[-----LOG TAKEN FROM RARITY'S PERSPECTIVE-----]


After another busy day of designing new dresses, Rarity's resting in one of the chairs ringing the dining table, with her eyes closed.

(Dusk) Suddenly, the front door is smashed in as a small handful of unsavory characters! Particularly, one blue and one pink monkey-like creatures are the first to enter. Behind them are a short armored heartless and a grunt shadow.

(Dusk) The armored heartless glances towards the grunt and shrugs, as if wondering if they found the right place. The Master does tend to have short temper. The monkies don't seem to care, as the blue one has started to goof off riding on one of the ponyquins and the pink one is ripping off their dresses and trying them on.

The splintering of her businesses' front door has Rarity jolting upright in her seat, and glancing over before groaning. "...really? It was bad enough that you all decide to attack me out in the open, but doing damage to my beautiful boutique... Is. THE. LAST. STRAW." With a furious expression, the unicornista is levitating one of her sewing machines from its place and wielding it as a heavy club with her magic. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, YOU RUFFIANS!"

(Dusk) Only the armored and the grunt heartless seem to react to your threat as they stare at her sewing machine. The pink monkey, wearing one of the lovely dresses, proceeds to head over to glass cases where she smashes one in and reaches for a handsome hat to go with her new apparel. Meanwhile, the blue monkey has managed to decapitate the ponyquin it was riding and has fallen to the floor, weeping.

"Not my merchandise...!" Simultaneously, Rarity's whipping her head sideways to send the magic-cocooned sewing machine flying at one of the Heartless, and flinging two basketfuls of gems at the pair of monkeys running amok in her business. The sound of shattering glass only serves to further anger the Generosity-bearing unicornista, as her now-murderous expression might show.

(Dusk) The armored heartless leaps forward slightly and braces for impact as the grunt melds into the ground and begins to move behind you. Its armored plating takes a major dent and it falls to the ground, dazed. The blue monkey doesn't even see the gems during his crying as they completely demolish him and cause him to disperse into nothing. The pink monkey finishes a pose as she dons a manly hat, but quickly shrieks in terror as the gems impale her face, causing her to disperse as well.

Even with her anger clearly at a point that's unusual for her, Rarity's channeling a bit of magic to the door leading into the upper level, triggering a soft click that's lost amid the sounds of battle as she sends another two sewing machines - and a storm of multicolored gems stored in the supply room - flying at the armor-clad Heartless. This leaves her unaware of the second one, however, and quite open to attack from behind.

(Dusk) As the armored heartless snaps out of its daze, its beady yellow eyes widen as it watches the colorful sewing death fly into its face. In a shining moment of glory, it disperses into thin air. At this point the grunt manages to sneak behind you and attempts to slash her with its little claws. At the same time, a large fat heartless busts through the already damaged doorway, creating an even bigger hole than before. It slaps its stomache proudly as if saying 'Hey hey! I found her, guys!'

Without looking at the ruined ponyquin, Rarity's using her magic to send three of them flying at the fat Heartless coming through the hole where her front door used to be, seizing a roll of fabric at the same time and throwing it at the Heartless attacking her from behind. While all this is happening, the unicornista is further securing her Soul Gem, hiding it in a small box and sealing the lid shut with magic.

(Dusk) The grunt heartless doesn't think to meld into the ground as it hopelessly stares at the fabric until it crushes it alive--er dead? Whatever. The fat heartless seems to grin proudly as the ponyquins bounce harmlessly off of its powerful stomache. One manages to hit him in the head though, and while the damage isn't immediately apparent, it is shown as he charges forward into the glass cases instead of at you herself.

The sounds of crumpling metal and breaking glass elicit a heavy sigh from Rarity, just before she lowers her head and charges, horn-first, with the intent to skewer the Heartless directly in the chest. Mid-charge, however, she's seizing fragments of the broken wall and bringing them all forward with her magic.

(Dusk) Perhaps you is underestimating the power of its stomache, the fat heartless thinks to itself, as it amusingly watches her charge. However, unaware of the wall fragments closing in on it, the fat heartless groans deeply as it is pelted from behind and falls face first on the ground!

It's once the last Heartless goes down from the drywall barrage that Rarity's levitating the intact doorknob and a particularly sharp piece of metal from the ruined glass cases over it before driving them downward. "NEVER. RETURN. HERE. Got it, PUNK?!"

(Dusk) The fat heartless manages to look up briefly before the metal drives into its back, causing it to disperse into the air. At the same time, another grunt heartless waddles through the door as if late to a party. Watching the mighty fat heartless disperse, it blinks twice and turns around and starts to leave. But before it can, it is kicked to the side as a robed figure approaches the doorway.

"Honestly, can't you loons do anything right? I -told- you to just set up the shadow path! Ugh. Now I have to restrain her alone. Where's the fun in that?" groans Dusk as he steps through the demolished entrance.

Dusk then turns to lone grunt heartless, "Go conceal it. I don't want anyone messing with it."

With that, Dusk glances over to you and forms a wicked smile on his face as he takes a few steps closer. "We meet again! How delightful! Do forgive the mess, they can be such party animals. Have a 'heart', will you? Heeheeheehee."

"I'm not very happy to see you, especially after those ruffians you control did so much damage to my business. Telling me what you're here for is going to be pointless, since I've ensured you can't get to it." With an angry expression, Rarity's horn is once again glowing as the last two of her sewing machines float over to either side of her. "Eager to get beaten back like your associates?"

"Ah, that is a shame. Well, if you don't want to play with your gem, I will!" says Dusk as he holds his soul gem up. It emits a cyan flash and suddenly thick plates of cyan armor form around him. "Your friend isn't here to save you and I'm not going to make the same mistake as last time. This is your last chance to make this easier on yourself and just give up! After all, if my experiment works, you'll be free from the cat's control! Albeit one or two side effects of course, heeheehee.."

Warily, Rarity's edging back towards the ruined cases, trying not to let her intent be exposed. "Very well, I'll listen."

Behind his cyan helmet, Dusk blinks twice. "Will you, now? Well, that was easy. Yes, I've been reading a few books lately--I love to do that by the way--on a couple possible solutions. Perhaps you've heard of Alex Carter's stand on soulmancy? Great book. But anyways, generally side effects include a mangled eye or two and some have known to turn into zombies, although self aware for a few days before they attempt to eat themselves."

Dusk says 'I've not seen the effects on one such as you though. And our situation is a little different than the examples I've mentioned, so it's exciting to see what happens!" Dusk rambles on.'

"I've not seen the effects on one such as you though. And our situation is a little different than the examples I've mentioned, so it's exciting to see what happens!" Dusk rambles on.

At this, Rarity stops, careful not to step on the scrap metal littering the battle-scarred floor of her shop. There's an unconscious cringe from the unicornista, though she shakes her head to dismiss the disgusted grimace. "I don't believe I have. ...if it means I don't have to worry Sweetie Belle any more, or risk turning into one of those things, then I'd like to know more. I do hope you keep your word, though."

"I've noticed a few differences between our situations and those of others who have attempted to seal their souls away into objects. The magic that the cat uses is quite impressive, but it's not foolproof. Using a series of transmutations gathered from an assortment of different dimensions, it may be possible to filter out some of the binding magic at specific wavelengths.." Dusk continues to ramble on. Common sense was never Florence's strong point.

(Dusk) "...of course the wrong wavelengths could result in said side effects. Which is why we would also need..." ramble ramble ramble.

Rarity just nods, sitting down and flicking her ears forward to listen.

"..fortunately I confiscated one from an unwitting individual. Oh it was glorious, how he begged for me to save his wife in exchange. Did you know that Simon Kinneson one theorized that every man's breaking point was the safety of his lover? It completely blew the community's minds! How could a man like him write about such things? Oh, getting off topic. So anyways, are you good at drawing circles? We'll need a large place and plenty of test subjects.." Dusk continues on. Surely he'll catch on sooner or later.

"I am, yes. All fashion designers have to be good at drawing shapes, and visualizing them, after all." With a nod, Rarity's levitating a pencil over with her magic, and moving to a hanging sketch-pad.

Dusk says 'Ah, excellent! The particular transmutation circle I have in mind involves about twenty different designs overlapped on one another. I'll have to show you a few examples once we get back to the library. You'll have to mind the heartless, they can be a bit clingy if you haven't spoken to Oxcarts or one of the other bigwigs yet." says Dusk as he chuckles to himself.'

"Ah, excellent! The particular transmutation circle I have in mind involves about twenty different designs overlapped on one another. I'll have to show you a few examples once we get back to the library. You'll have to mind the heartless, they can be a bit clingy if you haven't spoken to Oxcarts or one of the other bigwigs yet." says Dusk as he chuckles to himself.

Getting back to her hooves, and unlocking the door to her room, Rarity's unsealing the box holding her Soul Gem and levitating it down into her saddlebag. "Well, let's be off, then."

"Excellent! I assure you, should the experiment fail, your sacrifice will have had exceptional scientific value. I can't wait! I can already imagine all the souls that will be consumed in the circle! In fact, since this one will be original, why don't we give it a name?" says Dusk as he turns around and slowly starts towards the broken doorway.

"...s-sacrifice...?" Rather nervously, Rarity's stopping, making no effort to hide the uneasy smile settling on her face, or her sudden reluctance. "I never was told anything about sacrificing anything to end my contract..."

"Well of course, dear. To gain something, you have to lose something. That's called equivilent exchange. Besides, I'm sure it'll go smoothly. Maybe. The only real ones being sacrificed are the inhabitants of that village I found way down south. It's funny what people would agree to in exchange for food and water." Dusk grins to himself.

With a slow nod, Rarity steps out through the door, fighting down her nervousness with a polite laugh, even as she cringes inwardly at the mention of innocent people dying. "I suppose it is, yes... And I certainly do hope so."

As they reach the exit, a grunt shadow heartless rises up from the ground and cocks its head towards you. "You only just -now- concealed it? What am I going to do with you?!" shouts Dusk as he sighs to himself. "What we have here is called the 'shadow path', it's a means to travel covertly inside the darkness. Though because you're coming along intact, we don't really need to use it."

Rarity steps back in surprise, horn flaring unconsciously as the Heartless grunt appears before sighing. "Please don't have those things scaring me like that... And let's get this over with. I have nothing but bad feelings about this, but I'll just have to grin and bear it, I suppose..."

Dusk holds his soul gem out and grasps it for a moment, causing the thick cyan armor to seemingly disappear. At the same time, it pulses slightly, causing the heartless grunt's antenna to shake a little. "The closest waypoint is nearby the main plaza in Truce, strangely enough. It's been convenient though. There are only so many waypoints we can use to access the dark portals. Did you think that I could just open it at a whim? Let us hope that none of your acquintences are there, else things could get slightly complicated." Ignoring your request to be left alone, the heartless grunt leaps on top of her back! Before she can react, it quickly wraps its antennaes around her neck. It seems to desperately want to tell her something. Almost as if a soft voice can be heard, should she choose to listen.

This prompts a startled - and decidedly high-pitched - yelp from Rarity, though she fights the urge to bronco-buck the Heartless off of her and raises one ear to listen.

"Heed him not! Heed him not!! That monster art not I! Stay thyself and flee! Thou -must- flee!" No further words can be heard as the heartless grunt unwraps its antennaes. At the same time, unknown to Dusk, his soul gem softly pulses once more. The heartless grunt then foolishly falls off of your back, causing Dusk to turn his head. "Why are you still here? Go on, go chew on a heart or something."

Dusk snaps his fingers and the grunt seems to disperse into the air. The Truce fountain wasn't much further now.

You say 'Strange...'

Dusk turns his head towards Rarity, "You'll get used them. They aren't much good for anything, but it is amusing to watch them devour a pack of rabites hoping to sate their endless hunger for hearts."

Rarity nods slowly, looking away to hide a flicker of disgust across her face before continuing along with her horn glowing for illumination.

As they reach the fountain, Dusk performs a gesture with his hand, causing a dark portal to open. He gives you a quick nod, "After you! Oh, and you may wish to dim the flashhorn. There are other things in there other than the heartless, many of which -hate- the light. Otherwise, they're mostly harmless. Mostly."

At her command, the light coming from Rarity's horn flickers a few times, before finally dying out to barely perceptible levels as she passes into the dark portal. "I'll be ready if one of them decides to attack me, so don't be surprised if I react in self-defense..."

"If they attack you, then it just means they like you!" chuckles Dusk as he steps through the portal, closing it with a gesture of his arm.

You say '...I've never heard of an attack occurring because someone LIKES another person. But then again, I AM in a strange world, where things are different from what I'm used to.'

"Hmmhmmhmm. And a strange world it is. But with so much..-potential!- Were only it not governed by a proud scientist and his inventors." states Dusk as the two travel through the absolute darkness. No light or end appears to be in sight. "Do try not to walk in a straight in line, otherwise getting you out would be inconvenient."

"I'll keep that in mind, and do my best to avoid running into things in the process." By now, Rarity's eyes have almost fully adjusted to the lack of light as she keeps moving behind you.

(Dusk) Occasionally, a scream or a moan can be heard from the distance. Sometimes even someone's voice begging for mercy such as that of a woman's not too far from them, "Not my child! No! PLEASE!!"

In response to the anguished screams, Rarity's cringing, thankful there's not enough light to reveal her expression.

As the two travel through the brief emptiness, they arrive on the other side of the portal, inside a ruined temple. Dusk explains, "It's a bit of a walk, but nothing excessively far. The realm that we are currently in has a series of waypoints, each connecting to a different part of the cleft."

You say 'Well... At least I've gotten better about whining on long trips. It is hurting my hooves, but I did choose to come with you.'

As they pass through the ruined entrance of the temple, they come out to what appears to be a demolished town. "People used to live here, you know. This realm was only barely connected to the cleft before a wave of darkness passed through. But no one really knows or cares about the details, of course." explains Dusk.

Solemnly, Rarity's pausing to conduct a silent prayer for the dead residents, before moving on with a soft sigh. "How horrible... I do hope those poor people didn't suffer for very long."

Dusk points towards the north, to what appears to be another ruined building. "Inside there is another waypoint which will take us to the central zone. From there we only need to enter one more portal to find my current experiment hall." What's left of the city really is beat up. A building that appears to have been a school rests to the west, items that could have once been children's toys can be seen scattered about. A fountain with what was once the statue of a rooster has been decapitated and completely dried up.

Rarity looks over, keeping pace and remaining silent as she nods.

As they enter the abandoned building, Dusk performs a gesture to open up another dark portal and proceeds to step through. This one however shows its destination on its surface; it doesn't lead to a dark stretch like the last one.

The sudden burst of light has Rarity squinting and shielding her eyes with one foreleg as she continues on past the portal. "...this is one of the reasons I don't like traveling through the dark."

"I should point something out. Despite their nature, yomas and witches have never made it to this place. That is, until a little while ago. I may have neglected the cat's desires and did something he wouldn't have liked." states Dusk with a wicked grin on his face, continuing up a fleet of stairs on the other side.

Rarity blinks a few times, then narrows her eyes slightly as she trots up the staircase. "I'm going to find out exactly what that is, won't I?"

"When I made the pact, the cat found himself overwhelmed with a lot of wish seekers at once. I was quite surprised when he granted my wish. Which is why I do not trust it; giving out such power at a whim to so many." As Dusk reaches the top of the stairs, he steps out to what appears to be a similar yet different ruined city. Just how large was the realm that was destroyed by the darkness? "Ah, but I'm getting sidetracked. You see, it didn't quite explain something in particular to me." says Dusk.

You say 'Go on. I'm listening.'

"Hold." commands Dusk as he glances around to make sure that they have no unwanted company. He reaches into his pocket for his soul gem and examines it. "Good. She seems to be away at the moment. Let's hurry over to the eastern block."

At Dusk's command, Rarity's breaking into a steady gallop eastward, horn sparking briefly as she turns invisible. "Yes, getting there is critical, isn't it?"

You fade out of existence.

Dusk then turns towards the east and follows a beat up stone street. Before its destruction, this realm seems to have been very prosperous. Many abandoned stone buildings that were once notable establishments line the streets. There doesn't appear to be anything resembling electronics among the seemingly endless rubble; the society must have not been particularly advanced. "As I was saying..that which becomes of a grief seed left untended. I had acquired one and intended to draw out its use over time. The gems do tend to be picky with their silly 'morals'. Operating away from the others, combat with them has been risky. Thankfully, the heartless enjoy distracting the males." says Dusk.

You are no longer invisible.

You say 'I see... And that is rather bad, yes.'

Dusk continues on, "So as you would expect, the seed got a little out of control. And of all things, it belonged to a female. The denizens of the darkness in these parts have been terrified of her. Fortunately, she doesn't seem too bright and has yet to notice me moving around here."

You say 'Well, let's hope our good fortune holds... I'd rather avoid having to fight one, if it's possible - but if it isn't, then I'll get involved.'

"That won't be necessary. She is merely just a precaution at this point. Do you see that hospital four streets down? The portal to my experimental hall is inside." says Dusk as he continues eastward.

As she continues east towards the hospital, and the final destination, Rarity's opening her armored saddlebag and levitating the deep purple Soul Gem out of it carefully. "I'm relieved... And yes, I do."

Dusk's soul gem remains unresponsive. For a minute, he feels a change in the air but he simply attributes it to random dark wavelengths traveling throughout the realm.

You say 'This is turning out to be rather interesting...'

Dusk grins, "Isn't it? And you haven't even seen the lab! Oh yes, soul research is very deep indeed." says Dusk as he continues on towards the hospital.

Unconsciously, Rarity's looking from side to side, casting a sad gaze over each building she passes before stepping into the hospital.

Dusk stops after entering the hospital, reaching for his soul gem and examining it again. "Strange. I get the feeling that we're not alone, but the denizens around these parts don't usually come inside."

The sudden flaring of her horn has Rarity stopping near the main entrance, and looking around uneasily after casting a brief glance at her own Soul Gem. "I'm getting something bad from the very air here, and I'm not even a pegasus. I don't like this..."

Dusk shrugs, "Well, at least it's not the witch. Our soul gems would have detected her presence. Perhaps it's one of those shriekers from the dimension with all the monsters that feed on necrotic flesh is hiding around here. They are rather amusing to watch. If you see it, be sure to aim for its limbs and not its head."

"Indeed..." There's a disgusted shudder from Rarity, as she directs the telltale glow of magic around her horn to levitating gem-spears up from the ground outside and bring them over to her. "I'll be careful to, though the idea of flesh-eaters doesn't sound too appealing to me..."

You use a royal purple Soul Gem.

After levitating her Soul Gem into the air, and pouring a small trace of her magic into it, a large amethyst rises up from the ground to encase Rarity, though her body is still visible through the translucent facets.

From within the massive amethyst, there's a build-up of magic, triggering a physiological change in Rarity as she closes her eyes. Suddenly, the unicornista's body seems to crystallize entirely, before cracking and shattering to reveal her now-humanized figure. Shortly afterward, the large amethyst encasing her shatters and falls away.

Dusk watches bewilderdly as Rarity transforms using her soul gem. He checks his soul gem once more before a serious look forms on his face, "What is the meaning of this? Is she here?! Why was I not able to detect her!?"

Dusk then grabs his soul gem tightly, summoning a series of heavily armored cyan plates around.

Even after her henshin ends, Rarity's holding the gem shards aloft with her mind, turning to Dusk. "Perhaps she was able to mask the aura that most Witches usually give off? Nothing is ever as it seems, after all, and perhaps she's brighter than we realize."

Dusk says 'He must be blocking me again. Damn him! Ever since my last battle with that 'ghost hunter', it seems as if part of his mind has been restored and he's been trying to resist me ever since! Urgh..here it comes!" growls Dusk as he braces himself.'

"He must be blocking me again. Damn him! Ever since my last battle with that 'ghost hunter', it seems as if part of his mind has been restored and he's been trying to resist me ever since! Urgh..here it comes!" growls Dusk as he braces himself.

With a single gesture of her hand, Rarity's bringing the 'cloud' of weaponized gems closer to her, cloaking once again and withdrawing a revolver from her hip.

For a brief moment, time seems to stand still as a series of wavelengths pulse around the entire building. Molecule by molecule, the very environment changes and is replaced entirely by a different place entirely. What was once the abandoned hospital now seems to be a castle enveloped in darkness. Behind Dusk and you, a dark force field traps them inside.

A piercing scream rings through the halls as if beckoning the wishborn to follow. Dusk unsheathes his sword and glances around, "What are you trying to accomplish, Dusk? Do you think I can be so easily defeated? That you will simply return to your body if I die? You are such a fool!"

Thankful that her invisibility spell hasn't worn off, Rarity's looking around, aiming the revolver in every direction calmly without a word.

Dusk, or rather the one some would call Florence, mutters to himself. He knew that Dusk couldn't respond to his verbal lashing but he did it anyway. "I suppose there's only one thing to do, if you're still hiding around here. Let's just get this over with." he says as he starts to follow the hall in the direction of the loud scream from earlier.

Even if she can't be seen, Rarity is still there, and following Florence with a guarded stance. The storm of gems is, likewise, floating after the duo with a single gesture from the invisible Generosity-bearer. "No point hiding."

(Dusk) As the two reach an intersection, a couple of paintings can be seen along the walls. The rest of the castle possesses objects one would typically find: empty suits of armor, flower vases with long dead flowers, and a royal carpet stretching across the ground. One particular painting stands out as something appears to be moving inside of it.

After a while, the cloaking spell Rarity had invoked on herself fades, leaving her rather voluptuous human figure exposed as she moves to examine the peculiar painting, armed with her revolver and the storm of shards.

Dusk eyes the two new directions and ponders which way to go before noticing Rarity observe the strange painting. Inside the painting are two sillhouettes, -talking- to each other. "Welcome back, daddy! How farest the trip?" asks one figure, whom's voice resembles a little girl. "Hahaha! My little princess! The gods of fortune have shined upon our kingdom! For not only did they fall before us, but I found a most wonderful object!" says the other figure, who seems to resemble an older man.

"What is this...?" With a raised eyebrow, Rarity's leaning forward slightly to get a better look at the living painting, casting a wary glance to both sides. "How unusual... Is this an illusion?"

Dusk winces as he hears the scream once more. "I once fought one of these not long after I made the pact with a few of the other wishborn before going my own way. It could either be a reflection of her past..or she is simply toying with us. Let's follow the scream."

(Dusk) "Truly, father? And what is it that you found?" she asks. "Hmm? Oh! Well, it's...listen my sweet, I need to address some matters. Do tend to your studies for me, will you?" he answers. "Aww..very well, father." With that, both figures disappear completely and another piercing scream can be heard from the north hall.

Dusk winces as he hears the scream once more. "I once fought one of these not long after I made the pact with a few of the other wishborn before going my own way. It could either be a reflection of her past..or she is simply toying with us. Let's follow the scream."

The second scream has Rarity frowning and turning to run north. "If she is just trying to play games, then we should be wary of our surroundings, because trapping - or separating - us may just be what she wants..."

Dusk gives a quick nod as he observes the other paintings on the walls for any other strange events. As they reach yet another intersection, a larger painting posted on the northern wall begins to show movement of two figures as well. "Sire, this is most troubling. Do you not realize what this is?" says one of the figures. "I see that it is a rune, but I thought that such things had to be embedded by runemasters. How did this happen?!" responds the angry king. "For normal runes, yes, your majesty. But this is different! The fact that it chose you and embedded itself to you makes it clear!" "Makes -what- clear?" "Your majesty..this is one of the 27 true runes!" "...That myth? Is it truly real?"

You say 'This just keeps getting stranger and stranger...'

As the figures inside the painting disperse, the same scream can be heard once more, coming from the west. Dusk nods towards you and begins to follow the west path.

Rarity turns west to keep pace with you, not daring to fall behind for even a second.

As Dusk continues west, they reach yet another intersection with paths leading north and south. This time, there are two paintings: a medium sized one and a larger one to its right. Two figures seem to be in the left painting.

The king then looks out the window, assumingly at the crowd, and raises his left hand. A red symbol burned into his hand flashes brightly. In the painting to the right, multiple figures forming a crowd around a courtyard then appear. Suddenly, the same red symbol appears over the crowd and forms a red cloud around them. A piercing scream, though not the same one that Dusk and you have been hearing, echoes outside of the painting as the cloud explodes upon the crowd, taking their lives and causing

As Dusk continues west, they reach yet another intersection with paths leading north and south. This time, there are two paintings: a medium sized one and a larger one to its right. Two figures seem to be in the left painting.

The king then looks out the window, assumingly at the crowd, and raises his left hand. A red symbol burned into his hand flashes brightly. In the painting to the right, multiple figures forming a crowd around a courtyard then appear. Suddenly, the same red symbol appears over the crowd and forms a red cloud around them. A piercing scream, though not the same one that Dusk and you have been hearing, echoes outside of the painting as the cloud explodes upon the crowd, taking their lives and causing

As Dusk continues west, they reach yet another intersection with paths leading north and south. This time, there are two paintings: a medium sized one and a larger one to its right. Two figures seem to be in the left painting.

(Dusk) The king appears to be suffering immensely in his chambers as his top advisor busts in from the side, "Your majesty! The crowds outside...they're out of control! They are slowly beginning to overpower the guards!" The king then manages to rise from his bed and stumble towards a window, "Your..majesty? Are you not well? What are you doing??"

(Dusk) The king then looks out the window, assumingly at the crowd, and raises his left hand. A red symbol burned into his hand flashes brightly. In the painting to the right, multiple figures forming a crowd around a courtyard then appear. Suddenly, the same red symbol appears over the crowd and forms a red cloud around them. A piercing scream, though not the same one that Dusk and you have been hearing, echoes outside of the painting as the cloud explodes upon the crowd, taking their lives and

(Dusk) causing the sillhouettes to disperse. As if being hit with recoil, a smaller version of the same cloud envelopes the king, releasing the same piercing scream. As he falls to the ground suffering, the figure of the familiar girl runs up to him in tears. "Daddy! Daddy! What...what happened to you?!"

This only serves to make Rarity more wary of the situation, and she starts looking around through narrowed eyes. "We're getting closer, aren't we...?"

As the figures in the painting disappear, the scream from before can be heard coming from the north, louder this time. They are indeed getting closer. "An interesting piece of magic he used there. By shedding a little of his life, he was able to take the lives of the entire crowd." says Dusk as he starts heading north.

You say 'As hard as I'm finding this to take... I'm just going to have to accept it, and focus on the true problem we're facing right now.'

(Dusk) At the end of this hall is one last intersection leading east and west, with a similar painting to the one seen on the last turn. The figures of the king and his daughter appear once more on them. The king appears to be suffering beyond compare.

(Dusk) "I'm..sorry..my daughter.." moans the king as his body starts to disappear in a orange, red cloud. "Daddy!..What..what's happening?!" cries the girl as she stares wide eyed into the rune on her left hand. "I fear..it's your burden now..you must not..use its power..." With that, the figure of the king disappears completely, leaving the girl alone in a fit of tears. The symbol of the rune appears once more on top of her and her figure fades.

(Dusk) The same scream as before, -very- loudly this time, can be heard coming from the east. At the same time, a series of torches light up along the walls, revealing a small fleet of stairs leading up to what appears to be a throne room.

With a resolute nod, Rarity's once again cloaking as she steps into the throne room silently.

"Could the girl seen in the paintings be the one who has become this witch? Perhaps she wished to have the rune removed.." says Dusk, hypothesizing. He then follows you into the throne room and looks around for their opponent. Towards the end of the room is a broken throne with a little girl sitting on it, keeping to herself and playing with a raggedy doll.

"Perhaps..." Careful not to speak too loudly as she sneaks over to the chair the little girl is sitting on, Rarity's raising her revolver, but taking no action besides that.

"Stop." commands the girl as she glares towards you. "You are in the presence of royalty. Kneel, knaves!" Dusk crosses his arms as he takes a few steps closer, "Do you see what kind of creature the cat is now? Taking a wish from one such as her, incapable of even standing in the presence of true terror? While I care not for the state of the fools who make the contracts, the more of them that make a wish, the more of these -things- there are."

'How did she...? I could've sworn I was being careful to avoid exposing myself...' Despite these thoughts, and the cloaking spell concealing her from view, Rarity's closing her eyes and bowing. "Forgive my transgressions..." Dusk's comment, meanwhile, gets a nod from the invisible Generosity-bearer.

"I find your presence to be most dissatisfying. You both deserve to be punished." she states as she holds her left hand up. The symbol seen before on the paintings glows brightly on her hand, "Face the consequences of your actions through the Rune of Punishment!" she shouts as a crimson cloud forms around her hand. Dusk grips his sword tightly and pours some power from his soul gem into it, causing a light 'soul blade' to extend from it. "Get back!" he shouts towards Rarity as he raises his left hand to fire two 'soul blasts' towards the girl in an attempt to distract her.

Simultaneously, Rarity's uncloaking and handspringing backwards to get out of range of the pair of blasts flying at the little girl. It's only once she lands that the humanized Element-bearer is raising a defensive barrier-dome comprised of gems around her and sending the shards at their target with two consecutive flicks of her wrist.

Dusk's soul blasts don't appear to harm the girl much, only causing her to briefly stagger and scream loudly. With you dodging just in time, the rune's blast covers a short radius of where she was standing, leaving a tiny crater behind. At the same time, a smaller crimson cloud forms around the girl and burns a part of her body. Not long afterwards, your spears pierce straight through the girl's body, causing her to slump over in a lifeless manner.

"I never would've considered delivering such lethal strikes against anyone back in Equestria, but here..." Guardedly, Rarity's watching the girl slump over, not entirely convinced she's been killed. "I'm finding it far easier, oddly, to attack with the intent to kill."

Dusk cautiously approaches Rarity while watching the dead girl, "That's only natural. Hesitation is a weakness, especially given the nature of our enemies." Suddenly, a crimson cloud forms over the girl's lifeless body! Her piercing scream echoes loudly across the room as it undergoes a massive transformation. As the cloud dies down, what remains is a large two headed tree-like creature. At its base are a series of roots that act as legs to help move it around. Above that is the symbol of the Rune of Punishment leading up to its massive branch-like slimy limbs. A few thorns are scattered across its arms and body leading up to the two heads, where one head seems to resemble the girl herself while the other is wearing what appears to be a crown, its face resembling that of the king seen in the previous paintings.

"...I had my suspicions, and for once, I deeply despise being right." With a soft sigh, Rarity's sprinting up to deliver a roundhouse kick to the double-headed Witch. "And I'm learning this the hard way, unfortunately."

The witch's heads take the kick but don't seem to react with any pain. It then proceeds to swipe its left arm at you while using its right arm to point towards Dusk. Dusk holds his soul blade up defensively expecting the creature to lunge in order to close the gap, but instead its arm simply begins to grow longer and more thorny branches start to grow of the side, each one attempting to surround him! Dusk proceeds to hack and slash away at the limbs but grits his teeth as he observes them constantly regrowing themselves.

The wild swipe connects with a surprised Rarity, sending her flying back into - and THROUGH - one wall with a yelp of pain. For a moment, all that's visible of the Element-bearer are her legs, though she pulls herself free and sends more gems flying up from the ground with a upward swipe of her hand.

The gems proceed to tear through the witch effortlessly, but just like with its right arm, the damaged sections simply regenerate themselves. Dusk then raises his hand and fires off a couple more soul blasts to push the right arm back. "Just how many times can it regrow itself?! Can it even feel pain?"

"I wonder..." As she concentrates, the barrier that was protecting Rarity crumbles, no longer maintained by her magic. At the same time, however, a small orb of fire forms above her outstretched right hand, just before she sends it flying at the Witch with a sideways sweep of her arm. "I'm not sure if this will work, but given what it looks like right now... And I hope it runs out of options to restore itself."

The orb its the witch dead on, but surprisingly, even on fire it doesn't seem to be effected. The witch then pulls its arms back and thrusts its bottom half outwards a little towards Dusk. The Rune of Punishment on said half glows brightly and is then enveloped by a crimson cloud. "Not the rune again!" shouts Dusk and he desperately attempts to dive out of the way.

"Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me...!" There's a dismayed expression on Rarity's face as she watches the orb impact harmlessly against the Witch, though it quickly turns to one of alarm as she sprints at Dusk with the intent to tackle him out of range. "Watch out!"

As Dusk finishes his dive, he rises to his feet and finds himself still in the blast radius. At the same time, he is tackled out of the way by you. As the blast from the Rune of Punishment makes contact to Dusk's previous position, it leaves behind a sizeable crater. At the same time, another crimson cloud briefly forms around the witch and disappears, causing her to shriek with pain.

Dusk's armored body makes a few sounds that echo across the hall as he clambers to his feet. "Gah..I can feel it..that rune is -very- powerful. If we get hit by even one of those blasts..look, did you see the recoil? It was just like with the king!"

"Ouch..." Cringing from the impact of her face against the armor you're wearing, and the forceful collision with the floor, Rarity's rolling over onto her back and flipping to her feet. "I saw, yes... And that's the reason we're going to make a point NOT to get hit by those."

"That rune seems to harness its bearer's own life to perform such a powerful blast. If we can't stop it from regenerating..." says Dusk as he glances towards you. Meanwhile the witch is steadily approaching them on its rootlike legs.

With a single gesture, Rarity's raising a simple 'blanket' of sharpened gems directly in the path of the advancing Witch, even as she quickly steps away to avoid it. "Well, we need to think of a way to outsmart it, then, and be careful we don't end up falling to it here..."

The blanket of gems seems to do a decent job tearing into the witch's roots and slowing it down, but as usual, the damaged sections are quickly repaired. "..then we just have to make it kill itself, like the rune did to the king." finishes Dusk as he grips his soul blade and moves to the witch's left side, slicing off the witch's entire left arm completely. A futile effort of course, as its arm begins to instantly regrow. Dusk starts to back away a little.

You say 'Of course... It's very crazy, but I have an idea that just might work...'

You use a royal purple Soul Gem.

After levitating her Soul Gem into the air, and pouring a small trace of her magic into it, a large amethyst rises up from the ground to encase Rarity, though her body is still visible through the translucent facets.

From within the massive amethyst, there's a build-up of magic, triggering a physiological change in Rarity as she closes her eyes. Suddenly, the unicornista's body seems to crystallize entirely, before cracking and shattering to reveal her now-humanized figure. Shortly afterward, the large amethyst encasing her shatters and falls away.

"Whatever works!" shouts Dusk as he darts to the witch's right, using his extended soul blade to lop off one of the heads. A futile maneuver, as the head simply begins to rapidly grow back. At the same time, the rune on the witch's stomache/torso catches his eye. After firing, the rune goes dim until it brightens up enough for the next blast. It may be a trick to the eye, but it almost seems like the rune's brightness briefly rose at an accelerated rate during the head's regeneration.

Seizing her own opportunity, Rarity's conjuring a blade of solid diamond and cleaving sideways through the other head, then backing off and opening fire with her revolver. "Overloading it might be useful... Don't let up, darling."

Doing this caused Dusk to drop his guard, however, as the witch stretched its other arm to knock Dusk's armored body a little ways back. As expected, the rune on her body has begun to brighten at an incredible rate, nearly ready to fire again!

Your cleave flawlessly removes the witch's second head, but only for a few seconds. The revolver rounds pierce a few holes in the body that begin to rapidly regenerate as well. At this point, the head on Dusk's side is almost completely regrown. "Overload, huh? I was thinking the same thing!" he shouts as he proceeds to enter a flurry of wipes at the creature, removing the head again and bits of the body.

Doing this caused Dusk to drop his guard, however, as the witch stretched its other arm to knock Dusk's armored body a little ways back. As expected, the rune on her body has begun to brighten at an incredible rate, nearly ready to fire again!

Even as Dusk gets knocked away by the Witch's other arm, Rarity's using her free hand to tear a large swath of gem shards from the ground, sheathing her diamond-blade before opening fire again and sending the cloud, for all intents and purposes, of precious stones flying forward simultaneously.

"Ugh!" he shouts as a series of metal 'clangs' echo throughout the room while Dusk bounces back a few times. He looks up just in time to see the cloud of gems pulverizing the witch as well as the brightly glowing rune. "This is it!" he shouts as the starts to rise to his feet. At the same time, the rune pulses once as the witch begins to face your direction. A crimson colored cloud begins to form around it.

With a nod, Rarity's cloaking and moving silently to what little cover is available, keeping her revolver trained on the Witch as she watches the cloud build once more. "I'll see if I can distract it long enough to give you the chance for the final blow..."

Confused that its target has disappeared, the witch instead turns towards Dusk to fire off the blast from the Rune of Punishment. "What?!" Dusk wasn't expecting the sudden change in target, and as the piercing scream from the rune echoes across the room, the crimson blast connects to Dusk's armor, sending him flying through the western wall and out of the room completely.

(Dusk) As planned, the witch shrieks in pain as the rune's recoil eats away at her once more. But she doesn't seem quite finished yet, as she continues to regenerate her lost pieces and stretches her branchlike arms all throughout the area she last saw you.

"...really not what I had intended. Will you be alright...?" With a sigh, Rarity's turning visible once again, standing out of the Witch's field of vision as she opens fire once more with her revolver and looks over to Dusk. "Surprise...!"

Satisfied that Dusk is probably dead, the witch begins to retract its arms a little before attempted to close them in around you. As with before, the revolver shots effortlessly tear through the witch's fragile treelike body.

Unbeknownst to the Witch, as 'Rarity' is ensnared by the vine-arms and quite possibly crushed, there's a faint glimmer over near Dusk as the real ex-Element bearer fades into view, tending to his injuries. "Wake up... Don't quit now. People are counting on us to beat this disgusting abomination!"

Portions of Dusk's armor have been blasted off of his body, and his helmet his barely hanging on. Dusk grits his teeth as he reaches his hands up to remove what's left of the helmet, revealing his face. "Heh..Dusk's armor is rather..impressive, is it not?" he mutters as he tosses the magical helmet aside and attempts to rise to his feet. The witch seems to enjoy violating every fiber of the other your being as its thorny arms render it into a lifeless heap. At the moment, it doesn't seem to notice that it's a distraction.

"It is quite impressive, yes. Don't get up too quickly - you did take quite a nasty blow from that disgustingly wretched thing... And it's time to end this." Even though she's not looking, Rarity's lifting her free hand to trigger a hidden feature in the fake near the Witch. With this, the pseudo-Rarity begins glowing and expanding, just before detonating from the high volume of gems contained inside it.

The impressive maneuver by the explosive clone succeeds in crippling the treelike creature, both arms are dismembered as are the heads. Many parts of the body have been blasted through, but this is all short lived as its body begins to regenerate from the damage. As it does so, the Rune of Punishment on its body begins to brighten quickly. Dusk, now on his feet, grabs his soulless blade. "It's going to fire again, once it sees us.." he mutters softly, teeth still gritting from the pain.

"Well, we can't avoid that, since it can see me even when I've gone invisible." Finally, Rarity turns, not minding the grisly remains of her fake and the splintered gem fragments littering the floor of the main chamber as she steps into it. "We'll just have to hit it HARD, and give it no chance to regenerate!"

"That's not going to work! Haven't you been listening?!" shouts Dusk as he stumbles back inside the throne room. Responding to their shouting, the witch turns towards them with a seeming glare on its faces. It then proceeds to form a crimson cloud around itself as the rune begins to pulsate. "Damnit! Get down!" grunts Dusk as he fires a few soul blasts towards the witch in an attempt to slow it down. At the same time, he charges after you and attempts to tackle her out of the way.

As she's tackled, Rarity's face impacts forcefully against the floor, eliciting a pained yelp from the former Generosity bearer. "Well, what do you suggest, th-OUCH! My face!"

More or less safely out of the way, the Rune of Punishment flashes brightly as a screaming sound races by Dusk and you. Barely within range, the blast knicks Dusk's left hand, tearing the magical plating off of it and causing it to bleed slightly. The rest of the blast takes out the wall behind them and leaves a bit of a crater in the floor in front of it. With that, the recoil comes racing back towards the witch. It shrieks in pain as a crimson cloud starts to form around it, slowly consuming what's left of the monstrosity's body. Dusk glances towards his armorless hand for a second and releases his hold on you, slowly rising to his fight. "That."

Rarity slowly pushes herself back to her feet, turning to one side to spit out a broken tooth before pulling her revolver free and raising it to open fire again. There's only a click, however, before the trigger jams. "That works, and you've got to be kidding me... Why does my firearm pick NOW to break down?" Sighing, she's throwing the useless firearm aside and settling for sending uprooted shards of rock flying forth.

(Dusk) The rock shards tear into the dying witch, but don't seem to accomplish much. "YOU ARE BOTH FOOLS. WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST LET ME KILL YOU? YOU WOULD HAVE SUFFERED LESS THAT WAY! I'VE KEPT THE RUNE SAFE, WHERE IT WOULD STAY WITH ME FOR ALL ETERNITY AND THE SUFFERING WOULD BE MINE ALONE. AND NOW LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" screams the beast as it rolls about in pain. Bit by bit, the body is gradually disappearing, being..eaten by the rune.

Rarity shakes her head, for once lacking her usual compassion or any trace of her generous disposition. "No. You brought this upon yourself, by failing to realize what that rune was doing to you every time you chose to attack us. Farewell, you disgusting wretch."

"Do you expect us to pity you? How sad." states Dusk as he sheathes his sword. "YOU'VE SEEN THE IMAGES OF MY PAST YET STILL YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. THE RUNE OF PUNISHMENT CONSUMES ALL LIFE. IT DRAWS MALEVOLENT FATE TOWARDS ITS BEARER LEAVING THEM NO CHOICE BUT TO SACRIFICE THEMSELVES TO IT." groans the creature loudly. It desperately tries to finish before the last of its body is annihilated, "IT IS NOT..JUST SOME OBJECT..IT'S A MONSTER..THAT HOPS FROM BEARER TO BEARER...UNTIL IT CONSUMES THEM COMPLETELY..AND NOW...HEHEHE...IT'S YOURS!" With that, the symbol for the Rune of Punishment appears over what remains of the crimson cloud as it begins to dissipate, the creature's body no longer in sight. And instantaneously, the symbol flies into Dusk's unarmored left hand. "Gah! What the..!" he growls as he grasps his left hand with his right.

"Oh, my..." Rarity's watching this with a dismayed expression, before moving in close to try and pull the rune away with magic. "Hold on, and I'll try to help you!"

Dusk's hand glows red for a moment as the rune shrieks loudly, resisting your attempt to halt it. As it burns itself into Dusk's hand, he growls with pain. "Is that happened?! Her father died and it chose her!? And now this! Damn!!"

You use a royal purple Soul Gem.

With a soft sigh, the amethyst encasing erupts from the ground once again at Rarity's command, surrounding her long enough to provide cover for her regression back to her 'normal' form, as her body once again crystallizes and shatters. Only a moment later, the larger amethyst also splinters into small shards around her.

"What a sad fate for her... But I won't let it be the same fate for you, even if I no longer hold the Element of Generosity!" Simultaneously, Rarity's returning to her 'normal' form, and wasting no time in pulling at the rune before it fuses fully with your hand.

"Is this what happened?! The rune passed to her after killing the King!?" shouts Dusk, clearly in some bout of pain. At the same time, the witch's lair crackles apart and tears away from existance, where the wishborn now find themselves back in the abandoned hospital. Expectedly, the witch's grief seed lies still on the ruined ground. The rune resists your attempts to stop it and even goes as far as emitting a forceful 'pulse', sending both her and Dusk to the ground in separate directions.

With a grunt, Rarity's sent flying into one wall by the energy-pulse, collapsing to the floor after impacting it and dazedly rising to her hooves. "Indeed so... Ow..." Shaking her head, the unicornista's retrieving the seed with her magic, working furiously to pry the rune loose at the same time. "Please, hold on... I'm not giving up on trying to get that Celestia-forsaken thing away from you!"

Despite her efforts, the rune completes its process and emits a brief crimson cloud above Dusk's left hand before dissipating. Dusk grits his teeth as he leans up and stares at his hand, "..what will happen now, I wonder? I don't..seem to be in any immediate danger.." As Dusk starts to stand up, his magical cyan armor fades away. Underneath that armor, he is clearly bruised and beaten up. "If she still had the Rune of Punishment..then what did she wish for?" he asks idly as he stares at his hand, hoping nothing unfortunate spontaneously occures.

"I don't quite know, and maybe she wanted to get back at her father for leaving her alone like that...?" Rarity turns towards the entrance, levitating the Grief Seed over to you at the same time she trots closer to tend to your injuries. Which is odd, considering the fact that the unicornista has more than her own share of bruises from the fight's aftermath.

"This turn of events complicates things.." Dusk mutters softly. "I can't perform the transmutation knowing this..'wild card' is now in play." He glances over at the grief seed then turns to look at you. "The cat didn't explain much to me how this..works..is it capable of cleansing both of our gems?"

You say 'As I understand, yes. Mine's been cleaned, already, with one I'd made the mistake of keeping for too long.'

"It seems we have at least one thing in common, then." Dusk chuckles softly as he reaches his hand out for the soul gem. Reaching for his own gem, Dusk places the two together and watches the magic go by. He's only done this once before, when Oxcarts gave him the seed the first time. As it finishes its process, Dusk examines his gem, noticing it return to its once vibrant cyan color. Dusk nods after putting his own gem away, "I'm going to have to do some more research. There's no telling what this..rune..will have an affect on. And it's time I returned to see the cat once more to return this. I have questions for it."

Rarity experimentally scans the rune embedded in your hand with her magic, aware that it can't be easily removed by now as she finishes tending to your wounds. "If you need a place to work... I can more than likely convince Sweetie Belle to let you use the Carousel Boutique for it."

Dusk shakes his head, "I have my workplaces. An amusing offer, though. But perhaps you should return there for now. I'm going to need some time to figure this out before your presence will be required." It would seem that Dusk doesn't remember the shape his heartless left the place in. At the same time, Dusk thinks to himself, 'And Oxcarts owes me some answers. He had to have known about the rune.'

You say "I see. If, at any time in the future, you need it, though... The Carousel Boutique will be open to you for anything you might need. And, speaking of the Boutique... You still owe me a few display cases, ponyquins, and a new front door. Not to mention money for those dresses your 'associates' ruined."

Dusk chuckles loudly as it all comes flooding back to him. "Ah yes, my 'associates', as you put them, do tend to get a little carried away. They are a..hearty little bunch! Hehehehehe. Unfortunately, monetary aspects have never been an important part of my existance. But such is the price for freedom of this curse, wouldn't you say?" Dusk seems to value this friendly neutral relationship that has been estabilished.

"This is true, yes." At this, Rarity's laughing politely, though there's still a faint undertone of seriousness. "At the very least, help me find the materials for new cases and displays. I can handle the door, if need be."

Dusk thinks for a minute and snaps his fingers. A small pool of darkness forms in front of them as a couple grunt heartless rise out of it. "Gentlemen. Do honor the lady's request and 'acquire' whatever she needs." Saying that causes Dusk to let out a brief wicked laugh, "Oh Dusk, you would be so proud of me. I can be a gentle knight too! Hahahahaha!" The two shadow grunts look at each other then over to Rarity, slightly confused.

With a helpless shrug, Rarity's turning back for the entrance of the hospital, retrieving the discarded - and jammed - revolver on the way out. "Well, let's get started with finding the materials...""Hmm." mutters Dusk as he snaps his fingers once more, this time summoning a small armored heartless. "For now, let us part ways. I know where to find your establishment when I'm ready for you again. These three will assist you however they can and escort you back to Truce. Do be firm with the little ones, they often need to be told multiple times before they do something right." With that, Dusk begins to head down a hall to the east leading to a stairway.

You say 'Thank you, and I understand. Good luck with your research, and godspeed.'