"Why can't I cut her open?" Dr. Atmosphere fumed as he flung yet another dulled instrument against the wall in his laboratory. It stuck into the steel wall with a hefty thud.

The floor was quite literally covered with a variety of tools, ranging from scalpels to chainsaws. And all of them dulled or busted from trying to make so much as a scratch on that magnificent suit. Yet it was covered it in scratches and scars from her previous battles. What could possibly be different about this time?

It was the getting to the point where he was contemplating breaking open the Rainbow Facility's armory for the heavy explosives; protocols be damned. But that would not look good on the monthly progress report. Then again, damn those bureaucrats. The Enclave had been bad enough, but now, the NCR was like a children's club where the leaders kept on making new rules. He could practically hear them squabbling about who got to play on the swingset first. It was moments like these that made him wish he were an dimwitted fool.

At least then he could bang his skull against a few rocks to forget his simple troubles.

But, alas, his desire to see what lay beneath the shrouds of metal flesh, to understand the inner workings of all things, had forced him down such an unhappy path. Perhaps the fire axe they kept out in the hall would make him feel happy again.

A moment later, the broken handle in hoof, he was almost rabid with frustration. He watched as the mare's chest rose and fell with steady, unconscious breathing, yet he couldn't so much as crack a single rib. It was madness. Everything could be taken apart. Why not her? There were even tears where the dark magic and pink gas had burst from inside her during her enragement.

But those were no good, she was a ghoul, the suit was bonded to her flesh, a piece of her. He'd have better luck skinning a diamond.

"I see you're exactly where I left you," said a voice from the doorway. He turned lazily towards the speaker and saw the purple alicorn. "Yet again, making another mess. Admittedly a little less sticky this time."

"Disappointed? I thought you hated getting your hooves dirty," Atmosphere mused dryly. "What brings Pretentious Upstart to my inner sanctum," he mocked dramatically.

The so-called Pretentious merely rolled her eyes and used her magic to levitate a crystal container out of a saddlebag and show it to the Doctor. Inside was a black and purple substance, glowing dimly with a pulsating light.

Momentarily forgetting his melancholy, Atmosphere leaned forward and examined the canister with mild curiosity. "What is this?"

"Dark magic. The engineers pulled from the Spectrum Sifter whilst dividing up your marefriend's essence," Pretentious stated calmly.

That caught the Doctor's attention. "Pulled? How? Dark magic is unstable, it should have just vanished... poof... like dust. It's uncontrollable."

"And yet it resides within a jar," Pretentious snorted in amusement as she shook it before his eyes in a taunting manner.

Atmosphere rolled his eyes and groaned wearily at her childish actions. "It's probably just the pink fumes tainting it. Useless, the slightest moister gets into it and it'll dissipate. Why would you bring it here anyway? You can't dissect magic."

Pretentious let out a longsuffering sigh. "It was still something that was inside of her. Can't you at least give me some credit?"

"Ugh, fine," Atmosphere said as he took the jar from her magical grasp and set it down beside the mare on the table. Then he took out a magnifying glass and promptly began examining it. It was not so much as to humor her, as it was simply professional.

"Did they mention whether or not it came out in one piece? It looks like sludge. I certainly hope none of it got into the Spectrum vats, it would take days to filter it all out."

"They did mention something about it being rather clingy," Pretentious said, thinking while tapping her chin. "Other than it being slimy? Is there anything unique about it?"

Atmosphere laid the glass down and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "How should I know? Magic isn't my field. Which was why I wasn't chosen to help in the Pegasus Pony Project." He mumbled slightly before adding, "Not like a could learn much from dissecting pathetic foals anyway."

"How did you ever get to be the head of the Biology Department?" Pretentious muttered to herself. If the Doctor heard, he gave no sign. "The investigation into the crash has been concluded."

"And?" Atmosphere asked, turning his eyes towards her.

"Internal Affairs came to the agreement that there was no other course of action," she stated as if from a script. "And... as much as I hate to admit it... they are right. Damage to government property, unauthorized use of the Spectra Extractor, and willfully ramming a military airship into said property all resulted in an estimated casualty culmination far lower than any other course of action. In fact, I have been ordered to congratulate you on your quick thinking that saved most of the crew, successfully keeping an NCR airship from the control of an enemy of the state, and successfully subduing said enemy of the state."

She lifted her chin and gave him a glare. "Congratulations, you're a hero."

"Better than I expected," Atmosphere chuckled. It really was, he had been expecting at least a...

"Never the less, punishment for unsuccessfully keeping her restrained in the first place is in order," the alicorn quickly cut off his train of thought while a vicious smirk cut across her face.

"And there it was." The Doctor gave the canister a tap and sat up on the table, folding his wings to the side. "You didn't need to bring this thing to me." He motioned to the canister. "You just wanted to play me like a damn fiddle. Then pull the strings at the last moment."

Pretentious nodded. "Of course. Now, I am to escort you to the detention center to await review."

"But what about my project?" Atmosphere snapped defensively, gesturing towards the mare on the table. "I can't just leave her."

"That's exactly what you will do, Dr. Atmosphere," Pretentious snapped back, roughly grabbing him in her magic and hoisting him up, making sure to keep his wings pinned against his sides. She snorted at his struggles and dragged him, cursing and screaming, out the door. Which she promptly slammed behind her.

As was well known, alicorn strength was nothing to sneeze at, and the very act of the door closing with such brute force caused the canister on the table to moved towards the edge. But it didn't fall, in fact, its base barely peaked over. It was when a red shimmer erupted around it and struck one of Andromeda's legs, causing it to convulse violently, thus tipping over the side, that it broke.

Free of it's containment, the magical substance slid across the floor like a slug, and then up the table leg and seeped right inside of the tears of the suit. Almost immediately, the HUD came on and Peppy lit up.

---UNIT PEPPY: ONLINE--- DISENGAGING PERCEPTION FILTER---

With a sound of tiny bells, the illusion that protected the secrets of the suit fell away, revealing a the truth that the Doctor had been unable to see.

Mercy Andromeda would have been thankful that her senses were momentarily numbed. As her body appeared to have been attacked by a deranged meat grinder on ment-als. The advanced tooling and passion that Atmosphere had possessed had indeed allowed him to break through her suit(still tough enough to damage them) and mangle her living corpse of a body. Thankfully, the pink gas and dark magic quickly began mending all the damage he had caused, melding black crystal and flesh together as one.

At the same time, the suit was slowly pulling itself together as well. But, there was a difference from before. The seams between the torn shreds appeared like black cracks and spider webbing. one of his strikes had hit her already damaged helmet, sending the razor sharp shards across the left side of her face, slicing of portion of her mane and ruining her eye. These too were being regenerated differently. The bits of her mane were now growing back black, and her eye became dark gray with a red pupil. The only damaged piece of her that went unchanged was her helmet, remaining as transparent and round as ever.

---SUBJECT STATUS: DECEASED--- CONDITION: STABLE--- BEGINNING OVERRIDE OF SUBJECT: MERCY ANDROMEDA---

---NERVE CENTER: OVERRIDDEN---

---PERCEPTION: OVERRIDDEN---

---TOUCH: OVERRIDDEN---

---TASTE: OVERRIDDEN---

---SMELL: OVERRIDDEN---

---HEARING: OVERRIDDEN---

---UNIT PEPPY: IN CONTROL---

---UNSANCTIONED ANOMALY DETECTED--- PIPBUCK EXPERIENCING MALFUNCTION--- PREPARING SYSTEM WIP%5^@#'{0000000101101--- REDACTED--- UPLOADING NEW DIRECTIVE--- COMPLETE--- SUBROUTINE: BLACK BOOK: IN EFFECT--- SYSTEM OVERRIDE: COMPLETE--- UPLOADING NONSTANDARD CODING---

---WARNING--- NONSTANDARD CODING MAY CAUSE CHANGES TO THIS UNIT--- SUGGESTION--- CEASE THIS COURSE OF ACTION---

---OVERRIDDEN---

---UPDATE STATUS--- CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THIS UNIT--- CONTACT TECHNICAL SUPPORT IF PROBLEMS ARISE---

Slowly, as the final repairs to her body were completed, the mare rolled over and onto the floor. The remains of the broken canister crunched beneath her boots as she rose up to all fours and promptly opened her eyes. watching as the hair of her main lifted under the glamour spell, making her hair presentable, even if it was by no means necessary. She scanned the room she was in for a moment and took a deep breath.

"It's been a while," she spoke with a slight smile as she stretched, feeling every fiber pull and contract. It felt marvelous. "Forgive me, Mercy, but there are some things I need to do that need to be done with a clearer head. But don't worry, I shan't be long."

Her eyes fell upon a computer terminal sitting upon a desk. "Ooh, that will do nicely."

As fate would have it, the Doctor was very meticulous in his work, ensuring his computer was always locked down with the best password his intellect could devise. The mare was inside in less than two guesses.

1Msup3r10r

"Seriously?" she quirked up an eyebrow at that, staring at it intently for a few minutes. Apparently he lacked in certain fields. "Okay, enough of that. Time to get to work."

Connecting her PipBuck to the terminal, she quickly brought up the magical Trojan Horse program she managed to infect the computers with before being subdued by the Spectra Extractor. She smiled as the family image appeared before her. This had worked out perfectly.

She had always been slightly more independent than Andromeda and the rest of the staff at Command knew. All except one. But even she hardly had an inkling of what her creation was truly capable of. Always overlooked as just a fragment that fit in its place and performed its allotted task. A little slice of love.

But there in lay the dilemma. Love could not be cut. It was a candle lighting another candle. A flame that could not dim, no matter how far it was spread. Whatever it touched would simply increase its magnificent light.

She was oh so special.

---DOWNLOADING FILES---

---HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR--- DOWNLOADED---

---DJ-PON3 GREATEST HITS--- DOWNLOADED---

---WASTELAND SURVIVAL GUIDE--- DOWNLOADED---

---FALL OF THE GRAND PEGASUS ENCLAVE--- DOWNLOADED---

---NEW CANTERLOT REPUBLIC RECORDS--- DOWNLOADED---

---THE BOOK OF LITTLEPIP--- DOWNLOADED---

As each new file was uploaded to mainframe about her neck, her smug expression began to fall as she witnessed the truth tear a hole in her heart.

"H-hello? Is anypony there?" Andromeda asked as she walked about the fractured void. It was like a somepony had attached a kaleidoscope to a strobe light in that place. It was very quite. Even worse... it was extremely lonely.

"Is this hell?" she asked to no one in particular. The sound of her own voice the only company she had at the moment. "Is this my punishment? My punishment for living? For wanting to hold my children again? For wanting to be held by my husband again?"

Her voice rose to an angry shout, and the void shook. "They were already torn from me. I chased ghosts across a world that's gone mad." She spun around, searching for the demons that would eternally torment her. "You think you can just do this to me? I heard the cries of my family calling out to me. I was giving hope... only for it to be torn away because I happened to be born Mercy Andromeda."

No demons or other specters presented themselves. But she remained weary, twisting her head around and shifting her eyes over everything. But there was not but colorful nothingness.

"You know," said as she sat down on her rump and beat the ground with a hoof, noticing for the first time that she was no longer wearing her suit, "I should have expected something like this. I really should have." She turned her attention to the ground. If it would be called that. "What else could have happened? Tossed aside like a used rag. Well... you know what? You can forget it."

She rose back to all fours and raised her head, hot tears sliding down her cheeks. "You have dragged me through horror, terror, disdain and despair. Taken everything from me. Well, you know what... this mare is not going to go down like that. I accept that I cannot undo what has been done, and I will move forward. There's a little filly out there in that brutal world that calls me 'mommy'. And I'll be damned if I fail to answer her cries as well. I'll do what it takes to claw my way out of here."

She turned to look at her flanks. "Do you see this?" she demanded, meaning her cutie mark. It was a simple gold star embraced in two white wings. "This mark means I am special. I earned it. My destiny is clear, and clearly it is mine to fulfill as I see fit." She whipped her head back to glare at the sky and reared up to strike a determined pose. "My horn shall pierce this abyss. Breaking me free." she dropped down and gave a determined scowl upwards. "So... tell me. Just who the hell do you think I am?"

"I think you need to dial it back a bit, dear."

It was not that Mercy hadn't expected anyone else to be there. But she had yelped in surprise all the same. She whirled around, dropping to a defensive stance and growled at the newcomer. Then cocked her eyes and confusion.

"What the..."

It was a white shard. Just hovering there, unmoving.

"What are you? I didn't expect demons to look like that," she said as she began to circle it. Her every step carefully, and her muscles tensed. "I was expecting something a little more... you know... red. With curved horns and jagged teeth. Maybe some tentacles and tattered wings."

She stopped and growled again as another crystal appeared, fusing with the first.

"I am not some garish demon," the crystal solidly stated. Andromeda could almost swear she saw a pair of eyes rolling. "You'll just have to excuse my appearance. Your... rather large outburst did quite a number on me. The rendering will take a few moments."

"I see," Andromeda said, not entirely trusting this stranger. But there was a small sense of awkwardness creeping into her. "So did I kill you? Or... wound you, and they couldn't seal it in time to save your life? I am not going to apologize."

"You may want to rethink that last part, darling," the crystal said, a few more pieces having attached themselves since then. "And, no, I am not dead."

---DENIAL---

"Ack," Andromeda gagged as the purple words suddenly appeared out of thin air between them. "The buck... shit... momma's shriveled teats. Peppy? Are you dead too?"

---THIS UNIT WAS NEVER ALIVE---

The crystal, now begging to take on some kind of form, groaned dramatically. "Really? I need to delete that dialog. It's simply not healthy for your poor psyche."

---CORRECTION--- THIS UNIT IS DESIGNED TO BENEFIT THE HEALTH OF SUBJECT: SPACE CAPTAIN MERCY ANDROMEDA---

"And you've done a poor job of it," the crystal said waving a newly formed hoof at the floating words as though they were an object of disgust.

---INCORRECT--- THIS UNIT VERIFIES THAT SUBJECT: SPACE CAPTAIN ANDROMEDA STILL TAKES COMFORT IN THIS UNIT'S PRESENCE---

"She didn't take comfort in you, you pathetic excuse for a JoyBoy," the crystal retorted, stomping the ground in aggravation. "She took it from me. I'm the one who kept her alive for two hundred years." Andromeda's ears perked up at that and she shifted her attention to the crystals. There was something familiar about them. "I'm the one who suppressed your logic systems just so that you would throw out that tether when she tried to commit suicide. I'm the one who played her those messages to whenever she was feeling despair. It was only by divine blessing that Andromeda's incessant need to play word games forced errors out of you so that I could gradually take more control, and at least give her the companionship she needed."

Andromeda didn't know what to think. These two... well, they were arguing over her. Or, at least, the crystal, though more pony now, was doing just that. Peppy was simply stating logical facts. In fact, a little too logical from what she was used to. She didn't know what exactly was going on, but she did know that this pointless argument wasn't going to give her any answers.

"SHUT THE FUCKING SHIT UP."

The crystal pony paused in mid sentence.

---THIS UNIT IS ONLY CAPABLE OF TEXT---

"Buck you, Peppy," Andromeda hissed with a facehoof. "Now, you both... actually, no, stay out of this Peppy. You," she pointed at the pony, "start talking. What going on?"

"I would be happy to, Mercy." The pony had a mouth now. A little crude and pixelated, but functional non the less. "I was placed inside your PipBuck as a means of creating a more personal interactive experience. One that would be able to shift and conform to your needs and emotional state as the situation saw fit."

Andromeda nodded and sat down, ears tilted forward to give the pony her full attention. "Keep going."

"There isn't really that much to tell, darling. And it would be wasting valuable time to just jabber when time is of the essence. You see, I'm a piece of a soul. Broken off and placed into a crystal vacuum tube for direct interaction with your PipBuck. I was there to help resolve any errors it should experience. But, every time it experienced an error, I gained a bit more control over it. A little blessing that allowed me to reach out to you a little more each day."

Andromeda had ceased all movement as she watched amethyst curls starts to form the pony's tail. He breath caught in her throat.

"The dark magic surge you experienced utterly disrupted the remaining barriers. Thanks to that, I managed hold your body together and activate the non-magic defense technologies in your suit before being pulled out. I'm not quite sure myself how I survived, intact. By all rights, I should be dead. Praise all divinity, I managed to get back here to repair you. The horrid Doctor Atmosphere shall pay for what he did to your body."

Andromeda let out a strangled sob and lunged forward, wrapping her hooves about the mare's neck. Tears flowed like a river down her cheeks as she embraced the older mare before her, dreading the thought of letting go. "Don't worry about that pegasus. With you by my side, he'll die like the pervert he is, and the rest of the NCR with him."

"About that, Mercy, darling, I'm afraid you're going to have to turn yourself in," Rarity said as she returned the affectionate hug of her friend.