Equestria Girls RPG: Personaby Golden FlareChaptersPrologueChapter 1: Welcome to Canterlot HighChapter 2: The School-wide PrankChapter 3: The Velvet KeyPrologue3/22/2016, Afternoon You depart from the plane and make your through the airport, grab your luggage, and head outside, seeing an SUV with a grown woman with spectrum like hair holding up a sign that has your first and last name on it. You walk up to the woman, who had a smile upon her face. "Ah, you must be," she says your name and you nod, "Wonderful. I'm Principal Celestia. Let's get going then." You both get into the SUV as she starts it and drives away from the airport. On the way, she tries to strike up a conversation with you. "So, how was your flight?" "It was alright," you begin, "though...I had this weird dream." "Weird dream?" You began to recall the dream you had on the plane ride... You find yourself inside some kind of moving vehicle, though the interior was covered in blue, a bar to your left, and in front of you was a man with an abnormally long, pointy nose, and to his left was a young woman with light pink skin and dark pink hair with flowers in it, wearing some kind of blue uniform. "Welcome...to the Velvet Room. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter." the man speaks, "My name is Igor. And this is my assistant, Gloriosa Daisy. Do not be alarmed, you are fast asleep in the real world. Only those bound by a contract may enter here." "A...contract?" You ask. "Tell me...do you believe in fortune telling?" Just as Igor said that, three cards appear before you and he flips the one to your left, "Ah, The Tower arcana, a great tragedy has befallen you, and those close to you have paid the price," he then flips the middle one, "Oh! The Fool, meaning the beginning of a journey. Why, we haven't had a guest with The Fool arcana in quite some time, wouldn't you agree, Gloriosa?" "...Yes." She looks at you with a solemn expression, "I'm sorry if I seem quiet, I'm just...still coping with being a resident of the Velvet Room." Igor then flips the last card, "Oh my...The Chariot. A great battle, such as an equivalent to a war, will come before you in the future." "A battle...like a war?" You ask. "Do not fear, you will soon have the power to overcome life's hardships." "What?" "Till we meet again. Farewell." Your vision becomes blurry as you lose consciousness. "...Never mind, it's not important." The rest of the trip goes on without incident and you arrive at Canterlot High School, the place where you'll begin your education after so many years at the orphanage. Principal Celestia parks the SUV and you both step out of it, admiring the building as you follow your new principal. You two enter the Main Foyer and Principal Celestia turns to you. "I'm going to get your tour guide to show you around the school, wait right here." You nod and Principal Celestia walks away, leaving you alone with your thoughts...but not for long. "You're late." You turn to your left to see a boy with short black hair, wearing a black and white striped outfit similar to an old time prisoner's uniform. "I've been waiting a long time. Now, please sign your name there." He waves a hand to a piece of paper atop the check-in desk, "It's a contract." You remember that Igor person said something about you being bound by a contract, so it was natural that you felt skeptical. "Oh, don't worry, it's nothing too major, it just says that you'll take full responsibility for your actions from now on." You look it over and lo and behold, that's exactly what it says, but in different words. CONTRACT By signing this document, you agree to take complete responsibility of your actions no matter what they are, from this point forward. X _________________________________ Nevertheless, you sign your full name next to the X and step away to let the boy take the contract. "Always keep in mind; time delivers us all to the same end," with a twist of his wrist, the flat side of the contract faces you and, all of a sudden, disappears, "you can't plug your ears and cover your eyes..." He begins to fade away, "...And so it begins." You stared in the direction where the boy once stood, trying to comprehend how he did any of that. "Hi! Are you the new guy I'm supposed to show around?" You turn and see a girl before you; she has fiery colored hair, greenish cyan eyes, orange skin, wearing a light blue top with a see through trim at the bottom, a black jacket with arrows on the sleeves, blue pants, and heeled boots with the same arrow pattern as the jacket. She was very beautiful in your eyes. "Is something wrong?" She caught you staring at her, so you regained your senses and replied, "No, I'm fine. You're my tour guide?" She smiles, "Yes, I'm Sunset Shimmer, and you are...?" You smile back and give her your name. "It's nice to meet you." Sunset claps her hands, "Alright! Let's get started!" Sunset took you all over the school, naming off the classrooms as you two pass by them. The students appeared to be in class at this present moment, if the teens in the classrooms and teachers giving lectures are anything to go by. After the tour was over, Sunset lead you to the principal's office. "Okay, here's Principal Celestia's office," Sunset explained, "she wanted me to bring you here after we finished the tour, so you'd better see what she wants." You tell her thank you, she nods and leaves you to your devices. You knock on the door and hear, "Come in." You enter the office and see Principal Celestia behind the desk, she looks at you and smiles, "Well, it looks like the tour went off without a hitch." "Yeah, Sunset's really nice." You said. Principal Celestia hands you a piece of paper, "Here is your schedule, you start classes tomorrow, for now, you can explore the school if you so wish." "Thank you, Principal Celestia." Before you could leave, Celestia spoke, "Just a quick question; do you have a place to stay?" "...Not really." Celestia doesn't reply as she pushes the button on her intercom, "Miss Cheerilee, could you come to my office?" A few minutes later, a grown woman with dark purple skin, purple and pink hair, green eyes, wearing a white shirt with a brown vest, a green skirt with a flower pattern, and brown boots with light green socks walked in. "Yes, Principal Celestia?" She asked. "Didn't you say your home had an extra bedroom after your roommate moved out?" "Yes, why?" "You see, a new student of ours has no place to stay at the current moment, and I was wondering if you could..." Cheerilee sighed, "Okay, let me see who it is." You stepped towards her and gave her your name as she looked you up and down, scrutinizing you. "Hmm...okay, I'll let you stay with me." You begin to thank her, but she cuts you off, "But, there are going to be some ground rules: first, I have superiority over the house, any decision you make involving it has to go by me. Second, no freeloading, you'll have to pull your own weight around the house, meaning chores, yard work, all that stuff. And lastly, you treat me with respect, and I'll do the same for you." "Understood." You say. "Good, glad we're on the same page," she turns to Principal Celestia, "if anything happens, you'll be the first to know." "Thank you, Miss Cheerilee." Principal Celestia said. Cheerilee turns back to you, "I'll be waiting for you at the school statue, let me know if you're ready to go." You nod as you two leave the office, Cheerilee decides to head outside while you chose to explore the school a little longer. After a good half an hour, you meet up with Cheerilee and you both head to her car with Cheerilee driving you two back to her humble home. 3/22/2016, Evening Cheerilee parked the car into the driveway and you two exited it and entered the house; the inside wasn't all that glamourous, just a few necessary pieces of furniture to brighten up the place, that was fine, you never did care for big, extravagant homes. "Your room is this way." She says, guiding you to a hallway. She opens a door to her right at the end of the hall and turns on the light; nothing was in there except for a bed and a dresser with a TV on top of it. "It's not much, but I'm sure you can decorate the place if you like." "Thank you, Miss Cheerilee, this really means a lot." You said. "It was no problem. Well, I'd better get to bed, you should do the same." "Right then, good night." "Good night." Cheerilee closed your door and you laid down in your new bed. Sleep was long coming since midnight struck, and you knew what that meant... 3/22/2016, Nightmare Realm The world you dreaded seeing appeared right before your eyes. You try to ignore it and go to sleep. Author's Note Status Courage: 0/100 Expression: 0/100 Understanding: 0/100 Knowledge: 0/100 Diligence: 0/100 Chapter 1: Welcome to Canterlot High3/23/2016, Early Morning You wake up to the sound of running water in the room next to yours. You get up, change clothes, and leave your room just as Cheerilee steps out of the bathroom with her hair dripping wet. Wearing nothing but a towel around her body. Both of your eyes went wide as you slowly walked backwards into your room and closed the door, trying to process what just happened. "I'm...going to pretend I didn't see that." After THAT embarrassing little episode, you waited a little while before leaving the bedroom again, unless you wanted to catch Cheerilee in the near buff again. You made your way into the kitchen, where Cheerilee sat at the table eating breakfast, she looks at you and the two of you lock eyes. "Hey..." you said. "Hi..." she said back. An awkward silence fills the air. You sigh, "Look, I didn't mean to walk in on you like that, it was an accident, I swear." She eyes you for a moment before sighing herself, "Okay, I believe you. By the way, I have breakfast ready for you, I made pancakes." "Thank you." You walk over to kitchen counter to get your breakfast. "Just one thing." "Huh?" You turn around and see Cheerilee standing up and walking towards you. SMACK! She slaps you in the face, leaving a red, hand-shaped mark. "Now we're even." Your breakfast was somehow less enjoyable... 6/23/2016, Morning You two arrive at the school and, shockingly, you had homeroom with Cheerilee, you could guess that she still wasn't happy with you catching a glimpse of her body in that towel. You two enter the room as the class falls silent and you sit at your desk. "Okay, class!" She begins with a smile that you know was forced, "We have a new student joining us today!" You took that as your cue to stand up and address yourself to the class. "Hello everyone, my name is," you say your name, "and I hope we can all get along." You sit back down as Cheerilee begins her lesson, but you hardly pay attention, you have been brainstorming on how you're going to make it up to her. Once homeroom was over and everybody cleared out, you tried to approach her, but she stopped you with raised hand. "We'll talk more at home." She says. You decided that would be the best time to apologize and make it up to her, but how...? 3/23/2016, Afternoon You continue to think of how you can fix the damage you caused between yourself and Cheerilee in the middle of your next class with Mr. Donkey. He calls out your name and you stand up, "Since it appears that you seem to be distant this entire time, maybe you can answer this: what kind of rock is created by weathered down materials?" "Sedimentary." You answer. "...Lucky guess." He grumbles, "Yes, the sedimentary rock got its name from its creator, the weathered down materials known as sediments." It appears you've selected the right answer. Your Knowledge has increased: 0 > 2 3/23/2016, Lunchtime You grab your lunch from the sweet elderly lunch lady and find a table in the back, away from everyone else. You began eating and halfway through your lunch, you felt a presence next to you, you crane your head to face a pair of baby blue eyes. "Hi!" "Gah!" You shout as you were spooked out of your chair. "You okay? That looked like it hurt." She said. "Well no sh—" She puts a finger to your lips and glares into your soul, "No cursing!" She whispers sharply. You were able to get a good look of this weirdo; she has pink skin, dark pink poofy hair, baby blue eyes, as mentioned before, wearing a blue jacket with a white shirt marked with a heart underneath, a pink skirt with three balloons on the side, wristbands on her arms, and blue knee high boots. This girl could be dating somebody if she wasn't so strange. She pulls away and smiles, "Anyway, I'm Pinkie Pie! Nice to meet'cha!" She holds her hand out and, reluctantly, you shake it and give her your name, "That's a cute name! Ooh! Why don't you hang out with me and my friends today?!" "Well, actually, I—" "Great! Let's go!" Pinkie grabs you by your arm and pulls you up as you snag your lunch tray and let her drag you across the cafeteria. "Hey! Easy!" "And we're here!" Pinkie brought you to a table of five other girls, one of them you recognize as Sunset Shimmer. "Hey girls, guess what?! I just made a new friend!" Pinkie introduced you to them by telling them your name, "And this is Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and—" "Hey, Sunset." You cut her off. "Hey," Sunset says your name. "Hold on a second!" Pinkie declares, "You know the new student, Sunset?" "Of course I do, I gave him the tour." You figured that you had no choice but to sit with the group and finish your lunch. They all chatted with each other as you carried on with your own business. You pull out your phone and check your messages out of boredom. No new messages "Somethin' wrong, Sugarcube?" You look up at the girls, who all bore an expression of concern. You shake your head, "...No, just thinking." "About what?" Sunset asked. You debate whether or not you should tell them about your little mishap this morning, but decide against it, knowing that a woman's body isn't something to be taken likely, plus Cheerilee probably doesn't want you blabbing to everybody about it. "A private matter, it doesn't concern you, I'm afraid." You answer. "C'mon! Just tell us!" Rainbow insisted. It seems like they're not letting up on this... Just then, the bell rings. You hurry out of there as fast as you could. 6/23/2016, After School You rush out of the building, hoping not to bump into those girls again as you arrive at Cheerilee's car. It appears she was waiting for you as you enter the vehicle and you both leave the parking lot, catching a glimpse of Rainbow Dash trying to run after you. The car ride was silent, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife... "...Miss Cheerilee?" "Wait till we get home." The rest of the ride was uneventful... 6/23/2016, Evening When you both returned home, Cheerilee locked herself in her room and you decided to make dinner for the two of you. A few hours later, the dinner was done as Cheerilee came back out; you prepared a pot of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Your Diligence has increased: 0 > 3 "I smelled the food," she said, "you made dinner by yourself?" "I stuck with something simple." You answered. "Anyway, I'm sorry about—" Suddenly, she kisses you on the forehead and cups your face. "That was for not telling anyone about what you saw," she began, "I'll overlook it, but please be more careful." "I will." You said, blushing a little. "So...how'd I look?" "Huh?" "My body. Too fat? Too skinny? Not firm enough?" She's asking your opinion on her body when you caught a glimpse of her... You should choose your words carefully. "You, um, looked fit, not too skinny, not fat at all, to be truthful." She blushed at your compliment, then smirked, "Have you been undressing your teacher with your eyes, young man?" You blushed furiously, "What?! N-No! I was just—I mean, I...!" Cheerilee giggles, "I was only teasing." It seems Cheerilee was flattered by your description of her form. Your Expression has increased: 0 > 1 You two ate the dinner you cooked and headed for bed. 6/23/2016, Nightmare Realm Not again. You moaned in your head. You try to ignore the blood running down the wall as you fall asleep. Author's Note Status Courage: 0/100 Expression: 1/100 Understanding: 0/100 Knowledge: 2/100 Diligence: 3/100 Chapter 2: The School-wide Prank3/24/2016, Early Morning You wake up, but stay in bed a little longer, not just because you're still a little tired, but you want to avoid another mishap like yesterday. Speaking of yesterday, there's still the matter with those girls who wanted to know about what happened. Maybe you could make up a story or something, it's not any of them are human lie detectors, right? ...Right? After a couple more hours of resting, you get up, change your clothes, and head into the kitchen for breakfast, which just consists of cereal. Cheerilee doesn't say much as you two eat and leave for school. 3/24/2016, Morning Your morning classes pass by like a blur, you learn the material and keep to yourself most of the time, but still end up with homework. Your Knowledge has increased: 2 > 5 When the bell rings, you grab your belongings and head for lunch. 3/24/2016, Lunchtime On your way to the cafeteria, you overhear students talking. "Hey, did you hear? Rainbow Dash is planning to do some epic prank later today." "Really? Do you think it's gonna be directed at the new guy?" "Most likely, Rainbow ALWAYS pranks the new students." ...? You prepare yourself for whatever prank Rainbow has in store for you, since you're most likely the target as you enter the cafeteria and eat your lunch, alone this time... 3/24/2016, Afternoon Your afternoon classes are pretty much the same as your morning ones as you breeze through them, not getting any homework this time around. Your Knowledge has increased: 5 > 9 Once the final bell rings, you collect your things and head for your locker. 3/24/2016, After School The hallways are practically deserted as you made your way to your locker, you immediately notice the note attached to the door. YOU CAN'T ESCAPE !! What kind of note is this?! you thought. You ran to the front door and push on it... CLICK ...Only for you to figure out that it is locked. "What the...?!" You mutter. "Cooooooookiiiiiies..." You swiftly turn around, "Who's there!" "Cooooooookiiiiiies..." You turn pale as you saw something that horrified you. Zombies with rainbow mouths. Rainbow Dash... you growl in your head. "Cooooooookiiiiiies..." Dammit! I gotta run! You rushed back to your locker and hide inside it as the zombies pass by you, believing you went in that general direction. Exhaustion began settling in as you fell asleep... 3/24/2016, Late Night You jolted yourself awake as you remembered your situation. You peeked out of your locker to see if anyone or anything was out there, but you saw nothing. You quietly snuck out of your locker and race walked through the halls, trying to find a another way out. What the hell did Rainbow Dash do?! you thought. "Cooooooookiiiiiies..." "Damn!" You whispered. You turned around and saw a horde of zombies headed your way. You ran as fast as you could, headed up the stairs and to the roof, barricading the door in the process. BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!! The sound of multiple zombies trying to smash the door open startles you greatly. You run around the roof for an alternate escape route, but you find none...except... "No. I can't jump off the roof. Too big a risk." SMASH!! The door gave way! You've cornered yourself near the edge of the roof! The zombies continue their advance while they moaned, "Cooooooookiiiiiies..." Was this it? Has your journey come to an end so soon? Just as the zombies were about grab you... 3/24/2016, Nightmare Realm ...This happens. And like always, all the normal humans turn into stone statues, there's splotches of blood everywhere, the moon is blood red, and the sky is black with no stars out. "Aw man! Not now!" CRASH! A loud noise from below the school catches your attention. Just as you look down, a massive shadow creature shoots up into the sky, holding a human being in its grasp. The person drops something and it lands at your feet as his anguished screams rung out while being devoured by the creature. It notices your presence and lowers itself down to your level as you stare at the object that fell to the floor. Just then, you see the boy from before in your vision. "Go on." He says. You pick it up and examine it: it's some kind of gun, but it doesn't appear to be loaded. Suddenly, your heartbeat picks up speed as you hear a voice telling you how to use it... Point it to your head...and pull the trigger. Normally, anybody would either be against that or welcome that, whatever the situation may be, but this voice wasn't trying to get you to kill yourself, no, the gun had to be loaded for that to work. Besides, this voice didn't seem like it was intending to deceive you. What have you got to lose? ... ...Other than your life, of course. Nevertheless, you do as the voice commands and put the gun to your head, but hesitate to pull the trigger. Then, a manic smile graces your face... "...Persona." The sound of glass shattering resounds in your ears as you pull the trigger, a light washes over you and something takes form over your head; a giant skeleton clad in iron armor, wearing a bejeweled gold crown on its head, and wielding a rusty, but sharp, sword and a beat up shield. "Thou art I...and I am thou...from the sea of thy soul, I cometh...I am Terror, King of Nightmares..." With no time to waste, "Terror" rushed forward and sliced the creature in half, causing to fall apart, but it wasn't done yet, it raised its shield to smash any pieces that remained. Soon enough, it disappeared. (stop music) The swell of power has subsided... You have obtained a Persona! But the battle wasn't over. Two remaining pieces of the creature came forward, ready to kill you, but you were ready. With a determined glare, you charged forward and fired at your head again. "Persona!" Cleave Terror appeared once again and slashed through one of the enemies, leaving one left. The last one tried to claw you, but you dodged, and readied your weapon. "Persona!" Bash Terror appears and attacks the final enemy with its shield, destroying it. "I...did it?" Once the battle was over, you felt something change inside you... Level Up! Lv. 1 > 2 HP: 50 > 52 SP: 40 > 41 You can now fuse Personas up to Level 2! You felt something within you grow... Persona Level Up! Terror Lv. 1 > 2 Strength: 5 > 8 Magic: 5 Endurance: 5 Agility: 5 > 7 Luck: 5 > 6 Learned New Skill! Tarukaja (stop music) You felt brave for fighting such dangerous creatures. Your Courage has increased: 0 > 5 You look at the stone statues that were once zombies. Are they really zombies, or was this part of Rainbow's prank? Either way... you notice a key dangling from Rainbow's side, taking a guess that that's the key to the front door of the school, you snatch it and run past the group of possibly false zombies, I'm screwed if the Nightmare Realm wears off. I gotta get outta here! You obtained School Key. You rushed down the stairs and to the main entrance to the school, you test the key on the lock and it clicks, indicating that the door's open. You open it and jog back to the house. After making it inside, you return to your room to recuperate. "Maybe..." you began to think aloud, "I should go on patrol from now on. If I have this kind of power, then maybe I can use it to help people trapped in this world." You yawn. "But first things first, I'm tired and need my rest..." You plopped down on the bed and immediately pass out. 6/24/2016, Late Night Back at the rooftop... Everybody turned back to normal, but noticed you were nowhere to be found. "Huh? Where'd he go?" Pinkie asked, "He was just here a second ago." "Quick! Fan out and find him!" Rainbow shouted. As everybody left the roof, Rainbow felt her side to check and see if she still had the key, but it was gone. "What the...!" 3/24/2016, ??? "Welcome to the Velvet Room." "Huh? How did I...?" You mumble. "Do not be alarmed, you are fast asleep in the real world. It seems you have awakened to your power, the power...of Persona. It is a representation of your psyche. But alas, your psyche is weak." "What do you mean, 'weak'?" Igor chuckles, "Your psyche can only become stronger by creating emotional ties with others. By developing your Social Links, you will be able to wield powerful new Personas." "Allow me to explain," Gloriosa began, "your power is that of the wild card; the ability to wield multiple Personas at once. The number zero, while being empty, it is filled with unlimited potential." "Which brings me to why we're here," Igor took over, "with the help of our services, you can come to me to fuse Personas into stronger ones, this is one of our services." Gloriosa held up a large book, "This is the Persona Compendium, when you have strengthened or gained new Personas, you can come to me and I can register them into the compendium for later use." "During the course of your journey, we will help you solve the mystery with the help of our services. Here, take this." He waves his hand and a key materializes into your own hand. You obtained Velvet Key. "From now on, you are our guest here in the Velvet Room. Use this key anytime you need our services. The next time we meet, you will come here of your own accord. Well, time marches on in your world, and our time here is almost at an end. Until we meet again. Farewell." Your vision blurs as you once again slip into unconsciousness... Meanwhile, in an unknown area... Six people gathered together in one room; five of them were teenagers and one was a grown woman. "Jet Set is no more." An elegant voice spoke. "Are you certain?" The grown woman asked. "Yes. My Persona's 'Analysis' ability has never steered me wrong before...but..." "But what?" A tomboyish voice asked. "I sensed another Persona, it's completely different from all of ours, and I sensed it at Canterlot High." The woman sighed, "I should've known CHS had someone with the potential. Do we know who this person is?" "No." "From what I've gathered, a new student from Manehatten recently enrolled there. Maybe it could be him?" A bluntly harsh voice said. "Hmm..." The woman thought for a moment, "I can't make any definite conclusions, but let's keep our eyes open for anyone suspicious." "Yes, Principal Cinch." The five teens agreed. Author's Note Persona(s) Terror Arcana: Fool Strong against: Fire Weak against: Ice Skills: Agi, Cleave, Bash, Tarukaja Shadow(s) Unknown Mass The giant Shadow that devoured the unidentifiable person. Unknown Blobs The cut up remains of the Unknown Mass. Skills: ??? Status Lv. 2 HP: 52 SP: 41 Courage: 5/100 Expression: 1/100 Understanding: 0/100 Knowledge: 9/100 Diligence: 3/100 Chapter 3: The Velvet Key3/25/2016, Early Morning You wake up and find yourself back in your room, you remember the dream you had and looked in your pocket. The Velvet Key was there, including the key to the school and that gun thing. There was no doubt anymore, what happened last night was real. You get out of bed and make your way to the shower, trying to forget about what happened for the time being. But you can't help but feel this sense of foreboding... After finishing up in the shower, you decided to head to school with Cheerilee. 3/25/2016, Morning You entered the school and Cheerilee left you to wander the building until classes started. As you did so, you were getting weird looks, ranging from wonder to astonishment and to suspicion, could your disappearance from the roof when the Nightmare Realm wore off have something to do with this? This speculation was confirmed when you passed a dark hallway and two sets of hands grabbed you and pulled you in, holding you against a row of lockers. From the shadows, you could make out a girl with white hair standing in front of you, you knew this girl to be Trixie Lulamoon, and the two who are holding you down must be her cohorts. "Trixie demands to know your secret!" she says sharply. "Huh? What secret?" you say back, playing dumb. "Don't be coy with Trixie! She, as well as the rest of the student body, saw your little disappearing act last night! How did you do it?" You didn't know what to do, she had you backed into a corner with no way out, and you can't tell her the truth because she'll either won't believe you or think you're crazy. You literally have no options! So you remain silent. This wasn't a very good choice, however, as Trixie grabbed the front of your shirt and slammed you into the lockers. "Speak!" Just then, the first bell rang, forcing Trixie and her partners in crime to release you. Trixie scowled, "You got lucky this time, but I will find out how you did what you did!" The trio walked away, leaving you in the darkened hallway. "Good luck with that..." you utter. You decided to head to class before the late bell. 3/25/2016, Afternoon You breezed through your classes, though everything you and the rest of your classmates went over was stuff you already knew, so no knowledge gained there. Speaking of the students, in each class you had, they kept giving you the same weird looks from before, you tried to ignore them and continue studying. 3/25/2016, Lunchtime Lunch came all too soon as everybody piled out of their classrooms and to the cafeteria. You? You took your time, not only were you not that hungry, but you were also trying to avoid the potential interrogation with Sunset and her friends. When you arrived at the cafeteria, you stuck to the wall, staying out of sight as much as possible while getting your lunch, once you did you headed out to the soccer field for lunch today, more so to avoid the girls and everyone else gawking at you. Without the surrounding of people at tables, you finished pretty quick and proceeded to your next class early to get a head start on your studying. Your Knowledge has increased: 9 > 12 You have grown from Aware to Informed! Your Diligence has increased: 3 > 5 3/25/2016, After School The final bell had rung at last and you were trying to hurry to Miss Cheerilee before Trixie or Sunset and her friends stop you and demand an explanation, but you stopped yourself when you saw a guy with blue, spiky hair brooding over something as he sat on the front steps. You look around to see nobody willing to approach you, nor any of the girls, you sigh as you knew you were going to regret this and sat next to the poor guy. "Hey, is something wrong?" you ask. "Oh, hey, you're the new kid." he looked away, "Sorry, but I'm not in the mood." "Well, whatever it is you're upset about, maybe getting it off your chest will help a bit." He sighs, "That's what mom always told me." he turns back to you, "Okay, um...there's this girl I really like..." You nod, you should've known it was girl troubles, but you said nothing so he could continue without interruptions. "...But, she doesn't really go to this school, or live anywhere around here, but I don't want to let her go..." he sighs again, "What should I do?" You sigh yourself as you know with your limited Understanding and Expression that you wouldn't be able to give him the proper answer, but you decided to try. "I think you should do what you believe is right, listen to your heart." you say. "You think so?" he asked. "That's how I've always done things, and it hasn't steered me wrong yet." He seemed to think for a moment until he acknowledged you again, "Alright. Thanks, man." he stood up and began to leave, but then stopped, "Oh, wait, I never got your name." you tell the guy your name and he smiles, "I'm Flash Sentry, nice to meet you." You felt a faint bond forming between you and Flash... !? Thou art I, and I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond... It brings thee closer to the truth... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Magician Arcana... What was...that? you thought to yourself. "By the way, the girls are on their way out, fair warning." You jolt at his words as he walked away, making you run to Miss Cheerilee's car and hop inside. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Girl trouble, let's just go." was all you said as Miss Cheerilee drove off, leaving Rainbow Dash, who was chasing after you, in the dust. 3/25/2016, Late Night It was almost midnight, but you weren't going to sleep this time, no, you were waiting for the inevitable and preparing to go on patrol tonight to search anyone in need of help. Only a few seconds left... 3/25/2016, Nightmare Realm It's time. You grab your keys, gun thing, and weapon, a baseball bat, and leave your room to head for the school, hoping everything is alright on the way there. 3/25/2016, Nightmare Realm Canterlot High School - Front Entrance As you walked, you noticed an eerie calm tonight, which was strange since the monsters are usually making a ruckus by now. Something was wrong and you knew it. A scream had rung out across the area and you saw a blue girl with a ponytail running from one of the many monsters that appear in this time period, which was a giant ball with a massive tongue. She sees you and runs behind you for protection. "Please help me! I don't know what's going on!" she said. You nod and pull out the gun, "Persona!" Agi Terror came out, laughing manically as fire burst through the monster, only to do a minimum of damage. The monster rushed to you and tried to lick you, but you grabbed the girl and dodged the disgusting attack. You leveled the gun to your head again, feeling a rush of power, "Terror!" Cleave He came out again and slashed through the monster with his sword, destroying it in one hit. Once it was finished, a tarot card appeared, flew at you, and phased through your body, giving you the feeling of a new power. You turned to see the poor, shaken girl staring at you in awe and fear, you put the gun away and hold out your hand to help her up, which she accepts. "Thanks. For realizes." she says. "Anytime." you say back. "Can...Can you tell me what's going on here?" You sigh, "I wish I knew, I just started doing patrols around this place when I discovered my power." "Your power...?" "What you saw earlier." "Oh yeah, that creepy king skeleton thing." "So do you know why you came here?" "I don't know, I was just walking with my friends, and then THIS happened." "Where are they now?" "Follow me, I'll show you." The girl guides you back to the place she ran from, but you couldn't shake this feeling that you were being watched... After a few minutes of walking, you both arrived at where the girl's friends were and not surprisingly, they were stone statues like everyone else. "Are they...gonna be okay?" she asks, worriedly. You nod, "Yeah, this'll wear off in less than an hour, that how long the Nightmare Realm lasts." "Nightmare Realm?" "That's what I called this place; an hour of nightmarish creatures coming out to terrorize those not incased in a stone statue, right now your friends are safer than we are." She breathes a sigh of relief, "Good." "Nightmare Realm? That's an interesting name for it." You and the girl jumped at the sound of a new, yet blunt, voice, you both turned around to see five other girls, all of whom were wearing the same uniform, the one with the fancy-looking pigtails walked up to you two, making the girl cower behind you as you whip out your bat. She stopped and stared, almost as if she was studying you, then turned her focus to the bat in your hand, and back to you. "Normal weapons won't work in this realm." she bluntly said. You tighten your grip on the bat, "Why's that?" "Don't know, it just is." "So what do you recommend, Miss..." "Sugarcoat. Just Sugarcoat. No 'Miss' or 'Madame'. Also, you're making a grave mistake if you think you can fight us and win." You grit your teeth and prep yourself for a fight. "We're not here as enemies, we were sent here as envoys." "Envoys?" "Yes. Our leader wishes to have you join us." "And if I say no?" "...She figured you'd be resistant. But regardless, we have a gift for you." The uniformed girl with a pair of goggles on her walked up to you and handed out a great broadsword that reminded you of a famous franchise. "She assumed that you didn't have a proper weapon and sent us to give you one, she wishes to observe and see what you can do." "And how, pray tell, am I going to lug around a sword that big?" "Persona-users like us have their strength increased somewhat during what you call the Nightmare Realm." "Persona-users?" "It's too early to give you all the information. Just think about our leader's offer. We'll be waiting until the next full moon. Have your answer ready by then." You were reluctant, but nod and accept the sword. Surprisingly it felt very light...! "Farewell." A bright light shined through the area, when it died down, the uniformed girls were gone. You turned to your new friend and asked, "You okay?" She gulps and nods, "Are you...are you sure you can trust them?" "No. But I may not have a choice. You think you can make it until the hour's up?" "I...I don't know...but I'll try." You nod, "Okay. I'll see you later then." "Sonata Dusk." "Huh?" "That's my name, but just call me Sonata." You smile, "Okay, Sonata." You felt a faint bond forming between you and Sonata... Thou art I, and I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond... It brings thee closer to the truth... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Hanged Man Arcana... Again? you thought, but pushed it aside and bid Sonata goodbye for now. The time for the Nightmare Realm to wear off is coming soon, with that in mind, you decided to return home and rest... 3/25/2016, Late Night With the Nightmare Realm over for now, you plopped onto your bed, immediately passing out. 3/25/2016, ??? "Welcome to the Velvet Room." It seems you've returned to this place, but Igor doesn't seem to be around, just Gloriosa. "My apologies, my master had some urgent business to attend to and won't be joining us right now, but I have already registered your newest Persona for you." Newest Persona? you thought. "Next time before you go to sleep, use the Velvet Key and visit us for assistance. Farewell for now." You began to black out again before you could ask anything... Meanwhile, in an unknown area... "Did you give him my message and my gift?" Principal Cinch asked. "Yeah, he took it," the goggles girl said, "but a blue girl was with him and she didn't look insane." "Hmm...we may have another chosen for the potential, but I can't make any definitive conclusions." "We'll do as you said and keep watch on the two of them." Sugarcoat said. "Good, now leave me." The group of girls left Principal Cinch with her thoughts as she dug out a file on CHS's newest transfer student, reading the contents thoroughly. Author's Note Status Lv. 2 HP: 52 SP: 41 Courage: 5/100 Expression: 1/100 Understanding: 0/100 Knowledge: 12/100 Diligence: 5/100 Shadow(s) Slipping Hablerie Arcana: Magician Strong against: ??? Weak against: ??? Skills: ??? Social Links I. Magician (Flash Sentry) - Rank 1 XII. Hanged Man (Sonata Dusk) - Rank 1 EDIT: Sorry, posted too early, forgot a scene, fixed it
Prologue3/22/2016, Afternoon You depart from the plane and make your through the airport, grab your luggage, and head outside, seeing an SUV with a grown woman with spectrum like hair holding up a sign that has your first and last name on it. You walk up to the woman, who had a smile upon her face. "Ah, you must be," she says your name and you nod, "Wonderful. I'm Principal Celestia. Let's get going then." You both get into the SUV as she starts it and drives away from the airport. On the way, she tries to strike up a conversation with you. "So, how was your flight?" "It was alright," you begin, "though...I had this weird dream." "Weird dream?" You began to recall the dream you had on the plane ride... You find yourself inside some kind of moving vehicle, though the interior was covered in blue, a bar to your left, and in front of you was a man with an abnormally long, pointy nose, and to his left was a young woman with light pink skin and dark pink hair with flowers in it, wearing some kind of blue uniform. "Welcome...to the Velvet Room. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter." the man speaks, "My name is Igor. And this is my assistant, Gloriosa Daisy. Do not be alarmed, you are fast asleep in the real world. Only those bound by a contract may enter here." "A...contract?" You ask. "Tell me...do you believe in fortune telling?" Just as Igor said that, three cards appear before you and he flips the one to your left, "Ah, The Tower arcana, a great tragedy has befallen you, and those close to you have paid the price," he then flips the middle one, "Oh! The Fool, meaning the beginning of a journey. Why, we haven't had a guest with The Fool arcana in quite some time, wouldn't you agree, Gloriosa?" "...Yes." She looks at you with a solemn expression, "I'm sorry if I seem quiet, I'm just...still coping with being a resident of the Velvet Room." Igor then flips the last card, "Oh my...The Chariot. A great battle, such as an equivalent to a war, will come before you in the future." "A battle...like a war?" You ask. "Do not fear, you will soon have the power to overcome life's hardships." "What?" "Till we meet again. Farewell." Your vision becomes blurry as you lose consciousness. "...Never mind, it's not important." The rest of the trip goes on without incident and you arrive at Canterlot High School, the place where you'll begin your education after so many years at the orphanage. Principal Celestia parks the SUV and you both step out of it, admiring the building as you follow your new principal. You two enter the Main Foyer and Principal Celestia turns to you. "I'm going to get your tour guide to show you around the school, wait right here." You nod and Principal Celestia walks away, leaving you alone with your thoughts...but not for long. "You're late." You turn to your left to see a boy with short black hair, wearing a black and white striped outfit similar to an old time prisoner's uniform. "I've been waiting a long time. Now, please sign your name there." He waves a hand to a piece of paper atop the check-in desk, "It's a contract." You remember that Igor person said something about you being bound by a contract, so it was natural that you felt skeptical. "Oh, don't worry, it's nothing too major, it just says that you'll take full responsibility for your actions from now on." You look it over and lo and behold, that's exactly what it says, but in different words. CONTRACT By signing this document, you agree to take complete responsibility of your actions no matter what they are, from this point forward. X _________________________________ Nevertheless, you sign your full name next to the X and step away to let the boy take the contract. "Always keep in mind; time delivers us all to the same end," with a twist of his wrist, the flat side of the contract faces you and, all of a sudden, disappears, "you can't plug your ears and cover your eyes..." He begins to fade away, "...And so it begins." You stared in the direction where the boy once stood, trying to comprehend how he did any of that. "Hi! Are you the new guy I'm supposed to show around?" You turn and see a girl before you; she has fiery colored hair, greenish cyan eyes, orange skin, wearing a light blue top with a see through trim at the bottom, a black jacket with arrows on the sleeves, blue pants, and heeled boots with the same arrow pattern as the jacket. She was very beautiful in your eyes. "Is something wrong?" She caught you staring at her, so you regained your senses and replied, "No, I'm fine. You're my tour guide?" She smiles, "Yes, I'm Sunset Shimmer, and you are...?" You smile back and give her your name. "It's nice to meet you." Sunset claps her hands, "Alright! Let's get started!" Sunset took you all over the school, naming off the classrooms as you two pass by them. The students appeared to be in class at this present moment, if the teens in the classrooms and teachers giving lectures are anything to go by. After the tour was over, Sunset lead you to the principal's office. "Okay, here's Principal Celestia's office," Sunset explained, "she wanted me to bring you here after we finished the tour, so you'd better see what she wants." You tell her thank you, she nods and leaves you to your devices. You knock on the door and hear, "Come in." You enter the office and see Principal Celestia behind the desk, she looks at you and smiles, "Well, it looks like the tour went off without a hitch." "Yeah, Sunset's really nice." You said. Principal Celestia hands you a piece of paper, "Here is your schedule, you start classes tomorrow, for now, you can explore the school if you so wish." "Thank you, Principal Celestia." Before you could leave, Celestia spoke, "Just a quick question; do you have a place to stay?" "...Not really." Celestia doesn't reply as she pushes the button on her intercom, "Miss Cheerilee, could you come to my office?" A few minutes later, a grown woman with dark purple skin, purple and pink hair, green eyes, wearing a white shirt with a brown vest, a green skirt with a flower pattern, and brown boots with light green socks walked in. "Yes, Principal Celestia?" She asked. "Didn't you say your home had an extra bedroom after your roommate moved out?" "Yes, why?" "You see, a new student of ours has no place to stay at the current moment, and I was wondering if you could..." Cheerilee sighed, "Okay, let me see who it is." You stepped towards her and gave her your name as she looked you up and down, scrutinizing you. "Hmm...okay, I'll let you stay with me." You begin to thank her, but she cuts you off, "But, there are going to be some ground rules: first, I have superiority over the house, any decision you make involving it has to go by me. Second, no freeloading, you'll have to pull your own weight around the house, meaning chores, yard work, all that stuff. And lastly, you treat me with respect, and I'll do the same for you." "Understood." You say. "Good, glad we're on the same page," she turns to Principal Celestia, "if anything happens, you'll be the first to know." "Thank you, Miss Cheerilee." Principal Celestia said. Cheerilee turns back to you, "I'll be waiting for you at the school statue, let me know if you're ready to go." You nod as you two leave the office, Cheerilee decides to head outside while you chose to explore the school a little longer. After a good half an hour, you meet up with Cheerilee and you both head to her car with Cheerilee driving you two back to her humble home. 3/22/2016, Evening Cheerilee parked the car into the driveway and you two exited it and entered the house; the inside wasn't all that glamourous, just a few necessary pieces of furniture to brighten up the place, that was fine, you never did care for big, extravagant homes. "Your room is this way." She says, guiding you to a hallway. She opens a door to her right at the end of the hall and turns on the light; nothing was in there except for a bed and a dresser with a TV on top of it. "It's not much, but I'm sure you can decorate the place if you like." "Thank you, Miss Cheerilee, this really means a lot." You said. "It was no problem. Well, I'd better get to bed, you should do the same." "Right then, good night." "Good night." Cheerilee closed your door and you laid down in your new bed. Sleep was long coming since midnight struck, and you knew what that meant... 3/22/2016, Nightmare Realm The world you dreaded seeing appeared right before your eyes. You try to ignore it and go to sleep. Author's Note Status Courage: 0/100 Expression: 0/100 Understanding: 0/100 Knowledge: 0/100 Diligence: 0/100
Chapter 1: Welcome to Canterlot High3/23/2016, Early Morning You wake up to the sound of running water in the room next to yours. You get up, change clothes, and leave your room just as Cheerilee steps out of the bathroom with her hair dripping wet. Wearing nothing but a towel around her body. Both of your eyes went wide as you slowly walked backwards into your room and closed the door, trying to process what just happened. "I'm...going to pretend I didn't see that." After THAT embarrassing little episode, you waited a little while before leaving the bedroom again, unless you wanted to catch Cheerilee in the near buff again. You made your way into the kitchen, where Cheerilee sat at the table eating breakfast, she looks at you and the two of you lock eyes. "Hey..." you said. "Hi..." she said back. An awkward silence fills the air. You sigh, "Look, I didn't mean to walk in on you like that, it was an accident, I swear." She eyes you for a moment before sighing herself, "Okay, I believe you. By the way, I have breakfast ready for you, I made pancakes." "Thank you." You walk over to kitchen counter to get your breakfast. "Just one thing." "Huh?" You turn around and see Cheerilee standing up and walking towards you. SMACK! She slaps you in the face, leaving a red, hand-shaped mark. "Now we're even." Your breakfast was somehow less enjoyable... 6/23/2016, Morning You two arrive at the school and, shockingly, you had homeroom with Cheerilee, you could guess that she still wasn't happy with you catching a glimpse of her body in that towel. You two enter the room as the class falls silent and you sit at your desk. "Okay, class!" She begins with a smile that you know was forced, "We have a new student joining us today!" You took that as your cue to stand up and address yourself to the class. "Hello everyone, my name is," you say your name, "and I hope we can all get along." You sit back down as Cheerilee begins her lesson, but you hardly pay attention, you have been brainstorming on how you're going to make it up to her. Once homeroom was over and everybody cleared out, you tried to approach her, but she stopped you with raised hand. "We'll talk more at home." She says. You decided that would be the best time to apologize and make it up to her, but how...? 3/23/2016, Afternoon You continue to think of how you can fix the damage you caused between yourself and Cheerilee in the middle of your next class with Mr. Donkey. He calls out your name and you stand up, "Since it appears that you seem to be distant this entire time, maybe you can answer this: what kind of rock is created by weathered down materials?" "Sedimentary." You answer. "...Lucky guess." He grumbles, "Yes, the sedimentary rock got its name from its creator, the weathered down materials known as sediments." It appears you've selected the right answer. Your Knowledge has increased: 0 > 2 3/23/2016, Lunchtime You grab your lunch from the sweet elderly lunch lady and find a table in the back, away from everyone else. You began eating and halfway through your lunch, you felt a presence next to you, you crane your head to face a pair of baby blue eyes. "Hi!" "Gah!" You shout as you were spooked out of your chair. "You okay? That looked like it hurt." She said. "Well no sh—" She puts a finger to your lips and glares into your soul, "No cursing!" She whispers sharply. You were able to get a good look of this weirdo; she has pink skin, dark pink poofy hair, baby blue eyes, as mentioned before, wearing a blue jacket with a white shirt marked with a heart underneath, a pink skirt with three balloons on the side, wristbands on her arms, and blue knee high boots. This girl could be dating somebody if she wasn't so strange. She pulls away and smiles, "Anyway, I'm Pinkie Pie! Nice to meet'cha!" She holds her hand out and, reluctantly, you shake it and give her your name, "That's a cute name! Ooh! Why don't you hang out with me and my friends today?!" "Well, actually, I—" "Great! Let's go!" Pinkie grabs you by your arm and pulls you up as you snag your lunch tray and let her drag you across the cafeteria. "Hey! Easy!" "And we're here!" Pinkie brought you to a table of five other girls, one of them you recognize as Sunset Shimmer. "Hey girls, guess what?! I just made a new friend!" Pinkie introduced you to them by telling them your name, "And this is Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and—" "Hey, Sunset." You cut her off. "Hey," Sunset says your name. "Hold on a second!" Pinkie declares, "You know the new student, Sunset?" "Of course I do, I gave him the tour." You figured that you had no choice but to sit with the group and finish your lunch. They all chatted with each other as you carried on with your own business. You pull out your phone and check your messages out of boredom. No new messages "Somethin' wrong, Sugarcube?" You look up at the girls, who all bore an expression of concern. You shake your head, "...No, just thinking." "About what?" Sunset asked. You debate whether or not you should tell them about your little mishap this morning, but decide against it, knowing that a woman's body isn't something to be taken likely, plus Cheerilee probably doesn't want you blabbing to everybody about it. "A private matter, it doesn't concern you, I'm afraid." You answer. "C'mon! Just tell us!" Rainbow insisted. It seems like they're not letting up on this... Just then, the bell rings. You hurry out of there as fast as you could. 6/23/2016, After School You rush out of the building, hoping not to bump into those girls again as you arrive at Cheerilee's car. It appears she was waiting for you as you enter the vehicle and you both leave the parking lot, catching a glimpse of Rainbow Dash trying to run after you. The car ride was silent, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife... "...Miss Cheerilee?" "Wait till we get home." The rest of the ride was uneventful... 6/23/2016, Evening When you both returned home, Cheerilee locked herself in her room and you decided to make dinner for the two of you. A few hours later, the dinner was done as Cheerilee came back out; you prepared a pot of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Your Diligence has increased: 0 > 3 "I smelled the food," she said, "you made dinner by yourself?" "I stuck with something simple." You answered. "Anyway, I'm sorry about—" Suddenly, she kisses you on the forehead and cups your face. "That was for not telling anyone about what you saw," she began, "I'll overlook it, but please be more careful." "I will." You said, blushing a little. "So...how'd I look?" "Huh?" "My body. Too fat? Too skinny? Not firm enough?" She's asking your opinion on her body when you caught a glimpse of her... You should choose your words carefully. "You, um, looked fit, not too skinny, not fat at all, to be truthful." She blushed at your compliment, then smirked, "Have you been undressing your teacher with your eyes, young man?" You blushed furiously, "What?! N-No! I was just—I mean, I...!" Cheerilee giggles, "I was only teasing." It seems Cheerilee was flattered by your description of her form. Your Expression has increased: 0 > 1 You two ate the dinner you cooked and headed for bed. 6/23/2016, Nightmare Realm Not again. You moaned in your head. You try to ignore the blood running down the wall as you fall asleep. Author's Note Status Courage: 0/100 Expression: 1/100 Understanding: 0/100 Knowledge: 2/100 Diligence: 3/100
Chapter 2: The School-wide Prank3/24/2016, Early Morning You wake up, but stay in bed a little longer, not just because you're still a little tired, but you want to avoid another mishap like yesterday. Speaking of yesterday, there's still the matter with those girls who wanted to know about what happened. Maybe you could make up a story or something, it's not any of them are human lie detectors, right? ...Right? After a couple more hours of resting, you get up, change your clothes, and head into the kitchen for breakfast, which just consists of cereal. Cheerilee doesn't say much as you two eat and leave for school. 3/24/2016, Morning Your morning classes pass by like a blur, you learn the material and keep to yourself most of the time, but still end up with homework. Your Knowledge has increased: 2 > 5 When the bell rings, you grab your belongings and head for lunch. 3/24/2016, Lunchtime On your way to the cafeteria, you overhear students talking. "Hey, did you hear? Rainbow Dash is planning to do some epic prank later today." "Really? Do you think it's gonna be directed at the new guy?" "Most likely, Rainbow ALWAYS pranks the new students." ...? You prepare yourself for whatever prank Rainbow has in store for you, since you're most likely the target as you enter the cafeteria and eat your lunch, alone this time... 3/24/2016, Afternoon Your afternoon classes are pretty much the same as your morning ones as you breeze through them, not getting any homework this time around. Your Knowledge has increased: 5 > 9 Once the final bell rings, you collect your things and head for your locker. 3/24/2016, After School The hallways are practically deserted as you made your way to your locker, you immediately notice the note attached to the door. YOU CAN'T ESCAPE !! What kind of note is this?! you thought. You ran to the front door and push on it... CLICK ...Only for you to figure out that it is locked. "What the...?!" You mutter. "Cooooooookiiiiiies..." You swiftly turn around, "Who's there!" "Cooooooookiiiiiies..." You turn pale as you saw something that horrified you. Zombies with rainbow mouths. Rainbow Dash... you growl in your head. "Cooooooookiiiiiies..." Dammit! I gotta run! You rushed back to your locker and hide inside it as the zombies pass by you, believing you went in that general direction. Exhaustion began settling in as you fell asleep... 3/24/2016, Late Night You jolted yourself awake as you remembered your situation. You peeked out of your locker to see if anyone or anything was out there, but you saw nothing. You quietly snuck out of your locker and race walked through the halls, trying to find a another way out. What the hell did Rainbow Dash do?! you thought. "Cooooooookiiiiiies..." "Damn!" You whispered. You turned around and saw a horde of zombies headed your way. You ran as fast as you could, headed up the stairs and to the roof, barricading the door in the process. BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!! The sound of multiple zombies trying to smash the door open startles you greatly. You run around the roof for an alternate escape route, but you find none...except... "No. I can't jump off the roof. Too big a risk." SMASH!! The door gave way! You've cornered yourself near the edge of the roof! The zombies continue their advance while they moaned, "Cooooooookiiiiiies..." Was this it? Has your journey come to an end so soon? Just as the zombies were about grab you... 3/24/2016, Nightmare Realm ...This happens. And like always, all the normal humans turn into stone statues, there's splotches of blood everywhere, the moon is blood red, and the sky is black with no stars out. "Aw man! Not now!" CRASH! A loud noise from below the school catches your attention. Just as you look down, a massive shadow creature shoots up into the sky, holding a human being in its grasp. The person drops something and it lands at your feet as his anguished screams rung out while being devoured by the creature. It notices your presence and lowers itself down to your level as you stare at the object that fell to the floor. Just then, you see the boy from before in your vision. "Go on." He says. You pick it up and examine it: it's some kind of gun, but it doesn't appear to be loaded. Suddenly, your heartbeat picks up speed as you hear a voice telling you how to use it... Point it to your head...and pull the trigger. Normally, anybody would either be against that or welcome that, whatever the situation may be, but this voice wasn't trying to get you to kill yourself, no, the gun had to be loaded for that to work. Besides, this voice didn't seem like it was intending to deceive you. What have you got to lose? ... ...Other than your life, of course. Nevertheless, you do as the voice commands and put the gun to your head, but hesitate to pull the trigger. Then, a manic smile graces your face... "...Persona." The sound of glass shattering resounds in your ears as you pull the trigger, a light washes over you and something takes form over your head; a giant skeleton clad in iron armor, wearing a bejeweled gold crown on its head, and wielding a rusty, but sharp, sword and a beat up shield. "Thou art I...and I am thou...from the sea of thy soul, I cometh...I am Terror, King of Nightmares..." With no time to waste, "Terror" rushed forward and sliced the creature in half, causing to fall apart, but it wasn't done yet, it raised its shield to smash any pieces that remained. Soon enough, it disappeared. (stop music) The swell of power has subsided... You have obtained a Persona! But the battle wasn't over. Two remaining pieces of the creature came forward, ready to kill you, but you were ready. With a determined glare, you charged forward and fired at your head again. "Persona!" Cleave Terror appeared once again and slashed through one of the enemies, leaving one left. The last one tried to claw you, but you dodged, and readied your weapon. "Persona!" Bash Terror appears and attacks the final enemy with its shield, destroying it. "I...did it?" Once the battle was over, you felt something change inside you... Level Up! Lv. 1 > 2 HP: 50 > 52 SP: 40 > 41 You can now fuse Personas up to Level 2! You felt something within you grow... Persona Level Up! Terror Lv. 1 > 2 Strength: 5 > 8 Magic: 5 Endurance: 5 Agility: 5 > 7 Luck: 5 > 6 Learned New Skill! Tarukaja (stop music) You felt brave for fighting such dangerous creatures. Your Courage has increased: 0 > 5 You look at the stone statues that were once zombies. Are they really zombies, or was this part of Rainbow's prank? Either way... you notice a key dangling from Rainbow's side, taking a guess that that's the key to the front door of the school, you snatch it and run past the group of possibly false zombies, I'm screwed if the Nightmare Realm wears off. I gotta get outta here! You obtained School Key. You rushed down the stairs and to the main entrance to the school, you test the key on the lock and it clicks, indicating that the door's open. You open it and jog back to the house. After making it inside, you return to your room to recuperate. "Maybe..." you began to think aloud, "I should go on patrol from now on. If I have this kind of power, then maybe I can use it to help people trapped in this world." You yawn. "But first things first, I'm tired and need my rest..." You plopped down on the bed and immediately pass out. 6/24/2016, Late Night Back at the rooftop... Everybody turned back to normal, but noticed you were nowhere to be found. "Huh? Where'd he go?" Pinkie asked, "He was just here a second ago." "Quick! Fan out and find him!" Rainbow shouted. As everybody left the roof, Rainbow felt her side to check and see if she still had the key, but it was gone. "What the...!" 3/24/2016, ??? "Welcome to the Velvet Room." "Huh? How did I...?" You mumble. "Do not be alarmed, you are fast asleep in the real world. It seems you have awakened to your power, the power...of Persona. It is a representation of your psyche. But alas, your psyche is weak." "What do you mean, 'weak'?" Igor chuckles, "Your psyche can only become stronger by creating emotional ties with others. By developing your Social Links, you will be able to wield powerful new Personas." "Allow me to explain," Gloriosa began, "your power is that of the wild card; the ability to wield multiple Personas at once. The number zero, while being empty, it is filled with unlimited potential." "Which brings me to why we're here," Igor took over, "with the help of our services, you can come to me to fuse Personas into stronger ones, this is one of our services." Gloriosa held up a large book, "This is the Persona Compendium, when you have strengthened or gained new Personas, you can come to me and I can register them into the compendium for later use." "During the course of your journey, we will help you solve the mystery with the help of our services. Here, take this." He waves his hand and a key materializes into your own hand. You obtained Velvet Key. "From now on, you are our guest here in the Velvet Room. Use this key anytime you need our services. The next time we meet, you will come here of your own accord. Well, time marches on in your world, and our time here is almost at an end. Until we meet again. Farewell." Your vision blurs as you once again slip into unconsciousness... Meanwhile, in an unknown area... Six people gathered together in one room; five of them were teenagers and one was a grown woman. "Jet Set is no more." An elegant voice spoke. "Are you certain?" The grown woman asked. "Yes. My Persona's 'Analysis' ability has never steered me wrong before...but..." "But what?" A tomboyish voice asked. "I sensed another Persona, it's completely different from all of ours, and I sensed it at Canterlot High." The woman sighed, "I should've known CHS had someone with the potential. Do we know who this person is?" "No." "From what I've gathered, a new student from Manehatten recently enrolled there. Maybe it could be him?" A bluntly harsh voice said. "Hmm..." The woman thought for a moment, "I can't make any definite conclusions, but let's keep our eyes open for anyone suspicious." "Yes, Principal Cinch." The five teens agreed. Author's Note Persona(s) Terror Arcana: Fool Strong against: Fire Weak against: Ice Skills: Agi, Cleave, Bash, Tarukaja Shadow(s) Unknown Mass The giant Shadow that devoured the unidentifiable person. Unknown Blobs The cut up remains of the Unknown Mass. Skills: ??? Status Lv. 2 HP: 52 SP: 41 Courage: 5/100 Expression: 1/100 Understanding: 0/100 Knowledge: 9/100 Diligence: 3/100
Chapter 3: The Velvet Key3/25/2016, Early Morning You wake up and find yourself back in your room, you remember the dream you had and looked in your pocket. The Velvet Key was there, including the key to the school and that gun thing. There was no doubt anymore, what happened last night was real. You get out of bed and make your way to the shower, trying to forget about what happened for the time being. But you can't help but feel this sense of foreboding... After finishing up in the shower, you decided to head to school with Cheerilee. 3/25/2016, Morning You entered the school and Cheerilee left you to wander the building until classes started. As you did so, you were getting weird looks, ranging from wonder to astonishment and to suspicion, could your disappearance from the roof when the Nightmare Realm wore off have something to do with this? This speculation was confirmed when you passed a dark hallway and two sets of hands grabbed you and pulled you in, holding you against a row of lockers. From the shadows, you could make out a girl with white hair standing in front of you, you knew this girl to be Trixie Lulamoon, and the two who are holding you down must be her cohorts. "Trixie demands to know your secret!" she says sharply. "Huh? What secret?" you say back, playing dumb. "Don't be coy with Trixie! She, as well as the rest of the student body, saw your little disappearing act last night! How did you do it?" You didn't know what to do, she had you backed into a corner with no way out, and you can't tell her the truth because she'll either won't believe you or think you're crazy. You literally have no options! So you remain silent. This wasn't a very good choice, however, as Trixie grabbed the front of your shirt and slammed you into the lockers. "Speak!" Just then, the first bell rang, forcing Trixie and her partners in crime to release you. Trixie scowled, "You got lucky this time, but I will find out how you did what you did!" The trio walked away, leaving you in the darkened hallway. "Good luck with that..." you utter. You decided to head to class before the late bell. 3/25/2016, Afternoon You breezed through your classes, though everything you and the rest of your classmates went over was stuff you already knew, so no knowledge gained there. Speaking of the students, in each class you had, they kept giving you the same weird looks from before, you tried to ignore them and continue studying. 3/25/2016, Lunchtime Lunch came all too soon as everybody piled out of their classrooms and to the cafeteria. You? You took your time, not only were you not that hungry, but you were also trying to avoid the potential interrogation with Sunset and her friends. When you arrived at the cafeteria, you stuck to the wall, staying out of sight as much as possible while getting your lunch, once you did you headed out to the soccer field for lunch today, more so to avoid the girls and everyone else gawking at you. Without the surrounding of people at tables, you finished pretty quick and proceeded to your next class early to get a head start on your studying. Your Knowledge has increased: 9 > 12 You have grown from Aware to Informed! Your Diligence has increased: 3 > 5 3/25/2016, After School The final bell had rung at last and you were trying to hurry to Miss Cheerilee before Trixie or Sunset and her friends stop you and demand an explanation, but you stopped yourself when you saw a guy with blue, spiky hair brooding over something as he sat on the front steps. You look around to see nobody willing to approach you, nor any of the girls, you sigh as you knew you were going to regret this and sat next to the poor guy. "Hey, is something wrong?" you ask. "Oh, hey, you're the new kid." he looked away, "Sorry, but I'm not in the mood." "Well, whatever it is you're upset about, maybe getting it off your chest will help a bit." He sighs, "That's what mom always told me." he turns back to you, "Okay, um...there's this girl I really like..." You nod, you should've known it was girl troubles, but you said nothing so he could continue without interruptions. "...But, she doesn't really go to this school, or live anywhere around here, but I don't want to let her go..." he sighs again, "What should I do?" You sigh yourself as you know with your limited Understanding and Expression that you wouldn't be able to give him the proper answer, but you decided to try. "I think you should do what you believe is right, listen to your heart." you say. "You think so?" he asked. "That's how I've always done things, and it hasn't steered me wrong yet." He seemed to think for a moment until he acknowledged you again, "Alright. Thanks, man." he stood up and began to leave, but then stopped, "Oh, wait, I never got your name." you tell the guy your name and he smiles, "I'm Flash Sentry, nice to meet you." You felt a faint bond forming between you and Flash... !? Thou art I, and I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond... It brings thee closer to the truth... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Magician Arcana... What was...that? you thought to yourself. "By the way, the girls are on their way out, fair warning." You jolt at his words as he walked away, making you run to Miss Cheerilee's car and hop inside. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Girl trouble, let's just go." was all you said as Miss Cheerilee drove off, leaving Rainbow Dash, who was chasing after you, in the dust. 3/25/2016, Late Night It was almost midnight, but you weren't going to sleep this time, no, you were waiting for the inevitable and preparing to go on patrol tonight to search anyone in need of help. Only a few seconds left... 3/25/2016, Nightmare Realm It's time. You grab your keys, gun thing, and weapon, a baseball bat, and leave your room to head for the school, hoping everything is alright on the way there. 3/25/2016, Nightmare Realm Canterlot High School - Front Entrance As you walked, you noticed an eerie calm tonight, which was strange since the monsters are usually making a ruckus by now. Something was wrong and you knew it. A scream had rung out across the area and you saw a blue girl with a ponytail running from one of the many monsters that appear in this time period, which was a giant ball with a massive tongue. She sees you and runs behind you for protection. "Please help me! I don't know what's going on!" she said. You nod and pull out the gun, "Persona!" Agi Terror came out, laughing manically as fire burst through the monster, only to do a minimum of damage. The monster rushed to you and tried to lick you, but you grabbed the girl and dodged the disgusting attack. You leveled the gun to your head again, feeling a rush of power, "Terror!" Cleave He came out again and slashed through the monster with his sword, destroying it in one hit. Once it was finished, a tarot card appeared, flew at you, and phased through your body, giving you the feeling of a new power. You turned to see the poor, shaken girl staring at you in awe and fear, you put the gun away and hold out your hand to help her up, which she accepts. "Thanks. For realizes." she says. "Anytime." you say back. "Can...Can you tell me what's going on here?" You sigh, "I wish I knew, I just started doing patrols around this place when I discovered my power." "Your power...?" "What you saw earlier." "Oh yeah, that creepy king skeleton thing." "So do you know why you came here?" "I don't know, I was just walking with my friends, and then THIS happened." "Where are they now?" "Follow me, I'll show you." The girl guides you back to the place she ran from, but you couldn't shake this feeling that you were being watched... After a few minutes of walking, you both arrived at where the girl's friends were and not surprisingly, they were stone statues like everyone else. "Are they...gonna be okay?" she asks, worriedly. You nod, "Yeah, this'll wear off in less than an hour, that how long the Nightmare Realm lasts." "Nightmare Realm?" "That's what I called this place; an hour of nightmarish creatures coming out to terrorize those not incased in a stone statue, right now your friends are safer than we are." She breathes a sigh of relief, "Good." "Nightmare Realm? That's an interesting name for it." You and the girl jumped at the sound of a new, yet blunt, voice, you both turned around to see five other girls, all of whom were wearing the same uniform, the one with the fancy-looking pigtails walked up to you two, making the girl cower behind you as you whip out your bat. She stopped and stared, almost as if she was studying you, then turned her focus to the bat in your hand, and back to you. "Normal weapons won't work in this realm." she bluntly said. You tighten your grip on the bat, "Why's that?" "Don't know, it just is." "So what do you recommend, Miss..." "Sugarcoat. Just Sugarcoat. No 'Miss' or 'Madame'. Also, you're making a grave mistake if you think you can fight us and win." You grit your teeth and prep yourself for a fight. "We're not here as enemies, we were sent here as envoys." "Envoys?" "Yes. Our leader wishes to have you join us." "And if I say no?" "...She figured you'd be resistant. But regardless, we have a gift for you." The uniformed girl with a pair of goggles on her walked up to you and handed out a great broadsword that reminded you of a famous franchise. "She assumed that you didn't have a proper weapon and sent us to give you one, she wishes to observe and see what you can do." "And how, pray tell, am I going to lug around a sword that big?" "Persona-users like us have their strength increased somewhat during what you call the Nightmare Realm." "Persona-users?" "It's too early to give you all the information. Just think about our leader's offer. We'll be waiting until the next full moon. Have your answer ready by then." You were reluctant, but nod and accept the sword. Surprisingly it felt very light...! "Farewell." A bright light shined through the area, when it died down, the uniformed girls were gone. You turned to your new friend and asked, "You okay?" She gulps and nods, "Are you...are you sure you can trust them?" "No. But I may not have a choice. You think you can make it until the hour's up?" "I...I don't know...but I'll try." You nod, "Okay. I'll see you later then." "Sonata Dusk." "Huh?" "That's my name, but just call me Sonata." You smile, "Okay, Sonata." You felt a faint bond forming between you and Sonata... Thou art I, and I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond... It brings thee closer to the truth... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Hanged Man Arcana... Again? you thought, but pushed it aside and bid Sonata goodbye for now. The time for the Nightmare Realm to wear off is coming soon, with that in mind, you decided to return home and rest... 3/25/2016, Late Night With the Nightmare Realm over for now, you plopped onto your bed, immediately passing out. 3/25/2016, ??? "Welcome to the Velvet Room." It seems you've returned to this place, but Igor doesn't seem to be around, just Gloriosa. "My apologies, my master had some urgent business to attend to and won't be joining us right now, but I have already registered your newest Persona for you." Newest Persona? you thought. "Next time before you go to sleep, use the Velvet Key and visit us for assistance. Farewell for now." You began to black out again before you could ask anything... Meanwhile, in an unknown area... "Did you give him my message and my gift?" Principal Cinch asked. "Yeah, he took it," the goggles girl said, "but a blue girl was with him and she didn't look insane." "Hmm...we may have another chosen for the potential, but I can't make any definitive conclusions." "We'll do as you said and keep watch on the two of them." Sugarcoat said. "Good, now leave me." The group of girls left Principal Cinch with her thoughts as she dug out a file on CHS's newest transfer student, reading the contents thoroughly. Author's Note Status Lv. 2 HP: 52 SP: 41 Courage: 5/100 Expression: 1/100 Understanding: 0/100 Knowledge: 12/100 Diligence: 5/100 Shadow(s) Slipping Hablerie Arcana: Magician Strong against: ??? Weak against: ??? Skills: ??? Social Links I. Magician (Flash Sentry) - Rank 1 XII. Hanged Man (Sonata Dusk) - Rank 1 EDIT: Sorry, posted too early, forgot a scene, fixed it
