof. “You’re lying! What is the real reason?” she demanded. Though her time with Mathew had not been long, she had still picked up much of what to look for when he was being dishonest. He was lying to her, but she wanted to know why.

Mathew crossed his arms as he looked away. He knew he had no chance of fooling the only being to know him as intimately as Nightmare did, and it irked him that she was being so persistent. He really did not want to tell them… not with Luna and Applejack present.

“Mathew!” Nightmare said firmly, like a mother knowing when her child was about to try something else to try and get out of admitting something.

Mathew sighed and looked Nightmare in the eyes. “I will not let you give up everything just for my sake, Nightmare!” he said loudly as he unfolded his arms defiantly.

Nightmare closed her eyes and sighed. “So that’s why you’ve avoided me for all this time. I knew it must have had something to do with that,” she said as she opened her eyes with a softer look about them.

Luna looked to her mother questioningly as Nightmare stepped closer to her and draped a wing over her. The dark goddess smiled for her daughter and nuzzled her softly before she looked back to Mathew. Everypony seemed to hold their breath as Nightmare started to cry. “Mathew… you can’t be the only one to have a say in this matter.”

“The hell I can’t – I won’t let you do this!” Mathew rebuked firmly, though there was a shimmer in his own eyes as he looked to Nightmare pleadingly.

Nightmare sighed and shook her head. She knew that Mathew would be stubborn about this. After all, he had given so much just so that this would not have come to pass to begin with. A small smile graced her lips as she looked at the human who had been her partner. “Mathew…”

“Don’t you say those words!”

“It’s alright, Mathew. You’ve fulfilled your promise. Though it pains me to say it, I’ve still enjoyed my time with Luna and Celestia,” Nightmare said softly.

Luna looked up to Nightmare and gasped. “Mother! You don’t mean…”

“Yes, Luna… if Mathew is to return to us, then he and I must become one again… and I will no longer be able to walk among you,” Nightmare answered as she nuzzled Luna again, tears slowly starting to drip down her cheeks.

Celestia had been excited to know that Mathew could return, but hearing that she would no longer be able to see her second mother ripped away any joy that had been there moments before. She had come to adore Nightmare, almost as if she had been her real mother, and it pained her greatly at the thought of losing somepony so important to her life now. Celestia slowly approached Nightmare. “Would it not be possible to see you again? There must be a way to find a balance – to have both of you in our lives…”

Mathew’s gaze dropped and Nightmare simply smiled softly as she closed her eyes. “Celestia, my dear little sunbeam. If I could return from this, then Mathew would not have been as adamant about not letting me do this. I will be lost to you both for a very long time… isn’t that right, Mathew?” she said as she looked to the sulking form of the human.

Discord sighed, finally drawing attention to himself since the whole encounter started. He placed his lion paw on Mathew’s shoulder as he looked to everypony on the other side of the window. “Mathew told me about this shortly after he learned about it. When he pulled Nightmare from his body, it was meant to be a final act. He never thought he would live long after he gave her a new body. The body that she inhabits right now is actually a highly advanced puppet. In reality, the Nightmare Moon you’ve all been living with has been nothing more than a transmuted clone of Mathew. Once they join together again… there will be a severe backlash and their old bond will reform and strengthen to the point of being the closest thing to permanent you can get. It’s essentially the same as taking a ball of molten metal, splitting it, then throwing the two pieces together at the speed of the famous Sonic Rainboom.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she did the math in her head. Her jaw dropped when she came up with the answer. “The chances of separating them again after they rejoin are nearly impossible…” she whispered under her breath.

Mathew sighed and shrugged Discord’s paw from his shoulder gently. “Yeah… and that’s why I’d rather stay in this place. I don’t want to take away your happiness. I can make this work from within this crystal. Discord can be my medium to relay between us since his chaos magic lets him freely enter and leave this realm I’m in. Absolution can’t detect me in here, either. Your chances of victory are better without me involved… you don’t need to do this – you don’t need me,” he said for everypony to hear.

Nightmare sighed and rolled her eyes with a soft smirk. “You’re wrong, Mathew. You’re far more valuable to them than you think. Don’t tell me that without our combined power I’m more capable. You know that it would be more beneficial if we become one again.”

“I also know that once Absolution learns of my existence, he will hasten his arrival and nopony will be ready to take him on! Everything will fall on our shoulders to stop him, and we’ll have no chance to stand against him until our magic recovers,” Mathew countered as he crossed his arms.

“Yet there is still nothing better to use against a god than the power of another combined with her partner’s magic. Staying hidden from Absolution’s gaze is a simple task, Mathew. And… I have faith that you are the best chance we’ve got at saving this world and the ponies we’ve come to cherish that live in it,” Nightmare replied with a warm smile.

Mathew’s rough edge dulled as he looked into Nightmare’s eyes. As much as he wanted to refute her, he knew that Nightmare was right. Though he had tried every possible way to avoid the path, fate seemed to have different plans for them. Even if he tried to stop her, Mathew knew that the dark goddess would figure out how to force their bond to reconnect.

With a defeated sigh, Mathew let his arms fall to his sides as his head slumped forward. “Fine… but we’re doing this my way. We wait until my magic replenishes, which will take three days once this spell is canceled. I’ll speak with you then… and we can become one once more,” he said and looked up with a small smile.

The window of magic suddenly flickered and started to slowly shrink. Mathew chuckled. “Speaking of which… it looks like I’m out of time. So, I’ll wrap this up real quick. Celestia, Luna, Twilight… make sure you three get the rest you’ll need for the coming journey. Once Nightmare and I get things settled, we’re departing for an adventure,” he said and then his eyes widened as he remembered something. “Oh, and there’s one more thing you all should be aware of… Celestia, Luna… your brother is Discord!” he chirped cheerfully.

The lord of chaos erupted in a fit of yelling as he reached for Mathew’s throat. “Why you little – I can’t believe you sa-” was all that was heard before the window winked out of existence.

Twilight and the others all abruptly awoke in the room where Mathew’s crystal was kept. Everypony was dead silent as the last scene they had witnessed replayed in their heads. The quiet was interrupted when Rarity looked to Twilight. “Did I imagine that, or did Mathew just say that Discord, that odd creature of chaos and mayhem, was the brother to both princesses?” she asked.

Twilight simply blinked as the information slowly caused her mind to cease function for a while. An audible gulp drew the rest of the group’s attention to Princess Celestia, who stared wide eyed at the floating gem that held Mathew’s body within. Luna lifted a slightly curious brow at her sister. “Tia? What has you so… surprised? Surely you don’t think that it was a lie? I can see it as a possibility.”

Celestia sighed slowly as she looked to her hooves for a few moments and a slight blush crept its way across her cheeks. She gulped once more before she looked to Luna with an embarrassed expression. “Actually… that came as more of a shock to me because… I… I kind of tried to court Discord shortly after he was reformed. Now things make more sense… and I’m feeling quite embarrassed. If you’ll excuse me…” Celestia said before she quickly teleported from the room.

Luna looked to her mother curiously. “Did you know about that, Mother?” she asked.

Nightmare shook her head though her eyes held an air of being lost in thought. “No… but it makes sense now. I had always wondered why he had such power over chaos magic. Looks like he truly is the son of Absolution. I’m just thankful that he didn’t inherit that being’s methods of finding amusement.”

“Ah agree,” Applejack chimed in before a look of concern filled her expression. “Are ya sure ya wanna go through with this, Nightmare? Maybe you should put some more thought into it before you combine with Mathew again…”

Nightmare smiled happily as she looked to Applejack and then to her daughter. “I know it seems like you’re all losing me, but I will still be here. I’ll simply be back within Mathew’s body, like I was before. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind giving some control to me so that I can dote on my daughters from time to time,” she said as she nuzzled Luna again. “I’ve never been more certain of something before. I believe in Mathew… and you all should do the same. He’s already proven that he can do great things for the good of all and I know that he can continue to fulfill that role for a long time to come. Besides,” Nightmare turned her gaze to Mathew’s crystal, “he deserves a chance at feeling true happiness, too. I am trusting you two to do your parts to help him achieve that,” Nightmare said with a wink to them.

Luna smiled warmly as she looked to Mathew’s coffin while Applejack blushed, but she also turned her gaze longingly to Mathew’s resting place. Nightmare watched the love in their eyes for a few moments before she joined them in gazing at the crystal. Three days to go…

Author's Note:

Well... I tried my best to get a good atmosphere going for this chapter as well as to get the main players set up for whats coming. I'm not entirely sure if this chapter has the right flow... part of me thinks it's alright, while the rest of me wonders if I should have thrown in more reactions from Twilight's friends. As it stands, I went with this approach to try keeping it so that everypony is more inclined to listen to Mathew instead of being as open and friendly as they used to be. Plus Mathew's working with limited resources at the moment, so I tried to keep that in mind, too.

Hopefully this chapter was decent enough to be worthy of the legacy. In any case, I hope you all enjoyed the read.

I also decided to release this one early... seriously, I'm getting too excited about expanding on this story.

Comments

[Shadow of doubt]

Damn that was awesome. Great chapter man.

[zero504]

Wow, bombs dropped...Discord is Celestia's and Luna's brother?

dun dun dunnnnnn