Chapter 62- A Broken Record

Me: Continuing from the last chapter, you guys can already tell what's going to happen, right?

Rarity: I shall return to look for the ring after I dispose of that wretched DJ.

Me: Go right ahead, no one's stopping you. I don't own the rights to Naruto Shippuden or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

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Rarity teleported to just outside the safe house that hardly lived up to its name. It was standing on a mountain top three mountains to the west of where Rarity had fought Robert. The cold icy wind blew around her, allowing her dress to billow about her. She stood outside the door for a while, listening to the conversation of the unsuspecting ponies that sat inside. "Calm down Vinyl, there's no need to worry. He'll be back." Said a female voice. "Yeah, from what I've seen, your husband is tougher than a box of nails. He'll be fine." A male voice chimed in. "But nails can be bent." A third voice said. From the shakiness she heard in the voice, she guessed the owner was crying. She also guessed the owner was Vinyl, and she smiled at Vinyl's worry. Vinyl had every reason to worry, especially since her worst nightmares had come true. Well, almost. "Why can't you just trust in his abilities?" The woman's voice asked. "Because when he's trying to protect me, he gets... Reckless. That is what has led to most of his defeats." Vinyl replied. She's got that right. Rarity thought. "But it is for yours and the kids' safety that he fights for, it keeps him going." The woman's voice said.

Rarity had decided she had let the conversation go on long enough. She knocked on the door and waited for the fool whom would open it. The knob turned and the door creaked as it was swung open by the unicorn whose name she had known as Neon Lights. She had no quarrel with the unicorn, but he wasn't about to invite her in; of that much she was certain. His eyes widened as he saw her standing there. She used the Almighty Push to shove him out of her way. He flew into the opposite wall, dropping to the floor unconscious. She heard somepony scream, and turned to see that it was the earth pony known as Octavia. Rarity had enjoyed her symphonies, whenever she could attend. The music had lifted her spirits and sent her out with a smile upon her face. She payed the pony no attention as she brought her gaze upon the DJ. She stood there in paralyzed fear, just as her husband had done. She grinned. They were all weak fools. She started to gather magic for a spell that had been taught to her when she was a young filly. It was a spell meant for use in life-or-death situations only, but she was certain it was about to become a life-or-death situation for someone. The magic that gathered around her horn cast the entire room in a scarlet glow. The spell was one that would take the life of whomever it is used upon. She continued to gather magic until the spell was finally ready. "Now your life will come to an end, just like Tid's! You will soon be swallowed up by the eternal darkness that is the afterlife!" She shouted in a mixture of rage and glee.

She fired the spell at Vinyl, whom was still petrified with fear. She aimed it straight for her heart. As the spell flew toward her, she realized what was going on, and attempted to move, but it was too late. Just as the spell was about to hit her, Octavia jumped in front of her, and there was a bright flash of red light as the spell hit the pony in the chest. She crumpled to the floor and everything went still. The house was consumed by darkness as the candles had been blown out by the wind. Vinyl sank to her knees and shook the pony. "Octy, wake up!" She said. Octavia turned her head to look at Vinyl. "V-Vinyl..." She said weakly. Her eyes seemed to lack a certain light, almost as if she were blind. "Octy, I'm here. Why did you do that?" Vinyl asked with tears streaming down her face. "I had... To save you. After all... You saved me... So now... It's time I... Returned the favor." She replied, tears also starting to well up in her eyes. "Stay with me, we can save-" Vinyl began, but was interrupted by Octavia placing her hoof on her mouth. "No... It's my time... I know we said we'd take bullets for each other... Deja vu, huh?" She said smiling weakly. "Listen... Do me a favor... Keep playing music... And promise me something... Release that song we made... Play it at... My funeral..." She said still smiling. "No, don't say that. Y-you won't die... You can't!" Vinyl pleaded. "Thank you, Vinyl... For helping me... Change into... What I have... Become... Thank you... For being there... In my life... You... Really where... The most important person... I had ever met... More like... A sister... Since I had... No family... All of my venues... Will be in heaven now... I guess... This is Octavia Phillharmonica Melody's... Final symphony... Vinyl... You really made my life... Worthwhile... Thank... You..." She finished. Her final breath had been exhausted. Her lightless eyes drifted shut, her head rolling to one side. As this happened, Vinyl continued to plead Octavia not to go, in a futile effort to save her friend's life. It was all in vain. Octavia's life was over.

Rarity hadn't wished to kill Octavia, but she couldn't help but relish in Vinyl's sorrow. No she too knew what it was like to lose someone precious. She laughed manically. Vinyl stared at her with rage in her eyes and tears flowing down her face. "You... You killed her!" She shouted. "No, she killed herself by jumping in front of you." Rarity corrected. "You bitch!" She screamed. Rarity flinched upon hearing such an insult being slung at her. "She was like a sister to me. She was the only family I had while growing up. She was my one true friend. And... And... You killed her!" She shouted in rage. Rarity grinned. "Yes, and you shall join her!" She said. At that moment there was a voice Rarity was shocked to hear. "Like hell she will!" He said. She then felt something grab her by the back of the neck. There was a moment's hesitation and then she was pulled off of the mountain's edge by Robert.

"What? How are you able to move?!" She asked in disbelief. "I won't let you hurt any more people. If I die, I'm taking the darkness with me!" He said. Her eyes widened. So that was his plan. She activated the Mangekyou Rinnegan. She did remember one technique that could save her. "Sorry, but I'm not going anywhere." She said. "I'm not letting the darkness reign free!" He said. "Well, that's unfortunate for you. You're dying alone." She said grinning. His eyes widened and she looked up to the edge they had just leapt off of. She used the Mangekyou Rinnegan to teleport to the edge and reappeared panting. She was running low on Chakra. She turned around and saw Robert collide head first with the sharp rocks that lie at the bottom of the mountain; meeting an earthy grave. She smiled. Robert was now dead. She had done it. She laughed with pleasure and thunder sounded throughout the mountains. As she was laughing she heard a scream of rage from behind her. She turned to face these source and saw Vinyl standing in the doorway with a look of rage in her eyes and tears streaming down her face. She also had a device Rarity had seen used on Tid. She knew what it did, and she didn't think she could survive a blast from that in her current state. "You! How dare you kill my husband, and my best friend! For that, you will pay!" She shouted raising the cannon to point at her. She rested it on her shoulder and it began to charge. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm afraid I've got some things to take care of. Don't worry, I'll be back later to take care of you." Rarity said with a smirk. Just as the beam fired Rarity used the last of her magic to teleport herself home.

Rarity reappeared just outside of her house. She was exhausted and could hardly stand. She opened the door weakly and walked inside. She closed the door behind her and walked up to her room, Opalescence trailing behind her. She walked into her room and collapsed on the bed, not even bothering to take her dress off. She lay there on the bed staring up at the ceiling. Every muscle in her body ached so much she could hardly move. Sweat covered every inch of her body, wetting the bedding. She had used up too much strength that night, and now all she could think about was sleep. She was so exhausted she could hardly keep her eyes open. She guessed she should be glad that opening the Seventh Gate a second time didn't kill her. Had she inherited his resistance to the side effects? Maybe. She knew she wasn't strong enough on her own to survive such drastic punishment. She hadn't trained nearly as long nor as hard as Tid. She silently thanked him for his assistance. Finally, she couldn't keep her eyes open a second longer and closed them, falling into a deep sleep.

The next morning Rarity woke up feeling sorer than ever. She sat up painfully, forcing herself to move through the pain. She might've been immune to the side effects of the Eight Gates, but that didn't mean she was used to physical combat like that. She forced herself out of bed and toward the bathroom. She started the shower and took off her tattered dress. She looked at it in dismay. She would have to spend a few hours repairing it at the very least. She sighed. At least the man whom was responsible for such a crime was now dead. She climbed into the steamy shower, letting the hot water sooth her aching muscles. She hoped she wouldn't have to go to such extremes in the future. She stood in the shower for a good hour before finally washing herself. When she stepped out of the shower, she felt much better. Her muscles weren't as sore as before and she could actually move without much pain. She dried herself and grabbed her dress. She walked out of the steamy bathroom and down the stairs with it clenched in her teeth. She immediately set to work on it, using her magic to pull the differently colored threads from the drawers. She would need to buy some more thread at this rate. She was blowing through it like a member of a clan Tid had told her about blew through pork. Luckily her latest line of dresses had been a hit and she was fabulously wealthy. Her summer line had been released about halfway through summer and managed to sell at almost record numbers. She wondered if anyone was waiting for her new line of dresses. She had been designing the last dress of what was going to be her newest line when Nightmare Night came along. The designs were still kept safely concealed in her work area. The only person who had seen the designs was Tid, as she trusted him and asked his opinion. Of course he had said they were beautiful, and she didn't doubt it. After all, she was the lead designer in all of Equestria. She blended the thread with the area surrounding the holes, making a seamless look to her patches.

She smiled as she worked, remembering the first time she had made the dress. It was way back when she had not yet confessed her love for Tid. She flinched when she realized it had been almost two years since then. She also realized they had celebrated neither hers nor Tid's birthdays. It was a shame now that she thought back on it. Hell, she didn't even know when his birthday was. Now, she'd never have the chance to find out. She picked the dress up and flipped it over, setting to work on the opposite side of the dress. She didn't blame Tid for not sharing his birthday with her, as he was an incredibly busy man. He had worked hard to ensure the happiness of her and her friends, which she admired. He had been so selfless and noble, and his humility made her just melt inside. A tear was brought to her eye as she thought about him. She temporarily stopped her sewing to wipe it away. "Why must I torment myself with memories?" She asked. She finished the repairs on the dress and carefully washed it; making sure not to disturb the stitching. She then hung it out to dry, smiling at it before re-entering the house.

Rarity walked up to her room and decided to take a short nap to restore her energy. She still felt a little fatigued from her battle yesterday. Robert had certainly pushed her to her very limits. She crawled into her bed and covered herself with her silk blanket. She reveled in the elegant feel of the fabric against her skin. She remembered the time when Tid and her had shared the very same blanket. He had wrapped his masculine arms around her, and never in her life had she felt more safe than when he did that. The night had been pure bliss for her, even though they had both been exhausted. She couldn't help but smile as she remembered that night. Finally, she closed her eyes and resigned herself to sleep.

She awoke about three hours later, feeling more energized and powerful than ever before. She sat up and stretched her arms above her head, yawning. She threw her blanket aside and stepped out of bed, heading immediately to check on the dress. When she walked outside she saw the sun was setting already. She hadn't realized how much time she had spent repairing the dress. The wind blew the dress on the clothes line, causing it to billow about. She walked forward and removed the clothes pins using her magic, replacing them as soon as she firmly held the dress. She used her magic to drape her dress over her body, wrapping herself in the fabric. She smiled and closed her eyes, feeling the soft fabric against her skin. The wind blew and the dress flowed around her a little. She opened her eyes and gazed at the sunset. It cast a beautiful scarlet and gold glow over the land. She basked in it's warm rays, watching it as it sank below the horizon. She turned her head in the direction of the Crystal Mountains. "That's enough dilly-dallying; it's time I got down to business."

(Meanwhile)

Twilight burst into the throne room in a panic. "Princess Celestia, there's something important I need to tell you!" She said. Princess Celestia remained silent and allowed the young Princess to proceed. "There's been a massive surge of dark energy in the past 24 hours. Also, there have been reports of strange activity coming from the Crystal Mountains. Do you think this is somehow linked?" She asked. Princess Celestia sat there for a moment, thinking. Finally she spoke. "I do believe these events are linked. Perhaps the dark force has taken up base at the Crystal Mountains. I'd like you and the others to go and investigate." She said. "Right, we'll set out first thing in the morning." Twilight said. "No, there's no time for that. You must leave at once. Any later and the dark force might leave." Celestia said. Twilight hesitated. Celestia wanted them to confront the dark force head-on. Did she think they could defeat it? They had no idea what this dark force might be, or even if it could be defeated. Twilight made her decision very carefully. "Right. I'll go get the others. We'll leave immediately." She said. Celestia nodded. She had faith in her student. No, she wasn't her student anymore. She had proven herself long ago. She guessed she just didn't want to accept the fact that her young and faithful student had matured. It brought a tinge of sadness to her heart every time she thought about it. She closed her eyes so Twilight wouldn't see the sadness they contained. When she opened them again Twilight was gone. A tear welled up in one of her eyes and streamed down her face. "Be careful, Twilight."

Rarity walked along the same dirt path she had traveled just a few days ago. She was going to find her ring and show that DJ what for. The night air was cool. The ground beneath her hooves crunched as she walked. The wind blew, her dress flapping about her gently, and her mane flowing gracefully behind her. She looked up at the starry sky. The stars shone brightly that night, more brightly than she had seen before. She smiled. She could tell it was going to be a fun night. She looked forward once more and continued to walk along the dirt path. She sighed. She had a long journey ahead of her.

Twilight knocked on Rarity's door. She took a step back from it and waited. She waited for a few minutes, but there was no answer. "Maybe she's sleeping." Fluttershy said. "Yeah? Well so was I!" Rainbow Dash said in annoyance. She flew up to the door and knocked as hard as she could, shouting for Rarity to answer the door. A few minutes passed and Rarity still did not answer the door. Rainbow Dash's anger grew as time passed. "What the heck is she doing?" She asked in frustration. "Maybe we should just let her be. She's probably still upset about Tid's death." Applejack said. "Since when were you so sympathetic of Rarity?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Hey, we may not see eye-to-eye most of the time, but she's still a pal of mine. The city girl's grown on me." She replied. "Well, there's no use in trying if she's not going to answer. Come on girls, let's go." They nodded and went to go find Itachi.

Rarity continued to walk as the path changed from dirt to ice. It had been nearly a full day since she had left Ponyville and she could finally see the mountain range in the distance. On one of those peaks was the person she was going to kill, of this she was almost certain. She had disposed of her husband (albeit with great difficulty), and now it was her turn to go. Surely she didn't possess nearly as much power as her husband, right? Although, Rarity didn't know what to expect anymore. So much chaos had filled her life that she didn't know what was going to happen next. It was like one big game where somepony was making the rules. She walked along the path until she was forced to tread through the deep snow to reach the mountains. She quickly reached the base of the mountain where the safe house was located and teleported to it. There she was surprised to see Vinyl waiting outside for her. She wore a peculiar outfit that seemed suited for combat. It was a shade of purple that closely resembled the royal purple of Rarity's own mane. At the bottom of her dress it split into two parts: the main body and then ribbons of fabric that extended some ways below the bottom of the dress. She wore a necklace with a pendant of some sort hanging just over her chest. Her hair was in a different style than usual. It had grown at a surprising rate since she had seen her last and now hung down to her shoulders. In her hand she held a staff with a sharp spear head at one end that was as tall as she was. She looked like a fierce warrior if Rarity had ever seen one. "Humph, so you've finally made it. I was beginning to wonder if you'd be too cowardly to show your face around here again." She said with a smirk. "Cowardly? Hardly. I merely had to regain my strength. I didn't have any energy left to kill you after I disposed of your wretched husband." Rarity retorted. Vinyl scowled. "I'll make you pay for what you have done." She said. "I'd like to see you try."

They stood there in silence for a while, sizing each other up. Rarity grinned with confidence. Vinyl ran toward her. She was quick, covering the distance between them in only two seconds. Rarity raised her right arm in front of her and blocked Vinyl's attack. Vinyl's eyes widened in shock. She was clearly surprised Rarity could block her attack so quickly. Rarity laughed. "It's going to take more than that to catch me off guard." Rarity said. She lifted her body onto her hind legs and used her other hoof to punch Vinyl in the face. Vinyl stumbled backward from the force of the punch before regaining her balance and wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth. Vinyl ran at her once more, but this time jumped and attempted to strike her in her blind spot. Rarity spun her on one of her front hooves and managed to avoid her attack. While still spinning she used her other hoof to punch Vinyl in the face once more. Rarity put her body back on the ground and pointed her right hoof in. Vinyl's face. She had just enough time to look in surprise before Rarity blasted her with an Almighty Push. Vinyl flew a short distance before impacting the ground and sliding violently to stop. She sat up and looked at Rarity with shock and awe. Rarity grinned. "Now it's my turn."

Vinyl stood up and stared at Rarity. The sharp end of the staff was pointed at the ground. Rarity ran toward Vinyl, her mane flowing behind her. Vinyl readied herself, but was surprised at how much force Rarity hit her with. She grunted in pain as the wind was knocked out of her. Rarity had hit her with a head-butt, no doubt causing more damage with her horn. Vinyl landed on the ground and curled her body inwards, trying to catch her breath. "Don't tell me that's all you can do?" Rarity asked her. When Vinyl had caught her breath she looked at Rarity. "Not even close. I've got plenty up my sleeve." She replied. She stood and charged at Rarity; this time with much more speed. Rarity was shocked at how much speed she could muster. In a fraction of a second she was in front of her. She spun her body and kicked Rarity in the face. She then hit Rarity with the pole of her staff. Finally she finished off the combo with a kick from above, driving Rarity into the ground. The ground cracked under the sheer force of the blow. Rarity winced in pain and coughed, blood spewing out of her mouth as she did so. "So, you were withholding your true power from me, where you?" Rarity asked standing up. Vinyl's expression remained the same. "Fine. If that's how you want to play. I'm through with these childish games."

Rarity glanced at the staff that Vinyl held in her hand. She knew it would be dangerous to let her keep that weapon. She focused on it and used Universal Pull. It suddenly jerked forward but Vinyl clung onto it. She dug her heels into the ground, but she couldn't resist the powerful force of the Universal Pull. The staff flew sharp end first toward Rarity; Vinyl still clinging to it. Rarity turned her body so as to avoid being impaled and kicked Vinyl in the chest; forcing her to relinquish her grip. The staff fell to the ground in front of Rarity and Vinyl landed on the floor a short distance from her. Rarity placed her hoof on the pole of the staff. "You really should be careful. Someone could get hurt with this." She said. She applied pressure and the pole snapped in two like a twig. Vinyl's eyes widened as she saw this. She was now without a weapon, meanwhile Rarity still had an entire arsenal of tricks to use. Things were not looking up for the DJ.

Vinyl stood and stared at Rarity, holding her arm which was apparently wounded. Rarity laughed at how pathetic she was. Vinyl scowled and ran at Rarity. Rarity dodged to the right and punched Vinyl in the gut, winding her once more. She stumbled back, grasping her stomach while gasping for air. Rarity smirked and brought her hoof down on Vinyl's head, forcing her head-first into the ground. The ground cracked from where Vinyl had impacted. Blood was running from her nose and tears were welling up in her eyes; whether these were from pain or sadness, Rarity couldn't tell. "You really are a pitiful fighter. No wonder you had your husband fight all of your battles for you. At least Tid trained me; that's more than I can say for you. You can't even put up a challenge. You're worthless, and I will end your life very shortly." Rarity said with her hoof on the back of Vinyl's head. Rarity could hear what sounded like sobbing coming from Vinyl. She could also see Vinyl's body shaking from heavy sobs. She smiled, proud to see her in such a miserable state. "I'll end your life, but before I do..." She said. She paused to enjoy the moment. "Almighty Push!"

The ground shattered from the force of the Almighty Push. Vinyl's body disappeared from view under the rubble that now shot upwards. Rocks the size of Rarity's head where sent flying into the air, only to come crashing down a short distance from where they had originated from. A cloud of dust was also sent into the air, reducing visibility. Rarity grinned wickedly. It was almost over. She knew Vinyl had survived that attack; she hadn't put enough effort into it to kill her. When everything settled Vinyl was mostly hidden by rubble. She was coughing and spewing out blood from her mouth. She opened her eyes weakly and turned to look at Rarity. Tears began to well up in her eyes. Rarity used her magic to grab Vinyl by the throat and lift her into the air. Vinyl winced in pain as she felt the fierce grip of the magical power wrap around her throat. Rarity slowly walked over to the edge of the mountain, letting Vinyl see exactly how she was about to die. Vinyl offered no resistance, lying limp as a rag-doll. Her eyes were open in fear and sorrow. Tears were flowing down her face. Rarity stood at the edge of the mountain ledge and levitated Vinyl in front of her so that Vinyl was facing her. Dark clouds began to surround the mountain's peak, flashing lightning and thunder threateningly. They swirled just above the peak, making the moment even more ominous. Rarity laughed maniacally. Vinyl stared at Rarity with teary eyes. Her scarlet eyes reflected the lightning as it flashed. "Why are you doing this?" She asked. "Why? What a silly question to ask. Somepony like you could never understand what drove me to do this. You've never felt the pain I have been forced to endure. You will never know how I feel. You could never understand my pain. To have everything you cared for ripped from you in an instant, to wallow in the sorrow of losing somepony whose one desire was to ensure your happiness and safety, to lose all hope in life; those are the things. I feel. Those feelings are what drove me to do this." Rarity responded. Her voice had begun to crack with sadness and tears welled up in her eyes. Vinyl said nothing. Rarity closed her eyes and shook her head. It was time to end her life. "I'm done talking to you. Say goodbye forever, Vinyl." Rarity held onto Vinyl for a few seconds longer before finally releasing her. Rarity watched her and laughed maniacally as she fell. "Seems like it's over for the DJ." Rarity said smiling.

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Me: Well, it took a while, but it's finally done.

Rarity: You ended the chapter before I could collect my ring.

Me: I know. I'm terribly sorry about that, but I have something in store for the next chapter, so you'll collect it then.

Rarity: Good.

Me: Anyway, favorite, follow, and leave a review! I have much more in store for this story, so be sure to check back later! See ya!