“Roan!”

Rarity caught Sweetie by the back of her dress’s collar just as she started running. “Somepony take her!”

“No, let me go!” Sweetie struggled and kicked, but was nonetheless picked up and carried out of the way by her father. “Roan! What did you do to my friend?”

“Calm down, Sweetie,” Rarity growled. “She’s alive.” That much she ascertained from the rise of Roan’s backside as she breathed. Whether she was well or not was a different matter entirely. Rarity locked eyes with Stormy Flare, but kept Silver Lining aimed low. “How did you get out here without us noticing?”

The Vermilion grinned and set her boot atop Roan’s back. “This pet catbird of yours? Rank amateur. You’d have been less obvious at a distance if you’d used that horn to shoot a flare. Hiding from her was as simple as breathing.”

Rarity resisted the urge to groan. She should have known a griffon in captivity for years and rarely allowed to even hover would lack the requisite skills of scouting and reconnaissance. A foolish blunder, but she’d linger on it later. “What did you do to her?”

With a grin both playful and wicked, the Vermilion shook her head. “You’ve got far more important things to deal with. Like, say, the small army of bounty hunters and Gang members that’ll be here within the next hour.”

“What?” Fluttershy’s wings flared and her rifle came up, though it wasn’t aimed at anypony in particular. Her eyes, suddenly like steel, settled upon Rarity. “I trusted you, and you… you lured those monsters to my home!” Rarity maintained her own hard expression against the Vermilion, but barely held onto it under Fluttershy’s withering glare.

“Oh, don’t get your tail in a twist, little miss Mane Porter,” the Vermilion replied with a chuckle. “We won’t let them leave here alive. Will we, Bulletproof?”

Rarity’s anger wavered in the face of this strange declaration. She glanced behind at the others, then back to her… adversary?

Applejack stepped forward, confusion written across her features. “You aim to help us, Stormy?”

The Vermilion’s eyebrows rose. She looked almost amused by the question. “Applejack! Long time no see. How’s one of the only Apples to not earn my—” her face twisted into a snarl “—utmost hatred? Wait!” She was already back to a charming smile, as if the moment had never been. “Don’t answer. We’ll catch up later. I have business to attend to, and none of you have time for tea and crumpets.”

Her gaze settled upon Rarity once more. “Have you thought about my offer?”

Her offer? Ah, yes, the offer to join her in slaughtering every Apple alive. Tightening her grip on Silver Lining, Rarity spoke with as much firmness as she could muster. “I don’t need to think on it. I won’t join you.”

“Oh.” Stormy’s wings drooped along with her shoulders and head. “That’s a shame. I had really hoped you’d see reason. But if that’s the way you want it…”

She dropped down, settling her knee against Roan’s back and pressing the barrel of her pistol to the hen’s head. Shouts of alarm went up all around. Her wings flared as Silver Lining aimed at her head, but otherwise she gave the gun no mind. “You think your bullet can reach me before I pull my trigger, princess?”

Though her heart pounded and her finger itched to pull the trigger, Rarity hesitated. This was the Flaming Vermilion after all. She’d seen the aftermath of this pony’s work twice now. How was she to know that Stormy couldn’t do exactly what she claimed? She tried to ignore Sweetie’s sobbing and focus on this new threat. She needed a solution, and she needed it fast!

Roan would not die today. She wouldn’t.

“Stormy, this is ridiculous!” Applejack, her own harmonica-loaded pistols out but not raised, stomped her hoof. “We should be workin’ together. Why the hay are you doin’ this?”

“Shut up, child,” the Vermilion snarled. “The adult is talking.” Her gaze never left Rarity’s.

The only thing she could think of was to stall for time. “You’ve got my attention. Now, what do I have to do to get you to stop pointing that gun at my friend?”

“Bargaining, is it?” The Vermilion growled, then spat on the ground next to Roan’s head. “You don’t have what it takes to survive out here. A proper gunfighter would have already shot me dead, or at least tried.”

“That might explain why there aren’t very many of them around anymore,” Rarity fired back. “Now stop with the damn misdirections and state your terms.”

If anything, the Vermilion grew even more tense. She hissed out, “Pain.” Reaching down, she caressed the griffon hen’s unconscious face. “You won’t understand the world until you’ve felt it properly. I realize that now. If you’re ever going to join me, you have to think like me. You have to endure what I’ve endured. So… here are my ‘terms’.”

She stood up and backed away from Roan, though her gun remained aimed at the griffon. Her wings opened wide. “Since you’re too ignorant to understand the situation, I’m going to ‘disappear’ for a while. That Apple Gang army is going to attack. You’ll defend yourself and your friends, but it won’t amount to shit against those numbers. Your family will die, and you’ll finally understand. You’ll realize the cold, hard reality.” Her free hand balled into a fist and a fire burned in her eyes. “Apples are scum. They will murder and rape and pillage and destroy everything around them. They’re only good with bullets in their brains.

“Once you’ve figured that out?” She chuckled. It was a slow, bitter sound. “You’ll be more… accepting of my stance. And together, we’ll wipe them off the face of Equus.”

“Never!” Rarity stepped forward, Silver Lining shaking in her hand. She recalled the burned bodies and horrid stench. A ghastly image of Sweetie, Coco, of her parents lying in a burning pile almost brought her breakfast up. Instead, it lit the flame she’d been harboring for so long. “I will never join you.”

“You say that now.” With a flap of her wings, the Vermilion launched into a hover. “We’ll see how you feel after everypony you care for lies dead at your hooves.” She started to turn away—

“Don’t you turn you back on me without pulling the damn trigger first!”

The oasis went quiet. Everyone, even the oryx, stared at Rarity as if she’d just denounced the Sisters themselves. Slowly, her expression unreadable, the Vermilion turned around. Her answer was as cold as the ice in her eyes. “Did you just challenge me?”

No hesitation. “Yes. I did.” Rarity pulled out Ruby Heart.

“Whoa, whoa!” Applejack grabbed her arm. “Are you crazy?”

“No more than when I fought you in Ponyville,” she replied curtly. “The Apples are coming. See to the protection of the others.”

“No!” Her mother approached, anger in her eyes. “I’m not about to let you—”

“All of you shut up!” Rarity threw Applejack off her and turned on her friends and family. “Don’t you get it? It’s over! We can’t run anymore. We haven’t the supplies left to make it out of the Plains without going through the Apples. A stand has to be made here, even if it’s a desperate one. And I have to deal with this bitch—” she turned to point Silver Lining at the scowling Vermilion “—to make sure she doesn’t hit us from behind to ensure events go her way! We haven’t the time to argue. You ponies need to start preparing a defense or we are all dead.”

“Y-you can’t face her alone,” Applejack insisted. “I’ll help you, even if—”

“I told you to shut up! If you want any chance of making things up to me, you will get your flank in gear and make sure my family is alive when this is over. Now go!”

Applejack’s face went slack, her arms hanging limp at her sides. Pain, anger, and guilt flashed across her face in repeating patterns. Her eyes flicked between Rarity, the Flaming Vermilion, and the others. Her lips worked, but no words arose from her throat. Underneath the boiling cauldron that was Rarity’s mind, she felt just the slightest hint of sympathy for the position she’d put the mare in.

At last, Applejack’s face hardened. “Damn you for a fool, Rarity. Ain’t no way you’re beatin’ the Flamin’ Vermilion. I’ll do what you want, but when this is over I hope you appreciate how painful it’s gonna be when we find you dead.” Shoving her weapons in their holsters, she turned to Fluttershy, still up on her tree limb. “I don’t know you, missy, but if you’ve got a good place for us to set up a defense, I’d be grateful.”

“I know a place.” Fluttershy cast a withering, disgusted glare at Rarity that made her insides churn before jumping off the limb to hover. “The oryx will guide you.” With a beat of her wings, she disappeared amongst the canopy.

“Let’s move!” Applejack began guiding the others out of the clearing, not so much as glancing at Rarity. Her face was like iron, but there was moisture in her eyes that hadn’t been there a moment ago.

“Rarity?” Coco tried to reach for her but was caught by Tiro, who dragged her away. Coco said nothing more, though she didn’t stop staring. Strawberry picked up Roan and dragged her with Sweetie’s help. Soon after, Rarity’s parents drove the wagons past. They called to Rarity, but she didn’t look at them. She reserved her attention strictly for the Flaming Vermilion, who returned the glare and didn’t stop hovering.

Rarity didn’t allow herself a chance to feel doubt about the coming fight, nor would she entertain the guilt lingering inside. For the first time since she’d left Spurhoof, she was absolutely certain that she was doing the right thing. The Apple Gang might have every class of fighter available to them, but not a single one was as dire a threat to her family as this mare. This was a hatchet that needed burying, now.

At last, they were alone in the clearing. The Vermilion landed heavily in the grass, her pistol aimed aside as she reached into her coat and pulled out a long, serrated knife. “You’ve got the guts. You’ve got the skills. But that fire of yours needs to be a lot hotter before you’ll ever stand a chance living this life, princess.”

Rarity ground her teeth. That fire was blazing hot, and she as ready to burn somepony with it. “If I win, you—”

“What, you think this is a fucking game?” The Vermilion gestured at her with the knife. “If you win, I’m fucking dead. If I win, you’re fucking dead. That’s reality. I’m not going into this half-cocked.” She raised her gun so it was up by her shoulder and narrowed her eyes. “Last chance to back out, princess.”

“I am not killing you,” Rarity replied with equal firmness, holding her weapons in a similar pose.

“You’re right about that.”

The time for talking, it seemed, had passed. The two stood at opposite ends of the clearing, Rarity with the desert at her back. The sun sent glistening light upon them as the trees swayed in a hot breeze. Rarity planned her first move, ignoring the bead of sweat that rolled down her cheek. Thoughts of family and friends left her as she devoted every iota of her focus to what was coming. This was no Cayenne or Full Steam. This wasn’t even like her fight with Applejack.

She was about to fight a living legend turned monstrous. The thought might have terrified her once. The pony within was definitely a trembling ball of terror. But Rarity couldn’t be scared right now. Her future and family were on the line, so she ignored the slight tremor in her knees and the dryness in her throat. There would be another time for fear.

Now was the time for the Bulletproof Heart.

Rarity moved, flinging herself left as her guns rose. A shot rang out, blocked by the small shield she’d set before her face. Its flash blinded her, but still she fired, Ruby Heart’s roar accentuated by Silver Lining’s bark. The flash faded; the Vermilion was already twelve paces from her last position! Rarity’s boots made dirt tracks in the grass as she skidded to a stop, guns going off and her shield flickering low.

The Vermilion leapt in a twirl, her wings and coat billowing out and making it hard for Rarity to tell what she was aiming at. She fired anyway, breaking into a run in the opposite direction. One, two, three shots pinged against her shield, each sending a mild sting through her horn. She dove behind a large tree, flinching as the trunk ate bullets and spat out splinters. Back to the wood, she hurried to switch cylinders on Silver Lining.

She had a second to consider, and she didn’t like what passed through her head. Aside from the last couple, every one of the Vermilion’s shots would have struck true without her shield. Dodging would do her no good, and she couldn’t protect herself with magic for long. Worst of all, that first shot made it clear: Stormy Flare had every intention of killing her, and she was far faster and more accurate than Rarity. Even with two guns to one…

No time to think! She jumped out, aimed—

The trunk of the tree erupted in another spray of splinters where her head had been half a second ago. Spinning around, Rarity spotted the Vermilion flying low among the trees with shocking speed. She fired back, but the forest made accuracy nearly impossible with the Vermilion’s movements. Cursing under her breath, she jumped behind another tree as bullets zipped past her head.

“What’s the matter, Bulletproof?” The Vermilion’s tone was mocking. “I thought you were ready to be a hero!”

Following the direction of the voice, Rarity poked out from behind the tree and opened fire. The Vermilion weaved about, pausing between the trunks and limbs to fire back. Rarity ducked back behind cover, hissing as something bit her cheek. How was she not hitting the blasted mare?

“Come on, show me the tenacity I’ve heard so much about!” More shots blasted the tree. Didn’t the mare ever reload? Maybe she was just that fast. Rarity took the opportunity to refill Ruby Heart’s cartridge, the click of it sliding home seeming inordinately loud. She imagined Sweetie in those familiar, hideous burn piles, stoking the fire in her heart.

She needed some new tricks.

Rarity broke into a run, moving for some bushes deeper in the forest. Out the corner of her eye she caught the Vermilion in an entirely new location, hovering high between two large trees. As her shield blocked one-two-three more bullets, she called upon her magic and fired a diamond-shaped shot of energy from her horn. The Vermilion didn’t so much as blink, performing an acrobatic twirl out of the way. Rarity read the movement, aimed and fired just as the Vermilion appeared from around the tree she’d dodged towards.

Even at this distance, Rarity could make out the two holes opened in the Vermilion’s shoulder and chest. Without even flinching, her foe righted herself and opened fire. Rarity, still running, dove into the bushes and cursed as a fresh fire rushed up her left leg. With no time to examine the wound, she lay on her back, let a few bullets chew up the leaves, then leapt up and returned fire. The Vermilion let out a frustrated shout and disappeared above the canopy.

She’d taken hits. Good hits! Why hadn’t she gone down? Had she added protection to her clothes somehow? Rarity barely kept from screaming in rage. Why had she never adapted that into her wardrobe, for Luna’s sake? She had to keep moving. Staying still would get her killed in a fight like this! She hurried out of the brush and moved for another tree, blinking back tears as her leg burned. That hit hadn’t been just a scratch.

The Vermilion exploded from the canopy a dozen feet away, now armed with a short-barreled rifle. Despite it being a bolt action, she managed three shots against Rarity’s shield before she could get behind cover. Each hit felt like miniature hammers to her horn, but Rarity worked through the pain. When she spun out from behind the trunk, the Vermilion was gone.

Only to appear from above in a new location, rifle at the ready! With a cry, Rarity let her legs go limp and fell to her rump, the wood just above her head exploding outward. She got two shots in with each gun, scoring visible hits to the Vermilion’s belly that she seemed to shrug off before her enemy disappeared above the canopy once more. Breaths coming fast, heart pounding, Rarity forced herself to her hooves and charged for a different tree.

This was taking too long. The Apple Gang could show up any minute! She wasn’t going to win this if she couldn’t disarm Stormy, but who knew how many weapons she kept under that coat?

As if in answer, something fell to the leaf-covered forest floor in her path. Rarity felt a jab of ice in her veins upon recognizing: a grenade. With no chance of dodging, she snatched it in her magic and flung it back up, at the same time falling into a slide and curling into a protective ball. The explosion made her ears ring, and limbs and leaves rained down on her. Move, Rarity, move! She rolled, and fountains of dirt darted up from where she’d been lying. In a crouch that made her wounded leg scream for mercy, she fired back at the Vermilion, who ducked back to the safety of a tree trunk near the canopy.

The Vermilion’s laughter rang through the forest as Rarity hid behind another tree. “I haven’t had a fight like this in years! Keep going, Bulletproof. Make the ending good.”

As much as Rarity hated the idea of catering to the fiend, she couldn’t resist shouting, “You’re insane, you know that?”

“Says the pony who thinks she can just ‘walk away’ from the Bad Apples. I’ve seen it in your eyes, Bulletproof. You’re just as furious as I am! All I did was offer you a chance to direct that anger at a proper target.”

Growling, Rarity moved to find a different spot to hide, only to scamper right back behind the trunk when shots rang out. A fresh sting bit into her shoulder. At a glance she found blood, but it was just another scratch. How many times would that happen before the Vermilion hit something vital?

“Yes, I am angry!” She stood up and checked her ammo, reloading Silver Lining. “I’m angry at Braeburn for forcing me into this life, at the Gang for refusing to accept ‘self-defense’ as a justification for his death. But that doesn’t warrant your sense of wild extremism!” She turned to aim for the Vermilion, who wasn’t where her voice had suggested. More shots rang, and Rarity retreated to another tree, cursing the whole way. Her leg throbbed!

“That’s why I tried to help you out,” the Vermilion spoke from… somewhere. Rarity’s left? “I just wanted to show you the truth and give you a reason to let that anger loose. What’s a few dead ponies for the destruction of an entire family of monsters?”

“As if you aren’t a monster yourself?” Prepping a fresh shield, Rarity pressed her back to her tree and listened intently. “You’ve become the very thing you hate. Worse!”

The Vermilion’s voice was so close it set a sinking anchor of dread upon Rarity’s heart. “As if you’re any better.”

They moved in tandem, Rarity’s motions guided by instinct and a pulse-pounding awareness that her life was seconds away from ending. The Vermilion appeared, knife jabbing for her chest and striking Rarity’s barrier in a flash of blue light. Silver Lining went up and fired into the Vermilion’s shoulder, knocking the mare back but producing little more than a grunt of pain. Rarity saw the pistol in the Vermilion’s left hand aiming from the hip, and she jerked her body into a twisting spin. The bullet ricocheted off her shield, the almost point blank impact making her horn burn. The knife was coming at her unprotected side, but her arm came down to strike the Vermilion’s wrist, stopping it less than an inch away.

Her leg was swept out from under her. The little pony in her head screamed last-second instructions, and Rarity obliged, turning with her fall and delivering a powerful, down-swinging strike against the Vermilion’s cheek with the butt of Silver Lining. More shots rang out as they fell together, and a fresh fire coursed through Rarity’s shoulder, forcing her to drop Silver Lining. Her ears picked up on the Vermilion’s pained cry, so much quieter than any Rarity had ever offered. They hit the ground on their sides, facing one another. The Vermilion caught her falling dagger midair in her left hand and moved to jam it into Rarity’s gut, but froze when Ruby Heart pressed against her jaw.

Time, it seemed, came to a pause. The two glared at one another, sucking in gasping breaths that rang in Rarity’s ears. Rarity didn’t dare take her eyes from Stormy’s even as her little pony fretted over how close the knife must be to her vulnerable belly. Silver Lining was… she didn’t know, but Stormy had lost her own pistol. That was of little comfort at the moment.

Stormy smiled through her gasps. “Go ahead. Do it. Blast my pretty pink brains all over the forest floor.” She pressed her jaw against Ruby Heart’s barrel. “Come on. You know you want to.”

Yes. Yes, she did. The gun shook in Rarity’s hand, her trigger finger twitching. This mare, this frustrating, bloodthirsty creature wanted to see her family dead, did she?

“That’s right.” Stormy practically cooed the words. “I see the rage in those eyes. We’re the same, you and I.”

The same? No, they were not!

“Ah-ah.” Her foe leaned forward, pressing even harder against the gun as her eyes took on a sultry quality. “Look at us. Warriors locked, our lives on the line, each ready to end the other. Why, we’re as close as lovers. Don’t you think?”

Rarity leaned back, heart throbbing along with the rest of her body. “W-what is wrong with you?”

“Oh?” Stormy pouted, not paying the gun barrel against her skin any mind. “I suppose you prefer younger blood. Like Applejack.” She licked her lips salaciously. “Gotta say, you’ve got good taste. Was it fun, bedding Smith’s pride and joy?”

A feeble gasp left Rarity. She could feel things… phantom hands upon her body. The tingling in her thighs only served to agitate her wounds even more. “Y-you…”

“Yeah, I know all about that.” Stormy chuckled, and then her eyes regained their fire. “She stole from you, like a thief in the night. Didn’t she? Don’t answer, I see it in your face. You loathe her.”

“Shut up.” Rarity thrust the barrel of Ruby Heart up, forcing those foul lips closed, but it was too late. Applejack was on her mind. Perverted, grabby Applejack. The mare who tempted her, who revealed that Rarity had a dark side of her own. The mare who made her feel like nothing but a common whorse! And the more she considered it, the more she longed to pull the trigger.

“I’m going to kill her.” Stormy grinned, and Rarity felt the tip of the knife against her stomach. “I’ll do it, just for you. Unless you want to do it yourself. If so?” Her eyes narrowed. “Kill me. I won’t wait forever, Bulletproof.”

She wouldn’t. Why wasn’t Rarity pulling the trigger? She silently cursed herself for holding back. This mare deserved it just as much as Braeburn, more than Full Steam! Ending her now would do Equestria a favor, so why was she holding back?

“Don’t fight it,” Stormy hissed, shifting a little closer. The knife stung, but Rarity’s attention was locked on those fierce eyes. “Don’t think about it. Just pull the trigger. Do what it takes to survive. Embrace that anger and let it burn everything around you!”

“Shut up!” Rarity pushed back, fighting not to flinch as the knife nicked her again. “I’m not like you!”

“No?” Cold fury grew about the Vermilion’s face, punctuated by bared teeth and eyes like sunfire. “If you die now, all your friends die with you.”

As if to punctuate those words, gunfire rang out in the distance. Rarity’s eyes flicked towards the sound as it echoed through the forest. “No…”

“Fuck them, you little shit!” Stormy’s free hand, red with blood, reached up to grasp the back of Rarity’s head. “They’re dead. They’re dead because you’re dead. You won’t kill me? Then I’ll kill you.” Rarity tried to shake her head free, but the Vermilion clutched her mane in a deathgrip. “I’ll gut you. Then I’ll let the Gang have it out with your friends and family. And when that’s done I’ll wipe out every last Apple that survived. Then?” Her voice took on a vicious whisper dripping with foul promise. “I’ll go to your family. I’ll find the ones that are alive and I’ll open them up. Slowly.”

Rarity shuddered, heart pounding and breath hitched. “No.”

“Show me the fury of the Bulletproof Heart, or so help me everypony you ever loved will go down in flames.” The Vermilion shifted, readied herself for the final push. “You’re going to lose today, princess.”

“Stop it…”

“The only choice you get in the matter is by how much.”

“Shut up…”

“Kill me, or kill them.”

“Shut up.”

“Kill me! Do it! Pull the fucking trigger!”

Ruby Heart shook. The knife pressed against Rarity’s stomach, adding to the already burning pain.

“Do it!”

She thought of Spike. Of Coco and Sweetie. Of Cranky.

“Hate me!”

She saw Mr. Fluffed’s smug smile as he prepared to end Starlight’s life. Flintlock’s cold, lifeless face drifted across her vision. The image stoked her inner fire.

“Hate everything!”

She recalled Saltwater fighting for her life, pinned down by a griffon slaver while another held a talon to Rarity’s throat. The gunshots in the air were nothing compared to the final snap that snuffed out Saltwater’s life and filled Rarity with a cold fury.

“The world only wants you to suffer, so return the favor!”

She was atop TomTom, fist smashing against his face again and again and again, every blow accompanied by a fresh injection of red hot rage.

“That’s right. That’s right! You know I’m right!”

Braeburn sat against the wall, blood seeping from his body as he smiled that hideous, charming smile. Rarity shook, her blood cold, her thighs tingling, her pulse pounding.

“Kill me! Do it, do it now! Right the fuck now!”

Coco’s smile. Cranky’s comforting presence.

Her mother and father’s proud smiles.

Sweetie’s laugh.

Rarity grabbed the Vermilion’s wrist with both hands, Ruby Heart dropped to the ground between them. The blade was in her, but not that deep. She met the mare’s ferocious gaze with a teeth-baring snarl. “The Bulletproof Heart is not a killer.”

Then she head-butted the Flaming Vermilion in the snout. As the fiend reeled, Rarity pushed her arm back, removing the blade from her insides. How lucky that it hadn’t gotten more than a half-inch or so. She started to stand, only to be tackled to the ground, rapidly finding herself in a struggle for the knife. In no time at all it was aimed for her chest. Rarity’s arm and shoulder screamed for mercy as her shaking hands fought against the Vermilion’s weight.

“You stupid bitch,” Stormy snarled as the knife edged closer, blood dripping from her nostrils. “I gave you all the chance in the world to end me, and you couldn’t even take it. Well, look at what it got you.” With a growl, she pushed the trembling blade down. It touched Rarity’s collar just above her necklace. “You’ll die here. All your friends are going to die here! And for what? Your stupid fucking standards.” She leaned in close, their muzzles almost touching. “See what good they are now?”

For all the effort she expended keeping that knife away, Rarity felt no fear. Instead, there was only a warm, pleasant calm. It was like something had brought an end to all her rage and given her a special gift, the gift of clarity. She didn’t have to think beyond the pleasant heat on her chest to know where it came from.

This was a familiar sight. It was almost enough to make Rarity laugh. She settled for a grin. “Next time you want to gloat, I suggest you remember to check something important.”

Stormy grinned right back as the blade at last touched Rarity’s pale skin. “And what is that?”

“Make sure I’m dead.”

Rarity’s horn flashed, and she released the knife. It remained rooted in place, held firm by her magic. Stormy scowled, reached a fist back—

Silver Lining and Ruby Heart were in Rarity’s hands, pulled in via magic she barely conceived. They fired in tandem, sending bullets slicing through Stormy’s thigh and armpit at sharp angles. The mare’s eyes shot wide open as she faltered, stuck in that pose for but another second as she let out a quiet “Oh.” Then Rarity shoved her off with a shield spell, sending the mare careening onto her back.

Rarity climbed to her hooves, leaning precariously as her leg cried out in pain. But… not as much pain as she’d expected. Intending to check the injury, she instead found herself staring at the necklace. It glowed, bright and brilliant, the diamond gem plainly visible through the fabric of her shirt. Its light pulsed with her heartbeat, slow and steady and ever soothing. She reached up to feel at it, and it was as warm as a flame without any of the pain of burning. This was… she had no idea what this was.

But she loved it. In a subtle, patient way, she felt like this was exactly how things were meant to be. It was as if the necklace truly belonged with her, in a way it never had before.

A low groan interrupted her study. Stormy rolled over to support herself with her good arm, the other hanging limp and useless. Though her opposite leg could still move, she let out a pained moan when she tried to put any weight on it, slipping and falling back to her one-armed position. When her eyes met Rarity’s however, they hadn’t lost any of their fire. “This isn’t over. I’m not dead yet.” Letting herself fall forward, she pointed a trembling finger at Rarity. “Kill me. You’re supposed to kill me!”

With her magic, Rarity picked up Stormy’s knife and pistol. Letting them levitate at her shoulders, she turned in the direction of the gunfire still going on in the distance. The others were still in need of help.

Stormy shouted at her back. “Damn you, don’t turn your back on me! I know you share my anger! Kill me, Bulletproof! That’s what you have to do!”

Rarity paused to turn back to the bleeding mare, feeling nothing but pity. “I’m not going to be your replacement in this world, Stormy. Nor will I be the one to end your suffering. There are better ways to cope with it.”

“Shut up!” The broken mare crawled forward, leaving a trail of blood in her wake. “Y-you… you don’t know a thing about me. You don’t understand what I was trying to do, what they took from me.” Her eyes spat venom, her words dripped poison. “I’ll teach you. I’ll teach you how the world works! I’ll show you what it means to lose what’s most precious to you!”

Rarity was unmoved by such vitriol. With a final sigh, she turned and walked away. “Goodbye, Stormy.”

“No! You fucking bitch, get back here!”

Rarity ignored whatever else was said, letting the screams become mere background noise. Her steps shifted to a trot, then to a full run as she pursued the shots in the distance. All her pain was gone, though a quick glance revealed the wounds remained. Was this the necklace’s doing too? She’d take it, even knowing it was probably doing her leg more damage in the long run. It was an acceptable risk.

She had to save the others, no matter the cost.

No attempt was made to hide her approach. With the sheer numbers involved, her interests centered on getting as many weapons aimed at her as possible. The more ponies shooting at her, the fewer there were shooting at her family. Every gunshot reverberated in her eardrums. Did that shot take down her father? And that one, Coco? It was a peculiar feeling, knowing your heart was hammering yet having a mind as calm as a desert breeze.

It started so quickly, she had no time to register the fact. She leapt through a brush and saw, before her boots ever touched the ground, that she was suddenly surrounded by a half-dozen ponies. The world drifted in slow motion as they began to turn, faces shifting to wide-eyed shock at her explosive arrival on the scene. It was difficult to say what happened first, her hooves touching ground or Silver Lining opening fire. Ruby Heart wasn’t far behind.

Rarity didn’t have to think. She barely needed to aim. She was aware of the enemy, and so were her guns. Each had fired two shots, and four ponies dropped their weapons near-simultaneously, clutching bleeding hands. The other two were just starting to level their weapons at her, but Silver Lining and Ruby Heart were lightning to their breeze; one dropped his weapon like the others, and the second’s gun exploded in his grip. Stormy’s knife darted amongst the ponies, bashing them with the blunt handle in their heads and sending each pony toppling to the ground.

Time sped up, but even then, Rarity could only stand there, staring at her weapons as if seeing them for the first time. “W-what? How did I…?”

A purple flash caught her eye. She looked down at the pulsing gemstone in her necklace, and all confusion faded. Tapping it with the back of her wrist, she felt its warmth through her skin and thought of Spike.

A moan filled the air, enough to grasp her attention but not to pull her from her thoughts. She approached one of the fallen outlaws, a violet-coated stallion her father’s age, and bent down. Still awake, despite the lump growing on the back of his head. A cursory look around showed that he was the only one. When he opened his eyes his pupils shrank. She stood and watched as he crawled away on his hands and knees, stumbled to his hooves, and fled into the surrounding forest with his tail between his legs.

A smile crept up her lips as she felt at her necklace again. “Okay, Spike, there might be something to this Element of Harmony business after all. I really owe Coco for giving you to me.”

Standing once more, she resumed her run, following a clear path of destruction. It wasn’t long before she came upon bodies, most of them oryx. She passed by one with its antlers stabbed into an earth pony’s throat. She might have shuddered at the sight if not for the ever-present calm radiating within. Even when she passed by the familiar cat Chowgarth feeding on a dead earth pony, her stomach only roiled a little.

More ponies appeared along the path. Why they weren’t with their brethren in the attack, she didn’t know, but she made them pay for not anticipating her arrival. Silver Lining and Ruby Heart unleashed pain to anypony that got in her way. The pistol she’d stolen from Stormy darted about in her magic, magic that seemed as strong and fresh as if it had never been touched before in her life, resorting to bashing against opponents when it ran empty. The knife danced through the air, coated in blue and smacking foes around by the blunt of the blade. She shot hands, bashed heads, crippled weapons, shattered kneecaps. Bullets streamed through the air from her ammunition bag, reloading Silver Lining and Ruby Heart the instant they were emptied.

And not a pony died. Rarity’s heart sang with pleasure at this simple truth: she could save her friends, and nopony would die! Her precision had become a thing of wonder and beauty, as intricate a dance as when she made a dress or sewed a pair of pants. If Rarity could be credited with nothing else, she could at least say her work was high quality. The loss of fatal risks to her enemies delivered to her a newfound confidence and surety, and she danced through their unexpecting lines like a hot knife through warm butter. Barely a pony even got a shot off before she was past a group and on to the next.

As the area grew rocky and the forest less dense, the path broke off in three directions, each with signs of recent activity. With no leads to go on and no time to debate, Rarity didn’t bother to stop, just ran down the middle path. She thought she could see the shallow tracks of wagon wheels, so it was her best guess on such short notice. There were no more Gang ponies in her way at this point, but the gunshots hadn’t stopped.

The path dropped into a narrow, rocky valley. Within a dozen yards the walls became cliffs stretching a dozen feet above her head. She wasn’t even sure the wagons would fit in such a small space, and the ground was too hard for anymore wheel tracks. The soothing aura of her necklace kept her fears limited to the little pony pacing circles in her head, but even she wasn’t as panicked as Rarity would have expected. The gunshots grew louder, echoing off the chalk-white stone walls, encouraging her to keep running.

Even with the magic of her necklace, her heart stopped when she came to the back of her parents’ wagon. Just barely wide enough to fit inside the valley, it appeared they’d simply stopped it and used the back as cover for return fire. The wood and canopy were riddled with bullet holes, the source of her budding fear. The shots were near deafening now; the others had to be fighting for the lives just on the other side.

Barely breaking her stride, Rarity leapt into the back of the wagon, rolling to maintain momentum and coming to her hooves in a sprint. She barely acknowledged the blood coating the floor. Upon looking up, she saw a familiar earth pony whirl around to face her from the front of the wagon. The pony’s eyes shot wide open at the sight of Rarity. “Bulletproof! I was wondering when you’d—”

Stormy’s empty pistol smashed into the mare’s jaw. Rarity was on her before she had a chance to react, slamming the back of the mare’s head into the upraised corner of the front of the wagon. She went limp, and Rarity promptly shoved her outside. “Nice to see you too, Cayenne. Sorry, I don’t have time to play.” She climbed swiftly out the front.

The narrow walls opened into a wide bowl of a valley, and Rarity stood up in a scene of utter chaos. Her family and friends were barricaded behind the last wagon and a collection of supply crates beneath a deep overhang of stone. Bounty hunters and Gang members alike used the rocky terrain to take cover from returning fire. The air was alive with the hiss and bang of bullets. Even her parents had taken up arms, almost certainly stolen from defeated foes in the midst of battle.

With no time to waste, Rarity smashed the hilt of her knife into the back of the nearest, unaware pony’s head, then ducked behind the rock he’d been using for cover. Between firing on the nearest enemies, she cried out, “Applejack!”

The mare in question’s head popped up from behind a bullet-ridden crate. “Rarity? How in the name of—?” She ducked as bullets bit into her cover.

“I expect everypony to be alive, Applejack!” Rarity stood up long enough to disarm a couple more ponies with well-placed shots. The outlaws were finally coming to recognize that they were being flanked and started returning fire. With her newfound calm and sixth sense for where her foes were, Rarity made sure to pick off two or three every time she popped out of cover. Even so, there were at least two dozen of them left by this point.

“Rarity!” That from her mother. “Up! Look up!”

She did, just in time for a bullet to impact her shoulder. Her body twisted from the hit and the breath left her, but the expected pain didn’t come. They were up on top of the cliffs! With no time to think, she dove under the wagon to avoid more hits. This gave her the reprieve she needed to check her new wound. It was bleeding, badly, but otherwise it was as if she’d never been shot. Her necklaced shined in the shadows, casting everything beneath the wagon in a blue glow.

When the effects of this magic wore off she was going to be in a lot of pain. But that was Future Rarity’s problem. For the time being, she thanked Luna for unexpected blessings and crawled back out, firing upon the ponies up on the cliffs as she did. One brave soul on her level tried to charge her. Brave, or perhaps stupid; she put a 45 in his hoof and stepped aside as he fell past her. Her only thought: get to the overhang. She would be far more effective from there. This in mind, she put a shield around her entire body and broke into a sprint, unleashing a storm of bullets upon every unfriendly face she saw.

Then she saw the grenade. Reacting on instinct, she caught it in her magic, ready to toss—

It blew up in her face, the force of the blast slamming against her shield with enough force to shatter it and send her sprawling backwards. The lack of pain did nothing to disguise the throbbing of her horn. Somepony had timed that toss just right! Who in Equestria—?

“Bulletproof!”

“Oh, come on.” Rarity scrambled to her hooves, only to dive behind another rock as founts of dirt rang around her. She looked up in time to see the Flaming Vermilion pass over the scene, massive wings beating loudly. Her arm still limp, she used her teeth to pull the pins on two more grenades before tossing them precisely at a group of outlaws huddled amongst some nearby cliffs.

“You’re mine, Bulletproof!”

The explosions sent ponies flying, their screams mixing with the bullets. The Bad Apples lost their cohesion as they now faced enemies from three directions, each outlaw picking their own targets with nopony to give orders. Some of them even dropped their weapons and fled, apparently not willing to go up against her and a living legend at the same time. The Vermilion passed again, firing a couple rounds from her rifle before disappearing amongst the cliffs once more.

Rarity threw her head back and groaned. “Please, Celestia, Luna, tell me what it takes to not have ponies want to kill me!” Leaping to her hooves, she disarmed a few more Bad Apples. The valley floor was almost cleared of opponents at this point, the survivors fleeing the scene as she shot their hands, arms, legs, and even weapons. The more she dealt with via her nonlethal weaponry, the fewer Stormy would kill. In theory.

The Vermilion shot out from over the cliffs, taking aim at Rarity. She and Rarity each got a shot off at one another. Rarity had no idea if she landed a hit. At least it seemed Stormy’s aim with the rifle was impaired when she had only one hand and was moving at speed. If she paused to aim properly, Rarity swore she’d make her pay for the mistake.

A piercing scream made her ears fold back. She turned in time to see a stallion hit the ground with a sickening crunch. More screams followed more bodies. Up on the cliffs, the oryx had arrived to assault the Bad Apples, smashing into them unawares and sending them careening to their deaths. Those not caught in the first wave turned and opened fire on their animalistic new foes, but already their numbers were thinning.

“Got you, bitch!”

Rarity turned and fell at the same time, sprawling sideways as a bullet nicked her neck. Silver Lining returned fire before she hit the ground, but the Vermilion took the hit to her leg with a howl and dove. The rock Rarity was beside blocked her view, but she could guess what was coming next. Pushing more magic into her already worn horn, she came up with a shield at the ready. The Vermilion was there! They fired at point blank range. By some miracle, Stormy managed to twist her flight into a corkscrew roll and escaped harm, while her own shot ricocheted off Rarity’s shield.

The pegasus ended her roll, swung around and came to a hover; Rarity turned around and aimed Silver Lining at her. Her shield remained intact, and from the quiet of the valley, the larger battle had ended. Which meant… “Stop it, Stormy! The fight is over. If you keep this up, you’ll die for sure!”

Stormy responded by firing a shot. Rarity didn’t flinch as her shield took the hit with barely a ripple.

The Vermilion’s eyes narrowed. “Fine, Bulletproof. But you’re not going to get a perfect win against me. I said I’d make you suffer, and I keep my promises.”

Rarity squared her shoulders and met her glare for glare. “You’re not breaching this shield.”

“I don’t have to.” Stormy smiled, adjusted her aim slightly to the right.

Two shots echoed through the valley. A massive hole burst through the Vermilion’s chest even as the barrel of her rifle flashed. Her eyes went wide. Blood seeped through the open wound and out her mouth when she gave a choking cough. Her trembling hand reached up to touch her tassel earring. “Sp-pit… fire…”

She fell like a rock, smashing face-first onto the valley floor. Hovering a few yards behind her was Fluttershy. She cocked Cardinal, sending a large, smoking bullet casing sailing through the air. Her voice matched the frigidity of her eyes. “That’s enough of you.”

As if on cue, Rarity heard a chiming sound from her necklace. She glanced down and saw the brilliant glow fading. Its magic had been expended, or so it seemed.

And that was when her body finally got to tell her how much it disapproved of all it had been put through. Her leg erupted in pain, making her cry out and collapse, and her shoulder felt as though it were on fire. Her horn could have been broken off entirely and it probably wouldn’t hurt as much!

“Rarity!” Applejack was at her side in an instant, helping her roll onto her back. “Oh, Sisters, you’re done up bad. What were you thinking, fighting in this condition? Coco, we need you!”

“I can’t!” Coco cried from somewhere beyond Rarity’s blurring vision. The panic in her voice nearly froze Rarity’s blood. “Sweetie, the other wagon! Medical box. Quickly, quickly!”

Somepony else was injured. Rarity reached up and grabbed Applejack’s jacket. Fighting to see through her own pain, she looked the mare in the eyes. Eyes that spoke of worry and… fear. “Who?”

“N-now, Rares, you just lie down and take it easy—”

“Who?” Though her shoulder was stiff and sent flaming daggers into her brain, Rarity caught Applejack by the mane with her other hand and forced her face towards Rarity. “You tell me, Applejack. Who is it?”

Applejack swallowed, the sound audible even through the blood pounding in Rarity’s ears. By Luna’s Stars, she felt tired… but no. She held Applejack’s gaze, demanding and pleading in equal measure. Applejack seemed to be fighting a mighty internal battle, her expression shifting between alarm and worry and anger before finally settling on defeat. “Hondo. It’s Hondo.”

“Papa?” The air left her lungs as something cold clutched her heart. “Take me to him.”

“You need to—”

Rarity slapped her. “Take me!”

“Okay! Okay.” Cringing, Applejack knelt down and half-pulled, half-carried Rarity to her hooves. She put Rarity’s good arm around her shoulder and her own about Rarity’s waist, flinching when Rarity hissed in pain at the contact. “Alright, Sugarcube. Nice and slow.”

They got three steps in before Sweetie ran past them, a small box tightly clutched in her hands. She didn’t look at Rarity, but that didn’t prevent her from seeing the child’s tears or hearing her quiet sobbing.

As they approached the overhang, Rarity finally got a good look at the others. Tiro sat against the wall nursing a profusely bleeding leg. Strawberry lay nearby, her arm… oh, Luna, her arm was gone. She stared straight up, still alive but clearly in shock, while Roan worked frantically to clean up and bandage the wound. The sand lizards lay nearby, watching the scene with clear trepidation. Winona was tied to the safe side of the wagon with Applejack’s lasso, straining against the rope in an effort to get to her owner.

But they could only hold Rarity’s attention so long. Her eyes soon landed upon a sight that made her feel empty: her father lying on his back, sucking in slow breaths as Coco frantically worked on an open wound in his chest. Her mother clutched his hand in both of hers, her face solemn and tear-streaked, but she was as silent as a grave. Sweetie stood nearby, hands clenched in trembling fists at her side as she sobbed.

“Papa.” Rarity had meant to shout. It came out as a whimper. She tried to work her legs, but her right one could bear no weight at all. Applejack was practically dragging her at this point. “Papa!”

His gaze shifted to hers slowly, so horribly slowly. His wide, watery eyes spoke of pain. But when they settled upon her, they brightened. He reached for her. Without a word, Applejack helped Rarity to her knees and held her steady while Rarity took his hand in hers.

His grip felt so terribly weak. She tore her eyes from his to look at the wound in his chest. Despite the clotting powder Coco had dumped into it, it continued to fountain blood. Coco met her eyes, hands clenching open and closed as she muttered, “I don’t know what to do. R-Rarity, I… I’m s-sorry, I don’t know what to do.”

Rarity’s mother put a hand on Coco’s shoulder, though she didn’t stop watching her husband. “It’s okay. It’s enough, Coco. It’s enough.” Her voice didn’t waver, even when the young mare collapsed against her chest and broke down into sobs. Her eyes, no less strong for their sadness, met Rarity’s. “It’s enough.”

Rarity’s father gave her hand a feeble squeeze. “Princess…”

His voice was so frail. Rarity loathed that sound coming from his lips. Still, she met his gaze. “I’m here, Papa. I’m sorry.” She clutched his hand to her chest, ignoring the fire in her shoulder in favor of the agony in her heart. “I tried. I t-tried so hard.”

With a last sob, Sweetie turned and fled the scene. A second passed. Another. Wiping her eyes, Coco staggered to her hooves and went after her.

“Rarity.”

She met her father’s gaze once more, fighting back the hitch in her chest. She looked into those blue eyes, took in that silly brown moustache, and her mind fled back to simpler times. Times when he indulged her spoiled little foal tantrums. Times when he tried to get her interested in hoofball, forcing her to come to the local games. Times when he held her close, keeping her safe from the monsters of her nightmares, even when her mother said he was coddling her. And he had. He coddled her so much.

And she’d rewarded him by leaving before she was even grown up. What a waste. She bowed her head, shame and guilt washing over her. “I should have been there. I’m sorry, Papa. I… I n-never should have…”

“Good.”

She raised her head once more, locking eyes with him. “W-what?”

“Good.” He tried to raise his hand, but it only trembled. Rarity raised it for him, caressing it to her cheek.

He coughed, blood running down his chin. Coughing became hacking. At last, the fit faded. His red lips twitched, struggling to form a smile against the pain. In a haggard whisper, he spoke. “You d-did good. Keep… keep doing…”

His breath hitched. His body quivered.

Hondo Flanks fell still.

She lay on her back, staring at the blue sky through the jungle canopy. Everything was numb. Her horn, her wounds, her mind. Even her heart. She had no idea how long she’d been lying there, away from the others. Long enough for the sun to come up and her stomach to complain about a lack of food. Not that she paid either any attention. She was too busy thinking of the stallion now buried and gone. A stallion she’d taken for granted. His last words kept echoing in her mind over and over again.

Her view of the sky was abruptly blocked by something large, white and scaled. Ophelia nudged her cheek with a quiet trill. With an arm the weight of iron, Rarity reached up to rub at the lizard’s muzzle. Ophelia sniffed it, her breath hot, then settled down at Rarity’s side and stared at her as if waiting for her to get up. She didn’t feel inclined to do so.

The rustle of wings alerted her to a new arrival. She didn’t follow the sound. A moment later, Fluttershy stood over her, expression as coolly neutral as it had been on the day they’d met. Rarity took in her gaze, wondering just how she’d known where to find her. The answer came to her as she glanced at Ophelia, to whom she muttered a half-hearted, “Traitor.”

Ophelia replied with that silly, open-mouthed grin of hers.

Fluttershy’s voice was as hard as her expression. “I’ve already told the others. You’ve got two days to resupply, then I want you all to leave.” She turned away.

“Do you hate me, Fluttershy?”

The pegasus paused. The sunlight filtering through the trees made her great yellow wings seem to glow. Her long, wild pink mane swayed in a cool breeze as her hands clenched and unclenched. As Rarity observed her, she couldn’t help but recall the mare’s former title. The Angel of Elysium. Had fate given her a warning before guiding her to this shell of a life? The parallel with Rarity’s own brought a certain morbid curiosity out of the depths of her numbness.

When Fluttershy finally spoke, the heated pain of her voice was accompanied by a biting bitterness. “On your life. That’s what you promised me. Nopony would follow you here, on your life.” She took a long breath, released it. Her wings twitched with tension. “I’ve been tempted to hold you to that.”

Groaning from the effort, Rarity sat up and turned to face her. “I wouldn’t stop you if you did.”

Fluttershy looked over her shoulder, the anger in her glare lessened by a distinct uncertainty. “And that’s why I can’t hate you. But I am very… upset.” Another calming breath as she faced forward once more. “Regardless of my feelings, you broke your promise. The Scimitar doesn’t trust you anymore. I don’t either.”

One more needle to a heart already coated in them. Rarity took it stoically. “So I’m no longer welcome.”

Fluttershy trembled. Her head bowed. Rarity merely waited, knowing the answer even if it wouldn’t come. At last, Fluttershy muttered, “Just go.” With a flap of her wings, she disappeared into the forest.

Rarity might have heard weeping in the distance.

She found her mother and Coco loading up the wagon with fruits and vegetables gathered in the forest. It seemed Elysium had no shortage of food for hungry visitors. They’d moved the wagon out of the valley and into the jungle proper so as to better access the local resources. The other one had been too damaged in the fighting to be of use. Their activities were watched by a grazing oryx nearby, it’s manner entirely animalistic once more. The creature was far creepier now that she knew there was some kind of sentience behind those innocent, unassuming eyes.

“I was wondering when you’d join us, Blister,” her mother said, invoking her favorite nickname for lazy ponies.

“Mother.” Rarity stopped herself from asking the obvious ‘how are you’. The mare had just lost her husband and had been told she had to leave a place of safety right after finding it. The sag in her shoulders told enough of a story without Rarity trying to rip away the calm, collected mask on her face. Instead, she turned her gaze to the bodies lining the side of the road. A few were missing.

The sight added a few more needles to the heart. That so many of the ponies she’d spared had been murdered in their sleep by the oryx ignited the tiniest of sparks inside her. All her work, the small comfort of knowing she’d stopped the fighting while not killing, ruined because of some cold and calculating guardian she couldn’t understand or hope to challenge.

But she wouldn’t blame herself. No, she was done with that. Instead, she turned back to her waiting mother. “Where are the others?”

“In the wagon,” Coco answered, walking by with some grapefruits in her arms. She didn’t meet Rarity’s gaze. “Sweetie, Tiro, and Strawberry. Trying to keep one another’s spirits up.”

“I… see.” Rarity considered going to talk to them, but thought better of it. She was in no state to assist in such matters. “And Applejack? Roan?”

“Roan is with the oryx,” her mother explained. The grimace she couldn’t quite prevent showed just what she thought of that idea. “They are supposedly showing her where some medicinal herbs can be gathered. Applejack…” She turned her head to the nearby creek. “She went down by the water. Haven’t seen her in nearly an hour.” She blew her bangs from her eyes and trudged for the forest. “I’ve only got four people healthy enough to help with the stores, but somehow it’s just me and Coco doing all the work.”

Rarity raised her hand after her. “You know, I could—”

“Don’t even think about it, young mare!” Her mother rounded on her, eyes ablaze. “You’re not doing a thing, not with those injuries of yours!”

Flinching, Rarity attempted to put pressure on her wounded leg. It was like walking on fire, and she knew from her mother’s narrowed eyes that she’d failed to hide the pain from her face. Recognizing there would be no arguing in this situation, she let her arms go limp and nodded. “Fine. I guess I’ll… go find Applejack.”

Coco was at her side not a second later, grasping her good arm. “Oh, no, you don’t have to. We’re fine, you should—”

“Let her go, Coco.” Rarity’s mother waved her off. “She needs to feel useful, so let her do what she can.” With that, she turned and stalked into the forest. An oryx appeared in the brush, chewing on some leaves as it followed her at a comfortable distance. It had dried blood on its antlers. Rarity watched the two of them disappear, feeling as if her shoulders were made of lead.

“She doesn’t blame you, Rarity,” Coco whispered. “You know that, right?”

Rarity tried to offer her a comforting smile, but her lips refused to obey. “She wouldn’t. Mother’s not the type to do something like that.” Her eyes drifted to the jungle, as if she might spot her mother through the thick foliage. “It just hurts to see her trying to hide the pain. I wish she’d confide in me, but I suppose that was never her way.”

Coco hummed and nodded. “If I know Cookie at all, she thinks it’s her job to be the strong one in the family.” She gained the tiniest of smiles. “Now I know where you got it from.”

“That I don’t regret one bit.” Pulling away from Coco’s touch, Rarity turned for the creek. “I’m going to find Applejack. You’d best get back to work before Mother thinks you’re being lazy.”

“You don’t blame you, do you?”

Rarity paused, looked over her shoulder. Coco stared at her, lip trembling and ears low. It hurt too much to see her like that, so she faced forward once more. Even so, she answered with a conviction no number of needles to the heart could damage. “I’m not taking the blame for everything that happens around me. Not anymore.” When she walked away, she tried to keep as much of the limp out of her gait as possible. She needed her confidence in those words to show in more than just her tone.

Once she was safely out of sight of the wagons, however, she allowed herself to moan and treat her leg with far more caution. Even after two days, it burned. They’d already confirmed there was no infection, and the bullet had gone straight through without hitting anything vital. In a few weeks it would be just another scar. But until it healed, she was going to have to accept that walking meant agony, and thus avoid it as much as possible.

Not now, though. She felt the pull on her subconscious. It was familiar, something she’d felt the last time she’d come to Elysium Oasis, but back then it had been only a faint calling. Today she could almost swear there was a voice in her head telling her to approach. And if it was what she thought, then she’d find Applejack taking the same route.

It took a little over an hour of hobbling along to reach her destination. A familiar path away from the waterside led her to a clearing, in the center of which stood a tall, lonesome oak tree. And there, before the graves of Fluttershy’s family, sat Applejack. She had her necklace out over her shirt, the apple-shaped gem shining a bright orange to match the faint pink of the necklace on the pedestal. Rarity pulled her own necklace out to find it glowing as well, though its light was subdued. If she didn’t know better, she’d say its sluggish shifts in luminance was a sign of weariness. The plates were no longer a dull, tarnished bronze but a brilliant, reflective gold.

She sat down by Applejack, her groaning catching the mare’s attention. The piece of grass Applejack had been chewing on fell from her lips as she gawked. “Rarity, what the hay are you doin’ walkin’ all the way out here in your condition?”

Instead of answering, Rarity rubbed her lightly glowing necklace and studied the one on the pedestal. “I wonder if that one belongs to Fluttershy.”

“Don’t go changin’ the subject.”

Rarity looked to Applejack, then to the apple gem on her bronze necklace. “Where did you get yours?”

“I… You…” Applejack’s face scrunched up, unable to stop glaring at Rarity. At last she heaved a sigh and went limp, reaching up to touch the jewelry around her neck. “It belonged to my Granny Smith. It’s always been passed down to the leader of the Apple Family. For as long as there’s been an Apple Family, for all we know.”

Rarity hummed, her attention going back to the graves. She’d thought about asking Fluttershy if her father could be buried here, but had decided against it. Fluttershy was in no mood to grant such favors, and had no obligation to do so. Still, this was such a nice place. Her father would have liked it. Not that he wouldn’t have minded the shady place by the river they’d chosen.

“You alright, Sugarcube?”

The question was obvious… and yet so perfect. Was she alright? Her father dead, her works of yesterday ruined, her friendship with Fluttershy in tatters. Yet for all that it felt like a vice was closed about her chest, she was remarkably calm. Even the little pony in back of her mind was leaving her alone. Her thoughts drifted back to Stormy Flare and her fiery rage. In that boiling body of hatred and loss, Rarity saw what she could have become.

“A lot has happened,” Rarity finally said, idly picking at the grass between her knees. “But I think… I know this sounds unbelievable. I think I’ll be fine.” A glance at Applejack revealed a face twisted with doubt and concern.

All Applejack asked was, “How so?”

Rarity touched her necklace once more, smiling weakly at the warm pulse it raised in response to her touch. “The Vermilion wanted me to become her heir. To kill her and take on her mantle. She had so much hatred in her, so much poison. I can’t imagine what she lost to turn her into that. When we fought, I realized exactly what I could become.”

She reached up to touch her necklace, thinking back on her behavior in the last couple of seasons. “I thought I was turning into a monster. I believed the Bulletproof Heart was to be exactly that. The Vermilion tried to make it happen, but I realized… I choose what I will be.

“I won because I refused that future. I’m not going to be angry and spiteful anymore.” Her eyes went to the graves, and while they didn’t belong to her father, she found it easy to imagine him looking down on her with his stupid moustache and silly smile. “Papa told me I did good. I don’t think he made those his last words just for my sake, so I choose to believe them. From now on, that’s exactly what I’m going to do, so that he can watch from the Exalted Stars with pride.”

“Do good, huh?” Applejack plucked another blade of grass from the ground and stuck it in the corner of her mouth. “And just how do you plan on doin’ that?”

“I have no idea.” Rarity leaned back on her good arm and stared at the bright blue sky. “But I’m not going to let a fear of death and the Bad Apples dictate my life anymore. That’s a start, I think.”

At that, Applejack managed to chuckle. “After what happened yesterday, the Bad Apples are goin’ to be a bit more wary of comin’ after you. I think you just became the most dangerous mare in Equestria.”

Rarity had no idea what to think about that, or even if it was true. But she didn’t want to add more to her plate of thoughts for the time being, so she let it slide. Instead, she focused on more recent matters. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“I suppose.”

Watching Applejack out the corner of her eye, she asked, “How did your grandmother die?”

Her companion went stiff, but only for a second. She plucked the grass from her mouth, licked her lips, put it back. Her eyes gazed at something in the distance, far beyond the forest. A fresh breeze blew her long ponytail about as she mulled over the query… or perhaps memories.

“The stallion that started the Bad Apple Gang shot her in the back like a yellow-bellied coward.”

Rarity abruptly regretted asking the question, but all she could reply with was a hesitant, “I see.”

“It was quick. I wasn’t there. Was only eight, and they’d sent me to Manehattan to learn to be a ‘cultured lady.’” Her eyes narrowed, a darkness coming over her features. “Swore I’d make him pay with his life, but I can’t do nothin’ now. I don’t have the resources or the skills. So now I just deal with them, try to minimize the damage best I can. But someday. Someday.”

“You were close to her.” Rarity had meant it to come out as a question, but if felt more like fact.

Applejack pulled her hat down over her face, not that it hid her angry eyes from Rarity’s low view. “She was my sunshine.”

Lying down in the grass fully, Rarity brought her eyes back to the sky. A malaise draped itself upon her like a heavy blanket as she thought of all the years she’d spent on her own. “I wish I could say I was that close to Papa.” She turned her face away from Applejack’s glance, fresh tears in her eyes. “I spent so many years away from home. And why? Pride. Guilt. Fear. When I finally saw them again, I realized just how much I’d missed. But it never really dawned upon me until yesterday, when we… buried him.”

“Rarity—”

“They never gave up on me.” Though a fresh tear slid down her cheek, Rarity realized she was smiling. “I came home, and I was still their darling daughter, their pride and joy. Even after I’d all but removed them from my life. I don’t deserve a family as good as that.” She sat up, ignoring the sting in her shoulder, and met Applejack’s gaze. “No more self-recrimination. Papa believed in me, so it’s time I believed in myself. I’m going to honor his memory, and the continuing love of my mother and sister, by being the best pony I can be.”

Applejack studied her, eyebrows high. She looked as if she wasn’t certain she could believe what she was hearing. Then she smiled and nodded. “That sounds mighty fine, Miss Belle.”

“It goes for you, too, Miss Apple.” Rarity took Applejack’s hand in hers.

The mare jumped at the sudden contact, abruptly looking as though she’d been caught doing something naughty. Wide and full of fear, her eyes locked on Rarity’s. “M-me?”

“You want to make your grandmother proud, do you not?” Rarity offered her most comforting smile. “So live well, Applejack. Do good. Seek justice for her, not revenge. I’m sure you can live up to her expectations, just as I intend to live up to my father’s.”

Applejack blinked once. Then again. A lopsided smile found its way on her lips as she turned away, cheeks gaining a rosy pink hue. “Them stories didn’t do you justice. You’re more amazin’ than I expected, you know that?”

Rarity promptly jerked her hand back and scoffed. “That was not an invitation to hit on me. Thanks for ruining the mood.”

Ducking as if to avoid a blow, Applejack grinned. “Hey, it’s not my fault. You make me wanna praise you to high heaven.”

With a “hmmph”, Rarity scooted away from the mare and pointed an accusing finger at her. “Don’t hand me no lines and keep your hands to yourself.”

They stared at one another, Applejack with a wry smile to match Rarity’s tight-lipped glower. Then, Rarity started to chuckle. Applejack soon followed suit. Before long, they were both laughing out loud. As tears rolled down Rarity's cheeks, she couldn’t tell anymore if they were from pleasure or pain. And she wasn’t sure it mattered.

She’d once been told that she may find peace with her new life, and that she was the kind of pony Equestria needed. Rarity wouldn’t be so presumptuous, nor did she feel entirely at ease. But she felt like she was on the way to finding that peace.

For now, that was good enough.

Epilogue comes out tomorrow, folks. I'd do it today, but from my experience people sometimes fail to notice it when it's uploaded practically at the same time as the last chapter.

Owing to their role in ancient history, few are the ponies who don't know of the Elements of Harmony. When Discord took over Equestria, the princesses Celestia and Luna sought out these mythical artifacts in order to defeat him. The Elements were meant to be wielded by both princesses, but that plan was ruined when Discord removed Celestia from the picture. Princess Luna was able to use them by herself through sheer force of will, but in so doing lost her own connection to the Elements.

Although the Elements are at their most powerful when working together, they are by no means dependent on each other. Every Element is capable of acting on its own, which usually involves seeking out suitable Bearers. Those who are chosen by an Element are often given special boons. However, it should be noted that merely having an Element does not make one a Bearer nor provides these boons, and if one is not deemed worthy the Element may abandon its current owner in search of another. Or not. Their methods aren't exactly clear, as they sometime stay in the same place and/or with the same ponies for decades or even centuries. The Elements will only grant their full potential to someone when and if they become 'in tune' with their Element. The nature of this is different for each Element.

Luna knew that the Elements have their own will and goals, and would eventually be lost to her since she was no longer a Bearer. As she was devoting the vast majority of her strength to holding back the Sun, she could not hope to cast a spell strong enough to keep the Elements bound to one location, much less to herself. With this in mind, she left the Elements in a secure location. However, when she disappeared so too did an Element, suggesting she took at least one with her for safekeeping.

Despite the best efforts of her successors, the Elements ultimately disappeared from their original holding place. How they were lost and to whom remains a mystery, but on rare occasions ponies report having seen the Elements. The following is as much as is currently known about them:

One Element is believed to have been taken by Princess Luna when she disappeared, and is presumed to still be in her possession. Some circles, particularly those who think Luna is lost forever, believe that this Element will never be found. Others think she gave it to the Church for safekeeping, although the Church denies this.

One Element is believed to be an heirloom of the Apple Family. The Family does have an item that some claim to be the Element, but the Family makes no such claim, instead simply referring to the necklace as just that. It is unclear if this is their honest view or an attempt at being misleading.

One Element is said to be in the hands of the Buffalo tribes. The Buffalo refer to the artifact as a 'Mark' and reward it to whomever they consider their strongest and most devoted warrior. They know not if it is an Element, neither do they seem to care. They do, however, view it as an important relic of their race.

One Element was presumed lost in a boat wreck on the Coltarado River. However, the artifact in question is said to have already been discovered by a poor family from Denfur. The family perished due to illness a few years later, all save for a lone daughter. This daughter ultimately found her way to the small town of Spurhoof in the Bowl of Equestria.

One Element's exact location is unknown. Once belonging to a famous drifter, it was lost when he disappeared in the Great Salt Plains some three centuries ago. Not long after that disappearance, rumors sprang up of an oasis forming in the desert as if by magic.

One Element is said to have made its way to a town in the Eastline over a century ago. Now the place is barren and devoid of life, and the fate of the Element remains a mystery. Supposedly it remains hidden somewhere in this dark and foreboding place, but none who visit the town have returned to prove or disprove the theory.