I have taken an uncountable amount of lives, I don't deny that, nor will I ever. I am a coldhearted, genocidal monster to the core, no one denies it, and those who do, are just sugarcoating reality. There is no excuse for my deeds, nor will there ever be, and I am aware that one day, I will burn for the things I've done, and when this moment comes, I will embrace it... but that moment isn't now.

For every death I caused, I induced many more times as much pain to someone else, I have destroyed many lives, even if I am not aware of that. A soldier I killed? A family in ruin. A city I burned down? Thousands of homeless and scared. A world destroyed is a story's end.

In my pursuit for power, many lost their lives, and I am thankful for that. For every life I took, I became stronger, weak or strong, sentient or animal, I thank them all for letting me become stronger. I honor every death with the pain I bear inside of me, and I will never stop doing so until my bill has been paid to the last cent.

-Mathael

A chamber shrouded in darkness, only thin rays of the morning sun managing to illuminate the room to make its content somewhat visible, a bedroom in which two of the once most horrifying and dangerous creatures slept soundly, entangled around one another like a boa constrictor and a goat. Eris the draconequus, and Mathael, the Nephalem. Both of their chests rose slightly, the grip of the chimeric being loosened up ever so slightly whenever they inhaled, and would quickly tighten whenever the room that the air took up was free again. If one didn't know who they were, they would most likely smile and let out a quiet 'aww' from seeing such a cute sight, especially given that the female one smiled so innocently while her snake tongue's tip just barely hang out of her mouth. Mathael, on the other hand, wore a blank expression, it was like concern was perfectly matched with joy, a moment of tranquility, so to say.

And then he opened his scarlet eyes, glowing, ever so growing, his pupils stared into the void of the room, unfocused, before shrinking down to the size of peas, burning with intensity, if one had stared into his eyes, one might say they had seen the gates of hell. Despite the glow, the actual radiance of light and heat was non-existent. The pupils slowly moved to the opposite direction of Eris, lazily, like a drop of water rolling down a window. His eyes stopped and stared at a particular spot on the wall, against the structure, rested the hellish blade, one that had the power to burn worlds to ash, nothing unusual for the Mathael, but the most striking oddity was that the eye was open, and it stared at him. The blade's eye never looked at anything, only at what directly faced it, but now, it looked at Mathael, calmly inspecting him, as if it was trying to read his emotions.

Mathael stared at the blade with wide-open eyes, not from shock, he simply wished to catch everything in front of him. The form of the dark figure blurred for just a second, before vanishing. In his place now was a life-sized pillow of him, while reappeared in front of the blade. He kneeled down while holding its handle in one hand, and the edge in the other. The dark stallion gently lifted the sword and brought the eye of Kroggar directly in front of his. One thought lingered in his mind. 'What are you?'

As more and more time had passed, after every battle won, more and more memories became apparent, the fog of the unknown cleared ever so slightly with each passing day, and now he realized something that made his skin crawl. He had no real memories of ever making this weapon, nor stealing, trading, or finding it. There was just always the thought that it was his all along, and nothing more, nothing less.

The weapon's eye looked at him, switching between focused and blurred every few seconds, almost as if it had heard the question, but didn't know how to answer. In the end, the eyes closed, and the blade vanished in a heart's beat in a wave of flames.

Mathael hadn't blinked once during this encounter, his hands and eyes haven't moved a millimeter either, still standing frozen as if the hellish relict was still resting in his hands. Only a sudden groan from behind him caused his zen-like state to falter, making his ears twitch and bend slightly as they tried to locate the voice's origin. Mathael let his arms sank down slowly, and turned around, and was greeted with the sight of Eris hugging the pillow even tighter as if she just now had realized that something changed.

The stallion couldn't help but smile at the sight, and yet, his cheerful mood lasted only so long before a strange feeling burrowed through his body. He was still tired, not just physically and mentally, the thought of just laying back down, for now, became as prominent as a star. Even the rest of the day was never as big as it was now. Mathael wasn't just exhausted from something, it was like he was tired of everything around him. He closed his eyes, before letting out a long and quiet sigh, he used his virus to make a cup of coffee's worth of caffeine, but it only helped little. His eyes opened again and slowly traveled towards the door, he stared at it for a moment, as if he was still thinking about going back to bed, but while his body and mind were not cooperative, everything else in him had other plans.

He slowly walked towards the door, taking his time, and opened it. Two guards, one of each celestial body, they seemed to be even more tired than him but continued to stay there. Mathael walked out, they greeted and saluted him, he replied with a short 'morning,' before continuing down the halls. Maids by the dozens were already cleaning the palace, making it worthy for the princesses, and while they were working, they chatted. Some of them talked about the idea of starting a family, another was more interested in a vacation, and another one was just idly talking about her last weekend. The stallion halted only for a second, before continuing his path, a little less confident now, there was something different, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

While on his path, he encountered a few more ponies: Butlers sprinting down the halls with papers and plates, cooks walking in a large group together towards the kitchen, and a few new guards chattering about awesome future adventures as Equestrias defenders. He paid them no mind, why would he, he was not part of their lives anyway, so why bother? Besides, he, too, had things to do.

The rest of the walk was calm, most ponies walked out of his way, some greeted him, most didn't, but he didn't mind. His walk took nearly ten minutes, he didn't use any powers, he just took his time. Only once more did he halt for a second, and that was to look at his clothes, to see if he changed, he had, and then continued his path like the thought never crossed his mind. After nearly ten minutes of walking, he reached his destination. Two Night Guards, sleeping and leaning against one another, blocked a dark oak door. Saliva dripped out of their fanged mouths, the membrane wings twitched, while the mare and stallion rested peacefully.

Mathael's own wings twitched ever so slight, before shaking his head, and walking through them and the door when his form temporarily paled, becoming nearly transparent.

The moment the border was crossed, all of his senses were attacked. The room in which he stood stunk like death, rotting flesh and decay, and an eerie aura infested the chamber, me an average pony would've already thrown up, as the very air tasted like congealed blood. Not a ray of light had entered, the windows had been closed shortly after the last one entered, the drawers had been stolen off their content.

Mathael's gaze wandered across the room, and only stopped when his eyes laid upon the bed, a giant cocoon made from pillows, sheets, and blankets. No one right in their mind or body would use that much fabric, especially not in summer, but he already knew the truth behind this mystery. He slowly walked towards the cloth egg, his nocturnal eyes guided him through the darkness, and his hooves didn't let a single sound being made. He reached the large piece of furniture in seconds, and yet it felt much longer for him. He stood above the cloth structure, entirely encasing the one inside except for a fist-sized hole for air. He looked into the soft abyss and stared at the face of a sleeping thestral mare, but he saw so much more, and this time, his heart didn't give the answer. His eyes flashed once with a dark glow; only a moment later, he bit the inside of his mouth, ripping a chunk of flesh as a sting, far more painful than the damage done to himself coursed through his body. His damaged mouth healed in seconds, but that did not count for her.

Mathael let out a sigh, it was far less horrible than it actually was, at least for someone who knew anything about the current situation. He slowly reached through the hole with his hand, and gently stroked the mare's cheek, slowly and gently, Darkness laid into his palm slightly, smiling at the warm touch, while the sensation he was feeling was far less comfortable. He didn't mind, it was still his Darkness, no matter what.

Mathael sighed, looking away as he retracted his hand, he could feel the cold skin, and it's owner squirm their way to stay close to the warmth, but he knew that the heat would help only a little. He gave the mare one glance more, sadness bore her face, and he sighed. He grabbed into his pocket and pulled out a small plushy resembling himself, that he forged from magic. The toy radiated heat. He dropped it in the hole, Darkness caught the plushy like a snake and wrapped as much of her body around her prey as she could.

The dark stallion frowned deeply, while the sadness in him grew stronger. Initially, he didn't think it was that bad, but he would've never imaged how horrible it could've been. Perhaps he was overreacting, considering that the solution wasn't that hard to achieve. Still, then again, Darkness was his treasure, and seeing her in this state was even worse; the only saving grace was that he was the only one who could see what was wrong, or perhaps it was a curse in blessing's disguise?

Mathael didn't stay a second more than his mind needed to wrap itself around the situation. He turned around, and left the room like a ghost once more, past the sleeping guards, butlers, and maid, but then made a turn to the left, it was the direction the chefs had walked earlier, and their destination was now his aswell. He closed his eyes slowly, before rolling his neck and letting out several loud all the while sighed in pleasure. His body leaning forward in reflex and his limbs stretched out, cracks and pops rang from the entirety of his body, he only stopped once he noticed that he was being watched. A maid had stopped in her path, staring at him with a confused look, all the while Mathael felt something he hasn't felt in a long time, at least, not with this intensity, embarasment. He slowly returned to a more neutral position, before walking past the mare, who shook her head and continued to mind her own business.

Yet, despite this weird encounter, he felt much more weirded out by the fact that he cared about it, but why. It was such an unimportant event, and yet it had stuck in his mind even minutes later during his walk. Did other ponies react this way to his actions too? But if so, why did he never notice them? Why and when did he start caring for them? The world seemed to have changed, but he felt like he had remained the same, and only now did he fell different. Did the transformation mess up his though, but what could have-

Mathael's train of thought was suddenly interrupted, as a painful sensation rippled through his body, forcing him to fall on his back, while his muzzle throbbed in pain. The dark stallion looked in front of him and noticed a thick line of blood flowing from his nostrils and the hat that lay crumpled next to him. He quickly lifted his hand above his head, and groped after anything, he felt his bowler head still on top of his hair. A long sigh escaped his lips as his worries were put to eyes. A taste of blood entered his mouth, filling his most important sense with a sweet, rustic, and metallic flavor.

"Oh, Celestia, are you alright!?" A high pitched voice range through the air, he looked up, a unicorn mare was standing in front of him, with her hands covering her muzzle in shock. Prismarine fur, cut short to just barely disable vision of her skin, purple hair only reaching her shoulder, a white chef coat enveloped her body while a cooks hat rested on top of her head. Her figure was a bit short, and had a slightly chubby stomach, while her breasts were barely noticeable, and yet it wasn't her voice of form that gave away her gender, it was the pheromones. Pheromones? When did he... How did he never notice them before?

All of a sudden, he felt a hand on his shoulder, the mare crouched down in front of him with worry plastering her face. Then the stallion realized he had been quiet the whole time, he just stared at her while she worried herself to death. "N-no, I am fine, this is less than a flesh wound, I'll be alright." He said as he slowly stood up, much to the mare's concern. Once he rose to his full sighed, the female shrunk a little bit in awe, seeing he was more than one and a half times as big as her. He scanned the ground for his head, and slowly picked it up, not wanting to taint the one blue carpet in the castle red, and reequipped the item. He stared down at the mare again, eyeing his now in bloodstains covered suit.

He let out a sigh, the mare gulped, sadness, or fear was unknown to him, but it made him uncomfortable. He put his right hand into his pocket, and pulled out a silk handkerchief, and wished it across the tuxedo and face, the blood was absorbed in an instant, and colored the cloth item in a scaled red hue. Mathael then held his clenched fist in front of the mare, making her back away slowly, he could feel the eyes of the guards in the back of his head. And then, to everyone's surprise, he pushed the scarlet handkerchief into his first through the small hale between his fingers and palm, and when he opened his fist, it revealed a pristine sheet of silk.

Mathael was feeling a faint warmth in his chest when he saw the mare relaxing and smile, and yet, he could sense the discomfort he was stirring up in her. He smiled, he flashed her a smile, she gulped upon seeing the rows of teeth, his smile vanished, and the discomfort rose, even more, were his actions really this weird? He folded the piece of silk and put it back into his pocket. Originally he wanted to enter the kitchen to make breakfast, but the chefs were all staring at him through the open door, filling him with unease. He felt it now even more intensely discomfort.

Mathael turned to the left, no longer having interest in putting up with this situation, and walked a few feet to the left, eyes drilled into the back of his head before he opened and jumped out of the closed window. He knew this was a poor choice of action after he had already done so, but he didn't care. Mathael glided a short while, before turning around, and flapping his winger upwards. Mathael knew he was doing it horribly wrong, he had actually never flown traditionally before, so he used one of his many abilities to fly further upwards while simulating the wing movements.

Once high in the sky, he glided the rest of the way until he landed on a small patch of grass, the peak of mount Canterlot. A lonely yet Tranquill place that was actually forbidden to be standing on, but he already broke so many equestrian laws, there was really little care left in him to stay within their bound anymore. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers, and twenty identical clones of himself appeared around him in an explosion of smoke, all wearing the same suit and empty expression on them. The true one snapped his fingers again, giving them some tasks to fulfill, before vanishing with flashes of light.

Without a second thought, he slumped down, his back hitting a tree behind him, and slithered across its bark downwards. A faint sensation of pain originated from his back, vanished as fast as it came. Mathael let out a long sigh, before looking at his surroundings. Flowers, three trees, grass, nothing much really. A cold and strong breeze flew through him, he shuddered a little from the cold, and yet, it was a thrilling experience filling him with life, something he hadn't felt in a while, at the very least, not in such a pleasant way. His eyes then wandered towards the sky; the sun was now rapidly moving to its highed point in the sky. 'It seems like Celly finally realized that with the interference of the blood ritual that the celestial bodies had changed their position, thus also interfered with the natural flow of the stars orbiting this planet. He mussed a little while letting out a single 'hmm,' it really sounded strange to him, and it really made no sense. His vision then traveled to the ground in front of him, his shadow took the form of a blob connected to the tree's shadow with a thin black line, it titled it's round form to the side, pretending to give him a worried and confused look.

Mathael let out yet another sigh, closed his eyes, and reopened them shortly afterward when the presence of his shadow didn't cease to assault him with his metaphoric eyes. His jaw opened slightly, standing agape momentarily, he inhaled loudly, and exhaled even louder, before answering Jerry's question with a calm tone. "I am fine, Jerry." The shadow didn't take that for an answer and crept closer. "Fine. I am not feeling fine, but I don't know why. I know how I normally would feel, I am aware how I should feel give the current circumstances... but I don't understand why I feel the way I am feeling right now." The shadow looked at him with a worried look, a tendril broke of his form, his blob-like body shrank slightly, then he pointed at his torso with the newly formed limb.

Mathael raised an eyebrow; he was now confused as well. "Do you want me to look inside myself?" To the alicorn's surprise, his companion shook his head before pointing at his literal insides. Mathael hummed, before snapping his fingers once again, and this time another shadow clone appeared aswell. The dark one pulled out the silk piece and pointed it at the clone. The construct understood his master's command and took it, the moment the owner of the silk was changed, the pristine color became a deep red color once again, once the exchange was done, the clone vanished.

'Perhaps he will find an answer where I am too blind to understand.' Mathael thought and relaxed when he saw Jerry back in his usual position. He didn't mind his presence, but he just didn't feel like it right now. Mathael closed his eyes and leaned his head back, before setting a mental alarm to notify him when his servants return, while he would rest his eyes.

Guard Archieve

Equestria was known as the wealthiest, peaceful, and influential country on Equus, for over seven hundred years, not a single war, fight, battle or conflict broke out, but that changed not long ago, and rapidly evolved into something much bigger. At first, there were single appearances, reports of weird creatures appearing, and then they came like wildfire. Day after day, they received reports of villages burned down, and the citizens mutilated, turned into horrific works of art, half-eaten meals, or husks of their former selves. And then... something changed.

Shortly before the thousand's summer sun celebration, the attacks magically slowed down to the point they almost stopped completely, and those few nightmares who were sighed by the general public were described as scared?. Something had happened that made the monsters, those who swarmed entire settlements without a single worry to die, sometimes even killed themselves to avoid being captured with not a moment of hesitation. But now-now, they were careful. The monster attacks became rare and planned, a group of camping ponies, a lost group in the forest, or a guard squad far away from reinforcements, and even then, they would hesitate with these golden opportunities. No one knew why, but two Guard stallions, as well as the captain of the night guard, somehow knew exactly what the reason was.

Sergeant Blaze Champion was one of them. He reported that his squad of guard encountered a group of monsters and engaged in combat, and was quickly killed with little casualties on the monster side. He stated that "I'd be dead if it wasn't for him." the being in question is the 'pony'? Known as 'Mathael.' Not reports, documents of any kind of previous existence in the country, or the surrounding kingdom's were found, almost like he appeared out of nowhere. This being was described as 'Monster killer,' by Blaze Champion, due to his strange and supernatural abilities that allowed him to get rid of his enemies in moments. It was also reported that he 'resurrected' the deceased guards, an act classified as level 14 magic, a category in which most spells, including the one the being dubbed Mathael used, require grand rituals, as well as several sacrifices. The spell used did not have any of the previously mentioned requirements, and still succeeded, more will be hopefully found out later.

A few other reports also point towards a connection to the suddenly improved relations between the Deer, Zebra, and Minotaur kingdoms that speak of 'A great dark warrior.' The influence of 'Mathael' spread further than just military and political business, as they also seemed to have reached medical and criminal activities as well. The unknown being had seemingly created cures for almost all diseases that exist, excluding the ones affecting physical and mental disabilities. As for crimes, the stallion is guilty without a doubt for disruption of the public peace, destruction of property, use, creation of false money, tax fraud, use of illegal and/or unauthorized magic, assault, advanced assault towards noble and mercenary activities not founded by the crown. It was also newly discovered that he was responsible for imprisoning the formerly honored member of the guard Swift Wing in a body tight cast of obsidian that's keeping him alive, thus also earning him the charge of interfering with justice.

The reasoning behind the lack of interference is not official, although it is believed that the being 'Mathael' is too powerful as some even claimed to have witnessed him being struck with the elements of harmony during the unexplained act of 'losing control.' Knowledge of any connection between 'Mathael' and 'The great demon' has been kept from the general public. Witnesses consist entirely of both celestial guards who have sworn to keep quiet about the situation. The reasoning for this course of action is to prevent panic from spreading and destabilizing the power the royals hold, as the leaking of the knowledge of an unstoppable beast that easily withstood their most potent weapon would cause severe damage to the kingdom's power.

The goals of the mysterious being are unknown, as his encounters with ponies have mostly been either formal or regular, with little information given. Other than Blaze Champion, only two other ponies associated with the equestrian military were able to gain any information. The lowest rank guard Silver Streak reported, unwillingly, to have had a conversation with the being 'Mathael' and described the stallion's behavior similar to that of an old war veteran with enough of his mind remaining to act somewhat normal, if not slightly awkward. Possibility of the subject having forms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and aggression problems have been added to the list of possible details. Other than the earlier mentioned mental issues, the conversation only cemented the worries of the guard of the being's power. Some believe this might be a golden opportunity to protect the country, seeing as 'Mathael,' has taken great interest in the captain of the night guard Darkness Bloodheart.

It was reported that the mare, Darkness Bloodheart, was saved by the mysterious subject and after receiving fatal damage and being healed, fell in love with the being. This event made some speculate of the possibility of 'Mathael' having some kind of mental power than allows him to keep the mare in an unbreakable love spell. No evidence has been provided to prove this theory, but the majority of the guard counsel unofficially deemed this theory as valid.

This entry will be expanded once more information has been gathered.

Silver Streak.

In a well-lit room, dozens of armors were standing on display, even more on shelves or in lockers, a pristine marble room, with the only decoration being the flags if Equestria, it was the armory. Other than the bare necessities, there were also benches made out of oak wood, a carpet, and a few medical items sealed behind a class closed. He was not here because of any particular reason other than to be alone for a moment. The pony in question was covered in white fur, and a wet short grey mane rested flatly on his head, he looked tired, and stood only wobbly on his hooves, before launching forward, his left hand on the bench to help him stand and looked down.

Silver Streak wished his hand across his forehead, his entire hand covered in sweat, his heart was beating fast, and a bitter taste spread across his mouth. Silver Streak breathed heavily; he was not worn out; in fact, he felt full of energy, but he was just stressed. Silver was questioned or rather interrogated by the military council, every pony was who caught a glimpse of what happened not long ago, which, frankly, weren't many as most lost conscience during the event. There were, of course, the simple questions, 'what did you see' or 'can you be more precise' and 'has anypony else seen that,' but of course, they weren't a military council for not asking... more direct questions.

Half an hour, but it felt like he had ten years shaved off his back in no time, and luckily, it was now over. And yet... Silver was not proud, as a guard, he swore loyalty to the country and the princesses, but he felt like he had rattled out Mathael, even if he had only one talk with him, it still didn't feel right.

"Whatcha doing?"

Silver's Streak fell over when he heard that soft yet stern voice; his hand almost slipped off the bench because of all the sweat and coughed loudly after chocking on his own spit. Silver quickly regained his posture, one of the few redeeming qualities as a guard was that he would always stand up again after being knocked down, and turned around.

A, what most would consider, beauty stood in front of him, at least, if one didn't look at her back or her face. The mare had long legs, some might even say 'legs for days,' wide hips, a curvy form, more significant than average breasts, puffy light grey fur, and long red luscious hair. Those were all traits that could easily land her a spot in any well-paid location that required charm, at least, if it wasn't for her 'other characteristics'. She was a fruit bat pony, a hybrid at that, meaning that she could neither pull of the cute charm of fruit eater thestral nor the bloodsucker kind which some stallions found 'thrilling.' She had a lovely short muzzle. Still, long fangs, her eyes were large, and one might stare in them forever, but that was only so in fear as they were somehow a mix between round eyes and slit eyes, with the iris being circular and the pupil shaped like a long and thin diamonds. Yet, the most 'unique' details about her were her wings. At first glance, they looked like regular pegasi wings. However, if a more skilled eye laid eyes on her, they might see that there were the wing bones were located, there were no feathers, but leathery skin. Although the feathers might calm one's mind, the long, sharp, and wicked-looking blades that stuck out of the top and bottom ends of her wings, which was typical for Thestrals, were less skilled in preventing a pony from screaming.

She was Shadow blight, she was the third-highest ranked pony in the night guard, a hybrid between a fruit bat pony and a pegasus guard, and next to Darkness Bloodheart, was the best choice to become the captain of the night guard due to her skill and dedication.

"Oh, H-hi shadow, how was your vacation?" Silver asked with caution. He wasn't scared or worried, but he was trying not to lose his cool in front of her. Shadow and he had been friends even before the guard, despite the apparent gap in skill and rank, they sustained their friendship.

Shadow smiled, before lifting her arms above her head and stretching them, she moaned as several pops emitted from her back. "Mhmm... long train rides sure suck, but Balitmary sure was nice, though I didn't think there would be that many Thestrals, it was almost like they were nine times as many of them than any other race."

Most Thestrals who weren't already a part of Equestrian society were located in Germany, the original homeland of them. After several clan wars, a lot of these bat-winged ponies came to Equestria to serve the mistress of the night, or as she was known as back then, die fürstin der nacht (The princess of the night). Sadly, after the fall of Nightmare Moon, most Thestrals went into hiding, given that their immortal protector was now gone. Without any kind of government or ruler class, they became almost feral and broke off into several factions, most living in woods, the largest concentration of them was located near Baltimare, were those who didn't want to join the guard were ultimately settled in by the crown. Even though she was no longer known as the princess of the night, but rather the lunar princess, most Thestrals still saw her as a goddess.

Silver smiled and asked."I guess everything was fine then, huh?" and then he suddenly got suspicious. "Wait a moment, where is the part where you got in trouble?" And that was the reason why she was only third in rank, and not second, Shadow was the biggest foul mouth in Canterlot, rough to the core and had a tendency for... unfitting activities given what her job was.

"Hey! Now, what's that supposed to mean." Shadow said as she put her hands on her hips and looked at him insulted. Silver's gaze only hardened. "Fiiiiiiiiiiine, I drank one-two... five ciders too many, got into a little fight, and got laid so hard that the place ultimately became a snake pit, so what?" She said that far too casually, but that was Shadow for you, and that was what she called-

"In other words, an awesome time?" He said with a small grin, he shouldn't encourage this behavior given their position. Still, then again, Baltimore's laws were slightly 'too loose' when it came to activities in bars, pubs, or any other place where alcohol is involved.

Shadow gave him a large shit-eating grin, flashing her surprisingly healthy, clearly white teeth at him, before giving him a short reply, "Yup, one Tartarus of a time, might I add." before walking up to the bench behind him, did a little spin, and flopped right down. "Soo--... How were things while I was away? I hope things didn't get too boring while I was gone, eh?"

Silver let out a short breath, the stress seemingly melted away, almost like his brain cells, during the conversation. "Well- ouch wait!" he shouted in shock as he felt a firm grip on his tail before he was tugged down onto the bench by the Thestral mare. Silver looked at Shadows, who only replied with a shrug. There was not a hint of remorse on her face, even though she knew he hated when she did that, although that was also one of her favorite personal hobbies: grinding gears with everypony in a non-sexual way. He could tell that she probably went through Canterlot's fashion streets by the simple fact that she wore a Mexicolt hat, a Hawaiian shirt, and a short, out of fashion, prance skirt.

Silver sighed, rubbed his eyes, and composed himself again. "A lot really, it's kind of hard to find where to begin."

Shadows smile suddenly vanished, she rarely ever seen her friend deflate this much. Usually, it took a whole week of bullshite to get him down for longer than a moment, but he seemed really troubled. "Aww, it can't be that bad, huh?" she said in an almost childish voice, as she put her hand on his shoulder opposite of her, and pulled him closer. "Well, if you don't know where to begin, then how 'bout I ask something smaller. Who's that tall guy walking around the palace halls, the stud in the tuxedo and top hat, tall, dark muscular and most full-blooded Thestral than I have ever seen." The last part was as much insult as much as it was a compliment; in her case, it was only a compliment.

Full-blooded Thestrals are almost extinct and can be told apart by their prominent bodies, broad wings, and superior wingspan, as well as their scarlet eyes. Still, these unique assets were a reason why there are only, so few of them left, they were feared and hunted nearly to extinction before they came in touch with the night mother. Although there were barely any male Thestrals left, they didn't form herds or flocks, they married. Even back then, only a few stallions chose to become 'breeding studs,' which's what stallions were called who decided to roam the land and spread their offspring where only a few young studs were, like for example, amarezonian villages.

Silver pursed his lips slightly, and a thought instantaneously came to his mind. 'It's so hard to distinguish if she's suspicious or trying to get the next one night stand.', and his second thought was the realization of the pony Shadow asked about. Mathael. "Oh, that must be Mathael you're talking about. He's... I actually don't know much about him really, you have to ask Captain Darkness for that." Silver looked at Shadow, only to see a rare sight, a thoughtful expression that dominated her face when he mentioned the name 'Mathael.'

Silver, then huffed once, a small smirk escaping her lips. "Matha-el. His parents really didn't like him much, eh? But why should captain know anything about him?"

"Well, he is the captain's special somepony after all, at least, that's what everyone says. To be honest, I wouldn't blame her, he seems nice, even if he sometimes acts like one of those old war veterans." Silver said with a straight face, before smiling softly. "Just like my grandfather, sometimes really awkward, but really nice... even if Mathael feels even crazier to me. And what do you mean 'his parents probably didn't like him'?" His smile vanished and was replaced with a confused look.

Shadow chuckled to herself upon hearing Silver's answer, not even bothering to hide her mouth behind her hand. After a few more moments, she said somewhat calmly. "Oh, that's just golden. The mare, whose best interaction with a stallion was a six-minute coffee talk, found love with a crazy titan of a stallion. *Smirk* And I thought the rumors were true that old little darkness was into mares, oh well." Shadow let out another smirk and looked to Silver, who still looked puzzled. "Oh, right, the name right." Shadow stood up, walked a few feet forwards, emitting loud 'clips' and 'claps,' before turning around with a serious expression. "'Matha' either means forsaken, or corrupted, while 'el' means 'one,' not the number. So his name means most likely 'forsaken one' in the old language of the first clans, there's even a poem about it."

"Can you tell me it?" asked Silver immediately, making the mare groan in annoyance.

"Fine," replied Shadow, before huffing and finally clearing her throat. "I ain't gonna' repeat that dusty shite, so ya better listen? Here it goes. " 'Left alone and forgotten, a stud's past only remembered by the rotten, a tale older than time, and rhymes whole foregone. A colt once happy and smiling, turned to frown and tears, life's taken away by hands of 'great scheme. A deal struck and broken and left to mourning, the contract's a lie and the words not true. Murdered in cold blood, twisted and turned, memories to dreams, and dreams to nightmares, and a new life's given. Happiness and peace, only an illusion they are, retaken as swiftly away as they were given, of war and blood, and screams and cries, a soul forsaken and forgotten shall forever be feared, for it is the feast for the beast whose hunger never grows weary of our tears. Mind and body broken beyond hope, dreams forgotten, and lies' genuine, a corrupted ones penance's forever is benevolent until the last sin is paid in full, peace shall never be given to he, she or it whose fate is to burn.' "

Silver thought carefully, mulling the words over, was there perhaps a connection, a being like Mathael surely must be ancient to have these kinds of powers... although, it was most likely just a coincidence. "Yes... I think I know why you believe his parents don't like him for that name..." Silver said his sentence slowly, his body still petrified, and his skin forced into a state of goosebumps.

Shadow rolled her eyes; as a child, she had to listen to these dumb poems and riddles and legends all the time. Luckily all of that was over since the princes of the night returned and brought them back to civilization. "Anyways... This riddle was supposedly said from the heaven's when the celestial blanked was shrouded in darkness and only the stars shinned, I think some geezer stuffed his snout into some poets space who was doing whatever they do, in the clouds." And only a second later, Shadow rushed forwards, not giving Silver a chance to escape, and pressed her snout against his. "So... anything else happened while I was gone, perhaps some more juicy rumors?"

Silver gulped; perhaps he was the next one who needed a vacation.

A loud crash echoed through the lands, a blinding flash of light shortly followed, the area vanished for only a second. Thick dark clouds covered the heavens, strong winds nearly blew the trees away, and lush strings of water poured from the skies, almost suffocating those who wandered outside, by a hail like rain. Another lightning crashed somewhere else, a tree was split in half by nature's wrath, followed by a scared yelp.

A small, fearful, and wimpy figure slowly emerged from a tiny hole under the tree, that was now demoted to two halves of a burned and burning trunk. The den from an animal long left was quickly filling up with water, no longer keeping the creature safe and dry.

The creature scrambled out of the former cave, now a dent in the hilly meadow, fleeing for its life, the dirt was already giving out fast, turning to mud, almost becoming a quick-sand like. It slashed it's bony hands into the mud furiously, trying to gain grip, and pulling itself out, clay was excavated and catapulted behind it like a waterfall. Still, the progress was slow, and the water was rising fast; if it was an incentive or disincentive was debatable. Finally, the weak light from outside came in hand's grasp, the feeble creature moved more swiftly, despite the burning sensation if felt in its muscles, the claws it possed became duller by the second, and its fingers were already cut open from stones it hit.

It then hit the ground behind it with one last push, the final boost that was needed to barely reach the edge, which it grappled with its claws, and pulled itself up, but just as it was to escape, it heard a loud ripping noise, it turned around, and saw that its cloak had embedded itself into a root. It started to pull harder, hoping to pull itself free, but the root would let the small figure leaf its early grave; the water rose faster, already reaching its knees the fear and desperation making it hard to breathe.

A loud crack from above stole away all attention, the ceiling became littered with more and more cracks with the minute the water became heavier and heavier. The small being gripped the cloak it wore by the collar with its left hands and cut it open, before scrambling up as fast as it could, not a second too early as it heard a terrifying crash behind it, the air pressure only enhanced it escape speed.

The being landed with much force against a rock, slowly sliding down while a trail of blood followed it down the stone. Another lightning hit the land far away, and the booming noise caused the figure to scramble uncontrolled in the mud, tainting its fur with mud. It looked forward, only now seeing a giant stinking pile of rock, dirt, and wood in a sinking pit of mud and water. Amid the slowly vanishing former home was its cloak, that slowly was dragged below, giving one last look to its owner before disappearing forever.

The small silhouette stared in shock at the display in front of it, before letting out a weak animalistic growl and punching the ground in front of it, hearing a splash. The surprising sound stopped its anger only temporarily, before letting out a loud and uncontrollable wave of cough, despite the heavy rain, and the wind that almost tore off its hide, it felt burning hot. It slowly lifted its right hand, now only supporting its stance with one arm, and brought it in front of it while pointing its palm to the sky.

"Ignium," a weak voice came from its sore throat, its eyes glowed with a scarlet gleam as a flame ignited from its palm. despite its flashy appearance, it gave away as much warmth as a firepit, without burning anything, a Nitor, commoners sometimes referred them as 'fire spirits,' though in truth they were everlasting flames, at least those that were crafted with alchemy and not pure magic.

The warming light revealed the horrifying sight that was better left unseen. A small figure was covered in black fur, which in return was caked in dirt and mud, it was likely that it wasn't washed in weeks and the parasites and insects that made themself there their home only made it more clear. Only a few rags covered its body, and that what wasn't hidden revealed bones, the figure was starving and mustn't have seen food in days, its skinny legs and paper-thin cheeks only approved that fact. The creature was but a child, perhaps about ten, possibly more or less given the horrible state it was in, it was hard to identify. Looking further up, one could see stumps on its back, there were once wings, if they were removed to eat one more time of it was caused by an animal attack was unknown.

Two dark red orbs stared into the puddle, looking at its reflection, it was definitely male without a doubt. An angry frown spread across his face upon, seeing a stump on his forehead, it was cut of clear by hunters a while ago, leaving him barely alive behind, jokes on them he could still cast magic, he wouldn't let them have the satisfaction of ending him, no one would. The thought brought a small, weak smile on his face, one that left him again as fast as it came, just like everyone, when he saw his muzzle, covered in his own blood, running down his face. He licked his cracked lips, before looking forward, far away, he could make out a small cottage, brimming with light.

He knew he couldn't stay, the cold and the wind would take him to the afterlife if he fell asleep. With a loud grunt, he pushed himself up, only to falt and fall to his knees, several coughs escaped his mouth, he gritted his teeth, forcing the exhaustion and illness away for just a little much longer, before rising back to his hooves. He slowly started moving towards the source of light, but another lightning, one that had seemingly hit the same spot behind him, caused his to jerk, a fatal error as the ground beneath him gave in slightly, but it was enough to let him slide down the hill on which the tree once stood. Sharp rocks scraped against his skinny body, scratching up his front as he slid down the mountain, only to land in a large puddle, droplets of water and blood flung across the tall grass coloring the ground in a scarlet hue.

The small creature gritted its teeth, while tears slowly formed in its eyes. 'It hurts, this is unfair.' echoed in his head, while he slowly rose up again, and limped forward to the light. He could feel something warm flow down his chest and stomach, he felt numb there too, and yet a stinking pain still drilled itself into his mind, he could feel all of his warmth slowly leaving.

Everything began to blur, he pushed the tall grass that towered him, out of his vision, while he limped forward, the closer he came, the more he could make out. The building looked like some sort of guest house, or perhaps a tavern, he didn't know, but the music and cheering made it seem more approachable. He was forced out of his zen-like state when he heard the gnashing of gravel under his hooves, it out his mind to considerable unease as he wearily made his way towards the large oak door. Three knocks on the door, they weren't loud, but they managed to somehow steal away all sound inside, the music, the chatter, and the singing stopped.

A loud click echoed from the door, as the gate slowly opened while painful and stretched creaking noise filled the night. He opened his mouth, attempting to say something, but only a weak whimper came out, he didn't get another chance, as his vision was shortly later filled by something brown as he was flung backward, an ear-piercing noise, simular of glass hitting the floor, and a stinging sensation originating from his jaw was all he could make out, before his back hit the ground. Several small stones hit the ground next to him a moment later, looking to the source, he realized that the rocks weren't stones at all, it were his teeth, several at that shattered and scattered across the gravel.

He slowly lifted his head, shakingly, the pain had finally kicked in, and he saw why, a branch had impaled itself through his side, as well as a few rocks that pierced his hide. He shook his head weakly, as he began to feel blood collecting itself in the back of his throat, it was so warm and soothing, he almost fell asleep, if it wasn't for the sudden, burning pain that agonized his whole body. He looked up, only to see a man wearing hunter's garb emptying a bottle of what most likely was alcohol on top of him. The drink that was poured over him felt like pure acid, a stinking poison that almost made him throw up, worse than any carcass he cleared from the flesh, but that didn't come close to the thing that causes him the most pain, the grin of the man. If he could, he would have already spit in his face, but the blood took away that pleasure, along with most of his breath.

As the last drops of liquid were emptied on the imp-like creature, the hunter said mockingly. "Now wouldya look at that, a cheap little demon crawlin' ta mah doorstep, now ain't that just a sight worth a drink, you had yours already, didn't ya?" His smile only widened, before bursting out in laughter. He was unsure if the man's humor was just as rotten as his teeth, or this situation could really be specified as amusing, though it must have been the latter, seeing as the people behind him joined his little joy.

He gritted his teeth, it was painful, broken teeth gnashing against more of their broken kin in their injured owner, it was painful, but the sight in front of him was unbearable. He would rather feel twice as much physical pain, thrice as much agony than having to see this look directed at him ever again, pity.

Finally, his laughter came to an end, as he wished away a tear from his left eye, he spoke again, just a bit more calm. "Now lad, or whatever ya are, don't ya think its time to go ta sleep in a warm bed?" No one, even a fool, would take him for his word in this situation. The hunter pushed his hand in his pocket, before pulling out an amber-colored root, before snapping with the plant between his fingers, in just a heartbeat, the object started to burn, despite the rain and wind, before hovering it over the broken creature. "Any last words? Oh wait, ya can't say or do anything 'bout it? now ain't that just sad, eh?"

He glared up to the man's face with anger; he wouldn't give him the satisfaction. He simply watched as the burning root slowly feels towards him, and for a moment, he felt, despite his rage, peaceful... before his whole world lit up. The flames consumed his body in an instant, his fur was mostly dry due to mud that formed a dry crust in the deeper layers, and the alcohol-soaked into his coat made sure that there was no place untouched by the flames.

The child wreathed in agony, his claws dug deep in the ground as the flames burned him alive, he could feel it, everything, as his fur and skin burned away, his insides were being cooked and chared. Tears formed and streamed down his face, only to evaporate in the fire that surrounded him, lighting up the area and eating him alive. He wanted to scream, but not much more than a gurgle escaped his lips. Warm, so so warm. The last image he saw was the ever so growing smile of the hunter before his eyes melted along with his vision. He could only feel the pain, so much pain, it just didn't end, he struggled, but only for a little while, before giving up, he lost all feeling already, the only thing left was his anger.

After an eternity, the fires had finally stopped, the only implication being the sudden chill he felt traveling through his very being, Everything hurt so much. The weakest movements, cause him great agony, his skin was cracked, he felt the rain pour in like arrows piercing his flesh. The vibrations in the earth let him know that the hunter left, and one enormous disruption signalized that he closed the door. It was finally over. He wanted to stand up and burn the place down, his anger and hatred still burned deep, but he was tired, it was a miracle in itself that he managed to survive this long, but it was now over, and he could feel the exhaustion pull him to the land of eternal sleep, and he would've smiled if his lips weren't chared to coal, his nightmare was over. In his last moments of cautious, he saw a blinding purple light, the nightmare would begin once again.

Mathael jerked out of his sleep as a loud cry escaped his lips, he almost jumped from the sudden shock. He stared forward, he was still there, nothing changed. His breath was rapid, his heartbeat so fast it nearly hurt, while his throat and skin and jaw was almost overwhelmed by a mysterious phantom pain. The old stallion gritted his teeth, despite the pain, and brought his hands to his face, slowly rubbing it to calm his nerves only to find his fur to be soaked in a warm liquid. Tears. He cried in his sleep.

Mathael frowned deeply, before quickly wishing away the shed tears, and using every last bit of his will power to suppress the red eyes that he most likely has gotten from crying. The stallion let out a long sigh before leaning back once again, letting his thoughts wander with his eyes closed. 'World twenty-six... I burned this world down, it was my sixth planet that I destroyed, so many followed later, and even if I 'only' completely destroyed one thousand three hundred thirty-seven stars... I recked so much more chaos many more worlds. I don't count worlds emptied of all life to the large number previously mentioned, neither stars made unhabitable or even those where I caused mass extinction... The real number of worlds which I, in the metamorphic way 'destroyed,' would easily go into the millions. Funny... I just say I destroyed a million worlds, and all these ponies do is shrug it off, but how could they understand it, they just hear it from some random insane man, but I doubt I could even call myself that anymore.'

Mathael inhaled deeply, before pushing out all air in one fluid motion. He looked peaceful, but his thoughts were not. He saw all-consuming waves of fire, heard screams of countless and rivers of tears, and blood flowed through his vision. He could see it all, the whole story of every life he stole: Being born, going to school, the first kiss, graduation, getting a job, marrying, starting a family... and then getting killed by him. Some were sudden, others would stare him in the eyes full of fear and desperation as he ripped out their last bit of life. Because of what? Because he just couldn't die, because he just couldn't let go? No... it was because he couldn't control himself, and not long ago, it happened again... he lost it, people died, a city was destroyed, and the people are in panic, all because he lost control.

'It's not like I wanted any of this to happen, I just wanted to be alone, was that so much to ask for?! I didn't search for that fucking merchant so I could become some great hero from all those shitty wish-fulfillment fanfictions, NO! All I wanted was to able to never have to rely on anyone ever again while I rot away on some dead rock because low and behold, I was scared to bite the dust!' Mathael's eyes snapped open as he glared on the peaceful scenery in front of him, full of anger, as a flock of butterflies flew happily across a small field of flowers, enjoying life to its fullest. One particularly colorful butterfly canceled a smaller darker one, doing circles around it in the air, as all of a sudden, a black aura surrounded it, pulling it away with high speed.

The dark one stared with anger at the butterfly in his magic grasp. The insect furiously flapped its wings as the giant furred beast slowly closed its clawed grip around it, but then, it just stopped. Why? Looking at the hand, the butterfly could see his friend flying against the side of the giant. Again and again, did it attack, causing much damage to herself, but despite not achieving anything, continuing the challenge. It was hopeless in every way, and yet, the magic grip suddenly loosened, before vanishing completely, the two Butterflies noticed immediately, and slowly flapped their wings to safety.

Mathael stared at the display, the two butterflies, and even continued to watch them as they had already left him. So weak. So powerless. And yet trying their best to achieve and make the most out of their lives. Mathael got what he wanted... He was alone, he didn't need anyone, but he wished to not be alone... he tasted this bitter experience for such a long time already, that the warmth of companionship started to burn his very being.

Mathael's frown was replaced with sadness, as he leaned to the left, what did it mean... what did any of this mean... He didn't know...

His journey was long already... but it felt like it only began a few weeks ago, already so much happened that left more of a mark than those millions of years spent alone, which only engraved thin deep lines into his soul.

Truth to be told... He knew why. When he was first... corrupted... the time he actually was the monster, the dark one or whatever they called him, was relatively short, only weeks at best, but they began to grow longer and longer the older he became. But when he was free from the dark grasp... he was but a child, despite his magic that severely weakened from the corruption and his physical power, he was still but a child. A little boy who was afraid to die... He had met so many people and only saw the worst of them and that from the closest view possible. He was beaten more times than he could count, bones shattered and broken, he lived through every fate other than being raped or being given the final rest. But every kind being that he met, almost every last one of them regret it dearly for showing him kindness. He saw children sharing food with him being burned on the stake. Men and women who gave him shelter losing their rights and being sold as slaves. Some people were even raped in front of him as punishment for their unholy acts. Even random strangers who gave him a smile were executed.

He saw it all, and it only made his hatred grew stronger, and his hope for a peaceful life go dim, he had given up so long ago... And yet... despite all their sacrifices he still so often just casually attempted to end it all because of what? Because he just couldn't take it anymore? Maybe he was hopeless after all...

Mathael sunk deeper, his heads now almost touching the soft ground, he was once again somber and sad, and yet, there was something that, just for a moment, stole his emotions away. A butterfly landed on his tophat, then another, and a few more on the rest of him, in just a few moments, his whole body was covered by hundreds of them, peacefull standing on top of him. Mathael's mouth stood wide agape at the sight, the sight stole his breath away. As if the winged creatures had felt the calmness returning to the giant's mind, they all flapped their wings, becoming airborne once again, before flying away in all directions as one ever-expanding pulse.

Or perhaps there was hope?

Darkness's eyes opened slowly, darkness still surrounding her, unsure if she was still asleep or awake. She didn't know where she was or how she had gotten wherever she currently laid. Unbearable fatigue overwhelmed her, it was almost like her very muscles rioted against her command, the act of lifting a finger exhausted her beyond belief. What happened to leave me in this state? she wasn't sure; there were only splinters of memories. Darkness attempted to lift her head, but failed and let it fall back down, and now her very neck felt sore. The mare closed her eyes again, the strain on her eyelids had already made her succumb. She sighed weakly, before inhaling through her nostrils. Cherry. or at least that was what she believed to smell. This fragrance brought back one name from the library of her memories. Mathael. The Thestral mare was unsure how her coltfriend managed to do it, but no matter the situation, he always managed to smell like some kind of fruit, sweeter than anything she ever had before her muzzle. The familiar scent brought back more complex memories of the events that played not long ago. Discord... I died... but what was there else? The mare felt a pit growing inside her stomach when she reviewed the happenings of the day before. Despite all the madness or even her own death, the thing that weighs most heavily on her mind was something else. The mask cracked, even for just a short time. It was just for a second, but she could see it in the stallion's eyes, pure fear and terror and denial, she could see it just how scared he was, not just to lose her... but the mere thought of being alone was just as dominant.

The rustling of armor and the clicking of the door handle brought her back to reality, someone had entered the room. She wondered who it could be; she would have looked herself, but even now, the terrible exhaustion bound her to the bed, and yet the thought that concerned her most was why it was still dark, despite the door being opened? Her theory session was only short-lived when she suddenly felt the world around her fall apart. Groggily, she opened her eyes, only to see a dozen blankets lifted from her body, folded neatly, and put back in the drawers and wardrobes by a black aura. Whoever the user was, he or she was acting very careful, given how tranquil and peaceful the clothing articles were moved through the air without a single sound made.

Was that a toy of her lover?

Darkness sleepy eyes lost their bounds of tiredness for just a second, when her eyes met with a small replica of Mathael, the figure wearing his signature look, it even had the same smile as him, it even smelling and warming like the real one. Warming was a fitting word, given that when the last sheet left her, a strong cold freezing sensation crept across her whole body, even the darkest forests in comparison were warmer than this. She shivered so hard, it was almost like she vibrated while the cold paralyzed her whole being. But only for a moment. She only shook for a few seconds, before she felt two large and powerful hands (his hands, she was sure the intruder was male) wrapped his hands around her chest, and slowly lifted her upper body against his chest, hugging her tightly. Darkness wasn't sure what was happening, she could only guess, but the warmth that now fulfilled her was divine. She shivered in pleasure as the heat melted away the phantom ice as she lost all grip of her jaw and letting her tongue fall out, hanging loosely in the air. She didn't care what was happening, but she was happy, she was safe, and she was warm, not even the worry that someone might see her naked really bothered her this very moment.

This moment of peace lasted several minutes, but for Darkness, even hours would've been just seconds for her, as she felt the powerful presence behind her lift her up, as her body did not much differentiate from a life-size doll. She simply stared at the door and the room that slowly began to shrink, while she was carried deeper into the chamber, she previously rested in. This time, her thoughts didn't wander, as the sudden assault of scents of fruits and flowers and steam. She was carried into the bathing room, she idly watched as the dark aura closed the door behind her, before she was rotated towards the bath, the one who pulled her here must've walked backward. A large pool of steaming water greeted her, that was the source of the divine smell, but now that she was so close to the origins, she fragrant perfumes of mango, strawberry, mint, pine and many other overwhelmed her sense, combined with the heavy steam, it made it hard to breathe. Her view slowly began to change, everything around her rose, no, she was slowly lowered into the water. The water was warm, unbearably hot even, and yet, she felt more joyful the deeper she sank into the water, despite the feeling of being cooked alive. When she was submerged so deeper that only her neck and above rested above the water, she felt the grip of the male leaving her, with his last action being to place something soft behind her head, a pillow perhaps or something simular that allowed her head to stay straight. The luxurious heat of the water hugged her body tightly, almost like it seeped into her very body and soothed her weak muscles, relaxing them and forcing a moan out of her muzzle.

Darkness was unsure, but she was somehow feeling better, even if it was hard to breathe in this place, making her head feel so light, and her body almost burn. The room was dimly lit, with the only source of illumination being candles, and the water wasn't clear, it had an orange, almost golden tinge to it, and yet, she wasn't bothered, she couldn't spare the energy. After a few minutes of the burning heavens embracing her into the land of pleasure, she felt a weak pull, as her body was lifted by the very water. She floated towards the middle of the pool, keeping her back and body straight and even pulling her pillow with her while she idly watched the ceiling move. Once in the middle, the water rotated her onto her back, slow and careful. Darkness's head rested on the pillow, her front floated on the water soft and save, while her foggy eyes stared at the flames of an array of candles. Her mind had already entered a state of inactivity, almost falling asleep, but she didn't worry, she felt fine.

She heard a splash from behind, the kind being who brought her to this paradise must have entered the pool as well. She felt like turning around to see who the mysterious one was, but the heat and the water and scent held her tightly in their spell. She could only watch the flames dance with their hectic and waving movement. She was unsure, but there was something magical about the fire, and the experience was only enhanced when she felt the hands of the alien visitor knead into her back. She groaned as she felt these hands dig deep into her flesh, reaching aching muscles she didn't know existed, and somehow, let more of the golden liquid seep into her body. Sweat ran down her body in streams, flowing into the water and adding a salty tone into the melody of fragrance. She inhaled deeply, all the smells in the room in one breath, again, and again, and again, feeling like the very magic in the room, in every way, was invading her. This was it, this was heaven. The didn't know what was happening anymore, but she was truly happy, and even the unknown friend seemed to have sensed her pleasure, as he adjusted his very movement to her emotions, it felt so natural. So perfect.

Darkness awoke sore and tired, shivering from an unknown cold, and yet, she felt much less of the fatigue that cursed her body, or was it all just a dream? She stared at the ceiling, before slowly sinking deeper into the soft surface she was laying on, only to accidentally nuzzle into a soft, white fabric that smelled of a flower field, she wore some sort of robe. She titled her head to the left, greeted by the soft sunlight of noon, it would soon be Fall again. Her ears twitched slightly when she heard breathing from her right. She slowly rolled her head to the right, and saw the back of Mathael, as he leaned forward, resting his head on his hands and elbows on his thighs. how long did he sit there? How long did she sleep? she wondered.

"You have slept for twenty-two hours since the end of the nightmare, but I have only been next to you for about six hours," Mathael replied. His voice was always so deep, making his sound so thoughtful, yet gentle, the very definition of a bedtime storyteller voice.

Darkness's muzzle opened, as if she wanted to say something, but closed it once she fully succumbed to her loss of words. She watched as Mathael's lager hulking form slowly turned around, his body towering her. He only wore his shirt, the coat he usually wore nowhere to be seen, revealing the lines of his muscle covered frame. Her eyes slowly trailed further up while he leaned closer. His neck was thick and powerful, while his strong jawline put even that of the strongest ponies to shame. His face was perfect, not a single blemish to ruin it; every part stood perfectly, while his ears stood perfectly straight. His muzzle was long and wide and tall, not too much or too little, and then there were his eyes. She lost herself so often in those scarlet eyes, so full of wisdom, and yet gleaming with kindness and gentleness. He could look strong and scary, just as soft and gentle, even if she tried, there was not a single error she could find, even after all those years of reviewing new guards. In terms of beauty, she really could not compare, she honestly didn't know why he picked her of all ponies, she didn't have any body asset that even managed to be average when it came to pony and thestral standards. He could have everything in this world, he displayed his powers more than once already, and yet, he chose to stay with her after everything. Because of her eyes and that what lay behind it, those were his words.

Darkness closed her eyes when she felt a pair of firm lips meet hers; a heavenly warmth flowed into her body once more, banishing the cold back to the unknown. The closest way to describe this feeling was perhaps the act of breastfeeding a foal, only with an adult mare and a soft and cozy warmth. The kiss was broken after a few moments, and yet, she leaned forward, while he slowly distanced himself, to savior as much as she could.

Mathael's face was graced by a little smile while his eyes gazed at hers, no, into hers. She was unsure why, but the moment seemed to be perfect, there was no other way to describe it. It was no secret to her, but he definitely prefers her over the princesses, Eris or even Midnight, she, of course, didn't want to say it out loud, but for her, it almost seemed like he was only doing it to make them happy, and Erebus' case was obvious. Her dark knight spends nearly all of his free time with her, going to dates, and doing everything to make her happy, but rarely spend time with the other members of the herd, not that he'd blame him. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are very busy ponies, but even they have a second or two of free time. Did she feel bad? No, it was wrong to be happy about being preferred, and yet, it made her feel like the most joyous mare in the world.

The moment was broken by Mathael, as his happiness rapidly melted in the shortest amount possible, before being replaced by sorrow. "So... h-how are you feeling...?" his voice quivered slightly while his tone was filled with unconfidence, seemingly like he was scared to ask, or even think about it.

Darkness joy turned to dust, albeit the process was longer than that of Mathael as if the information first had to push through the romantic allurement. "I... don't know. I feel so cold, and weak... and tired. I am not sure why I felt good yesterday after you healed me." Darkness said slowly in a half-loud voice, everything felt so alien at the moment. She tried to find comfort at the moment, and despite Mathael keeping her mood up at least a little bit, she could see his ears sink almost mechanically with every adjective that left her muzzle until they pressed firmly against his head. 'Does he know of what was going on?' She wondered if it was possible, on the other hand, perhaps he didn't. Both sides of the coin were scary, him being too afraid to tell her her condition was just as worrisome as him not knowing the solution for the situation.

"...I see..." Mathael's voice was cold, slow, and, most importantly, empty as if he either already knew it, or was trying to hide something. Darkness knew a lot about body language when she was young, her mother would always teach her various skills that would actually be helpful one day, and one of them was to find out nearly everything from just a few twitches. The stallion's ears loosened, now simply laying on his head, his fingers cramped for just a moment, his heart and lungs stopped all actions from before he said anything, till after, and his eyes faded out of concentration for just a moment. This was more than enough to tell her that there was a big problem, not for him, but for her, and he was very unpleased about it.

She didn't want to ask, what would she understand about death and resurrection or even the consequences, at least not as much as the imposing stallion who time and time again broke all records in magic. And yet... "Please... be honest with me, what is happening to me?"

Mathael's claws dug deep into the fabric of her mattress in one stab of all ten fingers, his teeth gnashed against each other, and then, he let go, turned his head away before closing his eyes. She could feel the emptiness in her stomach grow as her eyes widened in shock and horror while her thoughts ran rampage fuelled by her fears. Her heart picked up double the speed, and breathing became a forced action.

"...Please..." His voice broke through the silence, taking away all energy and movement the mare left in her for just a moment. "Please... just give me time... Everything will be alright, I promise, but-but just understand that it really is for the best if you don't know anything about this until it's over. You can't take the stress, and you can deny it all you want, but right now... you are fragile and as close to death as it gets. And then-" His voice was filled with sorrow as he forced the words out of his body but chocked at the end. "If you die now... there is nothing I can do to you, there won't be anything that can save you... just trust me this one time... please..." His voice faded into the nothingness until there was nothing but a whisper left as he begged her.

Darkness was unsure how she felt; she was scared for herself and her love. There were many things she wished she could do, but in the end, was only watched the petrified form of Mathael, not a single twitch did he make, she didn't even hear his breath, not even his heart was beating.

"I trust you..." a mere whisper came from her, as soft as the wind on a dozy summer day.

Mathael's wings sacked down instantly, almost bending in ways not even the most dexterous could, his ears rose slightly, while he slumped a bit. He relaxed visibly; his breathing was back, even if it was heavy and slow. "That's more than I can ask for..." He said calmly before standing up and turning around. His eyes were slightly watered, it was not easy to tell if he was holding back or not. "Can you stand?" he asked unsurely.

Darkness looked at her hands and clenched them as hard as she could in hopes of waking up her muscles before attempting to push herself up. For a moment, she actually believed in making it, only to collapse and hit the bed with her back. She let out a long sigh of defeat.

The dark stallion looked at Darkness for a moment while fidgeting his fingers nervously, as if he was thinking about something. A moment later, as if a light went on above his head, he sprang into action with a little smile gracing his face. He slowly pulled the sheet towards him, along with the mare on top.

Darkness looked at the situation playing in front of her with confusion and a side of amusement, seeing the powerful stallion carefully trying to get her out of bed, although it did make several questions in her head. 'Why isn't he just using magic?'. After a few more awkward seconds, she had finally, and idly, reached the end of the bed, with Mathael triumphing smiling down at her, in the literal sense, given as he was, by all mean, a giant.

Mathael asked. "So... would you like me to carry you to dinner?" He was trying to change the subject, it couldn't be more obvious, but there really was nothing more left to say, other than what shouldn't be told.

Darkness thought about trying another attempt, but to prove what to who? With a long sigh of defeat, but wanting to keep at least a little bit of her dignity, she made up her made. "Can you... you know, just help me walk?" she knew herself that this sounded dumb and irrational and unreasonable, but she was tired having him, despite how special it made her feel, look after her.

Mathael opened his mouth, wanting to say something, perhaps to argue or give a better idea, but in the end, he just closed his mouth and looked at her with significant concentration in his eyes.

Darkness was about to ask what he had in mind before she found herself being lifted off the bed and brought to an upright position next to the intimidating stallion. She couldn't feel the crackling of magic in the air, but for that matter, felt nothing, it was like some invisible, intangible force transported her. Before Darkness could ask, she felt a strong arm under her right armpit, and a large hand holding her back. She looked up, only to see Mathael smiling at her. He was hunching down, his knees bent forward, and his head was lowered, there was simply no other way for him to shrink down to her size unless he literally, shrunk. The most interesting detail for the mare in question was why she was able to stand, but just as the thought crossed her mind, she felt a stroke, barely noticeable against her stomach, it also brought her the realization that she, indeed, wore more than a simple robe, but also actual underwear.

"Are you ready, or would you like to wait for a moment or two to get used to the pressure on your legs?" Mathael asked with great concern in his voice.

Darkness knew very well why he was scared, at least if she could believe the gossip of the maidens. She didn't actually remember what happened before her lights went, but it seems like a certain 'mistress bubblegum' was rather talkative about the most recent events, if she heard the mare talk at her door correctly. She was unsure if she would feel an overwhelming force of awkwardness, or crushed by a sense of anger for being the topic of discussion. But, she couldn't hide, she would have to step out of that room eventually. "I think I am ready."

Mathael's smile wavered slightly, quickly switching between concern for her wellbeing and a warm feeling of proudness for his treasure.

Darkness returned the smile before quickly returning to the task at hand. The took one long breath, before taking the first step... without any trouble? She was confused as of why she suddenly was able to walk, or even stand for that matter, and looked down, only to be greeted by her wobbling hooves, and then she saw the hint. In the reflection of the sunlight, she could see thin, almost unnoticeable threads flowing through the air and circling her legs, as well as her other body parts. 'So that's what you are playing? Trying to cheer me up, huh? Congratulations, you managed to do that...' Darkness thought, not sure how to feel about the discovery.

Darkness then took another step, followed by another, and several more followed too. The clicking and clacking, their hooves echoed through the room as they walked towards the door. It was opened by another thread gleaming in the sunlight. The sunlight blinded her at first, but she adjusted quickly, before being greeted by two smiling and saluting guards.

Following down the halls, at a slow speed, much too slow for her taste at least, Darkness was somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer normality of the castle. The marble floor glistened with purity while a golden shine shone through the large glass panels on the side of the wall, illuminating everything and everyone inside, not a shadow to be left. Out of an open window, she could see the everyday life in Canterlot, with ponies by the dozens trying to get from place to place, by the newest and best products, or simply enjoying the day. The smell of fresh air that intoxicated her every sense, the sheer feeling of freedom that it gave her, almost made her want to spread her wings and fly across the city.

She moved her wings slightly, sagging behind her, and unwilling to move much more than a centimeter, not that she would be able to fly with Mathael next to her. If she could believe him, which she did, then it most likely will be a while before she could soar through the skies again. Darkness just hoped the time wouldn't be too cruel, as the last thing she wanted was to end up fat, she shivered on the thought not being able to fly again because of her weight. Many winged creatures had already fallen into great depression because their ability of flight was taken by some event. But could that even happen, given her lover capabilities? It was nothing unknown to her, that if there were anything she wished for, it would happen, he made that very clear on their first date. Most of the things he does do would probably be done because of his great desire to see her happy in every way, to be honest, she was kind of worried what would happen if she died permanently yesterday.

Darkness stopped in the empty hallway, Mathael did the same thing half a second later.

She almost died yesterday... The memory came back, even if it was fuzzy, Mathael hit her, not willingly, but he done so, ripping out her Innards in the process, there was so much pain, that she became numb in those last seconds before she left the world of the living for a while. And while she was gone... Mathael lost it... On that day, he made it clear to the whole world that whoever touched her would die horribly, or perhaps he stopped to care? Mathael, the stallion who stole the princesses' hearts, the vanquisher of thousands of moments, destroyer over a thousand words, the warrior who fought for millions of years with only one defeat on his name at the end, the literal GOD of DARKNESS... Dedicated and centered his life around her. And when she died, he just gave up, was she the reason he went to fight every day, to keep her safe?

"Are you alight, my Darkness?" Mathael asked with great concern in a voice softer than warm butter and sweeter than sugar.

Darkness wondered how he noticed, other than her suddenly stopping, but she found out the real reason, when he wished his thumb over her cheeks twice, before looking at his hand. Mathael frowned, before pulling out a tissue from his left chest pocket, and drying her face, while asking softly. "Please, Darkness, tell me, does something bother you?"

Darkness wanted to keep her muzzle shut, to just ignore then question, but again, she gave him, she was too tired to find an excuse. "You fight and get hurt... because of me... right?"

Mathael froze in please, breathing sharply, letting the air only escape through the space between his teeth. He thought for a moment, looking down, before he leaned forward, looking deep into her eyes. "My love, I fight... because I have to." There had to be more, Darkness wouldn't accept this answer. "Dear, it hurt me to say this, but there is simply no one left who can fight other than me... Almost all gods are unable to fight. Faust said it herself that she is bad at fighting and Erebus gave up her element, now she would barely be able to fight one of the bigger evils... and you, or any pony or mortal or most gods for that matter, can't do anything about it."

Darkness stared deep into his eyes, while her eyes and mouth hang wide open agape. There was a cold feeling of emptiness eating her from the inside.

"I don't want to fight. I just want to live a normal, peaceful life, but I can't. The clock is ticking, and I have to prepare much faster than I already do. I don't want to- I didn't want to involve you in this war, it's too dangerous, I just can't lose you... because not only will there be a part of me missing, but I also lose myself... like I already have shown..." He said as his voice lowered, and he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers, his hat stood still in place.

Darkness entered the meeting room with Mathael at her side. The walk was usually not this long, but given her 'condition,' a snail might have reached her destination faster and still would've been able to brew a kettle of tea. She tried not to be bothered about it, she really did, and despite her love's words of comfort, Darkness felt down.

With a sigh of exhaustion, closely followed by a sharp hiss of pain, Mathael pulled the chair free and sat her on it. She was just about to ask how managed to do that given his occupied hands but was then reminded by another reflexion in the air of the mysterious power that now also pulled his chair free.

'I wonder how many tricks he really has up his sleeves.' Darkness wondered. Her thoughts were really all she could spend the time at the moment with. The meeting room was empty, except for the thestral pair, of course, and it would be another few minutes until the rest would come. She let out a weak snort, one that Mathael most definitely ignored on purpose. She never thought that she, a loyal guard, would ever put the Princesses, eternal watchers of Equestria in connection with the words 'the rest.' A sudden sound ripped her from her thoughts, and the origin was the door, which opened, and revealed 'the rest.' The princesses, Erebus, as well as the elements of harmony and their friends, Spike and Eris, entered the room, no sight of Anubis, Justice, or midnight watch. Most of them were wincing or walking funny from the wounds inflicted on them. 'So that answers the question of which alicorn is the best healer, a contest that was as old as Equestria itself and was, since a while ago, primarily held between the sisters. Mathael is the best healer.'

With moans and groans, the flock of creatures of all shapes and forms took a seat on the many lavish chairs around the great round dark oak table. Except for Eris, who turned her chair into a big bean bag.'

As if the day before had never happened, as if all the worries and fears were forgotten, the group broke out in all chatter, it was hard to find out what they exactly talked about, but given the sound of their voices, it was about the various challenges and horrors they faced yesterday.

A sigh from her right brought her back from her thoughts. The stallion next to her leaned back. Mathael's head was pointing at the ceiling and rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb.

Darkness looked at him with curiosity in her eyes, again, he so rarely showed any weakness that it almost was as rare as a double rainbow. She was about to ask what was wrong when she saw Twilight clutching stomach. Did perhaps she talked too loud, or did she injure herself? No, there was more to it... 'Did he possibly hurt her while he was... that thing?' she pondered, perhaps a bit too long, with a look that practically spelled unease, seeing as Mathael replied with a curious look of his own, before lifting his hand. 'What are you planning to do-ohhhh~'

It was official, Darkness Bloodheart, heir of the house of Bloodheart, captain of the night guard and member of the herd in which both royal princesses were, had found the true meaning of life. She moaned loudly, and let her tongue fall out of her mouth, there was no shame in her powerful enough to spoil this pleasure. She could feel all of her hair rising while goosebumps covered every last square of her skin, and an overpowering warmth brought her very being to shiver in delight. She could feel it, his fingers were circling her most sensitive spot, while occasionally stroking the tip with his thumb. Darkness never knew she could feel this much pleasure from being touched in that spot.

"Uhh... Darkness dear, I don't want to interrupt you, but don't you think that you are enjoying the ear scratch a bit too much?" asked the former god of darkness innocently.

Darkness knew, of course, what Erebus truly meant, but her teasing would not spoil her-, wait? No! Damn you! She cursed the reptilian mare in her head, as she could feel the source of all that was pleasure leave her ears after hearing Erebus's complaint.

"Perhaps now really isn't the time for these activities." Said Mathael, much to Darknesses dismay, and put his hand, quickly, faster than the ordinary eyes could see, under the table. Darkness could've sworn she saw more white than there was supposed to be.

"Now," Mathael said, with a small pause, before lifting his other hand up with his palm pointing upwards. "Let's heal those wounds, shall we?" And the moment he finished his sentence, a sphere of golden, warming and soothing light appeared, radiating with kindness and harmony.

Darkness didn't why, but she couldn't help but eyes the peacefully floating orb with hunger and disappointment, as the whisp-like object was much smaller than those that the dark stallion had used before. The sphere was much weaker than its predecessors, so it took a few minutes, instead of seconds, to heal the wounds of all those in the room, but what it lacked in giving, it made it up with taking...Darkness's patience and self-control away, which would've eventually resulted in her jumping on the table and gulping it up in one bite. When the orb then finally managed, she just barely managed to suppress a groan of sadness.

The wounded ones watched in amazement as their wounds simply vanished along with all pain, even scars, those that would haunt one for the rest of their lives, demonstrated by Rainbow, who almost ripped her own shirt off in joy. The only one who wasn't quite fascinated was Spike, who looked rather... disappointed with his head down and a sigh regularly escaping his mouth.

Darkness knew that Mathael noticed, there was no denial given by the small drop of his shoulders, but it seemed like there was another thing on his mind, given the frantic movements of his ears. Only a second later, Night watch, walked in with a big smile and just as she was about to say something, her mood visibly changed to surprise and confusion.

Mathael smiled and asked. "Greetings Night Watch, would you like to join our little meeting?"

The mare in question stood frozen in place, sniffing the air around her and occasionally blinking, but not giving any kind of reaction for several seconds. "Oh! No, I mean, thanks, but no." Night said in rapid succession, before slowly and awkwardly walking backward and closing the door in front of her.

'Now that was weird...' Darkness thought with a raised eyebrow. 'Wasn't she completely crazy about spending her time with Mathael earlier?' She wondered Mathael was apparently just as confused as she was given the fact that he looked at the door for a second or two longer after Night already left. 'Was Night scared of Mathael? Possibly, although unlikely given that he murdered his way through the caribou world. But then again, perhaps she didn't care about rapist's lives but was strongly against the destruction of property', or rather a whole city... though there wasn't much left of Canterlot anyways after Discord 'playtime'. So... what changed? Did she get cold hooves, an allergy, regretting her life choices or-?

A sudden loud noise brought her back to reality, and looking at the source of the mysterious sound, she found a vast, blue swirling vortex floating just a couple of feet to her right. Darkness stared at the gate with confusion, given that the only other time she saw such a phenomenon was by Mathael, who was next to her, and that one was colored red, purple and black, while this one was made out of various shades of blue.

All of a sudden, a metal leg stomped out of the portal shortly before the rest followed. A giant, 15 feet tall golem-like creature had suddenly invaded the room and almost hit the overly high ceiling while looking down at Mathael, literally, while making slow steps towards him. No one moved; at least, she didn't hear anyone do anything rash, which she could understand given the gigantic and monstrous appearance.

Darkness sank slowly into her chair, as the golem came closer since she was between it and Mathael, she would be the first one to be reached. She looked at Mathael for any kind of support, only to see that he calmy watched the approaching giant, and then she realized something. 'Is... Is that the machine Mathael was talking about? What was his name? something about 'And'...'

The giant construct stopped right next to Darkness, still too close in her comfort zone, but he stopped... is what she would've said it the thing didn't envelope her in an abundant, bright red light that came out of its 'eyes.' She didn't know why, but her heart began to pound hard in her chest while her breathing fastened, why? There was nothing to worry about, it is just light?

What felt like an eternity for the mare, was in truth just a few seconds, three to be exact, in which Andros was scanning her, before stopping the light show. "Status update complete. Do you wish to review your status?" He asked in a cold and calm voice.

'Status..? Is he talking about my condition? How and why does everyone know about what's wrong but me?! But... should she really ask?' Darkness wondered, she did trust her coltfriend after all. A moment later, the answer was shoved right in her face, as she could see Mathael's reflection on his shining metal armor, in which she could clearly see Mathael dragging his index finger across his throat with a furious glare.

"Status update report denied, back to the main reason of arrival," Andros said in his emotionless voice, before turning his full attention to Mathael. "First analyzes have shown that through the creation and contact of demonic fire, large quantities of biological matter have been destroyed, including cells, antibodies, and organs such as reproductive organs. A majority of essential microbes and bacteria were killed off, too, and several unknown substances have been found that are yet to be studied." Andros then brought his palm in front of Mathael's face, as suddenly cold smoke escaped his metallic limb. A plate suddenly shifted, and a large glass container, the size of a champagne bottle, containing a green liquid, was ejected and landed right in front of the stallion. "This should improve the regeneration of tissue and shield you from most damage that would otherwise be lethal for mortal creatures to ensure healing without interruption."

Darkness didn't understand some of the things Andors mentioned, she was a guard, it was her job to do damage and prevent harm for directed at civilians, not know about medical issues. Still, she could tell that there was something horrible going on, looking to Mathael, only too see great annoyance in his face.

Mathael turned his eyes away from the liquid and stared Andros cold in the eyes. "I thank you for your concerns, but I would very much appreciate it if you would discuss your achievements with me alone; otherwise, again, thanks for the medicine and your work. You're dismissed." Mathael's voice was not cold, at least warmer than that of the iron giant, but more like that of a drill sergeant of was on the edge of exploding after his third coffee. With his answer given, the metal giant gave a small bow before walking through the portal once again, making it disappear upon use.

Darkness looked back at the others, to see what they thought of the sudden, and of course, not at all mind wrecking visit of the giant golem, only to see horror written across almost every face. What did Andros say that would induce so much fear in them? Tissue damage was damage to flesh and skin; several unknown liquids could be harmful, and reproductive organs were... In just one moment, the nearly forgotten memories of biology class came back, and a cold shiver ran down her back when she realized what Andros meant.

"You lost your genitals?!" She half shouted out, blurred, would also describe it as she clamped her muzzle forcefully shut with both of her hands. A glass shattering on the floor could be heard from just outside the door, while the music of chirping crickets filled the air, and if that wasn't enough, a dead bush flew through an opened window, rolled across the table, past Mathael's face, and out of another window it left. This, honestly, was the most awkward and embarrassing moment in Darkness's live.

Mathael said nothing for a few more seconds; at this point, everyone got the message across, but what really shocked them was that the stallion's response was chuckling. Chuckling?. "You know, this really wasn't how I pained this out to be, I really didn't, though I am surprised to see you all shocked about that, given everything that has happened. Besides, most of you have seen me regenerate limbs and organs before, so what is the difference now? I mean, sure, I never had to do it before, so it might take a while, but not much has been lost."

His calm response didn't lift the spirits of those attending in the slightest, as most still stared at him with confusion, which, in return, made his smile now finally drop. His sudden change of demeanor could've also been invoked from Erebus's death glare as she leaned backward and slightly slumped into the chair with her arms crossed.

Darkness bit her lips, it was almost impossible not to laugh at her angry pouting, of course, there was a lot of tension when her eyes meet those of the former god of darkness, though she did not react on it. Much. Still, Darkness too was not happy that he would've kept it to himself if it wasn't for the blunt machine, although she could understand Mathael's point, she too would feel somewhat uneasy talking about her lack of mare parts if she was in his horseshoes. Still, how can it be that he can be there for anyone but himself?

'Because the others Did not kill several decillion creatures due to their incapability to keep their temper and self-control in check.' Darkness almost yelped in shock when she could hear Mathael's voice in her head and looking at him, only to see that she did not even move his head in her direction. 'Also, I only found out about my recent case of absolute impotence a few hours ago. As it turns out, coming in contact with an enormous amount of Hatred is not only bad for the heart, but also for their fertility. The more powerful you are, the more likely are you to be consumed by your negative emotions, which, in turn, only heightens the chances to fall into corruption and lose your mind. I believe the unwilling example I have shown would suffice. If you are wondering, no, I am not always looking through your mind, I just passively hear the surface of your thoughts, which I tend to ignore, for the most part, this was only an exception.'

"Now, I believe this was enough mopping around. I am going to be fine, you all are fine, Canterlot and Equus are safe the moment, so please, let go of your concerns for now, and pass onto the main topic of the meeting and-Where is Cadence?" Mathael spoke, only to pause for a moment, as worry crossed his face for a moment.

Princess Celestia spoke up with a calming voice. "She chose to stay with Shinning Armor for the time being, and is trying her best to speed up his healing process with her magic as much as possible." The Solar Princess reassured.

Mathael deflated for a moment, not in a negative way, though, as it seems like a large amount of his worries and concerns washed off his mind. "Oh, good. I am not quite sure if I can remember everything that has happened while I was that... thing, or rather it was me, or both. Now, could you please tell me how many ponies or other creatures were hurt during my 'transformation'?"

"Three." Said Princess Luna calmy. "Darkness, although that could not be counted given that came before the transformation into a demon, Twilight Sparkle, and lastly Discord. If we were to talk about emotional trauma... I believe the number would be higher, though not by much as Discord had damaged the insanity of most citizens already before it came to the last battle." Princess Luna listed of, before staring at curiosity at Mathael. "If it isn't too much to ask, may we hear about the weapon and mysterious potion you used?"

Mathael's appearance had greatly visibly relaxed upon hearing the small number of victims, though he still winced slightly upon hearing that two-thirds of those wounded by him were his friends. "The 'weapon' is less of a tool of harm, but more like utensil. The real name is very much so a tongue breaker, given that it's over fifty letters long, to put it simply, it's a sacrificial dagger. This weapon allows it's user to transmute power, energy or liquids in their body into something else, in my case, it was rage power for psychic energy. The 'potion' were just tears, though mine has a different effect. My tears are mighty in terms of their healing capability, given that there is no mortal and or physical wound they can't heal, I gained the power by 'requiring' the power of the Chiyu Chiyu no Mi fruit, it is a powerful tool..." Mathael said calmly, though when the others seemed to have found amazement in this power, he spoke again. "... Do not be fooled, this is no miracle water, and as a side effect shortens the targets lifespan, though in my case, I can avoid this penalty by taking in this health damage, which is instantly healed by my natural regenerative powers. It is also noteworthy that I actually have to touch my patient for it to work, which is why I am not bottling it up and giving it away."

'So this is why he looked so down today, this spell must've done more than just drain him physically... why are so persistent to lie through your teeth, Mathael? I can't help you get well if you lock all the pain away' Darkness wondered while sinking slightly into her chair.

Ponies don't like to be sad, and the only thing they dislike more is being around others of their kind who are feeling unhappy, there is no law or real reason behind trying to cheer those around one up, it's just the way Equestrians are, well, most are. Mathael is the worst scenario to be in, she was no therapist, but someone like him should spend his days somewhere warm, and safe and least like a battlefield, to heal, but that really was no option, was it? No, he made it often clear that there won't be peace until it's over with this war as he calls it, but that was far too late. Perhaps she could ask him to visit some help? Princess Luna was visiting a good known therapist, doctor Horsenround was her name, she believed, so he wouldn't be alone... but could she persuades him? On the one hand, he does not take help, and when he does, he quickly tries to flee it, but the alternative is worse, much worse.

"-I'll make sure to visit Granny Smith when I have time, Applejack," Mathael said with a small smile on his face.

Darkness was suddenly shocked back into reality when she heard Mathael's somewhat pleasant voice, making the mare scowl in her mind seeing how much willing he was to help everyone but himself... not that being kind to others was ever wrong.

"So... how's Nyx by the way, Luna? I haven't heard anything from her in a while, I assume everything is going well?" She heard him ask.

Princess Luna smiled broadly. "Oh, she's doing really great, the nightlife in Canterlot is much more active than it was a thousand years ago, there are even schools that work in the night for nocturnal beings, perfect for my little angel, given that she does sleep all day."

"Wouldn't it be quiet... the headline if an alicorn filly was suddenly seen in a public school, or anywhere on this world to be exact?" Mathael asked with creat interest, which was understandable since the drawbacks of being identified as an alicorn would also concern him, should he lose his hat.

"An illusion spell can be rather useful, I wouldn't want to have all this responsibility and stress dropped upon her at such a young age. I am aware that hiding who she really is, isn't the best solution, but it's the ablest she has at the moment."

Mathael nodded before leaning back. "So, now that we have finished the small talk, I wish to ask one more thing, what do you have in mind about Discord, given that he is in a coma-like state."

Princess Celestia winced upon hearing the news, she didn't want to talk about this, or even think, but sooner or later a decision would have to be made, and now, while he was still asleep, was the best time to do so. "I honestly don't know." The ponies, minus Darkness, let all out a shocked gasp. "Discord... or what is left of his, has caused much destruction. The-my ponies whish for redemption, but on the other hand, it really wasn't his fault, more mine than his. I really don't know what to do." The solar Alicorn let out a long sigh, before running down her palm down the side of her face.

"Well, I say it's time for him to be cemented again!" Said Rainbow Dash angrily, while a great frown plastered her face. "Once a villain, always a villain." before letting out one last grunt and crossing her arms.

...

...

...

Darkness's jaw dropped when she heard that, and could only watch as all faces plagued with shock and worry, slowly turned to the pony next to her. Her blood ran cold, it was not fear for herself, or worry for others, but just the concern for the stallion himself... and yet, his answer almost made her choke.

"You aren't wrong." Said a voice to break the silence, and it was none other than Mathael. "You may leave the evil, but the evil never leaves you, though I would also like to point out that being turned to stone is, by personal experience, a much worse fate than death. I spend fifty years, on top of a volcano, petrified with a lance in my chest. You can't breathe, feel, hear, smell, or even close your eyes, not a day of sleep or a second rest for the mind. But then again, perhaps I am just sugarcoating the situation, given that I am just waiting for my punishment at the end of the story to arrive." With every word, he made Rainbow Dash sink deeper and deeper into her chair, her hopes of being swallowed by the ground, becoming more evident by the seconds. Mathael finished his speech with a shrug.

Darkness, on the other hand, was only becoming more aggravated by each word that passed through her ears, while anger began to rise and bubble up inside her like a volcano. Her teeth, gnarled against one another, while her claws dug into her tighs, drawing blood, but keeping the pain and furry under control with a very unhealthy look on her face and a soft and muffled scream of anger.

"Are you not feeling well, Darkness? Do you need anything? Do you want to lay down?" Mathael turned to her with worry written in capital letters across his face, but unknowingly to him, only fuelled the fire that burned in her.

"I am feeling fine, I am just a bit hungry, that's all." She lied through her teeth, but perhaps she could pass up her screaming as stomach rumbling. Mathael's frown turned to a small relieved smile. He bought it, giving her more time to plan to help him, and hopefully lessen his attempts to make her feel like the Canterlot bank vault content... even if being spoiled was fun.

Darkness watched as Mathael causally lifted both of his hands, clapped twice, and then lowered them again. Out of nowhere, the door behind the stallion swung open, a loud echo followed that traveled through the room, and the main attraction entered the stage: Dinner. Silver serving carts rolled driverless towards the group, not once emitting an unpleasant noise, and surrounded the table. The girls and boys watched in anticipation, and finally, were amazement when the covers magically levitated into the air, shortly followed by floating pearl white plates towards ever a guest in the. Everyone smiled, and with high hopes, they looked at the surprise and saw... nothing...

Darkness's emotional state, unlike that of the others, was not shock or disappointment, but rather curiosity. The bat-like mare was already aware of how extravagant her lover always wanted to be, if not outright being a show maker. She would've let the bubble of confusion pop if it wasn't for the fact that her claws were strewn in blood, lifting them now would result in more worries of the already overprotective half-demon.

Darkness took a sharp breath before asking as softly as she could. "Would you mind helping me? I think my arms fell asleep." She mentally and physically smiled when she saw a suppressed smile form on the stallions face in enjoyment over the request.

Mathael smiled broadly, this time hiding the rows of teeth that were usually only seen in nightmares, shark-infested waters, or shark-infested waters in nightmares. "It would be a pleasure, Darkness, though I believe I first must show what the others are missing." He said as he pointed his finger at the chandelier, before firing a ray of light at the crystal object. Shortly later, the beautiful gems glowed with pure energy, before releasing the alien power in the form of several beams of light that was directed at the plates and vanishing. A few seconds later, the air above each plate shinned with like a rainbow, a miniature aurora had appeared.

The others watched with great interest and awe at the act of nature's wonder, before giving the mysterious liquid that was now just barely visible by the light, a closer look, and each of them poked it. Most of them were surprised to see that the soup or any liquid could be this clear. They could even smell the faint perfume of the food that was presented in front of them.

Mathael brought his fist to his muzzle, before letting out several caught, gaining the attention of everyone. "What you see, or not see for that matter, in front of you is called 'Century Soup.' As I can see from your drooling expression, I can guess that you are ready to eat, though I first would like to warn you, as this several billion bits expensive food causes uncontrollable happiness for the consumer."

'Uncontrollable happiness?' Darkness's face was suddenly overcome by surprise, before letting out a quiet snort. 'So, trying to push the situation under the carpet without even talking about what has happened? Not on my watch.' She frowned before looking back the others, her smile only deepened when she saw that his trick, in fact, worked pretty well, given that they had seemingly forgotten about the events that led to this moment.

"Don't worry Darkness, I haven't forgotten about you." Mathael smiled at her before taking a spoon and lowering it into the soup. Darkness forced a smile of her own on her face.

Darkness observed as the seemingly empty spoon came closer and closer to her muzzle, and despite the alien unease, she opened her mouth, letting in the food. The tase was... indescribable. No, quite literally, she couldn't really make out what it was. There was a pure and subtle, yet incredibly flavourful taste spreading through her mouth as if she was eating something of every kind of taste at once in perfect harmony, but there was a dominant flavor that hid under the first wave of bliss, chalk. And despite the great taste, she couldn't feel the promised 'uncontrollable happiness.' Looking at the other members of their little gathering, she saw that all of them had faces that could be best described as dopey as it almost seemed like their face melted in joy, except for Erebus and Rainbow Dash. Erebus was happily gulping down the 'joy maker' with no effect other than a subtle smile, while Rainbow didn't even touch her food, but why? Oh, it seemed like the Pegasus and Mathael were having an argument.

"Rainbow, stop arguing, I am not mad, you didn't say anything wrong, now please eat and forget it." Said Mathael sternly, while looking down at the mare, literally, given that he was a giant compared to most ponies.

"Aww, come on, you can't just swallow that up, you gotta say something other than 'It's fine, Rainbow.' I mean, doesn't it bother you that I just straight-up insulted your whole life?!"

Mathael stared at the mare with an empty look on his face, before his lips pursed and he said casually."Not really" and shrugged with a not-in-the-slightest-bothered face.

Rainbow Dash stared at the stallion with a twitching eye, before letting out a loud groan, and letting her head drop, not even taking notice of the conveniently placed soup in which her face landed in. The sounds of bubbles and moans followed moments later.

Darkness took a deep breath through her nose before blowing out steam through her nostrils. With every second, she was pushed closer and closer to the breaking point. Thoughts of tieing up the stallion next to her and throwing her into a room full of hugs were becoming more promising each second. She grit her teeth, as she could feel her claws dig deeper into the soft flesh of her tights, but if there was one thing she learned from survival lessons, then it was to never pull out a sharp object embedded in the flesh while not being anywhere near a safe environment with bandages and medicine ready.

Or in Darkness's case, anywhere where there wasn't a nearly 10-foot tall mountain of cuddles and care with her name on him to her right.

She didn't know why, or how, but there was a painful sensation growing in her chest, unlike anything she ever felt, it was almost like her very essence was effected by intense corrosion. She has seen many mares and stallions that came home from incredible gruesome missions that scared their lives, some even drowned in depression, but this felt so alien in comparison, in a way, that it was everything other than natural. But what could've caused this, there was more than love in the play here, she just knew it.

Then, out of the sudden, a realization hit her. "Mathael, why don't you have a plate?" Darkness asked Mathael with confusion as she innocently tilted her head.

Mathael smiled back at her, although it was faked, anyone could see that. "Oh, I am not hungry. That's all." He added quickly.

Darkness smile dropped and looked at him intensively. "If I remember correctly, you said that you ate quite a lot as a child when we first came to ponyville, but I barely ever seen you eat anything the whole time you were here. I am not a doctor, but I think eating less than ten times in about a month is quite unhealthy for someone who does fighting so much, wouldn't you agree?"

Mathael's ears picked up, and his smile strained, while his look, for just a second, turned to a glare. "Where are you getting?" He asked, carefully.

"I am just saying that it's not healthy, that's all. I would be quiet heartbroken if you were to get sick or hurt because you didn't take the time to eat." Darkness said with a concerned look, gaining the attention of the Princesses.

Mathael's smile slowly soured away."I don't have to eat anywhere as you ponies have to; in fact, I could just absorb a few trees with my virus and be sated for weeks." He needed his answer with a neutral look.

Darkness leaned closer to Mathael, making him jerk slightly. "I thought you loved to cook, but as far as I can see, you only cook when others are hungry, while you eat the monsters corpses. Or am I wrong?" Mathael didn't say anything. "There isn't anything eating you, is there? If you're not feeling well, you can always talk with me."

Mathael's face scrunched, while a cold look stared down at the warm and welcoming look of the maiden, who stared up to the monster. He stared at her for a few more moments, before sinking slight and letting out a hard breath. Mathael took a spoon full of the soup, and lifted it in front of his muzzle, hesitating, before slowly opening his mouth. Despite his deliberate actions, the rows upon rows of sharp teeth showed themselves as he brought the spoon into his mouth.

Darkness studied the Nephalem with great interest. There were a total of three rows of teeth. The first rows were long and sharp dagger-like teeth, with two great fangs, veins seemed to be embedded them, perhaps for injection like those of a snake? The second row was a mix of the sharp meat shredders and herbivore teeth. The last row was a plate, no individual teeth, most likely for the consumption o vegetables. His tongue looked like that of a changeling, but the sharp tip made it seem like a scorpion tail, the thoughts of their first sexual experience now seemed more of a horror story than a pleasant memory.

Darkness smiled widely when she saw Mathael gulp down the soup, although the visible strain on his cheek muscles, resisting the yearn to smile, weakened her joy slightly.

Mathael let out a sharp breath as the last drop was finally consumed, his suffering ended... "See, I can eat when I want." Then something dawned on him. "Hold on, didn't you want any soup?" he asked concerned.

Darkness shrugged carelessly, before leaning against him. "Nah, I'm feeling fine." She could feel him tense up upon hearing her obvious lie, though he stayed calm, knowing full were that it would reveal his obvious lie. "Besides, never was really a fan of soup anyways, tastes like chalk to me."

*Crunch*

Darkness jumped away slightly when a sickening crunch echoing through the room. Darkness looked at Mathael, who froze and stared into the emptiness. Unlike anyone else, she could see that his jaw was much tighter than it usually was, a horrific thought entered her mind, or perhaps it was a realization that he just shattered his own teeth in shock upon hearing the word 'Chalk.' Was there something she didn't know?

Mathael blinked rapidly, and his mind slowly faded back into reality. He held up five fingers, and gradually the number dwindled down until none were left, only then he spoke again. "Who wants seconds?" He said with a toothy smile, not one damaged in the slightest.

Darkness frowned at Mathael, before letting out a disappointed sigh. "Sure."

The same way the first course came, so did the second, and now, a golden fish, sparkling like a reveal, rested on a bed of pristine white rise, shinning like the heavens covered with colorful herbs and spices. A glass of light, white, and sweet-smelling juice was added as the drink.

Mathael cleared his throat once again. "Let me present you, Shining Gourami, battered in a golden wheat batter, sprinkled with Melk stardust, resting on top of a layer of star rice, covered in the finest herbs of spices of the human world, and white apple juice as a drink. I hope you'll enjoy it."

The fragrant yet elegant tsunami of smells overwhelmed the boys and girls surrounding Mathael, making them all salivate. There were only three beings who didn't fall into an eating frenzy: Mathael, Erebus, and Darkness.

"This is so yummy!"

"I can't get enough!"

"I've never eaten anything so good!"

And many more compliments followed, all the while Darkness could only stare at the food, feeling nothing. Darkness knew it was tasty, even without the disturbing moans, and yet, she felt not hungry in the slightest, despite not having eaten anything in over a whole day. However, she had other means to entertain herself, watching the facial expression of Erebus and Mathael switch at a rapid pace while staring at one another was borderline hilarious.

'They are probably talking about something with their thoughts.' She thought while feeling a little bit uneasy.

Erebus's eyes slowly wandered towards Darkness. 'Oh, we're just having a business talk, nothing important.' Before wiggling with her eyebrows at her an taking a long and delightful sip of the white fluid, before gurgling it and finally swallowing. A happy sigh escaped her lips.

Darkness only starred with a bored expression at the former goddess, not even thinking about the adultery in these moments, neither was her body, as not even a blush was summoned. Her bored expression was washed away when she noticed a fork with a bit of everything; the silver flesh of the fish caught most of her attention, given that that was the color of the moon and purity in the thestral culture.

Darkness opened her mouth without another word and began to chew. She closed her eyes, and took in the taste, it was like a mix between fatty catfish and high-class salmon, but without any of the unpleasant gameness or high salt content. The bite was very subtle, peaceful could also be used to describe it, and rich with flavor, the crunch of the crust made sure that it wouldn't get boring, and the rice was perfectly complementing the fish. All in all, it was a pleasant dining experience, but she couldn't understand why even the princesses were melting away, shouldn't at least the taste of dust bother them?

Looking over to Mathael, she could see that he too took a bite, his whole body jerked, high muscles bulged ever so slightly, and a small rip appeared in both of his suit's shoulders. The look of surprise was almost frightful before twisting into one of annoyance as he glared at Erebus, who, in return, presented him a sheepish smile. Mathael quickly regained his calm demeanor before he passed her another forkful food, and the cycle repeated a few more times before he pressed the glass to her lips.

The juice tasted like sugary sweet apple juice, but much purer, and the sweetness was in no way too much, and yet, the taste of sawdust was ruining the whole drink, how could Pinkie swallow her glass down so fast without noticing the weird flavor?

Darknesses didn't complain, she just didn't have the energy, even the Smalltalk from earlier left her drained, and her claws have since have gone numb, stuck from the lack of strength. She just hoped she could pass it down to him that the great taste of the food led her to do this injury, one that she now didn't even feel anymore, did even a single drop of blood leave her body? The rest of the fish meal calm and nothing really happened, although she could feel the joy radiating from Mathael while he watched her eat, even if she wasn't hungry in the slightest, on the other hand, she also wasn't feeling a tiny bit full.

This whole day was nothing but an 'experience,' that much was for sure. She knew that she did not know much in comparison to the old stallion next to her, Mathael, yes, the time with him today has shown her much she didn't realize before. It was like a thick, and yet see-through veil blocked her vision, and for once, she could see things more clearly than ever, almost like the magic of harmony has not touched her since she 'died.'

Mathael was wise and ancient, he could be both severe and funny, and now she knew why-no, she realized why. She never took much into consideration that her coltfriend was older than dirt, at first glance, that didn't seem like much, but when you dig deeper, more could be revealed. The reason why Darkness was so happy was that she got what otherwise, only a stallion with a white beard could give her. Mathael was smart, so intelligent that the most educated seemed like complete idiots next to him; he had an incomprehensible amount of experience in every aspect- other than a handful of things- and there was no need to talk about his character or physic. Still, one thing was very much apparent to her after that day. He was hollow, if not outright shallow, and that was not meant as an insult, not that anyone could really blame him.

Unlike most ponies, Mathael barely ever tasted happiness, in any life he lived according to him, and he lost interest and care in almost all things, all he had left to give a second glance was his-our war with the Corruption, and... her. She never truly realized it, but he centered all his attention towards her because there was not much joy he got from anything else, of course, there were the princesses, Eris, and the wh-Erebus. It was most evident why he was hesitating to pull them into his life; still, she could only guess his exact reasoning.

Darkness's eyes locked onto Mathael's hand, and an eyebrow rose highly at the sight of something unusual. "Gloves?" She muttered quietly, they were covered by thousands of minuscule runes, almost like those on his weapons, but why would he wear weapons while having dinner?

"Hm?" Mathael said in surprise. "Oh those things, they're just to keep my hands under control, nothing serious, but after losing control yesterday, they've been rather 'prepared' to pick another fight, if I may say so." He said while adjusting the hand prisons with the reversed moon insignia on them.

Darkness nodded, before sighing silently, why did she feel like this would be a long day? The rest of the second course went by without much hassle, a few kind words were spoken, while Mathael and Darkness just watched, although it seemed like the stallion was bathing in the joy of others, given the small smile that graced his face.

"And alas, we have come to the end of this extravagant meal, but don't be sad, for I have planned a rather 'special' final. Let me present to you the rainbow pudding!" Mathael half-shouted as the last set of covers were lofted, revealing a seven-color colored dessert. Instantly, an overpowering aroma assaulted the senses of everyone in the room. Even the guards at the door, and perhaps even in the courtyard, noticed the aroma. All those affected began to uncontrollably droll from the airborne flavor.

Just like earlier, the food was devoured by those equines with a sweet tooth, unlike any other. Cries and tears of absolute bliss left them, a symphony so beautiful it almost made the demons heart melt, a melody of pleasure and an orchestra joy.

Darkness closed her eyes while chewing on the first spoon of rainbow pudding, and again, she couldn't see why the others made such a big deal out of it. It tasted great, yes, and the various flavors switching with one another was unique, but not anywhere near worth crying over, the weak aftertaste of spoiled milk left an uneasy mark on her tastebuds.

"If you met those not present, would you mind giving them each one of these yellow preservation boxes? It would break my heart knowing that the food would go to waste." Mathael said sincerely, while a pack of glass and metal containers flew towards princess Celestia, and landed next to her.

"I'll make sure that they receive these gifts, and I agree, it would be a shame if it were to go to waste. Honestly, it was a delightful meal, much more satisfying than the other occasions where we can feast." Princess Luna answered sincerely with a smile, eyeing the one blue box with a star sticker on it, the one to receive the content was most likely for her little star.

Mathael nodded, before sighing, he looked down for a moment, before rising up in one fast and fluid motion, almost knocking his seat over. "I-my intentions for this gathering was not just to make an excuse to cook something special, but to solve the last matter left untouched. What do you want?" He asked bluntly, waiting for an answer like a statue, his gaze watching over them like a raven.

"Ehm, excuse me, darling, but would you mind explaining what you mean?" Rarity asked, confused with her head tilted and a small wave of her hair.

'Mathael... Where are you going?' Darkness pondered while her gaze hardened towards the dark stallion.

"It's just like I asked. What do you want?" Mathael repeated coldly. "I have just lost control, and if you haven't realized it, almost doomed all life on this world, including yours, brought devastation to this country and the moon as well as probably traumatized hundreds. What I am asking is, what do you want for retribution? An action, an object, knowledge? Ask it, I want to know-"

"-SHUT UP!" A broken voice pierced through the tension of the moment, followed by a chorus of shattering plates, utensils, and covers.

Darkness sneered loudly, ripping her claws out of her own flesh and knocked over everything close to her. She swiftly dashed back and threw her hands with her, blood splattered everywhere.

"Darkness, what-" He didn't get to finish that sentence before he felt a wet slap against his right cheek, he could feel the liquid running down his face, as the hand was slowly pulled away.

Darkness stood there, her whole being shaken, her mind racing with hundreds of thoughts a second, aligned with one purpose, not even acknowledging the fact that she just attacked a creature powerful enough to erase the whole world with nothing more than a flick of his wrist.

"Stop this..." Darkness forced out. "IT WASN'T YOUR BUCKING FAULT!" She screamed at the top of her lounge at his face, her finger picking Mathael's chest as he leaned forward. "Stop judging yourself, stop hurting yourself, this was not your fault, and neither was the deaths you 'caused' in all those years! You try to make up for something you weren't responsible for, you don't want to admit it, but you care for others, and we care for you, not just because you are the hero that saves the day!" She sneered, her voice trailing into absurdity once.

Mathael teeth unwillingly revealed themselves, as he glared with eyes full of rage at Darkness. "Not my fault...? Not my fault? NOT MY FAULT?!" he whispered, rising with his voice before shouting. "Then whose fault was it? Huh? Perhaps you just can't get it into your head, but I ain't the hero in gleaming armor, I am one of the biggest mass murderers that has ever lived, and I don't give a shit about not having any control while doing so! Everyone I open my heart to fucking dies horribly, you aren't even in the top fifty of people's worst fates they got because of me!"

"... I could've always stopped this madness anytime I wanted, all it would've taken was one little sting to end it all, but no, I was just a colt AFRAID TO DIE, and now so many lost everything they cared about... And just yesterday, I showed you that even when I am in control, I'm nothing but a danger to you all."

The audience watched frozen still in shock at the display in front of them, no one dared to say a word if it was out of fear or knowledge that they could not add anything couldn't be decided on.

"You're wrong!!" Darkness screeched loudly, flaring her fangs and wings at the Nephalem. "No one is judging you, no one but you is keeping you in the past! We all would be dead if you didn't step in, and yet you did despite everything. You get hurt almost every time, you work yourself to the bone until even you can't take it anymore for others. You don't want to admit it, but you are still good-"

"SILENCE!" Mathael shouted the marble cracked as lines traveled across the floor, the walls and glass in one puls of power. "Nothing is fine, and you should just accept that! I will never get a happy end, and you know what? I don't give a shit about even trying anymore. It doesn't matter, because at this point, it really a matter of time until all of you just die away and I go back to be alone, that's who I am, a selfish overpowered bastard!"

"Stop saying this!" Darkness gritted, there was great pain building up in her. "I don't know what will happen, but I know you're good enough to know that, that are just lies, you use to hide behind because you're scared of having emotion!" Mathael lost all the wind he had in his sial upon hearing that sentence, taken aback. "Yes, you, the most powerful pony to have ever lived, is scared of opening his heart, because you're too concerned about losing them again, but do you know what is the saddest thing about that?"

...

"You're losing them even more by not letting them in." Darkness huffed; she stared into Mathael's shocked eyes. "You lose upon all the joy in life, and you hurt me, your friend, and all those you love by exiling yourself. How long do you want to continue this? Until you are satisfied?! Until this war is over?! Until we are nothing but a memory?!" Mathael's fists were shaking, such was his whole body. "If you didn't act today, then we all would be dead anyway, if you didn't fight back then, then the corruption would've already ended us all... And I would've bled out against a tree, but I am fine, thanks to you."

Mathael exploded with rage, his scarlet glowing eyes were a clear indicator for the furry bubbling up inside of him, all the stress and worry that has been building up in him in those last two days broke through his mental walls. "You aren't fine in the slightest, and if being honest, being dead might be better than whatever happens to you if I fail!!!" His voice was filled with venom as steam and spit flew out of his maw.

Darkness reiterated, but this time, with less hate in her voice, and a smile on her face, actually managing to scare Mathael with a kind expression. "So I would be dead either way, so what does it matter." Mathael took a step back, looking at her as if she was insane as if she.. answered like him. "If it weren't for you, I'd be dead either way, there is nothing more to add, and even if you don't want to acknowledge it, I. AM. FINE. If it wasn't for you-"

Mathael lost it. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be a FUCKING LICH!" He screamed with anger while his voice traveled through the air and echoed through the room.

"-Wouldn't be a FUCKING LICH!"

"-Be a FUCKING LICH."

"-A FUCKING LICH."

"-FUCKING LICH."

"-LICH."

"-lich..."

Mathael breathed heavily, staring at the unmoving body of Darkness, staring back at him with cold eyes. He didn't notice it at first, but the echoes of his voice rang through the whole castle, repeating the sentence over and over again, while his eyes widened further and further while fear, worry, and concern grew.

Darkness smile retained its forms while she continued to stare at Mathael with uneven heavy breaths. A cold, dreadful feeling spread through her body like an accidious and nefarious poison slowly draining all warmth and life from her very flesh. She could feel her hands burn with an unknown frost. Her head shakingly turned towards her hands that she held out, at first, they seemed normal, but she could see the hidden through somehow. Cracks began to worm just above her fur, growing and reaching even further, before the glass veil shattered.

Darkness watched with emptiness in her soul at the fleshless hands, and traveling up her body, she saw that her legs were just starved limbs with occasional strips of flesh left hanging. Her stomach was hollow and only held together by furless skin, while her ribcage was only concealed by few patches of fur and rotten meat, her heart hanging loosely and beating just barely. In the shards of the shattered plates, she could see her face. Her muzzle was devoided of flesh, her once so healthy hair was now just strings of white and her eyes, that Mathael cherished so much, were just empty holes with a glowing dot in each socket.

The undead mare felt nothing for the first few moments, she slowly brought her lifeless hands to her unchanging muzzle, grasping it tightly, as her 'eyes' flickered rapidly, switching between focused and unfocused. An ear-piercing sound rang through the room when her claws scratched her skull, and a black liquid began to stream out. Everything was falling apart in Darkness's eyes, she wanted to scream, cry anything, but all she could do is watch her unmoving reflection. Agony began to race through her every bone, and dust in masses fall off from her decayed form, almost like her very soul was leaving her body. A faint noise could be made out, but it was too far away to understand. The voice echoed in her skull like an image in a mirror labyrinth.

It took her a moment, but she could make out that something was wrapping itself around her, trying to crush her form. She flayed her arms and slashed at the enemy while a fiery sensation invaded her mind, soul, and form, but despite that, she found joy in the sight of blood droplets soaring through the air as she clawed away at the foe. Suddenly, a hand wrapped grabbed the back of her head, and slammed it against something soft and warm, not even trashing was able to free her. With each passing seconds in imprisonment, the voices in her head grew louder and more powerful, until they overshadowed her very instincts, forcing away all control, and eventually, consciousness.

Eleven beings stared in utter shock and horror at the only other seat left standing, or more precisely, the one sitting in it. A sickly pale form sat there, clutching to the skeletal remains of a thestral mare, which was mostly hidden under tethered leathery wings, or so one might believe. The white form shivered as he lowered the body's head down to his chest, revealing his face. An old, fragile, and boney Stallion sat there, with a sad end empty look in his eyes. His in wrinkles covered flesh hung loosely on him, not a single trained muscle, he seemed to be close to dying, and yet he wasn't. He let out a dusty sigh, while he stroked the head of the corpse, his oversized clothes followed his movements sluggishly.

"...Is she... are you..?" someone asked a concerned voice, but the stallion didn't even bother to look up to see who asked, not even bothering to try and recognize the voice.

Mathael continued his business, only a few moments later did he answer. "No, I am not fine, but my body will heal shortly..." He said, before pausing his activities and looking up, it seemed like Fluttershy asked the question seeing as she looked like she was awaiting an answer. "Darkness... isn't 'gone,' if that is what you are asking, but she was close... She used an old artifact to save her, but its power is limited. Typically, a soul passes the realm of the dead slowly, but with my malice combined with an attack, I send her off too fast for the stone to react, and a shard of her soul crossed the border."

Mathael closed his eyes, almost like he didn't want to say the last part, but eventually, he did. "The stone took back the shard, but death has already brand marked 'his property,' ultimately drowning it in pure death. The two pieces won't merge with one another now, thus forcing my little Darkness into Lichdome, but it will be only a matter of time until the lord of the underworld will want his property back... He isn't someone you want to mess with, even if I never met him before, I know, he is too powerful for me... But I know enough of him to get the soul shard back." He explained and took a deep breath.

Mathael's hand slowly traveled towards the container that Andros's gifted him, lifting it to his mouth, he opened his mouth still filled with the strange liquid and bit into the glass that was an inch thick. The potion was absorbed withing seconds as the fangs seemingly acted as straws. Mathael, once finished with his drink, let the container disappear in black flames. He bulged his fists and grit his teeth, as his body began to change-no, it reversed his age. His fur regained its color and softness while his flesh and skin regained their former glory in moments as his body grew back into its prime.

Mathael stood up, giving them all one last look, which they returned with concern, some with still frozen horror and only a few with confidence directed at him. He looked Erebus shortly into the eyes, assuring her that he wouldn't rush the god of death, Shinigami, before turning around and walking towards the exit. The doors that lead to a balcony opened themselves without any use of magic or touch, Mathael walked through them, they closed once he passed.

The girls could only watch as the forsaken one walked towards the railing his hoof already on the fence, ready to leave. "Wait!" this stopped Mathael.

Spike stood behind the looming Stallion, huffing and puffing from the record sprint he just pulled off. "I-I know this probably doesn't mean much, but uh, if you need to talk or just hang out, I am there, just so you know heh. Bro promise." The little drake spoke nervously as he looked shily at the grim look on Mathael's face, which surprisingly, warped into a soft smile.

"I will... bro promise," Mathael said, before jumping over the railing and flying at the speed of sound in the direction of his home, and vanished from sight a few feet away from the castle.

Mathael leaned forward and kissed the tender forehead of Darkness, frowning at her defied form, there would be hell to pay for whoever corrupted Discord, no honor or painless death would be given to it. The stallion grit his teeth with anger, before turning around. From this day on, everything-

His thoughts were halted when he felt a weak pull on his silk coat. In any other circumstance with such anger boiling in him, he would have just pulled through and ripped whatever held him back in two, but now was different. A sigh escaped his pained lips before turning around and sitting down on both of his knees. In front of him was Darkness, who laid on their bed. He had filled the still active mechanism of the soul stone with his life energy, among other things.

"I bucked up real hard this time, didn't I?" The 'healthy, but tired looking mare' spoke with a soft, but tired voice. "I broke my promise not even two hours after making it... I'm the worst." Darkness sighed and looked down, but was not given a moment to be sad as a finger softly poked her nose.

"Stop saying that, it wasn't your fault," Mathael said with a small smile.

Her face flared up with anger upon hearing the sentence 'it wasn't your fault,' but she regained her composed demeanor quickly. "So... what will happen to me?" She asked, with all emotions drained.

Mathael let out a heavy breath, before putting a hand on her left cheek. He told her the truth, not a false hope or some fairytale. "Everything will be fine, that's what will happen. It might take a while, and the task might not be hard, but everything will be fine for you." He answered sincerely with confidence after he explained it to her. She didn't speak once or even show many reactions during the whole time.

"And what about you?" Darkness asked, to which Mathael shrugged weakly. She frowned deeply with sorrow. "Promise me something." that got Mathael's attention as his ears pecked up. "I want you to go and meet a pony named Horsenround, you'll know what to do when you meet her, ask Luna if you can't find her. And just try to be happy."

Mathael stared at her silently, sighing to himself, he stood up and walked away. "I'll try... and that's a promise." He halted for just a moment to give an answer.

Mathael left the building and went towards his garden, away from any prying eyes. He didn't say anything, nor give any reaction, not even a thought crossed his mind, he just walked there for a little peace with no purpose. Once there, his entire body tensed up, the powerful aura around him nearly vanished, and his fist impacted with the wooden wall of his home, leaving behind a decent dent in it.

His teeth were bared with a scowl, and his glare could kill. His breath was heavy, all these new emotions-no, forgotten feelings twirled and swirled in him and caused many conflicts in his mind. He shivered in disgust at himself, not loathing himself, but what he had done.

Becoming a Lich was less about one's power, it's mostly based around the mind of the immortality aspiring mortal. The reason why Darkness was able to exist with so little problem was only able because ignorance kept her safe, but when she learned... the ancient powers awoke and attempted to suck out the last of her life and breaking her in comparison weak mind. He was only barely able to save her by letting his life force be absorbed, which resulted in him aging, and one particular skill. The ability itself was nothing terrible, but the name irritated him much. Tame Beast, as if Darkness only was a pet to him. The power calmed the mind of the 'target,' thus taming it, but it still didn't quite sit well in his stomach.

"My my, did I miss the show already?" asked a young voice belonging to a boy.

"You're late... What do you want, low reaper?" Mathael asked without turning around, there was no need to, he very much knew who spoke. His body straightened again, and his eyes turned towards the guest.

A young colt with brown fur, a short messy blond hair stared at him with pale blue eyes and a smile too big to be possible for any pony to have given the proportions. "You know damn well what I want. The boss doesn't like it when some random smug takes away his merchandise without paying up. So pal, are ya gonna give the soul some rest or do ya wanna make a-" The voice, albeit young, was filled with much professionalism, despite his slurs and attitude.

"You know very much so already that I'm not giving her away. A deal it is, what do you want in return..? Also, why are you wearing that?" Mathael cut 'him' off sternly.

"Hmpf." The Cold huffed loudly before smiling again. "Well, you are no fun, but that's fine. I got the getup on the way, but decided to make a little detour and picked a fresh soul on the way. Would you believe that there was just a huge pile of them sittin' in some random old building in that fancy-schmancy city over there?" He asked, but after seeing Mathael's unmoved look, he cleared his throat with a sour look and pulled out a parchment and read out loud. "Ehem, I'm just going to summit up, ya don't mind cutting the crap, don't ya? Good. By the rules of necrotix unox saliax orthox, or commonly known as the rules of the soul trade, you, Mathael, are willing to play the humble prince of ten billion sentient souls of any kind to the current lord of death, Shinigami Hades Anubis, in return for the rights of soul 05/S.o.P.S.o.t.W. ... I have absolutely no idea why this one got such a strange name, we don't even use letters to label them normally." Spoke the reaper in confusion as he scratched his head.

Mathael's head slowly turned towards the ground, while his eyes kept being looked towards the pale blue orbs. "Ten... Billion... Souls? Are you joking me?" He asked with utter disbelief. He knew the rates after killing so many beings who made contracts with death, and this was way more than it should've ever been.

The little reaper shrugged and rolled the parchment into a roll, he simply let it drop to the ground. "Don't ask me, I'm just the messenger, all that I just said was written down by smoke daddy. But! I do agree that this rate is insane, but hey, I don't make the rules." He said, and added. "Oh, before I forget, there is no time limit, but letting bills stay unpaid for long might have unhealthy effects, just saying." And thus, he slowly became transparent; moments later, he was gone from this plane of existence, but for as long as he could, he blew a raspberry at Mathael.

Mathael's lips pursed as much as they could, almost matching an arrowhead, his look morphed into that of an eighty-year-old grumpy grandpa who was disappointed by his grandchildren.

Ten Billion souls... seemed like a lot, but honestly, that would be just flicks of his wrists away, but could he really bring himself to kill so many innocent? In the past, the answer would probably be a shrug and a few burned worlds, but now? He couldn't ruin someone's happy ending as it happened to him. It would take him a while to kill that many people who deserve to die, but it would be worth it, it was only a matter of time.

And yet.

Mathael punched the wood again, a painful creak could be heard as Mathael's blood ran down the wall. With a frown, he turned around swiftly and began to take a few steps away from the building. His eyes glowed with a scarlet aura, and he spoke to ostensibly no one. "Andros, use any mean necessary to engage in phase two of the war without pulling resources from your newest project."

"Enter the password." A robotic voice demanded.

Mathael took a deep breath, his mind was finally calmed and his being quivered with anticipation. "Irushia." He spoke with determination.

"Affirmative. The project will be brought to start as soon as possible, the specimen has already reached the prime age of use, blueprints have been received, data has been received, location data has been received. Awaiting tools and targets to be given to begin Phase two-step one." Andros spoke a little louder and harder than usual, was he too awaiting this order?

"I will provide the magic needed for the creation of the 'collectors' soon, prepare everything for my arrival."

"Roger Roger."

Mathael smiled widely while looking up to the sky. For some reason, he was feeling hopeful for once in a while. There was something in the back of his mind that wanted to be angry and sad, and yet, he was smiling... was the promise he made really stronger than the pain? No, it wasn't, but it would do for now. The pieces have been set in motion, everything would be fine, it just will take some time.

A single thought passed through his mind, before he walked back into his home, to do whatever it took to make Darkness, and for once, him, Happy.

'From this day on, everything would change.'

Author's Notes:

Hi there everyone, it's been a while, hasn't it, I know. I am aware that my update schedule is practically nonexistent, but I've been trying to write as often as I could while delivering the best quality. The story isn't dead, and if it ever were to die, then I would tell you guys.

This chapter hasn't been like those before, I know some may not like it, some others perhaps even hate it, but I believe it was necessary. I have been thinking about the story and how it went so far for a while. I always feared that the character might seem empty or for a better lack of words, shallow. In this Chapter's second half, we watched from Darkness's position; it was there to show the world from the eyes of someone who could only watch the battles and struggles as an outsider could.

I want to point out as well that this chapter was not just done to say 'hey look, these characters aren't just there to make the mc feel good,' I made it because it felt needed to me. The plotline of this story hasn't really started off, or rather, it's still in the beginning, the prologue, so to say. My intention when I first started writing this was to take the original Don't Get Cocky and flesh it more out, with a different main character, as well as continue it. For the first few chapters, I haven't really been doing a good job, but in the latest chapters, I felt like that I have reached the level I wanted to achieve and instead of feeling shameful of my early beginnings, I decided to keep them this way and build from there. I am happy that I made that decision, and one day there will even be one chapter with an explanation of why everything seemed so much like a below-average Overpowered main character in my little pony story.

Everything that was mentioned in this chapter, I wrote with a purpose, and I know that using someone's loss of genitals, along with everything else in this chapter, as part of a plotline seems like a Kojima level of weirdness. Still, I assure you, everything, every little hint, and detail will one day make sense, because, and I may now, perhaps, possible extravagate, this story indeed has more of a story going then just good guy with problems fights the bad guy and gets the girl(s). Just be patient with me.

Yours sincerely,
Zwillingen700