The moss and lichen eventually gave way to, of all things, grass. That in itself was quite ordinary- -Rarity was familiar with grass, although the kind that did not glow in the dark or eat passing birds was seldom observed near Ponyville- -but to see it in a place such as this strange floating island felt strange. Even stranger was when Rarity became conscious of the fact that this was not a natural formation. The trees and grass had quite clearly been planted there.

Then, suddenly, they came to a path of large, laser-cut cobblestones.

“This…this is an industrial park,” said Rarity.

“That was supposed to be obvious,” said Sunset.

“Yes,” said Darknight. “The facility we are looking called is called RD Heavy Industries.”

“Ha! It’s named after me!” said Rainbow Dash, who was flapping through the trees overhead.

“It isn’t named after you,” said Sunset. “It stands for ‘Research and Development’.”

“Out in the Floater District?” mused Twilight. “There are a lot of things to research out here. None of them good. This does not bode well.”

“Not to mention the name is terribly generic,” suggested Rarity. “It’s just so…bland.”

“Hey! I’m not bland!”

“Yeah!” said Pinkie Pie. “She tastes like skittles!”

“Ugh,” said Sunset, rubbing the spot where a horn should have been. “My brain is encased in a titanium shell, and you two are STILL giving me a headache. Why can’t you be like Starlight?”

“Mainly because Twilight hasn’t had her way with us yet. Well, maybe Rainbow Dash.”

“I’m going to scout east,” said Sunset. “Dash, can you handle west?”

“They’ll never see me coming.”

Without any further words, the pair of them moved off and disappeared. Despite the weight of her metallic body as well as her heavy armor, Sunset became oddly quiet as she disappeared into the gardens and artificially manicured trees.

Darknight and Pinkie also split from the group, although they did not move out of sight. They instead took the front, leaving Rarity alone with Twilight and Starlight. This eliminated virtually all conversation. Rarity was not sure why exactly she felt so uncomfortable around Twilight, but she could not shake the feeling that the mare was watching her, as if expecting something.

They came to a turn in the path near the end of the island, and Rarity paused for a moment to take in the breathtaking view. Due to the position of the rock, the enormous vortex in the distance- -the Cataclysm, as Darknight had called it- -stood directly in the focal point of the panorama.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” said Twilight.

“I would call it impressive,” said Rarity, “but not beautiful by any means.”

“But that level of power. If even a fraction of it could be redirected…a tenth of a percent…it could vaporize entire cities.”

“Why in Equestria would you want to vaporize cities?”

“I wouldn’t, of course. It would just be to prove that I can.”

Rarity shivered. “What is it?”

“An explosion. More or less. Trapped in time, occurring in the past, present, and future. It was, is, and will be that blast that did all this.” She gestured to the floating islands. “You can probably see it. This whole area is a blast radius.”

“From what?”

Twilight smiled. “Very few ponies know.”

“But you do.”

Twilight smiled even wider. “Only through careful study of thousands upon thousands of historical texts and artifacts, but, yes, if only partially. This area was where the Last Battle of the Last War was fought.”

“War? What war?”

“The Last War. Before war became eternal to ensure peace. They say that in ancient times, Equestria was ruled by a pair of mutant tyrants. Discord rose up against their rules and law, and brought freedom to the ponies of Equestria.” She pointed upward at the moon. “They say he imprisoned them up there. But I doubt that. Most likely he just killed them.” She shrugged. “It’s what I would have done.”

“Tyrants…” Rarity had never heard of that story before, except perhaps in the most tangential legends that had been whispered to her in the days before she could remember.

“Stop challenging the orthodoxy and hurry up!” called Pinkie Pie. “Or I’ll have to throw you off this rock! Or ON to this rock! One of the two!”

A glimmer of anger passed through Twilight’s eyes, but she did as was recommended to her. Rarity, likewise, managed to pull herself away from the view and continue on. It was only a few minutes past that point that she saw the beginnings of a large building over the treetops: a large industrial office building, built of concrete without any windows. It looked as unpleasant and boring as its name.

Before the group crested a hill, though, Sunset silently remerged from the border, followed closely by Rainbow Dash who was just putting away her foldable rifle.

“It isn’t good,” said Sunset.

“Fallout?” asked Darknight.

“No. Worse. The Consort Guard is here.”

Rarity did not know what that meant, exactly. She recognized the name, but did not understand its meaning in this context. The Consort Guard were supposedly the personal military forces of the Queen of Equestria. What they would be doing here, though, was a mystery.

“Oh,” said Pinkie Pie, her expression falling. “I don’t like them. Not at all. They’re no fun.”

“No kidding,” grumbled Sunset.

“So I’m going to go now.” She turned and waved to everypony. “Bye now! I’ll be back soon! Don’t forget to write!”

“Pinkie!” said Rarity, not understanding what was going on. “You don’t have to leave just because- -”

She was stopped as she saw Pinkie’s body suddenly shudder. Her head shot back as though she were having a seizure, and she nearly fell. Just as she tipped, though, she suddenly righted herself- -and the pony that now stood before them looked completely different.

She was like Pinkie- -as in, her face was largely the same- -but her color seemed darker. Her smile had been replaced with a frown, and her formerly bouncy and curly hair had become perfectly straight.

“Ugh,” she said. “Where am I?”

“Sup’ Pinkamena,” said Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie Pie- -or Pinkamena- -looked up, and although the stern expression on her face remained, it softened slightly. “Rainbow Dash,” she said. “You look as fat and ugly as ever.”

“You’re one to talk. You really need to get your sister to lay off the sweets.”

The two leaned toward each other, taking each other under one hoof and kissing each other on the lips.

“It’s good to see you, though,” said Pinkamena. She turned around, and her eyes fell on Rarity. “And who are you?”

“Pinkie, it’s me,” said Rarity. “We just met.”

“I’m not Pinkie,” said Pinkamena, getting slightly angry. She then took a breath and sighed. “But I understand the confusion. Don’t make it again, or I will break one of your knees.”

“She will, too,” noted Rainbow Dash. “It’s super hot.”

“Don’t interrupt me, Dash.” Pinkamena paused. “Great. So, Consort Guard?”

“Yeah,” said Sunset.

Pinkamena let out a long sigh. “Of course. She leaves this crap to me. But it’s better that way, she sucks at dealing with stuff like that.” She turned to the others. “Alright. Sunset and I take point. It’s a matter of influence. We’re the least likely to get attacked, and I’m immortal, so…”

“The Consort Guard is not going to attack us,” said Twilight, attempting to push past Sunset. Sunset shoved her back.

“Sweet Disocrd’s tailfeathers, Twilight, could you for just this once do what I’m telling you?”

Twilight frowned, but did seem to acquiesce. “Fine,” she said. “But just one of them is worth his weight in arsenide. If it goes south, I will harvest.”

“It won’t go south,” said Sunset. “Right, Pinkamena?”

Pinkamena did not reply, but advanced with Sunset. As they did, Rarity leaned close to Twilight.

“What…just happened to Pinkie?”

“She has a direct link to Discord’s Chaos in her brain,” said Twilight. “Did you really expect her mind to stay in one piece? We’re lucky she’s not just a screaming wreck like the rest of them.”

The group continued forward. When they crested a small hill, it became apparent what Sunset had meant. The area was already swarmed with ponies. As they drew closer to the perimeter of the main building, though, Rarity saw those “ponies” grow clearer and clearer- -and as she did, she realized that something was horribly wrong.

There appeared to be two main kinds of unit. One was a pony, or at least superficially so. They were far larger than any type of pony that Rarity had ever encountered, though; they were at least four times taller, and far more muscular. Their bodies were completely covered in pitted metal; even their faces were covered completely in gas-processing masks that allowed them to breathe the Equestrian atmosphere.

Surrounding them were what could only be described as abominations. They looked as though they had once been animals, but had since been torn apart and reconfigured into atrocities that dwarfed even their gigantic masters. They were lanky and gray, with feathers or hair in seemingly random parts of their body and surgical marks from where torsos and limbs had been connected and recombined on the rest. Their faces- -if they could even be considered to have any semblance of a sane face- -consisted largely of a single enormous, glistening golden eye.

“What…what are they?” whispered Rarity, pulling herself close to Darknight.

“An inconvenience,” muttered Sunset in reply.

As the group approached, the gas-masked soldiers reacted. Some of them converged, their glass-covered eyes glistening in the light of several suns. They had more than two. They seemed mostly unable to communicate, though, as the only sound they seemed to be able to produce was a horrible combination of wheezing and gurgling.

Then, from the crowd, a pony emerged. Rarity was happy to see a real, ordinary pony- -at first. Like the others, though, when he drew closer she began to realize that he was anything but a sane, living being. His armor appeared to be made of some sort of bone, and it was twisted and warped. His skin was gray and taught against his face, and his eyes were cloudy and empty. The strong scent of formaldehyde as he approached confirmed what Rarity had already expected: he was a rebodied soul.

“Watchers,” he said with a gruff but strangely quiet voice. “You need not be here.”

“We are investigating a magical anomaly,” said Sunset.

“Under the direct orders of the Madgod Discord,” added Pinkamena.

“That will not be necessary,” said the commander. “We have already begun the investigation in the name of the Holy Daughter. You need not be here.”

“Since when is investigating anomalies the Consort Guard’s jurisdiction?”

“Our behavior and actions reflect the will of the Holy Daughter. She grew concerned when the anomaly, as you describe it, impacted her subjects. We were dispatched to find the source, and we have.”

“Then you wouldn’t mind showing us,” said Pinkamena.

“Yes, we would. The investigation is concluding as we speak.”

“And what happened?”

“We have no need to discuss that with the likes of you.”

“The likes of us!” said Rainbow Dash, angrily stepping forward. “Do you have any idea who you are?”

The rebody looked toward her. His body remained perfectly still, but his eyes moved with an audible sound. “Yes. I do. We do. You are tools used to maintain political status quo. Or the inverse, as the case may be. Such things do not concern our kind.”

“Who are you calling a tool?!”

“Rainbow Dash, shut your hole,” hissed Pinkamena. “Or I will come and shut it for you!”

“You know,” said Twilight, grinning. “The phylactery that keeps you trapped in that body is worth billions on the open market. I think I could put it to good use.”

The rebody sighed- -a horrid sound indeed. “A unicorn. Of course. Now you are threatening me. With what, a minor inconvenience? When I was alive, I would slay your kind like rabid dogs in the name of Sombra. Before the Allmother showed me the Truth, of course.”

“I don’t need to know your life story,” said Rainbow Dash.

“No. Nor would you survive if I told it to you. Her glory is something that must be experienced…firsthoof. But that does not change the fact that I am not going to let you through.”

“Are you going to try to stop us?” said Sunset, taking a step forward.

Several of the gas-mask units stepped forward as well. Even as armored as Sunset was, they towered over her.

“There is only one among you who would be a real threat,” said the commander. “And I had hoped that you would have more political tact than to challenge the will of the Queen.”

“Well, then,” said Twilight, stepping forward. “How about this, then?”

She grabbed Rarity- -who had been hiding behind Darknight and Pinkamena- -and shoved her forward. Rarity let out a distinct “eep” as she looked up into the face of the revenant standing before her. To her surprise, though, the commander jumped back in surprise, as did his soldiers. Even the abominations that had begun to circle looked hesitant.

“That’s right,” said Twilight. “A pure, white unicorn! If I recall correctly- -and I always recall correctly- -these are sacred to you, aren’t they?”

“They are,” said the commander, slowly glaring at Twilight. “They are most desired by the Allmother. That you would use such a pure creature to bargain is beyond disgraceful.”

“You…you think I’m pure?” asked Rarity.

“Yes. Because you are. It is the Allmother’s greatest desire that your soul fall to Tartarus, corrupted and lost, to be tortured for eternity. Your beauty almost makes us weep.”

Rarity had no idea how to feel about that statement, but Twilight pressed on. “You would have to do what she says, though, right?”

There was a loud gurgling from the soldiers, and the commander’s dead eyes suddenly narrowed. “Yes,” he said, slowly. “We would be willing to accept a request from a Sacred One. But only if she herself makes it.”

Twilight looked to Rarity, and then Rarity to the commander.

“I don’t know if I can do that,” said Rarity.

“What?!” cried Twilight.

“Well, it’s just that…this is my very first mission. And while I certainly would like to do it properly, I just can’t ask you to do something that would jeopardize your own job. I really would like to help you investigate, if I can, as we all would I’m sure, but I could never force a pony to do something he or she doesn’t want to do. Especially if it would hurt you in some way.”

The commander stared at her for a long moment. “You…you would show me kindness, even though I am dead?”

“Darling, I could hardly tell,” said Rarity. “You are a bit pale, but that’s in fashion these days. I was sure you were alive!”

The commander stared for a moment longer, and then smiled- -itself a grotesque sight. “Then I suppose I acquiesce of my own free will. But I do have a condition.” He pointed to Twilight. “She may not approach. The mark she bears designates her as our eternal enemy. For the sake of the Sacred One, we will not attempt to tear the offending limb from her frame. But she must say outside.”

“Like you even could,” growled Twilight. “Do you have any idea who I am? I will go where I please- -”

“I think it would be better if you helped me secure the perimeter,” said Sunset, nearly dragging her away. “Take some readings, maybe?”

“Readings?”

“Yeah. Let the others go ahead inside. We have work to do out here.”

“Starlight!” called Twilight as she was pushed away. “Go with them! If anything goes wrong, kill them all!”

Rarity watched them go, and then turned to the rebody.

“What is your name, Sacred One?” he asked.

“Rarity. And what is yours?”

“A name is a very dangerous thing to have for my kind. As such, I have none.” He turned around, and his soldiers stepped out of his path. “This way, if you please.”

Rarity looked to the others, and Darknight gestured to follow. “You are best suited to take the lead now,” he said. “Although in all honesty it was a terrible mistake to tell him your real name.”

“I thought ‘Rarity’ was a pseudonym,” said Pinkamena. “Because it’s a crap name otherwise.”

“Says a filly named ‘Pinkamena Diane’,” pointed out Rainbow Dash.

“My parents were rock cultists. They are not known for intelligence.”

Rarity ignored them as best as she could and followed after the rebody. He lead her toward the front entrance of the structure, and then inside to a front lobby. Just as Rarity had feared, the inside was as drab and unpleasant as the outside. Everything was practical to the point of banality, with the walls and columns themselves being made of smooth but otherwise unpainted concrete. It was aesthetically unique, but not at all pleasant to look at.

“My this place is unpleasant,” said Rarity.

“I agree,” said the rebody. “The very epitome of atheism embodied by architecture.”

“Ugh,” said Rainbow Dash from behind. “I didn’t come here to listen to a liberal arts lecture.”

“She is not incorrect,” said Darknight. “We are far more interested in the cause of the event.”

“Of this, we have no insight,” replied the rebody. “Our mission was simply to ensure safety, and that the incident will not be repeated. We have come to the conclusion that it shall not, and that there is no lasting damage. Hence, the closing of the investigation.”

“I don’t mean to be critical,” said Rarity, “but wouldn’t that require knowing what made the anomaly in the first place?”

“No. The event was scientific in origin. Such a domain is beyond our depth. We are creatures of magic and unholy glory. The specifics of the spiritual void that you call science do not concern us.”

“Science?” said Rarity, turning to Darknight. His construct shifted, displaying tiny text near his eyes.

“Yes,” he said. “RD Corporation focuses on cutting-edge scientific endeavors. Their focus is eclectic. High-end weapons, biologic enhancements, an impressive portfolio of polymer and alloy research, advanced cybernetics, mining, and so on. They even manufacture the Stonie series of noncans.”

“Stonie?” asked Rarity. “You mentioned them before.”

“Yes. They are a very expensive type with factory-installed enhancements. You’ve probably seen them in the Unlaw Centre’s main floor. They’re gray and look female. Their primary purpose is as mobile processing units.”

“Indeed,” said the rebody. “They are horrible creatures, the non-canon. Cursed to be born without souls. None among them shall meet glorious damnation, or the atrocity of salvation.”

“I think I know the ponies,” said Rarity, “but they were earth ponies. Surely they didn’t cause this?”

“No,” said a voice, “although the disturbance damaged an entire batch of growing fetuses. We had to purge the entire stock.”

Rarity turned to see that she was being approached by several ponies. One of them was a rebody with long golden hair and a strangely pale-pink body, but she clearly had not been the one to speak, as her mouth had been sewn shut. Likewise, it had not been either of the two Stonie units that accompanied the group. Their faces had been scooped out entirely and replaced with large, mask-like plate implants that fed directly into the frontal portion of their brains. They had no lower jaws, eyes, or muzzles.

That left only the pony in the center of the group, walking with the rebody and ahead of the noncans. Unlike the others, she looked rather ordinary, and was dressed in a rather harsh and intimidating business suit. Rarity found it odd, though, in that it did not conform to the current trends in business attire nor any type of suit she recognized. She would have at best described it as eccentric, but it seemed to work if only in that it matched the sterile and brutalist structure that surrounded them.

The mare in the suit was orange in color, with bright violet hair that had been cut short and styled over her forehead. She had no horn and no apparent wings, so Rarity decided that she must have been an earth-pony. What was strange, though, was that it was impossible to assess her age. Physically, she looked quite young, perhaps the same age as Rainbow Dash or only slightly older. At the same time, though, she seemed far older than that.

It took Rarity a moment to realize why, but she eventually came to the conclusion that it was her eyes. They were violet and piercing, and somehow simultaneously fiery and yet even more dead than those of the rebody that stood beside her. They were frighteningly old eyes.

“Watcher Rarity, this is the director of the RD Corporation,” said the male rebody.

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” said Rarity. She extended her hoof, but the director did not take it. Instead, her eyes flitted to each of the ponies before her. They did not stay long on any of them in particular until they fell on Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow Dash,” she said with a mild hint of amusement or surprise.

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Do I know you?”

“No,” said the director. “I’m sure you don’t. We have never met. But I am familiar with you.”

“For the murders?”

“Murders? No. For your renowned athletic prowess.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “I am pretty renowned,” she bragged.

“I am sorry to hear about the loss of a batch,” said Darknight.

“Don’t be,” said the director. “They were commercial units. None of the experimental models were lost. Besides, we can cut up the ones that were near birth for parts and pulp the rest into stem-cells to help with aftermarket modifications.”

“You promote third party reconfiguration?”

“Of course. These two are in fact my personal work.” She gestured to the pair behind her.

This seemed to cat Pinkamena’s attention. “So you are the lead scientist, then?”

“Lead scientist. CEO. Owner. I inherited this company form my mother, and her mother before her. Our bloodline built everything you see here, and I own all of it.”

“So then you would definitely know about the anomaly. And it’s source.”

The director looked at Pinkamena. It was not so much a glare but a stare of disinterest, as if this were all terribly boring but she had nowhere better to be. Then, after a moment, she spoke. “Walk with me.”

Rarity took the lead, walking alongside her. The female rebody and the Stonies fell back, with the Stonies projecting orange-colored holograms around themselves and setting to work on tasks that Rarity could not hope to understand.

“I like your suit,” said Rarity. “It’s very…empowering?”

“No you don’t,” said the director. “You find the hard lines too bold, the lack of color drab, and the use of rear boots instead of pants to be gauche.”

“Wh- -what?”

“Just because I do not adhere to what you consider ‘fashion’ does not mean I do not understand it. In all honesty what your kind considers clothing these days is highly unpleasant.”

“I agree,” said Pinkamena. “It has always been my opinion that ponies should be naked as much as possible.”

“Buck yeah,” whispered Rainbow Dash, playfully nudging Pinkamena.

“Like your lobotomized friend, there?” The director pointed to Starlight, who was staring in awe at the pretty lights that surrounded the Stonie units.

“No pony is more free than one who has had her frontal lobe severed,” suggested Pinkamena.

“A bit nihilistic for a Discordian, don’t you think? But I can’t help but agree sometimes.”

“And the event?” said Darknight.

“A minor deviation. Nothing to be concerned about. As I’m sure the Consort Guard has informed you.”

“We would not be Watchers if we were not persistent,” said Pinkamena.

“No. I suppose not. Your thoughts, Rarity?”

“M- -me?”

“Yes, you. Or do you intend to let Pikamena speak for you?”

“Well, I…I’m afraid I wouldn’t understand the cause even if you did explain it. I’m new here.”

“Clearly.” The director stopped and sighed. “If you must know, the anomaly was caused by a momentary loss of containment in an experimental generator.”

“Ugh,” said Rainbow Dash. “So it IS technical.”

“Not in depth, Rainbow Dash. You do not need to know the specifics, nor would I give them to you. The work is proprietary and legally protected.”

“Unlaw does not enforce such things,” said Darknight.

“No, but I do.”

“Do you really think you could take us on?” said Rainbow Dash, stepping forward defiantly.

“Yes,” said the director, “but cutting off your contracts. Of course that would be a foolish decision for both parties, and disastrous for one of them. The nature of the reactor is highly technical, though. Even if you did understand it, you would likely find it horribly dull.”

“We’re talking about a magical generator that could produce a class seven shockwave,” said Darknight. “And the fact that you ‘lost containment’ means that this could be an artifact that puts Equestria at incrediable risk.”

“Possibly. But that is not in the interest of the Watchers, is it?”

“It might be,” said Pinkimana. Then, slowly, “but…it also might not be.”

“What?” said Rarity, confused by what Pinkamena meant by that. “But I thought we were supposed to protect Equestia!”

“No. We are her to ensure the existence of Eternal Chaos, and to obey the will of Discord. From my understanding, Discord only tasked us with investigating. He did not say to seize the reactor, or to destroy it. My interpretation of His will is that it should remain in existence.”

“Then why did we come all the way out here?” groaned Rainbow Dash.

“You came because you wanted to mate with and then murder a pony. We came to see what the source of the problem was. And we have found it.”

“And I assure you,” said the Consort Guard commander, “We have reviewed the situation. There is no danger here.”

“But if you don’t understand technology,” said Rarity, “how…”

“I would still like to run some scans,” said Darknight.

“Fine,” said the director as she started walking again. “But you won’t find anything. That much magical charge interferes with our work here. I already degaussed the facility. The reactor has since been shut down for a design overhaul. And if you will excuse me, I have a considerable amount of work to do.”

“Wait,” said Rarity, stopping her. “We certainly do appreciate your help, but I’m afraid I didn’t catch your name.”

“Name?” said the director, turning toward her and staring with her cold, empty eyes. “My name is Xyuka. Do your best to stay out of my way, if you are able.”