The blast of a fog horn wakes you up. You sit up and find yourself in the same blue room as the last two times.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

Igor stares at you, displaying a pleased, yet still creepy smile. "The power of one's personas are driven by the power of the heart. The power of bonds is what satiates this power."

"It was only through your personal interactions and subsequent bond that formed, that you were able to obtain a new arcana." says Sonata. Above her, a card of light appears and falls into an open page in her compendium. "It is the Magician Arcana." she explains. "And as your bonds deepen, your powers will continue to grow." She turns to face you. "I urge you to always remember what you have learned here." She closes her compendium and turns to face you directly. "For there is a powerful force unlike any other that threatens the existence of your world. You must be ready to face it head on."

"Now then, it is time for us to bid farewell." says Igor, lowering his head. "That is, until we meet again."

The room vanishes right before your eyes.

"Where we left off. It is now Sunday."

September 5th, Sunday
Morning

Shade sat up and rubbed his eyes. It was just another day in Ponyville. Strangely, it was only his third day and he already felt like he had lived here for a while. Aside from finding a new job, he had some new tasks to complete. He rushed downstairs for breakfast, washed up, and headed to the throne room to meet up with Twilight. The two of them had organized a meeting last night to discuss their current information. Twilight figured a fresh start would help them both think clearly.

"Good, you made it." said Twilight, peering up at Shade from one of her books. Twilight was usually surrounded by reading material whenever Shade first saw her each day. She set down her books. "We have some stuff to talk about."

Shade sat down on a chair next to the map. "This seems like a good meeting place for our mission discussions."

Twilight shook her head. "I don't think this place can work for us regularly though. My friends and I meet up here a lot and that will make it hard to keep this whole thing secret if we keep talking in here." She propped herself up on the chair. "We just got lucky and met in here on the days when most of them are off working."

"How often do you guys see each other now?"

"A lot, but I know my friends can do their own things. We don't have to spend every minute together."

"I know a thing or two about privacy." said Shade. "I usually spent my time in Manehattan on my own."

"That doesn't seem to fun." said Twilight. "But we're getting off topic. We're here to discuss what we know about that world."

"Are we going to give this world a name?" asked Shade. "It's getting kind of annoying to keep calling it, 'the alternate world'."

"Well, I was thinking of calling the alternate world Fantasia." suggested Twilight. "Since that's what Blueblood and Spoiled seemed to call it."

"Hmm, I like the sound of that." said Shade. "Let's go with that."

"Okay then, let's go over what we know." said Twilight. "Fantasia is apparently an alternate world that contains the 'desires' and 'wishes' of certain ponies. So far, we've only seen Spoiled Rich and Blueblood in there. But why are both of them-" Twilight stopped and her eyes widened in fear. "What if there are other ponies or creatures like them? What if we have to deal with more than just them?"

"It could be highly likely." said Shade, as calm a tone as he could muster. On the inside, he was shaking at Twilight even suggesting such an idea. "They kept saying HE had given them their powers over Fantasia. If you ask me, it seems like they're working for someone else."

"That can't be a good sign at all. If there are more ponies or other creatures that have control over that world, we're going to have an even harder time with this than before." Twilight gave an annoyed groan. "Though, in truth, it got worse as soon as Prince Blueblood revealed himself in Fantasia. Now, who knows what else we could encounter in there?"

"I know what you mean Twilight." said Shade. "We've only been in there twice in one day and I already feel like it can't get any worse. Did you even see the prison hallway?"

"Please, don't mention that." begged Twilight. "I had nightmares about it last night."

"Like it or not, we have to go back there again. There could be secrets about that world that we don't even know exist until it's too late. If we could avoid this and think of another way, I'd be all for it, but-"

"I know. We can't" said Twilight sadly. "But, no matter how painful it is, I'm not going to run and hide from this anymore. I now have a persona, like you do." A bit of light came back to her face. "I finally feel ready!"

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll do well." said Shade, non sarcastically. He usually didn't show strong emotions and often answered sentences casually.

Twilight and Shade were about to continue their discussion, but they were cut short by a knock at the castle door. "Hold on, I'll get it." said Twilight as she rushed up to answer.

It was Princess Celestia. Twilight happily led her mentor into the throne room. "I'm glad you're here, Princess." said Twilight. "But why?"

"I was fortunate enough to get another break today, Twilight." replied Celestia. "I'm just happy that I get to spend a little time with you again."

"Good, because we have a lot to talk about with you." said Twilight. She hesitated and then rubbed her neck sheepishly. "If you're okay with it that is."

"You don't have to request for me to talk with you. That's why I came in the first place."

"Whew! I thought you wouldn't have time."

"I'm doing my best to make time from now on. So, did you two gather any new information?"

"Yeah, I'm curious to know too." called Spike who was just passing by.

"Oh hey there." said Shade. "How's it going?"

"I'm doing well. I just overheard you talking so I decided to see if I could join in."

"Of course you can, Spike." said Celestia. "We were just about to start."

Spike happily took a seat.

"Now, would you care to explain what else you saw in the alternate world?" asked Celestia.

"Yes, your highness." said Shade. "By the way, we call it Fantasia now."

Twilight cleared her throat and began.

"Last night, Shade and I were sitting by the map and discussing some of our new pieces of info about Fantasia. Shade had gotten a new watch from one of the antique stores in Ponyville. I analyzed it but something about it didn't seem normal. Then, the map just started flashing red again, the watch kept sending us weird voice messages talking about a 'collapse', and we just ended up in the world again. Only this time, we started from a different area that the watch called a 'landmark', we got some control over when to go in and out, and Prince Blueblood was in there too." Twilight was huffing and sweating from her rapid fire rounds of information. "So, (pant) did you guys get all that? I can repeat."

"No thank you Twilight. I believe I got it all." replied Celestia. "That's definitely interesting and I think I might have some answers to those paradoxes."

Twilight let out a large gasp. "You do?"

"Now, now. I said I 'might'." said Celestia, politely raising a hoof to show there was no need for Twilight to immediately get excited. "Hopefully, this will suffice." She levitated a scroll out of her bag and laid it down on the table. "I discovered some secrets last night. I recorded them down here, but I will need to borrow your watch, Shade." Shade removed his watch and levitated it over to Celestia. The allicorn gladly took it.

"Now, would you all care to hear my account of last night?" The three other ponies nodded. Celestia began.

Previous Day:

September 4th, Saturday
Nighttime

Celestia stretched out her wings. She was exhausted, as usual. It had been another long day of talking with higher class ponies, consulting with event organizers, and signing documents. Talking to her pupil and her friends was the only thing relaxing for her all day. She just wanted to hit the hay and go to bed.

"I need to rest up. Even weekends are hardly merciful in terms of scheduling." sighed Celestia. "Nevertheless, tomorrow will be the same." She fell into bed and pulled the covers over. Living for thousands of years could take its toll. Celestia couldn't help but think about the new problem that had arisen. She often acted calm and orderly, but deep down she had Twilight's instincts; rushing to get work done and trying to fit in time for other activities. Slowly, the princess of the sun faded off to sleep.

"Do you desire freedom for your people?"

Celestia was awoken by the question. She stood up and looked around. There was fog covering most of the land around her. The ground was beautifully decorated with flowers that glowed in the mist. They were the only light providers in the area. Celestia knew she was in a dream but was still confused. Ponies had control over what kind of setting their dreams took place in. Yet, this was not something she had dreamed up. Plus, the voice was quite perplexing.

"Who's there?" asked Celestia.

"Why It's me. I'm you." came the voice. The voice came from a pony with her body but it was covered in black mist, concealing its' identity. "I am a shadow, of your true inner self." it murmured to Celestia.

"You're me?" asked Celestia, puzzled by the being's statement.

"Of course I am. I'm everything you secretly want to be." replied the shadow. "I know everything about you, including your fears and desires."

"What are you talking about? I don't even know who you are! How can you know?"

"Oh, I'm crushed 'other me'! How could you forget who I am?" replied the shadow in a melodramatic tone. "We've met before in your dreams. Remember? Hmph, of course you don't." The shadow revealed a wicked smile. "Only because you don't ever want to!"

The shadow's whole body came into view. It was a white pony with streaks of orange and yellow all over her body. Her mane was a scorching flame and her eyes seemed to contain small lightning bolts in them. Celestia gasped in horror at the arrival of the familiar foe.
"Daybreaker!?"

"About time that you recognized me! Ignorance is such an annoying thing to deal with."

"But I thought I got rid of you last time! You were just a part of Starlight's dream!"

"And yet you seemed so scared and confused. Even if you had no clue on how to work in the dream world, you didn't seem to completely ignore my existence."

"That's because I-" protested Celestia, but she could think of nothing to say.

"Am insecure about my position as a princess and hide my darker feelings?" Daybreaker interrupted. Celestia froze.

"That's not true!" she yelled, kneeling down. "You don't know me!"

"Oh yes I do." sneered Daybreaker, hovering around Celestia, her mane expelling flames and sparks. "You can't run away from me no matter what you do! Allicorns like you can never hide from their inner chaos!"

"What do you mean?" questioned Celestia.

"You don't know? All allicorns have another side to them, including your sister and your precious student!" screeched the flaming allicorn.

"I know about Nightmare Moon, but I don't understand how you can be real or why Twilight may have something like you inside her!"

"Stop fooling yourself Celestia. You know that I am not a dream or something that can easily be extinguished. I am a part of you! Like it or not!" Daybreaker's mane seemed to explode outward, sending flames everywhere. The beautiful flowers became bathed in the flames and burned away. The light from the flames illuminated the rest of the area. The world became surrounded in fire. "There's a seed of darkness that exists within all of us! Even somepony such as yourself can't avoid this inevitable truth!"

"But I still don't understand how you can exist here in my dream." said Celestia. "Starlight dreamed about you and Nightmare Moon. You were only able to exist because of her imagination!"

Daybreaker just let out a hysterical laugh. "That doesn't change a thing! Anypony can dream up what they want but I was never born from Starlight's imagination alone! It was you!"

"What?!"

"You heard me! I know everything about your sister and her job as well. She is the master of the dream world. When you switched roles with her, you got her magic. But, because of your inexperience with her magic, you ended up contributing to Starlight's nightmare!"

Celestia was baffled. She didn't even know what to say to that. "Oh, I'm sorry if you can't get this through your head but Luna's magic gives her the ability to gain partial control over what happens in other ponies' dreams. That's how she saves them from nightmares. But such control comes at a price. Your sister apparently has to remain completely reserved and disciplined in this skill."

Celestia sighed. "I always wondered why my sister was always so socially awkward. Even after I learned my lesson about her work on that day, I still didn't completely get some signs of her behavior."

"That's right. Because she has to focus on her work. She's just as busy as you are! She focuses on control and discipline. You and me are about energy and power."

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Celestia. "What do these minor little details about my own sister's life have to do with anything?"

"Oh, don't erupt just yet." said Daybreaker. "I'm getting there. It all started when you entered Starlight's dream. Because you were never very good at suppressing your emotions, you couldn't keep control of your power and your innermost desires and wishes formed me! All allicorns have another side to them that they want, deep down, to escape and control them when the time is right."

"Nightmare Moon was born from Luna's jealousy and envy." deduced Celestia. "However, you were just in a dream! That doesn't make you a possibility for real life."

"You are truly pitiful, my other half." snorted Daybreaker. "When your desires formed me, I became a permanent part of you. You can try to banish me from your dreams over and over again, but nothing you do will ever get rid of me!"

"If Luna can get rid of Nightmare Moon, I'll have no problem getting rid of you!" Celestia stood up and charged up her horn. Yellow and white energy flowed through her horn.

"Wrong! Luna still has Nightmare Moon inside her as well! She never got rid of it completely! Good thing she's far more disciplined and cautious than you." said Daybreaker. "I know the reason why she created the Tantabus."

"Yes, I know." said Celestia. "Luna told me about her plan as soon as she was reformed and joined me again. She said it was to punish herself for her past crimes as Nightmare Moon. What does that have to do with anything?"

"The Tantabus was Luna's dark half." replied Daybreaker. "She feared that Nightmare Moon would come back again to take over again. She created a seal for the creature to limit its influence over her." Daybreaker just strolled around her speechless counterpart. "Too bad it was never meant to last. Caging your own magic energy like that will only result in it growing more and more out of control. The Tantabus grew restless and tried to find a way into the real world to satisfy Luna's inner desires. When Twilight and her friends helped Luna realize that she should learn to forgive herself for her past and not try to deny that part of herself, she remerged with Nightmare Moon and it exists in her once again. She just knows how to control that side of herself."

"You know this?" asked Celestia.

"I said I know everything about you, your sister, and your student. I'm more powerful than you in every way that counts,
including your vision and perception abilities. I can see things you can't, such as the deep corners of your sister's mind."

"But when?! When could you have done these things?"

"All the time. I live inside your mind. I am your dark half, where you hide your deep secrets and hidden abilities." said Daybreaker. "You pretend to act modest and wise, but you hold back what you truly want. And that is to be powerful! To be free of your role as a princess!" Daybreaker shot a huge wave of flames from her mouth, burning a hole in the world itself. It was like she was ripping a hole in dimensions with just her fire breath. "See what I mean? You want more from life than just simple royalty. You hide what you're truly capable of, including your real powers! If I know this much about you that's enough proof that I have always been a part of you!"

Celestia's horn stopped glowing. She kneeled back down and buried her face in her mane. "No, I don't believe this." she cried. "You can't possibly know all this about me! None of it is true!"

"Ignorance must really be bliss for you. You still continue to deny me? You're still hiding behind walls, restraining yourself. When will you start to be who you truly wish to be?"

"Because I would never go and hurt the ones I love!!!" screamed Celestia desperately. She then clapped her hooves over her mouth, in disbelief of what she had just said. Daybreaker turned to her with an evil grin.

"I knew it. You do know I'm real! You just admitted to why you hold yourself back! It must be tough. Sometimes, you just feel like you want to see the world burn."

A tear streamed down Celestia's face. "..You got me." she said sadly. "I was just denying it the whole time, but you are a part of me. I hid my true thoughts on you after the day me and Luna switched roles. I defeated you but I just couldn't get you out of my head."

"That's what I wanted to hear." smirked Daybreaker. "Are you finally ready to give me control over you?"

Celestia gave a smirk of her own at this remark. "I never said that, did I?" She stood up again, facing directly towards Daybreaker. "I just admitted that you're a part of me. I didn't say I was ready to submit to you. Even if you are a part of me and know my secrets, there's one thing you don't know about."

"And what exactly would that be?"

"That I care too much about my subjects to ever put my desires before their own." replied Celestia. "You think you have me all figured out, but you don't understand how much I love Equestria. I won't let you control me just for the petty purpose of 'more power'. I'm above that. It may be something I wish for, but to me, wishes are not meant to be granted at the cost of my own citizens."

"That's madness. You can't seriously think your own suppressed power is less important than the land you've lived in for thousands of years!

"I don't care how long I have to live to see it through. To me, no amount of time is too long to be living in Equestria. It's my home and it always will be." Celestia's looks of fear had completely vanished. She was standing completely upright, her eyes filled with determination. “Sometimes, I have days where I deal with ponies I can’t stand. I honestly feel like I should just vanish.”

“Exactly! So why don’t you just submit to my power and rule how you really want to? You know you can do it.”

“I could, but no matter what, the day I surrender to you and let you control Equestria is the day I give up on ponykind. I’ll wait another millennia if I have to!" For once, Daybreaker actually looked surprised.

"You would choose to protect the lives of a withering and flawed species than strive for true power?"

Celestia firmly nodded. "That's right."

"Your choice is...incomprehensible."

"Say what you will." said Celestia, standing against her corrupted self. "I will keep living to protect my people and I'll do it in my real form."

Daybreaker eyed her counterpart. "So, you've made your decision? You're fine with just living on and granting these other ponies freedom?"

"Yes, I know it sounds crazy to you, but I am not one to succumb to your influences." At this Daybreaker just sighed.

"You're making a mistake rejecting my power." she spoke, as red flames began to envelop her body. In a flash, she was gone. All that remained in her place was a brightly colored mask with a symbol of the sun in the center.

"Not at all.." said Celestia, speaking to herself. She wandered over to the mask lying on the ground in front of her. She used her horn's magic to levitate it up.

"You want to find out what it means, don't you?" came the voice of Celestia's power hungry counterpart. "Well, put on the mask if you're so curious. If what you want is to help your people, don it."

Celestia wasn't enthusiastic about hearing Daybreaker giving her more 'advice', but she was curious either way. Plus, it was a dream. Celestia donned the mask. A bright flash of white and orange light blasted out. A tall figure in a white robe surfaced before her. "Arise." said the mysterious form.

Suddenly, it all disappeared and left only a view of the wall paint in Celestia's room. The allicorn sat up in her bed, gasping for air. "Are you okay sister?" asked an allicorn with a flowing dark blue mane. She was sitting beside Celestia, trying to comfort her.

"I'm fine now. Thank you Luna." replied Celestia, pulling off the covers and getting out of bed. "I just had the strangest dream."

"I saw." replied Luna. "I saw you were having an argument with that flaming copy of yourself. I tried to help, but something was blocking me from entering your dream."

"It's fine now." said Celestia. "It was all pretty confusing but I remember my dream ending with a creature extending a 'hand' to me."

"You mean those 'things' you get when you enter into the alternate world?" asked Luna. "Could this be related to the mirror world?"

"It seems unlikely that a magic like the one I encountered could come from a world with no magic of its own." said Celestia. "The only times that Sunset has informed me and Twilight of such an occurrence was when magic from our world was leaking into her world."

"But what other explanation could there be for the origins of the world that Shade, Twilight, and Starlight ended up in?" asked Luna. "We have to think of some of the possible outcomes."

"Please Luna." protested Celestia. "I just have a clinging feeling that this magic is from our own world. I just need answers."

"Sister, it's midnight. You need to rest up for tomorrow."

"I'll go to bed soon. Just give me a little time please." Celestia was roaming around her bedroom, looking for some clues on what she had witnessed and heard in her dream. "I need to find some kind of magic that could be related to my dream."

"You want to find out why Daybreaker still exists?" asked Luna. "I heard your conversation with her and I agree that there are some loose ends. But, why are you looking in here?"

"I keep some hidden archives on magic in my room every now and then." Luna just eyed her. "I need to read every now and then." replied Celestia to Luna's expression. "I keep a few scrolls in here for security and to work on my magic. I feel like I'm letting myself get weak in terms of my power."

"Why are you concerned about such a thing sister?" asked Luna. "You don't need to worry so much about your skills in magic. It's not like Equestria needs you to fight against evil all the time." Celestia turned to face her sister, hurt by that statement.

Luna immediately felt guilty for her careless statement. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way."

"No, it's okay." said Celestia, the calm tone in her voice returning. Even if it sounded like she wasn't hurt, Luna could just sense the sadness coming from her older sister. "I have no need to really strengthen my magic that much. My age must be resulting in my power decreasing. Besides, Twilight and her friends are the heroes of Equestria. I don't need to concern myself with defense and fighting."

"Please, don't let my words break you." said Luna, walking up to her sister to comfort her. "I care about you. I just don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"I understand." said Celestia. "But I know that this new magic Twilight and Shade told me about isn't something I can just spectate on. It's my duty as her teacher and one of the royal sisters of Equestria that I do what I must to help."

"But how?" asked Luna who was still confused. "How can we find info on a world that only Starswirl knew about? Even so, his knowledge is limited about this new world and we don't have the means necessary to pinpoint any info on this place."

Celestia knew her sister was right. She had no info on this place. "I guess I'll have to contact Starswirl and Stygian and see what info they can offer us." Celestia was about to get out her spell caller, but a bright shine from underneath her bed caught her eye. Curious, Celestia peeked underenath and levitated the object out. When she saw it, she had to hold back a shocked exclamation. It was the same mask she'd seen in her dream. "This can't be!"

"What is that?" Luna wanted to know.

"It's the same mask I found in my dream." said Celestia. She was examining it, trying to make sure this wasn't just a fake prank. With Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie pulling one over on her every three weeks, Celestia had to stay on guard. But there was no way this was a prank. Rainbow and Pinkie didn't even know about the alternate world. Furthermore, why pull a prank this oddly specific? It didn't make sense. Celestia looked it over and then put it on. A flash of white light covered the room, just like in the dream. Luna wasn't very good with bright lights so she had to duck and cover herself from the radiant blast. When she looked up, she couldn't believe her eyes.

A creature in the form of a tall woman was standing behind Celestia, blue light spilling out over the room. The woman was covered in long, flowing white robes lined with many colors. She wore a large crown with gold outlines and carvings in the shape of the sun. She was holding a large mirror, also shaped like the sun in her hands. Her body gave off a beautiful yet soft glow. Luna just gaped in awe. Celestia seemed to be more fascinated than frightened of the magic surrounding her. "Is that a-" began Luna.

"Persona." Celestia finished. "This is what the others told me about."

"I can't believe it's real." remarked Luna. "But if that's the case, how can you use it in the real world?"

"I don't know." said Celestia. "But the specific details don't matter now. I must learn how to control this new power." She looked up at her new persona. "Things just got a lot more interesting."

"I'll leave you to it then." said Luna. "If you're sure everything's fine, then I'll leave you to it." She left the room, leaving Celestia to talk with her persona.

"Okay, let's get started." The allicorn turned to face her persona. "I need information on an alternate world. Can you provide it?"

"I most certainly can princess." replied the persona. "But you may call me Amaterasu." Celestia just nodded in response. She had tons of questions for Amaterasu but it was already past midnight. She would have to find a way to contain herself and ask only a few.

"What can you tell me about the alternate world Twilight and Shade ended up in?" Celestia began.

Back to the present

September 5th, Sunday
10:20 AM.

"And that's what happened last night."

Celestia took a deep breath out as she finished off her story. Twilight's mouth was hanging wide open. She was too shocked to even speak. Eventually, she mustered up enough control to talk but all that came out were a few stammers. "Y-y-you got a persona?!" she sputtered out. Shade was just as surprised but he couldn't help but laugh a little at Twilight's overreaction. Spike was just sitting in his throne as if he had nothing to do with this conversation. He barely understood what Celestia had just talked about.

"So you somehow unlocked a persona in the real world and managed to control its power?" asked Shade. "Are you sure you weren't still in your dream?"

"Shade, you need to trust her!" yelled Twilight. "Don't question Celestia's word!"

"Sorry, I can believe that you have the right info but we could only ever summon our personas in Fantasia. Yet you summoned one last night in the real world?"

Celestia nodded. "Please, you must trust what I say. If you don't believe me you can ask my sister Luna."

"Well, that's a good point." said Shade. "I'm just curious about this whole thing."

"So am I!" Twilight blurted out. "I have a lot of questions right now. How much did you find out about Fantasia?"

"I was just about to get to that." replied Celestia. "Amaterasu gave me quite a bit of info on the matter." She cleared her throat again. "I learned that 'Fantasia' is a world created by a lost magic called 'order'. Only around eight beings in our world actually have this kind of magic. None of them are born with it or inherit it from parents or family. It's a type of magic that is given to them from a source. Apparently, this magic gives the wielders the ability to access and edit the fabrics of alternate realities. This one reality, which you both call Fantasia, is the reality with the highest concentration of magical energy. But magic doesn't work the same way in Fantasia as it does here. Magic can be used in that world but it will not have an impact on the world or any of its inhabitants."

"So that must be why my magic couldn't affect the monsters in that world." said Twilight.

"Indeed." replied Celestia. "But that also means nothing in Fantasia can connect to our world except the ones manipulating its power."

"The ones who have 'order', right?" asked Shade.

"Yes, these beings could be ponies but they could also be dragons, changelings, griffons, or demons. Amaterasu informed me that the beings who have control over 'order' are all corrupt and have their own distorted views and ideals. Unfortunately, nopony can simply tell if one possesses the power of 'order' through observation or behavior. It takes a strong balance of magical unity to be able to track down a possible bearer of 'order'."

Twilight and Shade turned to each other. Both of them just realized something. "The map." murmured Twilight. "The map was able to send us to Fantasia and could sense the ones controlling its magic. Since this castle was created by the tree of harmony which had the elements in it that would mean our map is the only way to find the ones who use 'order'!"

"I think that's correct." said Celestia. "Good observation Twilight. Anyways, Fantasia has a few more secrets you should know about. According to Amaterasu, Fantasia is an unfinished reality with an overdose of magical energy. That's why it's still being shaped and edited by the ones who use 'order'. Anything they want to picture in the world, Fantasia takes that form. It can become anything the controller wants it to become, with limits. It takes the form of what they want in the real world and not what they want in Fantasia. This means that they can't just suddenly wish for a room to become a death trap or the place to vanish. The bearers of 'order' are not aware that we can enter their worlds. They can only create or picture what they want to happen in the real world."

"What does that mean?" asked Twilight. "Blueblood and Spoiled briefly mentioned how they would gain the same power from Fantasia in the real world. They also talked about how their fantasies would become reality eventually."

A sense of nervousness swept into Celestia's mind. "Oh no. Then it's already beginning. The collapse is going to happen soon at this rate."

"What is the 'collapse'?" asked Shade.

"That's short for the controllers warping our world." said Celestia in a serious tone. Twilight could just tell from her expression that her mentor knew that the stakes were getting high. She knew that look from Celestia all too well. It was the same look she had given her when she was about to send her out on a dangerous task or a serious world threatening crisis was taking place. This could not be good.

"Warping our world?" asked Shade. "Does that mean that they could turn our world into what they have in Fantasia?"

"Sadly, that is true." said Celestia. "Amaterasu supplied me with a lot of info. When a bearer of 'order' shapes a part of Fantasia that magic is so immense that it needs to spill out somewhere. That 'somewhere' is our world. Within the time limit, their desires and thoughts from Fantasia will spill out into our world and corrupt it. The things you witness in that world could become a part of our world. Our reality and our lives as we know them could all be changed into what they want. They'll have complete control over parts of Equestria and even beyond if they can."

"That sounds absolutely terrifying." said Twilight, shivering in fear. Shade was afraid as well. He didn't even know how any of this could be possible.

"It sounds impossible but Amaterasu made it clear that she wasn't lying or feeding me false info." said Celestia. "Once the 'collapse' begins, Equestria will begin to fade into the control of evil and absolute chaos. The only beings that can stop these monsters are ones who bear the power of 'persona'."

"Us?!" Twilight yelled again. "Why us?!"

"Those who possess a strong will of rebellion and desire for moving forward to true freedom can utilize personas." said Celestia. "Though the power has to be awakened by someone first before others can truly harness it."

"I unlocked my persona when I was in Fantasia." said Shade. "I must've unlocked it when I saw Twilight and Starlight's lives in danger."

"Is it that simple that anypony can unlock that power in Fantasia?" asked Twilight.

"I'm not sure." replied Celestia. "I didn't ask Amaterasu about that. What did you feel when you unlocked your persona Shade?"

"The first time I used my persona I remember getting some weird images in my head and then passing out." replied Shade. "However, the second time I used it, I felt fine when I came back."

"Interesting, no information on ponies unlocking a persona has been recorded before." said Celestia. "Did this just happen out of nowhere?" Shade nodded.

"Starlight finds that to be suspicious." added Twilight. "I don't think so but it is kind of weird how Shade just happens to get a persona out of thin air and nopony else has done so before then. Magic has to come from some source. It doesn't just strike at one random moment."

"I don't know how I got it." said Shade. "My memory of my childhood is pretty foggy. I doubt my parents ever knew about it."

"Even Starswirl has no early written accounts on this magic." said Celestia. "Where exactly were you born Shade?"

"I can't really say for sure, but I remember it was a small village. Can't remember the name though. I don't know where or who my parents were either."

"That seems to be a bad case of amnesia." remarked Spike, looking up from one of his comic books he had just gotten.

"Sorry guys. I just can't seem to remember much about my childhood." said Shade. "All I seem to remember is that I can't go back and I need to move forward. It's just an instinct."

"You don't remember your childhood at all but something's telling you not to go back and to find a new place." said Twilight. "If you ask me, that sounds like you either got mind wiped or have amnesia."

"Can we please move on? I don't want to cause you guys any unnecessary stress. All that matters is that I got a persona, a major disaster is on the horizon, and we possess the only magic that can stop it. It's clear what our focus should be."

"You're right." sighed Twilight. "We got off topic. We need to discuss more about Fantasia."

"Okay, I only had time to ask a few questions last night so I only have about two more important facts." said Celestia. "Did any of you encounter something called a 'landmark' in there?"

"Yes, that's what my watch started humming when we were about to enter." said Shade.

"Good, if you can, always make sure you teleport to your last landmark. Amaterasu informed me about Shade's watch." Celestia used her magic and briefly took apart the watch. A small red card was revealed to be inside the watch where the power source should've been. "This watch is apparently a device infused with magic from Fantasia." said Celestia. "Whatever this card is right here, this should be the source of the watch's connection to the magic and the persona. It somehow can connect to Fantasia and let you travel through it by accessing landmarks. These landmarks are what you would call safe rooms. They are areas created by the watch in Fantasia to provide temporary escape from the enemies you face in there."

"The watch did all of that?" asked Twilight. "But if it did, then why did we find a safe room before Shade got the watch?"

"That's because you probably got lucky and found the one landmark in the whole world of Fantasia." replied Celestia. "In truth, it's the power of the persona that creates these safe rooms. However, this can cause a huge strain on the body with that much magical energy. That's why this watch exists. It contains some kind of magic that counters the fatigue from wielding a persona. It's like a regulator or container for the magic power. Since Fantasia is filled with unnatural and real magic. Too much exposure to it without a limiter can be dangerous."

"Then if I had stayed in there any longer without a persona I would've been in real trouble." remarked Twilight. "So Shade's watch acts as a limiter for the magic spilling out?"

"Right, it's keeping too much energy from blasting out. Without the watch's red card inside, it would just be a regular watch." Celestia carefully removed the red card from the watch and levitated it over to Shade. "You should hold onto this and conceal it somewhere safer. This watch was actually pretty flimsy. It's lucky that it didn't shatter by accident in Fantasia."

Shade just slipped the red card into his jacket pocket. It was the safest place for it at the moment. "I guess my last encounter in Fantasia was based around luck. If Twilight hadn't unlocked her persona I probably wouldn't have made it."

"Oh, well, it was nothing really. I kind of got lucky too. I guess." said Twilight, some color going to her face. Shade, Spike, and Celestia turned to look at her. "Um, why are you guys looking at me like that?"

Spike just gave her a grin and winked at her. "What are you trying to say?" asked Twilight uneasily.

"You LIKE him, don't you?"

A huge burst of color came over Twilight's face. "NO!!!!" she screamed, levitating Spike out of his seat and pitching him out the door with lightning speed. Twilight gasped in exhaustion and turned to face the two ponies who had just witnessed the entire scene. Celestia was silent for a while and then, out of nowhere, burst out laughing. Shade tried to hold it in too, but it was no use. Twilight was the only one in the room who was not amused.

"Can you guys please stop that?" she sputtered.

Shade wasn't laughing as hard as Celestia, oddly enough but he had to cover his mouth to hold back his faint chuckles. "Nothing at all Twilight." Shade giggled. "Nothing at all. Let's get back on topic."

"Anyway." said Celestia, wiping her face a little. Twilight rarely saw her teacher express this much emotion. It was nice to see every now and then but not when it was directed at her. "Fantasia is our main priority now. Back to what I was saying. The bearers of 'order' each control a different part of Fantasia. Think of it as different rooms in a castle. Each one has their own realm that they control. Amaterasu calls them 'palaces'. Each 'palace' can last for a certain amount of time in Fantasia before the collapse begins. When it does, the palace will vanish from Fantasia and will slowly assimilate itself into our world."

"We can't afford to waste a single minute." said Twilight. "We have to finish this as quickly as possible."

"Rushing in and blazing through the palace doesn't sound like a good move either though." added Shade. "We have some time to get this done. I think the watch said it would take 20 days or something."

"Then we have less than three weeks to stop Spoiled Rich and Blueblood." said Twilight. She looked highly determined to get the job done.

"Ah, Blueblood." said Celestia, speaking with distaste. "I knew he was a spoiled brat but I didn't think he had the kind of power to control 'order'. He's usually off on his own most of the time. I barely ever see him and when I do, he's demanding and shows few manners towards mares."

"Tell me about it." growled Twilight. "I still hear Rarity's complaints about him flirting with her and making unwelcome visits." Shade didn't know who Blueblood was but it was clear that the princesses were not fond of him.

"Just when I thought Spoiled Rich was bad." he thought to himself. Just then, his left jacket pocket began vibrate. It was the red card. It seemed to be 'calling' him again. Shade put it down on the table. As soon as he did the map started flashing red again and the bell portal popped up over the map. The card turned light blue and brought up what looked like a digital screen spell. Shade saw the exact same options on it as last time. There were the "enter", "return to last landmark", and "save for later" buttons. "It's back."

"Wow you were right Celestia! It was the card." said Twilight excitedly. "Looks like that's our ticket in. Should we?"

"I think so." said Celestia. "I've requested that Luna briefly fill in for me. She's slowly developing her social skills." Twilight smiled as she thought back to the time Luna would always use her royal Canterlot voice as her main voice when speaking to other ponies.

"We have no time to waste. We should look through the palace right now." said Twilight. "Are you gonna come with us princess Celestia?"

"I see no reason why I can't." she replied. "Now that I have a persona I can help you two out against the monsters in there."

"Alright, let's go." said Shade. He and the two other ponies stood on the map table. Shade pressed on the 'return to last landmark' projection in front of him. The portal opened wider and let out some energy.

"Wait!" called Spike. "What should I-" The portal cut off his last few words as it sucked the three ponies inside.

"Tell the others about this?" They were gone long before he finished his sentence.

(Red Waves)

Twilight, Celestia, and Shade landed on soft carpeted floor. They had arrived in the same room as before.

"We made it." said Shade.

"I'm happy we made it here with no problems just like before but I'm also a little scared." commented Twilight.

"Don't worry. It's only natural after what we saw yesterday. But remember, we can defend ourselves if any danger comes our way here."

"Let's proceed with caution." warned Celestia. "There's no telling what enemies we could find here." Without further ado, the three ponies exited the room, ready to take on the dangers ahead of them.

Shade and Twilight passed some unpleasantly familiar sights as they ran. They made sure to pass the long hall of jail cells. Even so, Twilight could still hear their screams and cries for help and it made her even more nervous. Celestia didn't like the look of the area one bit. Even the Canterlot jail wasn't this dark or cruel. Nopony deserved to be in here even if they were illusions created by Spoiled and Blueblood. The thought of it just made her grit her teeth. Despite their efforts, the group couldn't find a way out of the dungeon besides the hall of cells and they both knew how pleasant that experience was the last time.

"What do we do?" panted Twilight. "We can't find another way out. Maybe saving our progress at the last landmark in here wasn't the best idea."

"Don't worry. I can help." said Celestia. She focused hard and in response a white mask with light green and blue markings and a marking of the sun manifested in front of her.

"Persona!"

Celestia donned the mask and her persona rose from the floor, carrying its sun shaped mirror. "Please, show us a path."

Amaterasu nodded and flipped her huge mirror around. The surface shined a powerful beam of light across the dark dungeon. Shade and Twilight watched in awe as the light revealed several hidden items and objects hidden behind walls and a weak point in one of the walls.

"Nice job!" Shade ran over and used his magic to pull the loose stone out. The wall slowly crumbled away when he pulled it out. It was a small passageway but it mattered a little. He crawled through followed by Celestia and Twilight. Shade popped his head out on the other side of the wall to get a view of the surrounding area. The room around him was smaller and had a large gate with gold locks on it. The non stop bling was getting on Shade's nerves.

"That's a pretty handy ability." said Twilight to Celestia.

"Well, my persona focuses on analysis and finding information. Sadly, it's not suited for battle."

"That's fine. Discovering hidden areas like this one will really come in handy here."

Shade was looking over the gate. It was locked tight. Without any more hesitation, Shade summoned his mask from out of thin air.

"Persona!"

Mordred appeared from behind Shade and swung his sword at the lock. The sword slashed through them like a hot knife through butter. "We're in."

The three walked through only to be greeted by an unfamiliar room. It was a large chamber with an even more disgustingly regal look to it than even the outside decor Twilight and Shade had seen at the Ponyville townsquare. This looked exactly like a castle.

"This brings new meaning to the term, 'bigger on the inside than on the outside'." remarked Shade. "I know this is an alternate world that some can shape to their liking but this is crazy."

"There's a door over there." said Twilight, pointing over to a large gate. "We should get out while we can. I just sensed some enemies approaching." Sure enough, several guards were coming down a large flight of stairs just as Twilight was speaking. The three hurried out the door. When they got out Shade looked up at the building. It wasn't the same small shop they had seen before. It was a huge mansion.

"Did she just change the layout and design of this place while we were gone?" asked Shade.

"I don't think so. This looks just like where Spoiled Rich actually lives in real life." commented Twilight.

"Unbelievable. She lives in a mansion in the real world and she dreams of having the whole town of Ponyville at her beckon call?"

"I knew she was naturally a glutton but not this much." Twilight had to use a small shield spell to keep out some of the blinding light from the mansion's decorations. "The real mansion doesn't even look this flambouyant."

"It must be her cognition of her home and business." commented Celestia. "Remember, anything in this world represents Spoiled Rich's desires and how she views things around her. We're basically just seeing her real thoughts and feelings locked away inside a world she can shape to her desire."

Shade and Twilight were listening but they were still stunned by how much waste and mindless consumption there was around them. It was too much. The townsquare view had been irritating enough for them. Twilight was immediately reminded of her meetings and encounters with other snotty rich ponies, none of which were pleasant for her to go through.

"This is likely Spoiled's palace of desires." said Celestia, trying to adjust her eyes to the bright lights. "It's huge on the outside, but as Shade said, most likely larger on the inside. It's just the right place to hide the key to power over this world."

"Then we can go in and find the source." said Shade. "What is it called again?"

"I like to call the sources of power in this world 'hearts'. If we can find the one belonging to Spoiled we can take it and break her control over this world."

"That's great news. We just need to figure out how we wound up here and how we can keep getting back here."

"I'm just guessing now." added Twilight. "But we probably traveled here through that door that Shade opened in the dungeon."

"Yeah, that was a lucky move on my part." said Shade. "I wonder what would've happened if we hadn't accidentally found the door."

"Those are portals." said Celestia. "Funny, I don't remember hearing about those being a hidden source in Fantasia. Even Amaterasu never informed me of these being here."

"We can worry about that later." said Shade. "As I said, it was a lucky move and now we know where the likely source of Spoiled Rich's power is coming from."

"It's just a guess. Don't get your hopes up Shade."

"We won't know until we start looking." said Shade. "Something tells me that this place is important to Spoiled's control here."

"A good thought, but I think we should take this slow." said Celestia. "I've heard that the enemies in this world can be rather tough. We can't take them all down at once. We should pace ourselves and spread this out over time."

"But we can't wait until the last minute." said Twilight. "I believe everything your persona told you back there Celestia! If we don't make it in time this world will begin to merge with our own! Spoiled will get just what she wants!"

Celestia patted her student on the head with one of her wings. "Don't worry. I have faith that we can figure this out. But remember, these things take time." Twilight calmed down a little.

"I understand your highness. I'm just nervous."

"Who wouldn't be? You and Shade are dealing with a foe that could spell the end of all Equestria. You've fought against these kinds of enemies before though. I know you won't fail."

"Thank you your highness."

"So, should we go in and keep exploring or should we wait until later?" asked Shade. He was removing his persona mask and had attached the red card to a piece inside the mask. It was oddly convenient how the mask had a card holder inside it. It was like the card was designed to fit in the mask. "Personally, I think we should find a way to save our progress here and go later."

"Alright, I guess we can go in later." said Twilight. Celestia summoned her persona and scanned the area for a possible landmark or safe area. Something caught her attention.

"Follow me. I think I found something." She led the two over to a corner of the mansion. There was a glowing blue bird flying right above a row of hedges right next to a window. "Amaterasu sensed that this could be a safe zone."

"Let's test it out." said Shade. He walked over to the area and levitated his mask off. It started to vibrate when he stepped into the area. Then a virtual screen, just like before, popped up with a few options.

"You were right your highness. We can save here." He scrolled through. An image saying "save and exit" appeared at the bottom. Shade had seen it before and he knew what it did. He pressed it and in a flash, the three were sucked in by another bell portal.

(Travel Back)

With a thump the three ponies landed on the table. Spike was sitting in front with Starlight waiting for them. "That was quicker than I thought." remarked Spike. "Thank goodness."

"Yep, we're fine." said Twilight, brushing herself off. "We just went in for some minor investigating."

"What happened in there?" asked Starlight. "And why is Celestia with you?"

"It's a long story that I can tell you about later Starlight Glimmer." said Celestia. "For now, we should just go about our normal lives and come back later."

"Yeah, I need to get going." said Twilight. "Tomorrow's the next Friendship Summit and I need to start my prep work on that!" She ran off to the library. "See you guys later!"

Celestia couldn't help but chuckle at her student's obsessive study habits. Shade was about to head out, but Celestia stopped him. "Shade, can I please talk to you in private for a little?" Shade didn't know what to make of this but he accepted. Starlight and Spike sauntered off to do their own things, leaving Shade to talk with the princess.

Celestia and Shade sat down at the table. Celestia's calm expression suddenly changed to a nervous one. "Shade, I need your advice!" Shade was taken back by the ruler's often calm personality suddenly shifting. It felt fairly jarring.

"Um, okay. What did you need to ask me about? If it's about politics, I don't have much."

"No, no. It's not like that." said Celestia. "I'm just feeling uneasy now. So much is happening at once. My own nephew apparently has a new kind of dangerous magic in his hooves, my schedule's jam packed, and I met Daybreaker in my dreams! It feels like more pressure than usual!"

"So deep down, you're just as nervous as the rest of us. Am I right?" Celestia nodded.

"I usually keep my stronger emotions hidden. I have to remain professional as one of the rulers of Equestria. But now I don't know what I'm even getting myself into!"

"I'm nervous too your highness." said Shade reassuringly. "But we can't let it get to our heads. If we stay strong we can put a stop to the ones possessing 'order'." Shade stood up from his chair and walked over to Celestia. "I can't even remember most of the details about my past. It eats me up inside just trying to think about what could've happened to me when I was a filly. I'm a full grown stallion now and I still have trouble with figuring out where to go or what to do in life."

"I understand." said Celestia. "But me and my sister been around for many many years and it's starting to get to me. What if what Daybreaker said was true? What if I really am tired of ruling and just want to escape from everything? Am I really sick of it all?"

"No way. I've barely known you face to face and I don't see you as the kind of pony to let fear take ahold of you. I may not have lived for nearly as long as you have but I know what it's like to worry about the future. I've just been wandering now for a good portion of my life. I only came here to find a place to settle down. But in only a few days, I've encountered something more amazing than anything else in my life." Shade's reassuring words gave Celestia some more spirit. "I'm sure you've seen a lot more than I have. I know you can help us and get through this."

Celestia smiled warmly. "Thank you Shade. I'm glad I could talk to you about this." She got up and put a wing around Shade. "I won't let the pressure get to me. I'll do what I can to help you and Twilight."

"I promise I won't let you down your highness." said Shade.

"Oh, you can just call me Celestia now." she responded. "I feel like I'm more comfortabe talking with you now."

Shade could sense a strong feeling of trust coming from Celestia. She was easily his superior but he couldn't help but feel like she was on equal ground with him now.

"Goodbye Shade. See you later!" called Celestia as she exited the room.

"Goodbye Celestia!" called Shade. He felt like had just gotten something important from his talk with the monarch. It gave him some satisfaction.

I Am Thou. Thou Art I.
Thou Hast Established a New Bond.
It Shall Become the Wings of Rebellion That Shall Break Thy Chains of Captivity.
With the Birth of the "Sun" Persona, Thou Hast Awakened Thineself to New Power.

SUN ARCANA: RANK UP!
RANK ONE.

With a relieved sigh, Shade turned towards the door to look around town a little more. Little did he know that behind him, the black mask for his persona was lying on the table.

To be continued.

Author's Note

So yeah, this story is getting darker now. You have to add some of that to a fanfic crossover with a rated M game. No matter what happens in season 8 this is the plot I'm sticking with. I might consider adding a new location to the story in the future, if I find one in season 8. I'm definitely having fun with writing this. It just feels good to finally get many of my ideas out in a story. It's not easy writing these and I have to keep doing research on possible deities and mythological characters to act as personas for each of the mane 6 and eventually some side characters.

It was really a no brainer in deciding which bond, or arcana some of the characters would represent here. Celestia is obviously the Sun arcana. For the CMC, I actually leaned towards temperance for a little, but I decided to make them

One more thing, I recommend that you guys click the underlined sentences in the stories. They lead to some links with Persona music. I thought they fit the mood for the scenes pretty well. Until then, see you guys next time for Chapter 4!