And here's the finale.

SEE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS FOR DISCLAIMERS

Side note: Rarity's elemental affinities are Earth and Water. This comment will make sense in this chapter.

-CHAPTER START-

The Cutie Mark Crusaders made their way through town, heading for Pinkie's place to meet up with Silver Spoon and Spike. Feeling more pressed for time than they actually were, they decided to cut through a shadowed alleyway. However, halfway through a small figure moved from the shadows ahead, sitting in their path. They screeched to a halt, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle hiding behind Scootaloo. The little figure slowly and unsteadily walked out to allow the trio to see her. Days-settled anger in the girls gave way to shock.

After all, they'd never seen Diamond Tiara look this bad.

The girl's coat was faded, her normally-impeccable mane un-groomed and dull. Her eyes were red, and there were dark circles around them – obvious signs of both recent tears and lack of sleep. She was skinnier, and her whole body was trembling lightly. She looked at the girls, who actually felt a stab of sadness and pity at how sorrowful they were.

"What in the world happened to ya?" Apple Bloom said softly.

"Everything" Diamond choked out in reply. "Ever since I realized Silver Spoon was right about me. I… I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't look at myself in a mirror. It feels like there are weights inside me dragging me down. I'm always seeing or hearing you girls and Silver every time I close my eyes or when it's quiet… Accusing me, judging me, threatening me, hating me… Every time I think about what I've done, what I've become… I just wanna curl up and stop breathing…"

"Guilt…" Sweetie Belle whispered in surprise as she caught on to what was happening. "The guilt over things is literally driving her mad. Maybe even killing her…"

"Is she… faking?" Scootaloo muttered, in shock, not wholly believing what she had just said.

"No…" Apple Bloom replied, just as surprised. "This ain't somethin' you can fake. Not like this…"

"I…" Diamond continued. "I don't know what in Celestia's name I've been thinking all this time. What I've done over the years… to you girls… to everyone… is beyond forgiveness; beyond redemption. I know you can never forgive me… But… I just wanted… needed to tell you…" Her voice started to break. "I'm so sorry…"

She got down on the ground, prostrated before the shocked trio, crying.

"I know you can't accept my apology. I don't blame you in the slightest. But if there's anything you want to do… then please, do it! Beat me until my ribs and limbs are broken, humiliate me in front of the whole town, crush my throat so I can never talk and say bad things about anyone ever again, or make it so I'll never be within 100 feet of you again, whatever you need to do! Let your anger out on me! I know I'm a horrible pony! There isn't any hope left for me! I've wasted my chance to be happy and have friends, and no punishment could ever really fit what I've done! Please! I'll do whatever it takes to atone, let you do whatever you want to me! I can't live like this anymore! It hurts too bad! I feel like I'm about to die every second of every day! And I really think that at this point I might deserve to! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I n-never meant to fall this far! I wish I could change, wish I could turn things around, but it's too late for that! I can't take this pain anymore! I'm a monster! …I'm just… so tired… of it all…"

With that, she simply lay there, face down in the dirt crying, unable to muster the willpower to say anything more. As they watched and listened, the Crusaders found that, try as they might, they couldn't feel angry anymore. Instead, there was shock, understanding, sadness, and pity. Scootaloo very slowly took a few steps forward toward the broken girl. She looked deep inside herself, finding that the hate was gone, and in its place were feelings she would've never expected to find toward this particular filly. The bully that had tormented her was gone; in her place was just another child, just like her, and this one was sad and scared just as she had once been. She reached out, gently laying a hoof on Diamond Tiara's shoulder; the other girl flinched and seized up in fear at the touch. But no pain came. Diamond slowly uncovered enough of her face to allow one eye to look up, and as Scootaloo met her eyes she said three words that she would have never believed herself saying – three that nearly sent Diamond reeling:

"I forgive you."

Diamond was so shocked that she forgot to breathe for a few seconds. Her eyes went as wide as they could, and when she tried to talk she failed.

"You've been through enough" Scootaloo continued, speaking softly. "You understand that you've done wrong. You want to change. You're sorrier than you've been for anything else in your whole life. You've been torturing yourself over this. You've let go of the arrogance and pride that led you to do those bad things. You're slowly destroying yourself over this. You've suffered more than enough. …You do still have goodness in you, and you're willing to do whatever it takes to hold onto it. You're a little girl just like me, who's sorry and who needs and wants to do the right thing from here on out. So… I forgive you."

Wordlessly, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle walked over to either side of Diamond Tiara and carefully helped her to her feet, dusting her off and helping her steady herself.

"I had the tiniest hunch that it wasn't too late for you" Apple Bloom said. "Just a gut feelin', and that's never steered me wrong."

At that, Scootaloo cleared her throat, and she & Sweetie Belle glared at Apple Bloom.

"Er, outside of Cutie Mark crusadin', that is" the yellow filly said sheepishly.

"Take heart, Diamond," Sweetie Belle said in a deadpan tone while making a matching face at Apple Bloom, "for you have never been through multiple, wildly different endeavors that all inexplicably end with being covered in tree sap."

"Man, I don't even know how the 'Tennis-themed Cutie Marks' attempt ended like that" Scootaloo added in. "Or the water-skiing one."

"Or the origami one, for that matter" Sweetie Belle said. "How does trying to fold paper into pretty shapes result in tree-sap? How, I ask you?-!"

"That… really doesn't make any sense…" Diamond Tiara said.

"I know, right? Anyway… Would you like to come to our clubhouse for a bit?"

"W-What? Even if you've forgiven me, why would you want me around?"

Scootaloo chuckled. "Yeah, Silver Spoon was a bit freaked out when we accepted her, too."

Diamond's eyes went wide, various emotions visible in them. "Y-You've… talked with Silver Spoon?"

"Yeah" Apple Bloom replied. "She was dang-near terrified we'd hate her, but we broke her of that suspicion pretty quick. And Spike's helpin' her adjust, too."

"In that case… could one of you perhaps do me a favor?"

-SCENE BREAK-

Spike sat in the main room of the library/house, engrossed in a comic book. Silver Spoon was lounging with her head in his lap, reading it with him. Twilight was going to be out doing a personally-assigned research project until sunset, so they had the place to themselves. Suddenly, there was a polite yet insistent knocking on the door. They got up and walked over together to the door, opening it. There was no-one there. There was, however, a wheeled crate piled five ponies high with sapphires & rubies and marigolds & tulips.

"My favorite…" Spike and Silver Spoon chorused together, eyes wide.

"Hey, there's a scroll on the front" Silver said, pointing it out to Spike. The young dragon picked it up, seeing that the front read "FOR EVERYTHING YOU DID FOR ME". He opened it, and in a flash of Rarity's bluish magic a good-sized, perfectly-aged fire-ruby fell out of magical storage, landing at Spike's feet. Overcome with curiosity, he began to read, Silver Spoon reading with him over his shoulder:

"Spike,

I have, upon thought, realized to my horror that I am guilty of everything you accused me of, however consciously ignorant of my actions and subconscious desires I may have been. I was well aware of the feelings you had for me, but I told myself the age difference was, for the time being, too great a factor. …Over the months, I believe that my subconscious mind was indeed leading me to take advantage of your feelings, and for that I can never forgive myself, just as you can and should never forgive me. I lied to myself, convincing myself that you were happy to assist me, that I was giving you enough to repay you for all that you did.

I was a short-sighted fool blind to my own darkness.

I admit I did have yet another ulterior motive. I did have the beginnings of feelings for you, and I hoped that continued time together until you were old enough would reward me with a kind, caring partner so unlike the stallions I've known in the past. You were a perfect little gentleman, just like I always wanted. …But my thoughtless actions took all that away forever.

This gift is payment for all the things you did for me – all the gems I should have given you, with interest, all of them mined by me, alone, over the previous few days. Along with them are the favorite treats of your girlfriend. Yes, I am aware that you have found love where I no longer can, and Silver Spoon's parents are semi-frequent customers of mine, so her doting father may have said a few things here & there. I know you will treat her a thousand times better than I treated you, and vice-versa. …I know that what I have done to you is beyond unforgivable. You can never and should never pardon what I have done, and I will never forgive myself for it either. Living and then dying alone without a beloved one as I now plan to is the least I deserve. You will not have to suffer my presence ever again; I will schedule the few times I leave my shop to avoid crossing your path, and I will endeavor to learn Twilight's teleportation spell so that, if when I am out & about I detect your presence, I will get out of your way so you don't have to deal with me. Goodbye, Spike. And thank you for everything.

Silver, if you are reading this… Please, take care of him where I failed to. He has earned that much. You are a wonderful filly and I know you will make him happy where I couldn't.

Rarity Belle"

Spike stared at the letter still clutched in his hands, which was becoming slightly blurred by unshed tears. He looked up at the mountain of gems before him, but he didn't exactly feel hungry for them anymore. Waves of crushing regret rushed through him. He looked to Silver Spoon, who wordlessly got up on her hind legs and hugged him tightly, which he returned as he still tried to fight the tears back.

An hour later, Spike and Silver Spoon were again sitting in the living room, but this time their moods were considerably more somber. And yet again, a knock on the door – this one more forceful – interrupted.

"Spike? Silver?" a young, accented voice called in. "It's me, Apple Bloom! Y'all in there?"

Silver Spoon got up and let the other filly in, and Apple Bloom took stock of the sight – a large pile of gemstones and flowers, completely untouched, in the corner, along with a morose-looking Spike, and Silver didn't look to be in high spirits, either.

"I'm guessin' there's a really complicated story behind all this" the yellow-furred filly said.

Silver merely gestured to the scroll sitting on the floor in front of the cart-full-of-stuff. After Apple Bloom finished reading it, she looked sad and pensive.

"Well, Sweetie Belle did mention that Rarity's been depressed and lockin' herself away in her room lately…" she muttered. "I didn't know the situation was this big, though. …Anyway, that ain't quite why I came here. Silver Spoon, I've got a message for ya."

"Really?" the gray filly asked. "From who?"

"Well… Before I say who it is, lemme first say that we were just as surprised at her personality turn-around as you'll likely be. Guilt's been eatin' her alive, to the point where I'm a bit surprised she ain't done anythin'… drastic. It seems that… you weren't entirely right with your assumptions when you chewed her out; if she were heartless, there ain't no way Diamond Tiara would be so completely broken right now by loneliness an' regret an' self-hatred an' guilt."

Silver Spoon's jaw dropped. She found herself too shocked to speak.

"She's in a real bad way" Apple Bloom continued. "She ain't slept or eaten in days. She can't look in a mirror or at a picture of herself without feelin' so disgusted that she gets nauseous. She's wastin' away, an' the guilt and other feelings are literally startin' to drive her mad; she's been hallucinatin', hearing voices – yours and ours – judgin' an' accusin' an' other nasty stuff. All the bad stuff she's done, all the bad feelings she's put on others, they're all hittin' her back all at once, ten-fold. She even went an' talked to her mother, and from what we've been able to squeeze outta Diamond her mama had to spend a good long while tryin' to convince her she ain't a black-hearted monster beyond redemption… an' I think her mama just might've failed in that endeavor. …Anyway, Diamond can't bear facin' you right now, so I volunteered to come here and tell y'all that stuff, and that she's probably the sorriest pony in the world right now from what the gals & I can tell. …Now, if y'all excuse me, I gotta get back to the clubhouse; we got her stayin' there so we can keep our eyes on her, make sure she don't do anythin' drastic, if ya know what I mean. Sweetie Belle already took anythin' sharp an' buried it out behind the clubhouse for the time bein'. I'll be seein' you two."

As Apple Bloom left out the front door, Silver Spoon's hind legs gave out on her from shock, leaving her seated, eyes wide, staring into space as it all sank in. Spike came up and hugged her from behind.

"I guess now we're in the same boat, huh?" he said with a tinge of sadness and understanding in his tone. She said nothing, letting out a sniffle as she hung her head, resting her chin on his arms. After several seconds he asked "Do you want to go see her?", and after several seconds' contemplating she nodded.

The duo made their way across town and into the area bordering Sweet Apple Acres, and soon a certain treehouse was visible. The two made their way closer as quietly as they could, slowly making their way up the steps. Voices were now audible inside.

"She seemed completely flummoxed, just like we were" Apple Bloom's voice could be heard saying.

"Maybe that's a good thing" Scootaloo said.

"I doubt that…" said a voice that sounded like Diamond Tiara, but way too sad and lifeless to be her. Spike and Silver Spoon made their way to a window, peeking in, and Silver stifled a gasp. Diamond looked positively awful; her mane was a mess, her coat was faded, her eyes were dull and red from lack of sleep and recent tears, with bags under them and black circles around them, she was skinny, and her whole posture spoke of a broken soul. She was staring half-lidded at the floor in front of her, head hanging low. Around her, the Crusader Trio looked pitying and concerned.

"It's just as well" Diamond said in a low, lifeless tone. "She deserves a medal for putting up for me for even just a month, let alone six years. She shouldn't have to trouble herself with a horrible pony like me. I'm no good for anything other than causing pain and sadness to others."

"That's not true" Sweetie Belle said. "You were her friend. You obviously cared for her; if you didn't, you wouldn't be so torn up by the things she said. …There's still good in you. We can see it, your mom & dad can see it…"

"…Diamonds are reflective. You're all seeing your own good reflected back at you. Inside me, there's nothing…" Upon close inspection, Diamond Tiara's fur was getting almost-imperceptibly grayer.

"That's bullcrap!" Apple Bloom cut in. "Nopony's heartless! Nopony's worthless! Ain't ya ever heard of the phrase 'diamond in the rough'? You've just been in more rough than most."

"By continuing to exist," Diamond Tiara continued, no longer able to hear the others as she sank deeper into despair, "I cause suffering to others. My life has no worth, no great meaning."

"Diamond? You're starting to worry me here" Scootaloo muttered.

"It would be better for everyone else… if I just… disappeared."

Before five sets of horrified eyes, there was a dark flash of light that rolled across Diamond Tiara's entire body, leaving all of her colors heavily de-saturated, her whole form grayed. Her eyes lost what little light remained in them, and her breathing began to slow.

"She's Discorded herself…" Spike whispered in horror.

"D-Diamond?" Apple Bloom was trying her damndest to keep from freaking out. "C'mon girl, don't do this to us! Hey, listen to me! It ain't too late for ya! You haven't lost everythin' yet! You can do more than cause pain! You can put that part of you in the past! You can still be someone's friend! W-We'll be your friends! Don't go fadin' out here! Don't go dyin' on us!"

The three fillies didn't notice as someone entered the clubhouse, intent on what she was about to do.

"Come on, Tiara!" Scootaloo shouted. "I thought you were tougher than this! Fight it! Come back to us! …Please…"

Sweetie Belle was on the verge of tears, feeling helpless to stop what she saw was about to happen.

"Silver…" Diamond whispered, no longer able to see, her eyes slowly closing as her voice weakened. "For everything… Thank you… and… I'm… sorry…"

And then Silver Spoon, having reached the Discorded and shutting-down Diamond Tiara and now standing directly in front of her (to the shock of the Crusaders) reached out and pulled Diamond into a hug. The fading filly's eyes shot open in surprise, quickly identifying who was now holding her. She brought a hoof up, softly pressing it against the other's side to confirm that this was real. Silver held her tight, tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry…" Silver whispered. "I was wrong about you. You're not heartless at all. You're still good. I don't want to see you hurting like this anymore …You're my friend."

Slowly, a small wave of six-hued light swept over Diamond Tiara's body, returning her to her normal, full colors. Slowly, she brought her forelimbs up to return the embrace, and she started to cry. The Crusaders and then Spike joined in to make it a group hug, and it wasn't long before Diamond was openly bawling. All the while, Silver held her close, shedding her own silent tears. At long last, she had her old friend back.

That night, Diamond Tiara slept soundly and peacefully for the first time in nearly a week, curled up together with Silver, Spike, and the Crusaders in the guest's bed at Twilight's house. The purple-furred unicorn, though saddened by Rarity's letter, felt joy at seeing a damaged friendship be mended stronger than ever.

-SCENE BREAK-

A few days later

Flutter Field

Two small figures were seated on a blanket laid out next to the line of trees that bordered Flutter Field, a pristine area of green grass, flowers tended to by butterflies, and several large rock formations covered in plant life, all bordering a large, clear-watered river. Having finished their packed lunch (made up of a small portion of Rarity's gift), they now lay back and watched the clouds together.

The "rebuilding" of Diamond Tiara's shattered self-image was progressing slowly but surely. She was learning better 'friendship skills', helped by the Crusaders, Spike, & Silver Spoon, as well as some copies of Twilight's various Friendship Reports. Rarity, meanwhile, was keeping to her word despite the other girls' attempts to talk to her about it, going out of her way to avoid crossing Spike's or Silver Spoon's path out of shame and guilt. According to Sweetie Belle, Rarity had been spending inordinate amounts of time locked up in her room again, often late into the night, this time with several spell scrolls that she studied with an intensity that would leave Twilight impressed had she seen it. When asked why she was doing this, Rarity replied "just expanding my knowledge and repertoire."

Spike & Silver's cloud-gazing was interrupted by a snarling sound coming from in the field. They sat up and looked over, and saw three black-and-purple bipedal creatures, with red slit-pupiled eyes and large claws.

"Crap…" Spike breathed out. "Shadow Slashers…"

"What are they?" Silver Spoon asked, feeling nervous.

"They're creatures that are literally made of corruptive dark magic. They were originally created by some high-level dark mage around half a millennium ago, but when Celestia killed him they didn't die out like expected. They feed on ambient magic, and they reproduce asexually from what studies can tell. They're also really vicious; they've killed plenty of ponies over the centuries. …Granted, one or two are hardly a threat, but they live in packs and tend to mob-rush their targets until either they're all destroyed or their target is. Every once in a while, Celestia has their numbers culled, but from what I hear that hasn't had to be done for a couple of decades now, since for some reason sightings of them have been down for a while."

"Should… Should we run now before they see us?"

Before Spike could answer, one of the creatures turned toward them and caught sight of them, letting out a predatory hiss that alerted its two comrades to the presence of live fleshlings. The three Shadow Slashers slowly stalked toward the couple, and then broke into a charge. Spike, instinctively reacting to protect his "partner", immediately launched a green fireball that impacted the charge-leader square in the face, knocking it backward and destroying it. Two more fireballs picked off the other two. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, that wasn't so bad" he said.

On cue, more Shadow Slashers rose from the earth. And more. And more. And more.

"I think I know why they haven't been seen much the past few decades, honey" Silver Spoon said, trembling. "They've gotten smart enough to take 'strength in numbers' to the logical conclusion."

There must have been hundreds of them, varying in size and form. A town full of unsuspecting fleshlings was ahead, and all that stood in their path were two children. Two-dozen Shadow Slashers, each with their right arms looking like organic cannons, took aim at the couple. They all fired, a barrage of dark energy bolts, and Spike & Silver Spoon hugged each other with eyes clenched shut.

There was the *crack-fwoosh* of teleportation, and a transparent, blue-tinted magical barrier sprang into being, blocking the shots. The two kids opened their eyes to see Rarity standing before them, facing the horde, her body wavering with magical energy. Without a word, her horn pulsed and the barrier shattered into a fusillade of shards that shot forward, cutting down 15 Slashers.

"I'm sorry you have to see me again, Spike" she said. "But even after all that has happened… Even if I have to break my word and ruin your date with my presence, I will not let them harm you or her."

A larger Shadow Slasher, one of the alphas, roared a challenge. Rarity stood fast.

"Look around, demons" she called out. "I am in and surrounded by my element. You can't defeat me. So long as I draw breath, these two children shall not be harmed!"

(BATTLE MUSIC – TAKE YOUR PICK: Naruto Shippūden Movie 3 OST – "Blind Animal" OR Red vs. Blue Revelation OST – "Revelation Suite")

A pack of around two-dozen of the Shadow Slashers charged her. In response, her magic enveloped a rock formation, which came apart into a fusillade of rock spikes that shot toward them, destroying them all. The 'cannon'-wielding Slashers took aim and fired at her en masse; she responded by raising another barrier, and then the shooters were impaled from beneath by spears of rock jutting up from the earth. Another group of Shooters near the river were stopped before they could fire on her when a mass of the water, controlled by Rarity's magic, reared up behind them and then grabbed hold of them in the form of watery tentacles that then tore them all asunder. Another six Slashers had gotten close to her by now, but her magic surged again as a shifting mass of sand emerged from beneath the ground, blocking their attacks and then lashing out at them, bashing some and crushing others, destroying them.

30 more Slashers charged toward her, including a larger Alpha, but during their charge they passed through a zone surrounded by plant-covered rock formations. Another surge of Rarity's magic into the formations resulted in the Shadow Slashers being caught in a deadly crossfire of high-velocity stone projectiles, destroying them all. A force of nearly 100 then rushed in. In response, Rarity's horn flared brightly, and it was then as if nearly the entire river rose up in the form of a serpentine dragon that then "flew" through the air, crashing into the horde with extreme force – enough to crush and destroy every last one of them. An even larger chunk of the army of darklings, driven by mindless blood-rage, broke into a terrifying charge. In response, Rarity called forth a huge amount of magic, such that her eyes glowed blue from her power. The ground in front of her began to give way, subsumed under/by an ever-growing mass of magically-charged sand. It soon became a veritable tidal wave that rushed forward, engulfing nearly 200 of the fiends and almost-completely burying that half of Flutter Field. Before they could dig their way out, another huge pulse of power from Rarity caused the tremendous mass of sand to hyper-compress instantaneously, crushing everything in it and making the ground tremble as if there were an earthquake. By now, Rarity was gasping for breath, her limbs trembling slightly, having expended enormous amounts of her energy, but she refused to falter.

Undaunted, none of the remaining hundreds of Shadow Slashers even considered fleeing, their minds driven by feral fury. Rarity unleashed a large pulse of solid telekinetic magic, forming a shockwave that destroyed many of the next charging wave and sent the rest hurtling through the air. This was repeated a second time shortly after. And a third. This time, Rarity nearly collapsed, yet she then pulled herself back up, her eyes returning to their focus as her body flared up with more power, but this time there was something off about it. It felt different, and her exhausted appearance seemed to worsen. Another pulse of power knocked away another enemy charge, and Rarity then coughed for a few seconds, the last one bringing up a small amount of blood, her knees trembling, yet still she refused to fall, staring defiantly out at the horde.

"No…" Silver Spoon whispered.

"What?" Spike asked. "What's she doing?"

"I read about this in one of Twilight's books. She's… She's used up her normal magical reserves, so now she's getting more by converting it directly from her life-force! If she keeps this up for too much longer, she'll die!"

(MUSIC: Mass Effect 3 OST – "A Future for the Krogan" – 0:00 to 1:04)

Rarity continued to gasp for breath, still ready to attack again. The horde of Shadow Slashers had paused for just a moment, as if contemplating what to do next. She willed her eyesight to keep its focus and violently pushed back her body's urge to relinquish consciousness to preserve itself.

"Rarity…" Spike said, a myriad of emotions in his voice. "You don't have to do this… You… You would actually go this far to…"

"It's the least I can do" she replied, her voice starting to give out. "After all the pain I caused you, I swore to make amends the only way I could: by making sure you get and keep the happiness you deserve. That extends to making sure you're alive to experience it. You've finally found someone who you deserve. I won't let either of you meet your end like this… even if I have to in your place."

"I never wanted this…" the boy choked out, his eyes watery. "Even when I was angry, I never wanted you to get hurt. You're… You're my friend. I can't bear losing a friend like this!"

"Spike… I did come to love you. I think some part of me might still. That is why… To do this for your sake… If it comes to pass, I'll have no regrets about it. …Silver Spoon, please take good care of him."

"M-Miss Rarity…" the filly sniffled. "You can't…"

(MUSIC: Cont'd – 1:05 to END)

En masse, the remaining 450 Shadow Slashers charged again. Rarity stood fast and tall, her life's power building, and as the leading wave got close she unleashed a burst of power that made the ground rise up in a wall of spikes that skewered them. The rest broke through the spikes and continued forward, and the river again surged up at Rarity's command, rushing forward and crushing many more of the fiends. As the rest of the horde came rushing in, Rarity struck out with one massive telekinetic wave after another. Blood started leaking from her mouth and her glowing eyes, but she continued unheeded. She slowly walked forward on trembling legs, lashing out at the dwindling demons as she went, until finally she began gathering every last bit of power she had left, swirling together as a blinding spark of light hovering above her horn. The last 200 of the horde, the largest and hardiest of the army, came rushing in all at once, insane with the deep-seated need to shed her blood.

"Rarity! NO!-!"

There was a massive, omni-directional pulse of overwhelming magical power, a half-dome of bluish energy racing outward at great speed. It passed over Spike and Silver Spoon, leaving them completely unharmed. Each Shadow Slasher it hit screamed out and then disintegrated into particles of darkness that then faded away. The clouds above parted from the force of the shockwave, and the humongous surge of magical power was felt by everyone in Ponyville. The shockwave dissipated and faded out after several seconds.

Back at the ruined Flutter Field, Rarity stood totally still, the glow of power fading from her eyes and body. After several seconds, she slowly turned her head to Spike, and gave a small smile at him. Then her eyes rolled up in their sockets and closed, and she toppled over. To Spike, it seemed that everything move in slow motion as she fell, landing in the scorched grass and going completely still.

-CHAPTER END-

Yeah, it turns out I was wrong when I said "one more to go" at the end of the previous chapter. NOW we have one more left to go. Stay tuned for the ending, coming within the next few days.