//------------------------------//
// 17. The Final Step? 
// Story: Monster Huntress Diamond 
// by HappyPillz 
//------------------------------//

Rarity exhaled loudly, feeling a state of calm that she hadn’t felt in quite some time. She looked around. 
Equestria. She was home. She was no longer a pony, there was a giant dead monster right next to her, but she was home, and her friends were here with her.
Her eyes went wide. Her friends. She hadn’t seen anything that happened while she was attacking, nor had Syd rejoined the fight.
She dashed back around the astalos toward the group now standing together.
“Is everyone ok?" she asked in a panic. “How’s Syd?”
Her questions were answered simply with a look; Sydreol sat next to Fluttershy, but with a large wound still present across his face and chest. Twilight was laying on the ground, her wing spread wide, mangled in painful angles, though Rarity could see them mending slowly, spreading from her body toward the tips. Pinkie sat with several large gashes on her leg, whimpering as she waited for them to heal, and Luna showed signs of singed feathers and fur, suggesting she came in contact with an energy pillar at one point.
“So… not just their physiology, Rares. I’m healing really slowly, too.” Sydreol drolled, obviously unhappy with this turn of events. “A number one priority will be keeping all monsters from coming in here in the future. We can’t possibly fight them here if our medicine works this shitty.”
“Why, though?” Rarity asked. “It makes no sense that it wouldn’t work the same here…”
“I actually think it does make sense,” Twilight chimed in. “I mean, if you think about it, a potion that can heal you from the brink of death in seconds? That’s not just some herb or something, Rarity. That’s a magical effect. Maybe it’s inherent in nature in their world, but that sort of thing doesn’t exist here. We have a natural magic inherent to our world, and apparently they have a natural magic inherent to theirs. My guess is that any crossover of that magic causes it to go haywire and not work correctly. So, bring over a magic potion from another world, and the magic potion won’t work quite as intended. At least they still heal, just… slowly.”
Everyone stared at Twilight.
Rarity turned to Sydreol. “So, that’s Twilight. If you ever want your problems explained instantly, come to her, and she’ll tell you exactly what’s going on. Then she’ll probably probe and test you for months and have anxiety attacks over the results.”
“Hey!” Twilight protested.
“She’s got you down, Twi. Can’t argue with it.” Rainbow snickered.
“So, Rowrity,” Cinnamon interjected. “When the hell did you learn how to go into an amped state? I’ve never seen anyone do that before, I’ve only heard about it!”
“What state?” Rarity replied in confusion.
“Amped state.” Cinnamon said. “You were literally charged up with lightning or something for like ten minutes. You just went crazy on the thing. Didn’t you notice that you were pretty much swinging full force nonstop without getting tired? Then when you hit it at the end you pretty much blew its insides apart.”
All the ponies visibly paled, and Fluttershy passed out.
“Really? No, I honestly didn’t notice… I just… kinda got really mad, I guess, when Syd got hurt.”
“Aww, you like me!” Sydreol cooed in a mock-affectionate tone.
“Go to hell, asshat.” Rarity turned to Twilight. “So, back to the task at hand, can we use the staff to drain magic from crystals and monsters back in their world? That’s the reason we came here right now.”
“Wait, you mean you didn’t come to see us?” Pinkie said in hurt shock.
“Of course I wanted to see you all!” Rarity said, half reassuring and half insulted they’d think she forgot about them. “But right now their village is being threatened by a monster that could destroy them at any moment, so I had to prioritize that over a friendly visit! I was hoping I could see you all while I was here, of course, and here we all are, so it worked out perfectly! Minus the whole giant monster nearly killing us.”
“I understand,” Twilight said. She looked up from her prone position, still unable to move without hurting her wing. “Their safety does come first. But, I don’t think we can have you bring the staff there.”
Rarity’s face fell, and it seemed as though she was about ready to cry.
“Why not?" she whimpered.
“Because it’s a magical item, just like the potions were,” Twilight said. “Who knows what it would do in a different world. If little potions react differently, what would an item of immense power like the staff do?”
Rarity sat on the ground in defeat, staring at the portal. “That was my last idea. We have to drain that magic away somehow.”
The portal swirled and shimmered; she could see the entire wall of crystal on the other side, taunting her, just out of her reach. 
Is it?
She sat bolt upright as a thought occurred to her.
“Twilight! Can you use the staff through the portal?”
“You mean keep the staff on our side, and try to siphon the magic across the dimensions?” Twilight said in disbelief.
“Yes!” Rarity emphasized. “I mean, if the magic can just leak across, and there’s a rift, why not? We can see the crystals from here!”
“I suppose we can give it a try, but would it even work in the first place? Remember how it didn’t do anything until I touched that monster thing? Wouldn’t I have to touch the crystals first?”
“You did!” Rarity laughed. “The monsters have the crystals embedded in them, that’s how they have magic.”
“I guess there’s nothing for it but to try, then.” Twilight admitted. “You’ll have to do the honors, though, I’m kind of out of commission.”
“Of course.” Rarity picked up the staff and made her way to the portal. Taking a deep breath, she pointed the staff at the crystals on the other side.
Nothing.
“Dammit!”
She dropped the staff, her shoulders sagging in defeat.
“Rowrity?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you find them with your magic? Maybe they’re not in the exact spot you can see them in the portal,” Cinnamon suggested.
Rarity’s ears perked up, and her eyes brightened. She quickly pulsed her horn, and her eyes shot upward.
“Cinnamon, I could kiss you!”
“Please don’t.”
She picked up the staff as fast as she could, pointing it at the top of the portal, and it immediately began to siphon magic rapidly, humming loudly with magical energy that drained through the rift. 
It jolted and tugged at her arms, shaking wildly with the sheer volume of magic flowing into it, and she heard the cheers of Syd and Cinnamon behind her while she struggled to keep it under control.
She stood for what seemed like an eternity, her arms tiring from holding the staff, and it still kept siphoning. “How much can that thing hold?” Sydreol leaned over and asked Twilight in amazement.
“I’m not sure it has a limit, actually,” she responded. “When we first encountered it, it was used as a weapon against us, and it stole all the magic from me, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence, who is the ruler of an empire far from here. If it can hold the magic of all four of us at once, who knows how much more it could do.”
“It drained everything from you guys? You pretty much are magic incarnate, she moves the sun, she moves the moon, and it stole all that? Holy shit.”
“So, just how much magic is she trying to drain?” Twilight asked. “You said it’s stored in crystals? And somehow monsters?”
“Yeah, it leaked over from your world, and these crystals run in veins all through the ground, so we have no idea how far they go. But they soak up your magic like a sponge, and when there’s too much in them, they explode. And if a monster is nearby, the monster gets magic crystals stuck in them and gets turned into a magic super monster from hell. I think we’re still going to have a big problem when we get back, though.”
“And what, pray tell, might those problems be?” Luna asked.
“She’s draining the crystals, not the monsters. They’re still going to have magic. I don’t know if it will be as strong without the crystals to reinforce them, but they’re still going to be charged, and we’re going to have to take them out. And we’re going to have to keep this from building back up again. Plus, we’re either going to need to close this rift, or station someone to make sure no other monsters get in.”
“You know, speaking of that…” Twilight perked up, does your world have monsters that are like a combination of lizards and wolves?” 
Rarity almost dropped the staff. 
“What?”
“Yesterday we had these really strange looking wolf-lizard things show up in Ponyville. They were really aggressive, and tried attacking some ponies. We’ve never seen them before; we thought they might have been from beyond the Everfree, but now, I’m guessing they might be from your world?”
“Those sound like jagras to me,” Sydreol said.
“Was anypony hurt? Were you able to kill them?” Rarity asked.
“Kill them? No, no! We didn’t kill them! We have them caged up right now, thankfully nopony was seriously hurt, just some minor injuries. Fluttershy has been trying to get through to them, but she hasn’t had any luck yet.”
“They’ve eaten several of my animals that came close to say hello,” she said with teary eyes. “I don’t like them. But, we just can’t kill them… maybe we could bring them back here?”
Rarity, Sydreol, and Cinnamon stared at them all incredulously.
“I think we need to make a stop in Ponyville after this.” Rarity said simply. 
“Agreed.” Sydreol and Cinnamon said in unison.
Rarity’s eyes roamed over Sydreol momentarily. “Your wounds appear to have healed, Syd. How are you feeling?”
He stretched and stood, looking himself over. “Feelin’ good. I think I’m back to one hundred percent. Just took forever, but the potions did their job.”
Rarity smirked slyly.
“Great to hear! While I’m draining the crystals, how about you make yourself useful and go carve materials from the astalos?”
He stared at her before getting out his knife and starting toward the astalos. “You are a cold, heartless woman, you know that?”
“Nah, I’m just a mare that knows what she wants. And since I finished killing it while you took a nap over here, you can have the fun of carving it up.”
“Brutal, Rares,” snickered Rainbow. “I think I like this new you. I have to admit, that was the most badass thing I’ve ever seen. Just what have they been teaching you there?”
“Oh, just a little of this and a little of that,” Rarity grinned. “One has to learn some tricks to take down monsters like that consistently.”
“This is something you do often?” Celestia asked in shock.
“Every once in a while, we have to.” Rarity said.
“Stop being modest, Rowrity,” Cinnamon said hotly. 
“Sorry, what?” Celestia asked.
“Rowrity has probably become our most important hunter over the last year,” Cinnamon announced. “She’s the only one who can find the aberrant monsters, and she’s the only one who’s been present in killing every single aberrant monster we’ve defeated so far. She’s saved multiple lives, including Syd’s, and almost died saving a group of people trapped by an aberrant.” The entire group of ponies were staring at her with wide eyes and slack jaws. “And you should see her moves with her other weapons, too. She’s mastered four types, and kicks the shit out of monsters with them all.”
Silence reigned for a long time; the only sound that could be heard was the slight hum of the staff as its siphoning slowed. Rarity stood in embarrassment, not wanting to flaunt her accomplishments in front of her friends. 
“I… uh, guess I-“
“So where can I get a pony version of your sword axe thing?” Rainbow demanded, cutting her off and dissolving the tension. “If there could be more of those things, I want one, they’re freaking sweet!”
Rarity laughed. “I’ll have to ask Reneris, but I think she’ll have some choice words about it.”
The staff finally stopped draining magic, falling into a dormant state in Rarity’s hands. She held it carefully, then walked over and handed it to Twilight.
“I’m going to go through the portal, just to check the crystals. I’ll be back shortly, ok?”
Twilight nodded. “Stay safe.”
Rarity stepped through the portal.
She was followed by a blue blur that shouted “I’m going too see ya in a minute bye!”
And with that Rainbow Dash vanished as well.

**********

When Rarity appeared on the other side of the rift, the first thing she noticed was that it was dark. Very dark. The only light visible was from the entrance of the cave in the distance and from the shimmering portal behind her. None of the crystals shone with light, and she could feel absolutely no magic in the air. She breathed a sigh of relief.
The second thing she noticed was a hissing monster a few yards from her, and it seemed like it did not want to back away.
“Ugh. Damned jagras.”
A sound from behind her made her ears swivel backward.
“Whoa! This place looks sweet!”
Her head whipped back. 
“Rainbow? What are you doing here?” Rarity demanded.
“I wanted to check this place out! It’s awesome! Can we go to your village place?”
“No! And it’s not even safe right here, there’s already a monster-“
The jagras hissed and moved toward her; Rainbow recognized it as the kind of monster they’d had invade Ponyville and jumped back instantly in fright.
“Oh for fuck’s sake, stupid jagras.” Rarity said in annoyance. She stepped to the side as it lunged and kicked it in the face with her hoof, and it fell over in a daze. She walked over to it and paused, scrunching her face and wiggling her nose.
She sneezed, dropping her switch axe on the jagras and cutting it deeply through its throat, nearly decapitating it.
She sniffled and rubbed her nose, looking down. “Um, you saw that, right Rainbow?”
“Uh, yes?” Rainbow said in awe.
“Good. I have to tell Syd about that later.”
“So that’s cool and all, but now can we go explore? This place is awesome!” Dash flew up to the ceiling of the cave, searching for anything interesting she could investigate. 
“Rainbow Dash, get your ass back down here this instant!” Rarity demanded authoritatively. “We’re going back home right now!”
“Ugh, yes mom.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “At least they got you swearing, that’s something I never thought I’d see.”
“Don’t ever call me mom again,” Rarity warned, “or I’ll feed you to monsters that make that jagras look like a bunny. A well behaved bunny, not Angel.”
“Seriously? We just got here, I haven’t even gotten to do anything or see anything! Just being here feels… different.”
Rarity rolled her eyes. “Whatever. We’re not here to play, we were making sure everything was drained of magic. Let’s just get back home.”

**********

“Rainbow Dash! What were you thinking?” Twilight yelled.
“I just wanted to check it out Twi, geez! Not like anything huge happened…” Rainbow mumbled.
Rarity slapped Rainbow upside the back of her head. “Nothing happened, my plot! We got attacked by a jagras, you moron!”
“You what?” Applejack looked at them both in shock. Fluttershy looked aghast, and Pinkie’s hair fell flat and she paled.
“Well, yeah, but you freaking sneezed and killed it, it’s not like it was any sort of threat!”
“What?” Sydreol stared at Rarity. “That was a figure of speech I used. What is she talking about, Rares?”
Rarity shrugged. “I sneezed, dropped my switch axe on it, and killed it.”
“I’ll be damned…” Sydreol said. “I guess that does count. One point to you, my good lady.” He bowed in mock reverence.
“Stand up, you idiot. We should probably go to Ponyville now, anyway. We have some catching up to do, and a couple jagras there to take care of.”
“Well, I’ve got all your materials stored, so lead the way.”
They started walking their way back, Celestia taking the lead and Rarity hanging back with the rest of her friends.
“We really missed you, you know,” Twilight said sadly. “I tried everything I could to find where you went. I spent months investigating, with absolutely no results.” She hung her head in shame.
“She’s not kidding about the months, either,” Fluttershy added quietly. “She nearly worked herself to death trying to find you, morning and night for weeks on end. The room with the mirror portal smells like stale coffee and old books permanently now.”
“The smell isn’t that bad,” Twilight replied in embarrassment. “It’s almost kind of comforting after a while, anyway.”
Sydreol nudged Cinnamon. “They’re the same everywhere,” he whispered. Cinnamon shuddered.
Rainbow flapped up next to Sydreol. “You have eggheads where you come from, too?" she said in a hushed tone. 
“Big time.”
Twilight shook her head, oblivious to the slander going on behind her. “Ever since the mirror fell on you, every day feels a lot emptier.”
“What do you mean, the mirror fell on me?” Rarity said in confusion. “The thing was bolted to the floor, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, it was,” Twilight agreed, “but you remember all the disturbances we were having? With the trees being ripped up and stuff? That happened in the castle after you fainted. The mirror got ripped up, then dropped straight down on top of you. There was no possible way to know where it sent you.” 
Rarity exchanged meaningful glances with Sydreol and Cinnamon. 
“The ibushi,” they said in unison.
“The what?”
“Big monster where we come from, super powerful, that’s one of its signature abilities. So it’s that thing's fault she got sent to our world in the first place. I’ll be damned.” Sydreol said.
“Well, that explains a lot,” Rarity said quietly. “I guess I can’t really be mad at you for my current state, then.”
“Yeah, what’s up with that, anyway?” Pinkie asked loudly, bouncing up next to Rarity, her head cocked to the side as she looked Rarity up and down. “You’re like, still a pony but not all a pony and stuff. How does that work? Why did you get hands and like, nothing else? And why and how are you balancing on just two hooves? Why is the front of your top half lumpy? Did you get hit too hard there and get a couple huge bumps? Kitty cat! Do you have any potions left?” 
Rarity covered her chest in embarrassment while Sydreol fell over laughing. Cinnamon just looked at Pinkie in utter shock.
“Pinkie Pie!” Rarity glared at her angrily. “You’ve been through the mirror portal before! My hands aren’t the only human thing about me! You know what human anatomy, especially what women’s anatomy, is like!”
Pinkie blinked, cogs turning in her head.
“Ooooohhhhh! But aren’t their top halves usually a lot less bumpy? Nobody I saw there had anything like that.” She pointed a hoof at Rarity’s chest. 
Rarity looked as though she was going to strangle Pinkie. She spoke very loudly, through clenched teeth. “Ahem. Pinkie. I’ll. Thank. You. To. Stop. Talking. Now.”
Pinkie simply gave an apologetic smile. “Oopsie! You got it!" she said innocently. She pulled an imaginary zipper across her lips. “No more from me! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”
Sydreol stared at Pinkie.
Sweet Celestia, no.
“Is that where Reneris got it from?”
Syd, I swear to Celestia I will kill you.
“Who? Got what?” Pinkie asked curiously.
“Our blacksmith. She all of a sudden started telling people to do things for ‘flying cupcake bullshit’ and then laughing her ass off. I’ll admit, it’s good to see her have a sense of humor about something for once, she never smiles or laughs. I mean, never.”
Rarity buried her face in her hands.
Pinkie turned to her slowly. “Rarity, did she take that from my Pinkie Promise?”
Rarity kept her face covered. “Pinkie, I’m so sorry, I tried making a Pinkie Promise to her, and she’s… not the friendliest. Or sweetest. Or nicest. Ok, I’ll admit it, she’s mean and crude and hates just about everyone. And we’ll just say she didn’t really like the Pinkie Promise, so she changed it to her own version.” Rarity looked up in tears. “I’m so sorry.” She hiccuped slightly, and then noticed through blurry vision that Pinkie appeared to be… smiling?
“Even across dimensions, Pinkie can make people smile and laugh! Yes! Score one for the Pinkster!" she pumped her hoof in the air.
“You’re… not angry?” Rarity sniffled. “She’s making fun of your Pinkie Promise…”
“Well…” Pinkie said, “she’s not breaking Pinkie Promises. It’s not nice that’s she’s making fun of them, but, it’s bringing her laughter and smiles, and that’s what I’m all about!" she spread her hooves wide in a grand gesture. “If she’s happy, I’m happy!” 
“Wow, now that’s… something else, pink pony,” Sydreol commented. “Impressive. Rare gift you got there.”
“You’d be impressed with all my friends, Syd. They all exemplify different elements of friendship here. You remember how I was telling you about us saving the world numerous times?”
“You mean when you were drunk off your ass? I figured you were making most of that up.”
“Celestia dammit, you cretin!”
Luna laughed again, and Rarity cringed at both using Celestia’s name to swear again and having her friends hear how she had been wasted and talking about them all.
Applejack piped up. “Rarity gettin’ drunk, huh? That’s a story we’ll have to hear, mister Syd. But as for savin’ the world, nah, she ain’t lyin’. We all resonate with the elements of harmony, which basically keeps stuff in balance around here. Pinkie there is laughter, Dash is loyalty, Twi is magic, Fluttershy is kindness, and Ah’m honesty.”
“And Rarity?” Syd asked.
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “You tell me.”
“Oh thanks, Applejack. Put me on the spot like that!” Rarity huffed.
“Kicking ass?” Sydreol guessed.
“Try again.”
Sydreol thought hard and smirked. “Cursing and punching people in the face when they grab her ass?”
Everybody stared at him, then at Rarity.
“I hate you so much right now, Syd,” Rarity spat with venom.
“Ok, third try’s a charm,” he said. He stood and tapped his chin. I heard the girls going on about clothes she gave them… that night out when she paid for everything in advance… offering her house to Cinnamon… not to mention all the times she’s helped us without asking for anything in return… and then… he continued to add up countless events from the previous year in his mind, remaining quiet for several minutes.
“Wow, he’s been thinkin’ a long time now,” remarked Applejack.
“First time for everything.” Rarity said dryly.
Sydreol finally opened his eyes. “Ok, got my guess. Givin’ stuff away? Or like, stuff and time?”
Applejack clopped her hooves together. “Close enough for me, mister Syd. She’s the representation of generosity. And from the sounds of it, she can beat up monsters and be generous at the same time.” She smiled warmly.
Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, at least I still live up to expectations.” 
They arrived at the edge of Ponyville, and Sydreol and Cinnamon looked around in awe.
“This is… the most peaceful looking place I have ever seen,” Cinnamon said, her jaw going slack. 
“Has this place ever seen a monster?” Sydreol asked in disbelief.
“More often than you would think,” Twilight said. “But it’s still quite peaceful almost always. Would you like a tour?”
Sydreol’s stomach grumbled. “I’d actually like some food, if there’s somewhere to eat around here…”
Rarity bit her lip.
“Well, that will give us the perfect time to catch up on the goings on over the past year, but, um, hay fries and daffodil sandwiches aren’t really what you’d be looking for…”
Cinnamon and Sydreol stared at her in disbelief.
“I think Sugarcube Corner will be our best bet for food that you can actually eat. It’ll rot your teeth, but it will be edible for you, at least. But, I’d kind of prefer not to go eat there right now.”
“What? Why not?” Pinkie Pie disappointedly dropped her head, her poofy hair deflating slightly.
“I’m sorry, Pinkie,” Rarity apologized sincerely. “I just don’t want to announce that I’m back to Ponyville yet.”
“But why not?” Twilight questioned. “Everypony would be overjoyed! Wouldn’t you want to see them all? Especially your family? Sweetie Belle has missed you so much, don’t you want to see her?”
“More than you could imagine,” Rarity said, with tears forming in her eyes. “But I can’t possibly go see her, then leave again, especially knowing that I’ll be fighting a monster that may very well kill me. It’d be like making her lose me twice, and I couldn’t bear doing that to her. Or to any of Ponyville. It’d be best to not make my presence known until this is over.”
“You really have this all planned out, don’t you?” Fluttershy asked.
“I did have time beforehand to think about it,” Rarity admitted. “These sorts of things tend to weigh on your mind when you haven’t seen anyone in over a year.” She turned to Pinkie. “That doesn’t change the fact that we are still hungry, though. Pinkie, do you think you could get us all some food to go, and we could gather at Fluttershy’s cottage? She lives far enough out of the way that we could head around Ponyville and eat there.”
“Okie dokie loki!” Pinkie disappeared in a flash.
“…What the?” Sydreol looked behind him, where she had been only a moment ago.
“Don’t mind her. She works there, and ‘it’s just Pinkie Pie’ is an acceptable explanation for most things she does.”
“Got it.”