The Unsung Hero

by Blackshadow999

The world of Equus is facing growing dark times. Lone Human in the world of Equus returns to the land which he had been exiled from to investigate strange incidents. What he finds isn't what he expects. How will Matesis face the darkness he finds or his past which comes back to haunt him?

3. Chapter 3

A/n

Here is chapter 3. Hope you readers are enjoying this story so far.

III

The next morning

Matesis had woken up early the next morning after all the "excitement" which had come the previous night. Getting the two fillies to bed after their bath and slices of cake had been the easy part in his opinion. The two fillies, while excitable, were willing to do what Matesis asked them to do without much push back. Most children that Matesis had encountered were like that, they tended to cooperate when given simple motivation like food and comfort. Sure, there had been some children who had been stubborn and/or resisted him when he asked them to do things. But overall, that was a rare thing for children of Equus not to cooperate with him and what he was doing with them. So, he hadn't expected much issue with Skyla and Sweet Cream and getting them to bed. Yet, calming down the two mares and having them go to bedrooms had been much more difficult in comparison.

The two mares which Matesis was now hosting had been a different story than the fillies. Of the two mares, Cadance had been semi-cooperative with retiring for the night, or at least she hadn't pushed back much as Spitfire. That wasn't to say that Cadance had been as quick to cooperate as the fillies had been since she hadn't been that simple to deal with. Matesis felt it was Cadance's attraction to him which had fueled the resistance which he had dealt with last night. She had taken some convincing and logical arguments from Matesis to get her to go to bed for the night. Cadance had taken the mid-side bedroom and had Skyla follow her there which Matesis kind of expected. It made sense with how young Skyla was to want to stay with her mother.

Spitfire on the other hand, had been more frustrating to him than Cadance had been. He'd expected Spitfire to cause trouble with the signs he'd seen, but he had underestimated the mare and the extent she would go to frustrate him. Spitfire had dragged out the process of retiring for the night with her flirting to put it mildly. It had brought back unpleasant memories of being around Midnight Castle during their heat season. Matesis would rather his hips not go through the soreness they had endured from that experience anytime soon again. And Matesis wouldn't put it past Spitfire at this point to try and buck him if she could get the chance. There had quickly come a point that Matesis gave up trying to get Spitfire to go to the remaining room. Her sensual flirting had gone to beyond trying for him, so he just decided to walk away for the night. He'd left Spitfire and hastened to his room and put a spell on the door to seal it to prevent others from entering to get the mare to leave him alone for the time being.

At the thoughts of last night's events, Matesis thought about staying in bed for a moment and sleeping a little longer. However, any warmth or comfort he'd had quickly vanished pushing him to make a decision of starting the day. He rose from his bed to get down to the list of tasks that he had been making mentally yesterday. There were the things with and around the house which Matesis wanted to look at and work on if needed. He wanted to make sure the house was safe from potential attacks both magical and physical, intruders, and spying from a distance as soon as possible. He had enough enemies that would be more than willing to hurt others to get to him over the years with what he'd done. Because of that, Matesis had to take into account the possibility of attacks coming his way regardless of where he went. Matesis was sure he could put something in place to achieve the goals he had for himself and those in the house.

After that, there was a list of jobs on the inside of the house to see to, which was growing form what Matesis had seen. That included stuff like putting runes on the handles along with reshaping them before putting them back on the faucets to have heated water coming out among other things. It would really depend how far back Equestrian technology was compared to the Eastern Continent. And from what he'd seen, it was decades behind at least which irritated him a bit. Yet, as Matesis would be living in the house for an extended period bar something serious coming up to change that, he knew it was best to do the work sooner rather than later. He wasn't as good as runic engineers with runic magic, but he would manage as he could to get the needed changes done.

Lastly, the other set of tasks that Matesis would need to start looking into today involved Ponyville as a whole. With him being the town guard, he needed to get a general lay of the town and the surrounding area. That would go into the plans which would be made to protect the town from whatever could come and do it harm. Laying traps for malicious interlopers would be one of the first things Matesis would do after getting the "lay of the land." If he was lucky, then he may just catch some of those who were responsible for the foalnappings. Matesis also wanted to establish a "meeting place" for the Shadow Blade organization should that be required and he felt it would be at some point in the near future. It would be not just what could happen around Ponyville, but other places which Matesis had worked around.

With that list of things for him, there was much to do before seeing to anything else. Matesis wanted to spending time with his newly adopted daughter who was his responsibility which he would take seriously. He knew that if he didn't set aside time to spend around Sweet Cream, things would come up and prevent him from doing so. It was a life lesson that he'd learned several times, you set aside time for the important things in life or they would be lost in the chaos life brought on. Thus, if he could start on some of that list early, he could do time management properly and still make time for Sweet Cream. With all that in mind, Matesis exited his room and headed down to the ground floor being as quiet as he could. If he didn't wake the others in the house, he could do the needed tasks more efficiently without interruption.

Matesis opened the front door to see the blizzard was still going strongly but less hard than it had been yesterday and last night. Now there weren't howling winds, though winds were still moving the snow all over. The cold wasn't as hard biting, but it was still plenty cold for most that weren't used to being in cold environments as Matesis was. And there was plenty of snow coming down adding to the piles that had been there last night. There was still little sign of the sun with the layer of clouds over the town, keeping the cold around from the blizzard. The snow on the ground had been more than a foot deep on non-main roads and main roads were approaching a foot from what Matesis saw with a glance out the window. For a human like Matesis, the depth of snow may be annoying to trudge through, but not enough to impede what he would be doing later. Ponies on the other hand, the snow depth was more difficult to get through for them and would have them inside for the day for the most part.

Matesis stepped outside and turned back to face the house, considering how to go about putting up a barrier to do what he wanted for the house and its inhabitants. There were several ways he could go about it to get the job done, depending on the desired results he wanted. But a giggling in his mind interrupted his considerations and got a smile to come to his face. Amused at the task I'm working on, Morgana, Matesis posed to the voice. He knew the voice which had echoed in his mind well. It belonged to one that was a cherished friend to Matesis which he had met over two centuries ago. He and Morgana had been kindred spirits in several ways which had made their friendship all the more vibrant. She had been a unicorn and was one of those friends that stuck out in Matesis's memory over the millennium he'd lived for thus far. And that was saying something for him with what his travels had brought him. That was before them both being involved with what had happened at Mune.

Of those that Matesis still had with him from Mune, Morgana had a tendency to look in on what Matesis was doing often enough even when she didn't say anything. Sure, she would chat with Matesis upon subjects for time to time, magic in general being one of the subjects that came up often. But Matesis had been one of the few who could understand magic and its workings as well as Morgana had come to. Becoming friends with Matesis had been one of the best things that had happened in her life, even if her body had died around two hundred years ago. He was truly different than most of the inhabitants of Equus saw or had known. You are always so serious when it comes to protecting others, especially those you care about, Matesis, Morgana replied. You haven't changed much since we met before the events of Mune.

The mention of Mune from Morgana got Matesis thinking along with a wave of pain coming to him. Mune was a place which didn't exist any longer as it had been destroyed after the horrors there had gone out of control. It had been a "laboratory complex" that had been at the western edge of the western continent. The experiments which had been done there had been extremely horrible at best, unspeakable at worst. Because of those events things had changed Matesis's and others' lives forever since he had survived what had happened there. It had been one of the three life altering events which had come to Matesis. The first had been arriving on Equus when he'd been in his mid-teens, which had started him on the journey which he was on now. Then had come what had led to his exile and the beginning of his travels that had become a fresh start even if it hadn't seemed like it at first. And finally, the chain of events which had involved Mune had shattered Matesis's life for the third time.

The events of Mune had all begun with Morgana suddenly vanishing and there being little hint as to where she could've gone more than two centuries ago. Matesis had gone off searching for her, traveling Equus to try and find her. That had eventually led to Matesis being overwhelmed by a large group, a small army really which had ended in his capture that had brought him to the Mune complex. He'd found Morgana within a day, which had relieved Matesis as he cared about her, though not in a romantic way. They had quickly conferred the same general group had brought Morgana to the place as had dragged Matesis there. Over time, Matesis met others there who had been taken from all over Equus which Matesis had been hearing about. The stories from those Matesis got to know were very similar to Morgana and his own for ending out at Mune. Several of those had become friends before things ended as horrifying as they had.

The events of Mune still affected Matesis in a few ways which the outside world rarely saw any more. And when an individual did witness any of what had come from Mune, Matesis couldn't find the words to explain what was seen. Truthfully, it was painful to remember what had happened around Mune and what it had taken, not just from him, but from many. But what happened with that place and its ends had come with a cost which he questioned if it had been worth it or if it could've been prevented. I don't want anything like what occurred at Mune to happen again, Matesis returned. Some of those who were responsible for the experiments done there did escape as you know. And with at least one of their horrid projects, they still could be alive for all we know. Matesis shook his head and focused on the present. But let's not dwell on the darkness of the past. Would you be up to helping me put a barrier on this house? You always did have a knack for creating custom ones that were outright incredible with your talent and skills.

Doing magic with Matesis had always been wonderful and an incredible experience for Morgana. Together they had pushed boundaries of what was accepted as possible with magic and that hadn't stopped even with Morgana's body passing. So, she would never refuse the chance to work with Matesis when it came to magic. Thus, Morgana giggled in reply to the request, You need to ask? Of course I would be happy to assist you make a barrier for this structure. Morgana paused considering what Matesis may want to go into the said barrier he was referring to. It really came down to what Matesis wanted the barrier to do since Morgana could design a barrier to do essentially what she wanted. Did you have any specific functions in mind you want put into it?

Matesis already had a few points in mind, but with Morgana helping, they could tailor the barrier in any way he wished. There were the main points such as damage negation and blocking, barring intruders, and preventing any from spying on those inside. Yet, achieving those was a matter of how one wanted to go about them. Matesis's goal was to have this barrier to be able to stop individuals like Discord, Celestia, and Luna. Celestia and Luna would just require thinking ahead and making sure the barrier couldn't be overwhelmed but sheer amounts of magic energy. Discord on the other hand, would take a different path of thinking which logic may or may not come into. It was all because of Discord's abilities and his "unhinged" personality he possessed and heeded.

Matesis hadn't forgotten Discord or the powers he could wield. Memories of the fights with Discord had been carved into Matesis's mind well enough that he couldn't forget them. Discord may be considered the embodiment of chaos by most, Matesis wouldn't fully agree with that. He couldn't deny Discord was proficient with those powers of his, Matesis had personal experience with that. Predicting Discord could be difficult if one didn't know how he tended to think. Matesis had been around Discord enough to know his general mindset. The two of them had come to the understanding that neither would like the other and they wouldn't be getting along anytime in the near future. Yet, sadly, as much as he disliked Discord, he was more tolerable than Noctis had ever been, hard as that may be to believe with some. Discord's arrogance and tendency to underestimate others was his downfall. The Draconequus believed he couldn't be outdone or outsmarted by others. So, Matesis would use that fault against him to make sure he wouldn't get into the house, he would make a fortress of safety.

Yet, a general plan was forming in Matesis's mind which could be used as a foundation to start with for the barrier. Let's start with three basic categories for the barrier to cover and work from there Matesis stated. Morgana appreciated that Matesis was methodical about spell design, it made creating and weaving a spell more straightforward. She couldn't help but wonder if Matesis could've learned such from her ancestor, Starswirl. And those categories would be, Morgana posed. Attack blocking and mitigation if not negation, barring intruder entry, and disrupting any form of spying we can, Matesis replied. Morgana laughed, Well, I would say you're not asking for much, she returned. Matesis's qualifications were specific enough to imply that he had some in mind he wanted to keep out. It wouldn't be surprising if that were the case, he had made quite a few enemies during his journeys. But correct me should I assume wrong, yet who specifically are you wanting to stop from potentially assaulting this house or looking in on it?

Matesis knew that Morgana would pick up from the categories that Matesis had some specifically in mind of keeping out. Not that she was wrong about that as Matesis had three specifically in mind. Morgana was just very smart and knew how to "read between the lines" better than many did. It was a quality that Matesis respected in Morgana. Oh, you are correct, Morgana, Matesis remarked. There are three specifically that I don't want getting into the house without my express and specific permission. You can likely guess one or two of them from what I have told you about my life so far.

Morgana certainly could guess two of those Matesis didn't want to enter his house without him allowing it. The things Matesis had told her and some others about what kind of life he'd lived had explained many things about him. Some of the odd quirks that Morgana had observed with Matesis had been explained with the life events he iterated. Morgana imagined he hadn't told what he had to her and some others to most if any he'd been around, thus the stuff had to be secrets for him. Matesis being from another world had been completely unexpected but explained his ignorance to some things. But his experience after arriving to Equus had been less than great for the most part and that was putting it mildly. With how badly King Noctis had treated Matesis, it was a miracle that he didn't hate ponies in general. But he had also been betrayed by Celestia and Luna unknowingly at the direction of their father. There was still bad blood between Matesis and the two princesses Morgana knew, and she didn't blame him for that. Celestia I would assume is one out of the three, Morgana questioned. Luna would be another should she have somehow returned from her banishment would be another. Yet, I couldn't accurately say who the third would be. You have gained quite a few enemies over the years you have wandered. The Storm King would certainly be one that could fit the third, but he hasn't done much around the western continent that we know of.

Morgana was right on for the first two he wanted to keep from entering his house. Celestia and Luna would not be the happiest if they found out he was still alive. Matesis fully expected Celestia to throw a full-on tantrum in front of the house trying to get in. The Storm King was certainly a good guess since Matesis had a growing history with the foolish idiot. The Storm King had been waging a war against the eastern continent for close to two decades now. The fool wanted to rule over the nations as a dictator, that much had been clear to Matesis. He'd been helping those on the eastern continent to fend off and push back the Storm King. It had brought about several of the technological developments which had come about recently. Yet, the Storm King hadn't shown a serious interest yet in Equestria or the other nations of the western continent. Thus Matesis wasn't actively worried about that idiot coming about as much as Discord. There were rumors that the crazy idiot may have escaped his stone prison, which hadn't been confirmed or denied yet by intelligence from Shadow Blade agents. Were it true, Matesis was more worried about Discord tracking him down for payback. The idiot was one to hold a grudge against those who wrong him from what Matesis had seen. So, Matesis sighed at the third was the hardest of the three to plan for. You are right with those two, Matesis iterated. And they are the simpler of the three to plan for sorry to say. The Storm King is a standing issue, but he hasn't shown signs that he wants to bring his war to the western continent as of yet. No, the third individual is someone else who I have about as bad a history with if not a slightly worse one.

Morgana was almost worried to ask what Matesis meant with the last line. The Storm King was a villain who was bad enough to have to deal with. The Satyr had been waging a war against the eastern continent for years now, so he was a threat to Equus. However, the wording Matesis had used was specific and Morgana didn't like it. To say the princesses would be "simpler" to plan for was implying a lot. And that he had a history with said individual and a bad one at that wasn't comforting at all. Whoever the third Matesis had in mind had to be either extremely different than the princesses or would have to be dealt with in an entirely different way than them. But Morgana couldn't come up with any that would fit that bill that Matesis had mentioned. Just who it the third individual you had in mind, Morgana couldn't help but ask. Who did you regularly tick off enough that would require entirely different thinking than the princesses? Matesis hesitated for a moment since Discord had a heck of a reputation and that was in a bad way. That would be Discord.

There was silence from Morgana at the mention of Discord. Matesis knew the idiot got most to pause if not hesitate with. Discord, Morgana said, As in the Draconequus who is considered the spirit of chaos? The source of that twisted abomination Mune tried to produce? Matesis sighed, Yep, that would be the third on my list. He and I have some history and none of it is good. We essentially came to the understanding that I don't like him anymore than he likes me. Matesis paused remembered the last news he'd heard about Discord. The last I knew of the crazy idiot was he was still in his stone prison since Celestia and Luna used the Elements of Harmony on him. However, there have been rumors the crazy fool may have escaped his stone prison which haven't been confirmed or denied yet. I want to think he is still in that prison as he should be, yet until that can be verified, I'm assuming that he is free and causing trouble as he tends to do. So, I want to be prepared should that idiot be free and is out for payback.

Morgana couldn't help but be impressed at Matesis's daring. He was the only one she knew of which would call the spirit of chaos a crazy idiot and genuinely mean it. And she believed that Matesis had a point that should Discord be free he may just want payback on someone like Matesis. However, planning against the being who was seen as the embodiment of chaos would be a tall order in any event. Her experience with the powers of chaos came from the attempt by those at Mune to create something like Discord. And that had been beyond ridiculous and seriously dangerous for those that had been forced to deal with the abomination. I hope you have some ideas of how we could prepare from one like Discord, Morgana said evenly. I can plan for the princesses making sure they won't get around our barrier. But planning for a wielder of the powers of chaos is an entirely different matter. I'm assuming that it will be similar if not harsher than going against the abomination at Mune, do correct me should I be wrong.

The fools at Mune had been crazy to think they could make something like Discord which they could control, Matesis would be the first to state that. He still wasn't sure how they got the "sample" which had been used to create the abomination they had produced. The memories of that creature still haunted Matesis as that thing had been more unhinged than Discord had ever been. The abomination had lacked any sign of sanity of any kind, which had seemed to make the chaos powers it had stronger. However, Discord as crazy as he could be at times, still had some sanity even if it wouldn't make sense to most. That made the fool somewhat predictable which Matesis would take for this. Matesis ended out smirking, I know of a standing flaw that Discord has which we can exploit which the abomination lacked. So, yeah, I have some ideas we can work in.

Morgana was relieved that Matesis had some ideas on how to deal with Discord. The abomination had been terrifying to go against, truly a monster which shouldn't have been made. If not for the power which Matesis, she, and others had discovered back at the time, the abomination would've been unleashed on Equus to reek havoc unbound. Morgana would question if even the Elements of Harmony could've stopped the abomination with how twisted that creature had been. So, Morgana giggled again as Matesis was always full of interesting and fun ideas to use. Then off with those limiters of yours so we can get started.

Matesis smiled and stripped off his gloves which acted as one of the limiters to the power which flowed through him. He glanced down and saw the many violet lines beginning to appear on his arms and hands. The many intricate colored lines were the "magic circuits" which Matesis had running throughout his body. He'd learned all living beings had magic circuits even if it was called something else by others. They were the paths which magic energy flowed throughout a body to put it simply. Matesis's circuits were far more complex and extensive than any pony who had been examined as far as Matesis knew so far. That was something that had been stated by some at Mune which Matesis had overheard. Matesis couldn't say if they were right about that if he were compared to Celestia or Luna. He hadn't been able to see magic circuits before he had begun his journeys, so he couldn't say how Celestia's were as he hadn't seen her once he had begun traveling.

Matesis could feel Morgana's magic running through him combining with his own magic. The feeling of a friend's magic flowing through him and mixing with his felt wonderful to Matesis. It was almost like Morgana was standing right behind or beside him even if she wasn't physically. Working with a friend had been one of the things which gave Matesis's life meaning and had him keep going forward after so many years had gone by. There was a taint of other energies, but Matesis ignored that as he began focusing on the task at hand. Matesis placed his hands onto the wall of the house. The spell's circuit paths shot over the house as the spell engulfed the whole house. These circuit lines were violet, white, and dark grey with a mixture of magical energies. And Matesis and Morgana began their discussion of how to design the barrier now the barrier's foundation had been started.

The discussion proved to Matesis that the barrier wouldn't be simple, the opposite really. But he knew if this was done as he hoped, the time spent designing and implementing it would be worth it for the defense it would put in place. And should Discord come around, the house would be ready to serve as a protection for Sweet Cream and the others living in the house. He wanted that to be so as Discord wasn't above using others for hostages against him. He'd done that with Luna before he'd been sealed in a stone prison. Then Matesis wasn't interested in seeing Celestia as things were between them. The mare still likely held onto grudges she had against him, even when the stuff Celestia blamed him for was her father's doing and fault. That was why he wanted the barrier to be able to keep out Celestia if she came around and was inconsolable or threw a tantrum of some sort. He sort of expected that Celestia would throw some sort of tantrum if she knew he was here and who he was.

It took around a half an hour for Morgana and Matesis to iron out the finer details for the barrier. It took another five minutes for them to design the "array" the barrier would use to protect the house. A custom "spell array" was a more advanced form of using magic which most didn't see a reason to learn as natural generic arrays were far easier to work with and less of a hassle to learn. An array dictated how a spell would work and, in this case, how the barrier would be maintained when inactive and active. For the barrier's case, its array would use the ambient magic around to supply the spell while not actively blocking. There would be hardly anything from the barrier detectable while inactive with how little magic it would need to be maintained. When under assault by whatever way, it would draw magic from the attacker. The energy sent at the barrier could also be distributed to the array and maintain the barrier, and that distribution was done in less than a second. With that designed into it, Celestia couldn't overwhelm the barrier with her magic reserves. There had been a special part inserted into the spell's array should Discord come around. It was a contribution of Matesis as he put in magic that negated incoming magic with its opposing energy.

Once the barrier was set and its array solid, Matesis pulled his hands back. He watched as the spell's circuit vanishing from his sight. He was relieved and happy the house was now protected from the dangers he could foresee. Matesis wanted Sweet Cream to be safe from any that would come to cause trouble. He felt the same for Skyla and even the two mares which had flustered him. What trouble could come their way Matesis couldn't say. He still didn't know what Cadance and Skyla had come to Ponyville to escape yet. Perhaps, they would tell him given a little time, he hoped so. Matesis went back into the house after finishing the barrier. Then there were rumors about this town being a "trouble magnet" of some kind. He couldn't say what that meant as he was a magnet for trouble himself at times.

With the barrier finished and in place, Matesis headed back inside the house. After brushing himself off, he moved onto the next set of tasks he had on his "list." He felt that it was best that he focuses on the more "necessary" things like that things and areas that would be the most frequently used by those in the house. The first on the list was the house's plumbing since that would be a bad thing if it wasn't seen to quickly in Matesis's mind. With that in mind, Matesis headed for the kitchen to start the work he would do. As he began his examination of the plumbing, he noticed that the pipes were of old copper metal that really should be taken out and replaced with the damage which he was detecting. With a quiet sigh, Matesis stopped and went up to his room to fetch his pack so he could get the needed materials he would need to replace the old pipes. It took a half an hour and a good portion of the iron that Matesis had stored in his pack to replace the plumbing the house had. His skill that allowed him to mold material and shape it as he wanted did make the work somewhat easier, though it was still tedious.

Once the plumbing pipes were replaced with the iron ones that he made, Matesis then moved onto to the faucet handles. He reshaped the handles both in the kitchen and in the bathrooms so they could swing both left and right. Then he scribed flash heating runes on the underside of the sink handles so they could have hot water on command. Matesis did put in some of the parts that could be made into a shower at a future point. He would love to do that now, but it was not on the "necessary" list which Matesis was working on. Maybe in the near future, he would finish putting in a shower for himself and others should they want to use such. His current goal was to get all the plumbing up to what he would see as a creditable standard. He could always come back and work on things later that he didn't at this point.

Matesis then went back to the kitchen and focused on the appliances which there were. The cold box was okay, but Matesis improved its function with runic magic much as he had the plumbing. He then moved to the stove to do some work on it so it would be simpler to use and safer too. Each appliance increased the subtle frustration that was coming to Matesis as they showed the progress which wasn't being made by Equestria when it came to technology. And it wasn't that Equestria couldn't create and advance science and technology, Matesis had seen they could. It was more that their "leaders" encouraged using magic for everything rather than developing something new which Matesis had an issue with. He felt the particular frustration he was feeling would be visiting him off and on while he was around Ponyville and other areas of Equestria.

As he finished doing work in the Kitchen, he let out a tired sigh with all that he'd gotten done. All the work had been fixing and updating what the house started with rather than him doing checks and improvements. He didn't want to give a great deal of time of improving the old technology which Equestria used while he was on the western continent. Matesis didn't doubt that Cadance and Spitfire would ask about the changes when they noticed them. He would rather not explain to some that technology on the eastern continent had gone beyond what Equestria had to work with. It was more that Matesis didn't want Equus's Council finding out about that fact. The council was already enough of a pain in the rear with their "control from the shadows." He didn't see that lot getting dangerous weapons going well for any, thus they were kept out of any advances made around the Eastern Continent.

Once all the necessary work was finished, he turned his attention to the "additions" he wanted to make to the house. Matesis moved to the sitting room as he had an idea to add to this room to make it more comfortable. He glanced over the room and his gaze came to stop on the chairs that were there. They were fine for ponies who didn't care much about comfort and the like. They didn't fit Matesis's taste nor functionality he wanted out of the furniture in the sitting room. Thus, he took the two of the chairs in the sitting room and shrunk them down so he could fit them in his bag. Then brought out the chairs he wanted to put in and make them their original size. What he swapped in were some of the furniture which he'd found when exploring Paradise Estate.

The place had been "abandoned" or rather dark magic corruption had enveloped the area when the witches' curse had created the Dark Lands. Matesis had extreme resistance to the effects of dark magic if not near immunity to it, though he couldn't explain exactly why that was the case. The chairs were the most comfortable that Matesis had ever sat in, so he had brought them with him where he traveled and stayed for a time. Matesis then went around the ground floor putting up artwork and other things which he had in his pack. He felt that a home should be colorful and have things which reminded one of happy times. Such included photos and object which friends had made for him in the past. One piece was a picture of him on the floor of a kitchen having trouble with food he'd been served. While most wouldn't see that as a happy time, it had been some which he had spent with two who had been unique friends. All the things which he put up reminded him of friends which had passed away which he missed.

Once he had the artwork and other things up and out, Matesis went up the stairs so he could start personalizing his bedroom. It was the last thing on the list for jobs inside the house he wanted to get done today. Matesis wanted to make his room comfortable as it hadn't been so last night as he would like. The furniture in the room Matesis had "chosen" as his own which had been the largest and the only one left was okay, it would work just fine for ponies. Yet, as he would likely be around Ponyville for a long period of time, he may as well make his room as comfortable as he could. He would be around the town likely for the time it would take him and others to resolve the foalnappings. That was the main reason he had taken the town guard job for this small town when it had been explained to him.

Matesis couldn't say how long such a task would take. It was almost the same one he'd been working on around the Eastern Continent for the last year. He had a lot less resources within Equestria than he would have around the eastern continent. That could and probably make his work take longer than he would like it to. He felt that to be concerning as there seemed to be some sort of pattern to the kids being taken. Others denied the point, Celestia apparently among those naysayers. However, history made it clear that kids disappearing as they were now had happened more than once before this. Matesis was of the opinion the "pattern" did exist and even if he couldn't see it as a whole, he felt not giving it attention would come with a steep price.

Before he got to arranging his room as he wanted, there was one task that Matesis felt the need to do. That task was Matesis putting a separate barrier around his room which was different than the one protecting the house. It would be more complicated than the one on the house to defend from the outside. Instead, the barrier around Matesis's bedroom was meant to contain what occurred inside and not let anything out to potentially affect others. Unfortunately, there had been a few times which Matesis had lost control of his power before. Those times had not just harsh effects on Matesis, but also destructive ones on a varying area around him. He didn't want any of the ponies in the house to be at risk because of him should something happen to him. Matesis certainly didn't want Sweet Cream to be put at risk from something which his power could cause. The same was true with the other three that would likely live in the house with him and Sweet Cream. The barrier around Matesis's room took around an hour to put in place. Half of that time was used to design the array the bedroom barrier spell with Morgana's help. The other was checking over the barrier to make sure it would function as he wanted it to.

Once the room's barrier spell was in place to Matesis's satisfaction, he turned to the furniture exchange he intended to do. The furniture the room came with was fine for the function they were built for, and Matesis wouldn't doubt for any given pony would have an issue with it. Overall, Matesis didn't have a specific problem with the furniture other than it was kind of stiff and plain. Yet, he wanted what he found comfortable since this would be his personal space. Of the original furniture, Matesis planned for a bookshelf and vanity to remain in the room. The two pieces of furniture would fulfill their functions, and Matesis didn't have anything which he would replace them with which he would prefer.

The first piece Matesis put in place of the original furniture was the bed he had in his pack. What he brought out was enriched with bright colors and had an elegance which was extremely rare. The bed had come from within Dream Castle just east of Paradise Estate. Much like the chairs now in the sitting room, the bed had required cleaning and purging of the dark magic from witches' curse's corruption. However, the curse's power had been denser around Dream Castle than other areas of the Dark Lands. From what Matesis had gathered from the treks into the Dark Lands and the legends about the ancient witches, Dream Castle had been where the curse had been cast and spread from initially. Thus, the corruption there had been far worse than anywhere else and Matesis had felt that in the very air around the castle. Matesis had seen proof of that during his treks into the Dark Lands. Because of that, the purging process had taken longer for the bed than the chairs by a notable margin.

"Old Legends" stated the witches had tried several times to take over "Ponyland" which had been transformed into the Dark Lands. Supposedly, the witches had attempted several different things to obtain that goal, though details as to what most of those attempts were had been lost to obscurity. Matesis had read of a few of the witches attempts from books in the Dark Lands. What those books said the witches had tried to do would be seen by the vast majority as extremely mean. Now Matesis would say that the actions of the witches weren't exactly evil mean as they were, at least by human standards. But there had come an unspecified point when the witches changed their behavior, and it had been for the worst. Matesis couldn't exactly say what the change or event could've been which had pushed the witches to do what they did.

Maybe they had just got tired of being defeated, or it could've been something else. Regardless of what it had been, the witches had decided to stop just being mean and actually do something even humans would see as evil. That had been the casting of their curse which had created the Dark Lands through nasty dark corruption.

Many had been killed by the curse as it had spread over Ponyland. The curse created an environment which was not just toxic but lethal to be in for pretty much all but Matesis. The spirits of those witches had cackled as they had recounted the ponies running and screaming as the curse spread when they had talked to Matesis. He didn't recall fondly the witches haunting him during his treks into the Dark Lands. They seemed to enjoy telling him all about what they had done to the inhabitants of Equus. Those old crones, with Hydia leading them relished saying how much suffering they had caused for Equus. It was cruel irony that their own curse was the means which brought about their ends in Matesis's opinion. Yes, the curse which created the Dark Lands had taken the lives of its casters, not that they had much of a problem with it from what they mentioned to him. The ancient witches had been more than willing to die to get their revenge against their victims. Yet, another example to Matesis that revenge was a horrible poison which should be avoided.

The next item which Matesis had pulled out of his sling pack were the mats he had on the floor around the bed. They were the Equus's equivalent of Japanese tatami mats from Jaypan. Matesis had grown up with his Japanese mother who had shown him the culture including tatami mats. So, finding Jaypan had something similar had been a great but welcome surprise to him. Thus, he had mats in his pack as much for the nostalgia as the comfort it gave to him. The feel of them against his feet was one he'd used to feel on a regular basis when he was younger. It reminded him of the home he had once had and didn't want to ever forget even when he wouldn't see it again. The process the mats were made were straightforward and yet the materials were normally only found around Jaypan as far as Matesis knew. So, one could usually only find the mats around that nation unless one purchased them from the nation. Matesis had made sure he had some wherever he would stay for periods of time as they helped him relax.

The wardrobe which Matesis had put in was one he'd acquired while one of the times he'd been around Mount Aris in his earlier traveling days. He'd found the wardrobe by chance in one of the rooms close to the entry to Seaquestria. After inspecting it, he'd asked some hippogriffs how it worked. Matesis had seen it was keeping clothes fresh and prevented potential water damage. He'd never seen anything before that which could do such a thing. The explanation he'd gotten had been interesting, for it had revealed a "technique" which only those in the hippogriff kingdom knew of. After asking the ruler of the hippogriff kingdom at the time, he'd been given the wardrobe to keep. He had valued the gift from the hippogriffs as much as their friendship with the gift.

The next piece that Matesis had swapped out was the window draperies. The original draperies had been what Matesis assumed was the standard item around Equestria. They were fine, but Matesis felt that if there was something which could do a job better, why not use such? And during his travels, Matesis had found blocking light was done best by fabrics made around the Twilight Kingdom in the north on the eastern continent. The fabric which was found specifically around Midnight Castle was premium quality fabric if you wanted to black out light. Matesis had offered bits and told one of the queens of the Twilight Kingdom to name her price for the fabric. That queen had merely laughed and said Matesis could take what he felt he needed and didn't need to pay anything for it.

Lastly, there was the very same desk he'd possessed and used while a general for Griffonia. The desk may seem inelegant to most that would look at it with it being as rough as it was. Matesis would admit it would seem lacking in beauty by the standards of others. But while rugged, it was dependable and had served him better than any other desk he'd gotten to use. Not only that, but it was also just the right size for him to use comfortably, which was a rare thing for him around Equus. With Matesis being smaller than most Minotaurs and yet taller than all but alicorn ponies, it made getting furniture in his size very difficult. So, with the desk custom made for his size, Matesis wasn't about to give it up to another. He saw no reason why the desk couldn't continue to serve him as well as it had during his time in Griffonia.

After he was done with switching the furniture, he moved on to loading the bookshelf with the "library" he'd been carrying. He then stepped back to look over his work making his room more personal and comfortable. Matesis smiled as the room looked so much more one that he could be in and feel at home. Others may look at it and wonder how any of the furniture could relate to one another. However, it was a view into Matesis's history as each piece came from times on his journey around the world. Each piece had history for him and brought back memories of his travels which he did like. It was comfortable for him and that could be a rare thing for Matesis.

Nonetheless, now the tasks inside the house were done which he had in mind to do, he had a decision to make. Matesis thought about moving onto working on taking in the layout of the town and the work which came with it for a moment. Yet, he decided against doing that now, for it was still early and he would miss things with that being the case. So, as he wasn't going to be outside for the time being, he had his gloves go away appearing as liquid and merging into his shirt. It was one of those times that his clothes being made of unique magical material which could change form according to his will were handy. They may have practical purposes, but their appearance could change and not affect the purposes they were fulfilling. They were meant to be limiters for the powers he had so it didn't go out of control. That hadn't ended well the last time, Matesis couldn't deny that with the destruction which had resulted.

Instead, Matesis felt he could better use the time he now had to wait to catch up on some reading. Matesis did his best to keep expanding his knowledge base through reading and the like. It was a personal goal for him to keep learning the best he can. Matesis didn't want to be seen or think he knew all there was. Were he to do that, he would be at the same level as Noctis, and Matesis wouldn't let himself become that way. Plus, he did love a good book that had a great story on occasion. Such could distract him from the woes which he dealt with for others. There were two books he'd been borrowing from Zebrica's Libraria for a time now. One of the books was an ancient history book while the other was on theories about "non-standard" magic. Matesis tried not to keep books he borrowed for too long before returning them, it was a personal standard of his. So, he grabbed the two books out of his pack before he headed down to the sitting room.

He stopped by the kitchen and took out a kettle, filled it with water and put it on the stove. Matesis took out a bottle which contained a version of Equus's coffee from his pocket. He had had taken it out of his pack earlier as coffee was something he did much better with. He put an amount of the mix in the kettle so it could roast in the water. He then made his way over to the sitting room and lowered himself into one of the chairs he'd swapped in and let out a contented sigh. "I still can't say how the makers of this chair made it so freaking comfortable," he mused to himself. "It's a shame that whatever their technique was didn't carry through the time before Paradise Estates was engulfed in the witches' curse." Matesis set the magical theories book on the table next to the chair and opened up the history book.

At the same time, Cadance had woken up to find herself kind of cold. She glanced over at the other side of the bed she and Skyla had slept in for the night. Cadance noticed that Skyla had taken the bed covers from her some time during the night. It wasn't a surprise exactly that was the case, it was a habit Skyla had which Cadance had seen before now. It seemed to be something which she'd developed at some point which Cadance couldn't exactly say when it was. Cadance assumed it was Skyla missing home in the Crystal Empire in some way. Cadance didn't blame Skyla for stealing the blankets and covers. Her filly was in a place she wasn't used to at all, safe as the house likely was with Spitfire and Matesis there. Spitfire would help defend Skyla if the need came up, even from Shining Armor, Cadance was sure of that. Matesis would be a much stronger deterrent for those that could come and try taking Cadance and Skyla back to the Crystal Empire. From the few pieces of information Cadance had on Matesis, he should be more than capable of fending off Shining or others like him.

Matesis being around had given Cadance some hope that things could be starting to look up for her and Skyla. He had been so nice letting them stay at the house and Cadance felt he would've done that even if Spitfire hadn't been staying at the house. She was becoming sure that being around Matesis would change many things in Cadance's life. She needed serious changes in her life from what it had come to, Cadance wouldn't deny that. Skyla seemed much happier since being around Matesis than she had really ever been around her father. It was a welcome change to Skyla living in close to constant fear of being near Shining Armor. Cadance like any mother, wanted her daughters to be happy and safe, and being here was looking to do that for Skyla. However, for all the good coming to Ponyville and to this house did for them, it didn't solve the issues Cadance had to deal with.

The first of the many complications that caused the problems Cadance faced by being in Ponyville came as she "wasn't" seeing to her responsibilities in the Crystal Empire in the eyes of some. Cadance had made plans to have the responsibilities for the Empire sent to her in Ponyville. So, none should have an issue with her being away, but it wouldn't be so simple Cadance knew. Her being absent would be noticed at some point and it would be called out for her being away. Her planning to make sure she didn't shirk her responsibilities wouldn't be heard by those who would call her out. And her real reason for Cadance to come to Ponyville with Skyla wouldn't be believed by Celestia who would be the judge of the point. Celestia would bring this back to the issues Cadance had with Shining Armor which had her away from the Crystal Empire in the first place. The problem with that was Celestia wouldn't move that feud forward instead saying the two of them needed to talk even when Shining refused to do so. Cadance couldn't say why Celestia was so insistent on talking and trying to save the failing marriage.

Cadance had hoped for some help from Twilight even if it was only to be temporary so she could figure out things. However, those hopes had all but faded into oblivion by this point with Twilight's reaction and response. Cadance should've expected the way Twilight had responded to her and Skyla. Twilight's initial reaction to the divorce had been worse than Cadance imagined it would be and that spelled out what she had been like for the most part since. Cadance knew the general reason Twilight reacted as she did to what had gone on between Shining and Cadance. Not only had Shining not told any the truth, but Twilight was just too young and inexperienced to understand life was made up of good and bad events. Cadance figured Celestia had taught Twilight that should one did what was right and worked hard than everything would be great and work out.

It was much like the lesson Celestia had given to Cadance when she was in her later high school years. The lesson sounded nice when stated, and Cadance would love it if life was so simple as Celestia had portrayed it. But the real world wasn't "black and white" or right and wrong as some believed it was. Cadance had personal life experience with the point so could say without a doubt that life was always more complicated than just working hard and doing what was right. And with how long Celestia had lived for, Cadance couldn't help but wonder if Celestia was so foolish to truly believe life would end out like she said it would when one did with hard work and doing what's right. In reality, Celestia's view was idealistic and honestly, a fanciful fairy tale with how true it could really be.

Really, Cadance approaching Twilight would likely backfire soon enough if it hadn't already and bring more problems for her in the near future. Her presence here would be questioned by Celestia and Luna when it came to their attention, there would be no question about that. And Cadance would be shocked if Twilight did not mention her being here to Celestia some point in the near future if she hadn't already in her "friendship letters" which she sent to Celestia. Twilight's "loyalty" to Celestia as her student wasn't normally a bad thing in Cadance's mind. A dutiful student tended to learn well from a teacher from what Cadance had seen. However, Twilight's loyalty was blind to essentially a fault. She couldn't seem to fathom Celestia could be wrong sometimes, which could cause issues. Cadance knew her aunt wasn't infallible as Twilight and unfortunately most in Equestria firmly believed Celestia was. It wasn't that Cadance didn't love Celestia and so wanted to find fault in her, she did love her aunt. Celestia had taken her in after Cadance had lost all her family, which she was grateful for. It was just the way she was seen by the general public which Cadance saw as problematic.

Case and point, Twilight may accuse Cadance of not doing any work to avoid a divorce with Shining Armor, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Cadance had tried several things, oh had she tried what she could to make things with Shining more manageable when it came to their "marriage." It was the most recent example of life taking turns without the one living it doing anything to start or influence it. Shining had waved off all the attempts for them to talk about the state of their relationship when it was failing and what had brought it to that point. Once it was obvious that Shining wasn't going to do anything to change the deteriorating relationship, Cadance had reached out to Celestia. That had been before the situation had been brought directly to her with the divorce. The attempt to get Celestia to step in and help things not completely crash hadn't gone much if any better. Cadance had been told her aunt was busy with diplomatic stuff so couldn't converse with her directly. Instead, the message from Celestia was to talk out things with Shining so they could work out their issues, which just circled around back to the main part of the problem.

Cadance had wanted to believe Celestia was busy and so was just giving a "standard answer." Celestia gave those when she had heavy workloads, Cadance had seen that before now. So, Cadance had waited for a bit, tolerating Shining's antics with the hopes of trying again later and getting a more helpful answer. However, the next and few following attempts Cadance had made to talk to Celestia hadn't been different than the first. Celestia through her staff had repeated her first answer to Cadance saying if she had issues with Shining Armor, she would need to talk to him to settle them. Thus, the marriage kept deteriorating as it had been since Skyla had been born. That failing had only accelerated when Shining starting to abuse Cadance physically. Cadance had done what she could to endure the problem and do something to work things out for her daughters. Her daughters meant more to her than her own life, so she really did make the effort to get things to work with Shining for their potential benefit.

Cadance had thought things couldn't get much worse with how miserable she herself had become after the abuse had begun. She couldn't have been more wrong as new signs had come up of worse things happening came to Cadance's attention. That had come when Cadance had noticed Flurry Heart had seemed to be injured out of the blue. When Cadance had asked Flurry what had happened, Flurry Heart said they had come from an "accident." That explanation hadn't seemed right as there had been nothing said by the castle staff about an accident occurring. Cadance had tried to get Flurry to tell her more, but her daughter hadn't said more instead crying on Cadance's shoulder. That had set off serious alarms in Cadance's mind which had her began investigating on what was happening. After talking with some of the Crystal Palace staff, she learned that Shining had been responsible for what happened to Flurry Heart.

Cadance had wanted to believe Shining Armor wouldn't knowingly do harm to Flurry. He had loved her and shown that often enough before that. So, Cadance had confronted Shining about the incident and asked him what had happened. Shining had said it was nothing to worry about, just an accident but no more detail than that. Cadance hadn't left things there, she had kept doing her investigation to figure out what had happened to Flurry Heart to have her hurt. The truth had come from the source Cadance hadn't expected which had been Skyla. Skyla had said Flurry had stepped in to help her when Shining had been chiding her about not being able to do magic like other unicorns her age. But Skyla also said that Shining Armor had been doing "mean things" to Flurry Heart before she had been defending Skyla. Hearing the truth had just about broken Cadance's heart understanding what her daughters had been going through because of their father.

Cadance had gone back to Shining and demanded an explanation as to what he had been doing around their daughters. Shining had once again waved her off which only irked her more with how blatantly he was acting. And that had been the breaking point for her, and she'd stopped just "tolerating" things as they were. She wouldn't continue allowing the stallion to do harm to her daughters and do nothing about the point. Cadance had gone to Shining and stated to him that either they addressed the issues coming up with their marriage and family or else she would pursue a divorce and take their daughters away from him. Cadance had meant what she had said to him at that time. She would pursue a divorce even if such was rare around Equestria if Shining Armor didn't take responsibility and they work through the issues. She already had the paperwork ready to fill out and submit it had come to that point.

Shining Armor hadn't seemed to believe her when she had confronted him as she had back at the time. Cadance had stated clearly the main issues which she saw happening with the two of them and their daughters. Even after that, Shining had said those "issues" weren't happening, and that Cadance was just overreacting about nothing. Cadance couldn't remember ever being madder with the stallion in the time of their marriage when he had told her what she had brought up weren't issues and that she was just "overreacting." Cadance had brought up the same subject over the following week a few times, hoping that Shining would get what Cadance had been saying wasn't a joke or her overreacting. But her attempts to get the stallion to see and talk about the issues happening hadn't gotten anything from him. She kept hearing about Shining continuing to abuse their fillies and her, ignoring the growing problems with their relationship. With the marriage all but crashing into the ground in Cadance's view, action had to be taken, or she and her daughters would be miserable forever. Shining Armor had made it perfectly clear that he would change nothing nor do anything to help improve things for the family.

Thus, Cadance had moved forward and followed through with her ultimatum pursuing a divorce from Shining. Cadance saw the divorce as a means to settle things with the stallion as he wasn't willing to do anything. Along with the divorce filing, Cadance had put a custody request to keep her daughters with her and not be around their abusive father again without her giving him permission. In all honesty, Cadance didn't want Flurry Heart or Skyla anywhere near their father with the chance they would be hurt by him. He had been abusing Flurry Heart physically, and he had been verbally doing much the same with Skyla. The Crystal Palace staff had told her of enough instances of Shining doing the abuse to both making his actions inexcusable to her. Cadance couldn't leave her daughters around the stallion who had been doing such to them and waving it off as nothing. Any mare with common sense and love of their filly or colt would be able to understand her actions and sympathize with them.

The filing of the divorce had been fine as it was accepted by those that processed them for Celestia. From what Cadance understood, Celestia didn't deal with divorces personally unless there was an extreme grievance, or one side complained loud enough for it to reach her ears. Thus, if things worked out as they should've and normally did with those that processed divorce procedures, then Shining would be informed of the divorce and that should be the end of things with him. She would politely ask Shining to leave the Empire and move on from there with her life and doing what she could do for the Empire. However, like other times in life, the divorce itself hadn't gone as smoothly as she had hoped or wanted to be.

When Shining had been informed about the divorce, he hadn't been silent. Cadance would've been kind of surprised if Shining hadn't said anything to the divorce. Yet, he had gone to Celestia about the divorce to complain before Cadance could go and explain things to her aunt. That Shining Armor had gone to Celestia wouldn't cancel the divorce straight out, Equestrian law wouldn't allow that. Yet, it had suspended the finalization of the divorce and prevent it from being officially done. If it were only that, Cadance would be working to get the divorce moving to be done and not be as stressed as she was. No, Shining had further complicated the whole process with whatever he had told Celestia. Shining's efforts got Celestia to "take up" the case which he'd brought against the divorce, which had quickly deteriorated into a bigger mess she was stuck in. The desired custody that Cadance had put in the divorce filing had been "thrown out" as invalid by Celestia pretty much from the get-go. That had led to the custody battle over their daughters, which fight had lasted a solid month between her and Shining. The fights had included plenty of yelling and shouting between them, but little progress had been made in the point.

In the end, regardless of what Shining Armor had done with Celestia had Cadance's aunt "step in" after some time and "settle" the matter temporarily. She stated that Cadance would get Skyla while Flurry Heart would stay with Shining Armor. Celestia said custody could potentially change if Cadance and Shining got together and "discuss" their issues which had brought on the divorce filing. Cadance was willing to talk to Shining as he had been avoiding the point, but that hadn't happened at all. Celestia didn't seem to understand that Shining wasn't doing what she said needed to be done thus gumming up the works. The issue with that was Celestia had halted the divorce overall and hadn't allowed it to keep moving forward. She had also made it so she was over the whole proceeding and would have final say over it. And from what Cadance had seen, Shining had done something to have Celestia on his side and favoring him as she wasn't supposed to be doing as a judge.

Cadance had tried telling Celestia what had been going on with Shining and the rest of her family because of him. She had given details and testimony from the castle staff which had told her of the incidents. Cadance had given all the evidence she had on what Shining had been doing which had forced their marriage into the downward spiral it had gone into. She wanted to believe even Celestia would see and comprehend the situation that had been going on. Her aunt could be stubborn sometimes, but Celestia wasn't blind to what could be happening behind the scenes. However, even with all the evidence that Cadance had provided, things hadn't gone the way she had hoped. Shining had denied all the evidence Cadance had given to Celestia, which had irked her, but she hadn't shown it at the time. Instead, Celestia had taken what Shining had said over Cadance and said they needed to discuss things.

With the clear favor Shining Armor was getting, Cadance had wanted to talk to her aunt without him being around so she could tell Celestia was had been going on. If Shining wasn't around to argue and lie, then maybe Cadance could help Celestia see the truth. She had tried to get a private audience with her and had managed to have a moment of Celestia's time. However, when Cadance had begun bringing up what Shining had been doing, Celestia wouldn't let her continue. She had just repeated that Cadance would have to talk things out with Shining Armor. Only after that would Celestia hear new information from either of them. In other words, for the time being, Shining had stopped the divorce from being completed. Cadance couldn't say what Shining had said to Celestia to have her believe his case over the evidence Cadance had provided. Yet, with whatever Shining had said and his record as a royal guard, she couldn't say if Celestia would believe her without solid proof which she didn't have yet.

Cadance had thought about reaching out to Luna and seeing if she could help with her situation. Luna normally took a more logical and professional approach unlike Celestia who would always put up the front of a benevolent ruler. Luna would hear Cadance out about what Shining had been doing to their fillies. She would even likely listen to some of the castle staffs' testimony about Shining's actions. However, that hope was dashed when Cadance was told that Luna wasn't available the times she had reached out. The reply had also included Cadance being told to direct this to Celestia. It made Cadance believe her suspicion that Celestia was making sure this issue was only directed to her and not Luna was true. Cadance guessed the two had some sort of agreement of who dealt with what, but she'd never had seen confirmation of that. If Cadance could've gotten Luna on her side, then maybe she could've helped Flurry Heart not be sent to her father. Leaving her eldest daughter behind in the Empire had been heart-wrenching for Cadance.

All that was harsh enough, but when Celestia learned of Cadance being in Ponyville, her efforts to get away from Shining would be moot. When Celestia found out Cadance was in Ponyville, she would tell her she should return to the Crystal Empire where her duty was. It wasn't the duty to the citizens of the Empire which Cadance was against doing with the arrangements she'd made. No, it was being around Shining and him being around their daughters which concerned her the most. It was clear Shining wouldn't do anything from his end to "discuss" the issues which had led to the divorce that Celestia had insisted be done. Shining refused to talk about what had led to her seeking a divorce even when she confronted him. Whenever she brought up the subject, he would "suddenly" have things to do. And Cadance didn't trust Shining any longer being around their daughters, not after seeing the signs of his abuse. When Cadance would refuse the return order from Celestia, some would be sent to "escort" her back to the Empire Cadance knew. Nothing she could say in defense with her choice would reach Celestia with how things were right now. The worst-case scenario would be if Shining himself would come to escort her and Skyla back to the Empire.

Cadance hadn't been able to think of anything she could do to prevent being shoved back to the horrible situation she had escaped. That gloom had lessened when she'd encountered Matesis Solum on the train to Ponyville and then Sugarcube Corner. Meeting him had everything change for her circumstances which could work out for her and perhaps both her daughters though she hadn't been sure of that at their first meeting. Cadance may not know what he could possibly do for her at the moment. However, she couldn't help but be drawn to his kindness he'd shown. What she had overheard at Sugarcube Corner had given Cadance even more hope that if he was the hero it sounded like, he may be able to help her. For all Cadance knew, Matesis may have connections which could assist her not being forced to deal with Shining Armor again. Skyla certainly liked his company far more than her father's, which Cadance took as a good sign. But without knowing more, Cadance could say what Matesis could or could not do for her circumstances. Time was of the essence as the longer Cadance took to deal with her issues, the more likely she wouldn't get much if any say in them. So, Cadance decided to exit the bed and look for something to eat and drink before she started considering what she would do for the day.

The house was quiet when Cadance got into the hallway. She glanced over at the window at the end of the hallway and saw the sun had risen but not long ago. Most in Ponyville would either just be getting up or still sleeping at this time of day. The weather wouldn't allow much work to be done outside with all the snow which the blizzard had dumped and the storm still going. Spitfire had told Cadance the storm had been out of control and weather teams had been working hard to reign it in. And upon listening, the howling winds which had been around last night were far quieter than they had been though they were still faintly heard. That could mean the storm was on its way to being dealt with, but there was likely still work to be done to reign it fully in. It just meant there would be little reason for any in the house to go out. That was an opportunity for Cadance to speak with Matesis, but she didn't know if she was ready for that yet. She dismissed that and began descending the stairs to the ground floor to search for a meal.

Matesis was reading the history book when the sound of hooves came to his ears. He lowered the book and glanced over his reading glasses in the direction of the stairs curiously. It was still early in the morning, most would be sleeping still. Matesis had become a morning person shortly after his travels had started, more out of necessity than anything else. Outside towns, many places he'd been were dangerous if one wasn't up when the sun rose and moving for various reasons. However, the general population didn't wake up when the sun rose from what Matesis had seen as he did. So, he wasn't used to others being up shortly after he was normally. Plus, the storm was still going, even if the storm's intensity had lessened but it wasn't gone yet, so there was little reason to go out until later in the day if at all. Thus, this wouldn't be a workday for most ponies in the town. Not that Matesis would let stop him doing what was needed. He still planned to go out in the afternoon and get a look at the town and the surrounding area.

T o Matesis's surprise, he saw Cadance come into view as she was descending the stairs. With her filly, Matesis had assumed Cadance wouldn't be up for a while. He tended to give a mother who had a young child every grace and understanding he could give most of the time. Granted, he still didn't know what circumstances had brought Cadance and her daughter to Ponyville, let alone to the place where he would be living, but that didn't matter much to him. Also, Cadance's appearance was disheveled more than it had been last night which held his attention for a moment. Her mane was quite messy and some of her wing feathers looked to be out of place. From what Matesis had seen, most pegasi and alicorns tended to take great care of their feathers and preened them often. She didn't have any of the accessories that she had before which just could be her not putting them on yet today. Matesis couldn't say why she looked as she did, but he would guess the night had been rough. Not that he couldn't understand and sympathize with hard and rough nights, he'd had more than his fair share of those in his lifetime.

Matesis had a feeling that whatever it was that had brought Cadance and Skyla where they were wasn't simple at all. There had been signs of that, but they hadn't been strong enough for Matesis to figure out what could be going on. If he could help them, he would do what he could, but he was limited to what he could make happen around Equestria. If they were in any of the nations of the eastern continent, Matesis would have assisting the two easily and without hesitation. He had influence in essentially all nations of Equus both on the western and eastern continent. The one major exception to that point was Equestria. It was partly Matesis's fault that was the case as he had done little in the nation. He rarely came around Equestria in the last thousand years, just important Shadow Blade missions really and little beyond that. That wasn't the only reason he lacked influence around Equestria, there was another much simpler one. That reason was his destroyed relationship with Celestia and him being exiled from the nation. There were still unresolved matters between Matesis, Celestia, and even Luna which he felt would still cause serious issues.

Matesis had let go of old grudges which were the results of events that had occurred more than a thousand years ago that had led to his exile. Doing that had done wonders for his mental health among other things. Matesis had started fresh before setting out on his travels, and that had been the end of what happened with his "adopted" family with one exception as far as he was concerned. He knew that didn't mean those he'd left behind had done the same, in fact, he doubted they had done anything like he had. His adopted family was the most dysfunctional group that some called a family looking back that he'd ever seen or been involved in. It was mostly due to Noctis and the crap he caused more than anything else, but the lack of action and silent encouragement from two had made it worse. Thus, Matesis had no real interest in spending time around those he had considered family a thousand years ago other than the one exception.

There was the chance Luna may be trying to move on from the pain of the past since coming back from her banishment. She had been starting to see the truth before she had been corrupted into Nightmare Moon, so he couldn't say. Luna had been the one who had sort of listened to the truth which Matesis had been trying to tell her about Noctis. Yet, Noctis had wrecked that chance back at the time which Matesis cursed. But he highly doubted Celestia had changed much if at all from how she had been before his exile. Matesis would love nothing more to believe Celestia had changed for the better, but evidence and past expectation said it wasn't the truth. Unfortunately, Matesis had seen Celestia had "acquired" a similar type of stubbornness as Noctis had possessed. And where stubbornness could be seen as hard determination, it wasn't so for Celestia.

The standing issue which stood out in Matesis's mind was simple on the surface but was much more complicated. It was more Celestia's own fault as she had chosen the path she was on that had brought her to where she was. Her choices made it clear that the grudges and hate she felt was "comfortable" to her. It may seem foolish to most, and Matesis wouldn't disagree with the view, yet comfortable things good and/or bad were clung onto by many. It was especially true of immortals as comfortable things were as anchors to prevent the loss of sanity and other things. Sadly, pain was more common to experience than good things so they were held onto more than good experiences. Due to that point, Celestia wasn't willing to let such go even when they were akin to dead weight shackled to her. It would be compounded to some extent with Noctis telling her about Matesis's "death" which had been fake but convincing. Celestia would've told Luna about that Matesis wouldn't doubt by this point. Yet, with how the relationship between Matesis and Celestia, he didn't feel that Celestia had any form of love for him any longer.

Cadance reached the ground floor, still tired and not taking much of her surroundings in as she went. She ruffled her wings, trying to get the feathers to move back into their natural place. Skyla had messed them up with the snuggling she had demanded last night. Not that Cadance would deny her daughter's wish to snuggle for it helped her, and Cadance wanted to do that for Skyla. But she would have to preen her wings and get some of the feathers back to where they should be. That was just another thing on the list of tasks she would have to look into do today at some point. The list of things to do today was getting longer the more that Cadance thought about it. Yet, she was brought out of her thoughts when a familiar aroma came to her. It was one that she got at least once a day back in the Empire, but there was a different flavor to it than normal. "Coffee," Cadance couldn't stop her brain stating.

Cadance moved to the kitchen and found the source of the aroma was coming from a kettle on the stove. She opened the kettle and found the liquid was still roasting and so wasn't quite ready for consumption. Yet, the scene had woken Cadance up essentially the rest of the way so she could think properly. A kettle of coffee wouldn't just appear on the stove, it would have to be put there, and the mix put in it. That would say there was someone else up and about besides Cadance herself. She glanced around to see who could be up at this time of the morning. Spitfire wasn't one to rise early if she didn't have to, it was a flaw of hers. Skyla was still fast asleep as was Sweet Cream as far as Cadance knew. That only left one other inhabitant of the house who could be up at the moment.

As she couldn't find Matesis in the kitchen, she trotted toward the sitting room which had the fire going. She came to a halt at the archway that led into the sitting room for a few reasons, one of which was the room looking different than it had last night. There were two chairs in the sitting room which Cadance knew hadn't been there last night. They appeared unlike any furniture that Cadance had ever seen before. They were colorful and elegant in a way which Cadance couldn't exactly explain with words properly. The furniture was beautiful and looked comfortable, more than what had been there before. She could only assume Matesis put them in, though she couldn't guess where he'd gotten them or even carried them. Skyla had mentioned the other filly Sweet Cream had said Matesis had a "saddle bag" with him for his things. Her mind couldn't process how furniture could be carried in the saddle bag she had caught sight of in Sugarcube Corner. Such shouldn't be possible logically as far as Cadance was concerned. Perhaps it could be done with magic, but no spell that she could think of.

A fter Cadance had taken in the change to the sitting room, her gaze turned to Matesis and stopped again. Her eyes widened as she saw him in one of the odd chairs with a book on the table next to it. He had a book open in his hoof slightly lowered as he was looking at her. Cadance blinked a moment as she noticed that Matesis was wearing a pair of half-rimmed glasses at the moment. And she had to admit, he looked incredibly handsome before, but he was somehow cuter with the glasses. She couldn't stop the blush that came to her cheeks as she kept staring. Her heart was fluttering hard as she couldn't stop looking at the stallion. It took effort on her part to stop her wings from flipping out and going stiff with how cute he was. How can a stallion be as cute as him, Cadance couldn't help but think as she stared. No matter how many times I look or how long, I just can't get over how cute he is.

Matesis studied Cadance as she was staring at him. She'd been glancing around the sitting room just before coming in. Cadance likely had noticed the two chairs which Matesis had swapped in, they were rather hard to miss. Furniture pieces from around Paradise Estates or Dream Castle were unlike any found in the modern world. Matesis could only guess the methods that had gone into making them had been lost to the abyss of time. Or rather, those who knew the methods had been killed by the witches who had cursed that area of the eastern continent. The dark lands had been created before Matesis had arrived on Equus, so he only had the stories about the place and what the spirits there had said. And after meeting the spirits of the ancient witches, the coming of the Dark Lands and the "unique" environment made more sense to him. The witches had been beyond mean and filled with hatred of the inhabitants of Equus they had tried to bring under their control. That had translated into the curse they had cast. The curse had been empowered by the hatred and wish to make them suffer, thereby making it irreversible by any means that Matesis knew of.

Nevertheless, as Matesis studied Cadance, he couldn't help but notice her beauty once again even with her current disheveled appearance. He'd seen pretty mares before, both ponies and non-ponies during his journeys around Equus, he wouldn't deny that. But it was rare for him to see one that possessed what one might consider an ethereal beauty as alicorns seemed to have naturally that others didn't. He'd seen the point with Luna and Celestia first not too long after he'd arrived on Equus. They mother Titania who he was still on fair terms with had a similar beauty which Noctis was an idiot to ignore, but that was his loss. Jade had her own beauty which had come close to matching the level that Celestia and Luna had even if she had been a unicorn. The partners he'd been with had been more than pretty in his eyes for varying reasons. Yet, Cadance still stuck out from those he'd encountered for a time now, even Celestia and Luna. However, relationships weren't the best subject with Matesis, at least intimate ones due to him being immortal. And that was before one took into account how his first relationship had gone which had skewed his views for a time after arriving on Equus from Earth.

The relationships with Celestia and Luna had started out okay in the beginning, good even by most accounts. Heck, they had been the first "girlfriends" which Matesis had experience with since he had no experience back on Earth. Sure, he had been nervous at first with the two mares, but he had been clueless back at the time. However, Matesis had managed to move forward with the two given a bit of time. Yet, that hadn't lasted all that long before "interference" began happening to those relationships. It had been Noctis who had been doing the interfering. Matesis had seen the obvious signs that Noctis more than hated him quickly after their first meeting. But he hadn't thought it would have him messing with his daughters or their potential happiness. Yet, that was where Matesis had underestimated the stallion since he had done what he could to destroy those relationship. That had those relationships ending with paining his heart with Luna's banishment and Celestia's betrayal.

One would've thought Matesis would then move onto someone like Jade as he had found her attractive along with her being one of his best friends back at the time. And if that had been given the chance to develop, Matesis could've seen himself with Jade and being happy for a time. Yet, fate hadn't been done throwing horrible things at him back then. That had come in the form of Jade being killed by Sombra and the Empire was sealed away. That was just the start of his first century of life which had truly been miserable and extremely hard to endure. He'd had to learn the hard way that he was immortal and that he would have to come to terms with that. that may sound simple to say, but actually doing that had been a trial in itself for Matesis to get through.

Things had started changing for him toward the end of the first century that Matesis had actually tried getting into an intimate relationship with a female. He had still been hurting from what Celestia and Luna had done to him. Yet, that "leap of faith" had been one of the best things Matesis had done in his life looking back. The mare which had convinced him to open up had been a Pegasus he'd met around the eastern continent. The pegasus had been named Firefly and she had certainly been a special mare that one didn't come across every day. She had helped change Matesis's perspective upon spending a lot of one-on-one time with a mare. He'd learned to love once again with Firefly when he'd thought he wouldn't be able to after Celestia and Luna. That relationship had been the first which had helped him be able to move forward from the horribleness of the past. There had been several relationships since Firefly had passed away from old age when that had come. He'd "found" a mare about one or so per century as the years had gone by and each and every one of those mares had helped him. Those relationships were ones he treasured as they had brightened his life for a time and gave him wonderful memories to keep.

Matesis would admit there was still potential for Celestia and Luna to have something with him. However, any chance of such would involve a lot of work from their end with how things had gone over a thousand years ago. He wouldn't be trying to be nice and coddle those two any longer as he'd done before. They had made the choice to side with their father and his lies over the truth he would tell them. They would have to accept the truth about their father lying and not caring about them beyond tools he could use. If they didn't do that, Matesis couldn't help them nor would have much interactions with them if it wasn't necessary. Thus, it would be on them to do the work to have any sort of relationship with him going forward once they found out he was still alive.

However, Cadance had a similar beauty that Celestia and Luna had possessed a thousand years ago. And it had been decades since the wonderful hippogriff that Matesis had been with had passed away. He knew it was time for him to move forward and find another mare to share time with and be happy. But with her having a daughter, Cadance was almost guaranteed to be taken/spoken for by a stallion already. He couldn't help but wonder what lucky stallion could've gotten together with her. While he was kind of jealous of that said stallion, Matesis wasn't one to ruin another's relationship just for a possibility for him to have one again. He wasn't that petty as those like Celestia and definitely Noctis could be to let negative emotions rule him. It was one of the ways that he differentiated himself from them. He nodded in acknowledgement toward Cadance, "Good morning to you, Cadance," Matesis greeted, "What has you up so early?"

Cadance snapped out of her thoughts of how handsome and cute Matesis was at his greeting. There were numerous ways for Cadance to return the greeting, but her mouth would not move like she wanted it to. Something about him just stole the ability to form words from her and she couldn't explain it. There was so much she wanted to say to him, to talk about, but it was just so hard to get past the effects of her powerful attraction towards him. Matesis tilted his head to the side, "Is there something wrong," he asked. "Or is there something on my face?" Cadance jerked and forced herself to come out of the trance she had been in. "No, sorry, I just," she began, "It's just surprising to see another awake this early." Matesis smiled at the statement of the point of him being a morning person. "It's from long established habit," he remarked. "Being up early kind of came about out of necessity while I traveled around Equus."

Cadance couldn't help but wonder so much about Matesis Solum and that seemed to help overcome the effects of her attraction toward him. He claimed to have traveled around Equus which she could believe on the face of it. Yet, he hadn't given a great deal of more detail about those travels nor what had been involved. She could only imagine the stories he could have with what he'd seen going around the world for however long he had been traveling. But that in itself brought up several questions which she didn't have answers for. Should he be the traveler he stated he was, why hadn't she heard of him before now? A "unique" traveler such as Matesis was implying he was would stick from others, that would make sense to Cadance. A traveler like that would be different enough to be known to those like Celestia and Luna. Sure, being different didn't guarantee her aunts and Matesis would've met. However, Celestia should've heard of a traveler such as Matesis Solum Cadance would think. Yet, Cadance couldn't recall any mention or reference to one like Matesis from Celestia or Luna before.

Yet, there was one possibility which came to Cadance that could apply to Matesis. It came from the stuff she's had heard last night in SugarCube Corner about Matesis. He had said that some called him a "hero." The only hero that Cadance knew anything of was the one the eastern continent would talk about. There were stories of that hero which were told all around Equus as far as Cadance was aware. There seemed to be no end to the tales nor how fantastic they could be with their subject matter when it came to the hero. They normally came through travelers from the eastern continent and spread on from there. Cadance had heard several of the stories of the hero herself while she had been growing up. If anything, those stories had been the ones Cadance had enjoyed hearing the most. The stories had fascinated her, and she had enjoyed hearing them, especially new ones which Equestria didn't always get often.

Nonetheless, now that Cadance thought about it, there had been no mention about the east's hero was a Minotaur or a unique one at that. She took a moment to go over the stories that she could remember to see if there had been anything like that and found nothing. The fact had never come to her mind before nor the oddity of its absence which should have come up. There wasn't even a mention of the hero's species that Cadance could think of in the stories. The question had never come to her mind as she was more interested in what the hero had managed to accomplish that others couldn't. Cadance had always just imagined the hero was a stallion that went around doing what they did to help others.

There had been times which Cadance had gone to Celestia asking about the eastern continent's hero, more out of curiosity than anything else. After hearing the stories enough, Cadance had thought if any in Equestria knew of the hero or had met them, it would be Celestia. After all, Celestia did the diplomacy with the eastern nations, so they could've said something about their hero. By Aria, for all Cadance knew, Celestia could've asked to meet the hero while doing diplomacy with the eastern nations. But none of the questions Cadance had put to her aunt had given more information about the hero. The only thing which Cadance could recall Celestia saying was she'd heard of the east's hero, but she had never met them face to face that she was aware of. Celestia had admitted she'd heard many of the same stories that Cadance had been told herself, but not much beyond that. Luna knew little of the hero by her own words when Cadance had asked her. She had told Cadance that she'd been informed of stories of the eastern continent's hero by Celestia and others upon her return. But she didn't know anything beyond that as she hadn't been back from her banishment long enough. Thus, there was little to nothing which Cadance knew that could confirm or deny if Matesis being the eastern continent's hero.

Of course, Cadance knew that the lack of proof didn't mean Matesis wasn't the hero stories talked about. It certainly was possible he never met Celestia face to face before. Matesis had mentioned he hadn't been around Equestria for a time, though not how long specifically. However, he had vaguely implied that he knew of Celestia to some extent. Should he be the hero as Cadance was coming to believe, he wasn't like she had imagined. The stories had mentioned the east's hero didn't spend time around crowds for some reason. That would mean meeting him directly would not be common for many logically speaking. Because of all that, those from Equestria like Cadance only had the stories of the hero to work with. Not being able to know for sure if Matesis was the hero or not was bugging Cadance.

While she would love to know if Matesis was the hero of the Eastern continent, there was another question which came because of the stories. That question was the one of Matesis's potential age which had never been mentioned. He appeared to be middle age if Cadance were to guess, though she couldn't say for sure with Minotaurs. Yet, the things Matesis said inferred he was much older than his appearance suggested. Granted, some races had the physical qualities that made them look younger than they actually were, but Cadance couldn't say if Minotaurs were among those. He may say he had been traveling for a "while" yet that didn't give much of a hint as to how long that might be.

Cadance thought there could've been something said at Sugarcube Corner, but she hadn't been close enough to hear everything he'd been telling Sweet Cream. So, Cadance didn't have much to go on when it came to determining Matesis's age or potential experience he could have. The one thing which she did have was something Skyla had mentioned to her last night. From what Skyla had said, Sweet Cream had told her Matesis stated he'd been traveling since the days of Nightmare Moon's banishment. The idea was hard to believe at face value since he would have to be immortal to some extent for that to be possible. Coming across true immortals was a rare thing in modern days, that was accepted fact. They didn't tend to come out in public or something to that effect as history said.

Really, there were only three immortals known to exist by what Cadance knew, which were her aunts and Discord. There were rumors that more could've existed before, but they had vanished since history said nothing specifically stated about such. There weren't much more details beyond that which was concerning to Cadance since that shouldn't be the case. Then, as far as Cadance knew, immortality wasn't something that could be gained through magic or other methods. Immortals came into existence, though not much detail was recorded upon such events. If there were other methods to become immortal other than being born or created that way, the general consensus was some sort of dark magic was the most likely to be capable of doing such a thing. There had been studies done to see what that could entail, but from what Cadance had heard, there had been no results in that.

It was possible that Matesis could be ageless and/or an immortal with how much was implied but not specifically said. Yet should he be an immortal, he was the most different that Cadance had ever encountered in her lifetime. Sure, the only ones that Cadance had to compare him to were her aunts and Discord. However, compared to those three, he was so different that it was more than odd. Matesis was much like any other pony which she had met in her life, nothing to say he'd seen far more time than others. Should it be a result of his travels, then honestly, her aunts could really use a long vacation to improve themselves. Then if he was an immortal, why hadn't that been mentioned about the hero if that's who he was?

Matesis was just so mysterious, which was an addition to his attraction but also made Cadance slightly wary of him. He seemed to be more known by implied inference than solid fact which was odd. Matesis seemed to push such an idea for himself and through others by what Cadance had seen. The way he talked was vague enough that it was hard to know details, but clear enough he couldn't be accused of dancing around questions. That "style" seemed to be consciously done. If that was true, then what reason did he have to be vague about himself? Cadance felt a need to know more about Matesis, the urge was difficult to ignore. Whether that was for herself and the attraction she felt, or something else, she couldn't be sure at the moment. "Just who are you, Matesis Solum," Cadance questioned. "You claim you're well-traveled and know things which most don't. Yet, when you talk about yourself, you become vague and don't say things that can refer to you in a more personal way." She shook her head and focused on Matesis, "So I ask again, who are you, Matesis Solum?"

Matesis's smile faltered at the question as it was a very complicated one. There was so much more to who he was than his name or his reputation. He wasn't even the individual had been more than a thousand years ago upon being chased out of Equestria by Celestia at the direction of Noctis. So much had changed during his journey traveling the world it would make another's head spin. It had all started with him trying to do some soul searching with events back then. Arriving on Equus from Earth had been the first serious turn in his life which had shattered his life as there was no way to return that Matesis had found. He'd thought his "adopted" family would help him pick up the pieces of his life and make it into something. They had done just that, just not in the way he had envisioned at all. Noctis had been the one who had ruined his life for the second time with what he'd done to his son and Luna before getting Celestia to chase him into exile.

He'd essentially had to start his life over for the second time from scratch and move forward with his exile. Matesis had been forced to leave his old life behind in the truest sense of the idea and started anew with his new name and faking his death for Noctis. But his journey had morphed into him working with others to make the places he went better. That had given his life meaning which it had been missing since getting to Equus. Then there was the chain of events that had occurred two centuries ago at Mune which had shattered his life once again. There had been more horror his life had involved than the stories about his escapades could ever say. It tore at his heart and the pain and effects still existed today within him. Yet, there were also happier times which had helped him heal from the wounds of the past. The friends he made had kept his spirit as whole as it could be with what his life had come to. The mares which he had become close to had brightened his life in ways which he couldn't forget and saved him from depression several times. Those he helped had gone on to better lives and seeing that had done more for Matesis than other events. He was such a complicated individual that Matesis had found it was simpler to just be vague about himself when others asked. That helped there not to be awkward and potentially horrible questions.

However, there was something about Cadance which had Matesis questioning if he could tell her about his life. It was a feeling which had come up with several of his partners over the years. He had gone to great lengths to avoid being recognized by those who had known him, Celestia and her father specifically. Should Matesis tell Cadance more details about his life as it had been, the connections which he had worked to sever could be reestablished. If that happen, it would be problematic for him and bring back several issues that he had moved on from long ago. In the end, Matesis sighed heavily, "That is a very complicated question," he admitted. "And honestly, I don't know if I have a definitive answer as I thought I did once. Simply put, I'm an individual that goes around trying to make the world a better place a little at a time as I can. I know that is unlikely what you want to hear," Matesis hesitated, "But that is the best answer I can give to the question you ask. The journey I've been on which has brought me to who I am is one I would wish on no one. I have learned many things that I wish I had not during my travels, even though it had given me wisdom in exchange. That is as much as I can say for the moment, perhaps you will get to know more given time." Matesis gained a smile, "However, I will say that I'm willing to help you as I can, you can be assured of that point."

His answer wasn't what Cadance wanted, but it sounded like it would be all she would get from him for the time being. There was more there which he wasn't saying, Cadance was sure of that. Yet, there was faint pain in his voice which Cadance had caught in his reply. She didn't want to push Matesis to say more if he didn't feel comfortable doing so. His last sentence had caught her attention out of the rest though. He was offering to help her, something she hadn't gotten from any other than the staff around the crystal castle and some of the crystal guards. Beyond that, Cadance had been on her own when it came to the problems with Shining Armor when they had started. And one like Celestia who could've and should've helped had not, rather she had made things more complicated when it wasn't needed.

Matesis didn't know what issues Cadance was dealing with because of Shining Armor. She really hadn't told him much about the situation she was in yet, not that there had been much of an opportunity to do so. Spitfire was aware of the situation with Shining Armor since Cadance had been telling her about it through her letters to her. Even with that being the case, Matesis still willingly offered to help not knowing what he would be wading into. From what Cadance was hearing, he was willing to help regardless of what he would be getting into. His willingness to help touched Cadance's heart in a way she hadn't thought she would potentially get from Matesis already. She had wished and hoped Matesis would be the type of stallion that was willing to assist another just because he was able. But for him to confirm that he willing to help couldn't help but raise her hopes higher right now than much else could. "That's nice of you to say," Cadance replied, looking away from him, "But I'm dealing with a mess which I don't know where to start explaining about."

Matesis marked the page he was on before closing the history book he'd been reading. He set it on top of the other before rising from the chair. What Cadance had said told Matesis that whatever she was facing had layers to the set of issues and the situation had likely been going on for a time now. He had seen others think their problems were unique to them, and it was true to an extent. But there were general commonalities with most problems which Matesis could potentially work with to improve Cadance's situation. He'd gained good listening skills during his travels and gave good advice according to others. He was so good at the point by what medical professionals said that they had given him an honorary doctorate in counseling. From what he saw with Cadance, this mare needed to be heard, and she vent what she was keeping bottled up, whatever it may be. It was a good first step dealing with problems, laying it out to another that was listening. So, he chuckled a bit, "I've heard that line and variations of it many times before now. But how about starting with what has you up this early," Matesis suggested. "We can work from there and dig down."

Cadance couldn't say how Matesis seemed to know what to say, but he did. She wouldn't complain about the point as it was helping her right now. He was willing to listen to the crap she was dealing with and there weren't many willing to do that lately. Cadance really needed to get some things off her chest with how things had been going with Shining and the divorce. She had been keeping in how frustrated and mad she was at Shining Armor to be nice to those around her. But that was coming to a boiling point for Cadance and difficult to ignore and keep it in. With Matesis saying he would listen to her, she couldn't keep the frustration in any longer. Cadance ended out groaning, remembering her sluggish wake-up call who was still in bed, hogging the covers. "My daughter stole the bed covers from me. She always does this when we are away from the Crystal Empire."

Matesis considered what Skyla's actions could point to as something within him said there was more to the idea than was being said. It may seem a small thing, but it could and likely was caused by something else which wasn't being seen by others. It sounded to Matesis like a coping mechanism Skyla was unconsciously practicing if he were to guess. Yet, a worrisome thought came the Matesis which he hoped was wrong at hearing Cadance's explanation. What Skyla had done may seem like nothing to most and waved of as beneath notice, but it could be one of the subtle signs of an abuse victim. It could explain why Skyla had reacted somewhat badly at first when encountering him. Matesis could be just seeing things that weren't there, and he hoped that was the case for the filly. But he couldn't dismiss the possibility that Skyla could be an abuse victim, which would be heart-wrenching. Abuse victims could be anyone and anywhere, hiding the suffering they were enduring from the world trying to portray strength. And the younger victims were the hardest to help and had the worst problems as they had to bear the effects of the abuse for much of their life.

Regardless if Skyla was being abused or not, it made Matesis wonder why Cadance was dealing with this alone. Shouldn't Skyla's father be involved in whatever was causing her to unconsciously seek comfort in the form of taking blankets for herself? But now that he thought about it, there had been nothing said in reference to the filly's father even once from Cadance since he'd encountered her. For the father not to be mentioned before now, let alone be with Cadance made Matesis suspicious about the stallion. It did lend credence to a worrisome possibility that the stallion was part of the problem or even worse, the root cause of it. It enforced the point in his mind that the chance of Skyla being abused could be more than feasible. It was yet another sad similarity that Matesis had observed with the inhabitants of Equus had with humans, one of the parents tended to be the abuser of their children. Matesis thought it would be better to ask about the father in this and observe the reaction to gage what part they played. "I see," Matesis remarked. "Should I ask where Skyla's father is right now? It is the duty of a father to comfort their child when they are suffering through trouble like this."

Matesis watched as Cadance gained an anger-filled glare which she gave the floor. That response was more than enough to tell Matesis what he wanted to know. Skyla's father was not just part of the problem, he was the main cause of the array of them which Cadance and Skyla faced now. Matesis had met enough of the inhabitants of Equus to know they were as capable of cruelty and selfishness as humans were. Skyla's freezing up made sense to Matesis now, her father had inspired fear of males in general. It also gave credence to the sad possibility to Skyla being abused by said stallion. It was a horrible thing, and Matesis made a mental note to work on helping Skyla get over the fear. If she had been abused by her father, that would be yet another thing that Matesis would do what he could to help her get past given time. Cadance coming to Ponyville was more than likely her trying to get away from the stallion which had been doing stupid things. Matesis bowed his head, "My apologies for assuming," he said apologetically. "Her father is the cause of the issue among other things. May I ask where your relationship with the said stallion stands currently?"

Some of the anger Cadance was feeling lessened at Matesis apologizing for incorrect assumption. Cadance appreciated that Matesis was trying to be understanding with what she was telling him. Matesis had figured out that Shining was the cause of the issue, showing he had sharp intuition. There seemed to be something more with Matesis than just his sharp intuition. He seemed to know more than he said, for he also had an air of wisdom about him which Cadance had noticed. And some of that wisdom seemed to be learned through hard experience from what she would guess. With the time he had likely lived for, it wouldn't be all that surprising if that was the case. However, the question of where Cadance stood with Shining armor brought back the anger she felt for the stallion's involvement in her issues. She had tried to do what she could, for her fillies if anything else to save the relationship with Shining Armor. That hadn't helped at all and had only seemed to make things worse in the end. Thus, she snorted with anger, "Our relationship," she snapped, "was ended recently, but it had been going badly for a while before that."

Matesis stood where he was, listening and not making the point worse. It was clear to Matesis that the stallion who was Skyla's biological father had been the one who had pushed the relationship to the breaking point. If he had been abusing Skyla as circumstantial evidence was implying, then that could and likely had contributed to the relationship's deterioration. It was also possible, and Matesis felt likely the stallion had been abusing Cadance as well for a longer period of time. Partner abuse was something that unfortunately occurred around Equus, Matesis had seen enough proof of the point to know the truth. It hurt his heart more after learning one of his partners had been abused before meeting him. Cadance's reaction thus far said she had made attempts to fix things in the relationship before it had reached the place it was. Yet, the stallion had done little to nothing from their end were Matesis to guess, if it hadn't hastened the degradation of the relationship.

Matesis had seen enough on his travels to know the mothers of Equus had much the same drive as those from Earth. Mothers would move heaven and earth to protect their children even from their father if it came to it. While it may be expected for a mother to do that, it was still something to see for Matesis every time it came up each time. It was a reason why he respected dutiful parents for the lengths they went for their children. The idea still impressed him no matter how many times he would see it with his own eyes. He was humbled even with his own experience with his son the lengths parents would go for their children. Matesis could only imagine the "ending" which Cadance had mentioned was some sort of divorce. It made the most logical sense with what Cadance had said to him. Separating from the stallion would be the best choice for Cadance and Skyla with the abuse and whatever else had been happening. The sooner they could do that, the better their lives could become potentially.

Nonetheless, there seemed to be something else that was angering Cadance from what Matesis could tell. The way Cadance had said "ended" in relation to the relationship she had been in said the divorce had already been started at least. The point was tickling at him with how things stood for Cadance as he understood the picture she had been painting for him. With a divorce in motion if not finished, Skyla would be away from the one who had been horrible to her, thus she was safe from further potential abuse. Skyla being safe, should put Cadance at ease somewhat with the divorce going. Cadance would be able to move forward and seek out a new and hopefully better relationship for herself as she really deserved. That would be the ideal situation for Cadance and Skyla.

However, as Matesis had learned over his travels, life rarely took the ideal path most times. With that in mind, Matesis wondered if the divorce had been clean if it had gone through or if it was even done. Should it not be cleanly done, there were things that could be done to help with that which Matesis could think of. Yet, he feared that the divorce wasn't finished and was ongoing in some way, which could explain why Cadance was still angry. There were countless things which one could do to "get back" at another which happened around Equus. Matesis was all too familiar with some of the foolish and mean things which those out for "vengeance" which was really revenge wanted. Petty revenge and the like weren't unknown or unexpected around Equus even if it wasn't as bad on average as it was on Earth. It was one of the unfortunate similarities that Matesis has seen between the inhabitants of Equus and humans. He had the nagging feeling the stallion had done something to gum up the works with the divorce. But he wanted more details so he could potentially help. "I take it the ending you mentioned is some sort of divorce which wasn't clean," Matesis posed. "At least, the anger you're showing makes me think there is more to the "settlement" than just separation, that is if it has really finished. Your reaction strongly suggests that settlement hasn't been allowed to move forward and be completed."

How Matesis seemed to be able to know what Cadance was going through without having first-hoof knowledge, she couldn't say. His intuition was either an incredible thing with how on point it was or he just had a knack of making educated guesses as to what she was going through. He wasn't wrong about the divorce being unclean or even finished officially right now. Cadance only wished the divorce could be official and done even if it would be messy in the end. Yet, it was worse because it was on hold and becoming messier as time passed and thus more complicated the longer it took. For a brief moment, Cadance had hoped her aunt stepping in would help things get on track and get the divorce over and done with. Cadance hadn't been enjoying what she and her daughters had been dragged through thanks to Shining Armor complicating things.

Yet, any hope that Celestia would help smooth out things had quickly faded. Celestia had quickly stated the divorce would be "on hold" so both sides could cool off before any major decision was made. Cadance had not quite believed her aunt had suggested that at first with the hold on the divorce. She had given Celestia the testimony of the Crystal Castle staff about what Shining had been doing to help her see the truth. Shining had been ruining the marriage and doing nothing to change that which Cadance had seen a hint of yet. But Celestia hadn't seemed to listen to the evidence Cadance had provided on Shining Armor abusing their fillies. Heck, Celestia had responded to Cadance's "evidence" saying it was nothing more than an exaggeration on her part. That had infuriated Cadance as she had seen the results of Shining abusing her daughters. The bruises and other marks on Flurry and the near shutdown Skyla had been pushed to wasn't from exaggerated actions the stallion had been doing. And being told by Celestia to calm down had felt like an insult to Cadance which had only increased her fury.

The hold status had been the state of the divorce for close to two months now as much as Cadance didn't like it. Shining had managed to halt it by going to Celestia even if he hadn't gotten it dismissed as he had wanted it to be. Cadance figured that Shining had said something to Celestia, though she couldn't say what he could have said. Whatever it was, her aunt wouldn't listen to what Cadance could say to her in defense of her actions. And if that was the only issue, Cadance wouldn't be as frustrated. However, the limbo that the divorce was in also affected her daughters as they were required to deal with their abusive father still. But talking about the point was helping if only a little, so Cadance continued, "The divorce is on hold right now," Cadance growled. "Temporary custody was established."

Matesis blinked at her reply of the divorce being on hold for it didn't make logical sense to him. From what Cadance had said and implied about her situation, there was no doubt the divorce was the best decision for Cadance and Skyla. And with custody being mentioned, it said to Matesis that Cadance had at least one other child besides Skyla. He could only imagine the other child had been given to the stallion. The decision was a foolish one when abuse was in the mix and the victims were required to be around their abuser. Most that would judge this kind of situation wouldn't have considered doing that let alone pushing it to happen. But Matesis was only getting some of the details so he couldn't say what was fully going on with Cadance and her situation. He was just filling in what he didn't know with what generally occurred in messy divorces.

The stallion was almost definitely the one to force things to what they were for the two. The stallion shouldn't have been given influence or power over the divorce proceedings nor be allowed around Skyla and her sibling further than he'd already been with his abuse. Had Cadance's situation come up in the eastern nations, it would've already been handled with the stallion being punished in some way by this point. Matesis would like to assume that Equestria would have much the same standards about judging things like abuse in circumstances like Cadance's. Yet apparently, according to what Cadance had said, that wasn't the case, which was rather concerning. However, it unfortunately wouldn't be exactly a surprise to Matesis if that was how things went with Celestia in charge. If she put in others that played favorites would make the "justice" systems two tiered which didn't work effectively. For the divorce to be put on hold implied a third party had been brought in by one side to "mediate" the situation. Frankly, the mediation wasn't needed as much as an arbiter to get things going in a better direction for all concerned. Arbitration had far less bias as the arbiter didn't know those involved in the case so couldn't be influenced by one side by social connections.

If Cadance wanted to divorce the stallion she and her children had been abused by, there shouldn't be a logical or factual conflict that should stop it. The majority of the citizens of Equus would agree with the point, Matesis had no doubt. Any of the eastern nations' justice systems would have pushed the divorce forward with the evidence Cadance had likely provided and settled the issue. The only reason that he could come up with for the mediation not to be going that way it should be was there being some sort of bias to one side of the issue. Cadance's efforts would convince most of her being the mother protecting her children and have them siding with her. And Cadance had been genuine with her feelings from what Matesis could tell since he was extremely hard to fool or trick. "With the efforts you've put forth," Matesis started, "I don't see proper mediation impeding the divorce you have been working for." He paused for a moment, "The only thing which comes to my mind is the one mediating has a bias. So then, who is-"

Matesis stopped as a flash of inspiration came to him which answered his unfinished question. The answer was quite easy for Matesis to figure out without having Cadance answer for a couple of reasons. He knew of one mare that thought she could "solve" anything brought to her. Matesis saw that "problem solving" which Celestia called "counseling" was still in truth her meddling in things which weren't her business, and she shouldn't be involved in. But with Cadance being a princess, he would be Celestia would feel "inclined" to step in and interfere when it was better she not. It was one of several annoying "qualities" which Matesis saw as a serious flaw in the mare. Celestia had been one to show favoritism and that could be passed onto others through example well enough. Her position couldn't afford much favoritism as it would then become others using Celestia for their benefit or Celestia becoming more like Noctis which was worse in Matesis's view.

Matesis would have hoped that Celestia had worked to improve herself with the many years that had gone by. He knew the chanced of that were slim to none with how Celestia tended to behave back at the time before his exile. Yet, with hearing Noctis vanishing, Matesis had been hoping she would get better with Noctis's influence absence. But it seemed reality had manifested itself and Celestia was still the spoiled pony she had been before he'd been chased out of Equestria. It was yet another reason among the many on the growing list that Matesis had for him not to want to see Celestia. The thought had him sighing tiredly, "Let me guess, Celestia stepped into this mess and said something to the effect of needing to back up and cool off before looking at this issue properly."

Cadance's head snapped up at the mention of Celestia from Matesis. Sure, he had said some things which suggested he knew of Celestia, but nothing as specific as he had just said. And it wasn't that he understood what Cadance was saying about Shining, not trying to do anything to repair a failing relationship which surprised her. Nor was it that he had somehow figured out Celestia had been the one trying to mediate the issue between her and Shining without her saying that. Those things Cadance could believe his intuition could be responsible for even if it was kind of a stretch. No, it was the way in which he had talked about Celestia which had caught her attention. The tone and the lack of the princess title made it clear Matesis knew Celestia beyond just as the leader of Equestria. It implied that he knew her aunt not just as a mare, but of her aunt on a personal level which most didn't have a chance to so with her. It brought back questions of them potentially crossing paths with one another sometime in the past. "Yes, she did," Cadance admitted in a confused tone. "But how do you know that?"

Matesis cursed to himself that he'd slipped up and implied he knew Celestia more than an outsider would be aware of. The past he had with her and Luna was a subject he didn't get into with almost anyone these days. It was a subject that he almost never got into and had him referring to Celestia by "Equestria's Princess" than by her name. It was mostly since he didn't want the two searching for him after the work he'd gone through to vanish from Noctis's notice and attention. Matesis had faked his own death to cover his tracks so none would follow him. It had been more to get Noctis to leave him alone and not keep hunting him than getting Celestia to forget about him, but the end had achieved both ideas. There were few over his travels that Matesis had talked about his past before he had set out traveling the world. And there were none alive that would connect him to the individual he'd once been.

However, Matesis's slip up had made it clear he knew Celestia more than outsiders would and even the general population of Equestria's knowledge. He doubted he could spin the point off in a way Cadance would accept and not ask more questions. Thus, it would be best for him to tell her a little bit about how he got to know Celestia and hope that Cadance wouldn't ask for further details. He exhaled, "I assume you wouldn't believe me if I were to say I've just heard of what Celestia is like," he replied. Cadance shook her head in response to Matesis's statement. He gained a tired expression after she shook her head, "I figured that you wouldn't accept that. So, instead, I would ask you not to go mentioning the point around, but I have met Celestia. She has likely forgotten the interactions enough to not recognize me as I am now. Those interactions took place quite some time ago so it would be rather easy to forget I would think. And honestly, I would say it is better that the interactions were forgotten by her. Yet, during those interactions, I got to know her enough to learn several of her qualities and habits. Her thinking she can solve any dispute is one of those I learned of. Much as you have likely found out, it is annoying and is in reality a flaw of hers which she doesn't admit exists if she's asked."

Matesis's answer hadn't really answered the question that Cadance had of him in relation to Celestia. If anything, Cadance would applaud him "answering" a question as vaguely as he had and yet not giving the "desired" information. In truth, his reply had created more questions about the two of them than tell of what could've gone on. He clearly didn't want whatever had gone on between them to be known to many for some reason. It was possible that her aunt could've forgotten meeting Matesis as he said, though that was hard to believe. Cadance couldn't see forgetting an individual like him easily, but she didn't interact with as many ponies as her aunts did. Matesis also mentioned the encounter had happened long ago, but not much beyond him getting to know Celestia somewhat. He'd even implied he knew about Celestia's flaw of not admitting when she was wrong which Cadance had seen herself.

While Matesis had admitted he knew Celestia, that wasn't what had Cadance so curious about what could've gone on between the two. Granted, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of relationship Matesis could've had with her aunt during their interactions. Him wording things to be vague could say that whatever had occurred hadn't been pleasant for Matesis. It made Cadance suspect the relationship had been more than an acquaintance and potentially more than a friend. And yet, whatever it had been between the two had not ended well from the tones Matesis had given the answer in. There was pain in his voice which tugged at Cadance's heart. Their relationship had to have meant something to him with the painful tone he'd had even if it hadn't meant the same to her aunt. It made her think that what had happened with Shining and her was much less painful than whatever had occurred between Matesis and Celestia. But there wasn't enough said for Cadance to say what could've been there.

When Cadance said nothing to what Matesis had said about Celestia, he assumed that he should continue. But he didn't want to keep going about what had been between him and Celestia. That was in the past and it would remain there until things changed with Celestia and Luna. There was something Cadance could potentially do to help change her situation as it was. That was going away from Celestia with her clear show of bias and go to another to mediate the divorce proceedings. "Let me give you some advice then to get things moving for your situation. Tell Celestia she's the one that needs to step back and take a look at things with fresh eyes. The first thing for her to do is clean out her ears and stop listening exclusively to the stallion and look at all the factual evidence instead. She is showing a clear bias which should and will disqualify her as a judge to help with the situation if any other looks at it." Matesis shook his head, "It sounds like the stallion is being petty and trying to be dominant in the situation."

Matesis had a thought of another thing which Cadance could do to help herself in the situation she was in. Celestia wasn't trustworthy in being a fair judge in the divorce Cadance was trying to get done with the bias she had displayed. That left the option to go to Luna who could also be a judge in the situation. Luna tended to be the more rational one of the two, listening to the facts before making a choice. She would be far fairer in this case than Celestia would be at this point and less bias. The other choice was to request an arbitration but that would take time and required Cadance to do a lot of work. However, the latter choice would overrule and forcibly remove Celestia from the matter of judgement and she wouldn't be able to argue that as much as she would want to. "The better option would be to go to Luna for this issue rather than Celestia. She is better at looking over the facts and making fair decisions I hear than Celestia ever was. There is one other option, but it would be a much more work involved for you to take." Matesis sighed, "So, can I correctly assume that your other child end out staying with the brain-dead idiot?"

Matesis calling Shining Armor a braindead idiot would be funny and true if Flurry Heart's situation wasn't haunting her. Cadance's gaze fell to the floor at the reminder of Flurry Heart's situation. She only hoped that Flurry Heart would manage while around Shining Armor. There were members of the castle staff who could help Flurry when she needed it and would be willing to do so. Cadance had been trying to come up with ways she could help Flurry but hadn't been able to think of anything which would work. She couldn't forget Skyla whining for them to go back and have Flurry come with them, that scene would play through her head sometimes. It hadn't been possible to take Flurry when they had been leaving, and Cadance could still think of nothing to help her eldest daughter. The point was weighing on her and wouldn't leave her mind and plagued her nightmares.

Matesis observed the expression which came to the mare's face, and it answered his question better than words could say. The other kid that Cadance had was with the father and it was plaguing her. He could only imagine how guilty Cadance had to feel about leaving her other child behind when she took Skyla and ran to get away from their abuser. No parent should be forced to make the choice as to which of their children they protected from harm. That was a form of torture that was wrong to do to a parent, he firmly believed that in his heart. And if Skyla had been abused by her male sire as it was likely, it was just as possible and probable that Cadance's other child had been and was being abused in some way too. The situation Matesis was learning of was developing into an extremely horrible picture, definitely toward the harsher ones he'd encountered for a while. His heart did go out for Cadance with the circumstance she was in, truly it did as he could sympathize personally.

With what Cadance had laid out, Matesis assumed she had no desire to go back to the Empire and face the ex. Nor should any expect her to do such a thing against her will, that was common sense or should be at least. Regardless of what Celestia suggested to "solve" the issue Cadance had with her ex, Celestia had a bias in and knew little about the mess it seemed. Celestia certainly didn't seem to see or want to see what was going on which brought on the divorce. Celestia needed to learn she wasn't wise as she thought she was. She had stopped having life-experiences and let others do the work she should've done in the past. But her age had others thinking Celestia was wise just because even when that wasn't the case. It made Matesis wonder what had Celestia to be involved as this issue seemed be something she wouldn't deal with often. It was possible that the mare had another reason for her "mediation" which wasn't known to the others involved.

Now, Matesis may have a way to help Cadance's other daughter, though he needed to have some things looked into before he could offer that. There were some Shadow Blade agents around the Crystal Empire, mostly to gather information than anything else. They had gone there and had blended in shortly after the empire had returned. Yet, Matesis couldn't say if they could get into position to extract Cadance's daughter without drawing notice from others. He didn't want it to appear the pony had been kidnapped, especially with what was happening these days with the foalnappings. That would be looked into by others which he wanted to avoid the Shadow Blade agents to be investigated right now. Yet, he would have the possibility looked into soon to see what could be done. He would make the call when he knew more about what was happening around the empire. He would also have the agents see if what Cadance had said about the stallion was true. It wasn't that Matesis didn't believe Cadance, for he did. He just wanted evidence to nail the stallion if the opportunity came up.

Instead, Matesis walked over to the kitchen and started to get food out to make breakfast. It was a nice thing to do for him to make this conversation more manageable. Plus, the fillies would likely be up soon enough and come downstair hungry. Matesis wanted to be prepared for that when it came up. "I'm sorry," Matesis said, "You have my heart-felt condolences on the choice you were forced to make. No parent should have to choose which of their children they take to safety and those they can't do the same for. The stallion shouldn't have forced you to do that. I know that Celestia can be foolish at times." Matesis paused for a moment thinking of his son Vence and what had befallen him because of Celestia listening to her father. "But I thought she would consider the young and their well-being before the need to be in the right."

Cadance appreciated the sympathy offered by Matesis. It sounded like he meant what he said about heart-felt condolences about the choice she made. If there was a way to get Flurry Heart out of the Empire or rather get her away from her father, Cadance would've done that in a heartbeat. But she couldn't think of a way to help Flurry Heart without putting Skyla and herself in danger. And if they were put in danger, then saving Flurry wouldn't be the help she needed. "I didn't want to leave her, but I needed to get Skyla away from her father," Cadance admitted. Matesis nodded sadly, "I only can imagine. But let me ask you, where exactly do you reside in the diplomatic power of the general royalty on the western continent?"

Cadance knew that technically she was seen as a princess and had the position and the "authority" the title came with. She had the respect of the majority of the citizens of the Crystal Empire with how she'd been running things. Cadance had done most of the work while Shining had been more the figure head. She was assured by those in the palace that she was doing a great job, but she wasn't sure if that was really the truth. Cadance had spent enough time around Celestia to see there were those that would just say what they thought royalty wanted to hear. So, she wasn't confident that being told she was doing a good job was real or just some trying to kiss up to her. Cadance didn't look at Matesis as she answered, "I'm the Princess of Love and current ruler of the Crystal Empire."

Matesis nodded as he had figured that was Cadance's position. The resemblance between Cadance and Jade was easy to see for Matesis. She was one of the closer looking descendants that had come down Jade's bloodline. It also sounded like she had the love of the ponies of the Empire much as Jade had during her reign. But the way that Cadance had given the answer made it sound like she lacked confidence in her running of things. From what he'd seen, she was a great fit for the position of ruler of a nation. Cadance was more along the lines of those who led the nations on the eastern continent which was a complement. She was doing Jade proud, Matesis would state that as a fact if needed. How Celestia ran things with Equestria hurt her image the more Matesis was finding out about, and things weren't nice to start with. "You shouldn't sell yourself short on ruling the Empire," Matesis commented. "The Empire is looking to be doing well and that is an achievement."

Matesis stopped as memories of when Sombra had attacked the empire came to his mind. Sombra had attacked a few times before the instance where Matesis had been beaten and Jade killed. The reason he knew that was he'd led Equestrian soldiers to aid them in the previous attacks Sombra had launched. He'd exploited a loophole back at that time which had allowed Matesis to get around Noctis's authority before the last time Sombra came. Like pretty much anything Matesis had done which had benefited any other, Noctis had hated his actions, even if he didn't make it visible for others to see. But the "relationship" that had existed between Matesis and Noctis was something he didn't get into if it wasn't absolutely necessary. The point was Noctis hadn't "appreciated" Matesis's actions for the good of the Empire. Matesis knew Noctis had his eye on the Empire and making it a part of "his" Equestria back at the time.

However, with Matesis exiled before Sombra's last attack before the empire was sealed, options had been more limited. The rebellion which had been planned had fallen apart with him being chased out. If he were to get help from Equestrian soldiers at the time, it would've put their lives at risk even if they had helped the Empire not fall to Sombra. Thus, Matesis had not gone that route but had considered going back and redoing rebellion plans after Sombra had been dealt with. Yet things hadn't worked out that way with what had gone down in the Crystal Empire. Instead, Matesis had led soldiers of the Empire in defense during Sombra's assault. However, with Sombra gaining dark magic to use, the battle had been far harsher than any previously. The stallion had used those new powers to overwhelm Matesis and his allies. Matesis took a deep breath, "It is good to know that the Empire is doing better than it was before its sealing. When Sombra came before the empire was sealed away, there was such fear of him, more so when the defenses were breached."

Cadance blinked at what Matesis was saying to her. He was speaking as if he had been there when Sombra had assaulted the Empire before its sealing for around a thousand years. There wasn't much in Equestria's history about Sombra's attack which had led to the Empire's sealing. Those that had gone and inspected the area had found little to nothing to explain how things had happened. Most of what Cadance knew of the event came from what the citizens of the empire had told her shortly after the Crystal Heart had been restored by Twilight, Spike, and their friends. And much of what they had said had made it clear the attack by Sombra had been beyond terrifying and horrible for them. There had been some things mentioned about members of the Crystal Guard who had fought against Sombra and the minions he'd brought with him. Most of them had been killed by citizens' accounts which was sad to Cadance. Guards may be expected to give a great deal to protect the land they guarded, but to sacrifice their lives to do it was still sad.

Nonetheless, for Matesis to imply that he'd been around the empire when Sombra had attacked was hard to believe. Sure, his age was unknown, and Skyla said she had been told he had been around when Nightmare Moon had been banished by Celestia, but that was hard to swallow. However, if he was somehow telling the truth, it would strongly say he was an immortal which he hadn't come off as. Should Matesis have been around the empire when Sombra had brought down his terror, his accounting would be precious to understand how things happened. The empire's citizens had a hard time remembering the event beyond general details of what Sombra had done. It was suspected that Sombra had done something to affect their memories of what he'd done to them. And without details, Cadance couldn't see of an effective way to help the citizens who looked to her move forward from the terror Sombra had forced upon them. "You're speaking like you were there," Cadance said, "But how can that be?"

Matesis couldn't forget the assaults that Sombra had made against the Crystal Empire, especially the last one. Sombra had been a heck of a stubborn stallion, Matesis would give the fool that much though it wasn't meant to be a compliment. His wish in taking the Crystal Empire for his own had pushed beyond foolishness in Matesis's mind and gone to being a sick obsession which had consumed him. Before Sombra had obtained his dark power, fighting the stallion had been straightforward, even if annoying to Matesis. As a unicorn, Sombra had relied on magic to attack his opponents which strategy wasn't very effective against him. Matesis had ways to counter magic used against that weren't dark magic since it was fundamentally different than other magic. It had been Sombra's dark magic which had given him the advantage and the win against Matesis during the last assault.

When it had become clear that Sombra had dark powers and knew how to use them, it had brought up the question where he could've gotten it. Matesis and others had brought up the subject with Jade when Sombra had started his attack. Jade hadn't had much of an idea where Sombra could've obtained his new power than any other. However, she had suggested to Matesis that Noctis could have something to do with the change. The suggestion had seemed strange at first to Matesis, but the stress had made considering things harder at the time. Upon further consideration after the event, Matesis had to admit it was possible that Noctis could have had a hoof in Sombra's power. It would certainly fit the mentality which Noctis tended to have, using others to obtain his goals.

At the time, Noctis had been the main dark magic user that Matesis had been aware of even if others would deny that fact. There had been other dark magic users which had come up over his travels, but Noctis was the one Matesis knew before he was exiled. Dark magic was unique in the respect that it was passed from one user to another. There were no books on dark magic that weren't sealed away from the world that Matesis was aware of and that hadn't changed for over a millennium. Instead, dark magic was taught directly from a user to a student/apprentice. There was one or two extremely rare exceptions to that unsaid rule that Matesis had been able to learn of. Thus, evidence pointed to Noctis teaching Sombra the basics and set the stallion on his way into dark magic. That point had motivated Matesis to do what he could to screw with Noctis's work when he could during his travels.

Matesis focused back on Cadance's question of him being around the empire when Sombra had attacked. It had been a horrible few days when Sombra had started his assault against the Empire's defenses. The air around the empire had been one of fear and gloom when the attack had started. The first two days, Matesis had given hope that Sombra could be pushed back and not get into the city. But then Sombra had breached the defenses, and his dark minions had flooded into the city causing chaos and terror. Matesis chuckled hollowly at the memories, "That is because I was there. I was among those that shored up the defenses before Sombra began his siege. When the defenses were breached, I led members of the Crystal Guard against Sombra and the minions that stallion had conjured."

Matesis paused as guilt filled him for leaving Jade to die fighting Sombra. He'd known Jade would die fighting Sombra, there had been no question that the crazed stallion would murder her without hesitation. She was a top target of Sombra as he had tried throwing magic at her in previous attacks. Yet, he'd left one of his best friends to die to fulfill the promise he'd made to her before Jade had faced off against Sombra. "I was helping Queen Jade who was the ruler at the time defending the Empire. And I failed since I was overwhelmed by Sombra's newfound power." Matesis paused again as the pain of losing Jade came back to him. She had been one of the last of the genuine friends he had at that time. The very thought caused a pained frown to come to his face. "I left a friend, knowing they would die fighting Sombra."

With what Matesis had said, Cadance believed that Matesis was serious about being around the Empire before it had been sealed away with Sombra. And he clearly knew how Sombra's attack had gone down, much more than the citizens could remember. The pain in his voice about leaving a friend to die was genuine. Whoever it had been that Matesis left back at the time had been more than "just a friend" to him. Why he had left, Cadance couldn't say with what she knew so far. But she didn't doubt there was a reason even if Matesis hadn't stated it to her. He hadn't mentioned who the friend was, yet they had clearly been a cherished one for Matesis. It showed that he was loyal to friends and those he cared about, which was an endearing quality for him. She only hoped that she could be in that group that Matesis cared about sometime in the near future.

However, Cadance's gaze fell as Matesis spoke of Sombra. He clearly knew of Sombra on a level most didn't and would unlikely ever know. That said the battle Matesis had been in against Sombra hadn't been the first one between the two. Cadance had her own experience with Sombra which haunted her to an extent. When the empire had come back, Sombra had come with it, he'd been trouble in several ways. The horrible stallion may not have had a body to start with, but that hadn't stopped Sombra from spreading fear and terror. That experience had shown Cadance that Sombra's powers were nothing to scoff at and were different than anything she'd seen. The dark powers Sombra could wield were frightening to put it mildly. If not for the crystal heart, then Sombra could've won against those there, including Celestia and Luna. So, if Matesis had faced Sombra multiple times as implied, Cadance respected the courage he had to do that. It also suggested that he could know of dark magic and have experience with what it could do. "My subjects suffered a great deal under Sombra. They have only recently been freed when Sombra was banished to the deepest tundra in the Arctic North. Most of them still haven't recovered from the mental trauma he inflicted with his dark magic."

Matesis was well-aware of the effects of dark magic, he's seen more than enough of that particular horrible category of magic to know. Around the eastern continent, he was considered the foremost expert on dark magic with his knowledge and experience with the stuff. Dark magic may be treated as one category of magic with ponies, but it was a subject unto itself. Really, dark magic had subcategories and divisions under those which made up the type of magic and none were pleasant to consider. All of them were dangerous to deal with or even touch by users or targets. There were what stories told about, like curses and hexes, but there was much more than just those. There were other categories, some known and others not so much if not forgotten about by this point. Dark magic just seemed to be a subject was uncomfortable one and most avoided it instead of learning how to defend against it. But a common thing with dark magic was it had a tendency to corrupt and twist its user/wielder over time.

The kind of dark magic Sombra wielded was more along the line of hexes for the most part which wasn't the worst stuff dark magic could do. However, the stallion had shown a bit of "soul" magic which was dark magic too and that category was considered one of the more dangerous of them all. What Nightmare Moon had shown was the category of curses and hexes which again weren't nice but could be dealt with. But some of the more terrifying stuff Matesis had faced had come up when he went into the "Dark Lands." The land itself had been created or rather transformed into what it was by extremely powerful dark magic. That "curse" was cast by ancient witches who had been essentially forgotten by history. Those witches had made sure their curse could not be reversed so it could remain a symbol of their hatred. The spells those witches could wield and throw around did terri-freaking-fying things to their targets. It showed they had more a mastery of dark magic and the categories it involved than Noctis had ever displayed.

The western continent or rather Equestria seemed to have a serious lack of knowledge on dark magic from what Matesis understood. He felt that Noctis had a hoof in that point since it would only benefit him the most. From what records and accounts had said, Equestria's "method" of dealing with dark magic when it came up was to use the "Elements of Harmony." Those artifacts were powerful, and he'd heard of them and had some do research into them. Matesis wouldn't deny the Elements of Harmony were quite some incredible artifacts which could do things that most would see as impossible. But they were wasted and abused by those who had wielded them before, Celestia and Luna being prime examples of the point. And their use was resorted to far quicker than they should be if Matesis were to give his opinion. But as Equestria had "control" over the elements, so Matesis had no influence over their uses and so wasn't his concern.

The effects of dark magic, unlike the subject was in the west were well documented by those on the eastern continent. Matesis had encouraged the research and recording being done so treatments could be invented given time. Overall, the best treatment for dark magic, positive encouragement was the best thing for the victims. There were things that could be done for extreme cases, but those were harsh cases and thankfully those were rare. "I certainly can sympathize with the empire's citizens. I have seen the effects of dark magic with my own eyes, and it's normally nasty unfortunately," Matesis remarked. "Time and positive encouragement are the best-known treatment to the effects of most dark magic in general." Matesis looked at Cadance directly, "You helped in saving them I would guess, correct?" Cadance nodded in reply just processing what he was saying. Matesis went to a knee and bowed as he kept going, "You have my thanks for that. Sombra was not one to show mercy to any and was a truly corrupt fool. You do your ancestor proud with how you have helped the citizens of the Empire."

With all that had been said and implied, Cadance couldn't help but wonder several things again about Matesis. He was unlike an individual that Cadance had ever encountered, or even heard about in stories. He really did seem to be the hero the eastern nations would refer to in the stories that they would tell. And yet, there was still so much left unsaid and vaguely implied by Matesis after the things he'd mentioned. Cadance had so many questions about him that she wanted answers to but couldn't bring them up right now. His knowledge base seemed far vaster than what one imagined with how Matesis came off. Cadance would even bet that he knew things which Celestia and Luna didn't know with all of their life wisdom they had. And for there to be one like that was hard to believe, but Cadance was starting to think that Matesis could be just that.

As an example, the sentence about Cadance's "ancestor" made her very curious what Matesis could know. Cadance really didn't know much about her heritage even when she had done some research over the years. Then there was the experience he had gained through his travels he'd been doing for who knew how long. Him traveling the world would have Matesis seeing things that others could only imagine she would bet. The other thing which Cadance would love to know about was his experience with relationships. With how long he'd been alive, there had to have been countless relationships, whether friends or other kinds. There was even the likelihood of Matesis being in romantic relationships with mares over the years he'd lived. She couldn't say with what Matesis had said or implied. There would be time to ask him more about himself and what he'd experienced during his travels.

Yet, there was a question which came with him saying he'd been around the empire when Sombra had attacked. That question was one of his species since most of Equus didn't live as long as Matesis had. Minotaurs lived around as long as ponies as far as Cadance was aware of. Him being an immortal hadn't been explained much, whether he was born that way or if something had changed him to be immortal. The subject of immortality was one that little was really know about in general. Celestia and Luna were the only real examples of immortality that Equus knew of by the public. There were rumors that there could be more than them, but there had been no proof if those rumors were true or not. There was the theory that an individual could gain immortality by magic, but there were only theories by what Cadance understood. The foremost theories were dark magic may have the ability to make one immortal but testing that was extremely difficult. Users of dark magic were rare and normally were villains by what history had shown. And authorities on magic stated that dark magic likely had harsh side effects as had been seen historically. Yet, Matesis wasn't showing any of the signs that were recorded from strong curses. "You wouldn't say much as to who you are when I asked," Cadance stated. She focused on the stallion, "But what are you?"

Matesis paused with putting food in groups for the dishes he was going to make at the question. It wasn't the first time he'd been asked the question of what he was, though it had been a little while since the last time. Technically, his species was one that was extremely rare and was foreign to Equus naturally. Humans weren't natural to Equus, they were brought to the world for one reason or another. Matesis still didn't know what reason or purpose him being brought to Equus had been, but it didn't matter anymore. And Matesis was the last human Equus had known for more than two thousand years by what he'd been able to figure. Thus, the inhabitants of Equus didn't really understand what humans were as any history of them was lost in the depths of ancient lore and beyond.

The other problem with stating he was human for Matesis was with all he'd been through had skewed his view about that point. Physically, Matesis still believed he was human, though there were some things which still made that kind of shaky. His journey had done so much to him that it was hard to be sure about several things, including him being human as he'd been when he'd arrived on Equus. It was something he'd come to learn and accept, there was no such thing as absolute truth. What was true and false came down to one's perspective and how you saw things compared to others. There were somethings that could be agreed upon as truth, but saying something was specifically one thing was a hard thing to do for Matesis with his experience.

His travels had done many things for Matesis, both things which he had worked for and other things which he hadn't. Matesis had worked to improve his character to be a better individual as he'd always been taught to by his parents. And overall, Matesis felt he had done that while traveling the world after his exile had begun. Matesis had changed lives and helped shape nations on the eastern continents during his journey. He'd not asked to become a hero for those on the eastern continent, but he had risen to the need of such. Matesis had done what he could for others as helping had become a reason for him to keep living and not just exist. That had been a part of his immortality which had taken time to accept which his journey had helped with. Those things which had come from his traveling the world was some of the good that Matesis had experienced.

But then, everything had changed when the series of events had occurred two centuries ago for him. Much as his exile and what had preceded it had turned his life upside down and shattering it, what had occurred with Mune had done similar if not worse. It had started with Morgana vanishing and Matesis searching for her. Yet, what had happened around Mune had been unspeakable by any standard which Matesis could think of. Those days would haunt him for the rest of his life, and he knew there would be nothing which would have him forget those days. Mune had been doing all sorts of things, including research into "dark magic." He was the only survivor of Mune as all the rest that had been there had died there from the experiments. Countless had died in agony at Mune and that was want plagued Matesis's nightmares and changed his life. While the events at Mune may have given Matesis the powers and the energy reserves he had now, he couldn't help but curse the cost for that to be the case. The experiments had changed his body on a fundamental level, Matesis couldn't deny that. But friends and good individuals had been twisted and destroyed by the fools that ran Mune.

How could he explain his journey and what it had done to him to Cadance? His life story was long and was made up of countless stories of what he'd done for others. The good times weren't the issue for Matesis, for he was willing to talk about those. However, the other times were those which he didn't speak of most of the time as they were horrible. Humans could understand why he was the way he currently was now with the adapting he'd been forced to do. But the inhabitants of Equus were far less understanding with forced adaptation he'd found. So, Matesis was silent for a long moment, "Your question is one I get from time to time I admit. However, I'm sorry to say that I don't know how to exactly answer that question anymore." Matesis put down the knife he'd been about to use before continuing, "And it isn't that I don't want to answer I assure you. If you had asked it more than two centuries ago, I had an answer though vague which did give a kind of answer to the question. I would have said that I'm just a unique individual that wanders the world doing good where they go." Matesis hesitated for a moment, "But now, I honestly can't say how true that is anymore. So much changed for me that it's hard to be sure about many things anymore."

The answer Matesis had given was somehow even more confusing than his normal vague inference. He was clearly familiar with the question of his species which meant it came up sometimes. That was understandable, Cadance could imagine that others would question his species much as she did. And the question of his species wasn't meant to be a question of his character which was amazing. Cadance just hadn't met one like Matesis before or even an individual close to being similar to him. Much as Skyla had said in SugarCube Corner, Matesis looked similar to a monkey or Minotaur, so that he said he was one fit. Yet, those two creatures couldn't do the things which Matesis had that Cadance knew of. And that was just the beginning to the questions which came that involved Matesis.

The point that had stuck out to Cadance which had come with Matesis's answer was reference to a time things had changed in some way. Matesis hadn't said what the change was, just that it had happened around two centuries ago. It was another thing which pointed to Matesis being immortal and/or ageless, but that wasn't what Cadance wondered. She couldn't imagine any kind of event that could change an individual to question what they were. The very idea of something able to do that was mind-boggling to her, especially for an immortal to be rattled as much as Matesis implied. "What happened to you back then," she questioned. "What could possibly change you to have you question what you are?"

At the question, flashes of what had occurred at Mune raced through Matesis's mind. Faces of those he'd know came to him, expressions of pain and suffering on those faces which only hurt Matesis more. Screams of pain and expressions of despair of others who had been trapped there followed those flashes. It was the reminders of what Mune had produced and brought about all because of the obsessions of fools. Countless lives had been taken without thought by those doing the experiments. Matesis swore they and the obsessed fools had lost their ability to feel any form of genuine emotion from their actions. That was the only way he could explain how any of them could be fine with the torture they had caused. What those at Mune had done wasn't natural behavior for living beings, Matesis was absolutely sure of that. All that was before the "experiment" those fools did which had brought about Mune's end. While the things done at Mune had been horrible and torturous, the fools running it hadn't apparently been satisfied with those things. There had been other things including the abomination they had produced which had turned against them. If they had any sense in them, they wouldn't have done what they had, but that was hoping for too much from those idiots.

Matesis shook his head, dismissing the memories of Mune. It was better that what had occurred at Mune never see the light of day ever again for the possibility that others may try the same thing. The experiments at Mune were wrong and should never ever be tried or performed again. Matesis had been working with others including the Shadow Blade organization to make sure such experiments didn't happen. "It is better you don't sate your curiosity in this," Matesis replied. He had an involuntary shiver go through him which Cadance noticed. "What happened back then was wrong and shouldn't ever happen again. Equus is far better off with such horrors remaining buried in the past and not being revisited. And that is best done by not talking about what was done."

Cadance didn't like not getting answers to the questions she was asking of Matesis. The lack of viable responses didn't make her any less interested in getting to know Matesis more and pursuing a relationship with him. It sounded like there were things in his past that he didn't like recalling or talking about which she could understand. But she couldn't imagine something as horrible as Matesis implied had happened to him during the past. Yet, something in her said Matesis wasn't hiding information from her without a good reason. It sounded like she wouldn't get much more out of him about himself. Cadance had opened up and told him about what she was dealing with when it came to Shining Armor, and he hadn't judged her. So, she would accept and respect his choice of not telling her more for the time being. She hoped that given time and getting to know one another, he would open up more and tell her about his past. Thus, she decided to not ask further and push for more information from Matesis.

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A/n

Okay… that's where I'll finally leave off for this chapter. I want to apologize for the lengths of the chapters so far, they are turning out far longer than I thought they would be. I don't mean for them to end out as long as they end out being. As a writer, I just go from one point to another in each chapter, I mean that honestly. But putting aside the length, I do hope you readers have been enjoying this story. It is an older one for me as I wrote it years ago and just never picked it back up. Now let met get to the highlights and explanations for this chapter which these end notes are really written for.

Let's start with the first scene which has an amount to unpack. So, I know that I'm portraying Spitfire and Cadance differently than they are in the series. But I would remind you readers of a point I work with in all of my stories, I don't follow canon. Honestly, and I may have said this before, I think Cadance doesn't get enough screen time in the series. She is a neat character from the series, where there are a lot of fun characters to work with. Cadance isn't a love crazed mare, I state that for the record even if it seems like it with her. It is just Matesis is essentially a perfect match to what Cadance wants from a stallion which affects her. Then he is an "exotic" creature to Equus even if he isn't to any of us. And yes, I will be addressing Cadance's developing feelings in the chapters to come. But I give fair warning, the development will likely be slower than some of you readers will like. Yet a slowly developed romance tweaks my heartstrings I'll admit which is why I try to write such sometimes.

Now, let's move onto Spitfire who is quite different than Cadance and how she is in canon. There are several things which I can say about my rendition of Spitfire, both good and bad really. I know that in canon, she is a member of the Wonderbolts, and she is in my story too. However, like Cadance, I feel Spitfire doesn't get enough screen time. Yet, I will not deny she can be quite the flirt, especially around Matesis, that should be obvious by this point. I don't want that to be mistaken for her being a harlot or something along those lines. She flirts without restraint, but she won't buck stallions she doesn't have a liking for, thus she has some standards even when it seems she doesn't. Her behavior with Matesis is more explained with the pegasus enjoying the reactions she would get from stallions. Matesis lack of response is taken as a challenge by Spitfire, but that will evolve into something else over time.

Moving onto Matesis's actions before his interaction with Cadance which is the second part of this chapter. First, I wanted to show off some of his skills with magic and his mentality of how to do things. It differs from ponies which I attribute to him being human and experience. However, I wanted to highlight this as it will keep coming up in later chapters and will set him apart from other inhabitance of Equus. We humans would see nothing wrong or odd about making a house your own by customizing it. And I speak from recent and ongoing experience since I recently moved to a house and am going through the process of unpacking. But that is only the first part of this scene and is more the planning phase of it.

So, the second part of this where Matesis does the defensive barrier over the house, there are parts of it I would like to go over. The first part is about the new and original character Morgana. I know I haven't described what she looks like yet, but I will later on. This is also the first introduction of an idea which this story uses which is newer for my stories. That point is the existence of the soul and it being a separate thing from the body. I have tried to stay away from religion in my writing. It isn't that I don't believe in it, I just don't normally get into such so I don't accidentally offend any of you readers. Perhaps that is foolish for me to do, but I value those who read my work enough that I do not wish to unknowingly offend any of them if I possibly can avoid it.

Anyway, Morgana is a pony who is just a soul now as her body died or was really destroyed some time ago. The reason and event which that occurred in is as some of you readers may have guessed has to do with the place Matesis has mentioned, Mune. I will give more details about Mune later as I'm still building it up for that explanation. However, Morgana's soul is bound to Matesis which again I will explain with the events of Mune later on. She isn't the only "one" whose soul is bound to Matesis, but I'll get into that in the next chapter so I will stop about that here. But I do want to talk about Morgana a bit as she is one of my characters which I have created.

For those that have read some of my other stories, you know I put work and effort into my original characters. I see them as people and love them with the work and inspiration which go into them. So, I am proud of each and every one of the characters I make and Morgana is no exception to that point. Thus, I will give some details about her for you readers to enjoy and get to know her somewhat. First, Morgana is a descendant of Starswirl the Bearded. Yes, the same one that Twilight "geeks out" over in the series. Starswirl was also a very good friend of Matesis back a thousand years ago before going off to deal with the Pony of Shadows. The reason I mention that relation is Morgana is beyond gifted with magic. She would outdo Twilight she is that good, but that is just one comparison to see. Morgana was also a free spirit much as Matesis is which is one of the reasons they got along so well and quickly became the best of friends. She traveled with Matesis for a time before ending out at Mune which she thoroughly enjoyed. I will reveal more about Morgana as the story goes on, but now you have a little to go on to imagine her personality.

Now the relationships which Matesis infers to in the conversation with Morgana are something to note. I know you readers already have a fair idea about what went on between Matesis, Celestia, and Luna by this point. At least you know how things ended badly and nothing has changed much between them as Matesis hasn't talked to them since being exiled. However, the mention and implications of the connection between our hero and Discord is new and worth mentioning. As you may assume, the two didn't get along in the past much if at all. But that is kind of understandable with Matesis being the hero-type of individual and having the qualities that go with that. Compare that to Discord who is essentially the opposite as the bringer of chaos, mischief causer, and at times villain, the type which wouldn't get along at all with heroes. Yes, this is taking place after Discord was freed from his prison, though Matesis isn't aware of that at this point.

The other name which comes up in this chapter is the Storm King, which is from the series, the move specifically. This is the first inference of this character coming into my story, but he will play a part later on. The war mentioned is going on around the eastern continent which Matesis does participate in when called upon or something serious comes up. I wanted to bring up the Storm King at this time to introduce you to my version which will differ from canon. He will be one of the main villains which this story has, but I will get more into that later. Just keep his name in mind for this story as it will come up later.

The next thing which I would like to discuss is the subject of "magic circuits" which is mentioned in this chapter. This idea was inspired when I watched the anime series "The Eminence in Shadow" which is a great series if any are looking for some action to watch. As mentioned, magic circuits are the paths which energy flows within a living being, whether magical or otherwise. The circuits Matesis has are unique compared to that which would be found in ponies in general along with the other inhabitants of Equus. This will be a subject which will come up going forward, so I would ask you readers keep it in mind. For Matesis, the colors which run through the circuits are representative of the source of the magic they come from. For example, violet belongs to Morgana and her magic while white and dark grey belong to Matesis. I will further explain magic circuits as the story goes on.

Let me now move onto Matesis doing the inside tasks since the barrier was explained in the chapter. This introduces the point that Equestria relies on magic and its use rather than technology and science. Yes, I know that Twilight relies on science to explain things, but that isn't what I referring to exactly. I'm talking about the things which are general used like plumbing and appliances such as we humans employ. However, the eastern continent has turned to technology while Equestria hasn't. They have studied and expanded upon technology along with magic in different forms than others. The reason for that is essentially Equestria has far more magic casters than the rest of the world has on average. I will go into more detail about that later on as I'm still working on that point for myself to keep it straight.

I want to finally go to Matesis's room and what he did with that as there is something to go over there. The furniture is fine as the chapter lays out, but I would like to discuss the parts about the Dark lands. I have hinted at this subject before this, and I want to give some more on this. The "ancient witches" mentioned are those and others seen in the movies which came before the series came out. As those movies were made for kids, they were portrayed as less evil than I make them out to be. My version of them has them evil so don't mistake that for them being just naughty like they were in the movies. The Dark Lands are proof of that point which I will elaborate upon. The area known as the dark lands has an environment which is literally lethal to the inhabitants of Equus given a period of time. And that period isn't that long, like less than fifteen minutes to kill them. Even a little time for them in the dark lands will do harm on them, the longer they spend, the worse the harm it does. The place is so dangerous it is forbidden to go there for any on the eastern continent.

That isn't to say research on the dark lands beyond Matesis going in them hasn't been attempted. Airships have flown over the dark lands, which proved the strength of the curse if a few ways. First, much like the Everfree Forest, magic doesn't work the same over the area, only the dark lands are far worse in that regard. If not for specific technology, those airships would've drop like stones since magic in general is disrupted around and within the dark lands. That isn't the only observation which came from the research, there was one other important thing which came from it. That point was the "gloom" and "negative air" which hangs over the dark lands. It literally drains positive feelings for those unprepared, kind of like the dementors from Harry Potter.

I would like to shift over to the second scene in this chapter which is the interactions between Cadance and Matesis. Cadance essentially lays out her situation as it is in my story. Now, before any fans start sending threats or hate my way, I state again, I warned you I would be bashing certain characters in this story. In this chapter, I admit I do quite a bit of bashing on Celestia and Shining Armor. But in my story, those two aren't the "benevolent" characters they are in canon. If you have an issue with that, I'm sorry to say this story may not be for you since this idea won't be stopping anytime soon. Now if any of you readers have issues with me bashing Noctis as I do, then I'm sorry you have a thing for horrible villains. I have gone out of my way to make him out to be a horrible dictating tyrant as that is what he is, there is no other way to say it.

Nonetheless, let me get back to the point I was getting to before getting sidetracked. I feel for Cadance and what circumstances she has been dealing with. No, I have not been in nor talked to anyone that has been in an abusive relationship, but I have done what research I can to get a feel for the idea. That research has not been the most enjoyable for me and I normally love to do research for stories. But this is a harsh topic in reality, and Cadance is a way for me to bring attention to this idea somewhat. I feel sympathy for anyone that has been in this kind of relationship, truly I do, it is horrible. If any say it isn't so bad then they don't know what they are talking about. But this story isn't one of those feel good and tingly story all the time, it will have dark subjects which abuse will be one of those. Meeting Matesis was some seriously good fortune for Cadance if that wasn't obvious by this point. I will not spoil the surprises I have in store ahead when it comes to what will develop between Cadance and Matesis. It will be romantic, but that's all I will say for the moment and let your imaginations have fun considering possibilities.

I wish to highlight something that Matesis brings up about immortals during this scene. There are a specific set of qualities which develop with immortals over time, this is something I want to establish about those who are immortal for this story. In the first chapter, I mentioned a few of them with Matesis defining what he sees for an immortal. In this chapter, another quality is clinging onto things which are familiar to the individual, whether good and/or bad. In Celestia's case which is used as an example, she holds onto grudges and hate when it comes to Matesis for who he was. She shouldn't do that, but such are anchors for Celestia to keep sane. Sanity is a fragile thing for immortals or so I would say with the length of time they live for. There are other qualities which I will talk about in later chapters, but I'm building them as I go.

With Cadance, we learn a fact which in my story can be assumed but hasn't been mentioned until now. That fact is Equestria's history has been manipulated by as you readers would guess, Noctis and others. This is important because the history the eastern continent is quite different than what Equestria knows. The difference of historical fact make a huge difference in this story later on, so I wanted to bring this point up in this chapter.

Yet, I will point out that Matesis can see there is something going on which is troubling Cadance. His intuition is something to note as it will be shown as something freaking amazing as this story goes on. I mean, for those who have watched the series, you know Pinkie Pie can know about things she shouldn't, her breaking the "fourth wall" thing. Matesis may not be able to do that, but his skills of observation combined with his developed intuition can be just as frightening sometimes. And yes, Matesis will meet Pinkie, but that won't happen until the next Chapter sorry to say. But I'll leave it at that and not spoil the fun to come with that event. Yet, I would point out that Matesis has no interest in confronting Celestia at this time so doesn't mention to most if any that he knows her. It just slipped out of Matesis which he had to give a little detail about to Cadance. Some of the history of Matesis's we get in this chapter which you readers get to enjoy.

In conclusion for this chapter, I apologize again for its length, I try to keep them under 30k when I can and not ruin the flow of the story. I hope you are enjoying this story, like I said I wrote this one down years ago and just happened to find it when I was going through old stuff. It interested me so I went through rewriting it which is what you are reading now. As always, if some of you readers could take the time to write a review and tell me what you think, I would appreciate it. You can ask questions, though I don't guarantee I will answer them since I try not to spoil things coming up in the story. You can also PM me to have a discussion if you wish which some have already done. Peace out until the next chapter, rest assured, Pinkie will be there and watching you readers!