“It is accomplished, Princess Celestia.”

I held the black heart of Fluttershy high for the Princess. Her reaction was different from what I had expected, however; whereas I thought that she would be delighted, she instead looked at the heart on my hoof with her eyes wide open, more perplexed than amazed.

“I have saved Fluttershy from the terrible clutches of corruption. Her soul may now rest in peace.”

The Princess finally took her eyes off my grim trophy and turned to me.

“Yes, Twilight Sparkle.” She took one quick look at the heart. “I confess, I feared that you might not see the light, that you might refuse your task.” She sighed. “I can see now that my doubts were unfounded. You are indeed my most faithful student.”

“I did consider stopping. I did consider leaving you here, never to come back. Not any more.”

Princess Celestia stood silently before me. I could not tell whether it was pride or fear that I saw in her eyes. As I lay the heart of Fluttershy before the pedestal of the Element of Kindness, I could almost hear it thanking me, its crying subsiding.

“The path of the righteous is never easy, Twilight Sparkle. Yet you came through.”

I looked up to see Princess Celestia looking at me with that same, mysterious expression.

“Continue your quest, my faithful student, and your place in the Crystal Hallway is assured.”

I was taken aback by that statement.

“The Crystal Hallway?” I asked unbelieving. “Do you think I—that I am worthy, Princess?”

“Your sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

“Then I shall waste no time, Princess!” I exclaimed with a newfound sense of assurance. “I shall continue my path to purify the Elements.”

“Make no mistake, Twilight Sparkle. This is not about your personal fame or glory. Everything you are doing is for the Elements. For the empire itself.”

“Yes, Princess. I understand.”

“Then go, my student. Save another soul.”

“I shall.” I bowed deeply. “But before I leave, Princess, please, take a look at this.”

I removed Fluttershy's trinket from around my neck, levitating it in front of the eyes of the Sun Princess.

“This was hers. What do you think it is? I can not make sense of it. And its aura..”

The princess eyed the ouroboros closely, tilting her head slowly from one side to the other until her eyes suddenly lit up with revelation.

“The Oracle. It is from the Oracle.”

“With respect, Princess, that hardly seems possible. The Oracle is hardly ever seen. She even turned down the offer to be your personal, royal advisor. Why would she give one such useless trinket to Fluttershy?”

“Is it useless?”

“With all due respect, I did kill her.”

“You can never know the ways of the Oracle. Perhaps your friend could not unlock its true potential. You had better hold on to it, my student. Perhaps you will be able to.”

“Then I shall do so, Princess.”

“Are you ready to continue now, Twilight Sparkle?”

“Ready and eager, Princess.”

“Then be on your way. I will be expecting your return.”

After a train ride over two days long, I was finally allowed to stretch my legs on the soils of Colthagen, a quiet town home to a few thousand ponyfolk at the Western border of the empire. I decided to stay there that day, planning only to resume my journey the next morning.

I spent the evening at the local tavern. I had always been fascinated by the way the commoners had their 'fun'; talking and singing loudly into the night,—and occasionally, the next morning—toasting their friends' successes as much as their own, drinking 'till the last one of their little circle was out of their last coins. But there was none of that here. There was no singing, no dancing, no signs of the homely atmosphere that one would expect to see in such a small community. Instead of a small town's familiar hospitality, all I received were aggressive, judging stares from across the tables. Even the barkeeper refused to speak to me as he served me, and in fact, the only reason he seemed to tolerate my presence in his pub was that I obviously had more bits to spend than the rest of the guests combined.

As I sat there, sipping slowly from my cup of tea, enjoying this easy time to relax before my great journey to the rocky gem mountains to the West, I locked eyes with a few on-lookers—each of them quickly taking their gaze away, none of them daring to look me straight in the eye. The partial stories and quiet whispers my ears caught did not help to brighten the mood.

I could hear them talking behind my back about their dislike of 'the purple unicorn'—how I must have something to do with the 'recent disappearances'. At the other end of the tavern, I saw an old mare crying silently over a bowl of soup. For hours she only sat there, weeping in silence, not even touching what she ordered. And every other pony acted as if she was not even there. Something terrible was plaguing this entire community—something so horrible that they dare not even talk about it.

Sitting there, pondering, I did not even notice that every other pony had apparently left the tavern no more than a few hours into the night.

“The tavern's closing.” Came the raspy voice of the barkeep as he pointed with his hoof towards the door. “Better be on your way, stranger.”

“Not one more cup of tea for a weary traveller from distant Canterlot? I can reward you well, for I come on royal behalf.”

“I stay open for no pony in these dark times.” He once again pointed towards the door. “Things come with the night that no sane pony would welcome. You'd best lock your door, unicorn.”

I could see his insistence on making me leave, and as I wished not to have a scene, I complied. I put his fee on my table and left the building.

The inn in which I had booked a room previously that day already had its gates locked. Through excessive knocking—banging, really—I did manage get the doorkeeper to open up for me. He was obviously less than pleased to see me return 'so late'. I hurried up the stairs and spent the rest of the night sleeping in my rented bed.

As the sun dawned the next day, I was already out of the town and on my way to the mountains of the West. After something less than half a day's trek, I reached the spot where Rarity and her escort was meant to meet the diamond dogs that inhabited the area. Instead of a small tent or settlement, however, there stood before me a gigantic castle of gems and stone.

“No,”I thought. “This is not a castle. It's a mansion.”

All around the large building, I saw diamond dogs, big and small, digging with their bare paws in ditches of their own making. I knew them to be very territorial—yet this time, they seemed to pay no attention to the one encroaching on their land. All they seemingly cared about was digging for what I presumed were their precious gemstones.

As I got closer to the entrance of the mansion—gates wide open, as if I had been expected—I noticed that its walls were made of the same kind of greyish-blue stones that composed the mountains around. This was built from local materials, expertly crafted and beautifully architectured. And it had to be new—I recall no information of a diamond dog palace so close to Colthagen. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

Was this Rarity's doing? Did she have this built? Was she controlling the dogs somehow? Normally, I would have dismissed such an outrageous claim, but after what I had seen at the Crying Mountain, this idea seemed not to be so far fetched. Before I entered the trap which had obviously been set for none other than myself, I attempted to talk to one of the dogs digging nearby.

“Speak to me, mongrel! Tell me what is going on here.”

The dog was quick to answer, although he did not even look at me.

“We must dig! Must find gems! She demands more gems!”

“Are you not the least bit concerned about my arrival?”

“Cannot stop! No concerns! Only dig.”

The dog clawed relentlessly away at the ground.

“What happens if you stop?” I inquired.

“Cannot stop! Mustn't stop! Go away!”

The dog refused to speak any more. The situation was most worrying, however. Looking around, there had to be at least twenty, perhaps even thirty dogs merely in my immediate vicinity. They should have been jumping at me left and right, eager to tear me limb from limb for entering without permission. Yet, they were completely pacific, continuing only their pursuit of colourful rocks. I took a deep breath and set my first hoof into the mansion. The rest soon followed.

A great antechamber which reached deep into the mansion was the first room I walked through. It reminded me of the Crystal Hallway, in a way, but instead of unspoken heroes of the past looking down on me, the walls were riddled on both sides with mosaics of a familiar white unicorn and made entirely of gems. The pictures came in all sizes, each having Rarity posing differently and wearing a different attire. Two things were constant across all depictions, however: a crown encompassing the full spectrum of light's colours—and a grotesquely large horn. At times, they did not even fit the whole of it onto the picture; it was so disproportionately long. Before, I'd probably have thought that this was an artistic choice, if I could call it that, but having seen first hoof what the corruption can do to a pony, I began to worry that this was, in fact, what Rarity looked like now.

I made my way forward within the labyrinthine mansion, obviously reaching deep within the depths of the mountain against which it was built. Amongst the statues small and large, famous paintings of old, halls laden with ornaments of silver and gold, a beautiful red carpet showed me the way to my destination, wherever it might be. My path twisted and snaked across chambers and rooms furnished only with the finest of decorations. Gemstones all around, the magical light that lit the windowless mansion twinkled and danced delightfully upon the walls in their reflection.

The utter luxury with which Rarity surrounded herself was more than impressive. Her wealth easily put the haughty nobles of Canterlot to shame. The fact that this vulgar display of fortune was left undisturbed by the barbaric diamond dogs was a testament to fear's dominion over greed.

In the end, I reached and extremely large, circular chamber. It was, so it seemed, dedicated solely to the past actions of the great mistress. Extremely large and detailed gem-mosaics told the dramatised tale of Rarity's cutie mark, followed by her supposed victories of the fashion world during her life in Ponyville.

The next one made me smile. It was the depiction of that fateful night when she, the others and I took up bearership of the Elements to save Equestria from eternal night; only every character—including the dreadful Nightmare Moon herself—was replaced by an image of Rarity. I was not even surprised, then, to see the same thing done on her next self-absorbed gemstone-mural, which showed our triumph over the chaotic Discord.

The next number of images really tried my sense of good taste. They were graphic depictions of Rarity lying with several stallions—and sometimes, even mares. Among the ones I recognised were the Canterlot hotshot who quite aptly calls himself 'Fancy Pants', Prince Blueblood, and even the three Princesses themselves. But my favourite of them all was yet unfinished, obviously made in a hurry in preparation for my arrival. On the wall before me was a gigantic depiction of Rarity enjoying a delightful three-way with my brother and myself. For a moment, I could not even decide whether I should rather feel disgusted or honoured.

And at the middle of the chamber was a great solid-diamond statue of the queen herself sitting on her throne as simple rock-statuettes of diamond dogs and ponies alike bowed before her and kissed her hooves.

There were several ways out of this room, and the carpet which had led me there met its end at the entrance. It was left for me to find a way to progress.

The path on the right, as it looked like, lead into the depths of the earth. Rarity's personal mine, no doubt, as evidenced by the tracks laid down suitable for a minecart. On the other side of the statue-composition, right in front of me, was a door, again wide open, waiting for me. But what piqued my interest was the door on my left. Unlike the others, it was completely plain: a simple metal door with wooden handles. More intriguing than its looks was the faint, quiet sound of sobbing that I could hear emanating from within.

I kicked the door open and entered the small room it was hiding. What I saw in there I could never forget. The images, the stench, the sounds. If I came expecting to find hell, I could safely say that I had found something far worse.

The room I had entered obviously held a multitude of purposes: the torture and execution of diamond dogs, kidnapped equines and even wild animals from the surrounding lands for the sadistic pleasure of its engineer were clearly only two of many. It was Rarity's pantry.

Blood—and other bodily fluids—were splattered on every wall and the low ceiling, and whatever covered the stone floor I dare not describe even today. Gore and viscera frosted the dirt and stone. Among the piles of fresh and old corpses alike, I found a single living captive. Like cattle awaiting slaughter, a young colt—not yet old enough to have even left school—dangled from the rusted chains wedged into iron walls.

I could almost still hear dread and agony of victims past echoing through the lethal chamber, complementing the dreadful wailing of the child. This symphony of terror and agony filled the air. Then, amidst the cacophony of screaming souls, from beyond the iron doors, I heard the perverse laughter of the mistress herself.

I know not what awaits beyond the border of death, but I do sincerely hope, with all my heart, that Rarity's twisted spirit has met with mercy on the other side. For when the time came, I showed her none.

I burst out of the horrifying chamber and ran straight for the open door behind the glorified statue.

“Call your dogs, Rarity!” My voice echoed through the mansion. “They can feast on your carcass!”

The room which I now entered was, as it turns out, her throne room. Straight in line with the statue that depicted the very same, Rarity lay carelessly across her diamond throne softened by blood-red cushions. As her mouth took the shape of a most arrogant grin, her colourful crown resting on her head, her horn—almost as long as her entire body—glowed with a blue light. Without lifting a hoof, she drew out a terrifying bladed whip.

“Oh, I am so terribly afraid, darling!” She cackled insanely. “Shall I start running now, or can it wait a bit? You know just how much love I have for soft beds!”

“I tore Fluttershy's heart from its place when she tried to resist me. If I were you, I would reconsider my attitude.”

“Oh, you are such killjooy!” She whined, drawing out that last word only to mock me.

“Tell me this before you die, demon: do you truly feel no remorse for enslaving the diamond dogs? As lowly as they are, do their lives not mean anything to you?”

“Vae victis, Twilight. They allowed themselves to be controlled. Now they're paying the price. Who knows, maybe they'll do better next time.”

“But mingling with them, Rarity? Kidnapping children? Why? How can you have become so twisted?”

“Why, you ask?” She sat up on the throne, holding her upper body with one hoof, seemingly surprised by my question. “Because I enjoy it, you silly filly!” She let out another burst of laughter as she let her head drop back onto a cushion.

Enraged beyond rational thought, I charged towards her. I had no plan, no strategy—all I knew is that I would trample her to death with my own bare hooves if I needed to. Before I could reach her, however, she jumped up in her throne, cracked her whip and released a magical shockwave which propelled me straight out of the throne room. Even as its doors closed in front of me, I could hear the maddening cackling of Rarity.

“You cannot hold me back!” I banged my hooves on the locked doors. “I will hack you from crotch to gizzard and feed what's left to your slaves!”

“And who are you,” A deep, booming voice echoed through the chamber. “That I must bow so low?”

My boiling blood instantly froze. I was not alone. I slowly turned around to find the source of the voice—but I saw nothing. The room was empty. I trotted to the door which led towards the exit of the mansion, looking left and right, but no pony was to be seen. Just as I was about to take my leave, a loud bang shook the entire building. I turned around once again—and beheld an enormous dragon. It had been waiting, hanging onto the high, arched ceiling until commanded by its cowardly master to drop down. The beast was no stranger to me, however.

“I am the one who raised you. Fed you. Taught you. I even hatched you, so many years ago. I demand that you show me the respect I deserve, Spike.”

“Twilight Sparkle. You were like a mother to me. But now your son is not with you any more, is he, Twilight? The time for me to leave the nest had arrived long ago. You are nothing to me.”

“So you left my side only to lick the hooves of the unicorn that will never love you? That is very you, Spike.”

He smashed his monstrous tail at the floor behind him, once again shaking the room to its very foundations.

“Do not speak such words in my presence, morsel.”

“Why, my little Spikey-Wikey?” I asked, not the least bit intimidated by his display of strength. “Does the truth hurt your wittle feelings?”

“You can not shake my love for her, no matter how hard you try. And one day, she will see—”

“See what, Spike? Do you believe, for a moment, that after all this time, she will somehow fall for you? She is using you, and you blindly obey.” I smirked. “I guess you have not changed that much after all.”

The dragon let loose a deafening roar. I was still unimpressed.

“I've faced dragons before.”

“You have never faced me.”

Thinking that I might repeat what I had done to the dragon of the Crying Mountain, I cast a blink spell before he could crush me. In a flash, I was behind him and already charging a missile. Before he could even turn around, I fired. When the missile, instead of exploding upon contact, bounced off his scales before crashing into a wall, I was terrified. As he turned around to face me again, I started backing away from him, constantly firing more missiles—to no effect. He did not even bother to chase me; he only sat there, seemingly enjoying my pathetic attempts at hurting him.

When a spell, randomly bouncing off my target, knocked off the head of the giant diamond-Rarity behind me, I was quick to think up a new plan. Lifting the enormous head with my magic, I launched it towards my foe. Too full of himself to even pay attention that what I was doing, the dragon did not even try to dodge the shot. For a moment, I thought that I had the upper hand. Yet all the impact did was make him angry.

He jumped at me, faster than I could have moved a muscle, and grabbed me, lifting me from the ground. He was careful not to squeeze too hard, though. Holding me in his left hand, he gently pressed his right index finger against my horn.

“Do you know how easy it would be to simply break your little trouble-maker off? What would you be without your magic, Twilight Sparkle?”

I could feel his grip strengthening. Such an unfitting ending to my story it would have been, to simply have the life squeezed out of me by what was once my little dragon. In desperation, I charged one last blink spell to hop to the other side of the door which led me to the red carpet. Then, without turning back once, I ran as far away as I could. Out of the mansion, down from the rocky hills—I did not stop until I reached Colthagen. I left Rarity behind. I knew I could not get to her—and I had not the faintest idea on how to overcome her personal bodyguard.

This was the first time.. that I had failed.