Persona: Phantom Thieves of Canterlot

by KyleK12

Rating: teen
Tags: Romance, Equestria Girls, Mystery, Spike, Suicide / Self Harm, Main 7 (EqG), Profanity, Adventure, Violence, Twilight Sparkle (EqG), Crossover, Sex, Death, Sunset Shimmer, Dean Cadance, Gore, Persona, Alternate Universe
Length: 11097

Arriving in Canterlot to spend a year on probation, Sunset Shimmer and her new friends find themselves on a path to change the hearts of those with distorted desires.

Being convicted of a crime she did not commit, Sunset Shimmer finds herself living with a family friend in Canterlot. Having to go through a year-long probation, she suddenly finds herself on a new path. When those with wicked desires cause trouble in her new home, Sunset and her new friends must dedicate themselves to putting a stop to the deception and hypocrisy all around them.

"We're here to take your heart!"

Published 2018-03-03 13:40:07 UTC
Last updated 2018-05-14 15:36:56 UTC

(First Palace-The Castle) Arrival: 8/25 - 8/26

Author's Note

(First Palace-The Castle) Arrival: 8/25 - 8/26

The world is not as it should be.
It’s filled with distortion,
and “ruin” can no longer be avoided.

Those who appose fate and desire change…
From time to time, they were referred to as Tricksters.

A new Trickster shall soon arise…
The time has come to rise against the abyss of distortion.

Sat. 8/25 (Late Afternoon)
For Sunset Shimmer, her only “crime” was that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Her court-appointed lawyer told her she was lucky to get probation. But he made it clear, one more screw-up and next time it would be jail.

She wasn’t so lucky with her school, however. Her recent conviction had earned her an expulsion. The principal justified it all by saying Sunset was a “clear and present danger to the student body”.

Which was why she was now aboard Flight 615 making its final descent towards Canterlot. A “family friend” had not only arranged for her to be enrolled in a new school, but also volunteered to house her during the year-long probation. Her parents made it clear that there was no other option but to accept the offer.

With the plane having landed, Sunset walked into the airport terminal ten minutes later. She stood out from the other passengers with her purple top, orange skirt, and black leather jacket. Remembering the instructions her parents gave her, the red-and-yellow-haired girl was able to make it to baggage claim after five minutes.

After collecting her luggage, she was beginning to wonder if the “family friend” had forgotten to pick her up. She didn’t know where her new guardian lived, nor did she have a phone number for her.

“Miss Sunset, I presume?”

Sunset Shimmer turned to see the owner of the voice. A pink-skinned woman with hair that was a mixture of pink and violet, she wore a matching navy skirt and jacket with a teal dress shirt. She also adorned her jacket with a heart-shaped crystal pendant.

“I guess that means you’re Mi Amore Cadenza?” Sunset asked in a deadpan tone.

The woman nodded. “Please, call me Cadence, all my friends do.” She offered the girl her hand. “We’re going to be living together for the next year; you don’t have to be so formal.”

Sunset glanced at the hand for a bit before shaking it with her own. With help from Cadence, her luggage was loaded in the car and the two made their way to Sunset’s new home for the next year.

It was a mostly quiet ride. Cadence tried to engage her new ward in conversation by offering tidbits about whatever landmark they passed. But after some time, it became clear that Sunset was not welcoming any sort of conversation at the moment.

The radio was currently playing some call-in show. “Our topic today being the string of so-called ‘mental shutdowns’. Hello, caller, you’re on the air.”

An hour after leaving the airport, they had finally arrived at Cadence’s home, a modest two-story house that was settled within Canterlot’s quaint suburbs. “Well, here we are. Home sweet home.”

When they first walked in, the first thing Sunset noticed was how pink the walls were. Cadence quickly led her up to the second story to and the end of the hall. “Well,” she said, “here’s your room.”

The walls weren’t decorated, but at least there was a bed, dresser, and closet. It was a lot better than what she was expecting.

“I know it seems a little drab,” Cadence said with a nervous smile, “but I’m sure we can get you some posters if you want.”

Sunset shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m just glad to have a bed right now.”

“Well, I better get started on dinner,” Cadence said while making her way to the door. “I know you must be starving after such a long flight. Why don’t you start unpacking and I’ll call you down when it’s time to eat?”

As the door closed, Sunset let out a sigh. A whole year in an unfamiliar city and an unfamiliar school. It could have been worse, she told herself. At least this wasn’t jail.

A sudden ping from her jacket pocket got her attention. Pulling out her smart-phone, she was immediately drawn to the strange app: a black eye on a red background. It was strange; Sunset definitely didn’t remember downloading an app like this. Whether out of curiosity or something else, Sunset placed her thumb on the touchscreen where the app was.

That’s when it all happened.

Looking towards the window, Sunset saw that the once blue sky was now red. Making her way towards it, she then saw the blue flame that blazed across the street. It almost seemed to take the shape of…a person?

Suddenly, floating right outside the window, a duplicate of Sunset herself met her gaze with piercing golden eyes and a teeth-baring smile.

She fell backwards onto the floor in shock as everything turned back to normal. Quickly getting back up, she looked out the window and saw that everything was as it should be. The sky was blue, there was no fire, and there was no creepy reflection. Sunset looked down to her phone and saw the strange app.

She quickly deleted it before starting to unpack.

(Evening)
“Sunset!” She heard Cadence calling her from downstairs. “Dinner’s ready!”

Having unpacked the last of her belongings, Sunset made her way downstairs where she saw the television set on the local news. “The driver of a city bus full of passengers purposely drove down the wrong side of a major freeway. How can our citizens live in peace during these troubling times?”

Cadence was already sitting at the small dining table where two plates of pasta were waiting to be eaten. After taking a seat, Sunset took a sip from a glass of water before eating.

“Are you all settled in, Sunset?” Cadence asked some time after their meal started. “Is there anything we need to pick up from the store tomorrow?”

“No,” the girl shook her head, “everything’s fine.”

After minutes of silence, Sunset placed her fork on her plate. There was something eating at her since she arrived in Canterlot, and now was the time to speak her mind.

“Cadence,” she said, “there’s something that I need to ask you.”

The woman looked up from her dinner. “Sure,” she said, “what’s on your mind?”

Sunset shifted nervously. “My parents said you were a ‘family friend’, but this whole thing was the first time I ever heard of you. How exactly do you know my parents?”

“Well,” Cadence took a quick sip from her glass, “to tell you the truth, I never met your parents until I talked to them on the phone.”

Sunset looked at her with a stoic expression. “What?”

“You see,” Cadence began, “I work as Dean of Students for Crystal Prep Academy—I actually tried to get you enrolled there, but Principal Cinch put a stop to that when she heard about your probation—and the parents of one of my students were good friends of your parents. I heard about your situation and they helped me reach out to your folks about getting you moved down here to attend school.”

There was more that Sunset wanted to say before the doorbell rang. “Wait here, I’ll get it.” Her new guardian got up from the table to answer the door.

Sunset resumed eating dinner when she heard the door open. “Shiny!” She turned her head to see a white-skinned man with blue hair enter the house.

“Sorry for coming over unannounced, Cadence,” the man said. “But I was hoping I could speak to you about—”

He stopped in his tracks when he saw Sunset at the table. His gaze turned cold as his eyes narrowed. “Oh, right,” he said. “That was today, wasn’t it?”

Cadence motioned for Sunset to stand as she walked towards her. Putting her arm around the young girl’s shoulders, she began to introduce the two. “Shiny, this is Sunset Shimmer. Sunset, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Shining Armor.”

Shining seemed to be critically analyzing her. “So, this is the problem child that’s going to be living with you.”

“Shining!” Cadence quietly hissed.

“It’s okay, Cadence,” Sunset said. “At least he didn’t call me a felon.” She removed the arm around her shoulders. “I’m not as hungry as I thought I was; I’m just gonna go up to my room.”

Sunset quickly made her way upstairs. By the time she reached the top of the staircase, she could already hear Cadence and her boyfriend.

“What the hell, Shining? I can’t believe you actually said that.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. Cadence, I don’t feel comfortable with some criminal living with you.”

“She isn’t like that! If you knew what really—”

Cadence’s reply was cut off as Sunset closed her bedroom door. She sighed as she laid herself on top of her bed’s red-and-yellow-striped comforter. Shining Armor’s words were just like those of everyone involved in her situation: her lawyer, the judge, the principal. She even felt like her own parents have given up on her.

Even before coming to Canterlot, her mind kept replaying the night this whole thing started. Walking home from her friend’s house instead of calling her parents for a ride. If she had called, she probably never would have heard that man and woman arguing.

It was their shouting that drew Sunset to them. The man was obviously drunk, and the woman was struggling to escape his tight grip. She couldn’t just walk away and pretend she saw nothing. She had to do something!

“You little bitch! You’re going to regret this!”

The next thing she knew, the cops were there. She remembered the cold steel of the handcuffs as they arrested her.

Knock! Knock! “Sunset,” Cadence’s voice called out from behind the door, “can I come in?”

Sunset sighed. “Sure.”

Cadence came in as Sunset lifted herself into a sitting position. The mattress shifted as the older woman took a seat next to her charge.

“I’m sorry about what Shining said,” Cadence said apologetically. “He’s always been a little overprotective about people he cares about, especially since he became a detective.”

So, Sunset thought, he’s a cop. That would probably explain it.

“He has a point though,” Sunset said. “No offense, Cadence. I’m thankful for what you’re doing, but you do realize that you basically took in a complete stranger with a criminal record.”

Cadence sighed as she placed a reassuring hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Sunset, I know everything about what happened to you. You were only trying to save that woman—”

“Yeah,” Sunset interrupted, “and I was the one who got arrested for it. You want to know what it taught me? Doing the right thing will only get you in trouble. It’s just best to keep your head down, and keep your mouth shut.”

The girl shrugged the hand off her shoulder and got up. She went to the dresser to pull out her pajamas. “I’m really tired after that trip; I’m gonna go ahead and get some sleep.”

Cadence said nothing. She simply got up and walked towards the door. She stopped at the doorway before turning her head to look at her ward.

“I don’t think you really believe that,” she said. “If you did, you wouldn’t have tried to save that woman. Good night, Sunset.”

Sunset said nothing as the door closed; she simply dressed and got ready for bed.

Adorned in her purple pajamas and under the cover of the comforter, Sunset rested her head on the pillow. After all the traveling, she only wanted to close her eyes and sleep. Her eyelids were becoming heavy when a ping was heard.

Sunset’s attention moved to her phone on the nightstand. She took the device and unlocked it, seeing the strange app from earlier on the screen.

“That’s weird,” she muttered. “I thought I deleted it.”

A couple of swipes, and the app was deleted from her phone. After placing the smartphone back on the nightstand, Sunset finally fell asleep.

[The Velvet Room]
Sunset suddenly jolted awake, sitting upright on the bed. Something was wrong, the mattress felt different than she remembered. She also noticed the chains hanging above her.

That was when Sunset took notice of herself, a chain kept her arms from spreading to far. She also realized that her pajamas were replaced with a black-and-white-striped prison uniform. It took time for her to realize that she was currently in a prison cell.

Looking towards the prison bars, she noticed the pale girl standing behind them. Perhaps being four-feet-tall, the girl was dressed in a prison guard’s uniform with an eyepatch over her left eye. When Sunset blinked, she could have sworn the eyepatch moved to cover the girls right eye.

After blinking again, she saw that the girl wasn’t one girl. They were twins! Identical down to the last detail, with the eyepatches being the only way to tell them apart.

Sunset stood up and moved to the bars, shaking them to budge open, but to no avail. The girl’s actions caused the twin on the right to chuckle.

“So, it seems you’ve finally came to, inmate,” the right twin said mockingly.

“The you in reality is asleep,” the left twin said in a softer tone. “You are only experiencing this as a dream.”

“You are in the presence of our master!” the right twin barked. “Stand up straight!”

Wait, master?

Her gaze went past the twins to the sole occupant of a table not too far from her. The man sitting there was the strangest Sunset had ever seen. Dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and gloves, the man had ears that reminded Sunset of an elf from a fantasy story. She also couldn’t help but notice the extremely long nose that he had.

“Trickster,” the man spoke with a deep voice that sent chills down the girl’s spine, “welcome to my Velvet Room. I am delighted to make your acquaintance.”

The man spread his arms out to place emphasis on his home. “This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those bound by a ‘contract’ may enter. I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well.”

After Igor was done talking, Sunset finally found the courage to speak. “Why am I here?”

“I summoned you here to speak of important matters,” he answered. “It involves your life as well.”

Sunset was left stunned. “My life?”

“Still, this is a surprise,” Igor said, taking observation of his surroundings. “The state of this room reflects the state of your heart. To think a prison would appear as such.”

The man looked to his guest with a large grin. “You truly are a ‘prisoner’ of fate. In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you.”

Confused, Sunset shook her head. “What ruin? What are you talking about?”

“I speak of the end to everything,” Igor answered. “However, there is a means to oppose such a fate. You must be ‘rehabilitated’. Rehabilitated toward freedom…that is your only means to avoid ruin.”

The long-nosed man looked Sunset directly in the eye. “Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?”

“I…I still don’t understand any of this.”

“You didn’t decline, hm?” the man rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Very well, that is enough. Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation.”

Igor then snapped his fingers. “Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others. To your right is Caroline; to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here.”

Caroline gave a single laugh. “Try and struggle as hard as you like.”

“The duty of Wardens is to protect inmates,” Justine said as if she was simply stating a fact. “We are also your collaborators.” The girl’s voice then took on a hard edge. “That is, if you remain obedient.”

“I shall explain the roles of these two at another occasion,” Igor said. “Now then, it seems the night is waning…It is almost time. Take your time to slowly come to understand this place. We will surely meet again, eventually…”

Sunset then covered her ears as a loud bell rang around her.

“Time’s up!” Caroline yelled. “Now hurry up and go back to sleep.”

Before Sunset could say anything else, the room had already gone dark.

Sun. 8/26 (Early Morning)
Sunset Shimmer woke up after having the strangest dream of her life. Ruin…rehabilitation…Sunset could not for the life of her understand the meaning behind it all.

As soon as she sat up, a series of knocks rapped on her door. “Sunset, are you up yet?”

“Yeah,” she answered. “You can come in if you want.”

The door opened, revealing Cadence in a plain white t-shirt and a pair of shorts. “Good morning. How about some breakfast before we head over to Canterlot High?”

Sunset yawned as she stretched her arms. “Isn’t today Sunday?”

“It is,” Cadence nodded. “But I was able to arrange for Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna to meet up today to help finalize your enrollment.”

Heading downstairs, the two enjoyed a light pancake breakfast while they discussed more about the school Sunset would be attending. “It’s within walking distance of the house,” Cadence said. “But today, I was hoping we could drive there. We can spend the rest of the day at the mall to see if we can find anything that will liven up your room.”

Sunset didn’t respond. She only continued to drive her fork into her breakfast.

(Daytime)
Sunset and Cadence entered Canterlot High School through the front entrance, having to walk past the “Wondercolt” statue. The girl immediately saw a “GO WONDERCOLTS!” banner with the words written in blue and gold hanging from the ceiling.

Sunset sat on a chair outside the principal’s office, waiting for Cadence to finalize all the details. Though this seemed like a normal school, something about the building just kept getting on her nerves. There just seemed to be something…wrong with it.

The door opened, and Cadence poked her head out. “Come on in, Sunset.”

She got up from her chair walked into the office. The first thing she saw was the woman. sitting behind the oak desk: ivory-skinned with hair that was a mix of bright colors. She gave a warm welcoming smile that felt like the rays of the rising sun. From the way Cadence described her, this must have been Principal Celestia.

The woman standing next to her was the complete opposite. Vice-Principal Luna was a light-shade of blue with navy hair, with the scowl and glare on her face looking like they were permanently etched onto it. Her stare felt like being trapped in a cold, airless void.

It was hard to believe that these two were actually sisters.

“Hello, Sunset,” Celestia said in a welcoming tone, her hand pointing towards a chair, “have a seat.”

Sunset took the offered seat. She oddly found herself sitting up straight for once in her life.

“I know you’ve gone through some…difficulties recently,” the principal said. “That’s why I accepted Cadence’s request to enroll you here. I want you to think of Canterlot High School as a second chance. A fresh start to help you get back on the right track.”

“Of course,” Luna firmly interjected, “you will be expelled immediately if you cause any sort of trouble.”

Celestia gave a side-glance to her sister. “Luna—”

The vice-principal placed both her hands on the desk. “I don’t know of the things you may have done in your hometown, but you will behave yourself here. If you get thrown out of this school, you’ll be on your own. Make sure to keep that in mind.”

Great, Sunset thought, yet another adult who thinks I’m some sort of thug.

Celestia cleared her throat, and Luna placed her hands back on her hips. “Here’s your student ID,” Celestia said, handing the laminated card over to the girl. “Good luck on your first day tomorrow.”

Sunset got up from her seat and began to walk to the door, Cadence following suit.

“Cadence,” Luna called before the two left, “please keep a close eye on her. You’ve taken on the role of guardian for her, so don’t let her cause any trouble.”

Cadence’s only reply was a nod before she shut the door.

The woman sighed as she and her ward walked through the hallway. “I’m sorry about Luna,” she said. “I wish she wouldn’t treat you like some sort of nuisance.”

“Is she always like that?” Sunset asked. “Or is there something about me that rubs her the wrong way?”

“It’s probably your conviction,” Cadence said, “she’s letting that bias her opinion against you. Luna is a very sweet and kind person, you just need to get to know her better.”

After that, it was a quick walk back to Cadence’s car.

(Late Afternoon)
“Again, a subway derailment at Gala Street Station has caused major traffic jams, as emergency crews are working to—”

“That’s enough of that,” Cadence declared, turning off the radio. She and Sunset were currently in the middle of said traffic jam waiting to get home after a semi-successful shopping trip. The two planned to order-in a pizza when they got back.

“So,” Sunset began, “I have to ask. How do you know those two?”

“You mean Celestia and Luna?” Cadence asked. “We go way back; Celestia is the closest thing I ever had to an aunt. She and Luna are practically family to me.”

At the mention of the vice-principal, Sunset couldn’t help but remember her words. “I’m sorry if I’m causing you any trouble. First your boyfriend, now Luna—”

“Hey now!” Cadence softly chided. “None of that. Let’s focus ahead. How do you feel about school tomorrow?”

Sunset thought about how her old school was. “I’m a bit…nervous.”

“You’ll be fine,” Cadence assured her as traffic finally began to move.

(Evening)
Sunset and Cadence watched television as they ate their pizza. A news bulletin on the subway derailment said eighty people were seriously injured, though luckily, no fatalities were reported.

After dinner, the two quickly placed their wares on Sunset’s dresser: a small mirror in a frame and two picture frames (one for a photo of Sunset and her parents, and the other for—at Cadence’s insistence—when she made friends).

“I also have one last thing,” Cadence said, holding her hands behind her back. “It’s a little something I added when you weren’t looking. TADA!”

Sunset immediately saw the small purple book with a red-and-yellow sun printed in the center. “Great…what is it?”

“It’s a diary,” Cadence said, handing it over to the girl. “Every teenage girl has one, and I thought you might like to write down your feelings every once in a while.”

It was a small gesture, but the sincerity behind it was touching to Sunset. “Thanks, Cadence. I really appreciate it.”

Cadence smiled. “Okay now, straight to bed. You have school first thing tomorrow.”

After bidding each other good night, Sunset got changed into her pajamas and got under the covers of her bed. She was about to fall asleep when her phone pinged again. Picking it up from the nightstand, Sunset became annoyed when she saw the cause.

“That stupid app again,” she growled before deleting it for the third time.

Returning her phone back to the nightstand, Sunset laid back on her pillow. “Should probably reboot my phone,” was all she said before sleep took her.

Sunset's Awakening: 8/27 [1]

Author's Note

Helps set the mood for Sunset heading to school:

Sunset's Awakening: 8/27 [1]

Mon. 8/27 (Early Morning)
Cadence woke up Sunset bright and early for her first day at her new school.

After a quick shower, Sunset changed into a light-blue top with jeans and her usual leather jacket. Her guardian had prepared a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs which Sunset dug into eagerly.

The sky was cloudy when Sunset left the house for school. Cadence had offered her an umbrella, but she turned it down. With luck, she would be able to make it to Canterlot High before it began to rain.

Unfortunately, she had no such luck.

A sudden heavy downpour forced Sunset to use her backpack as a makeshift umbrella. Puddles splashed as she hurried to make it to school before she was soaked to the bone.

The occasional raindrop landing near Sunset’s eye often forced her to close them sometimes, cutting of her vision for a little time. This momentary loss of vision was how she bumped into someone.

She and her unwitting victim both fell onto the wet concrete. “I’m so sorry,” Sunset quickly apologized, getting herself back onto her feet.

The girl she accidentally knocked down looked up at her with a terrified expression, her umbrella lying next to her. Rain began to wet her pink hair as Sunset offered her a hand. The girl looked at the hand hesitantly before grabbing the umbrella with one hand and taking Sunset’s offered one with the other.

“Sorry about that,” Sunset said while pulling the other girl up. She retreated under her backpack when the girl was back on her feet. “I should’ve paid more attention to where I was going.”

The other girl seemed to be trying to look at anything other than the person who bumped into her. Before leaving, Cadence had encouraged Sunset to try and find the opportunity to make friends; this seemed like as good a time as any.

“My name is Sunset Shimmer,” she introduced herself. “What’s your name?”

The girl looked down at her shuffling feet. “My…name is...Fluttershy.”

“Sorry,” Sunset responded, “I didn’t catch that.”

“Fluttershy.”

“Maybe, one more time.”

“Fluttershy!”

A male voice interrupted before the girl could answer. They both looked to see a black muscle-car driven by a blue-haired boy pulling up next to them. “It’s raining hard, Flutters. You need a lift?”

The girl, now known to Sunset as “Fluttershy”, quickly nodded. She began moving towards the car but stopped to look at the leather-clad girl. She quickly handed her the umbrella before entering the car.

“Thanks!” Sunset said as the girl closed the passenger door. She was grateful for the coverage the umbrella provided.

The last thing Sunset saw before the car window rolled up was Fluttershy’s green eyes filling with despair.

Sunset’s phone pinged from her pocket. Taking it out, she saw that the smartphone was already unlocked and that an app was already running. The strange app—the same that Sunset thought she had deleted already—quickly changed from its eyeball logo to a map of the surrounding area.

What the hell? Is this GPS?

As the car began moving away, a shout could be heard. “WAIT!”

Sunset turned to quickly to see another girl sprinting towards the car. “HOLD IT! I NEED A RIDE TOO!” The car had already zoomed ahead, leaving her behind.

Sunset got a good look at the girl as she slowed to a stop. The blue-skinned girl wore a white shirt with a blue jacket and a white-and-purple skirt. The most eye-catching thing about her had to be the hair, which boldly showcased every color of the rainbow.

The girl panted as she took on an angry expression. “Oh, is that how it is?” she shouted. “Well, screw you Flash Sentry!”

“Flash Sentry?” Sunset asked herself, unaware that the app had picked up on her words.

“Candidates found!”

The synthesized voice drew a surprised gasp from the rainbow-haired girl, who quickly turned around. When she saw Sunset, her eyes narrowed.

“What are you looking at?” the girl asked rudely. “You got some problem with me, Bacon Hair?”

Bacon Hair? Seriously?

She stormed up to Sunset. “You one of Sentry’s groupies or something? If you rat me out to him, you’re gonna regret it.”

Sunset felt herself get angry. “One,” she began to count, “I’m new here; so, I don’t know who you, or this Flash Sentry guy is. And two, you should be very careful before you call someone names, Pride Parade.”

At first, the rainbow girl looked like she wanted to punch her, but her angry expression dissolved into guffaws of laughter. “Oh, man,” she snickered. “Never heard ‘Pride Parade’ before. That’s a good one.”

The girl clapped a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “You’re alright, new kid. The name’s Rainbow Dash, what’s yours?”

“Sunset Shimmer,” she answered. “I’m a sophomore. You?”

“The same,” Rainbow answered.

“So,” Sunset began, “what’s your beef with that ‘Flash’ guy. He seems real close to that girl; I think her name was ‘Fluttershy’?”

Rainbow sighed. “I thought that was her. I just don’t know why she’s been hanging around with that asshole lately.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I’m guessing you don’t like him so much?”

“Damn straight!” Rainbow said. “That guy thinks he’s the effing king of Canterlot High! I swear, he treats that place like it was his own castle.”

“Result found! Beginning navigation.”

Sunset’s eyes must have been playing tricks on her; she could have sworn everything was purple for a second or two.

Rainbow must have thought the same. “What the heck was that?”

Sunset was surprised that she saw it too. “What was what?”

Rainbow seemed to think for a minute before shaking her head. “It’s probably nothing. Come on; we’d better get going, or we’ll be late.”

Wanting to avoid being tardy, the two girls began to high-tail it to the school. As they ran, neither noticed that as they stepped into puddles, the droplets from the splashes froze in mid-air. It had seemed like time had decided to stop working.

Eventually, the girls reached where the school should have been. What they saw, made them both stop dead in their tracks. In the place of the school was a large castle, the kind that Sunset thought would belong in medieval times. The Wondercolt statue was gone and, in its place, stood someone dressed in regal attire.

“What the hell?” Rainbow said. “Where’s the school?”

Sunset turned to see the sign for Canterlot High School not too far away from them. “According to that,” she said, “this is it.”

Rainbow kept looking from the sign to the castle, her brain trying to process what her eyes were seeing. “Well,” she said, “only one way to find out. Let’s head inside.”

Walking past the statue, the two entered the castle through its large doors. What they saw was a massive foyer with a grand staircase leading up to the second floor.

“What the heck? This isn’t the main lobby,” Rainbow said confused. “This place looks like a set for a tv show.”

It was silent for a moment, but then the air shimmered around them. The room seemed to change into the lobby Sunset saw yesterday, but it quickly dissolved back to the castle setting.

Rainbow gasped. “You…you saw that, right?” she asked. “The school was right here, then it was gone.”

Sunset took her phone out, hoping to call Cadence for help. When she unlocked her device, she saw zero bars on the top-left corner of the screen. “Damn,” she cursed, “no service.”

“Seriously?” Rainbow looked at her incredulously. “How can this get any worse?”

Clanking soon echoed throughout the room. Both girls turned to see someone dressed in knight’s armor walking towards them, sword and shield in hand. The knight also seemed to have some sort of mask over his face.

Rainbow gave a sigh of relief. “Man, I freaked out over nothing. You’re a student, right? Or one of the teachers?”

She approached the knight. “That costume is really awesome! Where’d you get it?”

The knight continued to stare at them in silence. “Aren’t you gonna say something?” Rainbow asked. “Speak up already!”

A second knight soon approached the two, his weapons drawn as well. Both Sunset and Rainbow began to worry.

“Uh, what’s going on?” the blue girl asked, completely confused.

Light reflected off the razor edge of both swords. “You know,” Sunset began, “I’m starting to think those are real.”

Both knights began to approach them “Whoa, hold on,” Rainbow said, both hands in the air. “Let’s talk about this!”

Sunset had a different idea in mind. “Run for it!”

They only got a couple of steps before more knights showed up. One of them struck Rainbow Dash with its shield, while another grabbed ahold of her. Sunset felt a punch to her gut, knocking the wind out of her.

As Sunset’s vision began to go black, she could hear a single distorted voice. “Take them away!”

(Morning)
“Hey! I really need you to wake up.”

Sunset opened her eyes to see Rainbow Dash hovering above her. “Oh, good,” the blue girl sighed in relief. “I’m glad you’re up. I was worried you were never gonna wake up.”

Sunset sat up and looked at her surroundings. Exposed brick walls surrounded her on three sides, with a set of iron bars on the far side. What is it with me and prison cells? First that dream, now this place.

“Where are we?” Sunset asked.

Rainbow shook her head. “Some kind of dungeon, maybe. I’ve been trying to find a way out since they locked us in here. Nothing yet.”

WWWWWAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!

Both girls jumped up in surprise. “What the hell?” Rainbow said surprised. “Are there other people down here too?”

A familiar clanking noise was heard, and a trio of knights appeared in front of their cell.

“Be glad that your punishment has already been decided upon,” the guard said with the same distorted voice. “Your charge is ‘unlawful entry’. Thus, you will both be sentenced to death.”

Rainbow snarled. “That’s bullshit! What gives you the right?”

A familiar voice spoke up behind him. “No one’s allowed to do as they please in my castle.”

Walking up to the cell, Sunset could see a blue-haired teenager the same age as her and Rainbow. He was draped in a red cape that left his bare legs exposed and a gold crown adorned the top of his head.

Rainbow’s eyes widened in recognition. “Flash? Is that you?”

Flash…as in Flash Sentry? Sunset’s mind went back to a memory of the boy driving the car.

“Flash” snickered. “I thought it was some petty thief, but I didn’t expect it to be you, Dash.” He shook his head. “Still trying to disobey me, huh? You still haven’t learned from what happened last time, haven’t you?”

His eyes landed on Sunset. “And it seems you brought along a friend. Not surprised, you’re not smart enough to do this on your own.”

Rainbow banged on the bars. “This isn’t funny, Flash. Let us out asshole!”

“How dare you speak to a king like that,” “Flash” barked. “It seems you still have no idea of the situation you’re in. Not only did you break into my castle, you have also insulted me—the king.”

He gave a cruel sneer. “The punishment for that is death.”

“Flash” swung his arm forward; his cape parted to reveal the black trunks underneath, leaving his torso bare. “Enough of this! Let the execution begin!”

At his signal, the knights opened the cell and stormed in. Both girls were forced to the back of the space.

“Damn it,” Rainbow said. “This can’t be real.” She suddenly shouted as she tackles one of the guards, knocking the knight to the ground. “C’mon, let’s make a break for it.”

Before she could run though, Rainbow was punched in the gut by another knight. She soon found herself surrounded by the other guards.

“Get away from her,” Sunset shouted, pounding her fists on one of the guards.

“Just go!” Rainbow managed to shout at the other girl. “Get out of here!”

“Flash” laughed cruelly. “Running away, are we? What a heartless friend you are.”

“She’s not my friend,” Rainbow retorted, before looking to Sunset. “Hurry up and go already.”

“Flash” just laughed again. “Too scared to run away?” He chuckled. “Pathetic scum like you isn’t worth my time. I’ll focus on this one instead.”

Sunset soon found herself against the wall, a sword pointed at her throat by one of the guards. The other two held Rainbow up by her elbows while Flash slapped her, the slaps soon becoming punches.

“Lowly scum,” “Flash” mocked. “Pathetic vermin.” He then had the guards throw her against the opposing wall. “A peasant like you isn’t worth beating. Right now, it seems like the perfect moment for you to die.”

Despite the sword, Sunset had to speak. “Stop this! Have you lost your mind?”

Flash looked back to glance at the speaker. “Don’t tell me you don’t know who I am.” The guard moved aside as “Flash” approached Sunset. “That look in your eyes irritates me.”

A sudden kick knocked Sunset flat on her back. “Hold her there,” he commanded, “I need to deal with this one first. Once she’s dead, it her turn to die.”

Two guards held Sunset up to the wall, while a laughing “Flash” approached Rainbow. For some reason, Sunset’s mind kept flashing back to that night.

“What’s the matter? Are you simply going to watch?”

Sunset found herself looking around, trying to find the source of the voice.

“Would you really forsake her to save yourself? She will die if you do nothing. Was your previous decision a mistake then? What is it you told Cadence? ‘Keep your head down, and keep your mouth shut.’ Do you really believe that?”

Sunset remembered back at that police station, sitting cuffed to a bench. The woman had just finished giving her statement to the police. On the way out, she had discreetly dropped a scrap of paper in front of Sunset. The girl managed to reach over and grab it from the floor. She unfurled it to see the message written.

Thank you for saving me.

Despite everything she went through, that one note was worth it. “No…no I don’t.”

Rainbow was being lifted by her neck, while the guard prepared to lunge the sword forward into her chest.

“Very well…I have heeded your resolve.” Sunset felt a sharp pain in her head, her mouth open in a silent scream. “Vow to me. I am thou, thou art I…If thou art willing to commit sacrilege for thine justice, call upon me and release thy wrath! Show the strength of thy own will and show your enemies Hell itself!”

“Flash” pointed toward Rainbow. “Execute her!”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!”

“Flash’s” eyes widened as he and his guard turned their attention to the other girl, Rainbow dropping to the floor. “What did you just say?” the king asked. “You want to be killed that much? Fine!”

The two guards at her side pressed her flat against the wall, as the third guard positioned himself in front of her. The knight raised his sword, a glint reflecting off the blade’s metal.

Sunset gasped as a gale of wind pushed the guards away with a powerful force. When the wind died down, “Flash” looked to the girl and his eyes widened.

Sunset lifted her hands to feel a white mask around her eyes. With a sudden resolve, Sunset began to pull at the mask; the sound of flesh tearing could be heard as the mask came off. Blood formed around Sunset’s eyes as she opened them. The eyes that were once teal were now gold.

She opened her mouth and said a single word. “Persona!”

Blue flames over took the girl, covering her in azure fire. The flames soon floated into the air, revealing Sunset to be now dressed in an all-black outfit; her shoes, pants, shirt, vest, and leather duster were all black. The only color to her ensemble was the white mask that had magically reappeared and the red gloves on both her hands.

The blue flames themselves took on a form before disappearing. A red winged demon now floated above Sunset; her hair like fire that burned above her horns. A single flap of its leathery wings sent the guards flying forward, causing them to collide with the wall. “Flash” screamed in terror as he ducked out of the way.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “What…what the hell is going on?”

The Rebel's Soul: 8/27 [2]

Author's Note

The Rebel's Soul: 8/27 [2]

Mon. 8/27 (Morning)
Sunset had never felt this sort of power before. She felt as if she could take on the entire world, and it was all because of the demon floating above her.

“I am Diabla, your true self,” the demon said. “I am the rebel’s soul that resides inside you. If it is what you desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis.”

“Yes,” Sunset said, “give me your power.”

“Very well.”

“Flash” sneered. “Who the hell are you supposed to be? Guards!” All the guards instantly stood up at his command. “Start by killing this upstart.”

The knights seemed to convulse before they dissolved into pools of darkness. They then emerged as three carved pumpkins; they wore cloaks and pointed hats and carried lanterns in their right hands.

“Flash” laughed. “You’ll learn the true strength of my men.”

Sunset didn’t know where to start. She had never been in a fight her whole life. But the demon’s voice began to whisper again.

“Detest the enemies before you! Change that animosity into power…then unleash it!”

Sunset saw one of them moving towards her. “Burn him, Diabla!”

The demon appeared and launched a ball of fire—Agi—at the enemy. The pumpkin screamed as he was set aflame. Sunset saw that he dissolved into nothing as he died. Seeing the death of his ally, another pumpkin began to attack. Sunset was lucky enough to dodge the swung lantern.

“Curse him!” Sunset commanded her Persona. Diabla sent a wave a darkness—Eiha—at the pumpkin. The attack managed to fell the enemy, the shadow dissolving at he died.

“Good! Now swing your blade!”

Sunset felt the weight of the dagger in her hand. Looking to her last remaining enemy, she charged. She swung her weapon, the blade cutting deep into the pumpkin-head. Orange chunks flew as the shadow dissolved.

“This power of mine is yours. From this moment forth, kill your enemies however you want. Run wild to your heart’s content!”

The demon faded, leaving Sunset alone with Rainbow Dash and “Flash.” Her mind beginning to calm, Sunset looked down to the outfit she wore.

Rainbow slowly got up from the floor, hardly believing what she saw. “What…what the hell just happened?”

“Flash” had already began menacingly approaching Sunset. “You little bitch!”

Seeing him distracted, Rainbow decided to act. She quickly tackled “Flash”, knocking him to the ground. “You like that, asshole?” she yelled.

Sunset looked down to see that a set large iron keys had fallen to the floor. “The key! We can lock the cell!”

Rainbow looked down, too. “On it!” She quickly grabbed the ring that held the keys and followed Sunset out of the cell. She slammed the door shut before locking it. “There, it’s done!”

“Flash” struggled to get up. “Damn you!” he cursed.

Ignoring him, Rainbow turned to Sunset. “What exactly did you do in there?” she asked. “Also, what’s up with those clothes?”

Sunset wished she had an answer to that. However, a blue light flashed before she could say anything. She was back to her regular clothes when the light faded.

“Whoa!” Rainbow exclaimed. “Why did you turn back to normal?”

A large BANG was heard as they turned to see “Flash” hitting the iron bars with his fist. “Let me out of here, bitches! I swear, you’ll both regret this!”

“We need to leave!” Sunset exclaimed.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Rainbow said. “Lead the way.”

The girls ran off, leaving “Flash” alone in his cell. “You damn thieves! Someone stop them!”

Sunset and Rainbow ran through the cavernous dungeon, occasionally having to jump across the stream of water going through it. They even had to crawl through a hole connecting two cells. They eventually crossed a drawbridge to the other side of the dungeon.

As they reached what appeared to be a dead end, they began to hear clanking. “Hide!” Sunset exclaimed.

They ducked down behind crates as they saw two knights emerge from a hall on the other side. They went unnoticed as the guards ran further into the dungeon.

“You think they’re looking for us?” Rainbow asked.

Sunset looked to the left to see an opening. “C’mon, this way!”

Ascending a spiral staircase, Sunset was hoping that this was the way out. “You think this leads to an exit?” Rainbow asked.

The girls soon found a solid wooden door. “This might be it,” Sunset said.

Barging through the door, the two girls only found another section of the dungeon. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Rainbow whined. “What the hell is this place?”

After following another waterway, they could see cages dangling over the water. The two could clearly see that the cages were occupied. They eventually reached another drawbridge.

“Shit!” Rainbow cursed. “It’s already up! How’re we supposed to get across?”

Sunset saw a large bust of Flash. “There’s something weird about this statue,” she said.

“Who cares?” Rainbow said. “Let’s just keep going.”

They only got down a few feet before they reached a dead end. “Crap,” Rainbow said. “What now?”

“Hey!”

Sunset and Rainbow looked at each other. They were surprised that neither of them had spoken up.

“Hey! You two! Over here!” The voice came from the cell right next to them. What they saw had their eyes wide open.

The…lizard in the cell had to be at least two feet tall and mostly purple except for the green spines starting from his back and ending at the top of his head. It also had a pale-green underbelly and green eyes.

Rainbow looked disgusted. “What the hell is that supposed to be?”

The lizard seemed worried. “You’re not one of those guards, right?” it asked. “Please, get me out of here!” It pointed to the nearest wall. “The key is right over there.”

“Why should we help you?” Rainbow asked. “You might be with those knights!”

The lizard seemed perturbed. “If I was working with them, why would I be locked up in here? Just get me out already!”

Sunset sighed. “You are one strange lizard,” she said.

It actually snarled. “I am not a lizard! I’m a dragon!”

Clanking noises echoed through the dungeon. “They’re getting closer,” Rainbow said. “How’re we supposed to get out of here?”

“I know where the exit is,” the dragon said. “If you get me out of here, I’ll take you two straight to it. Otherwise, they’ll execute you both if you get caught.”

Sunset eyed the keys before taking them off the wall. “I really hope you’re telling the truth,” she said, unlocking the cell.

With the cell open, the dragon marched out and took a deep breath. “Ah, the sweet air of freedom.”

“Okay, lizard boy,” Rainbow said, “where’s the way out of here?”

“I’m a dragon,” he insisted, “and the name is Spike!” He pointed towards the bridge. “Now, follow me and stay quiet.”

Following the dragon to the drawbridge, they could see him examining the statue. “What’re you doing?” Rainbow asked. “We need to get out of here.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” Spike said. “This will lower the drawbridge.” He looked to the other girl. “Hey, you seem to pick things up faster than the other one. Check the statue and see for yourself.”

Sunset approached the bust. On instinct, she pulled on the chin and the statue’s jaw came down. A click was heard as an unseen mechanism lowered the drawbridge.

“Seriously?” Rainbow said incredulously. “How’s anyone supposed to know how to do that?”

Spike just scoffed. “Amateur. Come on, let’s go.”

The trio crossed the bridge. What they didn’t count on was a knight coming out of nearby doorway.

“Crap!” Rainbow cursed as she slid to a halt. “It’s another one!”

Spike rolled his eyes at the blue girl. “You’re such an amateur.” Sunset saw another blue flash and those strange clothes appeared on her again. “Huh, it seems you can fight. Let’s go!”

A scimitar appeared in the tiny dragon’s claws and he pointed the blade upwards. “Come forward, Seiryu!”

At his command, a large blue serpentine-dragon appeared behind him. It reminded Sunset of the dragons that appeared in Asian mythology. She could see gusts of wind swirling around it.

Rainbow blanched when she saw it. “You have one of those things, too?”

The knight dissolved, and two creatures came up in its place. One was another floating pumpkin, while the other seemed to be a winged bald imp.

Spike cursed. “Those Shadows are in intercept positions.” He looked to Sunset. “If you’re willing to fight for your life, I’ll gladly back you up.”

Sunset lunged at the imp with her dagger. The blade made a deep cut into the winged creature but did little to damage it.

Spike rolled his eyes. “Still new at this, huh?” he said. “Let me show you how to fight.”

Calling forth Seiryu, the Persona sent a gust of wind—Garu—to the pumpkin. The attack proved to be extremely effective, as it collapsed onto the ground.

“If you strike at an enemy’s weakness,” Spike lectured, “it’ll knock them down. That way, you have an opening to attack again.”

“Neat trick,” Sunset remarked. “Gonna have to remember that.”

Spike then proceeded to use the same attack against the imp, landing a fatal blow as the shadow dissolved. The pumpkin regained its composure and stood up to attack. Spike barely avoided the lantern swung at him.

Sunset responded with an attack from her own Persona. Having Diabla fire another Agi at the shadow, the creature dissolved upon its death.

“Not bad,” Spike commented. “That Persona of yours is pretty strong.”

Rainbow seemed confused. “Persona? You mean those things you guys bring out?”

Spike nodded. “You saw this other girl rip off her mask to summon it, right?” At Rainbow’s nod he continued. “Well, everybody has a mask just like it that they wear deep in their hearts. When you remove that—”

He was suddenly interrupted as Sunset returned to normal in a flash of blue.

“Seriously?” Rainbow asked. “You went back to normal again?”

Spike rubbed his chin. “She probably doesn’t have full control of her powers yet. The transformation doesn’t usually dissolve like that."

Rainbow shook her head. “That makes about zero sense.”

“There’s no time to properly explain it all.” Spike said. “We need to go now!”

The trio continued. Climbing a short staircase, they eventually reached another drawbridge. A sudden groan caught Rainbow’s attention as they skidded to a stop.

“Hold on a second!” Rainbow told them. She spied a teenage boy in a nearby cell. “I swear, I recognize what this dude’s wearing.” Rainbow shook her head. “Shit! With everything going on, I can’t think straight.”

“Come on!” Spike said impatiently. “We need to keep moving.”

“We can’t go yet,” Rainbow said. “We need to see if we can get this guy out first.”

Spike sighed in frustration. “That’s just a waste of time. They’re not—”

“There!”

The drawbridge was lowered as a knight began to cross it. “This is why we need to leave!”

“No problem,” Sunset said as her appearance changed once again. “We just fight our way through this.”

Spike grinned. “I like the way you think.”

The knight changed into a pair of female fairies. Sunset summoned Diabla, who swiped one of her claws as an attack: Cleave. The attack was powerful enough to kill the fairy outright.

Sunset felt a stab of pain in her gut. “What the hell?” she said, gripping her abdomen.

“You need to be more careful,” Spike warned her. “Using your Persona’s physical abilities can adversely affect you. Do it too much too often and it could kill you.”

Spike then summoned his own Persona to use another Garu attack. The fairy was damaged by it, but then zoomed forward. The kick she delivered did little to hurt Spike. Sunset struck with her dagger, delivering a fatal blow to the Shadow.

“Alright,” Spike said as Sunset returned to her normal appearance, “we need to get out of here before more show up.”

“Hold on,” Rainbow argued, “we can’t leave these people here.”

Spike face palmed. “You really don’t get it, do you? Look, we are leaving. If you don’t want to come, good luck trying to get out alone.”

Rainbow growled. “Fine, I’m coming.”

The small dragon eventually led them outside of the dungeon, leading them back to the grand hall where the two first arrived. They then kept running into another hallway, where they soon stopped at a set of double-doors.

“We’re here!” Spike exclaimed.

Spike waved for them to follow him through the doors. The room seemed to be used for storage as there were barrels and crates.

“How are we supposed to get out of here?” Rainbow asked. “There aren’t any windows.”

Spike sighed. “Such an amateur. This is the most basic part of infiltration.”

Sunset saw to where the crates were stacked and looked up. That’s when it hit her. “A ventilation shaft?”

“That’s right,” Spike nodded approvingly. “As I thought, you’re a natural at this. The two of you should be able to squeeze through one at a time.”

“Right,” Rainbow said, “we’ll just pull that mesh off and we’ll be free as a bird.”

Both girls worked together to get the mesh off the shaft. After pulling it loose, they gently placed it on the floor.

Sunset turned to the dragon. “Are you coming with us?” she asked.

Spike shook his head. “Sorry, but there’s still somethings I need to do, so this is where we go our separate ways.”

Sunset nodded in understanding. “Well, thanks for your help then, Spike.”

He smiled in gratitude. “Be careful on your way out,” he reminded them.

Rainbow began climbing, but then turned to Sunset. “Um, maybe you should go first.”

“Why?”

“Well,” Rainbow began, “because ‘A’, you’re wearing pants. and ‘B’, we just met, and I don’t know if you’re some kind of pervert wanting to look up my skirt.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said as she began to climb up the crates.

The two girls crawled through the vent, leaving the dragon behind to think. “Those two seem useful,” he said to himself. “Especially the flame-haired one.”

[The Real World]
Both girls panted as they ran out of the castle. They finally stopped to catch their breath as they left the castle grounds.

“That was close,” Sunset said.

Rainbow was still panting as she looked back. “Whoa!” she said surprised. “Where’s the castle?”

A voice sounded from Sunset’s phone. “You have returned to the real world. Welcome back!”

Sunset, too, was surprised by the sudden disappearance of the castle. “We should go inside,” Sunset said, “just to check it out.”

Rainbow reluctantly agreed as they both walked towards the school entrance. When they entered the building, they saw the lobby as it always was. The banner was still hanging from the ceiling, and the trophy case was where it was, too.

“Okay,” Rainbow said, “either I’m crazy, or there was a huge staircase here. What the heck is going on?”

“That is what we would like to know, Miss Dash.”

Both girls turned to see a scowling Vice-Principal Luna and a concerned Principal Celestia. Luna crossed her arms. “Would either of you like to explain why you have both decided to miss your first two class periods?”

Shit, Sunset cursed in her head, this isn’t good. How do I explain this one? I can’t afford to get in trouble on my first day.

“It’s my fault,” Rainbow said, bringing attention to her. “I was walking towards the school when I started feeling dizzy. That’s when I slipped and hit my head on the sidewalk. I was lucky when Sunset showed up to help me. She thought we should wait before I started walking again, and we came straight here when I started feeling better.”

Sunset’s eyes kept darting back-and-forth between the girl and the sisters. Luna’s glare made it clear she wasn’t buying the excuse; Celestia on the other hand…

“Well,” the principal sighed, “I’m just glad you’re both alright.” She turned and smiled at Sunset. “I’m glad to hear you stepped in to help her, Sunset.”

“Help who?”

Sunset and Rainbow turned to see a familiar face approaching. Flash Sentry was dressed in his attire of a white shirt under a black jacket and a pair of jeans. At the sight of him, Rainbow had a glare that would have burned him on the spot if it could.

“Whoa, Rainbow,” Flash said, holding his hands up. “What’s with the death glare?”

The girl scoffed. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember?”

He blinked at her confused. “What’re you talking about? Remember what?”

“Just now, in that castle?”

Flash looked even more confused. “What castle?”

Sunset decided now was the time to step in. “Sorry,” she said while putting an arm around Rainbow. “She fell and hit her head. She’s probably confused.”

“I think she just needs some rest,” Celestia said before turning to her sister. “Luna, why don’t you take Rainbow to the nurse’s office while I take Sunset to her class?”

Luna looked like she wanted to argue, but instead yielded to her sister’s decision. “Come along, Miss Dash.”

Rainbow sighed as she followed the vice-principal, shooting a worried look at Sunset as they left.

“So,” Flash motioned towards Sunset, “she’s a new student?”

Celestia nodded. “This is Sunset,” she introduced, “she’s starting today. Sunset, this is Flash Sentry, he’s captain of the basketball team and one of our star athletes. He took our team to the state finals last year.”

“You don’t need to tell her that,” Flash said. “It’s a team effort, the other players do as much work as I do.”

She didn’t know why, but Sunset could definitely tell that the modesty he was showing was as real as a unicorn.

“Well,” Flash said, “good luck on your first day, Sunset.”

As he was passing by, he sneered at the girl before whispering, “You’re gonna need it, bitch.” He then gave one last charming smile to Celestia before walking off.

Sunset managed to keep her composure during the sudden, unprovoked insult. What the hell was that about?

Celestia motioned for the girl to follow her. “Come on, Sunset,” she said. “I have your schedule in my office. We’ll go there first before heading to your third period class.”

Sunset followed her principal through the halls, passing two girls as they did. One girl had dark blue hair with a pink streak, while the other had cyan hair with white highlights. The cyan-haired girl did a double-take as the flame-haired girl passed by.

“Hey, BonBon,” the girl, Lyra, said, “I think that girl was the one from those rumors.”

BonBon gasped as she took a quick glance. “You mean the one who got arrested?”

After getting her schedule, Sunset was taken to the classroom for her World History class. Celestia introduced her to the teacher, Ms. Harshwhinny, who then introduced her to the class.

“This is Sunset Shimmer,” the teacher said to the seated students. “She’ll be joining us for the rest of the school year. Now, let’s see…” she scanned the room before finding an empty seat. “There’s an open desk right behind Fluttershy; you can take that one.”

Sunset looked to see a familiar pink-haired girl sitting in front of the vacant desk. As she walked to the desk, she reached into her backpack and pulled out an umbrella.

“Thanks for loaning this to me,” Sunset said, holding out the umbrella as she came to the girl’s desk.

Fluttershy nodded meekly before taking her umbrella back. Sunset took her seat and began hearing whispers from behind her.

“Do those two know each other?”

“Maybe she hit on her before coming here?”

“That means she’s cheating on her with Flash.”

“You know what they say about the quiet ones. Who knew Fluttershy was such a slut?”

Sunset balled her fist. She shouldn’t be surprised; there were kids like this back in her old school, too.

“What about the new girl? Isn’t she the one who got herself arrested?”

“Yeah, she assaulted someone.”

“Better watch our backs then. You never know when she might snap.”

Sunset turned her head to glare at her gossiping classmates. The girls quickly shut their mouths as they realized the flame-haired girl had heard them.

Sunset turned back towards the board. Assholes.

(After School)
“Meet me at the soccer field after school.” That’s what Rainbow Dash had told her when she approached Sunset in the cafeteria during lunch. Her encounter with the girl didn’t help with the rumors already flying around about Sunset.

“I heard she’s already hanging around with Rainbow.”

“Those two are gonna cause so much trouble; I just know it.”

Sunset arrived to find her already leaning against one of the goals.

“Sorry for bringing you out here,” Rainbow said as the other girl approached. “I bet you’ve heard some stuff about me, right?”

Sunset nodded. “People talk about you like you’re some troublemaker.”

“Heh,” Rainbow laughed, “that puts us in the same boat. Everyone’s talking about your criminal record.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong!”

Rainbow put her hands up defensively. “Whatever you say. It’s none of my business.” She sighed. “What was up with that castle? We almost got killed trying to get out of there!”

“Not sure,” Sunset answered. “I’m just glad we got out of there alive.”

“Me too,” Rainbow agreed. “I never thanked you for saving me in there, so thanks, Sunset.”

“No problem.” Sunset thought about this morning. “What about that ‘Flash’ guy?”

Rainbow grimaced. “You’re new here, so you probably don’t know, but there are rumors about him. The faculty doesn’t know anything about it, and all the kids in school are afraid to say anything, because it would be their word against his.”

“Because he took the basketball team to the state finals?”

Rainbow nodded. “That and his dad is the head of the school’s PTA. Anyone who tries to speak out against his son, he’ll just intimidate them into keeping quiet.”

Rainbow sighed again as she stopped leaning on the pole. “Sorry for dragging you out here. I just felt like venting, and you were the only person I could think of who would listen.”

As she began to walk off, Sunset voiced a thought out loud. “What if we went back to that castle?”

Rainbow turned back in shock. “Forget it,” she said. “Even if we could, we would probably just wind up getting ourselves killed.” She sighed. “Look, forget about it for now. I’ll see you tomorrow, Sunset.”

The rainbow-haired girl walked off, leaving Sunset to return home.

(Evening)
Sunset walked into the house and dropped her backpack near the door. “Cadence, I’m back.”

Her guardian came down from upstairs. “Welcome home,” she said. “Sorry if I don’t have dinner ready; I was trying to get the laptop set-up.”

“What laptop?”

“Well,” Cadence began, “you need a computer for school projects and homework, so I went out and got you a laptop.”

This surprised Sunset. “Cadence, you don’t need to spend so much money on me.”

“Sunset,” she began, “I work at a prestigious prep school that pays me a six-figure yearly salary. I don’t mind spending some money to make sure you have everything you need.”

Sunset couldn’t help but smile. “So,” she said, “are you having trouble with it?”

“Kind of,” Cadence nodded. “I might need to take it to Shining’s little sister, she’s better at computer’s than I am. She even recommended the model I got for you.”

After that, the two of them put a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner. Soon after, Sunset worked on her homework before showering and brushing her teeth. Dressed in her pajamas, she flopped herself onto the bed.

I’m so tired. Maybe it’s because of all that weird stuff. With that last thought, Sunset fell asleep.

[The Velvet Room]
Sunset saw she was back in the cell as she woke up. “Great,” she mumbled, “this place again.”

As she got up, Caroline slammed her nightstick against the bars. “Quiet in there, inmate,” she scolded. “On your feet!”

“Our master wishes to speak with you,” Justine said softly. “For your own sake, please take his words to heart.”

Igor cleared his throat. “Firstly,” he said, “let us celebrate our reunion. You have awakened to your power, and it is a special one at that. Thus, your rehabilitation may finally begin.”

Sunset narrowed her eyes. “You still haven’t told me what this ‘rehabilitation’ is.”

“There is no need to understand it all for the time being,” Igor said. “You will be training the power of Persona, the very power you have awoken to.”

“You mean that demon?” Sunset asked. “What is that thing anyway?”

“A Persona is, in other words, a ‘mask’—an armor of the heart when confronting worldly matters.” Igor leaned forward. “I have high expectations for you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Sunset asked.

Igor chuckled. “There is no need to worry. You will learn everything in due time. By the by, have you come to appreciate your Metaverse Navigator?”

Sunset knew exactly what he meant. “The app on my phone, right?”

“Exactly,” the master of the Velvet Room nodded. “Using it will allow you to travel in-between the real world and Palaces. I have bestowed it to you to train you as a thief.”

“It is a gift from our master,” Caroline barked. “You’d better take good care of it, Inmate!”

Justine nodded. “Devote yourself to your training so that you may become a fine thief.”

“To make use of the Navigator alone must be disheartening,” Igor said. “Should you ever find others that would prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well. All this is to help you grow into a most excellent thief.”

The loud bell had Sunset covering her ears again.

“Hmph, it’s time,” Caroline said. “Go back and enjoy what little rest you might have.”

With that, the Velvet Room went dark once more.