P3R50N4: Equestria Girls

by FoxMcCloud7921

Rating: mature
Tags: Equestria Girls, Spike (EqG), Spitfire, Main 7 (EqG), Profanity, Adventure, Violence, Slice of Life, Crossover, Alternate Universe, Narcotics, Persona, Dark, Other, Starlight Glimmer
Length: 17736

It has often been said that every story has a happy ending, an ending where the hero prevails over the villain with the support of their friends. This is not one of those stories.

Life sometimes just isn't fair. Sunset Shimmer has learned that the hard way after a late-night incident causes her to be expelled from school and put on probation. After moving to a new city and attending a new school, strange things begin to happen which soon connect to officials not only at the school but all the way to the local government. With a new group of friends and with new motivation, Sunset sets out on a mission to change the world, for better or for worse.

Published 2018-05-18 05:50:08 UTC
Last updated 2019-04-14 05:52:14 UTC

Life Will Change

Author's Note

For the record, you're not seeing a typo in the title. I've decided to scrap the previous Persona story I did and do something completely new. It has similarities to 5 but again I've never played 5 so any major similarities are purely coincidental. But consider it 5 with the mystery of 4 and a little of 3 sprinkled in here and there.

~~Also whoever did that cover art is just damn amazing.~~

Life Will Change

It has often been said that every story has a happy ending, an ending where the hero prevails over the villain with the support of their friends. This is not one of those stories. In ways, this story tells how life sucks and you’re dealt the cards given to you and if you don’t like that, too bad.

This is a story about how it’s you against the world and even when you have friends on your side, the world doesn’t give a fuck. This is Sunset Shimmer’s story and there are no heroes in this one. Not in her mind anyway.

Up until a certain point, Sunset didn’t think life had turned out all that bad for her. She was going to school, lived in the big city and stayed out of trouble when she could avoid it. Of course, that all changed on a dime.

One night she was returning home late from working on a project at a classmate’s house.Perhaps it had been a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, despite going down this road so many times in the past, but someone was waiting for her.

The guy had to be at least twice her age and he looked like the type of guy that specifically went after younger girls. At first, he was trying to be polite, flirty towards her but Sunset was quick to shoot him down, seeing through his bullshit immediately and wishing she had brought something with her to defend herself.

He didn’t like that, and his immediate response was to tackle her to the ground and instead force himself on her. He made two mistakes in that moment. First, he was dumb enough to believe that catching her off guard would give him any advantage. Second, he thought she would lie still and take it.

The end result was him having his nose broken and getting kicked in the nuts so hard she was sure he was going to need them removed. That should’ve been the end of it; he should’ve just run off like the coward he was and never be seen again. But life decided to throw a curveball at her.

As it turned out, the creep was some big executive of a major company and apparently getting the shit beat out of him by a girl hurt his ego rather well. The next morning, he was pressing charges against her for assault against him and the police were at her house early in the morning before Sunset left for school.

Naturally, Sunset explained her side of the story: that the bastard assaulted her because he wanted a quickie (with her parents there, it wasn’t quite how she put it but they all got the right idea). Admittedly, even the cops were skeptical, not because the story sounded sketchy but mostly because they had a hard time believing a girl of her stature could even take on a guy of his size.

With that, the charges were dropped against her though the police apparently weren’t going to open an investigation, much to her parents’ disbelief. Mr. Executive wasn’t satisfied with this and threatened to sue for damages. Perhaps he was bluffing but at this rate it didn’t matter.

The damage had already been done. The story had gained a lot of traction around Manehattan and Sunset was suddenly looked at in a different light. Even worse, her parents had gotten a call from the school saying that due to recent events, the school board had decided to expel Sunset from the Manehattan School District. While she couldn’t prove it, Sunset had a feeling someone up top got paid off a handsome amount.

There was one silver lining: while she had been expelled, the board had decided that she could attend school in another district or city, though said school would be well aware of her situation. In other words, “You make one mishap and you’re done for good.” Through all of this, Sunset was most pissed off not because she had been expelled but because the bastard who started all of this got away scot free. Just how important are you if not even the police want to mess with you?

Her parents decided to go with the only choice they had, though they were far from giving up. “We’re going to fight this until the end,” her dad said. “I have a friend who’s a lawyer and I’m sure he’ll be able to help us. Until then, you just focus on school and…please try not to get into trouble. At least her parents didn’t think she was a complete failure.

A week after, once calls had been made, Sunset was heading to a dorm in Canterlot, where she’d be attending school for the rest of the year. It was smaller than Manehattan but overall the environment was a lot more appealing than the stickup assholes she’d been used to dealing. The dorm was where she’d be living and thankfully it was a girl’s only dorm. Thankfully, the person in charge sounded sympathetic about all that happened so that was a start.

Finally, early Sunday morning, Sunset said goodbye to her parents before boarding the train to Canterlot. Despite her parents’ pleas, she could only afford a slight smile which meant she made no promises about keeping out of trouble: trouble seemed to come her way almost always.

Sunset glanced at her phone as she was listening to music. It was almost ten o’clock, meaning she had another half hour before the train reached its destination. She laid her head back in her chair and felt her eyes close and before she knew it she had fallen asleep.

She opened her eyes again and noticed immediately something was off. The seats that had been occupied were now vacant and everything was in darkness, save for a blue hue that covered the entire car. As it turned out, she wasn’t alone as two figures were now in front of her, an older man in a chair and the other a woman who stood next to him. The man was wearing a dark suit and his combination of a large nose, bloodshot eyes, and a large grin gave him a very unnerving appearance.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room,” the man said in a surprisingly light voice. “Do not be alarmed, you are currently asleep. The Velvet Room is a realm between your unconscious and subconscious. But you’re probably wondering why you’re here? As it turns out, you’re a special guest, meaning that you and only you can come here. But enough of that. It seems much has happened in a short amount of time for you.”

How he knew that, Sunset had no idea. She wasn’t sure what to make of it but at the same time she couldn’t help but listen.

“The truth is that you’ve been wronged for a crime you did not commit and naturally you are upset…but how will you respond? Revenge? Or perhaps…perhaps it has only opened your eyes to the bigger picture.” The man chuckled. “Ah, but where are my manners? I’ve forgotten to introduce myself. I am Igor and you may consider me your guide on this new adventure you’re ready to embark on. Perhaps another time we will discuss this in more detail, for time grows short.

“But for now, what I can tell you is that contained inside you is a power that few possess and over time it will grow, making you stronger, strong enough for the challenges ahead. I must say I’m quite curious how this will all turn out. Now then, it’s time to properly introduce my assistant Moonlight.”

The girl in question was dressed in blue and had blue hair that almost matched, but it was her yellow eyes that really stood out. She then took out a deck of cards and spread them across the table. “The arcana is the means by which all is revealed…” She then picked a card and turned it over. “Hmm…yes, The Fool. The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge he sealed his fate…entrusting his future to the cards. The number 0 can mean nothing…but can also mean infinite possibilities. There’s no doubt about it now…you possess what is known as the Wild Card.”

Igor chuckled with amusement. “Very direct she is. Unfortunately, our time is growing short. We will meet again soon and much more will be discussed. For now, you must return to your realm. I bid you farewell…”

Sunset suddenly woke up and as she looked around, she quickly saw everything was as it was before. She rubbed her eyes slightly, trying to make sense of what she had just experienced. Was it a dream? And what exactly were they all foreshadowing? She decided to wave it off for now.

It wasn’t long before someone came over the intercom, announcing their arrival at Canterlot. Sunset took a look outside the window and she could immediately see that Canterlot hardly compared to Manehattan at all, at least in size. Yet, she seemed alright with that.

Once the train came to a complete stop, she grabbed her bags and headed into the station. She had the directions for the dorm on her phone and luckily it was within walking distance. It was just after one o’clock but even with the rest of the day still ahead of her, she didn’t have any further plans.

It took only about fifteen minutes to get over to the dorm but as she got closer, Sunset was starting to think she had set her expectations too high. The building looked to be at least twenty years old, which wasn’t a bad thing per say but… As long as it has decent wifi I can’t complain…

As soon as she may her way inside she was instantly greeted by a rather enthusiastic woman who, judging by her voice, had to be the same person on the phone.

“It’s so good to see you Sunset,” the woman beamed, who looked to be in her mid to late twenties. “My name is Cadence and I’m the RA of this dorm. Your parents told me everything that happened and its horrible what they did.”

“Thanks, but it’s fine,” Sunset replied, forcing a smile. “We’ll get this figured out.”

“I sure hope so,” Cadance said. “My aunt - she’s actually the principal of Canterlot High - she’s a no nonsense kind of person but she wouldn’t expel someone just because it would threaten her image. But that’s just me spouting nonsense. Anyway, I have your room set up so here’s your key. You’ll be fine being by yourself?”

“Yeah, it’s probably for the best,” Sunset said. Considering she was in a new city and would be attending a new school tomorrow, social interaction wasn’t at the top of her list to-dos right now.

“Anyway, I can tell you want me out of your hair so I’ll let you go,” Cadance continued. “Your room is on the second floor and I’m on the third so if you need any questions my door is always open. And don’t worry about the noise, there’s not too many students here at the moment so it should be relatively quiet for the most point. And in case I forget to mention it, welcome to Canterlot High.”

Once Sunset was upstairs (thankfully there was an elevator because the stairs were bigger than she had thought), she made her way towards her room, unlocking the door and opening it for the first time. The room itself was big enough for one, with a bed and desk set up for her along with a closet and a set of drawers. She was tempted to just crash onto the bed but decided to at least put her clothes away and set up her laptop.

Once that was finished, she sat on her bed, looking through the schedule that was given her. Nine periods a day with lunch during the middle of the day. She wondered how different the school would be, in terms of appearance, environment and the students in general. Considering what she had put up with in Manehattan, it couldn’t be any worse.

She spent the rest of the day in her room, either surfing the internet on her computer or reading a book. She didn’t have a TV but luckily she could stream shows through her phone. Once it started to get late, she decided to take a shower in the restrooms just two doors down before tucking herself in and turning in early. A lot was on her mind but Sunset tried to be optimistic.

Things will change…

Welcome to Canterlot High

The next morning Sunset woke up about six, only then realizing she had forgotten to get food yesterday. Luckily, her parents had given her enough for the month and would send her more every month throughout the school year so she made a mental note to go find the nearest store and buy enough food for the week. For today, she’d have to grab something on the go.

The first thing she did was head to the restroom and took a nice warm shower. No one else was in there so she had the shower room to herself. It was still dawning on her that she was no longer home, no longer in her own city and was essentially starting over with a new life, in her mind at least. Her parents were certain they would have the whole matter settled by the time Sunset was done with the school year but she wasn’t so optimistic.

After a good twenty minutes, she got dressed, wearing a blue top along with a cream colored skirt, blue leggings and her small leather jacket. She wasn’t usually the type that wanted to stand out but at the very least she could try to make a good first impression. After brushing her teeth and putting on her boots, she grabbed her backpack and headed out, making sure to lock before she left.

Even as she was leaving, she still didn’t see anyone near the front entrance. Then again, she was leaving a little earlier than she had planned. Not even Cadance was down here yet, much to her surprise.

The school was only about fifteen minutes away from the dorm so Sunset wasn’t pressed for time. There was a restaurant nearby that she had looked up and supposedly they had good breakfast. Once she got there, she wasted no time in ordering a breakfast burrito supreme with extra everything (she got away with eating like this most of the time since it hardly affected her weight, much to her parents’ surprise).

She took her time eating, keeping an eye on the time. Once she finished, it was about a quarter after seven so now was as good a time to head over. As she made her way over, now she was starting to see more students going the same direction in her. Some were in groups, conversing with another while others were for the most part walking by themselves, checking their phones and whatnot.

As she got closer, the amount of people started to concentrate and soon she heard someone running behind her, apparently in a hurry. “Excuse me! Coming through! Important soccer team player here!”

Sunset was about to turn around to make sure she was out of the way when something suddenly pushed into her from the side, catching her off-balance and almost caused her to crash into a group of girls, though she was able to balance herself just in time. She looked back and realized the force that almost knocked her over was actually on the ground.

“Oh man…ow…” the girl groaned. Her hair was quite literally all colors of the rainbow and she was wearing a white t-shirt with a blue top with a pink and white skirt. She looked up and grinned slightly. “Heh…sorry about that.”

“You usually run into people every morning?” Sunset asked as she helped the girl up.

“Only when it’s important!” the girl said. “No seriously, there’s a meeting with the soccer team I was supposed to be at five minutes ago so that’s why I’m in a hurry.” She then stared at Sunset. “Now that I think about it…I don’t remember running into you before.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m actually a new student,” Sunset replied.

“Fresh meat huh?” the girl joked.

“Actually I’m a junior.”

“Same. Name’s Rainbow Dash.”

“Sunset Shimmer.” The two of them shook hands. “But didn’t you just say…?”

“Shit! Yeah,gotta go! Hey, if you’re in any of my classes sit next to me alright!?” The girl then ran off again in a hurry. Sunset just shook her head before heading inside the school.

She had been half expecting most of the students to be watching her with either curiosity or suspicion but apparently they paid no attention to her as she made her way to her locker, opening it with the combination she had already memorized. After getting her bag put away, she grabbed her binder and made her way towards her first class, which just happened to be trigonometry.

Once she found the room number, she awkwardly stepped into the classroom which currently was full save a few seats. She then found the teacher and went up to him. “Excuse me, Mr. Doodle?” she said. “My name is Sunset Shimmer and-”

“The new student right?” Mr. Doodle asked, looking like he didn’t really care as he got out a textbook. “Go ahead and sit wherever you like. I’m assuming you were covering sine, cosine, and tangent at your other school?”

“That’s right.”

Mr. Doodle grunted in response while Sunset took her book and sat near the front. The girl sitting next to her has her nose deep inside the book - and it looked like she was much farther in the book than what the syllabus statedat this point of the year. Well, guess it can’t hurt to socialize. “I guess you like to read ahead huh?” Sunset said, chuckling slightly. “I guess that gets you more prepared for the next test…or the one after that.”

The girl suddenly looked up and glanced over at her, pushing up her glasses that were hanging on the bridge of her nose.. “Oh…were you talking to me?” she asked. Her hair was striped with lavender and pink and unlike most of the students in the classroom, she was very formerly dressed.

“Yeah…sorry I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Oh no it’s fine, and you’re right I am pretty far ahead,” the girl giggled. “Luckily I haven’t taken notes on the chapters ahead or else I’m sure Mr. Doodle wouldn’t be happy with me just sitting here. Anyway, I haven’t seen you in class before so…new student?”

“Yeah. I’m Sunset Shimmer.”

“Twilight Sparkle,” the girl said. “I’m actually a former new student myself so I know the feeling of being nervous and all that.”

“Oh yeah? What school?”

“Uh…Crystal Prep.”

Sunset stared at her for a moment. Crystal Prep was one of the biggest schools in the entire district, not even Manehattan came close to it. It was also one of the hardest schools to get into for they required outstanding marks and even then the competition was insane. They were also a juggernaut when it came to sports as well.

“That’s pretty impressive,” Sunset said. “I’m surprised you transferred here of all places.”

Twilight suddenly looked uncomfortable. “It’s…kind of a long story.”

“Oh um…right…”

The bell suddenly rang and almost as if on cue Mr. Doodle got up, ready to teach class. “Alright, settle down and let’s get started. In case you didn’t know, we have a new student with us today but I’m not going to go into the whole thing of having herself introduce herself and whatnot so we’ll just go ahead and continue where we left off from yesterday…”

The current material being discussed was more of a review for Sunset which allowed her to keep up with note-taking as Mr. Doodle demonstrated problems on the board. Near the end of class he asked the students to break off into pairs and start working on tonight’s homework. Naturally, Sunset and Twilight both decided to partner and they were both able to race through almost half the problems before the bell rang again.

“Well, I don’t know if we’ll run into each other again in another class but if not I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Yeah…I guess we’ll see then,” Sunset said, returning the smile.

The rest of the morning continued without much excitement. Thankfully, it seemed that the students here were on the same level as she was in her classes so she didn’t have to worry about catching up. By the time lunchtime came around, she was definitely feeling hungry.

Regardless of what school you went to, cafeteria always ranged from “barely a grade from dog food” terrible to pretty good, though Sunset didn’t really care as long as it tasted good. Luckily, as least from what the menu said and what she saw, the food at least looked edible. Once she got her food and paid for everything, she then had to make the difficult choice on where to sit.

“Hey Sunset!”

Fortunately, she didn’t have to worry about that any longer since she instantly noticed the girl she met outside the school earlier. Making her way over, she saw there were a couple other girls sitting with Rainbow that she hadn’t met before. “I knew we’d meet each other again at some point,” Rainbow grinned. “How’s your first day going so far?”

“Not bad…just adjusting to everything I guess,” Sunset shrugged slightly as she sat down.

“Oh right, I’m guessing you haven’t met these three, but this is Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” Rarity said.

“Howdy,” Applejack said.

“Um…hi…” Fluttershy said.

“So how did your meeting go this morning?” Sunset asked as she started eating.

Rainbow grimaced slightly. “I…may have gotten chewed out a bit for being late…for a third time in a row…”

“Well if you actually went to bed on time instead of playing video games…” Applejack said.

“You play ‘em too!”

“Yeah, but I know when to stop.”

“Whatever…anyway, what brings you to Canterlot anyway?”

“Honestly Rainbow Dash, she should at least get to know us before we start asking personal questions,” Rarity scoffed. “Ahem, I for example am the President of the Fashion Club here. We’re a small group currently but I’m hoping once I show off some of the clothes I made for the Fall Festival it’ll generate more interest.”

“So you’re a designer?” Sunset asked.

“Why of course darling, which reminds me I need to take your measurements before lunch is over.”

“Uh…why?”

“So I can create something in your style of course!” Rarity stared at her for a long minute. “Hmm…yes…alright I think I got it!”

“…Got what?”

“Just roll with it, she does this with all of us,” Applejack said. “Anyway, well I’m from Sweet Apple Acres where you’ll find the best apples in all of Canterlot. I also sometimes help with the Agricultural Club when they’re doing a big project or something. You’ll have to come by sometime for a piece of pie or some cider.”

“The cider is pretty good,” Rainbow added.

The three girls then looked over at Fluttershy, who glanced over and jumped slightly. “Oh right um…well I mostly work at the pet shop downtown though in my free time I sometimes help with Rarity in making the dresses.” She then smiled. “I guess you could say I have a way of…speaking to animals and all that.”

“It’s too bad I’m not allowed pets in the dorm,” Sunset replied.

“Oh? You live at the dorm?” Rarity asked. “Cadance is actually very lenient on those sort of things…though I don’t think she’d let you get away with a dog, at least a big one…”

“Ooh I’d be happy to help find a pet for you if you were interested,” Fluttershy said, a gleam in her eyes now.

“I’ll..think about it,” Sunset said.

“It’s too bad Pinkie isn’t in the same lunch period as us,” Applejack said. “She’d be happy to meet you…well any new student.”

“Just gonna warn you…she’s a bit…uh…overwhelming would be an accurate term,” Rainbow said.

“Wait…there was a girl in my cooking class…pink hair, is really good at cooking and is super hyper?” Sunset asked.

“Yep that’s her,” Applejack said. “I’m guessing you did meet her?”

“Hi! Are you new? I don’t remember seeing you before so you have to be new!” It took Sunset a second to process that a girl was currently talking to her.

“Y-Yeah I am,” Sunset replied.

“Great! My name’s Pinkie Pie but you can just call me Pinkie, everyone else does!”

“Nice to meet you Pinkie. I’m Sunset.”

“Nice to meet you Sunset! We’re going to be great friends and its even greater that we’ll get to cook together!”

“You could say that,” Sunset replied.

“You know, I have a game on Saturday but maybe afterwards we could all hang out somewhere,” Rainbow said. “Consider it a welcome party for our new friend.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Rarity said. “I know it seems strange to you dear but we tend to make friends rather easily around here.”

So I’ve noticed… Well, that wasn’t a bad thing. Making six friends in one day was definitely a good start at least. However, she wasn’t willing to explain how she got here in the first place, at least not yet.

After about another twenty minutes, the bell rung again and Sunset headed for her next class. The rest of the day continued normally, though she did find out that Rarity and Rainbow Dash were in her history class while Applejack and Fluttershy were in her chemistry class.By the end of the day they were able to exchange numbers.

Once school finally let out, Sunset was on her own since Rainbow had soccer practice and the others had their respective clubs to go to. Before heading home, she stopped by a small grocery store and picked up enough food to last her week, mostly sandwiches or anything that didn’t require more than microwaving. It was after four by the time Sunset got back to the dorm.

Cadance was at the front desk when Sunset came in, or at least tried to with the bags she was carrying. “Oh hey Sun-whoa do you need help with that?”

“If it’s no trouble…” Sunset said, her voice slightly strained.

“Not at all,” Cadance said as she took one of the bags. “So how was your first day?”

“Well…hard to believe but I think I made six friends in one day.”

“Wow! That is impressive! But the students at Canterlot High are pretty nice for the most part,” Cadance replied as the two went up to her room. “I don’t suppose you met a girl named Twilight…?”

“Twilight Sparkle? Yeah, she was in my first period class, you know her?” Sunset asked as she got her key.

“We’re pretty close, mostly cause I’m dating her brother,” Cadance smiled. “So she’s kind of like a little sister to me. Did she have her nose in a book?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Some things never change,” Cadance giggled. “Well, I’m glad she has someone to talk to at least. She…doesn’t really have any friends to talk to.”

“She said she transferred here from Crystal Prep.”

“Yeah…she had her reasons but…I shouldn’t say, it’s not my business. Anyway, I’ll let you unpack everything and get to your work. And really, thank you for being a friend for Twilight. Maybe over time it’ll help her come out of her shell a bit.”

“I’ll do what I can I guess,” Sunset replied.

Cadance nodded in thanks before turning around. “The next time I talk to her, is it alright if I tell her you’re living here?”

“I don’t see why not,” Sunset shrugged.

“Alright, well I’ll see you later then Sunset.”

Sunset then closed her door and unpacked everything into the small refrigerator provided. Once that was done, she decided to have an early dinner before getting started on her homework, which mostly consisted of math and chemistry. Maybe tomorrow when she saw Twilight she would ask for her number so they could help each other on problems…though she was certain Twilight probably didn’t need any help.

Once she was done, she settled in and watched some of the usual evening shows that were on Monday night. As soon as it hit ten, she got changed into pajamas and tucked in for the night. Once she fell asleep, she failed to notice her phone had gone off, indicating something was downloading onto her phone.

Author's Note

I realize in my P4 fic, I did the whole morning, afternoon, evening thing which they usually do in the Persona games but since that would probably get annoying to most readers I decided to do away with it this time.

The Metaverse

The next morning Sunset got to sleep a few extra minutes before waking up, thankful she could eat indoors before heading out. She grabbed a bowl and poured herself some cereal and milk and started eating at her desk, while looking at her phone. It was then she noticed something strange: there was a new app on her phone, one she didn’t recognize. The icon had a black background and a red X through it, with the name “META” on it.

Must be one of those spam apps…though I don’t usually go onto any risky websites. She then deleted the app before continuing her breakfast and looking through the news. One of the articles mentioned Mr. Executive, who in real life was actually known as Gladmane and he was in charge of many different businesses over at Las Pegasus, and apparently he was gaining attention in the news, not because of the incident with Sunset herself but rather similar ones with different women, those working in said businesses or regular citizens. Sunset couldn’t help but smirk a little bit. Maybe the accusations wouldn’t stick but it was nice to know the bastard was going to sweat a bit. Maybe just maybe, the investigation will be opened after all.

Once she was done eating, she got into the shower before brushing her teeth and getting dressed. Today was supposed to be a lot warmer so she decided to leave her jacket behind for today. Grabbing her bag, she then took off for school.

On her way towards the school, she again heard the sound of someone running behind her. “Hey!” Luckily, Rainbow didn’t run into her but rather slowed down next to her. “Good, I managed to catch you before you got to school.”

“What’s up?” Sunset asked.

“Well I’m not sure if they’re going to announce it, but some of the sports teams are having try-outs for anyone who wants to join. Kind of a last chance before the season is over.”

“…Why would they have try-outs in the middle of the season?” Sunset asked.

“Well…to be honest, turnout has been kind of low the past couple of years so the coaches are really trying to encourage to join up. Plus the soccer team is…kinda running low on replacements.”

“…You’re asking me to join the soccer team.”

“N-No! I’m just saying, you know new student and all, you should be informed of these things…ehehe…”

“Rainbow, while I appreciate the offer, the most I’ve done at school was either track or field hockey but I doubt I’d be good enough to do soccer.”

“Oh come on, just think about it okay? Maybe not soccer but hey, what better way to support your new school am I right?”

“…I’ll think about it.”

“Cool and look, if you do join something, I’ll help out with paying for any equipment you need.”

“I still think there’s some ulterior motive here…”

“Oh come on, I’m serious!”

Sunset had gotten to her class about ten minutes and saw that Twilight was in the same seat as yesterday. Going towards her and finding a seat Sunset commented, “Are you always this early for class?”

Again, Twilight had been sucked into her book that she jumped when she heard Sunset speak and blushed slightly. “Uh…ehehe…kind of. It’s kind of a habit of mine. Anyway, how’d you do on your homework?”

“I…didn’t exactly finish it.” When Sunset saw Twilight’s look of disappointment she then giggled. “I’m kidding. It was for the most part easy.”

Twilight then laughed slightly. “Oh…right…you were joking. Most people talk to who say that are usually serious.”

“Nah, I’m kinda like you, I try to get it done as soon as possible.” It was then she remembered something. “So…I found out you and Cadance know each other.”

“Oh, you know her?” Twilight said, beaming. “I’m assuming that means you’re living at the dorm, which means…your parents aren’t living here?”

“It’s…kind of a long story…” Sunset began.

“Oh, is it personal? Sorry, it’s none of my business anyway,” Twilight said before looking back at her book.

There was silence between them for the next couple of moments before Sunset spoke up. “Say listen Twilight…I don’t know what your schedule is but…maybe sometime after school we could hang out and do something?”

Twilight suddenly stared out for a moment and then looked at Sunset with a big grin. “You mean like do a study session!?” she said excitedly.

“I…was thinking less school-related…”

“Oh…w-well I guess we could,” Twilight said, sighing slightly. “I’m going to be honest, I’m kinda awkward around others, at least people I’m not really familiar with.” She paused for a moment before she blushed more. “N-Not that I’m not comfortable around you! I know we just met but I…guess I feel as if you’re a person I can talk to. Cadance is like a sister to me, and sometimes like a mom and she’s always looking out for me and wanting for me to meet new people but…it’s hard considering how things were in Crystal Prep.” She then shook her head. “But don’t worry about it, I’d be happy to hang out with you sometime. In fact, I’ll just go ahead and give you my number.”

After the two exchanged numbers, Sunset said, “Actually, I got invited by some of the girls here to go to the soccer game on Saturday. Did you want to join us, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.”

“Uh…which girls?”

“Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity-”

“Wow, you made friends with them already?” Twilight gasped. “I mean, I guess Rainbow is the most popular of the group but still…”

“Yeah, they kinda accepted me rather quickly…”

“Hmm…” Twilight was silent for a moment as she was deep in thought. “Well, this would be a good opportunity to learn how to uh…socialize better I guess. There’s something about you just makes others like you.”

“I…highly doubt that.”

“Come on, humor me for a bit? You girls just met and you’re already friends?”

“…Yeah I guess it does seem odd. But then again it beats the people at Manehattan.”

“Therefore, this calls for research in the field…ahem, I mean that I’ll come with you to observe.”

Sunset smirked. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

The afternoon came quicker than Sunset expected, much to her relief. Once she got her lunch, she found the girls at the same table as yesterday and sat down. “Oh good, Sunset you’re here,” Rarity said. “Rainbow here was telling us how she’s been hounding you to-”

“I was not!” Rainbow argued.

“…hounding you to join the soccer team,” Rarity continued, looking slightly annoyed. “However, if you are looking for some sort of activity to do, why not join a club instead? Almost all of them are open to join and there’s no worry about having to join late. Besides, as I was explaining to Rainbow you’d have to get a physical done, get cleared by your doctor and get all your needed documents filled out and by then it’ll be close to the end of the season.”

“Alright, alright I get it,” Rainbow said, looking annoyed. “But hey, there’s always winter sports. Of course, the only ones they have in winter are basketball and swimming so not much to choose from.”

“Um…I appreciate the thought, but I think for now I should focus on settling in before I go around trying new activities,” Sunset said.

“Well I think personally you should join the baking club.” Sunset looked over and almost jumped when she realized Pinkie was sitting next to her.

“H-How did you-?”

“It’s best not to question it,” Applejack said. “Pinkie, what are you doing here? I thought you had lunch last period.”

“Yeah…I kinda got called in and I guess they changed my lunch period around, something about a noise complaint but I’m not really sure what that was about.”

“I’m pretty sure they were talking about you Pinkie,” Fluttershy said.

“Me? Pft, now that’s just silly! But this is great, now all six of us are here together!”

“Actually, that just reminded me, about Saturday, I thought I could bring someone with me. Do you girls know Twilight?”

“Oh, the egghead?” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes.

“Rainbow, don’t be rude,” Rarity scolded her. “We know her, though I don’t any of us has really talked to her. She seems like a nice girl she’s just…not very social.”

“Well I think she’s opening up a bit to me, believe it or not,” Sunset replied. “So…would it be alright if she hung out with us?”

“Sure, why not?” Applejack said. “We wouldn’t be living up to our reputation as an open bunch if we said no. As long as someone doesn’t try to give her a bad time…”

“Oh give me a break,” Rainbow scoffed. “I’ve nothing against her, I’m just not a fan of Crystal Prep. They think they’re better than everyone else and they’re not afraid to brag about it constantly.”

“Yeah, but Twilight isn’t like that at all,” Pinkie said. “I mean, she doesn’t talk to a lot of people but still, it’d be great to have her!”

Sunset got out her phone to give Twilight a text when she noticed the same app that was on her phone this morning was back. What the hell? “Hey, have you guys ever heard of this app called Meta?”

“Doesn’t sound familiar to me,” Rainbow shrugged. “Sounds like a scam.”

“Well, it doesn’t want to stay deleted apparently,” Sunset said, annoyed as she tried to once again delete it. However, the app wasn’t leaving her screen.

“Might want to get that checked then,” Applejack said. “I’ve rarely ever heard of people getting viruses on their phones though…”

“Whatever, I guess I’ll find a tech place or something after school,” Sunset said as she texted Twilight the good news.

“Maybe I can join you?” Rainbow asked. “We don’t have practice today so maybe I can crash at your dorm for a bit.”

“Sure, why not?” Sunset shrugged. “As long as you don’t mention anything about soccer.”

Once the school day was over, Sunset waited outside the school entrance until Rainbow finally came out. “Are you sure you’re not just overreacting?” Rainbow then asked as they started making their way downtown. “Just try resetting your phone.”

“I did, and now the app is acting like it was pre-installed onto my phone,” Sunset said as she looked at her phone.

“…Did you try opening it?”

“Seriously? I know once I do my phone will be infected if it isn’t already. You know the kind of things hackers do with your phone?”

“I’ve gotten weird messages from freshmen so I’ve seen my share.”

“…Fine but if my phone is toast after this I’m making you get a new one for me.” Sunset tapped on the app which opened and for a moment all was black before a loading circle appeared. Then almost instantly text appeared in the middle of the screen.

WELCOME SUNSET.

WILL YOU ENTER THE METAVERSE AND FULFILL YOUR DESTINY?

“Okay, this is getting too weird,” Sunset said. “This is deep web type of shit and I am not getting involved with the police-”

“Oh come on, you worry too much, just tap the damn button,” Rainbow said.

“…I know I’m going to regret this…” Sunset sighed and tapped the Enter button underneath. After that the screen went blank. “Okay…maybe it is just a broken app after all.”

“Uh…are my eyes playing tricks on me or is everything…flickering?” Rainbow asked.

Sunset looked around and indeed something was off. The area around them was beginning to dull in color until it all turned to black and white before disappearing completely and all they could see were numbers and code. “What the hell is happening?” Sunset looked down at her phone but the screen was still black. At this point it wasn’t even responding.

“Oh man this is super trippy…” Rainbow said as she grabbed onto Sunset’s arm in fear. However, the background of code didn’t last long as suddenly the setting changed to a more grim and dreary background. The sky was filled with a red haze that enveloped everything while the ground beneath them was a blinding white.

“This is…” Sunset couldn’t be sure what she was seeing. Moments before they had been surrounded by buildings as well as the school and now all they saw was what looked like a barren area with structures here and there.

“…We’re dead aren’t we?” Rainbow said in a hollow voice.

“No we’re just…honestly I have no idea what’s going on or where we are. But I’m pretty sure we aren’t dead.” Sunset looked down. “And what the hell are we wearing?”

Both of them were wearing black attire, almost all leather with Sunset wearing a bomber jacket while Rainbow wore a leather vest. “Well this is…different. Not bad I guess,” Rainbow said. “But seriously, where the hell are we?”

“You’re just in the Metaverse…which I guess is a different dimension from the one you’re used to.”

The voice suddenly put them both on edge. “W-Who’s there?” Rainbow asked, gripping tighter on Sunset’s arm.

“Oh come on, it’s just me, the one who’s been trying to contact-oh wait you can’t see me can you? So much for the mysterious introduction…just stay there I’m coming over to you.”

The two of them held their breath for a few moments as they heard something coming towards them. Finally the figure emerged but it wasn’t what they were expecting. Out of the haze came a small dog that resembled a young cocker spaniel.

“Uh…a dog?” Sunset asked.

“Oh great, now along with having to worry about our own hides we have to worry about this mutt too,” Rainbow grumbled.

“Mutt? Wow, talk about rude.”

The silence was deafening. “Did that dog just talk?” Rainbow asked, her eyes widening.

“…Yeah, it did,” Sunset replied, looking just as shocked.

“That dog has a name you know,” the dog said. “And his name is Spike. Come on, you’re telling me a talking dog is the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen?”

“Man, Fluttershy would have a field day if she was here right now…” Rainbow muttered.

“Well, it’s definitely not normal,” Sunset replied. “Anyway, what is this place and how did we get here?”

“Like I said, you’re in the Metaverse and you got here by finally answering my message,” Spike said.

“Wait…are you talking about the app?” Sunset asked.

“Well duh. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all day!” Spike said, now looking annoyed.

“Okay but why? Why me?” Sunset asked.

Spike looked her straight in the eye. “Because you’re the only one that can save this world.” His gaze broke as he looked around. “It wasn’t always like this…it used to be a peaceful place, or at least that’s how I remembered it. That was before the Shadows of course.”

“Uh…Shadows?” Rainbow asked.

“Yeah, pretty much the embodiment of negative feelings inside people and they all come in different shapes and forms too.” Spike shivered slightly. “In fact, this really isn’t the place to be hanging around.”

Suddenly, the sound of grunting could be heard. “What the hell is that?” Rainbow asked.

“That…would be a Shadow,” Spike said. “I hope you made sure to bring something you can fight with.”

“That might’ve been something nice to tell us before we came here,” Sunset snapped.

“Wait…you mean you’re not…oh crap. Uh, run!”

The three of them ran in the opposite direction, and yet despite that it felt as if the Shadows behind them were starting to catch up. There was a building up ahead. “Over there!” Sunset yelled as the three of them ran as fast as they could.

Sunset tried to open the door but the door appeared to be locked. “Oh man, we’re so screwed,” Rainbow said. They turned around and saw the Shadows approaching them; they resembled blobs, the kind seen in old horror movies. Even if they kept running, there’s no way that the Shadows would give up and it would only be a matter of time before they would be exhausted.

Sunset gritted her teeth in frustration. After everything I’ve gone through…is it really going to end like this? No…the hell with that! I’m going to live, damn it! At that moment, Sunset looked up and in front of her was a card, floating in place right in front of her. She knew it was beckoning to her and wasted no time reaching for it. As soon as she touched it, the word went straight to her brain, the word that would change her life completely. And just like that, it came out of her mouth automatically. “Persona…”

The card in her hand suddenly burst into flame and disintegrated as a fiery red aura enveloped around her. The aura suddenly shifted and shaped into a fiery creature with large wings that screeched loudly. “I am thou…thou art I…From the sea of thy soul, I come… I am Phoenix, my flames will cleanse this world of sin and bring justice to all who need it!”

“I have no idea what’s going on but this is fucking awesome!” Rainbow yelled.

Sunset couldn’t comprehend what was happening but she didn’t have to. It was almost as if she was on autopilot, but at the same time she didn’t fear the being in front of her but rather embraced it. Let’s do this.

Phoenix flapped his wings as fire rained down on the blobs, killing them instantly. The rest that followed paused for a moment, as if hesitating. Sunset stepped forward and pointed; Phoenix obeyed her command and burned the rest of them to a crisp. With his role fulfilled, he then disappeared.

Everything was quiet as Sunset, Rainbow, and Spike were all in a state of shock. “That…was…AWESOME!” Rainbow suddenly yelled. She went up and put her arm around Sunset. “How did you do that!? Don’t tell me that was something you could do all along?”

“I…have no idea what just happened,” Sunset said who suddenly fell to her knees.

“H-Hey are you alright?” Spike asked with a worried look on his face.

“Yeah…it just took a lot more out than I expected.” Sunset took a few moments to catch her breath before she got back up. “I think it’s time you explained just what’s going on here, Spike.”

“There’s not much to tell honestly,” Spike said, sighing slightly. “As I said, this place used to be full of people and it was a happy place…but then something changed. The people, if you want to call them that, changed. Over time more and more negativity filled this entire world and then…they were all gone and in their place were the Shadows you just saw.”

“If that’s the case why haven’t you changed?” Rainbow asked.

“I’m not sure really,” Spike frowned. “Maybe I somehow prevented myself from being corrupted, or maybe this is the work of something else. The point is, I was desperate to call someone, anyone that could help me.”

“Which explains the app…” Sunset said. She still wasn’t sure why she was chosen, though the events before seemed to provide an answer. “Alright Spike, I’m not sure how much help I can be but…I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“Really?” Spike asked.

“Really?” Rainbow asked. “I mean, don’t get me wrong I sympathize and all that but how are you going to do all of this by yourself? And better yet, why?”

“…I guess I’m just the kind of girl that wants to help others,” Sunset shrugged. “I know this is all confusing, and really it is, and I know I’m asking a lot but will you help me?”

“Are you kidding? After all that happened you are like the most awesome person ever!” Rainbow grinned. “At this point, regardless of what happens, I got your back Shimmer.”

“Thanks Rainbow,” Sunset said. “So Spike, how exactly can we tackle this problem?”

“Uh…well actually I’m not really sure,” Spike chuckled slightly. “But I do know the Shadows seem to group together in certain places, usually big buildings. I’m not sure what they symbolize but if we were to take them out…”

“It would lessen the population of Shadows,” Sunset finished. “It sounds like an impossible task but hey, it’s worth a try right? Perhaps tomorrow we can plan our first move.”

“That’s great but…how do we get back?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh! Right, I kinda forgot to mention that,” Spike said. “If you click on the app again on your phone it should take you back to your world. As for me, I’ll do some snooping around. The Shadows don’t seem to take an interest in me so I can sneak around if need be.”

“Then I guess it’s settled then,” Sunset said. “We’ll see you tomorrow then Spike.”

“Alright, but just do me one favor?” Spike asked, looking slightly annoyed. “From now on, please try not to ignore my calls or delete anything.”

It only lasted a few moments but suddenly Sunset and Rainbow were back in the same exact place they had left. “Whoa, so we’re right back where we started,” Rainbow said. She looked up at the sky and squinted in confusion. “What time is it?”

Sunset looked at her phone. “It’s still after three…which means barely any time passed at all while we were gone.”

“Huh…so we could spend hours in that other world and come back and it’ll be like nothing happened.”

“It seems that way. Are you having doubts now?”

“No…we both know what we saw was real…though I’m sure anyone else would think we’re crazy.”

“Then we don’t tell them. This will be our little crusade.”

“Heh, I like the sound of that,” Rainbow chuckled. “Well, I guess you don’t need your phone fixed after all. I know I said I’d stop over but I think I’m going to go home and…process everything. Plus we should get prepared for tomorrow anyway.”

“Yeah…I think I might end up going to bed early tonight. Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Yeah, you too. Just be careful not to set anything on fire okay?” Rainbow snickered as she took off, leaving Sunset with a semi-annoyed look on her face.”

Not a Warm Welcome

Author's Note

Sorry about the wait folks. E3 pretty much took up a lot of time the past couple of days but I'm still here. I wanted to get a few of these chapters up to ensure you I wasn't going to abruptly give up on this story or just stop writing like I sometimes do. Anyway, I'm planning on getting back to Aftermath and probably And Ever We Fight On so this story probably won't be updated as frequently. Again reminder, this is going to be a LONG fic if you're quite familiar with Persona and other similar fics on here.

Not a Warm Welcome

Sunset found herself in a familiar room, or rather a familiar train car. She was sitting in the exact same seat as she did before and in front of her sat Igor and Moonlight. “I see you have returned,” Igor said with a slightly unsettling grin. “You seem…slightly different from the last time we spoke. It seems your power has finally awoken. Allow me to explain.

“This power is what we call Persona. It is the manifestation of your being and as such, it will protect you from harm. In time, as your power grows, so will your Persona. But there’s more to it than that…”

“As mentioned before, you have the ability known as the Wild Card,” Moonlight continued. “It means you can wield as many Personas as you wish, but of course you would be able to control one at a time. The more Personas you acquire, the stronger you become.”

“There is one other thing,” Igor said. “While fighting will make your Personas grow stronger, it is the bond that you have with others that will increase your powers exponentially.” He chuckled slightly. “In time, you will understand more. For now, it is best you return to sleep. The next time we meet, it will be by your doing. I am looking forward to see how you progress on your new journey…”

Sunset’s alarm was going off as she opened her eyes. She rubbed her eyes slightly as she turned off the alarm and sat up in her bed. The dream she had…and the events that happened yesterday didn’t seem real to her, and yet it was all there in her head. This Metaverse…Persona…how is it all connected…and why? Sunset shook her head as she got up out of bed and made her way towards the bathroom to take a shower. It was odd, she noted as she washed herself, how at one point she had practically been on fire and yet she remained unscathed from the whole incident.

As she went back to her room and got dressed, her thoughts then turned to Rainbow Dash. She was hoping the girl hadn’t told the others about what happened; not that they would believe her but it still had to be kept quiet. Before she left for school, she opened a drawer that contained a pistol, one that her father had bought for her for protection since she was technically too young to register for a firearm (Let’s see Gladmane try that little stunt on me again, she had thought at the time). She picked it up and unloaded the magazine for a few moments before sliding it back in and racking the slide, sliding a bullet into the chamber. Never hurts to be prepared…

As Sunset made her way to school, she again heard someone running up behind her and she turned, expecting Rainbow Dash but instead it was Twilight who stopped in front of her out of breath as she put her hands to her knees. “Good…I finally…caught up to you…” Twilight panted.

“I would’ve thought you had beaten me here already, is everything alright?” Sunset asked.

Twilight suddenly straightened as she finally caught her breath. “Oh no, everything is fine,” she said. “I just…thought I’d try to see you before class. Listen, I know we only met a few days ago but I appreciate you showing kindness and letting me hang out with you so…I thought I could return the favor somehow…you know since we’re kinda both new students and all.”

“As long as you promise not to mention joining the soccer team,” Sunset said with a smile.

"Huh? Oh…” Twilight giggled. “Yeah I figured that’s what was going on…but actually I was thinking of more regular clubs. I’m guessing you probably heard most of them. Anyway, maybe after school we can check out the Music Club. I only go a few times per week but mostly just to keep up on playing piano.”

Sunset chuckled. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

Twilight suddenly blushed. “W-Well I can do a lot of things…I’m not bragging of course!”

“I know…” As interested as she was, she remembered the promise she had made to Spike. “…however I might not be able to do it today. Something kind of came up…maybe tomorrow?”

“Oh…that’s fine.” Twilight looked disappointed. “Actually, I didn’t even ask if you play anything.”

“…I play guitar. Well, at least I used to before moving here.”

“There’s a guy here that plays too so…maybe that’ll give you more incentive to check it out?”

“Sounds good to me.” The two of them kept chatting as they made their way into the school.

As the morning passed, Sunset was constantly reminded in her classes that the next test (in pretty much all of her classes) would be coming up early next week. She wondered if perhaps this Saturday she could do a study group with the girls as well, if they were down with it. If not, she could always do it with Twilight.

As she entered the cafeteria, Sunset could see Rainbow Dash was deep in conversation with the girls and she suddenly had a bad feeling she knew what Rainbow was talking about. Unfortunately, her fears were confirmed as she went up to the table.

“So there we were, surrounded by monsters when suddenly BAM! Sunset was suddenly on fire and this giant bird of flames came out of here and mopped the floor with them! It was awesome!” Sunset groaned inwardly. Why the hell was she even mentioning this to them!?

“It seems kinda weird that you’d be having a dream with Sunset and a…talking dog in it?” Applejack said, looking at her oddly.

“Well…he sounds like a very nice dog,” Fluttershy said with a smile. “But I don’t like the sound of him being in such a dangerous place…”

“Speaking of which, hello darling,” Rarity said as Sunset came up. “Don’t mind Rainbow here, she’s talking about some crazy dream she had.”

“I can see that…” Sunset said, glaring at Rainbow.

“I’ve had some pretty crazy dreams in my life but this is a new one for me,” Pinkie giggled. “Mostly mine revolve around food.”

It wasn’t long before Rainbow caught Sunset’s look. “W-Well you know, it was just some…random dream that popped into my head! You know how it is!”

“Yeah…sounds pretty random,” Sunset deadpanned.

Applejack raised an eyebrow as she glanced between the two of them. “Anyway, guess next week is going to be full of testing. Think you’ll be ready for it Sunset?”

“Probably,” Sunset said. “Couldn’t hurt to get together and do a study group sometime right?”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Rarity said. “Perhaps we could spend a little time on that while we’re together on Saturday?”

“Seriously? I’m going to be too wiped out to concentrate on studying,” Rainbow groaned.

“That’s funny, could’ve sworn you said you’d be down to hang out and play video games all day,” Applejack said with a slight smirk.

“Uh…well yeah! Video games don’t take as much a toll on the brain you know!”

“Uh huh…”

After lunch finished, Sunset waited for Rainbow outside of the cafeteria. Once she came out, Sunset wasted no time. “Just what the hell were you thinking?”

“Oh come on, like they’d even believe me,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes.

“That’s not the point, the point is we have to keep this secret, regardless if it seems believable or not.” Sunset then took a deep breath. “So we’re still on for today?”

“Well, I have practice today but considering how time works on that side it shouldn’t be an issue,” Rainbow said. “Just please don’t let it be too much work.”

“Come on, we made a promise remember?” Sunset asked.

“Alright, alright I get it you don’t have to beat me over the head for it.”

“Then we’ll meet right outside the school.”

The rest of the day occurred without much incident, although during English class Sunset had to come to Rainbow’s aid. “Alright, now that we understand contractions we can- Rainbow Dash, are you paying attention?” Ms. Cheerilee asked.

“Huh?” Rainbow had certainly not been paying attention and had been doodling inside her notebook. “Oh, yeah, I’m totally following ya.”

“Really? Then I suppose you can tell me what the correct spelling for the contraction for ‘you are’?”

“Uh…yeah it’s um…”

Sunset could’ve just let her friend get yelled at for not paying attention but decided to lend a helping hand. “You’re, with an apostrophe ‘re’,” she said casually, not looking anywhere else but her notes.

“Oh right! It’s you’re, but with the ‘re’ and…apostrophe…right?”

“That’s right,” Cheerilee said. “People commonly mistake ‘your’ and ‘you’re’ in their writing. ‘Your’ is possessive, while ‘you’re’ is a contraction of ‘you are’. Again, consider the apostrophe as what combines the two words.”

“Phew… thanks for the save Sunset,” Rainbow said.

However, the small exchange didn’t go unnoticed by their classmates. “The new girl totally just saved her butt,” one student said.

“She must be pretty smart.”

“Well yeah, she’s from Manehattan, you have to be pretty smart to get into that school.”

Sunset certainly didn’t mind the praise as a small smile crept onto her face.

Once the last bell rang, every student made their way towards their lockers and either made a beeline towards the exit or towards the gym locker rooms.Once she got her things, Sunset waited outside near the large statue near the entrance. Looking at it, she couldn’t help but wonder if the statue gave a sense of pride to the students here or…perhaps it was something else that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

“It’s been two days and only now you’re looking at the statue?” Sunset looked over and saw Rainbow watching her with an amused look.

“Guess it never caught my eye til now…still it’s pretty cool. Wondercolts is kind of an odd name for a mascot though…”

“Just don’t say Shadowbolts are better, I get enough of that when we have to play Crystal Prep,” Rainbow groaned. “Anyway, we doing this or what?”

“Yeah, but not here.” Sunset looked over and motioned toward the side of the building. “I know time doesn’t work the same there but I’d rather no one saw us disappear into thin air…if that actually happens. Also, I hope you brought something you can fight with.”

“What, you mean you’re not doing all the work? …I’m kidding,” she added before Sunset could glare at her. She then pulled out a pair of fingerless gloves. “Believe it or not, I’m pretty good with my fists. Just ask half the school.”

“…I’ll take your word for it.” Luckily, Sunset had already packed her sidearm to the side of her waist. The last thing she wanted was Rainbow to scream about her having a gun. She then pulled out her phone. “Time to go pay Spike a visit then.” She clicked on the app and once again the world around them started to flicker.

In a matter of seconds, they were now back in the Metaverse in their attire from before, only this time they were close to a rather large structure that resembled a fortress of some sort. “Whoa, I don’t remember seeing that here before,” Rainbow said.

“Me neither…could that be Canterlot High?” Sunset asked.

“Sheesh, here it looks like a prison…which I guess to some is somewhat accurate.”

They waited a few moments for Spike to appear out of nowhere…but moments soon turned to minutes. “Okay, either he’s sleeping somewhere or he totally forgot we were coming,” Rainbow said.

“He should’ve been here by now…something’s wrong…” Sunset said, as she looked around Maybe it was her Persona telling her that but something was definitely off.

“If he doesn’t get here within the next thirty seconds I’m gonna-umph!” Rainbow suddenly cut off after grunting in pain.

“Hey, you-?” Sunset looked over and saw that Rainbow was surrounded by a group of impish-looking creatures that almost resembled snowmen. “What the!? Person-!” Before she could finish the word, she felt a blow to the back of her head and Sunset crashed to the ground before passing out.

Face Yourself!

When Sunset finally woke up, she could hear the slight sound of water dripping in the background and could smell the slight odor of decay. Once her vision finally came back into focus, she realized she was lying on a concrete floor and once she looked around, she also realized how big a predicament she and Rainbow were in now.

The two of them were currently locked in what Sunset had to guess was a dungeon, and if she had to further guess, she would assume this was the building they had seen before, the Metaverse’s version of Canterlot High. Sunset then noticed Rainbow was laying next to her, still unconscious. Wasting no time, she shook the cyan girl’s shoulder. “Hey Rainbow, wake up!”

“Ugh…my head…” Rainbow got up slowly as she put a hand to her forehead. As she opened her eyes and glanced around, she could only ask one question. “We got captured didn’t we?”

”What do you think?”

Rainbow groaned. “I knew this was a bad idea…but I think I’m starting to understand how this world is connected to ours.” She then got up and dusted off her pants. “So…guess its up to you to bust us out.”

“I could…if I knew how to get out of this place.”

“And you think I do?”

“Well…you should know this school better than I do.”

“Yeah…school…right…” Rainbow closed her eyes and tilted her head down slightly in thought. “Actually…I do know that CHS has a basement floor since me and some of the girls on the soccer team got in trouble loitering down there. Anyway, if you take out the prison setting, the layout of this area is kind of similar…so there should be stairs nearby and the main entrance should be nearby.”

“You do realize that’s based on the assumption that this building has the exact same layout as the school, right?”

“Sunset, I’ve played many games in my life and a lot of them have the whole light world/dark world type of set up and they always share the same characteristics.”

Glad to see you’re comparing this all to a game… Sunset pinched the bridge of her nose. “Well whatever, we’ll just have to-” She suddenly stopped. “Someone’s coming.”

It was faint, but the sound of steps nearby could be heard, as if walking down a flight of stairs. Well, it partly confirmed Rainbow’s theory anyway. The two of them kept quiet for a moment before they heard a whispered voice. “Sunset? Rainbow Dash? You two in here?”

“Spike!?” The two girls went up to the door. “How did you find us?” Rainbow asked.

“I think the better question is how did you get in here?” Sunset added.

“Well for the first question, I got a good nose, remember?” Spike said with a proud smirk. “As for the second, it wasn’t so simple…though this place does have its secret entrances. I can get us out but its not gonna be so simple…”

“So you got a key or something…?”

“Right here.” Spike reached behind where his tail was and grabbed a set of keys. “The sooner we get out of here the better,” he said as Sunset took the keys.

“Yeah I would agree based on the warm reception we got,” Sunset said as she unlocked the door.

“What you got is nothing compared to what’ll happen if we stay,” Spike said, shuddering slightly. “I don’t know the person in charge personally but…I hear she rules this place with an iron fist…around her, she’s known as the Queen.”

“What, of this whole world?” Rainbow said with an bemused look.

“Of this school…I’ll explain more later but we need to get out of here before the guards show up.”

“Alright Spike, you lead the way and I guess I’ll take care of any demons standing in our way,” Sunset said.

“Hey, I can handle myself in a fight too you know…” Rainbow snapped.

Sunset shrugged. “Be my guest…”

The three of them made their way up the stairs until they reached a door. Upon opening it and seeing what was on the other side, Rainbow realized something was very off. “Um…this doesn’t look anything like CHS…” In fact, it looked as if they had gone back in time about five hundred years.

“Never mind that, this place is a lot emptier than I expected,” Sunset said.

“Don’t let that fool you, they’re about and if we’re caught, they’ll only bring in more of them,” Spike explained. “Most of them are probably on the higher levels, protecting the queen and all that…”

“So is this queen like some big demon or something?” Rainbow asked.

“No it’s…again maybe I should explain later…” As the three of them made their way across the corridor, Spike suddenly stopped as his ears perked up. “Hide!” They found the closest door, opening it and closing it in front of them.

The three of them held their breath as they heard something approaching from outside until it was practically in front of the door itself. Sunset went for her gun in her belt but as she braced herself the sound of footsteps began to fade away from their location. “Too close,” Rainbow said, sighing in relief. “Guess you’re good for something Spike.”

“I’m just gonna go ahead and ignore that snide remark until we’re out of this place…” Spike growled.

It wasn’t long before they came across a waterway that led into a rather dark tunnel. “Oh man, it smells horrible in there…” Rainbow said, almost turning a shade of green.

“Well yeah, it’s a sewer,” Spike pointed out. “It’s also our only way out of this place undetected.”

Suddenly, a bell rang out throughout the castle. “I guess they finally figured out we’re missing,” Sunset said as she dropped into the ankle deep water. “Come on, we gotta make a run for it!”

“You serious?” Rainbow asked.

“Rainbow, if you don’t get in here, smelly wet shoes are going to be the least of your problems,” Sunset threatened her.

“Fine…fine…!” Rainbow jumped in and flinched as she could feel her socks being drenched. “Aw man…!”

“Um…one of you is willing to carry me right?” Spike asked with a sheepish look.

“Come here…” Sunset said, opening up her arms as Spike jumped into them. “Now let’s hurry!”

The three of them made their way deeper into the tunnel, trying their best to ignore the foul smell along with the water going in and out of their shoes. Sunset couldn’t shake this feeling of uneasiness, and it wasn’t from their almost pitch black surroundings. “Hold on Rainbow!” she suddenly said.

“Seriously, you were just telling me a minute ago to get a move on it,” Rainbow said sourly.

“I know but…something’s here, in front of us.”

“You sure?”

“One way to find out…” Sunset then summoned Phoenix as it shot a ball of fire down the waterway…only for it to stop, or perhaps it ran into something. The fire suddenly grew brighter as another suddenly appeared.

“Okay…yeah that’s not good,” Rainbow said. “Your Persona won’t be able to do jack against them.”

“Here, hold onto Spike for a moment will you?” Sunset asked, practically forcing the dog into Rainbow’s arms.

“Wait, what are you-?”

“I got this,” Sunset said as she pulled out her gun. The two demons were approaching them quickly but they were also approaching in a straight line. Sunset squeezed off three shots on the first before quickly aiming for the second and squeezing another three shots as her magazine went empty. Both demons fell into the water dead as the fire around them was extinguished.

“Holy shit…” Rainbow said.

“Yeah no kidding…” Spike added.

“…What? I just have experience at the shooting that’s all,” Sunset said as she emptied her mag and put in a new clip. “I’m running low on ammo though, so now we-” She was caught off as she could voices behind her. The search party was now on their tail. “Damn it…at this rate we won’t make it out in time…” She paused for a moment. “I can hold them off for a little bit but you need to take Spike and run, Rainbow.”

“What!? The hell I am! I’m not leaving you behind!” Rainbow argued.

“If you don’t, we’ll either both be captured or we die!” Sunset snapped. “Don’t worry about me…I’ve had my experience of bad situations and managed to get out of them. I don’t…I don’t want to drag you into this too…”

For a moment, Rainbow was ready to do as she said, to run away and escape and go back to her regular life, for she couldn’t squander this opportunity her newest friend gave her. However, that wasn’t how Rainbow Dash rolled. “You know…you obviously don’t know me very well,” Rainbow said as she turned back to Sunset. “Yeah, maybe we’re completely fucked now, but I’m not leaving you behind because, as cheesy as it sounds, friends stick together to the bitter end. Besides, Rainbow Dash doesn’t run from anything.” She then noticed Sunset was staring at her. “…What?”

“I don’t know how else to say this but…you’re glowing.”

“What?” Rainbow looked down and indeed she was covered in a cyan aura. “Um…is this good or bad?”

“Wait…it’s just like with Sunset,” Spike said. “Rainbow I think this means…”

Rainbow’s eyes suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree. “Oh my gosh…do I get to say it?”

“Might as well,” Sunset said. “Just hurry up, those demons-”

“Persona!” The aura around Rainbow practically exploded as a form took shape above her. It was a humanoid shape that was cast in electricity and resembled something of a comic book character. “This is so AWESOME! Godspeed huh? Alright, let’s kick some ass then!”

“Not like we have a choice now,” Sunset said. “But what about-”

“Hey don’t worry about me,” Spike said as he hopped onto her shoulder. “Just let me handle the analysis stuff.”
It wasn’t long before the search party finally arrived and there were six of them in total. “Looks like we got some Jack Frosts and a couple Pixies,” Spike said. “Those Pixies are weak to electric attacks.”

“You’re up Rainbow!” Sunset yelled.

“Don’t mind if I do!” Rainbow said. “Let’s do this Godspeed!” Godspeed then zoomed around both pixies as lightning suddenly struck, knocking them down.

“Nice hit Rainbow!” Spike commented.

Sunset then summoned Phoenix and as it spread it’s wings, fire rained down and and struck the Jack Frosts down as well.
“Now you can do an All-Out Attack!” Spike said.

“A what?” Rainbow asked.

“If you knock them all down…pretty much you get to beat the crap outta them.”

“Sounds good to me,” Rainbow said. “Let’s show em how we repay favors in Canterlot!” The two of them rushed in and began their assault, showing no mercy to the downed enemies. After the initial beatdown, the demons suddenly disappeared.

“We did it!” Rainbow said.

“I guess we did…” Sunset said. “I…don’t think I could’ve done that without you Rainbow, especially without your Persona…”

“Yeah…I’m kind of a big deal,” Rainbow said with a big grin. Her grin soon filtered slightly. “But uh…hey, I meant what I said before…and you know, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be, okay? So don’t start acting like you’re gonna be a burden to anyone or you gotta do things on your own.”

“Yeah…noted. Let’s get outta here, okay?”

It wasn’t long before they had finally escaped the castle and made sure to get a considerable distance away from it. “Aw crap, I just realized when I get back I’m gonna have to be running around with wet shoes,” Rainbow said sourly.

“I…actually forgot about that. Sorry…”

“Nah, don’t be. I’ll just say some prick pulled a prank on me or something. Hey Spike, wasn’t there something you wanted to explain to us before?”

“Oh right, almost forgot,” Spike said. “I’ll try to keep this brief and simplify it as best I can. When you asked before about the queen, no she isn’t a demon. She’s actually a human just like yourself.”

“A human? So they can travel here just like us?” Sunset asked.

“Not exactly…Shadows more or less are stuck in this world, regardless if they’re demon or human in nature. Shadows are a representation of a soul, kind of like your Personas, but while Personas can be linked to a strong will, Shadows are often the opposite, they represent an individual’s desires, weaknesses, things like that. I’ve never met the queen in that castle but she’s from your world.”

“I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t run into her,” Rainbow said.

“You know, now that I think about it, it did seem really easy for us to escape,” Sunset pointed out. “You think she let us escape?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Spike said. “Like I said, never met her but I know her reputation and she’s ruthless. Be glad we got out when we did…”

“So now what?” Rainbow said. “You wanted our help to his this place of Shadows right? I don’t think the two of us by ourselves can get the job done.”

Spike sighed. “No I guess you’re right,” he said. “Over time your Personas will get stronger but two won’t be enough.”

“Let’s just sleep on it, okay?” Sunset suggested. “Both of us need to rest after all that and of course there’s other things we need to worry about…”

“So this is goodbye for now huh?” Spike asked.

Sunset hesitated. “Listen Spike, you do have a place to stay around here, right?”

“Of course I do. I mean it’s abandoned but its got enough food to hold me for weeks…though I guess technically I don’t need food. I appreciate what you’re asking and I’ll be fine…not like I can come with you guys anyway.”

“Well, alright, if you say so.” Sunset looked at Rainbow. “Shall we head back?”

“Yeah…just sucks I got two hours of practice after all this…”

After returning to the real world, Sunset and Rainbow said their goodbyes. Despite Rainbow’s complaints, she seemed to be in good cheer as she ran off back towards the school. As Sunset made her way back home, she thought back to what Spike said and more importantly the mission they were currently working on. Shadows are the basic desires of people…and what happens to the individual if that Shadow is destroyed?

Once she got back, the first thing Sunset did was take a shower. To no surprise, her shoes were still wet and she left them on her window sill to let the sun dry them off as best it could. On more than one occasion did her thoughts return to the events that took place before. As much as she hated to admit it, there was no way she and Dash could take on all of that by themselves. So how were they going to find more recruits?

Rainbow Dash - Chariot
Persona: Godspeed
Skills: Zio, Mazio, Garu

New School, New Opportunities

Sunset woke up the next morning feeling oddly refreshed, despite all that had taken place yesterday. Even though she was happy that Rainbow was able to awaken her own Persona, it only made her question herself more. Why was this happening? How was it happening? No one, not even Igor, was able to give her a straight answer.
No point in worrying about it now, she thought to herself. In fact, she should be more worried about whether Rainbow can actually keep her secret a secret.

As she made her way to school, she was surprised to bump into Fluttershy of all people. “Oh hi Sunset,” Fluttershy said quietly. “Normally I’d drive to school but my van was having battery issues so my parents are having someone come pick it up.”

The two of them talked on their way to school but it wasn’t long before Fluttershy said something that took Sunset off guard. “Rainbow texted me this morning, saying she wasn’t feeling good. Actually, it was more like she was just physically exhausted. Oh, I hope she didn’t push herself too much yesterday, I always get on her case about that.”

That doesn’t sound like Rainbow at all…unless… The only thing she could think of was the awakening of her Persona. But if that was the case, how come she hadn’t felt like crap the day after?

“Um…Sunset?” Fluttershy’s voice cut through her thoughts.

“Huh? Oh sorry, I was just thinking about…um….”

“Oh don’t worry, I don’t think she’s actually sick, at least I hope she isn’t. I think she just needs a day off to recuperate.”

“Right…of course…”

Once they reached the school, the two of them went their separate ways, Fluttershy saying she had to go by the Agriculture Club room and clean up after the critters from last night while Sunset got her things and made her way towards her first class.

Sunset was finding it hard to stay focused in class, and even Twilight, who usually was focused on taking her notes, was able to notice. “Is everything alright?” she asked near the end of class. “You were kind of zoning out.”

“Sorry…I had a few things on my mind,” Sunset said, sighing as she quickly tried to copy down her notes.

Twilight was silent for a moment, thinking Sunset was going to elaborate but when she didn’t, she let out an awkward cough. “No, I understand, really. It took me awhile to transition to…all of this.” She then smiled. “So…I’m here to talk if you ever need to.”

“Thanks…” She paused for a moment. “You know, I might take you up on that offer. If you’re not too busy doing homework that is.”

“I might be able to find some time in my schedule…” Twilight teased. “Though I guess you can always try calling too.”

“It’s a deal then.” Sunset smiled.

“Oh listen, before I forget, I know we were talking about checking out the music club today but…something came up and I won’t be able to stay after school.”

“Oh…sorry.”

“Don’t be, there’s always tomorrow,” Twilight assured her. “But you know, I heard some of the sports teams have last-minute openings. If you’re into that of course.”

Now that she thought about it, it would probably benefit not just her but perhaps her Persona as well. “I’ll take a look…” Sunset said.

The rest of the morning went smoother and Sunset was almost eager to get to the cafeteria when lunch time came around. The rest of the girls, minus Rainbow, were already sitting at the usual table. “I’m just saying, this isn’t like her at all and I’m kinda concerned,” Applejack was saying as Sunset came to the table.

“Applejack, darling, this is Rainbow Dash we’re talking about,” Rarity said matter-of-factly. “Even she has her limits.”

“Um…are you girls really that worried over Rainbow?” Sunset asked.

“Nope, just Applejack!” Pinkie said.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “I’m worried cause she wouldn’t push her limits like this two days before one of the biggest soccer games of the season. Believe me, I know this cause she wouldn’t shut up about it last week.”

“And they’re playing…Crystal Prep right?” Sunset asked,

“Unfortunately,” Rarity said. “Don’t be surprised if they end up trashing the bleachers or something.”

“That doesn’t sound like something students from a well-recognized school would do,” Sunset said.

“Oh no, they do it,” Pinkie said. “You wouldn’t believe the things they wrote on some of the walls. It doesn’t help that the principals of both our schools don’t get along either.”

“Now I feel bad that Twilight had to live through that kind of environment,” Fluttershy said.

“Then we’ll just have to show her how Canterlot High treats its fellow students,” Applejack said. “Speaking of which Sunset, still not sure whether you want to join a club?”

“I…might decide to take a look around, but not soccer,” Sunset said. “I really don’t think I have the stamina for that sport.”

Maybe it was her imagination but she could’ve sworn she saw a twinkle in Rarity’s eye. “Well don’t wait too long, tomorrow’s the last day to decide,” she said.

Once the school day came to a close, Sunset got her things and made her way towards the gym. She saw a note on the bulletin board and took a glance. Three of the sports clubs taking in new members were girl’s soccer, the cross country team, and girl’s tennis. Soccer was definitely a no, cross country was kind of boring, but tennis…

Sunset had played some tennis when she was younger and she knew it wasn’t an easy sport for it took speed, reaction time, and good hand-eye coordination. Still, it’s not like once she was in she would be stuck with it, in fact maybe it could be fun…except for the fact she didn’t have a racket. Maybe I can take Rainbow up on her offer…

She got changed into her gym attire and made her way towards the tennis courts. Most of the girls were already warming up, a few she recognized from class. She went over to an older woman who she assumed was the coach. “Excuse me, I’m here to sign up for the tennis team.”

The woman glanced over and looked up and down her body. “You’ve ever played before?”

“When I was younger, yeah, but I’ve never actually played on a team.”

“You one hundred percent committed to this?” the coach asked.

“Um…not one hundred no,” Sunset answered honestly.

The coach sighed. “Listen dear, I’m going to be blunt about this: if by the end of the day you’re still unsure, don’t bother showing up tomorrow. I only want girls who are here for the long-run and if anything seems like it’s too much to handle, don’t bother showing up again.”

“Y-Yes ma’am…”

“You got a racket?”

“No, but I’ll be sure to get one…if I come back.”

“Fair enough. Luckily we have extras. Rarity! The new girl’s practicing with you today!”

Wait…did she say…? Sunset looked over and she saw Rarity over in the far court. “Now get over there and get warmed up cause in fifteen minutes I’m going to be running your asses to the ground," the coach said.

“R-Right, thanks coach.” Sunset quickly made her way over to the far court. “Rarity!? You didn’t tell me you were on the tennis team?”

“Didn’t I? I guess it slipped my mind,” Rarity said with a sly smile. “Actually, I was worried if I said something it’d influence your decision, though I have to say I am surprised you’re even interested in tennis. Played before?”

“If you got an extra racket I’ll be happy to show you.”

After getting a racket, the two of them spent about ten minutes hitting the ball between one another, giving Sunset some much needed practice while at the same time showing how experienced Rarity was. “How long have you been playing?” Sunset said after the two took a small break.

“I started playing when I was much younger, though I didn’t really get into it until freshman year,” Rarity said as she took a sip from her water bottle. “And even then I was only average in skill, it took a couple of years before I got to where I am now. Honestly, it’s kind of hard to balance between sports and doing clothing lines…” She then smiled. “But enough about me. It’s going to be tough from here on in but I’ll be here to back you up if you need anything, even some extra training.”

Sunset chuckled. “I’ll be counting on you then.”

In that moment, there was a flash of light and it was almost as if time itself stopped in that very moment. Sunset then heard a voice.

Thou art I…and I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…

It brings thee closer to the answers thou seeks

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Empress Arcana…

Sunset could see the card of the Empress Arcana as it slowly dissolved and the aura left behind seemed to mend with her own body. She then remembered something Igor has said. “While fighting will make your Personas grow stronger, it is the bond that you have with others that will increase your powers exponentially.”

Now she understood. If this was the case, she could easily create bonds between her new friends, maybe establish ones with other students as well. And just like that, time appeared to start anew again.

A whistle then could be heard. “Well, that’s the signal from Coach Harshwinny,” Rarity said. “I hope you’re ready to do some running.”

As expected, the entire practice was exhausting but Sunset didn’t feel deterred from coming back to the next practice. Luckily, they only had practice a couple days a week. “Now everyone remember that our next match is this Tuesday,” Harshwinny said. “Shimmer, you won’t be participating in this match but I expect you to be there so you can see what the environment is like. Anyway good practice girls, now go ahead and hit the showers!”

After getting washed up, Rarity and Sunset said their goodbyes as they both headed home. Sunset was exhausted but at the same time she was kind of excited about being able to play in a match, even though it wouldn’t be until after next week. Even better, Rarity let her keep her extra racket for the time being.

The Beginning of Many Social Links

It was hard to believe the school week was almost at an end, despite all that had happened. Sunset had to admit the transition had gone more smoothly than she had expected, though the only concern she had in the back of her mind was her secret, the real reason she had moved here in the first place. She was certain Cadance wouldn’t say anything which was a relief because the last thing Twilight needed to hear was one of her newest friends being an (almost) convicted criminal. Now that she thought about it, Twilight really wanted to hang out with her so maybe today would be the right day for it.

On her way to school, she was relieved to see Rainbow Dash on the sidewalk, though she looked a bit less chipper than usual. “I don’t know what happened the day before, but yesterday I felt like I got my ass kicked but good,” she said. “I’m better, though I wouldn’t say I’m a hundred percent yet. I just know if I didn’t show up today our coach would’ve freaked out.”

“You think it might be because of…you know?” Sunset asked.

“Maybe, didn’t realize unlocking your potential completely sapped your stamina,” Rainbow replied. “Still, can’t really complain since the payoff is having an awesome Persona.” She then looked at Sunset with a curious look. “So…tennis huh?”

Sunset sighed. Of course Rarity would’ve mentioned something. “Yeah, tennis. Kind of went with my gut on that one.”

“Hey, I’m not judging, seriously,” Rainbow said, putting her hands up in defense. “I have to hand it to Rarity though, she may not seem like the kind of girl who likes to get dirty, and believe me she doesn’t for the most part, but at least she’s keeping herself active. Which reminds me, what are your plans today?”

“Well, Twilight wanted to hang out at the Music Club so I guess that’s where I’m going today,” Sunset shrugged. Rainbow suddenly let out a chuckle. “What?”

“Nothing,” Rainbow said. “Actually, I oughta see if the other girls want to hang out in the music club as well.”

“Wait…you all play instruments too?” Sunset asked. How in the world do these girls manage to fit so much stuff into their schedules?

“Yeah it’s…actually it’d be easier to just show you,” Rainbow said. “Let’s just say we managed to get a little band going…”

Before first period started, Sunset managed to find Twilight at her seat, again her house inside her math textbook. “You know, Cadance says you oughta try to socialize more,” Sunset said.

Twilight sighed as she closed her book. “I know, I know…but what am I supposed to say? ‘Hi I’m Twilight Sparkle, and I’m the girl that keeps outperforming all of you in this class.’?”

“Um…maybe just the ‘Hi I’m Twilight Sparkle’ part. Are people really that hung up about you being the best in your class?”

“Well, some yes…but how is that my fault? If they studied as hard as I did I’m sure they’d be getting the same grades!” Twilight then stopped and took a deep breath. “Sorry…that probably sounded really egotistical of me. I guess part of Crystal Prep did rub off on me.”

“You know…I admit I don’t know much about that school but…was it really that bad there?”

“Crystal Prep takes its academics very seriously,” Twilight said. “You have to maintain an A average to play on any of their sports teams and the second your grades slipped you were done for the entire semester and as a senior, that’d destroy any scholarship dreams. Of course, it wasn’t always like that, it’s just something our current principal initiated a few years ago.”
She sighed slightly. “That, plus the overwhelming hostile environment made it very hard for me to talk to anyone. I did have one friend but…” She averted her eyes, acting if it was a sensitive topic. “Anyway, you’re right with what you said and I am trying but I just need to take baby steps…I hope you can be patient with me.”

“Of course,” Sunset said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Maybe we can check out the Music Club like you suggested?”
Twilight’s face lit up. “Oh yes, that’d be great. Its funny cause there’s usually a lot of people there but you can kind of do what you want and honestly, the sound of music tends to put me at peace anyway. Luckily no one ever uses the piano so…”

“You play piano?” Sunset hated to admit it, but all these multi-talented girls were starting to make her feel a little self-conscious.

“I mean casually of course, I wouldn’t say I’d win any scholarships to any performing arts schools or anything,” Twilight quickly said.

“Well, there’s just one thing I wanted to ask: I kind of told Rainbow Dash about what we were doing and she may invite the rest of the other girls to the music club so…”

“Oh…well that’s fine,” Twilight said. “I mean, they are nice girls and I’ve only really met Pinkie and Rarity in some of my classes so I don’t know the others too well but if they’re friends with you it’s all good.”

“It’s a good opportunity to get Cadance off your back,” Sunset said with a slight smirk.

Twilight groaned. “It’s like you’ve become her eyes and ears here, haven’t you?”

Once the school day came to a close, most of the students were eager to make their way home. Sunset grabbed her things at her locker and once she was ready, she made her way towards the music room. Outside next to the door, Sunset saw Twilight, who was currently staring at her phone with a frown on her face.

“Hey Twi….everything okay?” Sunset asked.

Twilight suddenly jumped, almost dropping her phone in the process. “Sunset! N-No, everything’s fine.” She quickly pocketed her phone. “I was just sitting out here waiting for you…in case you got lost.”

“That’s sweet but I think I got a lay of the land now,” Sunset chuckled. “So…shall we?”

"Oh, yes. I think the other girls are already inside, judging by the noise…”

The two of them went inside and it wasn’t long before they were noticed. “Yo Sunset!” Rainbow Dash yelled across the room. She, along with the other girls, were set up in one corner of the room and it was then she understood what Rainbow had said before. Rainbow and Applejack both had guitars strung across their bodies, the former electric and the latter bass. Rarity was carrying a keytar, Fluttershy was holding a tambourine and to top it off, apparently Pinkie played the drums.

“So…when you said a band…you really meant an actual band,” Sunset deadpanned.

“Well obviously,” Rainbow said. “Together, we’re known as The Rainbooms.”

“The…Rainbooms?” Twilight asked.

“Cool huh? It kind of just popped into my head and everyone kind of went along with it,” Rainbow shrugged.

“Personally I kind of wanted to name it Sergeant Pibb’s Forsaken Hearts Club but I realized it might’ve been a tad bit too long,” Pinkie said.

“Say what now?” Applejack asked.

“Anyway, Rainbow practically begged us-”

“Not uh!”

“-to come here and…show off our talent to put it simply,” Rarity explained. “Which reminds me: Twilight, you play piano right?”

“Yes?” Twilight replied.

“Splendid! I was telling Rainbow we could use a backup piano player…er that is if you were interested in playing with us.”

“Hmph! As if the Rainbooms need anymore people in their group!” Sunset and Twilight looked over and saw the voice belonged to a girl who had long white hair and wore a blue hoody along with a matching skirt. “You already have five people in your band and you’re trying to hog all the new talent!?”

“We’re not hogging anyone Trixie,” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “You’re just mad that we didn’t add you into the group.”

“Such nonsense,” the girl named Trixie said. “I realized our tastes in music simply clashed too much so I decided to make a group of my own.”

“…Then where are they?” Applejack asked.

“Obviously they’re not here,” Trixie huffed. “But of course, if you two were interested in playing with the Great and Powerful Trixie, I would be fine with that.”

“Again, they never said they wanted to join and…uh, just out of curiosity Sunset, do you play an instrument?” Rainbow asked.

“I mean I play a little guitar,” Sunset shrugged. “But even if I did want to play, I don’t have it with me at the moment…it’s still at my parent’s home.”

“Hmm…perhaps Trixie could spare you a guitar she has for the time being,” Trixie said, who apparently wasn’t willing to give up on Sunset just yet.

“Oh give it a rest Trixie,” a new voice called out. This time it came from a guy who had short hair and wore a black jacket with red and blue on the front. “She pretty much just said she wasn’t interested.”

Trixie snorted slightly. “Fine,” she said tightly. “But if you’re ever interested in talking, you know where to find me…” She then headed back to where her guitar and went back to playing.

“Sorry about that,” the boy said. “Trixie can get kind of obnoxious when she wants to have her way. You’re the new girl right? I’m Flash, Flash Sentry.”

“Sunset Shimmer,” Sunset said as the two shook hands. “I didn’t realize so many people played guitar…”

“I think for most its just a hobby,” Flash said. “Trixie is actually a magician, in case you didn’t notice.”

“Yeah, an average magician,” Rainbow said.

“Now Rainbow, it’s not like you have any place to judge her,” Rarity admonished her.

“Okay, okay, she’s pretty good…maybe.”

“But for most of us, it’s a calling I guess,” Flash continued. He pointed to a girl who was practicing on a cello. “Octavia’s in the school band and she’s practically the best cellist in the school, if not the entire region. Then there’s Vinyl who does DJ gigs part-time. Oddly enough, she and Octavia are best friends, despite huge differences in musical taste. But yeah, we’re pretty much a judge-free zone when it comes to music.”

With all these new people, it made Sunset realize this could work to her advantage. Of course, it would be nice to make new friends but establishing new Social Links would further strengthen her powers. She definitely made.a note to try to interact with all of them. “Well, I guess since we’re here, maybe we can watch you guys perform?” Sunset asked Rainbow.

“Of course you can!” Rainbow said with a gleeful smile. “And I think I know just the one. It’s the one Fluttershy likes so much.”

“Oh…yes I do like that song,” Fluttershy said, brightening up quickly.

“Um, not that I want to discourage you guys but…won’t you guys playing disrupt everyone else here?” Twilight said.

“Nah, we’re kind of used to playing over one another,” Flash said.

“If you’ve got good ears, you should be able to tune in to your own sounds even if someone’s blaring right across the room,” Trixie added.

“Love you too Trixie,” Rainbow said smugly.

“Well, alright then,” Twilight said. “Everyone at school says how talented you all are so I’d definitely love to have a first-hand look.”

“Alright girls, let’s take it from the top,” Rainbow said. “One, two, three four!”

The song that played was a classic that Sunset recognized immediately and she had to admit she was impressed that the girls had actually managed to learn and cover said song. Oddly enough, everyone else in the room stopped what they were doing and watched the band perform. Even Twilight was transfixed on the performance.

Once it was finally over, everyone in the room clapped, Sunset included. “You guys really are committed to this huh?” she asked.

“Pretty much, though we don’t get to do it as much as we used to,” Rainbow admitted. “Though if you were interested in joining…”

“I’ll consider it when I finally get my guitar back,” Sunset said quickly.

They all spent another hour in the room before people started to leave and once the other girls it was only Twilight and Sunset left in the room. “Hey Sunset?” Twilight soon said. “Um…thank you. For coming with me today. If you hadn’t I…don’t think I would’ve been able to interact as well with everyone as I did.”

“Hey I get it, it takes time to come out of your shell,” Sunset said. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have met anyone here today.”

“I guess it worked out well for both of us,” Twilight said. “But before we go…there was one thing I wanted to do…” She then made her way over to the grand piano. “I haven't been able to play in a long time, not even at home so I figured since it's finally quiet..."

“Know any popular songs?” Sunset asked.

“Well…there’s one I know pretty well,” Twilight said. “It was the first song I learned actually…” She sat down and after a moment to gather her bearings, she started playing.

Sunset watched and stared for a moment. “Clair de Lune?” she said. “That’s not just a popular piano song, that’s the most popular piano song anyone knows.”

“It’s actually not that difficult a song,” Twilight said casually as she continued playing. “Still, its a very calming song and when I was younger and whenever anxiety got the best of me, this song always helped relax me.” After a few moments she suddenly stopped. “You know…when I was at Crystal Prep I actually had an opportunity to graduate at the end of this year.”

“And because you transferred…”

“Yeah, that offer went out the window,” Twilight smiled. “But it’s probably for the best…I remember I was working so hard, project after project that I wasn’t getting enough sleep, not enough to eat and of course my parents noticed. I think that was kind of the last straw with everything.”

“So…coming here wasn’t your choice?” Sunset asked.

“Oh it was,” Twilight replied. “But it wasn’t an easy one for me…part of me felt like if I left Crystal Prep I’d ruin my one and only chance of getting into Everton.”

“Everton…wow, that’s not an easy school to get into,” Sunset said.

“I know…and Crystal Prep would’ve made it so much easier…” Twilight then got up. “But hey, if I can manage to keep my grades up here I’m sure I may still have a chance.” She then got her bag. “You know, you’re the first person I’ve really talked to about this…well, besides Cadance of course, so…thanks Sunset.”

“Knowing you Twilight, Everton would be crazy to deny you,” Sunset said. Twilight smiled and at that moment, the familiar sensation of time coming to a standstill occurred once again.

Thou art I…and I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…

It brings thee closer to the answers thou seeks

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Priestess Arcana…

Once the event was over Twilight then said, “Well, I guess we better get going considering we’re the only ones here…”

“Yeah, feels kind of weird now…” Sunset said. “So, I’ll be seeing you tomorrow at eleven?”

“Oh, yeah, I’ll be there,” Twilight said, slight hesitation in her voice. “I guess I’ll see you then.”

As Sunset left the school, she couldn’t help but notice Twilight’s hesitation. I guess just being around her old classmates is enough to unnerve her, though based on what she’s told me, I can’t blame her… She decided to send out a text to the girls, letting them know she had a bad feeling about tomorrow and to be safe, keep an eye out for trouble, for Twilight’s sake. Maybe she was overreacting but if there’s one thing she knew about the people at Crystal Prep, they were well known to hold grudges.