Revelations Persona: Equestria Girls

by FoxMcCloud7921

Rating: mature
Tags: Main 7 (EqG), Adventure, Crossover, Sunset Shimmer, Dark, Alternate Universe, Other, Equestria Girls
Length: 26401

Sunset Shimmer was merely a transfer student leading an average life. But once she and others awaken a power inside themselves, nothing will ever be the same.

High school was supposed to be simple: get good grades, go to college, repeat, and find a career. That's what Sunset thought at least, until her world was suddenly turned upside down one day.

Now, with her newest friends, she must deal with demons, a secret society and a prophecy that could destroy everything.

Published 2016-07-12 03:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-11-22 16:00:04 UTC

Chapter 1

There are many things in this world we don't understand. How does physics work, how did we evolve from apes, why is the best food in the world bad for you health? But the biggest questions deal with ourselves. What does that girl see in that guy? Why does she purge herself every night? How can two people city same sex be attracted to each other?

The truth is we don't understand other people because truly we can't understand ourselves. We're not honest, we hide behind masks because we're afraid of admitting our weaknesses, our guilty pleasures, or even our true callings. I'm no different.

I thought I had all the answers...but I was horribly wrong and it was only after the following events took place that I finally understood, but in turn it would change the world forever. My name is Sunset Shimmer and this is my story...

Another day was over at Canterlot High. Go figure right as I'm about to head home my damn bike has motor trouble. Thankfully it's nothing major but it still gets my hands covered in grease.

"Oh Sunset Shimmer, there you are!" Of course it was only now that she'd come find me. I turned around and smiled politely at Miss Cheerilee while inside I was grimacing.

"Miss Cheerilee," I said.

"Seems like you're having some issues so I won't keep you too long but I suppose you know why I'm here?"

Of course I knew, she's been trying to get me alone for the past week. "I'm guessing it doesn't have to do with my recent test results?" I say, trying to break the tension.

Cheerileee chuckled. "No although I do hope you come up with a better plan for studyingCheerileently transferred here and since you're already a junior you need to start thinking ahead to what would you want to do after school. Have you thought about it at all?"

I actually had been thinking about it a lot. It had been quite the year for me so far: my parents had moved to Canterlot since my dad go himself a new job at the new tech company which was headed by the Sombra Corporation. I didn't have a lot of friends at my old school so the transition wasn't really traumatic for me.

Canterlot on the other hand was...different. Within a matter of weeks I managed to find a few friends who introduced me to other friends. It was strange though...despite them all being in certain clubs and whatnot, they were in their own little circle.

"I'm not sure what to go into yet, but I've certainly thought about going to college," I said.

Cheerilee brightened. "That's wonderful Sunset! I'm glad you're thinking ahead early...but that doesn't mean you shouldn't focus on the present. Anyway, I'd like to see you after class tomorrow so we can talk more about this and don't even try to wiggle your way out of this one."

I sighed as she headed back inside the school. I should've known she wasn't fully satisfied. I then went back to fixing up my bike.

It was shortly after I finished I heard the door nearby me open again. "Oh, there ya are sugarcube." I turned around and saw a tan girl with freckles and a cowboy hat staring at me.

"What's up AJ?" Her actual name was Applejack but her closest friends called her AJ.

"Well Ah didn't wanna bother ya about but uh..." Applejack sighs. "Dash is going at it again."

I shake my head slightly. Rainbow Dash is a friend of the girls, although we haven't quite gotten to that point yet. She's part of a band called the Rainbooms and she's been indirectly asking me to join her band. "She's still asking? Look, I'm decent on a guitar but-"

"Decent?" Applejack chuckled. "Ah think yer better than decent personally. Anyway, after Flash Sentry got tired of her nonsense and started his own band she's been needing a new guitarist. Look, ya think ya can do us all a favor and git her ta shut up about it?"

I sighed. "Alright...yeah I guess I better do this now sooner or later. Where's she at?"

"The old abandoned warehouse outside of town as always," Applejack replied. "Mind if Ah tag along? Dash can sometimes be unreasoable but she'll listen ta me at least."

I grinned slightly. "Can you handle riding a bike?"

Applejack returned it. "Ah've handled worse sugarcube."

I go to my bike and start it up as Applejack gets behind me and puts her arms around my waist. "Hold on." I rev the engine and the two of us shoot out from the school parking lot towards downtown.

Upon reaching the warehouse I stare at it for a moment and can't help but feel a shiver go down my spine. "Does she really have to practice here of all places?" I ask.

"With all the noise complaints she didn't have much choice," Applejack said. "But yeah Ah get yer point."

I go to the front and pull up the door. I can hear faint music coming from downstairs. "I'm actually surprised Flash of all people quit."

"Rainbow Dash has a bad case of inferiority complex," Applejack said, looking annoyed. "It's her way or the highway. Ah know you wouldn't be okay with that." I decided not to comment.

As we head downstairs the music gets louder. Once we open the door the music cuts off and I hear a high-pitched yell. "For crying out loud Flitter, how do you keep missing that cue!? I made it super obvious!"

"Look I'm sorry I've been trying to concentrate on it and you yelling about it isn't helping!" I then witness two girls glaring at each other, one with prism colored hair and blue skin, and the other with light Robin egg blue hair and grayish blue skin.

"Just get off her case already will ya Dash?" There was a third girl, the drummer who looked similar to the girl Flitter but had a slightly different hair style and color. I guessed they were twins.

Dash grunts slightly and upon seeing Applejack and I walk over she suddenly grins. "Heeey Sunset Shimmer! Finally taking up my offer huh? You won't regret it!"

"Sunset hasn't taken up nothing yet Dash," Applejack said. "But she does want to talk about it."

Dash's grin faltered slightly. "Look, I guess I should've been more up front with ya. But believe me I'd love to have you join and I've heard you're pretty good."

"I guess so but I'm not sure if I'm interested," I say, shrugging. "I'll have to think about it more."

"Oh come on don't make me beg!" Dash whined. "Who else can I turn to!?"

"Oh let it go Dash!" Applejack snapped. "Sunset gave ya yet answer and ya should respect it!"

"Oh butt out AJ," Dash growled.

"Wasn't Flash enough of a clue?" Applejack continued. "Yer too busy being a control freak to realize yer pushin' people away. All cause of some stupid incident years ago."

"Shut up," Dash said quietly. Something in her tone seemed different.

"Incident?" Flitter said. "What do you mean?"

Applejack's eyes widened and looked down slightly. "It was...nothing...just something stupid that Dash won't-"

"I SAID SHUT THE HELL UP!" Dash yelled. I suddenly felt alarm, not at Dash's outburst but something else...

"You think it's no big deal but I was a kid and I suffered through it for years!" Dash said. "The hell with you AJ, I oughta just-"

Suddenly it started glowing blue around Dash as... something came out of her and floated above her. It looked like an angel from old stories.

"I am thou...and thou art I...my name is Nike, the Goddess of Victory. My powers are yours to command.

"What in tarnation!?" Applejack yelled. Even Dash was looking up in surprise.

Almost unconsciously, I felt something stir inside me and soon it was starting to glow around me as well. The large figure above me had a presence that would've made any normal person cower.

"I am Ares...the God of War...I will come to your need whenever you desire..." I felt power flowing through me and honestly I was almost afraid.

To our surprise then (especially AJ), she started to glow as well as another figure appeared.

"I am Demeter, the Goddess of Agriculture...my power grows within you as you mature...I will always protect you..."

Suddenly the three figures disappeared and all became quiet. "What was...?" Dash began.

"What the hell just happened!?" Applejack exclaimed.

"Um..." The three of us looked over to Flitter and her sister, who were staring at us. "We're those...special effects or something?"

"Cloud...I'm scared..." Flitter whispered.

"Uh...yeah! Totally!" Dash said, suddenly chuckling. "Totally wanted to surprise you guys! Yep!"

Suddenly, the lights in the warehouse went out as a figure suddenly appeared between the three of us. For a moment, I felt not just fear from myself but from Applejack and Dash too.

"So...the three of you have awakened...but I sense others as well." I couldn't make out the figure at all, almost like he was a shadow. "No matter, this will only make things more interesting." It then turns to the twins. "Now then, I am here to collect..." With a sudden scream, the whole place turns white and suddenly as it clears the two girls are gone, along with the figure.

"What...? Flitter? Cloudchaser?" Dash said. "W-Where'd they go!?"

"This has to be a dream...it has to be!" Applejack looked almost ready to have a panic attack.

"No...it felt way too real," I say. "Like it said...something's awoken inside us..."

"It is time..."

"Oh no now what!?" Dash whimpered.

There was another flash of light and I felt as if I were floating off the ground...

A man is standing on what looks like a tower, a tower in the middle of the cosmos. He is wearing a mask that conceals half of his face. "Hello...so you have awakened to the power inside you. Your confusion is understandable so allow me to explain. I am Philemon and you are currently in the realm between conscious and subconscious. You may consider me your guide on this new journey.

"What you witnessed was the manifestation of your inner self. We call this Persona. Think of it as a mask, a mask that portrays your true self. There are many masks, many Personas and they will rely on your strength of heart. Something is about to happen and only you, and others like you will be the only ones who can face it. But never fear, you are not alone and throughout your journey there will be those willing to help you.

"For now...you must rest and think of what I've said...but there won't be much time to ponder... I only hope you will be ready when the time comes..."

Author's Note

After been reading MythrilMoth's Persona: EG, it gave me the inspiration to start this fic. I want to make it clear I am not stealing any of his content and all themes in this were ideas of my own. I hope you'll enjoy this as much as you enjoy other Persona-type stories. Thank you.

Chapter 2

I don't know how it happened but the next thing I knew I woke up in my bed. It was the next day and despite remembering what took place at the warehouse, I couldn't remember anything else afterward. That man, Philemon he said his name was, said something was about to happen. Did it have anything to do with that figure we encountered, or better yet, the “Personas” we summoned?

I got out of bed and got ready for school. It felt like the regular routine but I couldn't get rid of this feeling of dread…

I didn't see either Applejack or Rainbow Dash until lunchtime but when I did, both looked shaken up, Dash especially. “So uh...are we even going to talk about what happened yesterday?” Dash asked as we sat at the table.

“What's ta talk about, surely we were just...uh...having some sorta hallucination?” Applejack replied.

“Did it include a man with a mask?” I asked.

Both girls looked at each other. “You too?” Dash asked.

“If that's the case it wasn't just a coincidence,” I said.

“Well...anyway, I'm sorry for overreacting yesterday,” Dash said, looking away. “That's a subject I don't like to bring up...at all.”

“Eh it happens all the time so no worries sugarcube,” Applejack said. “But...what happened to those two girls?”

“I tried calling them this morning but no one answered,” Dash said glumly. “Maybe they're sick?”

Applejack suddenly looked up. “Pinkie Pie and Rarity are coming so let's just drop the subject.”

Two girls, one with pink skin and matching hair that was sprawled everywhere, and the other with pale white skin and elegant purple hair were in the middle of conversation.

“So they asked me to start planning for the Spring Formal this year can you believe it!? Oh hi guys!” Pinkie Pie greeted us.

Rarity nodded to us as they sat down. “Well of course I can believe it darling you can plan a party like no one else, even if you only had an hour to do it.” She then looked at Applejack and Dash. “Goodness, you two don't look so well. Rough night?”

“Uh...well…” Applejack started.

“Food poisoning,” Dash suddenly said. “Must've been those tuna melts we had yesterday...hehe…”

“Really? I had one of those yesterday too and I was just fine,” Pinkie stated.

“Pinkie Pie, you have an iron stomach,” Rarity stated matter-of-factly. “So Sunset, did Rainbow Dash finally succeed in bribing you to join her band?”

Dash and I exchanged glances for a moment. “I'm still on the fence about it,” I say casually.

“Yeah, no need to pressure her or anything…” Dash said just as casually. Applejack just snorted.

“Huh...well I'm glad you understand then,” Rarity said.

Soon another girl joined the table. She had yellow skin and long pink hair. “Goodness Fluttershy you didn't get sick yesterday too did you?”

“Hm? Oh...no it was kind of a rough night,” she said. Everyone else was staring at her until she added, “Angel wasn't feeling well.”

“Aw, too many carrots?” Pinkie asked. “Too much sugar will give you a tummy ache!”

“I'm...aware of that yes.”

I couldn't help but glance at her for a moment. Was it possible…?

“So! What's everybody's plans today?” Applejack asked, changing the subject again.

“Well I got to meet with some of the people from Student Council to talk about plans for the Spring Formal coming up,” Pinkie replied.

“Hmm...I have to decide whether I want to put my hat in for Spring Princess,” Rarity said. “I also need to get sizes from all of you so I can start making your dresses.”

“...You really sure that's okay?” I asked.

“Of course! I wouldn't do so otherwise! Besides, it's been kind of a tradition with my friends and you are no exception.”

“Ya think this year you can make mine a little less... provocative?” Dash asked.

“Oh pft really Dash, you should be proud to show off a little skin...and angles too,” Rarity said with a smirk.

“Well... I'm volunteering at the animal shelter again...of course that's mostly everyday,” Fluttershy said.

It wasn't long before the bell rang, signalling next period was about to start. “Oh Sunset, since I'm thinking about it, can you come by after school so I can get your measurements quick?” Rarity asked. “It'll only take a few minutes.”

I shrugged. “Sure, I'm in no hurry.” I looked over to where Dash and Applejack where but they had already taken off.

After school was over, I went down to the room where the Fashion Club meet weekly. As soon as I opened the door, Rarity grabbed me and almost dragged me inside. “Excellent, now I just need you to-”

“I'm not undressing,” I quickly pointed out to her.

Rarity giggled. “Just a small joke dear. You can easily imagine what the males look like when I have to ask them.”

Oh I sure can.

“This will only take a few moments.” Rarity quickly took my measurements, writing everything down in a small notebook she had. “And...there, all done. Now I just need Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.”

“Are you sure you can handle all these dresses?” I ask.

“Of course, that's why I want to start early so...make sure you keep your slim figure.”

Suddenly the lights start to flicker. “Hmm? What's that all about?” As soon as she said that the lights went out. “What the devil?”

Someone suddenly screamed outside in the hallway, causing both of us to run outside of the room. “Just what is going on here!?” Rarity yelled.

I don't know why, but I felt like I was suddenly on high alert. “Stick close to me Rarity.” Rarity didn't argue as she hovered near me as we went down the hallway.

Suddenly one of the doors to the connecting rooms burst open and three...things came out of it. They were female, they had wings and...they were also naked. Rarity looked horrified and appalled. “What are those things!? And why aren't they wearing clothes!?”

I once again felt that familiar pressure in my head. Instead of fighting it, I let it swell and suddenly the word was on my tongue before my brain could register it. “PERSONA!” The familiar blue glow appeared around me as Ares appeared above me. He raised an arm and the three creatures were suddenly set on fire. The creatures screamed in agony as they were charred to death. Ares then disappeared.

Rarity looked like she was about to faint. “What...was…”

“It's a long story, no time to explain,” I say as I grab her hand and head down to the main entrance. Much to our surprise, we end up bumping into Applejack, Dash, and Pinkie.

“Oh good, there you girls are,” Rarity said. “You're not going to believe what we just saw!”

“Was it a bunch of big-breasted demons?” Applejack asked.

“You too?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Dash replied. “One problem though...we kinda had to use our...you know, and Pinkie saw us.”

“It was so cool!” Pinkie exclaimed. “It was like something from a Neighponese anime!”

“That's great and all but can we please get out of here?” Rarity asked.

Rainbow tried opening the door but it wouldn't budge. “The hell?” She starts ramming against it. “It won't open, it's like it's barricaded on the other side!”

“Th’ rooftop has an emergency ladder that goes to th’ bottom, we can try that,” Applejack suggested.

“If the door opens…” Dash grumbled.

“Works for me,” I say. “Wait...have you noticed there's no one else here?”

A sudden scream pierced the silence.

“Never mind.”

“Wait that sounded like Fluttershy!” Rarity said. “It came from upstairs!”

“Well what are we waiting for, let's go kick some demon butt!” Pinkie yelled.

We headed upstairs. It didn't take long to find her, she was huddled up against the row of lockers. She looked traumatized.

“Yo Flutters, you alright?” Dash said as she went up to her.

“Y-Yes…” Fluttershy replied.

“What happened?” Applejack asked.

“The lights went out and um...I ran into this creature...it looked like a dog but as I approached it was about to attack me but then…”

“You summoned something that killed it?” I guessed.

She stared at me in surprise. “Yes... exactly.”

“Wait Fluttershy can do it too?” Dash asked.

“Aw no fair!” Pinkie cried.

“Frankly I wish you girls could explain what exactly you're talking about,” Rarity said, frowning.

Dash looked kind of embarrassed. “Okay, long story short: I got upset at AJ, it triggered my uh...Persona and in turn it did the same for AJ and Sunset. They're like our inner selves...in a sense.”

“Oh...well when you put it that way it's not quite as strange,” Rarity replied.

“Um...if it's alright girls I'd like to leave now,” Fluttershy stated. “Before more of those things show up.”

Once we found the stairs for the third floor, it led us to a door straight ahead. Outside, it all looked the same but at the same time the area felt void of life.

There was a man standing in front of us, his back towards us. “It took you long enough,” he said. He turned around and we saw the man was wearing a white mask. “I hope you were able to get your feet wet. I don't know why the master insists on toying with you girls but oh well...what he says goes.”

“An’ just who th’ hell are ya an’ what th’ hell are those things!?” Applejack snapped.

The man chuckled. “No, I suppose you wouldn't understand would you? Not to spoil anything, but events have already been put into motion and you won't be able to stop them.

“But I've said enough. One last test for you girls so let's see if you'll pass!” Suddenly a large minotaur appeared before us. “Perhaps we'll meet again! I'll be looking forward to it!” The man disappeared as the minotaur roared at us.

“I guess it's time to do the thing?” Dash suggested.

“My turn my turn! Persona!” Somehow, Pinkie started to glow and a being appeared above her.

“I am Comus...the God of Festivity...you and I share many traits, my powers are yours.” Comus then attacked, punching the minotaur in the stomach and judging by the look on its face it did a lot of damage.

“Well, if it works just like that.” Rarity took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Persona!” A beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful woman ever appeared above her.

“I am Aphrodite... Goddess of Love and Beauty. Our connection shines like no other!” She then used an ice attack on the minotaur, which froze him solid.

“I...guess it's my turn,” Fluttershy said. “Artemis!” Another figure with a bow appeared above her.

“I am Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt. I will protect you and hunt those who wish to harm you.” She then pulled back on her bow and fired her arrow, which went through the block of ice and shattered it completely, minotaur and all.

It was quiet for a few moments. “That...was...awesome!” Rainbow squeaked. “We're awesome!”

“I didn't think that would actually work but I was pleasantly surprised,” Rarity added.

“My Persona knows me so well,” Pinkie grinned.

“I don't mean to be a buzzkill but that was just one enemy,” I pointed out.

“True, and Ah don' think there are any of them demons left,” Applejack agreed. “So uh...what now?”

“I don't know,” I replied. “Whatever that guy was talking about sounded pretty bad…”

“And he sounded like he was reporting to someone too,” Fluttershy said.

“Well I suppose for now all we can do is just keep our eyes and ears open,” Rarity said. “But I think we better get off the roof before we become too suspicious.”

Much to our surprise, as soon as we got back to the lower floor, it was once again bustling with activity. “Whoa what the?” Dash said. “These people weren't here before…”

“You don't think we…?” Applejack began.

“Somehow got trapped in an alternate dimension with demons and the only way we could get back was to defeat the mini-boss?” Pinkie asked.

Applejack sighed. “Yeah that.”

This was all still new to me, to all of us. We weren't sure what was going on but there was one thing I knew: we haven't seen the last of this mystery group.

Author's Note

So you know how in the earlier games they have a sequence of auto-battles that show Personas your characters have? This was pretty much it.

This story is going to be pretty much based on Personas 1 and 2 (Mostly 2) and probably have a few elements from 3. I also went with gods and goddesses as Personas because they best represent each character and since in a sense they are the Elements of Harmony (which will be explained more in due time) it felt appropriate.

Update: I quickly decided to add some much needed pictures to both of these so for those who have read chapter 1 go back and take a peek!

Chapter 3

It was strange. Everyone at school acted like everything was normal. So what exactly happened? I decided to bring it up with the other girls while we were eating lunch.

“I understand your concern darling but what can we possibly do? Or even talk to without sounding like we're insane?” Rarity asked.

“You heard what that guy said, he was testing us,” I reminded her. “Meaning it won't be the last time we run into those things.”

“I actually read a book about how supposedly demons live in a parallel world to ours,” Fluttershy stated.

“You actually read one of those books?” Applejack asked.

“This particular one didn't have pictures.”

“Ooh so it's like the Twilight Zone?” Pinkie asked.

“That's a television show dear,” Rarity replied.

“No, Pinkie and Fluttershy have a point. There was no one in the school at one point, and the next moment it's back to being full.” I'll have to look at that book Fluttershy read.

“Well either way we need to be prepared for a fight and be armed too so we're not completely defenseless,” Rainbow said. She then grinned. “And I think I know just the person to go to.”

“Oh yeah?” Applejack asked. “And are they being hunted by the feds?”

“Pft, she is the feds. Well, the city police that is. Don't worry, she'll help us.”

“Wait a minute you're not talking about-”

“Shh!” Rainbow replied. “Not here! Look, we'll meet at the police station after school okay?”

Applejack just rolled her eyes. I on the other hand was quite curious.

After school I went straight over to the station downtown where the other girls were waiting. “Now Pinkie, I'm not singling you out here but please, please try not to say anything out loud. I'd never forgive myself if the Captain lost her job,” Dash was saying.

“My lips are sealed,” Pinkie promised.

“Wait a minute, we're conducting illegal business!?” Rarity snapped.

“Of course not, cut the cops here some slack!”

“The Captain?” I ask.

“Yeah she's- oh you'll find out come on.”

The police station here was huge, mostly due to renovations that took place for the last year. There weren't many people in the lounge save a few policemen, including one sitting at a desk in front of a computer.

“Hey Soarin, is Spitfire in today?” Dash asked, going up to the desk.

Soarin looked up and smiled at her. “Sup Dash, yeah she said you called, I'll let her know.”

“Appreciate it,” Dash said as he got up and went back into one of the rooms.

“Soarin was the senior captain of the men's soccer team two years ago,” Rarity explained to me. “Rainbow Dash had quite the crush on him.”

“Oh shut it,” Dash commented. She then blushes slightly. “Still do.”

Soarin came back as a woman poked her head out. “Yo Dash, come on back here.”

Dash nodded and motioned the rest of us to follow. We went inside the room and it was then I realized we were in an armory.

The woman closed the door and stared at Dash, crossing her arms. “I gotta say Dash, I've gotten some crazy requests in the past, but this?”

Dash chuckled. “Uh Sunset, this is Spitfire, Detective Spitfire to be exact. She was my captain on the soccer team when I was a freshman.”

Spitfire smiled. “I miss those days...only lost one in the regular season and we beat Crystal Prep in the championship. She seems to be leading the team just fine now. But don't try to change the subject.”

“Something came up that's all,” Dash said, an innocent smile on her face.

Spitfire sighed and looked at the rest of us. “You girls aren't playing vigilante now are you?”

“Nope, just self-defense and what not,” Applejack replied. Well, she wasn't lying.

Spitfire went over and opened up some of the cases that were sitting on the table. “Some of these things were practically lost and found, others are decommissioned but I assure you it's all in good condition.”

Among the weapons were a whip, a pair of combat knives, a standard issue handgun, brass knuckles and- “A bow and arrow? Seriously?” Dash asked.

“Hey, it's just as lethal as a gun, if you know how to handle it,” Spitfire said. “Anyway, take your pick ladies.”

Dash naturally went for the knuckles. Pinkie went for the knives. Applejack took a fire axe which seemed to suit her just fine. Surprisingly Fluttershy went for the bow, but I guess it was the only thing that appealed to her. Rarity didn't look so amused as she took the whip, getting snickers from both Pinkie and Dash. That left me with the handgun.

“Normally I wouldn't dare put a gun into any kid's hand, permit or not,” Spitfire said. “But Dash assures me you guys can be trusted. So...know how to use one of those?”

I took the gun, checked out its grip before sliding out the clip, peeking at its capacity before sliding it back and sliding a bullet into the chamber. “More or less,” I say casually.

Spitfire snorted in amusement but she looked impressed. “I guess video games are good for something. Anyway, try not to get yourselves killed or its my ass on the line.”

“We appreciate your help Detective,” Rarity said.

“I'm gonna have fun with these!” Pinkie said, testing out the knives already.

“Pinkie,” Applejack growled.

“Um...just one question,” Fluttershy said. “Why are you willing to do this for us?”

“Long story short, I owe Dash a favor,” Spitfire replied. “At the time, I didn't know her too well but I soon found out she was someone I could rely on. Yeah I'm skeptical about all this but hey I've dealt with stranger in my short time here.” She then brought out a large duffle bag. “And I certainly can't have you all walking out with those exposed unless you want to be gunned down.”

“Pft, like Soarin would shoot me,” Dash said teasingly.

“I admit that went smoother than I expected,” Rarity said as we left the station.

“Hey don't get me wrong, Spitfire and the others take their jobs seriously but they can be lax in other areas,” Dash said.

“I'm glad she was able to provide us with extra supplies,” Fluttershy added, glancing at the bag Applejack was now carrying. “I actually did a little archery when I was younger.”

“Oh so that's why you went for it,” Pinkie said, finger to her chin.

Applejack chuckled. “And Rarity went fer th’ whip cause-”

“Don't even say it,” Rarity broke in, causing all of us to laugh.

“So uh...what did Spitfire mean by a favor?” Applejack asked.

Dash winced slightly. “Oh uh...yeah I'd rather not talk about it...it's nothing important anyway.”

“Right...so you still haven't heard from Flitter and Cloudchaser?”

“No…” Dash replied, looking miserable. “Something happened to them, there's no doubt in my mind now…”

“So from what you told us, people are being kidnapped?” Rarity said.

“If by kidnapped ya mean disappear into thin air then yeah,” Applejack replied.

I stopped for a moment once we were near Sugarcube Corner. “Alright then let's think about this. If the other day was any indication, more might be in danger.”

“So…?” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh I get it! We just have to see what events are going on, especially the ones that'll attract a lot of people!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“And not just at CHS either,” I continue. “Anywhere in town.”

“Well...I remember Trixie in Music Club was saying she was going to throw a concert this weekend and apparently a lot of people are going,” Dash said.

“Trixie? As in ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie’?” Applejack asked. “Ah thought she did magic tricks.”

“She does but she's a pretty good guitar player too,” Dash replied. “Not as good as yours truly of course but I'm guessing it's going to contain music and magic.”

Meanwhile Rarity was looking at her phone. “Hmm...looks like Crystal Prep is having some sort of fair for the entire school tomorrow. Tomorrow night is their Spring Formal.”

I couldn't help but smirk as an idea came to mind. “Anyone feel like going tomorrow?” No surprise I got strange looks from everyone.

“You want to skip school?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don't mind skipping, but to go to Crystal Prep?” Dash asked. “Not my idea of a good time.”

“Even if we did there's a bit of a problem,” Pinkie said. “Everyone at Crystal Prep wears a uniform. We'd stick out before we even got inside.”

“Actually…” We all looked at Rarity and needless to say she looked slightly embarrassed. “Getting uniforms may not be quite an issue.”

Applejack deadpanned at her. “You didn't…”

“I always thought Crystal Prep's uniform was a little...dull so I managed to...get a few from the school.”

“You broke into Crystal Prep? You?” Dash asked.

“Oh pft I did no such thing!” Rarity scoffed. “I actually have a friend there, her name is Sassy, who's part of their Fashion Club as well. I saw they had spare uniforms, for females of course, and I almost begged her to do something with them.”

“And she gave them to you?” I asked.

“Oh yes! She hates the uniforms, most of the student body there hate it too.”

“Uh, if they hate it so much then why don't they say anything?” Dash asked.

“Oh here we go…” Applejack muttered.

“No seriously, you think with how self-centered and arrogant they are they wouldn't like being told to do something!” Dash snapped. She paused and looked down. “Sorry...even mentioning Crystal Prep gets my blood going. If I can sum it down into a few words: they're a bunch of selfish pricks. Er...no offense to your friend Rarity.”

“None taken,” Rarity replied. “Aside from her, yes I would have to agree. Anyway, if we're going to do this I need you girls at my house early in the morning. Sunset, I'll text you the address later on.”

“So we're in agreement then?” I ask. Everyone else nods. “Alright, tomorrow morning at Rarity's then.”

Before we all left, I asked Fluttershy for the book she had mentioned earlier and luckily she had it with her. As soon as I got home and ate something, I went up to my room and started reading the book at my desk. It was... interesting to say the least.

I was only on the second chapter when my phone went off. I looked at it and saw Rainbow Dash was calling me. I answered immediately. “Hey what's up?”

“Hey Sunset you uh...got a minute?” Dash asked.

“Sure I got plenty.”

“Listen...I wouldn't normally say this but...I need to get something off my chest and I feel like you'll listen. That being said, the girls can't know about this...nor anyone else actually.”

“Dash you're concerning me…”

Dash sighed deeply. “Remember when Spitfire mentioned a 'favor’? It was the night before the championship game against Crystal Prep and Spits and I were hanging out. We only knew each other for a few months but we hit off on and off the field at the beginning of the season.

“Anyway, we were heading home and took a shortcut through the alleys. Turned out it was a big mistake. We suddenly got confronted by three girls and one of them, the leader, had a knife. At first I thought we were getting mugged but we soon both realized these girls weren't just Crystal Prep students, they were on the soccer team.”

“The hell!? They were going to knife you over a damn soccer game!?”

“Crystal Prep takes everything seriously. Losing isn't an option for them and they knew we were good. Well, what they didn't know was we've been in a few brawl fights, Spitfire especially. She gave two of those girls broken noses. The girl with the knife came after me and we struggled for a bit. She almost got me a few times. I finally went after her and held her against the railing. I didn't realize how far down the drop was until she broke loose and went for me again. I kicked her in the stomach and she went back...and went over the edge.

“I…” I heard Dash take a deep breath. “I heard something snap and realized she broke something. She screamed like nothing I've heard before. The two other girls heard this and panicked. They were gone before we knew it. I just stood there, stunned and Spitfire had to drag me away from everything. We just left her there.”

“Dash…”

“I know, I know the bitch was crazy...but it felt wrong to just...I was pretty shook up. Spitfire...really helped me that night...she got me to focus for the game the next day.”

“Who was that girl?”

“Her name was Lightning Dust. She was a freshman like me and one of the starters. As expected, she wasn't there. Even so, it was still a tough game. They play dirty too, at least the soccer team does. At first I thought they knew what happened but honestly I don't know.

“It was after the game I found out: Lightning not only broke her leg but tore her ACL really bad. Her high school career was pretty much over.”

“Considering what she tried to do to you two I can't feel bad for her…” I said.

“I know...I just felt...pity I guess. Spitfire told me not to worry about it. She spent the rest of the year and even after graduating watching over me. She even got Soarin and Fleetfoot involved, even though she didn't explain the story.”

She paused for a moment. “Wow...just letting all of that out made me feel a whole lot better. Sorry for the depressing story…”

“I won't say anything,” I promised her. “But you think she'll come after you?”

“Lightning Dust? I dunno...at least I know she won't directly but you know what, if she does...bring it on.”

I smiled. “You got your friends to help you...and some brass knuckles.”

“Well you got a gun so that'll scare 'em off.” Dash then laughed. “Still...not looking forward to tomorrow... hopefully no one on the soccer team recognizes me.”

I hadn't considered that. Sure hope Rarity does.

“Anyway, that's all I had to say so thanks for listening. And uh... about the other day…”

“Don't worry about it, if I was truly committed to playing, then you can bet I'll join your band.”

“Heh...alright then. Well, see ya tomorrow then!”

After I hung up, I sat back in my chair and rubbed my temples gently. There was no doubt about it, what Dash and Spitfire went through was fucked up. Later on I got a text from Rarity for her home addressed and I made sure to save it. I felt tired then so I turned in early for the night.

Chapter 4

I woke up around six before showering, getting dressed and grabbing something to eat before heading out to Rarity's. Luckily her house was only about fifteen minutes away. I ended up being second to last before Dash, who looked both tired and grumpy.

“Good we're all here,” Rarity said after she ushered us into her room. She then brought out six bags. “Now then, I was able to some uniforms with most of your sizes but I admit some may be a little loose, but better that than a little tight.”

Suddenly her door opened and a younger girl with pink hair peered in. I guessed she was Rarity's sister. She stared for a long moment. “Am I interrupting something? And are those Crystal Prep uniforms?”

“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity snapped. “Haven't you heard of knocking before you enter!?”

“Well it's good that I didn't! You guys are all skipping school?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Well…” Fluttershy said.

“We are not skipping dear, we just have... business over at Crystal Prep. Very important business,” Rarity stated.

“...Can I come too?”

“Absolutely not!” Rarity replied. “Besides I don't have a uniform your size…”

“Aw no fair!”

Rarity sighed and went to her purse, getting out a twenty dollar bill. “If you promise not to say anything, you can go with your friends to that ice cream place with the handmade sodas.”

“Awesome!” Sweetie Belle took the bill and left.

Rarity sighed. “It's a shame I have to bribe my own sister.” She paused and stared at us. “Well don't just stand there girls school starts in less than an hour.”

“Uh...ya got a bathroom?” Applejack asked.

Rarity rolled! her eyes. “Honestly Applejack we're all mature ladies and should have no issue undressing in front of one another.” Pinkie and Dash certainly had no issue as both stripped down to their bras and panties.

About five minutes later we were all matching in uniform. I found the uniform a little stuffy. “Hmm...I have to admit we do make these uniforms look good,” Rarity commented.

“Okay one question,” Dash said. “How am I going to get in when people from the soccer team are going to recognize me?”

Rarity smiled widely. “Oh don't worry darling, I was well aware of that. If you'll just hold still a moment…”

“What the...oh no no no no!”

Rarity filled us all in once we got inside the bus that would take us downtown. Apparently there are no classes today but the student body was still required to attend. I can't say that isn't a little bit strange.

“Rainbow Dash really, I don't see what the fuss is about,” Rarity said.

None of us needed any makeovers although Applejack had to keep her hat off due to their hat policy. Rainbow Dash however wasn't so fortunate. She sat there fuming with her hair pulled back in a ponytail and wearing a pair of glasses.

“Actually I think it's a good look,” Fluttershy said.

Dash looked at her slightly and her cheeks turned red. “Yeah?”

“Yeah if Rainbow Dash was an egghead,” I teased.

Applejack laughed. “She got you there Dash.”

“Very funny,” Dash grumbled. “Let's get this over with…”

The bus dropped in front of the school and I won't lie, my jaw dropped a bit. Crystal Prep wasn't just big, it was huge. One could tell the building had been here for a very long time yet they kept the place in excellent condition. Our tax dollars at work.

“Ooh just coming here makes me think of that one time I came here and they slapped a restraining order on me,” Pinkie almost whimpered.

“Seriously?” I ask.

“Yep! Apparently having fun here is against the rules,” Pinkie fumed.

“Now, now girls, all smiles now,” Rarity said. “Including you Dash.”

Dash suddenly smiled an unnerving grin. “I'll just think of what to do with you when this is over…”

I had to say, I haven't been to many schools in my life but I've never been in an atmosphere so...lacking. No one looked like they wanted to be here. Hell, even the vendors didn't seem interested in attracting customers.

“Uh, are we at a fair or a funeral?” Applejack asked.

“I was only here once but that time the students were way more engaged,” Rarity replied. “This is…”

“Kinda creepy?” Dash added.

“In a way yes,” Rarity said. “Let's split up and see if anything happens.”

Some of the girls headed to the gymnasium while I went through the hallways. There were things set up in every classroom. How could people put this much effort into something and then not give a care in the world?

As I passed by the one room, I could hear a conversation. “Dean Cadance, while I do admire the work that's been put into this, I am confused by the students’ sudden lack of enthusiasm. I've seen sloths show more interest in certain things.”

“Principal Cinch, I assure you the students were really excited about today. I'm sure it's only because it's morning that they're…”

“Acting like zombies?”

“Um...yes. Plus there was the horrible incident of that group of students disappearing.”

Well this just got interesting.

“Hmm...I suppose. For their sakes it better be a disappearance because Crystal Prep does not tolerate truancy! Now then, I hope by this afternoon you will be able to motivate the student body to be a little more active.”

I turned away and started walking as the door opened and two women, one older and stern-looking, and the other younger with a soft but concerned face, came out. The first woman walked off in the opposite direction and as soon as I was about to turn the corner I heard, “Excuse me?” I froze for a moment, weighing my options. I could pretend to not have heard her or run off, either which would look suspicious. I turned around as the younger woman walked towards.

“Sorry, I don't mean to bother you but I couldn't help but notice I haven't seen you here before.”

So much for the disguise. “Oh uh...yeah I'm still kinda new here…”

“Oh really?” She smiled; it was an innocent smile with a slight bit of humor. “I'm sure you've got the alma mater down by now right?”

“Uh...you know...I gotta go find my friends before they-” I turned around and started walking and instantly knocked into someone, falling on my butt.

“Oh I'm so sorry!” I look up and I see another girl in front of me with purple skin and matching hair with a pink highlight going through the middle. She was wearing glasses and had her hair in a bun. “I'm always so clumsy and-oh hi Cadance!”

“Hello Twilight.” Cadance smiled at her but then looked back at me. “Could you come with us for a moment? We need to talk privately somewhere.”

“Oh uh...sure,” the girl said as she got up and looked at me curiously as I sighed and got up as well.

Cadance took us both to the same room as before and locked it behind us. She then looked at me again and the smile was gone. “Alright, I think you have some explaining to do.”

Well this just sucked. “Look I'm not here to crash anything…”

“So you're from Canterlot High?” Cadance asked.

“Yeah…”

“Wait, how'd you get a uniform then?” the girl named Twilight asked.

“A friend of mine...borrowed some.”

Cadance took a deep breath. “Okay...so why are you here?”

It was a gutsy move, but I had to admit I overheard the conversation from before. “There was a group of students from here that went missing wasn't there?” I asked.

“That's right…are you saying something happened at CHS?”

“Two girls.”

“I see... well Miss…?”

“Sunset Shimmer.”

“Sunset, I appreciate you looking into this but this is a police concern. And you really shouldn't be skipping school.”

“Cadance is Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna's niece,” Twilight pointed out.

Oh crap!

Cadance smiled again. “Now Twilight don't scare her...don't worry I won't say anything but...well you don't want to run into Principal Cinch.” She paused for a moment. “You can stay til the end of the day but heed my warning before. In fact, why don't you show her around Twilight?”

“Huh, me?” Twilight asked.

“Of course, and Sunset can become your first friend.” She looks to me. “She spends half her days in the lab.”

“It's for science!” Twilight snapped.

“Right…” Cadance then unlocked the door and opened it. “Have fun you two!”

“Now wait a…ugh! That woman sometimes.” She then looked to me. “Sorry... she's my sister-in-law….well future sister-in-law. My brother and her used to go here and- sorry you don't seem interested in that. Anyway, I'm Twilight Sparkle and it's nice to meet you Sunset.”

“You're...not upset that I don't go here?” I asked.

“Honestly I wouldn't have known if you didn't say, since this school is pretty big. Twilight giggled. “I spend most of my time down in the lab anyway. Oh wait, I'm supposed to give you a tour.”

“Just so you know I'm not the only one crashing,” I said as we walked out into the hallway.

“I guess Crystal Prep is popular today but…” Twilight looks at her fellow students and can't help but look nervous. “I suppose we could go to the gymnasium...the office is probably not a good place to go.”

“Twilight Sparkle!”

Twilight froze and turned around, her face suddenly going tense. “Hello Starlight.”

I turned around and saw a girl with light pink skin and dark purple hair with light pink and sky blue highlights. “I was looking for you. Oh, who's this?”

“This is Sunset. Sunset, meet Starlight Glimmer. She's the president of Student Council.” She didn't sound impressed as she talked though.

“Sunset? Never heard of you I'm afraid,” Starlight said with a smile so fake it made me want to gag. “I wanted to bring up the offer again of having you join Student Council as vice president.”

Twilight sighed. “Again, I appreciate the offer Starlight but I'm just not council material. Fleur on the other hand is much more suitable in my opinion.”

Starlight frowned, looking disappointed. “Very well, if that's your decision I'll let it go.” She turned back to me. “So Sunset, enjoying the fair so far?”

“It's... interesting I'll give it that,” I replied.

“Then you're gonna love what's going to be taking place later on in the gym,” Starlight said. “Well, I have to run along now, make sure everything's running properly. Talk to you later!”

As soon as she was gone, I looked to Twilight. “You don't like her do you?”

Twilight blushed slightly. “Was it that obvious?”

“You could cut the tension with a knife.”

Twilight giggled. “Yeah, I suppose you could. I dunno...despite how she acts she doesn't like me. She's jealous because her scores are just below mine so naturally she tries to undermine me any chance she can get.”

“And the thing with Student Council?” I asked.

“That's just a way for her to have an excuse to ridicule me in front of everyone else.” She sighed. “Sometimes I hate this school…oh sorry we were going to the gym weren't we?”

Once we got to the gym, we ran into Rarity and the others. “Man, I can't believe I'm saying this but I'd rather be at CHS right now doing actual schoolwork,” Dash was saying.

“Fer once I agree wit ya,” Applejack said. “Oh howdy Sunset-” She paused for a moment. “...Who's this?”

“Hi, I'm Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight said, waving slightly.

Everyone else introduced themselves. “Twilight here knows we're from CHS,” I explained.

Everyone else traded uneasy looks. “Are you sure that was a good idea?” Rarity asked.

“Well any friend of Sunset's is a friend of mine, regardless of school!” Pinkie said.

“Oh don't worry I won't say anything,” Twilight reassured us.

“Ya do and you'll regret it,” Dash said, almost getting in her face.

“Um...I like your glasses,” Twilight said meekly.

“Huh?” Suddenly Dash's eye started twitching and for a moment I thought she was going to hit her. She then turned around and marched right out of the gym.

“...Was it something I said?” Twilight asked.

“For the record, Dash doesn't dress like that...or wear glasses,” Fluttershy said.

“Anyway...I found out something interesting,” I said. “Apparently a group of students here disappeared yesterday.”

“Right after what happened at CHS,” Rarity pondered.

“Uh...what happened at CHS?” Twilight asked.

That was one thing none of us could tell her. “We had two girls go missing at our school as well,” I said.

“Oh...it's that bad then,” Twilight asked.

“Uh... is it just me or is it really starting to get crowded in here?” Pinkie asked.

“Uncomfortably so yes,” Rarity said as people were pushing into her.

“Well, Cadance did say there was going to be an assembly today but this seems too early for-”

Suddenly the lights went out in the gym. “That can't be good,” Applejack said.

“Welcome all, ladies and gentlemen.” The sudden voice rang throughout the gym. Everyone was silent now.

I could see a figure in the rafters above, who then jumped down to the middle of the floor. It was wearing a black cape as well as a white mask. “Oh how easy it was to bring you all together.” The voice sounded modified but had a feminine tone.

“Why is it that you're here now? Because we made you come here. Humanity has hit a roadblock and you've let yourselves be manipulated and pulled around like the sheep you are.

“But do not worry. There is a plan. There always was a plan for the simple-minded. You'll still be quite useful for our master.”

“What is this?” Twilight almost whispered.

“We need to get out of here now!” I said loudly.

“Now then, do not fear...this may only hurt a lot!” Suddenly everything went white and soon shifted to darkness.

Author's Note

For those who are wondering, don't worry the Velvet Room will be featured and is coming soon. Also for those who are curious about Rainbow's...current look:

Yeah.

Chapter 5

Once I came to, the first thing I noticed was everything was blue. Or at least, the room we were in was. There was a piano playing and someone singing in the background.

I looked up and not far away there was a man with a large nose sitting in a rather comfortable chair. “Ah, you're all finally awake. Allow me to personally welcome you all to the Velvet Room, a realm between dreams and reality. My name is Igor, and I will act as your guide on your journey.”

I looked around as the other girls shook themselves off and got up. That's when I noticed? “Twilight!?”

Twilight looked around the entire room. “I've never seen a room so...blue. Where are we?”

“Uh...Ah’m guessing this has to do with Persona stuff,” Applejack said. “But...what is she doing here?”

Igor chuckled. “The only way for you all to come here is to have awakened your inner selves, your Personas. She has also awakened, but I sense she was not aware of it.”

“My...Persona?” Twilight asked. I quickly explained to her what's been going and surprisingly she took it well. “It reminds me of a game we used to play when we were kids...but I wonder…” She took a deep breath. “Persona!”

A woman with dark hair and grey eyes appeared, accompanied by an owl. “I am Athena, Goddess of Wisdom. My powers will help you and others along your journey.”

Twilight was almost speechless. “Well then…”

“There are two other things I need to discuss,” Igor said. “The demons in your world from time to time will drop tarot cards based on their arcana. These cards are important, for they will allow you to create new, stronger Personas. Bring them back to me and I shall do the rest. The other is Fusion spells. Depending on what spells your Personas have, they can combine into a more powerful spell. Keep this in mind when you encounter these demons. Ah, I almost forgot to introduce an acquaintance of mine.”

“Tarot cards are not the only cards demons possess.” There was a man with long black hair, sunglasses, and a beanie on his head. “Some have what we call free cards, blank cards that have yet to be made. With those cards, I can create any type of card with any arcana. The choices are yours.”

“Now it is time to part…” Igor said. “Your Personas need more time to grow...but when you see the blue door in the future, please do not hesitate to visit. Until then, I bid you all farewell…”

I suddenly woke up on the hardwood flooring of the gym. It was then I realized we were still at Crystal Prep. That, and the rest of the student body was gone.

“Well...that was weird,” Dash said.

“Weird? Just where the hell were ya!?” Applejack snapped.

Dash scowled and threw off her glasses and took out her hair band, letting her hair down. “Well I was heading to the bathroom but there was this white light and next thing I know I'm here!”

“I...think I like her actual look better,” Twilight said.

“Thank you,” Dash replied, rolling her eyes. “So...you're one of us huh?”

“You mean...you can call them too?” Twilight asked.

“Yep! It's great!” Pinkie said quite happily.

“Can we get back to the part where some crazy bitch just appeared out of nowhere and abducted an entire school?” I said, taking off the safety of my gun.

“Hey! No firearms on school property!” Twilight suddenly snapped. Everyone stared at her. “...What?”

“The point is moot now since we're all armed darling,” Rarity said. “But Sunset's right, that girl, whoever she is, is currently our enemy.”

“Do you have something to fight with?” Fluttershy asked Twilght. “I don't think we're in our world anymore.”

“Actually…” Twilight pulled out a set of keys. “I think I do. The room is actually not far from here, it's near the main office.”

“Just be ready for trouble once we go out,” Applejack said, twirling her axe. “Been wanting to give this thing a try anyway…”

Once we got out, it didn't take long for us to get our first encounter. There were three...how do I put it? What was that famous play...oh right Cats.

“Oh...demons...got it now,” Twilight said.

Dash snorted. “Who brought in the furry patrol?”

“Hey! Don't be making fun of our looks!” one of the demon...kitties snapped.

“Holy shit it talks!?” Dash yelled.

“Uh yeah? Are you stupid or do you just like pissing people off?”

“Okay conversation's over!” Dash growled. “Persona!” Nike appeared and performed a wind attack, causing the Nekometa to yelp out in pain and then vanish.

“Aw…” Fluttershy said sadly.

“Fluttershy I swear to God if you start fraternising with the enemy…!”

The other two Nekometa were not happy and one went after Dash, scratching at her while the other attacked Fluttershy. “Ouch!” Fluttershy cried out. “Okay...you've done it now! Persona!” Artemis appeared and using her bow, struck both demons as they perished instantly.

“Man...Ah sure hope Opal don't act like that,” Applejack chuckled.

“Excuse you but Opalescence is a lady...not some low life hussy,” Rarity reprimanded her.

I then noticed something laying on the ground where the demons had disappeared. I went over to pick it up and saw they were tarot cards, of the Hermit arcana. “This must be what that man Igor was talking about…” I said as I pocketed the cards.

“I can't wait to see what Twilight's Persona can do!” Pinkie said.

“To be honest I'm curious myself…” Twilight said. “Oh there's the room! Be right back!” She unlocked the door and went inside.

“So...if she gets ambushed and gets killed do we leave her?” Dash asked.

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity snapped, looking outraged.

“She's our friend!” Fluttershy added, looking upset.

“Friend? We just met her like half an hour ago,” Dash replied.

“Regardless, we're in th’ same boat now and quite frankly Ah like her,” Applejack said. “And school affiliation should have nothin’ to do with it.”

Dash sighed. “Alright alright, I'm sorry...that was kinda harsh. I still hate this school though.”

The door then opened again and Twilight came out with a rapier in hand. “Oh my, Twilight,” Rarity said. “I would not have guessed you were into fencing.”

“I used to when I was younger,” Twilight said. “I may be a little rusty but it's better than nothing. So, what now?”

“Last time when this happened at CHS, we couldn't get out,” I explained. “Guess we need to find our masked assailant.”

“But didn't you notice this person was a female and the other person was male?” Fluttershy asked.

“Great, so a cult,” Dash summed up.

“To be honest, we don't know who these people are or what their goal is,” Rarity said. “But right now I'd love to get out of this hellhole.” She glanced at Twilight. “No offense.”

“None taken, trust me,” Twilight said.

Suddenly one of the doors shot open and I was ready to shoot off a round until I saw a disheveled young man slightly older than us come out looking panicked. “Shiny!?” Twilight suddenly said.

The man looked in our direction and he suddenly looked relieved. “Twily!” He then ran over to us. “You're okay! Oh, are you friends of hers?”

“Uh...yep! Good ol’ Twilight!” Dash said rather loudly. Everyone could tell she was making up for her remarks before.

“This is my brother Shining Armor, he's a P.E. teacher and the head coach of the boy's track team at the school,” Twilight said. “I'm glad to see you're okay.”

“You and me both,” Shining said. “I'm glad we found other students. The rest... they're just gone and we can't seem to get out.”

“There are other students here?” Applejack asked.

Shining sighed. “Only five so far, and then there's Cadance and I. But that's not even the weirdest parts. There are these...things running around the school. We barely escaped a couple before and now Cadance and the others have barricaded themselves in the planetarium. As for me, I'm just looking for any other survivors.”

“I'm just glad you and Cadance are safe,” Twilight said. “Don't worry though, we'll take care of the culprit.”

Shining glanced at all of us, his eyes lingering on me, and the Beretta, the most. “Yeah...no doubt I'm sure. Alright, I'll keep looking on this floor just in case.”

Once Shining headed down the hallway we heard a snort. We looked to Pinkie who could barely restrain herself. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry!” She was almost crying. “Your brother calls you 'Twily’ and you call him 'Shiny’!”

“W-What it's a sibling thing!” Twilight snapped. “It's not funny!”

Dash snorted. “Actually it kinda is…”

“Ahem,” Rarity said, clearly not amused. “I believe we're in the middle of something?”

“Sorry…” Pinkie and Dash said.

“The best place to try is the rooftop,” Twilight said.

We all nodded and headed for the stairs, taking us to the second floor. It was then we encountered what looked like...slime? “Ugh, I don't even want to go near those things!” Rarity grimaced. “Aphrodite!” Her Persona appeared and used a large ice attack to clear them away. “Hm, my Persona feels a little bit stronger.”

We then found the next group of stairs onto the third and were soon ambushed by a pair of-

“What the hell, zombies!?” Dash asked. “Hey Sunset you know the drill, aim for the head right?”

I've seen plenty of movies where that's the case and upon aiming and pulling the trigger, the zombie went down.Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough to get rid of the second before it attacked me. “Ah got you covered,” Applejack said. “Come on Demeter show 'em what fer!” Demeter appeared and used an earth-based attack which ended up crushing the zombie.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked me.

“It's okay, it doesn't hurt that bad,” I insisted.

“Just to be safe…” Fluttershy paused as Artemis appeared and I felt an aura around me, melting the pain away. “There you go.”

“Wow, if Fluttershy's a healer then I feel a lot better,” Pinkie said.

“Yes, but using it takes a bit of my stamina,” Fluttershy said. “So we need to be careful about that.”

“Yeah, yeah we'll be fine,” Dash said impatiently.

We then hit the fourth floor... and it was at that point I realized something was wrong. “Twilight...how many floors does Crystal Prep have?”

“Three, if you don't include the roof,” she replied. She must've picked up on it cause she was silent for a moment. “Why is there a fourth floor?”

“Oh I know! Cause we're in some alternate dimension and because we're in an alternate dimension the laws of physics don't matter here so even if this building looks like it has three floors it can go on and on forever!” Pinkie didn't even have to take a deep breath.

“You mean... we're trapped here?” Fluttershy asked.

“Worst. Way to go. Ever.” Dash complained.

“Well, Pinkie could be right…” Twilight said, her head down as if in thought. “But we'll have to keep going. It's better than just sitting here right?”

Applejack chuckled. “Ah'm liking this girl more and more.”

“Let's just hope there is an end,” I said.

The higher we went up, the less demons there seemed to be. I was hoping that Twilight's brother and the others were okay. Once we finally got up to what was now the sixth floor, instead of a hallway we were greeted with a small corridor and a door just ahead.

Pinkie then shivered. “I don't know if this is my Pinkie sense or something else, but whatever's waiting past that door is certainly not good.”

“Sounds like our friend from before,” I commented.

Twilight took a deep breath. “Alright, I'm ready.”

I opened the door slowly and we were suddenly outside on the rooftop. I don't think I could ever get used to the sound of literally nothing. No wind, no birds chirping, no cars passing by below, nothing. Just what was this place?

“So... you've finally showed up.” In front of us, near the edge of the roof stood the figure that had been in the gym earlier, staring out towards the horizon. She then turned around and we saw she still had her face concealed. “The fact you are all still here means you're different from all the rest, just like myself.”

“What the hell does that mean!?” Dash snapped.

“Your powers of course. And you too Twilight? Now this is a surprise…”

“You know who I am?” Twilight asked. “Who are you?”

The figure chuckled. “You're the smartest girl in the entire school and you haven't figured it out!?”

“How about ya show yer face instead of hiding it!?” Applejack demanded.

“Hm...I suppose now it doesn't matter…” She then lowered her hood and took off her mask.

Twilight suddenly took a step back. “You!?”

“That's right, me,” Starlight Glimmer replied.

“Uh...who in tarnation is she?” Applejack asked.

“Starlight Glimmer,” I replied. “I guess compared to Twilight she's second best at this school.”

Starlight laughed. “Is that what she told you? How amusing...but yes I am Starlight...or rather was. That was the old me, before I became enlightened. Now, you may call me Lady Aquarius.”

There was a long pause. “Come again?” Applejack asked.

“You wouldn't know this but in a matter of days a great event shall take place, one that will change the world forever,” Starlight said. “A new flood is coming and only those who are worthy shall board the Ark that will take us to the Promised Land.”

“Yes, I can see the poor girl is clearly off her rocker,” Rarity murmured.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?” Twilight yelled. “You did all this, you went after innocent people, our student body, for some stupid prophecy!?”

“You wouldn't understand,” Starlight said. “I worked hard all my life. I did everything I could to make sure I aced every test, to show everyone I was serious about helping achieve their goals, that's why I ran for Student Council President! But no, here you show up and all of a sudden you're the girl with the best grades the school has ever seen and everyone is always talking about you, praising you for your achievements. And all you ever do is spend time in the science lab building junk that no one will ever use! Talk about a waste of potential!”

“I…” Twilight couldn't muster up the words to answer that. Pinkie however came to her defense.

“So what if she has a different hobby, no one should have to tell her what she can and cannot do!” Pinkie said angrily.

“Wait a minute...let me get this straight,” Dash said. “You're going around kidnapping students and prophesising some mumbo jumbo...cause your pride got hurt? Oh shut the hell up you bitch!”

“It no longer matters,” Starlight said. “The Promised Day is soon upon us, as our master decreed, and nothing, not even you, can stop it.”

“What did you do with the students?” I asked.

“I don't know,” Starlight said casually. “That much was never explained. But enough talk. Now I see you and I were destined to meet like this Twilight…” Suddenly an orange glow surrounded her. “So...let's see who's truly Crystal Prep’s number one student!”

Chapter 6

“For so long I wasn't sure what to do with my life,” Starlight said. “But now I found a purpose and you're all just an obstruction in my path!”

Twilight sighed. “I didn't understand how you felt Starlight, and I'm sorry,” she replied. “But friends or not, those were my classmates and I won't let you hurt them or anyone else!” Athena suddenly appeared and I, along with the other girls, suddenly felt vigor course through our veins.

“Ah reckon it's time we help our friend out and cut this bitch down to size!” Applejack declared as Demeter attacked with an earth-based spell.

“I'm with ya 120%!” Dash grinned. Nike appeared and attacked but her wind attacks didn't seem to affect Starlight. “Aw crap! Wind attacks aren't working!”

Starlight merely brushed off her uniform. “Now it's my turn! Rasputin!” A human figure clad in black appeared and suddenly Rarity was bathed in light.

Her eyes turned to slits and fell backwards. Luckily Pinkie was there to catch her. “Oh no, Queenie!” Pinkie cried.

I looked to Twilight. “Athena has status spells. She can save her!”

“Hang on Rarity!” Athena appeared again and then Rarity was surrounded by a green light before she awoke.

“HOW DARE YOU ATTEMPT TO KILL ME YOU HUSSIE!” Rarity shrieked. “Get her!” Aphrodite appeared and soon Starlight was enveloped in water.

Fluttershy was quick to heal Rarity and Pinkie used her to Persona to heighten our defenses. I was hesitant to attack because I was curious about something.

Starlight coughed out water and glared at us. “Hmph! Not bad...but it's gonna take a lot more than that!” Rasputin appeared again and attacked Applejack with a wind spell, almost knocking her on her butt.

At that point I had an idea. “Applejack, Rarity, when I give the signal, we're going to attack at once!”

“Ah gotcha.”

“If you say so.”

“Now!” The three of us attacked and suddenly it fused into one attack, which appeared to be a large boulder that crashed right into Starlight. It certainly did some damage.

“Of course, fusion spells!” Twilight said, picking up on it quick.

“Her Persona uses wind spells, which are strong against earth elementals, which is why she's going after AJ,” I explained. “But she's weak against AJ as well.”

Starlight managed to get back up but she look weakened. “I can't...I refuse to lose to you again! Not again!” Rasputin appeared once more and suddenly we were enveloped in light...but nothing happened. “No way!”

“One more time,” I said. “Can the rest of you keep her busy?”

“Okie-dokie!” Pinkie said as Comus appeared and the area around Starlight suddenly exploded. To her credit, I was surprised she was still in one piece. Artemis attacked with her bow while Nike attacked Starlight head on. Athena finished off by attacking with her short sword.

“Alright, let's do it!” Applejack yelled.

“Stone Rise!” She, Rarity, and I yelled as our Personas attacked. Starlight was pummeled into the ground again but this time she didn't get up.

“Is...is it over?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight then went over to where she laid and stood in front of her. “I don't understand at all Starlight. What drove you to all this? If you felt so strongly about how you felt about me, then why not talk to me? Talk to your friends?”

There was a small chuckle but as Starlight looked up, there was no defiant look on her face but rather a tired and defeated expression. “I could say the same about you. You were the quiet one, dedicated to school but always by yourself. And yet now all of a sudden you have friends?”

“It's true, we all just met,” Twilight replied. “But in that short time, I can feel like I relate to them somehow. Maybe because they gave me more of a chance than anyone else here ever did.”

“Heh, I guess you're not too bad...for a Crystal Prep student,” Dash smirked.

“But what are we going to do with her?” Rarity asked.

“We can't just kill her…” I looked at Twilight. “You decide.”

Twilight nodded and kneeled down. “What you did was wrong but...it's not too late for you. You just need a friend.”

“I had a friend once…” Starlight said. “Sunburst was his name...we did everything together when we were little... but then he had to move, go to a different school. It turned out he was practically a genius so naturally he went to a better school... Crystal Prep.

“I worked my butt off, did everything I could to have good enough grades to transfer, but once I got there, he had already graduated.

“What's the point of friendship anyway? People you may know and care of eventually leave you behind anyway. I thought things would work out between Sunburst and I...but circumstances drove us apart!”

“Then try again!” Twilight implored her. “Make new friends! And if something comes between you, work it out together!”

“But...what if I can't?” Starlight asked. “What if I fail?”

“You have to believe in yourself,” Twilight replied, holding out her hand. “I believe in you...can you do the same?” Starlight hesitated but then took her hand as Twilight helped her up.

“I don't mean to kill the mood but we have some questions,” I said. “Starting with just what exactly is this place?”

“As you've probably guessed, it's another dimension,” Starlight explained. “One that intersects with our world interestingly enough.”

“So why's it appearing and why are students disappearing?” Applejack asked.

“Someone tore a rift between dimensions and everything's fallen out of balance...hence why it appears here and there. As for the students, I do not know their purpose. The master didn't say.”

“And who is this master?” Twilight asked.

“He never gave us a name...but he is the leader of the Masked Circle.” Starlight replied.

“Masked Circle? Pft, lame name…” Dash muttered.

“I think that's quite enough.”

The eight of us looked towards the edge of the roof as a figure suddenly appeared out of thin air. It was the same masked man we saw at CHS. “After the oath you took, you now spill our secrets? Betrayal will be met with severe consequences…”

Starlight smiled sadly. “What difference does it make? Considering I failed to defeat them I was going to die anyway…”

“Then perhaps I shall do the honors if that's what you truly wish…”

“No you won't!” Twilight said, getting in front of Starlight. “I don't know what you did to poison her mind but she's my friend and if you want her you have to go through me first!”

“Twilight…” Starlight said softly.

“And me too!” Pinkie said.

“...Ah what the hell, I'll give her a chance too!” Dash said. Needless to say, we formed a protective wall around Starlight.

“...Hmph, fine,” the figure said. “If you want her alive so badly so be it. I could kill you all right now but where's the fun in that? I'll leave that to another subordinate…”

“Just what the hell are you trying to achieve?” I asked.

“I don't answer to you wench,” the figure sneered. “It doesn't matter away. Enjoy these precious moments while you still can.” He then disappeared and soon it felt like the sky was clearing.

“We're back in our world now,” Starlight said. She then looked to Twilight. “Did you really mean that?”

“Yes,” Twilight replied. “To be honest, part of what you said kind of reminded me of myself. I was always so focused on school, or projects, or anything that kept my mind busy that I never gave friendship a chance.”

“You're still both eggheads,” Dash stated.

Twilight giggled. “And I'm fine with that.”

“Thank you,” Starlight said. “All of you...and um...sorry about trying to kill you.”

Rarity sniffed. “I'm guessing it won't be the last time.”

“Right now I just wanna change out of this,” Dash said. “But let's take her to the station and hear more from her. Don't worry, you're not under arrest or anything.”

"Considering what I did that could quickly change,” Starlight mumbled.

We were back at the station, in one of the conference rooms with Spitfire as we all explained the previous events. “Damn, now Crystal Prep too?” Spitfire asked. “Just what the hell is going on?”

“You really want to know Captain?” Dash asked. “I won't lie, it'll sound pretty crazy.”

“...Define crazy,” Spitfire said, slowly taking off her shades.

Dash then explained what took place afterwards.

Spitfire was silent for a few moments and her face was hard to read. “So you're telling me not once but twice you wound up in some other dimension filled with demons and there's some secret society that's prophesizing some day of reckoning while kidnapping students by making them disappear? Yeah that's pretty crazy.”

“In other words, you don't believe us,” I stated simply.

“If I said exactly what you said to my boss, I'd lose my badge instantly,” Spitfire said. “Look after the weapons and stuff, I was curious yeah. And I want to believe you but be in my shoes for a moment.”

“Well, Starlight's life might be in danger so we figured this was the best place for her,” Dash said.

“Alright, that's fine.” Spitfire then looked at Starlight. “So explain this ‘Promised Day’?”

“It's the day where supposedly the planets will align with the sun,” Starlight said. “And that the six elements will lead us all to the Promised Land.”

“And you seriously believe this crap?” Spitfire almost snapped.

“I'm an avid reader, I can't help it,” Starlight said sheepishly.

“Six elements?” Twilight asked. “Are we talking like earth, wind, and fire?”

“I'm not sure,” Starlight replied. She looked to us. “I'm sorry, that's all I know.”

“After this, I need a drink,” Spitfire complained. “I'm expecting a lot of calls tonight…”

“We'll get out of your hair then,” I said.

“One other thing,” Spitfire said. “We've gotten reports about certain rumors coming true. Could be a coincidence but... Fleetfoot posted something about her prediction for the upcoming lottery numbers so we'll see what happens.”

“Fleets actually bought a ticket?” Dash asked.

"Nope, but she may soon wish she did.”

As we left the station, we were all silent, not sure where to go from here. It was an odd situation, but it was possible since Starlight was involved in the kidnapping she could have charges brought against her. I then looked at Twilight to break the silence. “Crazy day huh?”

Twilight smiled. “It certainly beats a typical day for me.” She paused for a moment. “Um...can I say something?” We all stopped and looked at her. “I know we only just met but...I want to help you...with whatever you're doing. If you're okay with it that is.”

“You're sure?” Rarity asked.

“I'm involved in this whether I like it or not,” Twilight said. “But it's not about us, it's those who were taken. They didn't ask for this...so I'll do whatever I can to make sure everyone else is safe.”

“Well, Ah think Ah can speak fer all of us when Ah say Ah have no issue with ya joining us,” Applejack said. The rest of us nodded in agreement.

“Guess that means you're on the team now Sparkle,” Dash grinned.

“I'm not sure what to do next but I'm certain we can prepare,” Rarity said. “But it'll have to wait til tomorrow, I'm quite exhausted…”

“Ooh another meet up at Rarity's!?” Pinkie asked. Dash just groaned.

“Does eleven sound more reasonable?” Rarity asked.

“I suppose…” Dash then yawned. “All I know is I got a bed at home calling my name!”

“Oh that's too bad,” Fluttershy said. “Mom wanted to invite you over for dinner. She made her special casserole…”

“...On second thought who am I to turn down Miss Shy's cooking?”

“Alright, we'll meet at Rarity's again tomorrow at eleven,” I said.

We then went our separate ways; Twilight took the bus back downtown. Once I got home I realized I was feeling kind of tired myself. After getting some water and a bite to eat I went upstairs and crashed onto my bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

Author's Note

I love when I can make references to the show. Also if anyone complains I shouldn't have redeemed Starlight I'll just say I pulled a Hasbro. :trollestia:

Chapter 7

When I first woke up the next morning I thought I was still feeling groggy but once I rubbed my eyes i knew something was off. It was both foggy and muggy inside in my room. At first I thought it was smoke but I didn't smell anything, and the fact I was able to breathe normally told me what I was seeing was actual fog. I got dressed and took the Beretta underneath my pillow.

It was barely dawn upon going outside and the fog appeared to be thicker. Something like this wasn't uncommon but at the same time it didn't sit right with me. I could suddenly see my breath forming as a sudden chill went through me.

The lights along the road to my left started flickering. I slowly started walking in that direction, my hand cautiously hovering over the holster I was carrying. I then stopped, feeling that sensation as if I was being watched. “Who's there…?”

It was hard to tell, but I thought I could see a figure in the fog. “So...we finally meet. It's unfortunate that it's occurring in a dream but I can assure you I'm very real…”

Something about the voice was off...and yet familiar. Too familiar. “Who are you?”

The figure laughed. “You haven't figured it out? I thought Sunset Shimmer was smarter than that.” The figure came out of the fog and suddenly I felt as if I were staring into a mirror. “I am you.”

The girl in front of me looked like me, wore the same clothes as me. But her voice, while it sounded like mine, was slightly distorted. And her eyes...they were a bright unsettling yellow. As if on automatic, I pulled out the pistol. “What the hell is going on?”

“Ooh what's wrong Sunny? Going to shoot me?” the other me taunted. “I suppose you would be familiar with a gun wouldn't you?” Her smirk then faded. “I am a shadow... your shadow. The inner self you try so hard to suppress. Why bother? Are you scared people will find out the truth?”

“Shut up.”

“You try to act like a leader with good intentions but come on you were so much better when you were a complete bitch to everyone.”

“I SAID SHUT UP!” Again I was on autopilot as the shot rang out. I was expecting this...thing to be writhing on the ground with a bullet wound but it only frowned at the sudden hole in her jacket.

“Come on did you really think that was going to do me in Sunny?” Other Me asked.

There was only one other option. “Ares!” Even in my dreams my Persona was with me. Ares appeared and attacked using a fire spell and other me was engulfed in flames. To my dismay, she only seemed humored by the whole thing.

“Now that's more like it... although a little lacking on your part. My turn.” She then summoned a Persona of her own. It was Ares but different...more powerful. He then swung his mighty sword down and despite being a so-called dream the pain felt very real. I was on my knees, my strength gone and pain shooting throughout my body.

“As I expected...you're not there yet,” Shadow Sunset said. “Of course, I haven't manifested in the real world either. When we meet then, things will be different.” She then walked up to me and knelt down, putting a hand under my chin to lift up my head. “I'll be looking forward to it...maybe by then you'll be a little more honest with yourself hm?”

“Go to hell…!” I spat.

“We'll see...nice to see some of the old you’s still in there...but why did you shut it away? Oh...I see...that event...perhaps it's time you remembered exactly what happened.”

Was she talking about… “No, please…” But regardless of what I said it was too late as everything was engulfed in white.

I was standing in the middle of a playground. The mist around me was like looking into a foggy lens. Just ahead I could see other people but as I walked up to the scene my heart almost stopped.

There were two people on the ground. One was a police officer and he looked knocked out. Another was a young girl who looked close to ten and somehow familiar. But it was the other two people that was unsettling. It was like watching a movie but with no sound. There was another girl pointing a gun at the other, another adult. But the way she advanced and the look on the woman's face suggested she was a threat.

But the girl...I looked at her when I saw the color of her hair I knew...I remembered. She was me… Was I protecting the other girl? “Don't do it…” I begged her. “Please…” But my words didn't reach her. I heard the sound of the shot in my head and everything disappeared.

“Hmm...that's right,” Shadow Sunset, who didn't sound the slightest bit sympathetic, said. All I could hear was her voice. “The crazy bitch was ready to cut you to bits. The woman was practically insane...somehow she ended up finding you despite the efforts of the police. But why I wonder? Well, you probably did everyone a favor by killing her. But imagine... shooting a complete stranger at the young age of ten.”

“Goddamn you!” I snapped. “I didn't want to remember!” It was like a true nightmare...but was that how it happened?

“That's right, you had to move afterwards,” Shadow Sunset continued, almost ignoring me. “Not that I could blame our parents. Imagine what the kids, the parents, or even the teachers thought. If you ever snapped imagine if you just walked into school with a-”

“SHUT UP! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!” I yelled, straining my voice.

There was a long pause. “I suppose I've tortured you enough tonight...but at some point we will meet again. Pleasant dreams me…

I then woke up for real, my heart beating hard in my chest. I sat up and closed my eyes for a moment, massaging my temples gently. “It was just a dream…” But even as I said that I had a hard time believing it.

I looked over at my alarm clock and saw it was just after eight. I went into the shower and stood there for a few minutes, just letting the warm water pour over my skin. My thoughts kept returning to the dream, to what happened all those years ago. I wanted to forget and now something insisted on me remembering it.

After I got out, I got dressed and went downstairs. I still had two hours so I decided to grab my keys and helmet and got my bike. Considering all the repairs I did, my bike shouldn't have any problems for a long time.

It was always relaxing, going for a ride. The wind in your hair, the need for speed, the usual things bikers say. But it also has a status: the type that said, “Don't fuck with this chick.”

There was this popular café downtown that everyone went to. The coffee was good and their baked goods were probably just as good as what you'd get at the Sweet Shoppe. Personally though I wasn't in the mood at the moment to talk to Pinkie, who was probably working there this morning.

I then got a text from Twilight as I was drinking my coffee and eating my croissant. It was a mass-sent message telling us she got our numbers from Rarity so feel free to add her. I had to admit, I kind of admired her. The fact she was willing to stick with this despite the things she saw told me a lot about her character. But now that I thought about it, something about her seemed familiar.

I wasn't sure if she wanted to but I decided to reply back to her.

Then it's official then: welcome to the team. ;)

Somehow it felt stupid to say but I hope she at least got a laugh out of it.

After wasting another hour around town I then headed to Rarity's. What happened when I got there was almost priceless. Apparently my bike was so loud Rarity came out looking like a neighbor threatening to call the police. Upon seeing me she relaxed quickly but looked annoyed.

“Honestly I forgot you drove that dreadful thing,” she said somewhat acidly.

“If you want, you can always go on a ride with me,” I said jokingly.

Rarity's nostrils flared slightly. “I'll pass. Fluttershy and Applejack are here already so we just have to wait for the others. Hopefully Dash will only be about fifteen minutes late…”

We went back inside and joined Fluttershy for tea. I guess for these two it was a regular thing. Rarity told me once they usually go to the spa a couple times a month.

“The raccoon came by again last night,” Fluttershy said somewhat miserably.

Rarity sighed. “Fluttershy dear I don't want to sound mean but if he keeps coming animal control may get involved.”

“I know…” Fluttershy said, sipping her tea. She looked to me. “There's this poor raccoon that's been visiting almost every night for a while now and…well at first he was raiding the trash cans so I gave him scraps and now he just sits there by the window begging for food.”

“And Fluttershy has a hard time saying no,” Rarity said, looking at her nails.

“If I see him tonight I'll have to tell him to leave,” Fluttershy said. “It always ends bad once animal control is called…”

Suddenly I noticed the smell of something cooking. “Who's-?”

“Applejack naturally,” Rarity said. “Not that I mind since Sweetie Belle can't even toast bread, but I wish she'd go easy on the carbs…must be an Apple thing.”

“Ah heard that,” Applejack said, poking her head into the living room. “Howdy Sunset, hope you don't mind an early lunch. Ya know they say ya should eat something every three hours or so.”

“I think I can manage,” I assured her.

“The others not here yet? Pinkie should be here any minute, maybe Twilight too.”

“Rainbow Dash has her fifteen minutes…” Rarity said.

Applejack snorted. “Yeah we'll see...Dash rarely gets up before noon.”

At precisely eleven o'clock, the doorbell rang and both Pinkie and Twilight showed up. “She was almost running from the bus stop,” Pinkie grinned.

“The bus was running late,” Twilight grumbled. “Sorry if we're late.” She then noticed the rest of us were staring at her. “...What?”

It was definitely Twilight, but now instead of her school uniform she was wearing a blue top with a purple skirt and instead of a bun she now had her hair down. “Sorry darling we can't help but admire your...out of school look.”

“What this?” Twilight shrugged but looked slightly embarrassed. “It's nothing really…”

To her credit, Rainbow Dash ended up showing up only ten minutes after eleven. “Well Ah’ll be damned…” Applejack said. “That's a new record.”

Dash chuckled. “Actually I've been up since nine. Hung out with Scootaloo a bit. Did super cool girl stuff.”

“Well Ah hope you're all hungry cause lunch….well call it brunch is ready,” Applejack said. She ended up making omelettes for us but they were probably the best omelettes we've ever eaten.

“Wow, my mom's a really good cook and even you got her beat,” Twilight said who was eating...very rapidly.

“You haven't tried her flapjacks though,” Dash said.

“It's like heaven to your tummy,” Pinkie said dreamily.

“You ate like ten of them,” Fluttershy pointed out.

“Soo worth it…”

“Now that Ah think about it, Ah'll have to invite both Sunset and Twilight,” Applejack said. “You may leave in wheelchairs, just forewarning…”

We ate for a few more minutes before Twilight spoke up again. “So uh...now that I'm part of the team...what's the team called?”

The girls looked at each other and now I was regretting the text I sent. “Well obviously we're called Team Rainboom,” Dash said.

“That's the name of your band,” Applejack argued.

“No, the band is The Rainbooms, this is Team Rainboom,” Dash explained. “Totally different.”

“Uh-huh…”

“Personally I must admit it's kind of catchy,” Rarity said.

“I love it!” Pinkie added.

Everyone looked at Fluttershy. “I don't mind it…” she said.

“So...does that make it official?” I asked.

“Hell yeah it does!” Dash said. “Team Rainboom, ready to kick Hell in the balls!”

Everyone else went silent. The tagline could use a little work.

Author's Note

I don't know if that tagline has ever been used for anything but if it hasn't, it really should.

Chapter 8

Author's Note

I realize there are long gaps between fighting demons and stuff but honestly that would be kinda boring if it were constant "dungeon after dungeon."

Chapter 8

After lunch, Rarity borrowed the keys to her parents’ SUV. Her parents traveled a lot, she explained, but luckily since they just got a new vehicle she was given the older SUV. It showed since the inside was completely picked clean.

“Now, you girls might remember I mentioned a friend named Sassy,” Rarity said while driving. “Well, she actually has her own boutique downtown, I forget if I mentioned that. Anyway, she tends to have some... interesting stuff, so don't worry if you feel a little overwhelmed. I figured if we're really fighting the legions of hell we better find, well, some heavy-duty clothes.”

“Like what, armor?” Dash snorted. “Did this turn into a video game?”

“Well duh, plus that lunch totally gave me +5 dexterity!” Pinkie said.

“Sure gave me +5 fullness,” Applejack smiled.

“I think ‘legions of hell’ is a bit of an exaggeration,” I said.

“Well, if what Starlight says is true then maybe it's not,” Twilight added.

“How is she anyway?” Fluttershy asked.

“We talked on the phone for about an hour last night,” Twilight replied, sighing. “Before yesterday it was like she didn't care but now that I talked to her she seems to regret what she did. She texted me this morning so she's fine for now.”

I decided to ask the question that was most likely on everyone's mind. “Are you thinking about her joining us?” It certainly got everyone's attention.

“I think it's a little early to decide that,” Dash replied.

“I agree, only Twilight really knows her and honestly, I don't one hundred percent trust her,” Rarity said.

“No I get it,” Twilight said. “Besides she kind of is still in trouble with the police.”

Once we got downtown, Rarity managed to find a parking spot near the boutique. As she had warned, the boutique was very glitz and glamour. The inside even more so.

The entire building looked bigger on the inside. There were clothes, dresses, everything a girl would want. Even I felt my more feminine side coming out.

“Hello, hello!” A woman then came out with dirty blonde hair and wearing a small black dress.

“Oh Rarity you've come and you brought your friends, splendid!”

“Of course,” Rarity said, giving her a hug. “Everyone, this is my friend and fellow seamstress Sassy. Now about what we discussed last night…”

“Oh yes, I just finished the last of the items this morning,” Sassy said. “Now, Rarity didn't quite tell me specifics other than sizes because I know she was trying to spare me the extra time, the kind girl, so I tried to make everything more neutral.”

“Unfortunately Sassy had a few…’ideas’ that didn't quite take off,” Rarity said. “However, after a little sprucing up, I think we can get finally get them off her shoulders.”

“Just give me a moment and be prepared to be dazzled!” She then went into the back and came back with a cart full of clothing and footwear.

“Ahem, the first product I'm showing may look like a simple T-shirt but it's actually made from ripstop fabrics, making these shirts almost impossible to tear and able to regulate your body temperature, keeping you cool when you're hot and warm when you're cold. I also have tank tops and long sleeves available as well.

“For footwear... okay I admit I made this one more for Rarity's taste. One thing I love about high heels is while they're stylish they can really do some damage.”

I just had a weird picture of Rarity in stilettos slamming her heels into a demon's skull pop into my head. It can never be unseen.

“But for anyone else these heavy-duty boots are made from the highest quality of leather and so light on your feet it's like you're wearing sneakers,” Sassy continued.

“Wow I'm not even into fashion and I think feel nice,” Dash said.

“I realize it's not much now but if I get high demand for this maybe I can make new products,” Sassy said. She then grinned. “So what will it be?”

I had to give Sassy credit. Whether or not she knew what was going on, the extra clothing would most likely give us extra protection, and we could hide it beneath our outfits. Most of us went for the tank tops although both Applejack and Dash decided to go for the t-shirts. As for the boots, they were pretty comfy.

Unfortunately Rarity wasn't too thrilled about the bill. “W-W-What!?” she almost yelled. “...Well I suppose I'll pay credit for this since I doubt all of us brought that much money...you all owe me.”

“Hey this was your treat,” Dash reminded her.

Rarity sighed. “Fine...that will be all then.”

“Splendid!” Sassy said. “I only wish I was making these kind of sales more often. Since opening I haven't really had many customers.”

“Well darling perhaps you should uh...lower your prices?” Rarity suggested.

“Oh come now they aren't that high…are they?” Sassy wondered.

“Business is about experimentation and fashion is no different,” Rarity said.

“Well...coming from you Rarity it must be worth a try! Alright, I'll see to lowering prices then and go from there,” Sassy said.

There was silence for a moment as Rarity stared at her expectedly. “Oh, I guess I could give a discount on that as well…”

After getting changed at the shop, we headed back to Rarity's. “I had been thinking since this 'Masked Circle' seems to be targeting large events I looked at the calendar for this weekend and realized there's going to be a Countess Coloratura concert,” Rarity said as we were sitting in the living room.

“Oh my gosh I totally forgot!” Pinkie cried. “And the tickets are probably sold out by now…”

“Actually I managed to score just enough tickets for all of us,” Rarity said with a sly smile.

She was then almost tackled as Pinkie hugged her. “Rarity you are the best ever!”

“Score huh?” Dash asked.

“Get your mind out of the gutter Rainbow nothing like that happened,” Rarity snapped.

“Uh... who's this Countess Coloratura?” Applejack asked.

Everyone stared as Pinkie quickly got in her face. “How can you not know the number one pop idol in the world!?”

“Ah thought that was Sapphire Shores?” Applejack asked.

“Pft, Sapphire Shores wishes she was number one,” Pinkie said with a dismissive gesture.

“Well...Ah did know a gal named Coloratura...though Ah just called her Rara when we were younger…” Applejack then chuckled. “Wouldn't it be something if they were one and the same?”

“So let me get this straight…” Pinkie said. “You've known Countess Coloratura since you were kids...and you didn't tell me!?”

“So you think this concert will be their next target?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

“At this point who knows?” Twilight commented. “But if they do attack and we manage to intercept them in time...all those people will see us.”

“Oh I wouldn't worry about that,” Rarity assured her. “These days, anything can be interpreted as special effects.”

“Well Ah won't let anybody touch Rara,” Applejack said. “Ah'm just glad to hear her music career took off.”

“Once again...how!?” Pinkie yelled at her.

“The concert isn't until tonight but I figured we could try to get there early and scout the area,” Rarity said. “Although honestly I wish somehow the concert could be cancelled.”

“I doubt it'd happen even if you begged her,” Dash said. “Us music stars have a duty to our fans.”

“No offense Rainbow, but Countess Coloratura is in another league,” Fluttershy said.

“That hurts Flutters…”

“It's been so long Ah wonder how she looks…?” Applejack wondered.

Pinkie grinned. “Oh you'll see.”

Unfortunately, security wasn't so willing to let us in. “Listen ladies, we know you want to be the first ones in but we don't open the gates til five o’clock so come back in a few hours,” the guard was saying.

“But the website said these were backstage passes,” Rarity said, quickly making up a story.

“I'm pretty sure they're not…”

“Alright look, we weren't supposed to discuss this but you left us no choice,” Dash said, taking out a piece of paper. “You’ve heard about the recent disappearances right?”

“Yeah so?”

“Well we have authorization from Detective Spitfire from the CPD to be here as as an effort to prevent further crimes from happening,” Dash said, handing over the paper to the guard. “They'd never suspect us and we can catch them in the middle of the act.”

He read the paper and looked back up at us, not totally convinced. “...You guys?”

“Hey I can call her if you want, I got her number,” Dash replied, pulling out her phone. “But if she has to come down here she'll be in a bad mood and you know, she's got quite the temper.”

“Uh...no that's fine.” The guard sighed. “Alright fine but don't get in anyone's way they're still setting up.” He then opened the gate for us.

“...How in the world did you pull that off?” I asked once we were inside.

“Oh just something I came up with on the dot,” Dash replied, grinning.

“So that's what you were doing on the ride over,” Applejack said.

Rarity looked at the paper. “Wow, this is the neatest handwriting I've ever seen Dash do. How did you get Spitfire's signature?”

“I didn't, but thanks for the compliment.”

“You forged it!?” Twilight whispered loudly. “Are you insane!?”

“Oh come on she would've totally played along,” Dash said. “Besides we got in didn't we?”

“Ah have admit that was impressive,” Applejack said.

“So we just need to find her trailer right?” Fluttershy asked.

“She doesn't have a hotel to stay in?” I asked.

“Actually she doesn't stay in hotels mostly,” Pinkie said. “Most of the money she earns goes to charity so she tried to avoid spending as much as she can.”

Applejack smiled. “Yep, that definitely sounds like her.”

Pinkie gasped and pointed. “And she's right over there!”

“...Where exactly?” Applejack asked.

“Right where I'm pointing!”

“All Ah can see is some gal with a...ya can't be serious…” The girl Pinkie was pointing at was wearing black and silver with her hair pulled back and wearing what looked like a silk veil in front of her face.

“I admit her presence is a bit intimidating at first but at the same time there's a mysteriousness to it as well,” Rarity said.

“That ain't the Rara Ah used to know,” Applejack said. “Still... alright Ah'm gonna have a talk with her; it ain't fair to judge not knowing her story.”

“Aren't we trying not to get kicked out?” Twilight asked. But Applejack was already walking over.

“And she says I'm stubborn…” Dash muttered. I could only shrug as we followed her over.

“Uh excuse me...Rara?” Applejack said, getting the girl's attention. “You may not remember me but we went to camp that one time as kids...Ah played the guitar when we did that little number on the last day of camp.”

Coloratura stared at her for a moment and then her eyes widened. “AJ?”

Applejack chuckled. “Aw shucks ya did remember…”

“Of course, how could I forget a friend?” Coloratura said, hugging her. “Wow...Rara...it's been a long time since I've heard that name…” She then lifted back her veil. “How did you get in here anyway?”

“Oh...you know…” Dash replied.

“Listen Ah know this is kind of sudden but...is there anyway you can postpone your concert?” Applejack asked.

“Postpone it? But why?” Rara asked.

“It's just there've been these incidents at these events and Ah'm worried something might happen...to you.”

“AJ I understand your concern but I can't simply postpone it there's too much that's already been planned out. Don't worry though, my manager specifically requested for higher security tonight.”

“And said manager would like to know how these kids got past security?” A man with thick glasses and what looked like like an expensive suit appeared behind them.

“Oh Svengallop,” Rara said. “This is Applejack, an old friend of mine. Uh... how'd you get inside again?”

“Special permission,” Applejack said, glaring at Svengallop slightly.

“Well they can take their 'permission’ and leave since we still have dress rehearsal to attend to, Countess, and I don't recall anyone being allowed access to that.,”

“Oh you're right,” Rara said, sighing slightly. “Sorry AJ I do have to get going. If you're going to the concert tonight maybe we can catch up afterwards.”

“Yeah, Ah’d like that,” Applejack said, forcing a smile. “Talk to you later then Rara.” She didn't show it as we were leaving but I could tell Applejack was fuming.

Chapter 9

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 10

“I can see you won't be convinced, so as such it's my duty to get rid of the non-believers! Let Count Taurus guide you straight to Hel!” Svengallop declared.

“Ah’ve heard complete hogwash in the past but this is ridiculous!” Applejack said. “Prophecy or not, Ah won't let you hurt Rara or anyone else so Ah hope yer ready to meet yer maker!”

“Ooh I feel so conflicted about having to fight Countess Coloratura's manager...but he was a meanie anyway!” Pinkie then summoned Comus and strengthened our attack while Fluttershy strengthened up our defense.

“Come on Nike, let's take care of this fruitcake!” Dash said as Nike appeared and attacked using Garu.

“Your attacks are futile,” Svengallop said. “Come Dark Valkyrie, deliver these fools from their cruel fate. Nibelung Valesti!”

Suddenly, as a woman clad in dark armor appeared, beams shaped like spears rained down from above, hitting all of us.

“Ow...that was brutal…” Twilight groaned as she summoned Athena who healed our injuries.

“We can't let up now,” I said. “AJ, Rarity, and I will take up the offensive while Dash keeps him occupied. Twilight and Fluttershy will be our support. Pinkie...you do whatever you do.”

“Okie-dokie!”

I summoned Ares who used Agi and it appeared to hurt Svengallop more than Dash's attack. “Get ready you two, I have another idea.”

Svengallop attacked again, this time using Bufula, I getting the worst of the damage. Twilight healed us once again while Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie boosted our stats.

“Together now!” The rest of us attacked and as I expected, the attacks combined together, this time a large pillar of fire. Svengallop got burned pretty badly, his hair included.

“No way, it's not ending like this!” Svengallop declared. The Valkyrie appeared again, drawing her sword and it seemed to to be targeting me as her blade turned to ice and she attacked.

I felt cold as I was surrounded by darkness. Was I dead? Was I going down this easy? Is this game over?

“No, not exactly…”

I knew that voice right away because it was my own. I then saw my shadow in front of me, an amused smile on her face.

“Your friends will most likely revive you soon enough,” she continued. “Which is fortunate. Sometimes, when the leader dies it's game over for them.”

“...This isn't a fucking video game!”

“I know but it's still stupid,” my shadow said. “But don't mind me, this meeting is temporary anyway.”

“...If this truly is death I want no part of it!”

“That's my girl…!”

I then woke up, gasping for breath quickly. “Phew! She's back with us!” Applejack said.

“...How long was I…?”

“Only ten seconds,” Rarity replied. “Twilight was very adamant about getting you back.”

I looked to Twilight and smiled. “Thanks.”

Twilight blushed slightly. “Just doing my duty, that's all,” she said, dismissing with a wave of her hand.

“This is sweet and all but we still got this guy to deal with!” Dash snapped at them. “Could use some help!”

“Oh don't worry, he's gonna get a taste of his own medicine!” I summoned Ares as Aphrodite and Demeter appeared as well. “Towering Inferno!”

Maybe it was my close encounter (or escape) from death that strengthened my will. Or maybe I was pissed I actually got killed by this asshole but either way the flames seemed to burn just a little bit hotter, burning through Svengallop’s defenses.

From what Philemon told me that first night, your Persona is not some sort of special shield that protects you. It's the embodiment of your soul, but it's connected to your body and the body can only take so much. That being said, I know my soul was burning brighter, much more than Svengallop’s and unfortunately his body could take no more. The screams of a man burning to death were not pleasant.

Applejack sighed and turned away. “Ah wish it hadn't come to this...but ya gave us no choice…” She then went over to the back of the set where Rara was hiding. “You okay?”

“I...think so,” Rara said, standing up. “Uh...what exactly happened?”

“It's hard to explain,” Fluttershy said.

“But uh...yer gonna need a new manager now,” Applejack stated.

“Well he was about to get fired-” Rara then winced at her poor choice of words. “...So he's really…?”

“Yep! Burned to a crisp!” Pinkie said.

“...Really Pinkie?” Twilight stared at her.

“...Well considering he was about to... actually I don't know what he was talking about but if he was involved in the kidnappings perhaps it was all anyone could do.” Rara then looked to Applejack. “I want to apologize…you were right about everything.”

“Of course Ah was,” Applejack said. “But Ah wish Ah hadn't been...are we good now?”

“Yeah we're good…” The two of them hugged as a loud cheer rang out.

“I forgot we were still being watched,” Twilight commented.

“So...they saw everything?” Dash asked.

“Pretty sure they thought it was part of the show,” Applejack said.

“Oh yes, because someone burning to death is entertainment…” Rarity muttered.

“Everyone, I'm sorry for the sudden change of schedule but we're going to finish this concert off right,” Rara then said. “If you'll excuse me for one moment…”

She then went back stage, much to everyone's confusion. “I think we should get to our seats, it's her show after all,” I said.

Shortly after we sat down, the curtains opened up again and there was a large grand piano on stage and sitting there, much to everyone's surprise, was Rara. She was wearing a short black dress with a small silk skirt. I knew at that moment this was the Rara Applejack knew long ago.

“This song was something I wrote months ago, when I was struggling to identify who I was. Now I know, who I truly am is Rara,” Rara said. There were murmurs of confusion in the audience. She then started playing.

I'm here to show you who I am

Throw off the veil, it's finally time

There's more to me than glitz and glam, oh-whoa

And now I feel my stars align

For I had believed what I was sold

I did all the things that I was told

But all that has changed, and now I'm bold

'Cause I know

That I am only human

I make mistakes from time to time

But now I know the real me

And put my heart out on the line

And let the magic in my heart stay true

Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa

And let the magic in my heart stay true

Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa

Just like the magic inside of you

And now I see those colors

Right before my eyes

I hear my voice so clearly

And I know that it is right

They thought I was weak, but I am strong

They sold me the world, but they were wrong

And now that I'm back, I still belong

'Cause I know

That I am only human

I make mistakes from time to time

But now I know the real me

And put my heart out on the line

And let the magic in my heart stay true

Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa

And let the magic in my heart stay true

Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa

Just like the magic inside of you

Just like the magic inside of you…

There was a two second pause and then suddenly the crowd went crazy, us included of course. Rara then stood up and walked to the front of the stage. “Thank you, everyone! Today, even as I came here I had forgotten who I truly was. But it was an old friend of mine who I truly have to thank. AJ, thank you for not forgetting when I already had.”

“Aw shucks…”

Once the show was over, Rarity was quick to remind us we had backstage passes. Rara kept her promise about hanging out with us so naturally we went to the first place that came to mind.

“Oh my gosh, I have never eaten a Danish this good,” Rara said, her mouth full. “Nothing in Manehattan comes close!”

“I'd be happy to send you a gift package of our best stuff,” Pinkie offered.

“Listen Rara, Ah gotta apologize as well for not keeping in touch with ya all those years ago,” Applejack said.

“It's okay, we kind of went our separate ways anyway,” Rara replied.

“Ah almost ended up living in Manehattan mahself,” Applejack said. “But Ah just couldn't leave the farm behind…”

“Manehattan is not for everyone I'll admit…”

“So how are you going to do about a new manager?” I asked.

“Hmm...well to be honest the rest of the staff I have didn't care for Svengallop,” Rara explained. “Finding a new manager won't be difficult, but explaining what happened to Svengallop…”

“Oh I don't think you'll have to explain what happened…” Dash said, showing her phone. There was an article titled “Countess Coloratura's Manager Killed in Concert Mishap.” “...Svengallop was part of the concert's sudden improvised act and was apparently set on fire, although the cause of the fire is still under investigation.”

“I'm afraid there's also a video too,” Twilight added.

We all exchanged nervous glances. “And did they see…?” Fluttershy asked.

“The quality isn't that great, so it kinda looks like stage props,” Twilight assured the rest of us.

“Well, it's probably gonna be the biggest highlight of yer career,” Applejack said to Rara.

“You're not going to tell me what happened are you?” Rara asked.

Applejack sighed. “It's complicated…”

Rara smiled. “Don't worry about it, I already owe you for saving me and all those people. It was pretty cool though.” She then looked at her phone. “It's getting kinda late but...say AJ, do you want to hang out at the hotel I'm staying? We never got to do any sleepovers.”

“Yeah, I think after all that we're pretty much all exhausted,” I replied.

“Well...aw heck why not?” Applejack said. “Just need to give Big Mac a call real quick.”

“I'll get my chauffeur then,” Rara said.

“She's got a chauffeur!” Pinkie whispered to us.

“Of course darling, that's the luxury of being famous,” Rarity said. “But I can drop all of you girls off. Sunset, I believe your bike is still on our driveway.”

I snorted. “No one is going to assume anything.”

After getting home, I quickly raided the fridge. After having nothing to inspire me, I settled on the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich. As I was eating at the table, my phone started going off and I saw it was Twilight.

“Hey, this isn't a bad time is it?” Twilight asked.

“Not at all, what's up?”

“Just needed someone to talk to...we did pretty good today didn't we?”

“Considering we stopped another bad guy and saved all those people, I'd call it a victory,” I replied.

“Still...what he said troubles me...I mean everyone talks about the Apocalypse happening but sacrifices?”

“They're a bunch of loons at best…”

“Okay, but they can use Personas as well...which makes me wonder why we were chosen,” Twilight pondered.

“...Did you ever have a dream about meeting someone named Philemon?”

“...Yeah I did. I just thought it was from watching one of Shining’s anime shows.”

“Yeah no it's totally real… But as for other Persona users I'm not sure what's going on.”

“Maybe we can meet at the library tomorrow...since we may not see each other til the weekend,” Twilight suggested.

“It's a date then.”

“...Huh?”

“I'm teasing. I forgot about you being a Crystal Prep student. Can't you just skip?”

There was a long silence on the other line. “Crystal Prep students don't skip,” Twilight said monotonously. I may have accidentally insulted her.

“Not even if the world is at stake?” I asked.

“...Now you're teasing again.”

“Yep.”

Twilight groaned...and then slightly giggled. “I guess I could make an exception in that case. So...is ten a good time to meet there?”

“Sounds good...oh and by the way...I totally saw you checking out Flash tonight.”

Twilight quickly hung up.

Author's Note

So I had to make one little change on the lyrics there...cause come on she's not a pony...if I said I was a pony you'd think I was crazy.

Well, actually crazy. :pinkiecrazy:

Chapter 11

Author's Note

So I apologize for the long wait. I was working on this and then soon enough Spirit of Justice came out so...yeah. By the way, I had a new idea for a story during my short hiatus so keep an eye out for that.

Chapter 11

It was happening again. I was in the park, witnessing the tragic event that had taken place. That woman...that's right she had escaped from prison and for all intents and purposes was mentally insane.

But who was the other girl? From my perspective she was a fuzzy image...even my subconscious couldn't remember who she was. “Don't you hate when you can't even remember the smallest of details?”

I looked behind and saw my shadow swinging slightly on the swing set. “Is this what you're going to do from now on? Repeatedly drill this traumatic event back into my head?”

“You think I'm doing this for pleasure?” My shadow stopped and looked out into the distance. I then realized we were now the only ones here...wherever “here” was. “You drove this memory to the back of your mind, hoping to rid of it forever, but you couldn't cause if you had such an event would've shattered your mind. As much as you may not want to, you have to remember…”

“I only remember the moment it happened,” I replied. “I can't even seem to remember the girl who was next to me unconscious.”

“You know her more than you think,” Shadow Sunset said. “A storm is coming...if you want to come out victorious you'll have to face your inner demons...which is pretty much me.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“You'll find out soon enough,” my shadow said as she got up. Fog started to surround the area. “We'll meet again...but it won't be in a dream...at that time you'll be tested...to see if you have what it takes.”

I mulled over her last words as I sipped on a cup of coffee. It was eight-thirty and I had to jump into the shower in half an hour. I couldn't quite put together what was going on in my head but considering this was the third encounter, I knew this was no coincidence.

I couldn't tell anyone about this, mostly cause it sounded insane...but it also lines up with this sudden “End of Days”. “You have to remember…” It wasn't that simple and if I had shut it away in my head then I had good reason.

I had remembered shooting the mad woman, but nothing before it, nothing after. And carrying around a gun, shooting one didn't bother me? Something wasn't adding up...

Well, my shadow was right about one thing, something was on the horizon and it didn't sound good at all. Which brought me back to today. Were we really going to find anything important? I suppose in the end it's still a good bonding experience and between all of us, Twilight and I were the only bookworms.

After I finished showering and got dressed, I headed out to the library. It was close to ten when I arrived and no surprise Twilight was there before me. “Wow, Rarity wasn't kidding that thing is loud,” she commented.

“It's a motorcycle, they're always loud,” I said with an amused grin.

“Couldn't you just drive a car?”

“I would if the car I wanted wasn't so expensive.”

“...Anyway, I have a friend who works here and she can help us out.”

“Crystal Prep?” I asked.

“Yep, and I'd say she and I are practically equals when it comes to studies. She's not exactly the most talkative so...don't be put off if she seems kind of blunt.”

The Canterlot Library was pretty impressive as libraries went. It had three floors with no shortage of material at all. We went to the second floor to a more secluded area and went to an assistant's desk.

There was a girl at the desk wearing glasses and a black sweater and honestly looked like she just woke up. She was busy typing something on a computer.

Twilight went up to her and put on a big smile. “Hey Moondancer...what are you up to!?”

“Twilight,” the girl replied casually, not even looking at her. “Something I can help you with?”

“Oh you know me too well!” Even I could tell Twilight was trying too hard. “You wouldn't happen to have any books on the End of Days would you?”

That seemed to get her attention. Moondancer looked straight at her, incredulous. “Since when are you interested in that crap?”

“It's for research purposes that's all,” Twilight replied.

“Right...third shelf to the right has some rather interesting books...by the way I thought we were going to be doing a study group this weekend?”

Twilight suddenly face palmed. “Ugh, I forgot! I'm sorry Moondancer maybe we can meet this week. Oh I'm sorry Sunset, this is my friend Moondancer. Moondancer, Sunset Shimmer.”

“A pleasure.” Moondancer was back to her typing. “As you can see, Twilight has a bad case of forgetting stuff so don't bother planning stuff ahead with her.”

Twilight sighed. “Okay I deserved that…”

“But if you want to make up for it you'll pay for lunch sometime...oh and I want to borrow your book about Descartes.” She glanced over with a slightly mischievous smile.

Twilight grinned. “Alright, alright you win.”

“Good, I'll be looking forward to it then...now if you'll excuse me I need to work on this report.”

Once we started looking for books I commented, “She's an interesting one.”

“Yeah...we were really good friends in elementary school but one time I missed her birthday party and she held it against me for the longest time. I finally earned her forgiveness but I can't help but go out of my way for her.”

“So you made a mistake, you earned her forgiveness but you don't have to overdo it if she's not the type to forgive easily,” I told her.

“Don't worry, I know she seems kind of cold but she is really nice...but don't piss her off she's very good with computers.”

“...How good?”

“If you got dirt she'll find it,” Twilight said. “She got a guy in trouble by hacking and posting porn videos onto his social network profile - while he was on in the library!”

“That's...wow.”

“Yeah, I'd say she's a good friend.” Twilight looked at the books she was now collecting. “Hmm...these look like good books to start with. If there's anything in there about human sacrifices that's where to look.”

We spent the next ten minutes reading in silence. “Well...all I'm seeing is either a great flood or a meteor coming down and wiping us out…” I kept reading. “Huh...well this is different…”

“What is it?” Twilight asked.

“According to this, there's an event called the “Grand Cross” where a light from the heavens comes down and destroys all but the chosen few who are deemed worthy of evolution.”

“Evolution? No wonder Moondancer hates this stuff…”

“And get this, before the event, there must be a sacrifice of a pure soul...but if they only need one, then why are all these students being abducted?”

“You think this is what Svengallop was talking about?” Twilight asked.

“It's possible...but why are these demons showing up?” I asked.

“... Harmonic Convergence…”

“Huh?”

“You know, when the planets line up with the sun,” Twilight said. “But instead of planets, think dimensions. In Nordic Mythology, there are supposedly Nine Realms...so it could be possible that what we've experienced truly is another dimension intersecting with ours.”

“So you're saying there could be a point where our dimensions completely intersect?”

“If that happens...I don't even want to think about the consequences…”

“Twilight, you're a genius.”

Twilight blushed while toying with her hair. “Well…I try…”

“I'll let the other girls know tomorrow and we'll go from there.”

Twilight sighed. “Crystal Prep is going to be pretty empty tomorrow.”

“That reminds me, did your brother or Dean Cadance…”

“No, they didn't mention what they saw, who'd believe them?” Twilight asked. “The three of us had a talk the other night and we promised to keep everything between ourselves. I didn't mention the Persona thing though…”

“Probably for the best. Well, I guess we're done here then...feel like getting an early lunch?”

The weekend passed and the school week began without any new incidents. As for school itself, it was the same old same, although many were talking about what happened at the concert. Needless to say, we had been the main attraction.

I was on my way to class before lunch when I almost bumped into Flash. “Oh hey Sunset,” he said. “Quick question, I saw you guys at the concert on Saturday but uh...who was the girl with the glasses?”

I smiled, figuring this question was going to come up eventually. “Her name's Twilight and she goes to Crystal Prep.”

“Oh.” Flash looked disappointed. “That would explain it.”

“You want to meet her I take it?” I asked somewhat teasingly.

“No no, I was just asking,” Flash replied, turning away in embarrassment. “I mean...if I did get to meet her that'd be cool.”

“We're probably going to be meeting after school so…” The last thing I wanted was to have someone find out about our secret but I couldn't help but feel sympathy for the poor guy.

“That'd be great but I have practice after school,” Flash replied, sighing. “Maybe another time.”

I chuckled. “I'll let Twilight know you want to meet her.”

“Thanks Sunset...you know that dance is coming up too.”

“Listen, I know what you're asking but I'll tell you what: if for whatever Twilight says no I'll go with you. Sound good?”

“Sounds good.”

“Ooh so Flash is interested in Twilight is he?” Rarity said, her eyes lighting up. We were sitting in the middle of the cafeteria. To no surprise, we had eyes on us constantly.

“And he asked ya to the dance too?” Applejack asked.

“I said I'd go if Twilight said no,” I explained. “Although I really doubt she will.”

“Well I suppose he could bring both of you,” Rarity said, rubbing her chin slightly.

“Pft, wouldn't surprise me if he did,” Dash grumbled, tearing into her lunch.

“Dashie's still feeling sore about Saturday,” Pinkie stated cheerfully.

“The hell I am!” Dash snapped. “That could've been me on stage! This is bullshit…”

Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I saw Trixie storming towards and she didn't look pleased. “Trixie must know your secrets!” she snapped, slamming down today's newspaper. It looked like the concert made the front page.

“Um...what secrets?” Fluttershy asked.

“Do not play dumb with the Great and Powerful Trixie! We all saw what took place on stage!” And of course she was causing unwanted attention.

“Oh darling, you just saw special-”

“Oh please, Trixie knows magic and illusions more than anyone and those were not illusions or special effects,” Trixie said, looking very skeptical.

“Alright, you got us,” I then said. “Truth is, Countess Coloratura and Applejack are close friends and she threw this idea out to us to surprise the audience. Everything you saw were either projections or really good special effects. That's all it was.”

Trixie stared at me for a long minute and quickly turned around. “This isn't over!” she snapped, stomping away.

“...So Applejack speaking of the dance, have you found a date yet?” Rarity asked. “I'd be happy to help out if if you want me to.”

“That ain't necessary,” Applejack replied. “Ah'm pretty sure somebody will ask me...Apple Bloom on the other hand has been rejecting guys left and right.”

“So has Sweetie Belle from what I've heard…”

“Heh, well I know Scootaloo's been wanting Pipsqueak to ask her,” Dash said with a grin on her face.

“Seriously!?” Pinkie gasped.

“...So are we just ignoring the fact that Trixie's breathing down our backs?” I asked.

“Please, all Trixie spouts out is hot air,” Dash replied. “She won't be an issue.”

“Um...I know we should be focusing on our daily lives but... shouldn't we be concerned about what's going on in the background?” Fluttershy asked.

“I suppose we should be...but we haven't heard anything new,” Rarity said.

“Which is why I'm thinking we need to take the offensive,” I stated. “We need to find these other members before they strike.”

“But how? It is a secret organization after all,” Pinkie said.

“Then we need to find clues, anything that can point us in the right direction.”

A smile then formed on Dash's face. “I may know someone who can help.”

Chapter 12

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 13

The voice belonged to a man in a blue suit who I swear wore more hair gel than was necessary for a guy. “You know, eavesdropping is rather impolite if I do say so,” he said.

“Oh...we weren't eavesdropping,” Fluttershy said.

The man chuckled. “Pardon me if I'm not convinced.”

“And just who in the hay are you?” Applejack asked.

“Why I'm Gladmane, the owner- or rather, the future owner of this club. It's not much now but it has potential…”

“The same Gladmane that owns a casino, resort, and golf course?” Dash asked.

“Yes indeed, and that resort has a nice spa doesn't it?” Gladmane asked.

“Well yeah- I mean don't change the subject!” Dash snapped.

The door behind them then opened as three armed guards appeared. “Now, my friend warned me you were coming but I had no idea it would be seven young teenagers.”

“And just who is your friend?” Pinkie asked, giving him a skeptical look.

“Sorry dear, it wouldn't be good for me to give out information like that.”

“Wait a minute, you're part of the Masked Circle?” I asked.

Gladmane laughed. “Masked Circle? I'm a businessman I don't have time for charades like that. Now, I'd love to stay and chat but I have places to be.” He turned around and started leaving. “And uh...try not to make too much of a mess.”

“Hey wait a minute!” Dash was about to go after him but one of the guards got in her way. “What, you wanna go? I'll kick your ass to the moon and-”

“Um Rainbow Dash...maybe it's not such a good idea to threaten someone who's carrying a gun,” Fluttershy suggested.

“Well, Sunset's got a gun too,” Twilight stated.

“Hey I'm good but I'm not that good,” I objected.

“You don't have to worry about us, we're not in the business of hurting young ladies,” one of the guards said.

“Say what now?” Applejack asked.

Bang!

One of the nearby doors got blown off its hinges as something big and covered in flames slowly walked out. Considering it resembled a canine and had three heads, we could deduce what this demon was. “He's the one going to hurt you unfortunately,” the guard said. “Have fun.”

“What a bunch of cowards!” Dash yelled as they took off. “Well fine, if it wants to go we're ready!”

“If this thing gets loose it could burn the whole building down,” Twilight stated.

“Then let's take care of him,” I said. “Rarity, this is your moment to shine!”

“Yes before it ruins this dress!” Rarity sniffed. “Otohime if you wouldn't mind…” Otohime appeared and used Bufula. Cerberus whined in pain as it got encased in ice.

“Well...Pyro Jack isn't going to be much help here…” I thought glumly. I pulled out my Beretta and shot it in the head three times. I wasn't sure if it did much damage.

Meanwhile, both Fluttershy and Pinkie buffed our party and debuffed the enemy respectively. “Hey Rarity, ya wanna do that fusion whatchamacallit?” Applejack asked.

“I'm ready whenever you are!” Rarity responded.

“Hey, let me help too!” Twilight added.

The three of them surrounded Cerberus. “Bane Splash!” the three of them said as the demon was drenched in water.

“Man, Rarity always gets the cool moves,” Dash complained.

“Well maybe next time if the enemy is earth-based maybe then ya’ll shine,” Applejack said.

“Alright ya mangy mutt, say hello to Nike!” Nike appeared and used Garula, which did modest damage.

Cerberus then attacked, using Marathi which attacked the whole group. The pain was quite intense, but it had to of affected Rarity the most.

“That...really hurts,” Fluttershy grimaced.

“D-Damn that burns,” Dash gritted her teeth.

“AHH!” We looked at Rarity and she was suddenly a mess. “My dress!” No one decided to comment. “You… flea-ridden, mange covered- no one burns my dresses, NO ONE!”

As they would say, ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’, or in this case, ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman with a burned dress.’ “Girls!” Rarity snapped. “I think it's time we send this mutt back to hell!”

“Ya’ll rue the day ya messed with Rarity and her dress!” The smile on Applejack's face made me think she found all of this amusing. Unfortunately it wasn't so amusing for Cerberus as his flames went out and soon vanished.

“Is it over?” Twilight asked.

“Well...all things considered that wasn't so bad!” Pinkie said. Suddenly the fire alarm went off and the sprinkler system activated.

“You just had to say it…” Dash glared at her.

Unfortunately by the time we got outside we were almost soaking wet. Of course we weren't the only ones as there were a couple dozen people outside who were either annoyed or confused, including members of the fire department. Then of course there was Vinyl who was livid and was yelling at someone about why put a sprinkler system in an area with electrical equipment.

“I hate to say it but I'm not sure if this was a boom or a bust,” I said, sighing.

“I think it paid off,” Twilight said. “After all, if this Gladmane said one of his business friends is part of the Masked Circle he just gave us a big clue. And I know just the person who can help us.”

“Good thinking,” I smiled.

Applejack then chuckled. “Ya know Ah have to admit Ah'm not really into the whole night life thing but...this was kinda fun...minus the demon part of course.”

“Heh, yeah after that I almost feel like tearing the dance floor,” Dash grinned. “What say you Sparkle?”

“Oh...I dunno it was pretty bad the last time I went to a party with my family,” Twilight said.

“Ya can't be that bad.”

“Shining Armor said I was a national embarrassment.” Ouch.

Suddenly a police SUV pulled up near them and the window went down. “Why is it whenever something goes down you guys are always involved?” Spitfire asked.

“You know us boss, we're where the action is,” Dash grinned.

“And how does that make me feel better exactly?” Spitfire rolled her eyes. “This better not be a prank cause I see a whole bunch of pissed off people...and a pissed off DJ.”

“I'm pretty sure there are scorch marks in the VIP room...if our clothes weren't a clear indication.”

“Dash…”

“Hey we didn't start anything! All we were doing was looking into something!”

“Yeah about that…” Spitfire suddenly looked uncomfortable. “The chief is starting to smell a pattern here. I understand you have a reason for all this but do you think you can cool it a bit?”

“No offense Detective but you were the one willing to give us these weapons,” I pointed out.

“Yeah I know…” Spitfire then reached over and spoke into the radio. “Base we had a 415 at Club Paradise but it sounds like faulty equipment was the cause, over.” However there wasn't any response. “Base do you copy, over?” Once again there was no response. “Base please respond, over!”

“What's going on?” Dash asked.

“No one's responding over at the station,” Spitfire said irritably. “Guess I better head back-”

Suddenly the radio went off with a loud hiss. “All available units we are requesting back up at the station we are currently under attack by an unknown threat!”

“That sounds like Fleetfoot!” Spitfire said. She responded immediately. “Fleets what the hell is going on!?”

“Boss! Thank goodness i got to someone!” There was the sound of gunshots in the background. “It just happened so suddenly, these things came through the door and caught us by surprise!”

“...Things!?”

“Creatures of some sort I don't know! We need all the help we can get but hurry we're getting overwhelmed here!”

“Alright I'm on my way!” Spitfire was about to speed off until-

“Wait a minute Detective!” I put a hand on her arm. “Let us come with you!”

“I'm sorry, but this is a police matter and I can't put any citizens in harm's way.”

“Spitfire, I hate to say this but you need us,” Dash said. “Those 'things’ attacking the station aren't normal...and we're the only ones that can defeat them.”

Spitfire hesitated. “This can't be real…”

“Did you read the headlines about the concert?” I asked. “Whatever people said, it was real.”

Spitfire sighed. “This is so fucked up…” She then stared at the rest of us. “Alright...get in then. My friends are Dash's friends too and I'll be damned if some demon or whatever tries to do them in!”

The SUV rushed through downtown, it's sirens blaring and causing everyone to back off. “So...all this Persona stuff is real?” Spitfire said while driving. “I mean, can you blame me for being skeptical?”

“Hey, I'd be more than happy to show you,” Dash said, currently riding shotgun.

“We had to keep it quiet,” Twilight said. “If people found out what we could do-”

“Yeah, it'd be a modern day witch-hunt,” Spitfire realized. “But if this Masked Circle is trying to stay secretive, why the hell attack the police of all people?”

“I think they figured us all out Detective,” I said, feeling guilty. “Maybe they're sending a message.”

“Goddamnit!” Spitfire slammed her fist on the horn. “Well if they want a war they just got themselves one!”

Meanwhile in the backseat, Rarity appeared to be undressing. “Rarity what in tarnation are you doing!?” Applejack snapped.

“Well I'm not going anywhere looking like I crawled out of a volcano!” Rarity snapped back. “Luckily I brought an extra change of clothes.”

“Hey, can we save the stripping for another time?” Spitfire asked. Maybe it was my imagination but it looked like she was blushing.

We finally reached the station and Spitfire rushed right up to the entrance before getting out. It was calm on the outside but they could hear gunshots coming from inside. “Alright, here's what we're going to do. Sunset and I-” Suddenly something burst through the window near the entrance and a shot suddenly went off. I had barely reacted before Spitfire shot the demon dead straight in the head.

“As I was saying,” Spitfire said, checking the clip in her gun. “Considering Sunset and I are the only ones with guns we'll take point and the rest of you will back us up.”

“Are you okay Fluttershy?” Dash asked, noticing her friend was shaking slightly.

“Sorry...I'm not very comfortable with guns,” Fluttershy replied. “But I'll be okay.”

We went through the front doors and what we saw made us freeze in our tracks. The entire lobby area was covered in broken glass, blood, and scorch marks. There was blood splatter everywhere but considering there were no bodies around it was hard to say who it belonged to.

“That's...a lot of blood,” Pinkie stated.

“It's like a warzone in here,” Dash added.

“When I find the son of a bitch behind all of this…” Spitfire growled.

Suddenly they could hear a groan in the back of the room. Spitfire made a gesture towards the back to me and we slowly walked back there. The groaning belonged to an officer who was slumped against the wall.

“Soarin!” Spitfire and Dash yelled as they ran over and knelt beside him.

Soarin opened his eyes slowly and upon seeing them gave a crooked smile. “Well aren't you two a sight for sore eyes…”

“What the hell happened here?” Spitfire cut straight to the point.

“I'm...not even sure how to explain it,” Soarin replied, straightening up slightly. “Everything was normal one moment, and the next we're suddenly getting attacked from two sides. They came from the basement area and the entrance too.”

“And all the blood?” Dash asked. “Don't tell me…”

Soarin then chuckled. “We got a little creative there. Actually the credit belongs to Fleetfoot. Remember that stockpile we confiscated a few months back?”

“You didn't…” Spitfire couldn't help but grin.

“Blew 'em all straight back to hell...though I didn't know demons even bled.”

“Are you hurt?” Fluttershy asked.

“Eh, one managed to get me in the arm pretty good but I'll live,” Soarin said. “Rapidfire owes me one hell of a favor though.”

“I wish you'd stop playing the damn hero,” Spitfire complained.

“Well, that's our job Boss,” Soarin said, his face now serious. “At least that's what we signed up for right?”

“...Yeah, you're right,” Spitfire said. “So where are the others?”

“The chief rallied the officers we had and went downstairs,” Soarin said. “I decided to stay put and keep an eye out here.”

“Reinforcements should be arriving soon so don't go dying on me alright?” Dash warned him.

“Oh ye of little faith…”

“Just take it easy Soar, we'll meet up with them and see if we could stop this madness,” Spitfire said.

“Just be careful Spits…”

“10-4.” They then found the door to the stairway and went down.

“I could've healed him,” Fluttershy said.

“I know, and I appreciate the offer but for your guys’ sake it's best you not show off your abilities,” Spitfire said. “Hold up, the armory is through here. Might as well prepare ourselves.”

The room was stacked with rows of guns, or at least it would if the station wasn't currently under attack. Luckily no one had gone after the confiscated weapons. “This is the better stuff anyway.”

As it turned out, there was a little something for everyone. There was a new set of combat knives for Pinkie, a pair of gloves with thick spikes for Dash, a longer leather whip for Rarity and-

“What the hell is this?” Applejack asked. She picked up a weapon that appeared to be a shotgun but it had an axe blade attached to the end.

“That I have no idea but personally I think the maker is a genius,” Spitfire said. “Think you can handle it?”

Applejack cocked the gun, checking the chamber. “Does a bear shit in the woods?”

I then noticed the large pistol, although I immediately figured out this was no mere pistol. “Is this a Desert Eagle?”

Spitfire chuckled. “Yes ma'am. Kept in great condition too. It's a .45 so obviously it has a bit more kick to it but you could probably handle it. There should be plenty of ammo in there too.” That appeared to be everyone except-

Twilight was staring at the rapier in front of her, her eyes wide. “It's so beautiful…” She picked it up and tested it. “It's a replica but it's rather light...I'll definitely take this.”

“Okay seriously...where do you get all this stuff anyway?” Dash asked.

“The officers here could tell you stories,” Spitfire said simply. “So...we ready to rock n’ roll?”

There was one thing we knew for sure. These demons were going to have a bad time.

Author's Note

For anyone who watches Agents of SHIELD they'll quickly get the reference cause I love that weapon. :pinkiecrazy:

Chapter 14

There were a million different questions going through my mind ever since we got to the station. The biggest question I had was why. Why did this happen? Was it to prove a point? I had no doubts the Masked Circle knew about Spitfire's involvement and this was the price she paid.

The basement consisted of long hallways and multiple doors. “The gunshots are coming from where the cells are located,” Spitfire said. Her face went slightly pale. “Damn...none of those poor bastards stood a chance.”

Suddenly our path was blocked by a group of zombies, although these particular creatures were wearing uniforms. “Zombies in a police station, how original,” Dash said sarcastically.

Between Spitfire, Applejack, and myself they weren't much trouble, although Applejack seemed to enjoy her new toy. As for me, Spitfire hadn't lied: the .45 had more of a kick compared to a 9mm but the firepower difference was undeniable.

Unfortunately, zombies weren't the only thing we had to worry about. Three more demons appeared, although they represented angels more than demons. The archangels drew their swords and attacked. Spitfire tried to take them out with her gun but her shots seemed to do little damage. One of them went after her and swung it's sword, slashing against her chest and stomach.

If not for Fluttershy, she would've bled out quickly but her wounds healed quickly. It seemed that since Spitfire didn't have a Persona she was more at risk. “Rainbow, stay by Spitfire at all times. Fluttershy, watch her health.”

“Got it,” both of them said.

“Let's go Pyro Jack!” Pyro Jack appeared and used Maragi, setting the angels on fire. Rarity then summoned Otohime and used Mabufu, freezing her targets. Dash then finished them off with Nike.

“Damn that hurt…” Spitfire winced. The wounds may have healed but the feeling of almost being sliced up still registered in her head. “So...this is Persona.”

“Told ya we weren't crazy,” Dash said.

“Yeah...maybe I'm the crazy one,” Spitfire replied with a crooked smile. “I know I might be a burden...but as an officer I can't sit back while my fellow officers risk their necks.”

“We wouldn't ask you to stay behind regardless,” Twilight said.

“Good... we're not far now.” After taking a right and heading down another hallway they reached another large door. Spitfire took out a card and swiped it across the card reader which unlocked the door. “Be ready for everything.”

The door slid open and inside they found a small group of officers surrounding another door which we all assumed led to the cells. Fleetfoot was among the group and upon looking back suddenly looked relieved. “Took you long enough,” she said. “We managed to contain the bastards inside but they're trying to break though.”

“How many injured?” Spitfire asked.

“Six of our group, nothing fatal but they need medical aid immediately.”

“Alright...get everyone, including the wounded, out of here. Reinforcements should be here by now.”

“Wait a minute you're not gonna take these things on by yourselves are you!?” Fleetfoot stared at her.

“Don't worry...they can handle it,” Spitfire assured her.

Fleetfoot stared at the rest of us for a moment before calling to the others. “Alright, you heard the lady we're getting out of here!” The officers made their way out, helping to carry out the wounded. “Spits...don't you go dying on me.”

Spitfire grinned. “Trust me, I'm in good company.” After they left, Spitfire went to the console near the door. “Protocol demands we all check all prisoners when they go in or out of their cells. As soon as I open the door, they'll be ready to greet you. Ready?”

“Locked and loaded,” Applejack said.

The door then opened and once they went in they saw three figures that looked like small snowmen with blue hats. “Aw they look so adorable…” Fluttershy said.

“Oh for fu-!” Dash wasn't able to finish her sentence for one of them attacked and she was now frozen solid.

“I guess they don't like swearsies either!” Pinkie joked.

I sighed. “Go ahead…” Pyro Jack appeared again and used Maragi to instantly kill all three of them.

Luckily Dash managed to defrost rather quickly. “T-That’s cold…” she shivered.

“I have to agree with Pinkie unfortunately,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head disapprovingly. “You really should tone it down on the swearing.”

It felt like it was over, but at the same time something was nagging at me. “Was that really it?” I asked.

“Sure hope so,” Spitfire said as she came in. “Oh shit…” We then noticed that the entire room was empty except for us.

“No bodies...think they escaped?” Applejack asked.

“We would've noticed them...no blood or anything either,” Spitfire said.

It seemed Twilight and I came to the same conclusion. “Just like the schools,” we both said.

“So...this Masked Circle really was involved,” Spitfire shook her head. “Those bastards…”

“Spitfire, is there a third floor?” I asked.

“Just the roof, why?” Spitfire replied.

“I could be wrong, but I have a feeling we're not done here.”

“Okay...you guys go ahead. I need to make sure the others are okay.”

We reached the rooftop and to no surprise it was clear. “So...let me kinda refresh my brain here,” Dash said. “Our world and Hell are in two different dimensions and said dimensions are practically colliding.”

“In simple terms I think that's about right,” Twilight said.

“So why does it seem normal here now?” Dash then asked. “Before it seemed as if we were in a completely different dimension.”

“That's an excellent question.” We suddenly turned around to see a masked figure staring at us. With the voice changer, it was hard to tell if they were male or female. “It would seem as if the two dimensions are finally starting to merge. When that happens, who's to say what will happen next? The Apocalypse? The extinction of mankind? Honestly I could care less.”

“Since you're obviously a member of the Masked Circle, by what fancy title do we call you?” I asked snidely.

The figure made a sound, maybe it was a chuckle. “Those idiots think they're above everyone else. They're just ordinary people who didn't get what they want in life. I don't care about some master race or Promised Land. I have only one thing in mind.” There was a dramatic pause. “It's been a long time Rainbow Dash. A year right?”

“How the hell would I know you?” Dash snapped. The words seemed to sink in because she suddenly looked pale. “No...it couldn't be.”

“Finally caught on have you?” The figure took its mask off and dirty blonde hair came down as the face behind the mask grinned.

"Honestly I hate wearing the whole outfit but it's 'part of the ritual' or whatever bullshit they spout. So... how's that soccer career going Dash? Must be nice not having to worry about Crystal Prep this year right?”

“Wait a minute... you're Lightning Dust?” I asked.

“Well, looks like you did mention me after all! Finally told them what happened huh?” The confused looks of all of us, save myself, only made her laugh. “Seriously? You didn't? Felt too guilty to tell the truth? Oh right, we wouldn't want to tarnish that career now would we?”

“Don't you dare-!”

“Shut up!” Lightning suddenly snapped, looking as if she was going to jump the girl. “You don't have a voice in this conversation!”

“The hell I don't!” Dash yelled. “I'll tell them the truth, not some fabricated version you made up just to gain everyone's pity!”

Lightning was quiet for a moment and then she smiled. “Fine,” she said. “We're all ears.”

Dash looked to everyone, guilt written all over her face. When she glanced at me, I nodded slowly. She then took a deep breath and ten recounted everything she had told me. “...I wasn't sure how to explain it...I guess despite everything I felt pity for Dust. I didn't file any criminal charges...but I didn't help her either when she injured herself. I was scared, not just cause of what happened, but also because what could've happened next. Speaking of which, how are you walking now?”

Lightning's face fell slightly. “To be honest...I don't know. I suppose awaking to my Persona had an effect on my body...but it doesn't matter, I can't even play soccer or any other sport ever again. Revenge is all I have left. Well, this was a nice chat but I'm afraid-”

“Don't even think about it.” There was the sound of the safety coming off behind her but she didn't look back.

Lightning smiled. “Spitfire...well looks like everyone's here, well if you consider two everyone. Did you get to hear Dash's recount of last year?”

“Yeah and it sounded just like my version,” Spitfire said. “Dash may have felt sorry for you but I didn't and I still don't. You play with fire you're going to get burned.”

“Oh yes, I expected as much,” Lighting said cheerfully. “Maybe I was wrong about Dash...maybe you're the biggest bitch of the two.”

“I'd do a better job of choosing my words wisely when I happen to have a gun to my head. And don't think I don't know what you did tonight. You sent a dozen fine officers to the hospital tonight and nobody likes a potential cop killer.”

“Oh I get it...gonna kill me then?” Lightning turned around to face her. “You're such an idiot...you know what your friends can do and you have the gall to threaten me with a gun.”

I suddenly felt a shift in the air and then Spitfire flew into the wall. “That's what I thought: all talk, no game. I was going to kill you all myself tonight but now I'm just not feeling it. Don't worry, we'll meet again real soon.” She then walked past Spitfire and went through the door.

“We're not gonna stop her?” Applejack asked.

“It doesn't matter, she's not done with us,” Twilight said.

Dash then went over and helped Spitfire up. Spitfire winced as she rubbed her head. “Damn... she's a Persona-user too?”

“I think all of them are,” Dash replied.

“You girls have your work cut out for ya then,” Spitfire replied. “Well...now you know the story.”

“Rainbow Dash, I know it must've been a traumatic experience for you, but you didn't have to hide it from us,” Rarity said.

“Yes, we never would've faulted you for it,” Fluttershy added.

“Yeah...I guess it was kinda stupid not to say anything,” Dash admitted.

“But one thing still bothers me,” I said. “Why go to all the trouble? I mean, she's like the Crystal Prep version of Rainbow Dash and she wouldn't want to sabotage her competition.”

“Who cares!?” Dash snapped. “She still had a choice and did what she did. Yes I'm sorry I pushed her over the railing but better that than Spitfire getting stabbed!”

“Sunset has a point but I agree with Dash,” Spitfire said. “And this...this can't go unpunished. But it's getting late and I think the worst has passed. I'll drop you guys off.”

We managed to leave without attracting too much attention. During the ride and even after getting home, I was still trying to figure Lightning Dust out. She could've fulfilled her revenge but she didn't. And her attitude seemed to change: she was driven, no doubt about it but at the same time there was a bit of reluctance.

In her anger and grief, Lightning Dust wanted to kill Dash and Spitfire but could she do it? It didn't matter if it was a Persona or a gun, it was never to take a life. But there was no doubt about one thing: we haven't seen the last of her.