Rarity walked in the back of the main hall, eyeing the various ponies milling throughout. Her next step was unclear, and had to be chosen carefully. The goal was to acquire as much information as possible- -to discern Celestia’s plans, her goals, and any way to stop her. Sombra seemed to have kept his word, but the danger of discovery was still real. At least, though, Rarity had gotten some information: that the Crystal Empire had allied itself with Celestia, but not extensively. They could still be turned if the situation were to change.

There were several options of what to do next. One would be to speak with any of the noncans, or with the few canon ponies present- -or to approach Celestia directly. That would, indeed, have been the polite thing to do, but just the thought of it made Rarity shudder.

It was at that point that Rarity felt the distinct sensation of being watched. It made her heart seem to skip, but she remained composed and slowly looked behind her and upward at the partial mezzanine near the back of the grand hall. As she did, she saw a pair of eyes flash and then retreat.

This intrigued her, and Rarity carefully made her way to the back of the hall as though she were leaving toward the washroom to powder her nose. Instead of taking that route, though, she climbed the unlit stairs to the upper level.

From the upper balcony, the view was indeed excellent- -perhaps even too excellent. Had Rainbow Dash been present, it would have given her a vantage with which to eliminate any pony below- -even Celestia.

Rarity, of course, was no sniper. She had her pistol obscured against her side, but she had neither the ammunition nor the skill to do much of anything from her distance. That had never been her goal, though. She had only come to see who was watching her. Strangely, though, not a soul was present.

Dismissing this, Rarity decided to return to the party- -but on a whim elected to take the door on the far end of the mezzanine, opposite of the one she had come up through.

It immediately became apparent that this door led to an entirely different part of the castle. Rarity descended a long staircase that was unlit save by the glow of her own horn, and felt herself going deeper than she knew the ballroom should have been. Eventually the staircase terminated into a lower part of the castle that quite obviously had not been refurbished. The walls were ancient stone, and the arches overhead were covered in cobwebs and dripping moisture. It looked curiously similar in design to the castle that Twilight resided within.

Still, Rarity continued forward, lighting the darkness with her horn. This place had been abandoned for a long time, but she knew that there might be something within of value.

“You should not be here,” said a voice.

Rarity did not jump, because she had already known that she was not alone. She instead turned her head toward the voice to find a pony standing in the shadows at an intersection.

The resemblance to Darknight was striking. Her coat was the same color, as was her mane. The only difference was that she was taller, with a slightly longer horn, a cutie mark- -and a pair of wings.

“Oh, my, your majesty,” said Rarity. “I did not see you there. I was looking for the washroom, and I’m afraid I got lost.”

“No, you were not.”

Rarity looked into Luna’s eyes, and Luna looked back at her. “No, Princess, I was not.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Why are you?”

Luna looked confused. “It is rude to answer a question with another question.”

“My apologies. I only meant that you should be out there, with your sister. Why are you hiding back here, in the dark? Isn’t this gala supposed to be a celebration of your accomplishments?”

Luna looked back up toward the hallway. “Of her accomplishments, you mean.”

“Excuse me?”

“My sister does not permit me to attend the Galas. She says that I am a disappointment, and that I would only ruin the mood.”

“That isn’t something a sister should say to a sister.”

“Are you doubting Celestia?” snapped Luna.

“Yes. Yes I am.”

Luna’s eyes widened. “Few ponies would be as brave,” she said. “If only I were…” She inhaled sharply. “Do not tell my sister I have said as such, though.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t.” Rarity looked around. “Do you have a chair?”

“A chair? To what end?”

“To sit.”

“Why?”

“Well, if you can’t go up to the party, it simply wouldn’t do to leave you here.”

“You mean that you would stay here? In the darkness, with me?”

“Only until I can convince you to join your sister upstairs.”

Luna looked at her suspiciously, as if Rarity might be lying. Then she slipped into the darkness. Rarity had thought that she had left until she heard a voice come echoing from down the stone path.

“This way,” called Luna.

Rarity followed, and eventually reached a small room. It was mostly empty, save for some decaying furniture piled on one side. Luna had extricated a chairs and a small table atop which sat a lantern. Luna lowered her long horn to the light source, and the wick flashed to life with a cold but brilliant silver light.

“I assume that you are not as accustomed to darkness as I,” said Luna.

“No,” said Rarity, taking a seat. Luna sat across from her. Due to her height, she sat eye-level with Rarity. “I don’t believe I am.”

“I’ve always appreciated the night,” said Luna. Then, to herself, “and perhaps I am the only one who has…”

“Excuse me?”

“It is nothing,” said Luna, darkly.

“If it’s bothering you, I would hardly call it ‘nothing’.”

Luna suddenly appeared suspicious. “Why are you showing me kindness?”

“Why would I not?” Rarity paused. “Is that unusual?”

“It is.”

“Oh my. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Ponies do not like me. They love Celestia, my dear sister, but not me. I am supposed to be happy for her. And I am. But sometimes…sometimes I fell…” She shook her head. “But why should I tell this to you, a stranger, apart from that there are none else who would listen?”

“I can listen.”

“So that you can laugh at me? At the younger sister, who no longer has a sphere to command? At the useless alicorn?”

“Stop,” ordered Rarity.

“How dare you give me an instruction- -”

“Because SOMEPONY has to! You can’t talk like that about yourself! Darling, I am just a simple pony. I grew up in a simple place, but I know somethings and know them very well. Even if you wear the most elegant dress in the world but walk with your head turned down you will never look fabulous.”

“A metaphor, I presume, as I am not wearing a dress.”

“Of course.”

“Hmm. I see.” Luna looked back to Rarity. “Forgive me. My life has been…difficult.”

“You were trapped in the moon for a thousand years. I can’t imagine what that was like.”

“Hell. It was hell. I wished I could die every second of every day. But my sister weathered the same fate, and it only hardened her.”

“You can’t compare yourself to her, Princess. You are entirely different ponies.”

“But I can only be compared to my sister. Who else is there to be measured against?”

“It isn’t a competition.”

“I know that,” snapped Luna. “But at the same time…”

“What?”

“I have always been lesser. Celestia was born to move the sun, to bring brightness and warmth to the world. I only possessed the moon…when it existed…which at its brightest is a light that never warms.”

“As a foal, I always thought the moon was so beautiful.”

“So did I. And I did what I could with my darkness. I painted the night sky. I spent years constructing it, perfecting it, doing my very best to place my stars. To make constellations. To help ponies navigate the seas. To give my moon phases. To differentiate myself from my sister and her blue sky.”

“It sounds amazing.”

“Had you been alive one thousand years ago, I doubt you would have thought so. No pony did. I created so much, and yet ponies were only awake when Celestia’s sun was in the sky. When it set, they went to sleep…and ignored me.”

“All ponies have to sleep.”

“I know. I know,” said Luna. Her turquoise eyes flashed slightly. “But it still hurt me, like dire wound. That they loved her, and not me. And that once again they love her and I am alone and confined to darkness.”

“You’re not alone. I’m here, aren’t I?”

Luna paused for a moment. “I suppose you are,” she said at last.

“I’m not able to do much,” said Rarity, “but I can do what I can. What can I do to help?”

Luna stared at her. “No pony has ever asked me that question. I am afraid that I do not know how to answer it.”

“Well,” said Rarity, standing up, “then let me offer a suggestion.”

“What?”

Rarity extended a hoof. “Come with me. Out to the party. Join us, and your sister.”

“But Celestia told me- -”

“She is your sister. She will understand. If she does not, well, I’ll tell her what I think to her face!”

Luna smiled weakly, and for a moment hesitated before putting her silver-clad hoof against Rarity’s.

When they entered the ballroom, the room fell silent. Every eye turned to Luna and to the unknown pink unicorn beside her. All of them knew of Luna’s existence, but had accepted her absence from the Gala as a simple fact. Now the reaction ranged from mildly amused to a sudden alertness to danger. On one far end of the room, a white luminescent circle turned toward the pair.

“Interesting,” said Creek, watching as Darknight turned to see what she was looking at. “This will be amusing.”

Luna, meanwhile, was terrified.

“They are all staring at me,” she said.

“Of course they are!,” replied Rarity, “you’re a Princess!”

They were staring, though, and Rarity could tell that she needed to so something quickly before Luna either broke down in tears and ran off or the crowd turned on her. So she did what she considered the boldest thing to so: she turned to Luna and bowed. “Hail the Moon,” she said, softly.

The other ponies saw this, and they were not sure what to do. Many of them simply copied Rarity, bowing to Luna as well. Others copied their example, and the wave spread exponentially across the room. Within less than a minute, the entire room had fallen silent in respect.

One pony among these did not bow. She waded through the crowd, her body dwarfing those of her subjects.

“Sister,” said Celestia, “I told you to remain in the rear of the castle.”

Luna looked to Rarity nervously, and then back to her sister. “N…no,” she said. “I- -I wish to attend the Gala.”

“Despite not being invited? Despite the fact that you are devoid of a sphere, and devoid of relevance? Despite the fact that it was YOUR FAULT that Discord took our kingdom in the first place?”

“Sister- -”

“You are no god. You are a failure.”

“You can’t talk to her like that,” said Rarity.

“Excuse me, mortal? What did you say to me?”

“You are her sister! You can’t be that cruel to her! She loves you, and you should at least try to understand how much your rejection is hurting her!”

“I would not need to reject her if she were my equal,” said Celestia, looking directly into Luna’s eyes. “Or if she were worthy of love. It is only because she is my sister that I tolerate her.” She turned to Rarity. “But you…you I have no reason to tolerate.”

“Sister, no!” said Luna. “This was not her idea!”

“It certainly wasn’t yours, Luna. You’re too spineless for that. Somepony put you up to it.”

“So what if I did?” said Rarity.

Celestia lowered her head toward Rarity and smiled. She looked at Rarity with a deep and profound hunger. For a moment, it was not Celestia that was standing there, but a white unicorn with a long brown mane and moustache, the only other pony who had ever looked at Rarity with that kind of hunger. She froze in panic, not knowing what to do.

“Well?” asked Celestia.

“Excuse me?” Celestia has been speaking, but Rarity had been to terrified to listen.

“Dance with me. I want to feel your body against mine.”

Rarity did not know what else to do. Just like the many times before with the white stallion, she nodded and accepted her fate. Celestia smiled and led her to the center of the floor, nodding to the band as she went. They began to play, and Celestia extended a wing over Rarity. It smelled wonderful, and Rarity curtsied as the dance began. She of course knew the steps, and executed them with all the precision that would have been expected of her had she been born a socialite instead of a miner.

“You dance well,” said Celestia, taking Rarity over one of her long legs and dipping her.

“Of course I do,” said Rarity, standing and pressing her body laterally against Celestia’s side for the next steps. “I would not dare attend an event like this without knowing how.”

“And yet you would attend without an invitation?”

Rarity suddenly felt cold, but did not break step for a moment as the music swelled.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?” asked Celestia. “I wrote the invitations! Of course, I might not have, if you had stayed obscure. Hidden with your clone harlot and stayed in the back of the room. But you just had to involve yourself, didn’t you?”

Rarity did not answer. She only stared up at Celestia with a neutral expression. “My Princess, I don’t know what you are speaking of.”

“Of course you do,” said Celestia, catching Rarity as she dropped to one side into her grasp. “I am not a fool. Nor am I ignorant. The noncan is the Watcher Darknight. And that makes you the Watcher Rarity.”

Rarity stared at her, and then as they circled removed her disguise. She shifted back to her normal form, and heard members of the crowd gasp. “I am,” she said.

“And you came for what? To kill me?”

“No. I am the weakest of the Watchers. I would have no hope of harming you.”

“Then what?” said Celestia as she once again took hold of Rarity.

“To learn what I can. To know what you want.”

“What I want?” Celestia held Rarity close as they swirled across the floor. “What I want is a world ruled by Harmony and peace. A place where ponies can live without fear. Does that make us enemies?”

“No. I should suppose not. But your method might.”

Celestia smiled. “My method is simple. I cannot build from this broken world. Not as it is. To establish a place where ponies can live in happiness, I must purge the Chaos of this land.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning that your kind will die. Those infected with Chaos. Each and every one. Stallion, mare, filly and colt. My Equestria shall be a phoenix, rising bright and beautiful from the ashes of corruption and decadence.”

“Then that makes you my enemy.”

“I know.” She stepped back and the dance ended. Both partners bowed to each other. “And that is why I will kill you, here and now.”

“If that is the way it has to be,” said Rarity, unhooking the clasps of her dress and letting it fall away to reveal what was left of her mithril armor. “Let the dance continue.”

Celestia raised her horn, charging it with solar light so bright that Rarity could feel the heat. Before she could strike, though, a blast of blue light struck her in the side. It was repelled easily, leaving her divine flesh undamaged, but she turned toward the pony who had produced it. Rarity looked as well to see Darknight standing on the far side of the room, prepared to challenge the goddess.

“You shouldn’t interfere in the business between two mares, gelding.” She raised her horn to him instead. He attempted to counter with a sheild spell, but he was too low.

“New Moon!” cried Luna, throwing herself in the path of the beam. Her own shield spell withstood most of the blast, but she was thrown backward into a row of tables and chairs from the blast.

“He isn’t New Moon, you idiot!” screamed Celestia. “He’s just a copy!” She turned her head and effortlessly projected a shield spell that deflected Rarity’s weak blue magic- -which only opened her to another blast from Darknight. It hit her with enough force to annoy her, but not much else. Neither of them were nearly as powerful as Celestia was.

Those around them seemed to have little investment in the battle. The noncans seemed to have little instinct for self-preservation, and regarded it as amusing more than anything else- -although they were sure to immediately converge on and protect their beloved stage magician. All the others fled in a panic.

Rarity did not know what else to do. She was not capable of fighting Celestia, but she knew that the ponies around her were in danger- -and knew that helping them was something that she was able to do.

“Move!” she cried. “I have to be so blunt, but you’re all in danger! MOVE!”

The noncans looked at her, and a few stared back rebelliously- -but others seemed to understand. They joined their comrades and decided that this battle was not worth losing their lives to watch. As they walked back, though, a different set of noncans stepped forward.

The royal guards focused their attention on Rarity, charging their horns in preparation for an attack. Rarity drew her blade and pistol and did her best to attempt to conjure a shield spell. When they struck, she was as ready as she could be, and her spell would surely have shattered had it not been reinforced from behind. Rarity pivoted to see Darknight taking a knee from the exertion.

“Behind you!” cried Rarity, raising her ornately carved pistol and firing a shot directly into Celestia’s face. It struck her below the eye, but she barely flinched. All Rarity had managed to do was get her attention.

“I don’t think you realize how insulting you are being,” growled Celestia. “The least you could have done was come prepared to face me. This just makes me sad.” She raised her horn and fired a beam toward Rarity.

Even from a distance, Rarity could tell that there was little hope for survival should the beam strike her. It was unfathomably powerful, a column of pure and perfect sunlight unified and culminated into a deadly laser. There was no way she could hope to avoid it. All she could do was attempt to rely on what little mithril she had left to protect her.

Darknight reacted faster than Rarity. He raised his horn and projected a shield spell with all his might, encasing Rarity in a bubble of blue magic. Even that was not enough, though. Rarity could feel the heat of the beam through the spell, and watched as cracks began to spread through its magical surface. Darknight had at most given her a couple of seconds.

Then the cracks began to seal as the blue spell changed to black. The effect was sudden and immediate. The shield not only repaired itself but became stronger- -and yet somehow being surrounded it made Rarity feel worse, as though she were cold down to her very bones.

The feedback from the pair of spells caused them both to suddenly terminate with a blast of pure force. Rarity was thrown back but managed to gracefully regain her balance. She looked up to see that Celestia’s attention was once again on Darknight- -but that something had changed. Darknight was different. Some manner of horrid decay was slowly spreading over his body, a black stain centered on his flank. His eyes slowly turned to Rarity, and she could see that they were not the eyes of a pony at all. They were the same turquoise as before, but the pupils had become thin slits. Whatever was staring back at Rarity, it was not Darknight. It was something far more bestial.

Darknight turned toward Celestia, and Rarity saw the ends of his mane and tail begin to merge into dark-colored energy not unlike Celestia’s own prismatic mane.

“What is this?” demanded Celestia. “What have you done?”

Darknight opened his mouth to reply, but all that came out was a bloodcurdling inarticulate scream of pure hatred. He rushed forward, and Celestia attempted to swat him away with a blast of searing light. His own darkness deflected her blast, though, and he struck back with enough force to make Celestia cry out in pain. She was thrown back, and Rarity saw a thick golden fluid dripping from a gash on her side. She had been wounded.

Celestia said nothing. The wound was already healing itself, and she spread her wings, charging forward with her own hateful scream as she attempted to skewer Darknight on her long horn. He parried with his own, sending a shower of sparks across the room.

Now Rarity truly had no idea what to do. She had no idea what was happening- -but she was afraid. More afraid than she had been in the dance, and more afraid than when she had faced Celestia knowing that there was no way she could have expected to survive. Then, it had only been her risking herself. Had she lost, she would have given her life to her cause, the ultimate act of generosity- -but now it was not her life at risk. She had become superfluous to the battle. Now it was her friend who was in danger.

The guards seemed to recognize that the tide of the battle had changed. They ignored Rarity and directed their attention at Darknight. Their beams shot outward, striking their target in the back. Darknight screamed and turned on them. A torrent of darkness flew from his horn, and Rarity only barely managed to dodge it. Some of the guards did likewise, but others did not. Their shields and protection spells were torn apart, and their bodies were shredded.

Celestia capitalized on the chance they had given her. With his attention turned to the guards, Darknight was vulnerable- -and she fired directly into his back. As she did, his eyes swiveled to look at her and before the beam struck his body collapsed into dark mist. The beam passed through him harmlessly, but struck close to Rarity. She had not been prepared, and screamed as her left rear leg and flank were instantly burned.

Darknight showed no sign of recognizing Rarity’s pain, or caring. He reassembled himself on the side of one of the columns of the room, and then slid forward though space like shadow, leaping toward Celestia with his jaw open wide to reveal so many sharp fangs. The blackness that covered his body was continuing to spread.

Rarity, meanwhile, lay panting on the floor. The pain was intense and unbearable- -but the thought of looking was worse. She could not help herself, though, and she turned her head- -and instantly wished she had not.

The battle with Xyuka had ruined her mithril, and she had been forced to cut pieces away in order to maintain balance and weight distribution. Part of the sacrifice had been on her flank. Now, looking down at her ruined leg, she wished that she had found some way to keep it.

Almost all of the flesh on that limb had been charred away. The center was black, save for the smoldering white of exposed bone. The edges were torn and smoking, producing a smell that was simultaneously appetizing and terrifying.

“My…my leg,” said Rarity in disbelief. Her mind seemed to have frozen, and she was not able to think about her need for first aid, or process whether she could retreat or even walk. Instead, only one thought ran through her head. “I…I’m not pretty anymore…”

Her thought was punctuated by an explosion from above that showered her with shrapnel and knocked her back to the ground. The tile and stone that she had previously found so beautiful was now in ruin and covered in dirt and debris, and she lay among it feeling cold and strangely tired. It took all of her will to get back up again and pull herself through the battlefield that now resembled a perverse parody of a beautiful gala.

Moving was almost impossible with her damaged leg, but Rarity ignored the pain and the choking dust. At first, she wandered in a daze. Then she tripped over something warm and soft. Rarity almost screamed, thinking that she had struck a body- -but as she looked down, she saw Luna. Although she lay in a heap, she was very much alive.

Although largely uninjured, she seemed to be in severe pain. Rarity found that she could not simply leave a pony in this state- -even one who was supposed to be her enemy- -and she did her best to shove some debris off of Luna. Luna hardly seemed to notice. She was curled tightly and shaking, occasionally gasping for breath. To Rarity’s horror, she saw that the dark stain around Luna’s cutie mark was beginning to grow and spread.

An explosion echoed overhead. Darknight had just weathered a direct blow to his side, and although he turned for another attack Luna whimpered loudly as a thick gash appeared on her side. Dark, lustrous fluid dripped from the wound.

Rarity looked up to the sky, realizing what was happening. She did not know why or how, but she understood that the two of them were linked- -and Darknight was killing her.

“Darknight!” she cried. “Stop! You have to stop!”

He did not here her- -or could no longer understand. At the sound of his name, though, his eyes did turn toward Rarity. This gave Celestia an opening. She turned and bucked him in the chest with such force that he seemed to disappear for a moment before slamming into the ground with enough force to shower Rarity in stones and fragments of tile. Luna let out a soft but horribly pained whine. “New Moon…” she whispered.

Darknight stood from the wreckage, bleeding the same dark blood as Luna. The black material had now almost completely covered his body, and only his face remained blue. His demonic eyes searched the area, and locked onto Rarity. His horn immediately flashed with black energy, and Rarity barely had time to produce a weak shield spell and to perform a rolling dodge through the dust. The shield cracked easily, but the remainder of the spell rebounded off of the upper mithril part of her armor.

“Darknight!” she cried. “What are you doing! It’s me, Rarity!”

“I know who you are,” he said. His voice was horrible not because of any strange distortion, but because of how coldly sane he sounded. He sounded just like he always had, and Rarity knew in that instant that he was going to try to kill her.

He never got the chance. A flash of orange extended from the smoke and dust, surrounding Darknight with a translucent construct. He screamed and resisted as it sparked with energy, overloading his nervous system. The dark material began to retreat slightly.

Rarity saw their eyes first. Then she saw their luminescent projected armor as an army of Stonie units converged on Darknight’s position. Not one of them seemed afraid of death, or afraid of him.

Darknight struggled against their bindings, but his magic slid off them. Whether as Darknight or whatever he had become, he had never known a spell necessary to overcome the technology that the Stonie units utilized. His magic was useless against something that he was not able to comprehend.

The guards that were left took advantage of the situation, pouring their magic into Darknight. He screamed again in rage and pain, and Luna writhed on the floor in agony.

“Stop!” cried Rarity. “You’re hurting her!”

Her cries went unheeded, save for by one. For a brief moment, the rage faded from Darknight’s eyes. He looked at Rarity, and at Luna. A look of understanding and empathy crossed his face, and he collapsed, allowing whatever dark parasite was covering him to retreat. As he did, the spells of the guards struck him directly. Wherever they reached without the black coating was torn apart instantly.

That was when Celestia struck him from behind. The blast was blinding, and Rarity threw herself over Luna, using her mithril to protect both of them. She felt the unprotected parts of herself burning, and she felt Luna tense as Darknight- -and by extension, her- -received the full force of Celestia’s magic.

When it was over, Rarity turned back. What she saw filled her with disbelief, at first, followed by a creeping hopelessness. She screamed, because it was all she could do when she saw what little was left of Darknight. It did not even look like a pony anymore.

Celestia landed gently, her golden horseshoes tapping gracefully against the destroyed floor. She approached the remains, as did her guards, all prepared to attack. She paused a moment to consider them.

“Still breathing,” she said, almost disgusted. “That’s as impressive as it is grotesque. What does it take to kill these noncannon ponies?”

“A great deal,” said the leader of the Stonies, stepping to the side of her Princess. “I recommend you destroy the head.”

“Agreed,” said Celestia, charging her horn.

“Wait!” cried Rarity. “You can’t!”

Celestia turned her eyes toward Rarity. “It only seems fitting. He ruined my Gala, after all.”

It was at that moment that something tinkled across the floor. Rarity looked down to see a small metal sphere bounce across the floor several times. When she looked in the direction of its origin, she saw one Stonie standing apart from the others. One without a face, save for a black plate and a white spot. The Stonie waved before vanishing into a portal. That was when the grenade went off.

Waves of energy arced out in every direction. Several struck nearby Stonies, causing them to convulse and collapse. The others attempted to raise shields, but whatever energy the grenade used passed through them effortlessly. Likewise, blue, lightning-like bolts shot outward toward every unicorn- -and alicorn. The guards were struck knocked down from the feedback. Even Celestia was dazed by the blow, although she somehow remained on her feet.

Rarity fully expected to be struck as well, but the bolt that was directed for her and Luna was instead absorbed harmlessly by her armor. She felt it tingle and burn, but the enchanted nature of the metal protected her.

She understood. Taking her one chance, she rushed forward and lifted what was left of Darknight onto her back. Then she ran for the door.

“STOP HER!” Celestia was nearly shrieking, and she took one step forward before nearly collapsing. All of her guards and allies were temporarily indisposed, so there was no one to follow her orders- -but not for long. As Rarity passed them, she could see sever Stonie units already beginning to compensate for their neural overload and climb back onto their feet.

She ran. Her leg hurt badly, but it was only the second worst pain Rarity had ever experienced. It still took all her effort to ignore it. Darknight was indeed still breathing on her back, but only barely. The breaths were ragged and filled with fluid, and every second the space between them grew longer. He should not have survived the injuries he had sustained- -but he was still dying.

“Don’t worry,” said Rarity. “Don’t worry…”

She was breathing heavily when she reached the other side of the newly constructed bridge that joined the ancient castle to the EverFree Forest. When she felt the grass underhoof, she collapsed. Her rear leg would no longer function.

She turned back to it and looked at the wound, then behind her at the forces that were now emerging from the castle. They would reach her and Darknight soon enough if she could not run.

So she closed her eyes and focused all of her energy on the wound. Whatever she was doing hurt incredibly, and she screamed. As she opened her eyes, though, she saw the flesh around the edge of the wound cease to be charred and broken. Rarity redoubled her efforts, hoping that she did not pass out. She watched as the vibrant, living flesh at the end of the wound pulled its way across it, building scar tissue.

It was the same as changing her skin to build a disguise. The flesh grew and changed, altering itself from one state to another. The scar became skin, and the skin grew silky, perfect white fur. Within less than a minute, Rarity had healed her wound without any sign or scar. She was beautiful again. For the time being, at least.

With her limb repaired, Rarity stood and ran back into the woods. Overhead, she could already hear noncan Pegasi passing by, looking deep into the trees for the glow of a horn. Rarity, however, maintained the advantage of her concealment by shifting her form again. Her white coat became mottled and suave black, and her irises widened and drained of color as they adapted to allow her to see in the low light.

She had to hurry. Celestia had set the sun for the sake of her party, but it was only a matter of time before she regained her magical coherence and raised it again. When that happened, hiding would be far more challenging, even in the EverFree.

Lights came from behind her, projected from horns. She looked over her shoulder to see the strange artificial glow of Stonie units as they moved swiftly and silently through the trees. Once again, though, Rarity had the advantage. She had grown up in this area, and had spent a great deal of time wandering this forest, at the time wishing that a monster would devour her and make her troubles vanish. It never had, but she remembered the subtle and overgrown paths of the woods clearly.

There was a swampy area with a number of hillocks, and Rarity quickly leapt across them, knowing exactly which ones were solid, which were not, and which were in fact the mossy back of rockadiles. This would buy her some time, but from the position of the lights through the trees she could tell that they were already surrounding her.

Then the edge of the sky lit with red light, and Rarity turned to see the sun rising. The whole sky seemed inflamed and fiery.

“Target sighted!” cried a Pegasus overhead. Rarity looked up, and then ducked below an area where the trees had a thick canopy. That would force them down and on foot.

Unfortunately, Rarity was already realizing what they were doing. They were encircling her. Up ahead, there was a Chaos conduit, lying through the forest like a hundred-meter-wide discarded garden hose. With Discord dead, it would have been depowered, but it was still not safe to come in contact with the residual power. Rarity knew that- -and knew that there was no way she could get over it.

She also knew one other thing. A fact that had never really meant much to her until this moment, and one that she realized to her deepest terror was the only way she and Darknight might be able to survive it.

The treeline broke, and Rarity saw the conduit looming above her. As she had expected, the Pegasi were overhead and ponies were already moving through the forest to surround her. She also saw what she now knew was her only possible destination: a strange growth from the conduit, a kind of asymmetrical and oddly constructed temple overgrown with vines, moss, and slime. Rarity had, in her youth, just considered it a strange building, either one that had grown there around the conduit- -not an uncommon occurrence- -or the remnant of a larger and profoundly more ancient structure that the conduit had leveled as it grew. Now she knew what it truly was: a Chaos teleportation nexus.

“Stop!” cried a noncan, stepping forward. He was large and red, and bore an automated minigun on his back. He did not fire. Rather, he was trying to warn Rarity of a fate far worse than anything he could produce.

Rarity did not listen to him. She knew what she was risking- -and she knew that this was her only option. She ran up the steps of the temple and jumped squarely into the central hub. It hummed weakly, but even in its dying state the portal was more than happy to devour something more than unfortunate birds and swamp rats.

It was not the same as when Pinkie had been there to guide them. Without any method to control their descent, the transfer was far more violent. Rarity could feel herself being disassembled on a molecular, atomic, subatomic, and sub-subatomic level as she escaped the bounds of any sane semblance of time, space, or cohesive reality of any kind.

She felt the nature of Chaos itself as it swirled over her. It was not random action as she had thought, but rather endless decisions, all occurring simultaneously, all asking- -SCREAMING- -to be made simultaneously and in every possible and impossible way. She instantly understood why Pinkie Pie had killed herself. This was what had been inside her head every moment of every day, a force that no pony was meant to be exposed to.

Comprehension of the true composition of Chaos would have resulted in a fate worse than death, but only a mage of profound and impossible knowledge or perhaps a divine being would be able to even glean the slightest hint of its true visage. Rarity was neither of those things, and she could not see the Chaos in her mind- -but she sensed the decisions. She understood that they were meant to be made, and that doing so would normally be the job of a living being linked to Chaos or a powerful computer that could model their results. Again, Rarity was neither. She did not even know how to make the Chaos aware of the decisions she wanted made- -in transit, she had no body or mind. Only self- -and the lack of it.

Then, all at once, the portal vomited her out. She felt herself slid onto the ground, landing on cold wet stone. For a moment, her addled mind told her that she had not left and had instead simply passed back to the same portal. She even saw the dark shadows of trees around her- -except that they were different, and the ground was so much colder.

Rarity shivered, and struggled forward through the snow. She did not know where she was, or even WHO she was, let alone get up and walk. Her weakness was so intense that she barely got three meters before reaching her limit. She collapsed into the snow, and as she felt her mind fading into what she prayed was dreamless sleep, she heard the crunch of snow and saw dark figures emerging from the trees and surrounding her. and years. �����