The Fall of Canterlot Kingdom

Chapters

Chapter 1 – Break In
Chapter 3 – Day Off
Chapter 4 – Introduction
Chapter 5 – Hammer Time
Chapter 6 – Fortune
Chapter 7 – Will Power
Chapter 8 – The Lovers
Chapter 9 – Navigation
Chapter 10 – Preparation
Chapter 11 – The Fall of Canterlot Kingdom
Chapter 12 – The Beginning
Chapter 2 – Awakening

Chapter 1 – Break In

The contract has been sealed.

This is a world born without magic. Yet in recent years, the supernatural has been steadily rising.

People have come from another world, leaking their magic into this reality. As it mixes into the world, it takes a new form, and new magic is born.

As magic rises, it shall be used by various groups; good, evil, and in-between. This is the story of one such group.

Alarms echoed through the building. Guards were everywhere, searching every inch of the place for this trespasser.

They found nothing. The burglar was too sneaky to be caught, too stealthy to be found.

That wasn’t entirely true. He’d like to say he was too sneaky to be caught, too stealthy to be found, but if that were true, Fahran wouldn’t be in this position right now. Surrounded by guards, only hidden by luck, it would take great caution just to pull out. Caution he never had until it was too late.

Fortunately, he was only one window away from escape. Unfortunately, getting to it without getting caught was impossible in the current circumstances. He needed a distraction, and he wasn’t going to be lucky enough for one to happen without his intervention.

He called upon himself; upon the power of fire, and threw it to the other end of the hall. Only a small fire, of course, but enough for all the guards to run over to it. With his side all but empty, he ran from his hiding spot and made a jump for the window. Once he was finally outside, he could see how alert the place was. If it wasn’t obvious before, he got the message as clear as day now: he shouldn’t go back in for the rest of the day.

He wished he could say he got closer to his target today, even by a small bit, but the truth was he was stuck. He had been stuck for weeks now, seemingly caught in an unbreakable loop. It was becoming increasingly apparent that this could not be done alone. He would need a team; a team of specialised thieves who could help him break this cycle and finally get his target.

The bell chimed for the newest hour of the morning. As the eighth ring faded, Fahran discovered he was just in time to see a crowd of potential candidates marching into the beginning of their monotonous lives. They were perfect candidates: they had the spare time to join him without disrupting their normal lives, they had the right mindsets to be taught and, most importantly, they all had innate rebellious natures, ideal for what he needed them to do.

High school students. Most would see them as an unconventional choice for pulling professional heists, but Fahran begged to differ. Their minds were at the perfect age to suck up anything they wanted to learn, yet it was all being wasted and pumped with information most of them wouldn’t care to remember. Perfect for teaching the way of the gentleman thief.

Fahran wandered through the crowd, trying not to stand out as he picked out potential candidates. He was spoiled for choice, but unfortunately not for quality of choice.

There was a cheerful girl who skipped along, happy with the world despite it all; a confident guy who played his guitar as he walked, wrapped in the world of music; and a shy girl who held onto her backpack, looking afraid of everyone around her. She wouldn’t do. None of them would. Most of them looked afraid of something; they wouldn’t have the will to stand up against the powerful. Fahran needed someone who could look evil in the eye, and he could tell most of this crowd would cower before its gaze.

Fahran moved along the crowd, looking everyone he passed up and down, until he came across two more potential candidates walking side by side. One with verdant skin was following the crowd, walking as any other student would, wearing a plain silver shirt to match his hair. Blending into the crowd was certainly a potential strength, but he wasn’t becoming invisible in plain sight, nor did he seem to be making any attempt to. Instead, his golden eyes seemed concerned with doing what everyone else was doing. He was uninteresting. The student he was walking beside, however, was not.

He was a small boy, or at least he seemed small with how he held himself and tried to tuck himself into whatever corner or wall he could find. He was an amateur at it for sure, but it was a good place to start. With a little experience, he could be nurtured into becoming truly invisible. But Fahran needed more than a boy who could hide himself decently well. He needed someone with fire in their eyes and, unfortunately, the boy kept his eyes hidden, pulling on the hood of his hoodie with one hand to hide himself from the outside world.

A hush fell over the crowd and it parted like the sea. Two girls walked through, one behind the other. The girl walking behind’s aqua eyes were focused on the floor in front of her, as if not seeing anyone would hide her from everyone in turn. She ran her scarlet hand through her snow white hair, moving it aside, and quickly glanced at both sides of the crowd as she did before returning her gaze to the ground.

Thankfully for her, keeping out of everyone’s attention was easy when she walked behind the devil herself.

Her hair was like fire and her eyes were a cold, bright blue, piercing through all they stared at. Whispers would grow throughout the crowd and then immediately turn to silence with just one look from them. Even Fahran hid from them despite himself, though he stared back at her with fire in his eyes.

“Sunset Shimmer,” a voice from the crowd said, full of contempt and fear.

She looked in the voice’s direction, seeking out its owner. Everyone cowered away, but no-one came forward. She huffed and moved on. Despite everyone’s obvious disdain for her, no-one moved to interrupt her path, instead feeling content to whisper among themselves. More people parted as she walked through the crowd, crushing against each other to create a path for her until someone was forced out, stumbling into the open space. The boy in the hoodie.

“Let me through.” The boy looked up to see Sunset herself staring at him, the aqua eyed girl behind looking at both of them, and everyone else standing clear of them. There was plenty of space to walk around him, but Sunset didn’t care about that.

Fahran looked at the boy’s face. He could finally see the emerald eyes under his dark hood, staring directly at Sunset herself. There was great fear inside them like there was in everyone’s eyes, but the boy kept his gaze on her, his look hardening as he kept staring.

“I said let me through,” she repeated. “Do you know who I am?” The boy finally cowered and joined the other side of the crowd. “Good to know you know your place,” she remarked before continuing down the path. While she ignored him, the scarlet girl following her kept her eye on him until they both passed him. Some distance behind them, the crowd started merging again, and eventually everything seemed normal again.

Fahran didn’t care about that. He was satisfied with his choice. He moved through the crowd, darting between people until he found the boy again, and then he showed him the door to the castle.

Devon stumbled outside the crowd, catching his breath and clutching his chest. He could feel his heart pounding without his hand on it. His knees felt like they were ready to buckle; he was surprised he could stand at all after that. He cursed his legs for being rooted to the ground before and feeling so weak now.

He couldn’t see Alec anywhere, not since he had been pushed to the other side of the crowd. Knowing him, he was following it and was already in school by now. He’ll have to meet him in class.

Devon stood straight, taking a few last calming breaths before he moved on. He could hear the other students as they passed him. “She thinks she rules over everyone in the school,” one said.

“She’d probably rule over Canterlot if she could,” another added. Devon thought he heard a weird noise in his pocket.

“I swear she thinks it’s her Kingdom or something.” Devon heard another noise from his pocket. It sounded like a voice.

“Someone needs to take her down a peg.”

“Are you that someone?”

“What, take down Sunset Shimmer?” Devon’s pocket made another noise. “No way. You know what happens when you cross her.” The voices faded away as the crowd continued to move into the school.

He took out his phone and checked it, but nothing about it seemed out of the ordinary. He sighed. The crowd moved on without him until those who couldn’t see the encounter caught up, and those who had were in the building. Hopefully, by the time he caught up with them, it would be old news and no-one would care about him. The thought of everyone’s eyes on him made him feel lightheaded.

He pocketed his phone and looked up to see a whole new world. What was once a looming school was now a looming castle, somehow managing to look even more imposing than it did before. It stood taller with many spires and large wooden doors opened wide enough to effectively create an arch inviting everyone inside. Even the sky itself had darkened, yet despite this, no-one seemed to notice. They all continued into the castle as if it was still their school.

Devon shook his head as if that could get everything to look normal again. It was too early in the morning for this. He must have been dreaming or gone crazy. The rational side of his head told him otherwise; he couldn’t be dreaming (when does one ever correctly figure that they are?) and no-one just turns crazy to the point of hallucinating. But there was no way this could be explained rationally, so Devon accepted the explanations and rejoined the crowd walking into the castle. He thought he heard someone calling him, but ignored it.

Unsurprisingly, the inside of the castle looked like the inside of a castle. The walls, ceiling and floor were all made of stone with uneven tiles, though the floor was kept flat and had a red carpet running through it. Banners decorated the walls, yellow and red clashing for dominance throughout all of their fabrics, and the windows were all stained glass, though Devon couldn’t figure out what they were supposed to depict.

Despite this, none of the other students acted any differently than they normally did. Devon looked around, confused, until he saw Alec following the crowd. He ran over to his side, squeezing through whatever gaps in the crowd he could find. There was someone else familiar next to him, but Devon ignored them, focusing on Alec who hadn’t noticed him yet.

“Alec?” he said, but Alec gave no response. Gingerly, Devon pulled his hood back, revealing his amber face and black hair. “Alec?” he called again, but he still got no response. He waved his hand in front of Alec’s face, snapped his fingers and called one more time, but Alec ignored him.

What’s going on? he wondered. He racked his brain, but couldn’t think of a single logical reason for anything, and too much of it was stacking up to ignore. No-one else noticing the school becoming a castle, Alec ignoring him, and someone in the corner of his eye.

Standing besides Alec, crouching slightly, was a hooded student, and under the hood was a familiar face. He pulled down the student’s hood; he was a perfect reflection of the boy he sees in the mirror. Before Devon could retreat to the walls to panic, his counterpart changed. He stood more normally, and his face became pale. The hood disappeared and his hoodie became a plain shirt.

Looking around, everyone else was similarly changing, their skins becoming pale and hair darkening to brown and black until everyone looked almost exactly the same. He would have lost Alec and his clone self to the now identical crowd if he wasn’t still walking next to them.

The crowd finally spread out, going into different rooms and leaving him standing alone, shell-shocked and trying to process what just happened.

“Who are you?” Devon was snapped out of his stupor by a loud, authoritative voice. He turned around and saw a knight standing over him, suited with armour and all. Behind him, the hall was littered with similar guards. Devon wondered how he didn’t notice them before. They all wore silver armour with plumes on their helmets, some with blue feathers and some with white. Combined with them all holding spears, the scene truly looked as if it belonged in medieval times.

“Don’t make me ask again!” the guard snapped, once again breaking him out of his state.

“I-I-I D-D-D-n,” he stuttered. His breath was short, and his body was shaking.

The guard shoved him to the ground. “Who are you?” he asked again. More knights surrounded Devon and he couldn’t bring himself to speak. “Very well. Take him to the dungeons.”

The guards weren’t gentle picking him up and dragging him around. So many surrounded him, he couldn’t figure where they were going except for when they went down some stairs. The guards were even less gentle, giving him a landing in his cell. He grunted as he hit the stone floor, aching where it struck him. “Bring the Queen here,” the guard said, slamming the cell door shut. “She’ll decide his fate.” Devon heard two sets of boots march up the stairs.

He sat up, not daring to stand before the rest of them. He looked around the dungeon. It was like a cave with cells carved into the sides, and the cells themselves were little more than a few indents in the walls with bars stuck in between the ceiling and the floor. The bars looked old but strong, and dug firmly into the stone. He didn’t feel like testing them.

The guards were scattered around the dungeon, leaving only one standing at his cell door. The guard stood still, staring at Devon as if waiting for him to make a move. He couldn’t tell if he was blinking under his helmet or not, but he felt like he wasn’t.

He imagined the ceiling collapsing on the guard. He didn’t expect it to work, but if this was all a dream, it would be a good start to an escape. Of course, life was too unfair for that, and all that ended up happening was him staring at the guard for longer than he should have in the pursuit of ‘just in case’. He sighed and stared at the floor, hoping that perhaps if he couldn’t bury the guard, he could imagine an escape tunnel beneath him.

A sense of impending death was in the air, sending shivers through his bones. He tried to calm himself. He didn’t want to give up yet; while the guards were being unreasonable, perhaps they were just overly zealous and the Queen would show him mercy and spare him, or at least give him some answers as to where he was and what was going on before she had him killed.

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a new, but familiar voice.

“And who do we have here?”

Chapter 3 – Day Off

Chatter surrounded Alec. Individual conversations coalesced into a droning mass where everyone talked about different things, yet every conversation was the same. They were all in pairs or small groups of three or four, and they talked about themselves, caught up with each other on their lives since yesterday, and gossiped about that show last night. Alec was eager to join them, but his own partner had yet to arrive. In fact, he had been missing since the incident with Sunset.

Alec tried not to think about what might have happened to him, but found it increasingly difficult as time crawled by, especially as some of the chatter around him was about the incident.

“Did you hear about that guy who got in Sunset’s way?” one said.

“Sunset’s definitely going to do something to him,” another added.

“Do you think she’s already dealt with him?” the first asked.

Alec wasn’t worried. At least, not at first.. He knew that nothing could have been done to his friend the moment he lost him – not even this soon afterwards – but as the start of school neared, he couldn’t help but feel like something had happened. He couldn’t help but twirl his silver hair as he waited. It got even worse when the teacher walked through the door.

“Right everyone, let’s have some quiet!” she said, her voice carrying over everyone else’s, and the chatter died instantly. Unfortunately, Alec’s anxiety did the opposite. She started calling out names; each one was a new weight on his nerves. Devon’s unanswered name weighed particularly heavily. With the last name called out, his mind was doing everything it could to ignore his teacher and wonder about his friend.

His heart jumped when there was a knock on the door, interrupting the teacher before she even began. She called for the knocker to come in and the door opened.

“Sorry I’m late…” a weak voice called through the door, one Alec recognised well. His heart lifted, and he sighed as he felt relief wash through him.

“Nice of you to join us, Devon,” the teacher said firmly. “If you could just take your seat, maybe we can start–” she was interrupted by a thump, and the whole class whipped their necks to see Devon lying on the floor.

Alec ran over to him, panic gripping his heart once again at the sight of him. “Are you okay?” he asked, keeping his voice low to try not to break the quiet otherwise only occupied by the teacher’s footsteps. “What happened to you?”

“I don’t know,” Devon answered softly. “It’s like I was dreaming, but I’m still asleep. Or awake.” Alec couldn’t make any sense of what Devon said. He wanted to ask what he meant, but he was interrupted by his teacher at his side, asking him to return to his seat.

He didn’t dare look away as he returned to the edge of his seat. She checked Devon’s forehead and spoke to him softly. Alec couldn’t hear what either of them were saying. The quiet was broken as murmurs rose through the rest of the class, wondering what happened. Some mentioned that they saw him walking fine earlier, and thought that perhaps he was faking it. Others recognised him from this morning, and thought that perhaps Sunset took revenge after his encounter with her.

The class turned quiet again when the teacher stood back up. “I’ll be taking him to the nurse. I want absolute silence until I return.” She helped Devon to his feet, and carried him to and through the door. It didn’t take long for the “absolute silence” to turn into a competition to see who could talk the loudest. It never did.

Alec was left alone. He wanted to see Devon and ask him what he knew and where he had been, but had no choice but to return to class and spend the day without his friend until he could see him again.

Alec spent the next few hours on autopilot. Without Devon around, he had no idea how to spend his time beyond what was expected of him. Time seemed to dawdle, getting slower as every hour passed while Alec waited, anxious for the hour he may see Devon again.

Finally the school bell rang for break. Alec tried to rush to the door with so many other students as eager to leave as he was, but was stopped by his teacher calling him. “Alec? May I talk to you?”

He bounced in his spot. “I’m sorry, miss, but I have to–”

“I was wondering if you would help set up the Fall Formal next week,” she interrupted. “I know you’re good at that kind of stuff, and they could really use an extra set of hands.”

He wanted to tell her he was in a rush, but found himself unable. He tried to answer, but the words trapped in his throat. Only when he agreed could he finally leave. His hesitation left the door free of other students, and the hall with few enough students that he had no trouble walking between them.

Along the way, he heard rumours of a boy who collapsed in class. Some recognised him as the one who stood in front of Sunset. They wondered if she had done something to him, but others vouched that she couldn’t have done anything, at least not directly. Perhaps she did something indirectly then, they would argue back, though it sounded like something out of a fantasy. And thus the Sunset Curse was born.

Alec wished he hadn’t heard any of it by the time he reached the nurse’s office. He knocked on the door, calling, “Nurse Redheart?”

She opened the door, her body blocking his view of the inside. “How can I help you?” she asked.

“Is Devon still here?” he asked. “Can I see him, please? I’m his friend.”

She considered for a moment before asking, “Did you see Devon this morning?”

Alec nodded. “Yeah. I walk to school with him every morning.”

“What was he like? Did he show any sign of this?”

Alec thought back. “No, he was completely fine. He was no different than he ever was.”

“Was there anything else recently? Anything he did, or anywhere he went?”

“No, but… he did get lost at some point this morning. Like, one minute he was walking with me and the next he was gone, and I didn’t see him again until he stumbled into class. But that can’t have anything to do with this, can it?”

The nurse didn’t answer his question, simply saying, “thank you,” and stepping aside. Behind her, he saw Devon managing to sit upright, somewhere between asleep and awake. Alec rushed to his side. “Are you okay?”

“I think so,” he answered.

Alec held up two fingers. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Two.” Devon rubbed his eyes, not bothering to look. “You always hold up two.”

Alec let out a sigh of relief. “What happened? One minute you were on the other side of the crowd, the next I lost you completely. Then you were late to class, and now you’re too sick to do it.”

“I’m not sick, I’m just tired.”

“You weren’t tired earlier this morning. What happened?”

“I don’t know. Everything was fine and then… I can’t even say, it was just unreal.”

“Like you were dreaming?” Alec repeated. “But you’re still asleep? Or awake?”

The reference seemed lost on Devon. “I’m pretty sure I’m awake,” he said, though he didn’t look reassured by it. Alec was left unsure of what there was left to ask. He spent his whole morning feeling like he had a thousand questions, a thousand things to talk about, yet in the moment, he found himself empty after just two.

“Did anyone notice?” Devon asked. Alec couldn’t help but laugh at the question.

“The whole class, though if you’re lucky, some might have missed you by being too busy talking to each other,” he said between giggles. “Unfortunately, anyone who didn’t see it has definitely heard about it by now, and not just in our class.”

“Already?” Devon hung his head, his hands holding it. Alec guessed he was imagining all the looks and chatter he would get the next day.

“People are calling it the Sunset Curse because of this morning,” Alec said. Devon buried his face in his hands and groaned. “You disappeared, and even when you came back, I mean, look at the state of you! So they just assumed it had something to do with her, though I guess she couldn’t have done anything to you in person, so she cursed you!”

“... It might have something to do with her,” Devon muttered. Alec wasn’t sure if he was meant to have heard it.

“What, like, she actually cursed you?”

“What? No, of course not. But…” Devon sighed. “I’ll tell you tomorrow, after school. Or show you, if I can, but probably not because… it probably didn’t happen.” Devon didn’t sound confident.

“Why not tell me now? Or later?”

“Dude, I’m knackered, and I don’t really want people overhearing and thinking I’ve gone crazy.”

“Also, he’s going home,” Nurse Redheart added. Alec whipped around to look at her. “Really, you didn’t think he could just suddenly collapse on us and stay in school, did you? I called his mother; she’s going to pick him up soon.”

As soon as she said it, there was a knock on the door, and it opened to show Devon’s mother herself. She rushed over to his side. “Devon? Are you okay?”

Alec knew for a fact that Devon muttered “Speak of the devil” under his breath. “I’m fine. I’m just tired,” he answered her through a yawn.

“What happened to him? Will he be okay?” she asked, looking over to the nurse.

Alec looked at Devon, thinking of how lonely he will be for the rest of the day without him. Devon seemed to notice. “Don’t worry, I’ll be in school Monday,” he said softly. Alec wondered how he was so sure.

“He’s fine. He’s just suffering from fatigue,” they overheard the nurse telling his mother. “If he rests for the rest of the day, he should be back to normal by tomorrow.” Devon gave Alec a look that said ‘I told you so.’

“Why did it happen? Was it due to lack of sleep?” she looked back over to Devon, a hint of motherly malice in her gaze. Devon shrinked under it.

“It doesn’t seem like it. Actually, I don’t know what caused it; it seems to have jumped on him out of nowhere. I have no idea how that happened, but if it happens again, have him see a doctor.”

“I see,” Devon’s mother said. “Thank you, nurse. Come on, Devon, let’s go home.”

Devon slowly got up, trying not to rush himself, wobbling as though the ground was shaking when he stood. He fell on his mother, using her for balance, and with a goodbye they went on their way, leaving Alec behind.

It felt like forever since Devon last saw his home; like there had been many dreams and dreamless sleeps since he last laid on his bed.

The journey back there started with a barrage of questions wondering if he had been sleeping well or staying up to the point of worry. Devon truthfully told his mother that on that particular night he slept when he was supposed to, though he made no comment on any other nights. Even so, she had seen him drink his customary coffee that morning, which should have fought off his fatigue. After Devon answered her questions, his mother started showing her gentle side, making sure he knew she would take care of him for the rest of the day, or even weekend if needed. When they finally reached their house, she helped take him up to his room and left with the promise of returning with soup and jelly later.

Despite how tired he was, Devon couldn’t get himself to fall asleep. His mother was downstairs, preparing a warm soup to help him doze off, but in the meantime, between his body being too weary to leave his bed and his mind being too awake to slumber, he was left staring at the ceiling, waiting either for his mother’s homemade remedy or for sleep to finally overcome him.

This isn’t working, he thought to himself. He let his mind wander, and ended up thinking about his day. He thought about the cat, and his promise to bring a friend to that world, should he ever wish to return. He thought about doors and combinations, and how he may never be able to return to that world in the first place, if it even existed. He had no reason to believe it didn’t happen, except it was unbelievable.

His thoughts drifted to before he entered the other world, and what could have caused his morning, if it had happened at all. His encounter with Sunset was the only thing that stood out. Could she have sent him there? No. Devon shook the thought, whether she sent him to the world or if it was the Sunset Curse, as they called it. Besides that, though, he had no idea. The only other slightly odd thing from the morning he could think of was...

He took out his phone. He thought there was nothing out of the ordinary on it earlier, but on a second look, he saw a weird app, red and black a crazy eye on it. He opened the app; it was some sort of recording app, though it didn’t seem to respond to much he said. Apparently he had already saved a bookmark on it. He opened it up, and it showed three phrases:

Sunset Shimmer.

“Name.”

Canterlot.

“Place.”

Kingdom.

Devon thought about the castle, and the village that surrounded it. The Kingdom of Sunset’s heart, as she saw the world around her.

Devon closed his phone and lowered his hand. Despite being the perfect time to think about things, it felt like the worst time to do so. His mind was too tired to concentrate, and the smell of his mother’s soup snuck into his room and distracted him.

He would have time to think over the weekend. For the rest of the day, he was done.

Chapter 4 – Introduction

Sure enough, Devon returned on Monday, as healthy as ever. Healthier, in fact. The day didn’t seem to wear him down like it usually did. After spending three days in a row without his company, Alec wanted to cling to him for the whole day, but quickly found he wouldn’t be able to keep up with him. There was a spring in his step; the type gained from a whole weekend of good, well needed sleep.

Though the day didn’t seem to have an effect on him, the other students certainly did. In class, they stared at him, muttering about what happened on Friday. Devon shrank into his seat with every new voice talking about him, trying to hide in his hoodie, but to no avail. The halls were easier on him, most not knowing him to be the boy who collapsed, or recognising him as the one who stood in Sunset’s path. As far as any of them were concerned, the one responsible was still at home, sick from the Sunset Curse.

But of course, the first lesson of the day had to be in the class he had collapsed in. With him back so quickly, everyone wondered what had happened those few mornings ago, though they were all content to ask themselves rather than asking Devon himself. Knowing him, Alec knew he would have preferred it that way anyway, but that didn’t make it better.

Alec had his own questions to be sure, but despite his efforts, Devon wouldn’t answer them. “Not until after school,” he would say. Alec’s patience wavered; at first he felt like he could wait until the next day, if needed, but by the last hour he was annoyed by how slowly the clock ticked. Tick tock, the hands crawled their way to the next minute, the next hour, the next class. Every look made the end of the day seem so much further away than the last.

Even when school ended, Devon insisted on finding somewhere where they could be alone. Alec suggested their usual hideout, but annoyingly and confusingly, Devon said it had to be just outside of school.

Alec brought him to behind the school. “Will this place do?” Alec asked, trying to hide his annoyance.

Devon looked around. Alec could hear the other students in front of the school, but behind it, there was no-one in sight. “I think so. Yes, this should do.”

Alec let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and his frustrations left with it. “Thank you. So, what happened on Friday?”

Devon brought his phone out, showing it to Alec. “Do you see this?”

Alec was about to answer sarcastically, but then saw something odd. “It’s an app,” he said. It was a weird looking app – a red and black eye that exploded onto the screen – but, “what does that have to do with anything?”

Devon paused for a moment before answering. “Yesterday, something unbelievable happened. Something that couldn’t have happened. Everything I know about the world tells me it can’t have been real, but everything in my head and heart tells me it was. All I know is that this app is the one clue I have.”

Alec didn’t know what to say in response. “You said it involved Sunset.”

Devon winced at the mention of her name. “Yeah, she was a big part of it.”

Alec felt a bit guilty for bringing her up. “What happened? What did she do?”

“If this doesn’t work, I’ll explain everything I dreamt,” Devon said. “But give me a chance to try to show you first.”

Alec sighed. He couldn’t find it in himself to say no. “Sure. Go ahead.”

Devon smiled. He held his phone out, took a deep breath, and said clearly, “Sunset Shimmer.”

“Candidate found,” the phone responded.

The two jumped, and Devon’s breathing quickened. He continued. “Canterlot.”

“Candidate found.”

“Kingdom.”

“Beginning navigation.”

Alec suddenly felt lightheaded, having to shake his head and rub his eyes to get rid of the feeling. As he opened his eyes and blinked away the blur, he heard Devon say, “It worked. Do you see that, Alec?” as he pointed to the school.

“See what?” he asked, turning his head to the school, or where the school should have been. Instead of his school’s purple walls, he faced a castle painted white and gold. Yet despite the bright colours, it seemed dim, tinted violet. He looked for the cause and saw the entire sky was filled with dark purple clouds, some almost pink with light while others a deep, dark violet. They reminded him of how small and frail he was.

“What the hell,” was all he could say under his breath.

“It’s real,” he heard Devon say. “It’s real!” he shouted to the heavens. “It’s real,” he said one more time, breathless.

Alec turned to face him, and his words were caught in his throat at the sight of his new costume. “What’s up with you?” he asked. “When did you change clothes? And what are you even wearing?”

Devon looked over himself. “So I did keep it,” he mumbled. But before he could say more, he was interrupted by a voice that came out of nowhere.

“So, this is your friend?” A cat jumped down in front of the two and stood on two legs. It looked Alec up and down. “Do you have any others?” it asked. Alec had no idea what it was talking about, but for some reason felt offended.

“Even if there were others, he’s the only one I’d care to bring,” Devon answered.

“Ah well. We’ll see how he does,” the cat said. Once again, Alec couldn’t help but feel offended, but looking at the talking cat, there was a much more pressing feeling in his mind.

“Who… what… who… wha… wh-who or what is this?” he somehow managed to get out.

“Ah, sorry. This is…” Devon paused. “I’m sorry, what was your name again?”

“‘Finally he asks,” the cat said. “I’m Fahran.”

Alec heard the name, but couldn’t help but concentrate on something else. “How are you talking to him like that? It took two years for you to be comfortable enough to speak like that with me, and you only met him once three days ago.”

Devon blinked. “I don’t know. A lot happened that day, and he was the first thing not trying to break me. And I guess I don’t really see him like a person, given, well, you know.”

“That’s right. I’m not a person; I’m a cat!” Fahran said. “Everyone can talk to a cat.”

Alec had no choice but to accept his answer. “Okay, second question: what is this place?”

Devon and Fahran explained what the place was, how Sunset was involved and what had happened on that day. Though Fahran did more of the explaining while Devon added anecdotes of his experience learning about the world the hard way.

Alec felt a shiver run down his spine. “This is Sunset’s heart?”

“That’s the simple way of putting it,” Fahran said. “Technically called it’s the Metaverse; an alternate world to yours that’s affected by people’s hearts, desires and worldview. This Palace is just one branch made by Sunset, because her heart’s become so distorted.” Alec didn’t know what he was saying, so he just went with “Sunset’s heart.”

They then explained Devon’s outfit, and what a “Persona” was. Devon explained how he got them, and Fahran explained what they were. “The power of rebellion,” he described it as; one that could only be taken by those willing to stand up to the powerful.

“It’s in my mask,” Devon said. “I can feel it in there, waiting to wake up.”

Alec turned to Fahran. “And what about you? Do you have one?”

“Of course I do!” he said. He spread his legs, threw his arm out and yelled, “come, Uriel!” His scarf disappeared, and a figure appeared next to him in a blaze of bright blue flame. It was a blue angel in crimson armour, wearing a white tabard with gold trim and holding a longsword, with red metal running down the middle.

“It takes a lot to use them, though,” he continued. Uriel disappeared, blown out in the wind, and Fahran’s scarf returned around his neck. “It’s far better to sneak around than to crush everything in your way, or you’ll end up like Devon was in no time at all.”

Alec nodded. He thought he understood, and what he didn’t he likely wouldn’t much more easily. Devon then spoke up. “So here’s my question: how can we use this place to take down Sunset?” Alec looked at him wide-eyed. “How do we destroy this place?”

Fahran grinned. “It’s simple: we steal her desires. They’re the root cause of all this, so if we remove them, the whole place will fall in on itself.” He looked up at Devon and Alec, his eyes wide and sparkling.

Devon turned to look Alec face to face, a pleading expression in his eyes. “Do you want to help?” It was obvious what he meant, and it wasn’t a question. Alec wasn’t sure what to think. He liked the idea of taking down Sunset, and in the past he thought he’d be all for it, but he remembered how he described the Palace, and the state he had left in a few days ago. Sure, he ended up returning to the real world, but managing to escape once doesn’t mean you’ll manage again.

In particular, he wasn’t sure if he could achieve this power, the power of “Persona.” And the situation Devon had described before getting it, he didn’t particularly want to go through himself. He was about to express his doubts, but Devon kept looking at him. His eyes usually spoke louder – they always did – and they always quieted Alec when he wouldn’t say yes. In the end, he had no choice but to agree.

Devon almost squealed, and Fahran grinned. “Thank you,” he said. “Shall we head in, then?” Alec and Devon nodded, Alec more reluctantly than Devon, and the two started to walk towards the castle doors, but they were interrupted by Fahran. “What are you two doing? We’re Phantom Thieves now! We don’t simply walk through the front door!”

“Well, how do we get in, then?” Devon asked.

Fahran pointed to a conveniently open window; the opening was large enough to squeeze through if you really meant to. Fahran hopped through first, then Devon waited for Alec to follow.

Before he went in, Alec took one last look at the castle from the outside. “I never thought Sunset’s heart could look so beautiful,” he said.

“It gets ugly when you’re inside, don’t worry,” Devon reassured. “It’s just like her in a way: beautiful until you see the true demon inside.” Alec almost felt like teasing him for the comment, but knew better.

Chapter 5 – Hammer Time

Despite Devon’s claims, Alec still found plenty to admire inside. The halls looked like a blend of the school halls he was used to and that of a medieval castle. The walls were lined with stone lockers with rough, twisted sides. The bricks in the wall were uneven, some jutting out, and none laid next to another neatly. The jagged lockers almost blended into the walls, and they all came together in beautiful chaos.

It wasn’t all grey, stone and chaos, though. The walls were decorated with banners of suns coloured half crimson and half gold, and a scarlet carpet ran through the floor. The doors were all made of wood, both in the corridor and on the lockers, and despite the chaotic brickwork, the frames that held them were neat and straight.

The castle was even fitted with knights, all equipped with silver armour that shone in whatever light there was. Unfortunately, Devon gave warning about the kind of treatment they gave him when he encountered them. Farhan also expressed that they should be avoided where possible.

“They’re Shadows,” he said. “Dangerous to cross in the wild, but here? As long as they are here, they’ll serve the Palace’s ruler. If they see you, they’ll alert more to come join them. And then, of course, they’ll attack you.”

They weren’t scarce either, making the journey to wherever Fahran was leading them take a lot longer than it might have needed to. Though while Alec spent his time running from one hiding spot to another, Devon and Fahran leapt from spot to spot in one quick motion, looking more like a blurred streak. Was this the power of their outfits?

He may have had no idea where Farhan was leading them, but it wasn’t hard to figure out when they arrived. The group stopped at a dead end with a large, metal door, protruding between two lockers. It had a lock half as large as he was. “I’ve searched every part of this castle many times over,” Fahran said, “except for behind this door. The source of Sunset’s desires have to be behind here, otherwise I have no idea where they might be.”

“So we just need the key to get in,” Devon said. “Any ideas where it might be?”

Fahran shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to find the key or some other way in for months now and I’ve gotten nothing. That’s where you come in. I was hoping maybe you’d have a new perspective on how to get inside.”

“Why?” Alec asked. “We don’t know anything about this place apart from what you’ve told us. You know the metaverse better than us.”

“But you know Sunset better than me,” Fahran said. “The real Sunset. So you might have some idea of where she would keep stuff like this in the real world, and could use that to find it here.”

“Why would we know anything about where Sunset would hide a key?” Alec said. “It’s not like we’re her friends or anything.”

“Anything you know about the real Sunset would be more than I do. And you can investigate the real world, which I can’t. Either way, you have a better chance of finding it than I do.”

Devon sighed. “Okay, let me think,” he said. Alec wanted to think too, but wasn’t sure where to start, and before he could figure that out, they were interrupted by a commanding voice from behind them.

“Halt! Who goes there?” Heavy footsteps followed, and he turned around to see three Shadows blocking their way. One wore silver armour like he had seen on every other Shadow, but the second’s more closely resembled an emerald, and the third a ruby.

“I’ll handle this,” Devon said with a smile. He turned towards the Shadows and stood ready to fight.

Devon stood firmly, looking at his enemies as they marched towards the trio. Last time he would have beaten the three himself in one move, but there was something different. He could feel a disconnect between him and his Persona; he was clearly there... somewhere, but it was like there was a wide canyon between them, and Fuu-ki was barely in sight.

“What happened to my powers?” he yelled out.

“You didn’t think you’d be that powerful forever, did you?” Fahran jumped to his side. “No, that was just a burst from when you first summoned your Persona.”

“Okay, but how do I do it again? I’ve forgotten.”

“No you haven’t.” Fahran summoned his own Persona. “You’re just thinking too much. I’ll take on two and leave one just for you.” He leapt towards the two Shadows behind and left the one in silver still walking towards Devon, its sword drawn.

He quickly searched around himself, and quickly came to a stop at his mask. It wasn’t power, but he could feel something in there, laying dormant. He grabbed his mask, trying to get it out, but it came off, loose and no longer stuck. Instead, he tried willing it; throwing it off with his mind. He had no idea what he was doing, yet the mask disappeared in blue flame and he could feel the sensation behind him, awoken. His Persona, Fuu-ki. He clenched his hand, the staff feeling familiar in his grip. He was starting to remember.

There was still a block, though. A glass barrier between the two. They were no longer of the same mind; anything Fuu-ki knew was vague at best to him. Unhelpfully, the Shadow hadn’t stopped approaching, giving him no time to recall what happened next.

He imagined Fuu-Ki moving forward, imagined himself moving forward without moving, and it advanced to meet the Shadow. He whipped around his staff and Fuu-Ki copied his movements with its double-bladed sword, meeting the Shadow’s blade. Fuu-Ki pushed it away and cracked his blade on its helmet, though Devon may as well have used his own staff for all it seemed to do.

The Shadow stepped forward, and he spun Fuu-Ki’s blade to meet it again, and again, and again. Finally, he struck it in the chest, forcing it backwards and sending it crashing into the ground behind it.

He tried to remember what he did last time. He recalled reaching out to something. Garu. What was Garu? Where was it? He shook his head; he was thinking too much. He closed his eyes and felt around, reaching with… he didn’t know what, but he vaguely remembered how to. He looked around for something else familiar, and found it around him. He remembered it: the Power of Garu. The power of the wind. He drew it in and it ran through him, circling inside his body, and up through the chains on his wrists, into Fuu-Ki.

With a twirl of his staff, wind cut around the silver Shadow, surrounding and trapping it like a tornado, before colliding with it, sending it staggering back. He willed his Persona to fly forwards, and it charged towards the Shadow. Both whipped their weapons, and Fuu-ki’s hit the Shadow, turning it to black dust.

Fuu-ki disappeared, and the mask returned to his face, though it probably didn’t cover the triumph written over it. He looked over to Fahran to see him still dealing with the ruby Shadow. He danced with flames, yet the Shadow didn’t seem to care.

“Look out!” Alec yelled, and Devon had just enough time to turn around and see the emerald Shadow slam into him, sending him flying across the room and crashing into the ground. He ignored his aching, stood, and summoned Fuu-ki again. He reached out to Garu again – it was much quicker this time, now he knew what he was doing – and, with a twirl of his staff, sent wind flying into the Shadow, but it didn’t flinch. He reached out again and sent more wind, cutting and slamming it, but none of it slowed the Shadow as it walked over to him.

What the heck? He thought as it swung its sword at his Persona. He tried moving his staff to block it, but the sword struck beneath its left arm. He felt a sharp pain in that same spot, as if he had been whacked by a large stick. The Shadow attacked again, and he struggled to keep up. It wasn’t long until it elbowed Fuu-Ki in the chest, and he fell backwards clutching his as if someone had elbowed him, his Persona returning as a mask as he hit the ground.

“Do you like him?” a familiar voice said. One neither Devon nor Alec needed to look to see who it belonged to.

The room was silenced by her words, and Alec could hear the sound of her golden boots on the stone floor as she entered the room. Sunset wore gold armour, though it looked more like she wore it for the aethstetics than for the protection as it left a lot of her body exposed; her arms, legs and head specifically. Her eyes glowed a sickly yellow, and she held herself as if she owned everything they looked at.

So this is her Shadow, he thought to himself. Exactly what I imagined she would be like.

“I had them made for you two especially,” she continued, “after your last visit here.”

“You made them?” Fahran asked. “How did you do that?”

“There’s no need for you to know that,” Sunset said. “All you two need to know is there are plenty more where they came from.”

“They’re not that powerful, Devon,” Fahran said. “If we switch up, we can take them as easily as any other!”

“Maybe,” Sunset said, “but how many can you deal with?” With a snap of her fingers, a squad of Shadows came behind Sunset, half emerald, half ruby.

Sunset then turned to Alec, looking like she just noticed his existence. “Well, you’re a new one. Are you going to fight too? No, you don’t look like those two. You’re not a threat.”

He stuttered meaninglessly before she continued. “I usually execute those who trespass here, but I already have my hands full with these two, so why don’t you do yourself a favour and run home?” she said in a sneering voice.

Part of him immediately wanted to run, but he couldn’t abandon Devon. No, he wouldn’t.

“Run, boy,” she said in a half whisper, madness in her eyes. “Run from me. Or will you try to fight too?”

His mind went blank. He was shaking and breathing heavily. Too much of him told him to listen, to do as she said as he always did. It argued with his loyal side, both voices shouting in his head, and underneath them another voice spoke clearly, confidently and assertively. Go on. Run. Run away. Do as she commands.

He looked at Devon, his back to the wall and surrounded by emerald knights, looking straight back at him. He thought about their friendship, everything Devon had them do, good and bad, how they became friends, and why they stayed friends.

Come on, then. What’s your answer? the voice asked.

“Come on, then. What’s your answer?” Sunset asked.

Alec looked back at her, summoned strength from he knew not where, and yelled “No!”

Sunset was taken aback by his response. “Excuse me?”

“I said no! I’ve been pushed around by people like you for too long. I’ve been pushed around by everyone for too long. I’ve been pushed around by Devon for too long. I have desires of my own! Things I want to do! And I don’t care what you want or what he wants, but right now, all I want is to take him and get both of us out of here!”

The voice laughed. You’ve kept me waiting. Let us forge a contract.

Lightning shot through his head and he collapsed to his knees, one arm weakly holding him up while his other held his head. His screams leaked out, coming out in parts rather than one note.

I am thou, thou art I…

Thou hast been a passenger to others for too long.

Take hold of thy reins and steer thyself as thou wish!

“Again?” Alec barely heard Sunset over the voice and his own screams. “Guards! Surround him!”

The air crackled, lightning threatening all the Shadows who came near, and a simple mask appeared on his face, navy blue with gold trim. He grabbed onto it and, with great effort, pulled it off in a bloody spectacle, burning the face it left behind. His blood erupted into blue flames and completely encompassed him, imbuing him with strength. The flames rose above him, leaving him in a navy blue and black outfit with golden lines that zigzagged down his arms on his chest.

The flames died out and underneath them stood a warrior, chained to his wrists. Donning white gloves, boots and a cloak; a golden, scaled vest and a gold helmet with spikes on top, horns hanging down the sides, and glowing eyes underneath; tattoos on each leg and arm; and a large, shining silver hammer in one hand, he stood, hunched over and ready for battle. He knew him. His other half. His Persona. “Thor.”

He flexed his new strength, gripping a hammer the flames had left him, and reached out to the Power of Zio. It spiked up his veins and crawled through his body at lightning speed, into the chains and up to Thor. As one, the two raised their hammers, and he released the power. Lightning poured out of Thor’s hammer in every direction, striking all of the Shadows and sending the emerald half falling to the floor. He heard a scream among them. Devon’s scream. Alec grimaced and called out to him, seeing him on the ground himself, but couldn’t stop in front of the ruby Shadows crouching, but not down. Both Alec and Thor took a step forward, taking their hammers in two hands, and struck the ground, sending shockwaves to the Shadows (and thankfully not to Devon) and turning them all to black dust.

He looked over the scene in front of him. Sunset was nowhere to be found, and there wasn’t a Shadow in sight. Surprisingly, there was no debris, cracks or damage anywhere in the room; it looked as if no conflict had just taken place.

He withdrew his Persona and ran to Devon. He was laying on the floor, holding himself and groaning in pain. “Oh my god! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just a bit shaken,” Devon said, slowly getting up. “Be careful with that lightning; that really hurt. I don’t think it agrees with me.”

Alec smiled in relief. “I don’t think it agrees with anyone. It’s lightning.”

Devon chuckled. “It seems to agree with my grandad. It struck him twice.”

“Really? How was he afterwards?”

“Heavy.”

Alec fell to the ground as if Devon’s word had reminded his body of what came next, all of his energy sapped, and his body feeling like weights. Devon was surprisingly unsurprised by his sudden collapse, reassuring him that he was okay as he helped him back to his feet.

“Yeah, don’t mind me; I’m just exhausted, carrying this 180 ton body around,” Alec said.

“I know. I went through this when I first woke my Persona. You’ll be fine after a night’s rest. But first, we need to get out of here.” Devon pulled him up to his feet. He could feel himself pushing down into the floor, but he held onto him, keeping him standing. “Fahran, scout ahead for us, make sure the path is clear, and I’ll carry him out.”

“Roger that!” Fahran saluted and ran ahead.

“I’m sorry I made you do this,” Devon said once they were alone.

The two set off, Alec dragging his feet in front of the other one step at a time. He smiled. “It’s okay. I’m partly to blame too.”

If it took a long time to get to the giant door without being spotted earlier, it seemed to take twice as long to return to the entrance. Thankfully, the security was lighter, and Devon only had to drag him to a hiding spot a few times. Eventually the three emerged from the castle, though the front door was blocked by a squad of Shadows, and Alec had some difficulty climbing through the window in his condition. But he did eventually get through, colliding with the floor when he did. Devon worried that he was hurt, but he assured him that he was just taking the opportunity to relax and lie down.

Devon chuckled and picked him up again. “Come on, let’s get out of here before more trouble comes around. The door’s not far now.”

Alec vaguely remembered Devon saying something about a door before, though if he explained back then he couldn’t remember. He wasn’t in the mood for another lecture he barely understood, so instead started picking up his feet again. “I’ll tell you what, though,” he said, “I did a damn better job than you were doing.”

Devon rolled his eyes. “Wait until your next fight before you brag. I was that good when I first got my Persona, and then I forgot everything.”

“Really? You were that good and then ‘forgot’?” Alec teased.

Devon smirked. “Actually, I was better. I got them all out in one go, no second strike needed.” Alec rolled his eyes.

The two stopped in front of a ghostly, glowing blue door, with Fahran standing in front of it. “So, I’ll see you two tomorrow?” he said, tapping his paws together.

“I don’t know,” Alec said. “I agreed before because Devon wanted to do it, but now? I don’t know if I want to.” Fahran looked up at him, his eyes wide and pleading. Alec sighed. “How about this, I’ll let you know when I’ve decided. I’ll come in and if not, I’ll leave quickly afterwards. If so, we’ll see what happens from there. Deal?”

Fahran smiled. “Deal.”

Alec smiled back. “Now come on, Devon. I can hear my bed calling me from here.”

Devon chuckled. “I know exactly what you’re talking about.”

Chapter 6 – Fortune

Being friends with Sunset Shimmer was neither an easy nor a pleasant task. Some might even say you’re not her friend, but her subordinate, or her minion. Some might ask why you would stay, and indeed Hana often wondered herself why she was still in such a one-sided relationship, why she stayed in a position where everyone else would cast glares at her, throwing what they couldn’t at Sunset in her direction instead.

Perhaps it was fear that trapped her. Fear of what Sunset would do to her if she abandoned her. Fear that no-one would forgive her after staying by her side for so long. Or maybe the reason was less forgivable. One that made her deserve all the resentment she received. It was usually at this point that Hana would stop thinking about it, at least until the next time she would wonder.

It was quite thankful that she did; Sunset wasn’t one for repeating herself if you were too wrapped in your thoughts to hear her. “Any news today?” she asked with her usual harsh voice.

“None that I could see or hear,” Hana replied truthfully. She never went out of her way to help Sunset, but kept an ear out for rumours and an eye for suspicion, lest she be dropped for being useless.

“Again?” Sunset said in the tone she usually reserved for when the whole week was quiet, and once upon a time a whole fortnight, not three days.

Hana almost started to sweat. “The ‘Sunset Curse’ guy’s made a full recovery, and that’s all anyone will talk about.” Sunset wasn’t satisfied, but it seemed to be enough. She mumbled under her breath; Hana heard her mention the Curse of Sunset and rumours of the crowds. “Sunset, why are you being so impatient?” she continued. “It’s hardly been half a week since your last… demonstration. You should enjoy the quiet. I don’t think anyone’s coming after you for another short while.”

“This is an important week for me,” Sunset said. “I can’t have any interruptions, so we need to weed them all out and stop them now. But if you can’t find anything...” Hana prepared for the worst, only to be surprised when she got no punishment, though she didn’t like what she said any more. “We’ll have to make an impact to scare them all off.”

Hana sighed. It wasn’t often Sunset decided to lash out against the innocent, but each left a pit in her stomach she still couldn’t shake off. She tried not to think about what made them more innocent than all the others lives Sunset ruined. Nonetheless, when Sunset walked away, Hana followed as if she were on a leash.

The two headed towards the city centre of Canterlot, where the shops, cafés and other hangout spots were; where most of the other students could be found at this time of day. Sunset searched the centre for candidates, picking out any she thought might be good targets. Hana remembered all of them. She had to; Sunset made her keep a note of potential victims, as well as making her choose a few herself. Those were the ones she hoped wouldn’t get chosen the most.

Eventually, the search took them to the outskirts of the city centre, indicating they were soon to be done with their journey, if the darkening sky didn’t do so already. “Give me the list. I’ll decide who to go after by tomorrow. Until then, keep–” Sunset cut herself off and stopped in her tracks, her attention drawn to a large blue tent with a sign for free tarot readings. Hana didn’t recall the tent being there before.

“A fortune teller?” she asked, not really seeing Sunset as one to believe in magic.

“I’m curious,” she said, not looking away from the tent.

“You know they aren’t real, right?" Hana didn’t know why she had to warn her. “They just give vague predictions that could apply to anyone and anything.”

Sunset still looked at the tent, almost like she was in a trance. “I’ve just never seen one before, and I’m thinking I have plans I’d like to know about…”

“Then take my advice and give it a skip. You’d be better off finding out from a fortune cookie. At least you get a meal with those. Trust me, it would be a waste of your time.”

Sunset nodded and looked away from the tent. “You’re right. It’s best not to waste my time.”

Hana started walking away, but was interrupted by Sunset. “Where are you going? I said it’s best not to waste my time.” She glared at Hana. “Do I need to repeat myself?”

Sunset only stopped shouting when Hana entered the tent. She was greeted by an older lady, looking about the age of her principals, despite her grey hair, and wore an all blue dress, almost blending into the rest of the room with only different shades of blue to distinguish everything from each other. Or at least that’s what she wore as far as Hana could see; her bottom half was obscured by a large, circle table.

“Welcome,” she said. “Please take a seat.” Hana complied. “What is your name?” Hana answered, wanting to waste no more time than she needed to. Before she could speak further, however, the lady presented a small deck of cards, about half the size of a regular deck. “Please shuffle these cards. For them to reveal your fortune, you have to be the one to handle them.”

Hana blinked. “Oh, I’m actually here to take the fortune for–”

“Your friend, I know,” the lady interrupted, “but the cards can only tell the story of the one who handles them, so you cannot take her fortune anymore than you can take mine. If she wants the cards to tell her fortune, she will have to come in and handle them herself. But for now, why don’t you see what they have to say about you?”

Hana hesitated, not wanting to voice her opinion on psychics to the lady’s face, but unable to think of an excuse. “I see you’re skeptical,” the fortune teller continued, “but you’re already here, and it won’t cost you anything, so why not give it a try?”

Hana sighed, picked up the deck, and started to mix up the cards. “Is this right?”

“Please feel free to handle the cards however you wish,” the lady said. “When you are done, place any one card face down here,” she pointed to a marked spot in the middle of the table.

Hana tried a variety of methods, never sure which one to stick to. She tried riffling them, putting them in smaller piles and putting them back together, and simply taking chunks of the middle and putting them on top. It took a couple of minutes before she was satisfied, and when she was done, she laid the top card in the designated spot and placed the deck back down.

Hana was then handed a more normal sized deck and asked to do the same, except placing 4 cards around the first. She shuffled it for what felt like 5 minutes before placing the fourth and final card down, yet the lady never looked like she was getting impatient.

“Are you satisfied with these cards?” she asked. Hana nodded. “Then let us see what fate has in store for you.”

She turned over the first card. It depicted a man and woman standing on either side of the card, with an angel standing behind them. “The Lovers.”

“Does this mean I’m going to find a boyfriend?” Hana said, finding it hard to hide the sarcasm in her voice.

“It could, but that’s not all the Lovers represents. It can represent a choice one must make, finding harmony within oneself and yes, finding love. If we want a more clear vision of what it means, we must turn another card over.” She turned over the second card Hana had put down. It had three women, each holding a cup upwards. “The three of cups. This represents friendship, community and happiness. I think it unlikely that the Lovers card means you will find a significant other.”

Hana refrained from rolling her eyes and the fortune teller turned the third card over. It showed the inside of an old stone, with three stars decorating the wall, each star in a circle. “The three of Pentacles. It represents teamwork, collaboration and building together.”

“So, some sort of group project I’m going to take part in?” Hana asked, thinking over what everything supposedly represented.

“Maybe.” The fortune teller turned the fourth card over. It held a single hand gripping a blade, with a crown over its other end. “The ace of swords. Representative of a breakthrough, clarity and a sharp mind.”

The fortune teller closed her eyes. “Yes. It’s all coming together. I see your future now.” She opened her eyes. “A great decision awaits you, one that you will not make lightly. Two sides will be offered, and which you choose will decide the type of person you are.”

“Which should I choose?” Hana asked, leaning forwards despite herself.

The fortune teller shook her head. “That is not for me to say. Fate is not as solid as people think. Our actions have not been made yet, and they can only be made by ourselves. You will have to make this decision yourself.

“I can, however, give you this advice: the easy path is not always the right path. You must consider your options carefully, because your decision will determine who you really are. Make it in haste and you may end up down a dark path with no light. But if you listen to your inner voice, you can decide for yourself.”

“So one choice will take me down a dark path, while the other will take me up a path of light?”

The lady shook her head. “Not quite. Darkness awaits you no matter what; it is a natural part of life. Even when the sun shines brightest, shadows are cast into the world, just like the moon and stars bring light in the night. We all have our dark parts to us, but it is balanced out by our light. But sometimes we walk down the wrong path, and end up where we can’t see the light.

“But whatever you choose, there is one constant –” she turned over the fifth and final card: a knight on a horse knight carrying a branch. The knight of wands “– adventure awaits you.”

“Adventure? What do you mean? Like, I’ll have to go sword fighting to save a prince? Or I’ll have to go to another dimension to save the world from unknown terrors?”

The medium smiled. “Your imagination sure is wild, isn’t it? Not every adventure need be an epic fantasy. A simple trip across a city can be an adventure for some people.”

She leaned back into her chair. “Regardless, that is all I can tell you. Anything else is too specific for me to see.”

Hana shuffled in her seat. She almost stood up to leave, but sat down again with something on her mind. “Just one question: if someone ends up beyond the reach of the light, can they be brought back?”

The lady smiled. “Of course they can, with outside help, but it’s not an easy task.”

Hana thanked her, and as she got up to leave, the lady handed her the Lovers card. “Please keep it. The card represents you, so hold on to it as a reminder of who you are.” Hana looked at the card as if looking for some meaning in it. She then pocketed it and made to leave, when the fortune teller said one last thing. “Farewell, Hana Hannah Ona,” she said. Hana paused for a few seconds and left, unable to figure out what was bugging her.

Sunset wasn’t happy to find that Hana couldn’t get her fortune and instead got her own, wasting her time. Thankfully, her rant was cut short as she stormed into the tent, though Hana kept herself braced for her return.

The wait took a lot longer than she remembered her own fortune taking. Though to be fair, she wasn’t standing around, looking for something to stare at during her session. Eventually, Sunset emerged from the tent, clearly in a worse mood than before she went in.

“So, what did you get?” Hana asked gingerly.

“Does it matter?” Sunset said, anger in her voice, but undirected and hidden. “It’s like you said. it’s just vague, phony garbage and a waste of our time.”

Hana was surprised by her response, or lack thereof. Sunset then seemed distracted, her eyes focused on something across the street. Two boys were walking lethargically, one holding up the other. One of them looked particularly familiar to her.

“Those two,” Sunset said, “who are they?”

“Devon Air and Alec Trigg,” she said automatically. “Devon’s the one everyone’s talking about from Friday.”

Sunset all but snarled. “He’s up to something. They’re up to something. I know it.”

Hana resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “And what is it that they are up to?”

“I don’t know, but I can feel it. They’re planning something.”

Everyone’s planning something in your mind, Hana thought as she braced herself for the inevitable.

“Watch over them.” Sunset ordered. “Find out what they’re up to, report back to me and, if you can, stop them before they can start.” With her target chosen and orders given, she walked away.

Hana sighed, knowing it would be pointless to argue back. She pulled out her tarot card and thought about the fortune teller’s words. Maybe it wasn’t the right path, but she didn’t have a choice; she had seen far too many face those consequences to take them herself.

She looked up from her card and searched for the boys, who were still in sight. The sun was setting, and the boys were crawling back to their homes. Tomorrow would be a better time to start watching them.

Sunset took one more look back at the two boys. She had been feeling wary of everyone recently, but something about those two made her more wary than usual. That Devon in particular and the “Sunset Curse” ran through her head, though she couldn’t explain why. They were up to something. She didn’t know how, but she knew. She could feel it.

She turned around again and started her journey home, her thoughts wandering to many things. She thought of her plans in the next few days, and how long she had been waiting for it. She thought of the Fall Formal at the end of the week. She thought of everyone who had abandoned her on her long journey to the present, and finally, when she reached her house, she thought of her talk with the fortune teller.

Sunset pulled out her gift. It was a card depicting a woman wrapped in a purple cloth in the middle of a laurel wreath. In the four corners were one animal each; a lion, a bull, an eagle and a cherub. And she held it upside down.

“Everything is reversed. All of their meanings have been flipped on their heads.

“The World arcana. Reversed, it represents seeking personal closure. You have stagnated, haven’t finished what you set out to do, and are considering shortcuts to achieve it.

“The Knight of Pentacles. It represents obsessiveness and work without reward.

“The Nine of Cups. It represents a lack of true joy, smugness and dissatisfaction.

“The Knight of Swords. It shows no direction, a disregard for consequence and unpredictability.

“And finally, the Queen of Wands; selfishness, insecurity and jealousy.

“Looking at these cards, it becomes apparent that your life right now is unhealthy. Your entire world is upside-down. You are dissatisfied with your life, and jealous of others who are happy, despite having less than you. Every action you take attempts to achieve this satisfaction, regardless of consequences or direction. The Knight of Pentacles in particular seems to revolve around you. It shows you’re obsessed with fulfillment, yet despite all of your work, you never find your reward.

“But The World speaks loudest of all. You are empty and incomplete. You’ve spent your whole life trying to fill this void, but nothing has worked and, most importantly, if you continue down this path, you will find nothing but the same.

“If you want to change your fate, if you want to fill the emptiness within yourself, you must turn the cards the right way up again. There are no shortcuts to fulfillment, Sunset Shimmer.”

Everything the fortune teller said had rung a bell deep within her. She hated it. She hated how she described her life, she hated how accurate that description was, and she hated the advice she gave for the future.

The small, unreasonable side of her had listened intently to the fortune teller, and used this opportunity to speak. There has to be another way to fill this emptiness. She stared at the card, looking for an answer. She looked at it, into it, through it and right in front of it. She wanted to turn it the right way round, but couldn’t bring herself to.

No, she thought. This is the only way. She shut the voice out, ripped the card in two and walked into her house. Besides, this world doesn’t have magic. I was silly for thinking that that lady could possibly see the future.

Chapter 7 – Will Power

“I’m sorry,” Alec said, his head bowed slightly while still looking into his teacher’s eyes, “I can’t help set up the Fall Formal. Something’s come up, and I’m going to be busy for the next few days.”

She gave him a soft, warm smile. “Okay, I understand. Thank you for telling me.”

Alec left the classroom and let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “That was hard.”

“I get you,” Devon said, leaning on the wall by the doorway. “It reminds me of when I first talked to you.”

“You were a nervous wreck,” Alec said with a laugh.

“Yeah. You handled that better than I did.” Devon had a wistful smile. “You didn’t have to say you were busy, though. You could have just said you didn’t want to do it.”

“Well, baby steps and all. Besides, it doesn’t have to be a lie.”

Devon gave a big grin. “I’d act surprised, but I’m more so that you ever hesitated in the first place.”

Alec shrugged. “Well, I was in a high of being done with following other people. Once I thought about it clearly, there wasn’t much of a decision. I really want to take down Sunset, and I finally have the powers to do it.”

“Well then, let’s go make the team official. We’ve got a Palace to topple.” Devon pushed himself off the wall and the two started their walk into another world.

Whatever the boys were planning, they weren’t being quiet about it. Granted, Hana had no idea what they meant by powers or palaces, but they could have been more discreet about planning something against Sunset. She could hear Sunset asking why she was complaining, but the complaints subsisted in her head.

Tailing the two was quite simple, the halls being quite empty and giving no-one to cover them. Actually following them was trickier, however, with no-one to cover her either, but thankfully they weren’t looking behind themselves. Not until they reached outside, at least, and walked behind the school. Her heart skipped a few beats the first time they looked back, thinking they had seen her before she could take cover.

Behind the school, they took out their phones and started talking to each other, perhaps going through their evil plans to defile Sunset. Or maybe just talking like most people do. Who knows. Hana tried to listen to their conversation. They mentioned Sunset, Canterlot, and a kingdom? She shook her head; concentrating from this far made her feel lightheaded.

Then everything suddenly went berserk. The entire school transformed before her eyes, turning into a castle. She saw stone where there should have been brick and towers reaching to the sky, donning symbols of the sun where equestrian statues should have decorated the roof.

At first she thought it might have been a dream, but dismissed it with a few looks at her hand looking completely normal. She then thought it was a hallucination, but dismissed it just as easily, not able to think of anything that could have caused such an illusion.

Distracted by her new apparent location, Hana barely noticed three shadows dash past her and towards what would be the school entrance. She didn’t know who they were or where Alec and Devon had gone, but she figured that the castle was important to both answers. Around the front, it was more than the school that had changed. Wooden houses were scattered across the landscape, rather than those made of concrete that she remembered. The clouds looked lightest above them, as opposed to the dark purple that hung over the castle.

The school statue had also been replaced, by a mirror, of all things. Upon a closer look, it might have doubled as a door, but either way it was currently locked, thick rusted chains adorning it.

She shook her head. None of it was relevant, or answering anything. She headed inside the castle and couldn’t figure out if it was trying to be a castle or a school. Aside from all the cosmetic differences, the halls were just like that of Canterlot High, or at least as far as she could remember. There were also knights throughout the halls, their armours sparkling like gems; amber, ruby and emerald, but they paid her no attention.

Without realising it, habit took over and Hana wandered the halls as she would through Canterlot High. One turn later and she was at where her locker would be, and where she normally met Sunset at the beginning and end of the day. She wasn’t entirely sure if the locker was hers in this place, but if it was, it was very telling of who owned the giant locker – almost its own door – next to it; the person with fiery hair in front of her, facing it.

“Sunset? What are you doing here?”

She turned around. “Hana? You’re here!” Hana froze at the sight of her. Ignoring the sudden change in outfit (which blended in with her surroundings, looking like the armour of a Queen) and putting her callous, echoed voice aside, Sunset’s eyes threw her off. She had seen those eyes before, albeit rarely. They were the eyes she wore when she thought no-one was looking, not even Hana. She wondered how often those eyes decorated her face when she was alone, and wondered why they were permanently on her now.

“Here?” she managed to get out. “Where is ‘here’? What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?” Sunset chuckled. “This is my Palace! The place where I rule over! That’s what I’m doing here!”

“What do you mean your Palace? I thought the school was supposed to be here!”

“Oh Hana. This is the school. The little corner of Canterlot I can conduct as I wish with an iron fist.” She made a fist with her hand as if to prove a point. “And soon I’ll expand it to the world and beyond.”

“The world and beyond?” Hana asked, bemused. “How?”

“That’s my little secret. Just a little thing I’ll finally be able to get this week.” Hana immediately thought of her comment the day before. “This is an important week for me.”

Sunset continued. “First, I need to make sure I’ll have no interruptions. Then I’ll find out who will fight me –” she turned to face Hana “– and who will fight for me.” She extended her hand. “Fight for me, Hana. Pledge fealty to me, and I’ll let you rule over the school, no, over Canterlot, while I go on for far more!”

Hana struggled to answer. There was too much running through her head. How badly would Sunset react if she said no? How badly would she react if she said yes? How long did she have to answer before Sunset lost her temper? It was all interrupted by the arrival of a knight with silver armour. “My Queen,” he said, kneeling with his head bowed, “we have the intruders.”

“Excellent,” Sunset said. She turned to Hana. “Shall we go deal with them?”

She felt as though she wore a leash again; it tugged at her neck as Sunset followed the knight to the “intruders.” As she was pulled along, she wondered who they could be. Her mind immediately jumped to Devon and Alec. Had they come to this place and brought her with them?

As her mind wandered, she wasn’t paying attention to where they were going; her eyes only followed the back of Sunset’s boots. She almost bumped into her when they came to a standstill.

She was half surprised to see the two boys in front of her, standing limped but firm and surrounded by a troop of knights. All of their armour gleamed like gems again, the silver messenger being the odd one out. She almost didn’t recognise the boys; they both wore costumes complete with masks. Whatever they were up to apparently required dressing up like shadows with how they blended in with them, but their hair and skin pointed them out. Perhaps if she weren’t looking specifically for them, she wouldn’t have noticed.

There was also a third person with the boys, though she couldn’t see him, only hear him call out to her. “You there! Help us!” She didn’t recognise his voice.

Sunset laughed. “I asked you to look into what they were doing, and here they are. They mean to take me down, to topple me from my Palace.”

“Don’t bother,” Alec said. “She works for Sunset.”

“Now that we know what they’re doing, I think it’s fair to deal with them, don’t you?” Sunset raised her hand, and the knights all raised their swords in turn.

Hana couldn’t see the boys’ expressions under their masks, though Alec stared at the two girls and Devon shrank under the raised hand. Sunset paused, as if reading her thoughts. “I have a better idea.” She lowered her hand, but the knights kept their swords raised. “You do it. Give the order, and my knights will cut them down.”

Hana whipped her head to look at Sunset. “I-I can’t do that,” she stuttered. “I can’t kill someone!”

“Then I’ll make this easy for you,” Sunset said. She snapped her fingers, and the silver knight drew his sword out and raised it towards Hana. “If you do it, I’ll give you a simple life. Give the order and pledge fealty to me, and I’ll give you anything you want. Refuse, and you’ll join them. Your choice.”

A pit formed in Hana’s stomach. She felt the leash tighten, and iron bars surround her. She couldn’t do it, but she couldn’t bring herself to refuse either. The fortune teller’s words echoed through her head. The easy path is not always the right path . . . if you listen to your inner voice, you can decide for yourself. It was not the fortune teller’s voice that ran through her head.

“My inner voice,” Hana mumbled. She had no idea how to listen to it, but she tried anyway. She cleared her mind, stopped thinking, and listened for a voice in her head.

You know the right choice, it said, confident and arrogant. You always have. Why have you never taken it?

She swallowed. “Because I was afraid of adversity,” she said under her breath. “I feared the life so many others lived that I kept to the one I didn’t want.”

And what about now? the voice asked. Are you still afraid? What do you have to answer now?

Hana didn’t need to answer. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest, her knees buckling underneath her, and her hands shaking in front of her. But... “No,” she said out loud. “I can’t do this. I can’t do this to someone else. I can’t keep doing this to other people. I should have never done this to anyone!”

Sunset frowned. “So be it, then,” she said as she raised her hand above her head.

It’s about time. Let us form a contract.

Hana’s entire head froze, clenching in agony. She held it in her hands with her eyes shut. Her cries ran through clenched teeth, her body quivered, and yet she stood her ground through it all.

I am thou, thou art I…

Sunset stepped back, her eyes wide and her mouth open. “No! Not you too!” she cried.

Thou art willing to walk the path of justice despite all hardship thy will encounter.

She threw her hand down, and shouted “Execute them, now!”

Step forth unto thy own path and never turn back!

Hana felt like she was boiling inside, but she felt the air around her become as cold as ice, lightly touching her skin, but never cooling the pain. It all disappeared when a mask appeared on her face, its aqua trim seeming to glow against the navy blue colour, and a single point extended straight up like a small horn.

When she opened her eyes, the silver guard’s sword was inches from her face, but still in the air. She took a step back and looked at Sunset, who seemed afraid of the mask. All the guards were frozen in place, like statues. She smiled, grabbed her mask by the horn, shouted, “come, Ame-no-Uzume!” and pulled it off with all her might. Blood spewed out into the air and turned to blue flame, dripping down and engulfing her, reaching outward and enveloping her, all in an instant. The flames faded, leaving Hana with two fans; some new attire (a collared tunic and trousers, both navy blue with aqua trim on the tunic); and a lady floating behind her, chains linking their wrists together.

Ame-no-Uzume also wielded two fans. Her face was covered by another, and a fourth covered her torso and chest. Her hair looped around her arms and hung down to her legs, and a sheet wrapped around both of her arms hung below even them. She was decorated with purple circles (two in each case; one within the other) around her body and on her fans.

She stepped towards Devon, Alec, and the guards surrounding them, still all frozen. She smiled and reached deeply into the Power of Bufu. It ran through her and into Ame-no-Uzume, sending chills through her as it did. The two crossed their hands in unison, a giant shard of ice formed above the boys, jagged and oddly shaped, and with one motion, she and her Persona spread their arms and the ice exploded, its shards hitting every guard around them (the guys took cover, though none came close to hitting them). The guards all stumbled as they were peltered with ice, those in ruby collapsing, and one by one, they all turned to dust until the only one left standing was the silver guard behind her, still frozen in place.

Gingerly, Alec and Devon looked up, and slowly stood as they looked around. The room was empty, except for them. Sunset was gone, nowhere in sight. They then fixed their gazes on Hana, though she couldn’t see their expressions. The third she couldn’t see then said, “Come on, we’ve got to get out of here!” and the two nodded in response. They turned around and, after one step, crumpled to the floor and groaned in pain.

Before she knew what she was doing,she reached out again, this time to the Power of Dia, and channeled it into her Persona. It didn’t touch her, rather it seemed to leak out through the chains as if it was already in her. She then extended her arms and sent it to the group, enveloping them in a cyan light. When the light faded, the two stood much more easily, and checked themselves, clearly surprised even with their faces covered.

“How did you–” the third boy started, but Hana interrupted him when her Persona vanished, her mask reappeared, and she fell to the floor. She didn’t realise how tired she was, nor recall when it had taken over her.

A cat rushed to her side on two legs, and tried to pick her up, to no avail. She was surprised when it then turned to Alec and Devon and said, in the third boy’s voice, “Aren’t you going to help? She saved our lives!”

Devon sighed and picked her up, wrapping her arm around him, but keeping silent and never looking at her. It reminded her of the night before, when Devon held Alec similarly. Then she thought of Friday and Devon’s collapse in class. Did this really all start that short a time ago?

He looked over to Alec as if expecting him to help, but he never did, instead keeping his distance and glaring at her. “How did she get in here?” he asked as if she wasn’t in the room.

“She probably followed you guys,” the cat said. “By accident or on purpose, it’s the only way she could have as far as I know.”

“But she wasn’t anywhere close to us when we came in. How could she have followed us through the door? I thought you needed the three keywords to find it.” Keywords. Alec’s question made Hana’s mind slip back to earlier when she was watching the boys.

“The door’s just a simple explanation of what happens,” the cat said as it shook its head. “As long as she got those keywords, she could get in along with you.” Sunset Shimmer, Canterlot, Kingdom. And then everything had gone berserk.

Before anyone could say more, their attention was caught by snapping and cracking from one side of the room. The silver knight was slowly moving, breaking out of its frozen prison. They took that as their sign to stop talking and start moving. Alec went scouting ahead, while Devon and the cat – mostly Devon – carried her along.

On the way out, she asked about the place they were in and what Sunset had to do with any of it. The cat – Fahran, he called himself – initially refused, saying it would be best to explain when she was in better shape, but she insisted. If they were to take their time leaving the castle, she may as well use the time to learn, rather than being given a lecture another time.

It was a little complicated, but despite her weariness, she followed as Fahran explained to her Palaces and Shadows, both the guards and Sunset herself, or at least the version of her she met in this place. He explained the Metaverse, and the effect of people’s desires on it, particularly in this case with such a big example. It was then that it clicked.

“And you’re trying to steal them,” she said. “If you take her desires away, this place disappears, and she returns to being a good person. That’s what you’re doing here!”

Fahran was quiet for a moment. “Yeah, that’s pretty much it,” he eventually said.

Eventually they found the exit, or at least what they considered to be one. Hana didn’t enjoy climbing out of the window, even with reluctant help from the others. They followed her out more quickly and soon they were all outside, catching their breaths. She couldn’t help but look at Devon; he was shifting around uncomfortably, and she still hadn’t heard a sound out of him since she first saw him.

“Don’t mind Devon. He’s just a bit shy,” Fahran said. Devon muttered a reply to himself, the first sound she heard out of him.

“Not what I’d expect from someone who’s actually standing up to Sunset,” Hana replied.

“It’s better than someone who’s all talk but no action. Besides, I think silence is quite fitting for a thief.” Fahran looked her in the eye. “Do you want to join us?”

She nodded, but Alec shook his head, and said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. After everything she’s done...”

“I don’t care about what she has done,” Fahran interrupted. “I care about what she will do.”

Alec stared at Fahran, and then looked to Devon. “How about you? Do you think it’s a good idea to work with her?”

Hana waited for the inevitable “no,” or at least a shake of the head, but as the seconds ticked by, Devon looked more conflicted, and his answer became more clear to all four of them. He nodded, and Alec tensed up.

“I’m not asking you to forgive her or be friends with her after this,” Fahran said. “I’m just you to let her work with us.”

Hana could see the second Alec stopped resisting and gave in, letting out a sigh. “Okay. But I’m not helping her walk in the real world.” Devon shook his head in agreement.

“That’s fine,” she said. “I can make my way by myself. I’ll figure something out. So when are we next doing this?”

The other three agreed to continue the next day, and Devon helped her up one more time, helping her walk until they reached a blue, ethereal door. He let her walk through on her own strength, and the Kingdom faded away, only to be replaced with the dullness of reality.

She didn’t see when or where Alec and Devon came through, only that they did. “See you tomorrow,” Alec said, though she wasn’t sure if it was aimed at just Devon or both him and her. Devon walked in the opposite direction, and looked over his shoulder at her for a small bit. She couldn’t read his expression, and soon he looked forward again.

Chapter 8 – The Lovers

Hana wasn’t looking forward to breaking up with Sunset. She couldn’t stay her lackey any more and had no intention of putting it off, but the thought still left an unpleasant pit in her stomach. By luck, she missed Sunset at the start of the day, and couldn’t find her before the first lesson started. She bore no fruit during break, and started wondering where she was during lunch, but finally their paths crossed at the end of the day.

Sunset opened her locker, not seeming to notice Hana besides her. Hana took a deep breath, closed her own locker and started with a simple hello. Sunset gave no reply, as if she hadn’t heard her. It was only then Hana noticed the reserved anger on her face. She called her again.

“I have nothing to say to you,” Sunset said right in her face. Hana was left stunned with a sickly buzz in her chest as Sunset slammed her locker and walked away.

She quickly gathered herself – though the buzzing didn’t quell – and made her way to behind the school, where Alec and Devon waited for her. “Oh good. You’re here,” Alec said, his voice deadpan.

“Sunset had nothing to say to me,” she said. “It’s like she knew what I had done somehow.”

“Oh well,” he said, uninterested. “She’ll probably take revenge on you, so watch out for that or whatever.”

She sighed. “I know you don’t care about me, but you should care about yourselves at least. Sunset’s suspicious of you two, and the way she is now, she’ll likely do something just to make an example of you.”

“Great,” she heard him mumble. “In that case, the sooner we get this done, the better.” He and Devon huddled together, though they kept a slight distance from Hana, and the latter took his phone out.

“So, how do we get there?” she asked.

“An app,” Alec said without looking up. “You’ll have it too, after yesterday. You’ll know it when you see it.” She checked. There was no missing the new app on her phone; a red and black eye like she had never seen before. “Then you just need a name, place and ‘distortion’ as Fahran called it.”

She thought back to the previous day when she had eavesdropped on the boys. “Sunset Shimmer, Canterlot, Kingdom.”

“Candidate not found,” a mechanical voice said. Hana looked over to a confused Devon, and Alec repeated what she said.

“Candidate not found.”

“Maybe yours isn’t working. Let me try mine.” Alec opened his own phone and recited the words again, only to elicit the same response. “Why’s it not working?”

Hana shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s not here?”

He scoffed at her suggestion. “How can she not be here? Did she go for a roadtrip to another country? Did she take a holiday on another planet? Did she have errands to run in an alternate world?” He sighed. “Shouldn’t you know what she’s up to?”

“She never told me what her plans were. I only gave her information. What she did was none of my business.” And quite thankfully too. She didn’t know if she could have forgiven herself had she had an active role in many of Sunset’s revenge plots. She wasn’t sure how long it would take as it was.

Alec bored into her with his gaze before rolling his eyes. “Whatever’s going on, it seems like we won’t be able to go in today, making all of this a waste.”

“Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” Hana said. She turned around and made her way to the front of the school, not really sure where to go. The boys were quick to start talking behind her, sounding like they were arguing about something, but it was none of her business. Or at least she thought it wasn’t, until a hand on her shoulder caused her to turn around and see the two had caught up with her.

Alec looked slightly out of breath with a reddened face. “Devon wants to hang out with you,” he said reluctantly. “Just you and him.”

Hana looked behind him; Devon was standing not far away, looking at her and then quickly moving his gaze to the floor. “Why?” she asked.

Alec looked back at Devon, silent for a moment, before speaking. “Anyway, he’s invited you to have some coffee.”

She thought for a moment. “Okay, but if it’s just me and him in the café, people are going to think we’re dating, and none of us want those rumours.”

“Whoever said you were going to a café? We have a barista right here.” He motioned to Devon, who gave a small wave.

They never even left the school. Alec and Devon took Hana back inside to a seemingly random room she otherwise wouldn’t have thought much about. At first glance, it was only equipped to house two people, with one table, two chairs, and some random stored items, but the room and table were big enough to house more with the addition of a few more seats.

“This place has many unused rooms. This is just one we use sometimes,” Alec explained when she asked how they knew about it. She resisted asking if they had any permission to use it before he left the two to themselves.

She thought the coffee would be simple; something bought from the store made in a machine with a button for them to have while they talked. She did not expect Devon to open the cupboard doors and find about thirty different types of coffee beans, gather what she thought were just unused cafeteria items, and start using them.

With that said, she didn’t mind sitting back and watching him go. She was surprisingly content to just watch him make coffee in such a professional way. Unfortunately, as Devon kept quiet, there wasn’t much to do other than watch the kettle boil or the clock tick. He looked back at her a few times like he wanted to say something, but always returned to his work. Eventually he came over with two mugs filled to the brim with coffee, somehow managing not to spill a drop from either. Hana could see the heat coming out of hers, but nonetheless took a cautious sip from it.

She had had coffee before quite a few times at the local coffee shop, though not on a regular basis. In comparison to Devon’s mixture, everything they served was cardboard, stale and stone cold. She almost spat it out in shock, but managed to keep all of it and its exploding flavours dancing on her tongue. “How did you learn to make this?” she asked after swallowing.

Devon shifted uncomfortably, looking around the room as if to find someone else to answer. She waited him out, however, and with no-one but him and her, he was eventually forced to answer. He had to repeat himself a few times, mumbling every time, before finally managing to say, “I was taught.”

She let out a small smile at his response. She tried to coax more out of him. “When? Where? By who?”

He muttered something, cleared his throat, and said, “a few years ago, my mother took me to a café called LeCheval to have my first, proper coffee, and not the… what she had given me before.”

Hana blinked. She was surprised he managed to say so much. “LeCheval. I can’t say I’ve heard of it.”

He nodded. “It’s a small café, but it’s homely. Comfortable. The people who go there are mainly older folk. And the man who runs it knows his craft. It was the most exquisite coffee I’ve ever had, at least until the next cup he made me. Everytime.” He grew a small smile as he reminisced. “I forgot myself and asked him straight up to teach me how to make it, and I don’t know why, but he accepted. I started working there part-time, and he taught me his tricks in turn.”

“Oh? So you’ve served coffee to people?”

He shook his head. “He said if I ever served a brew that wasn’t as good as his, I’d be fired on the spot and never hired again, so I never got around to it.” Hana wondered if it was just a self confidence issue, or... she looked down at her cup, wondering how good this barista’s coffee must be in comparison.

Devon was looking uncomfortable again, but not from talking. It was like he was trying to avoid a bad memory. “So what happened?” she asked carefully.

He only had to say one word to explain everything. “Sunset.” Vague memories came back to Hana of a small coffee shop with high standards, good coffee turned sour, and a finger pointed at the wrong person. She wondered how many other memories like that she made herself forget. “What did you do?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe she was mad at Alec, maybe she just saw me as an easy target, I haven’t the slightest clue.”

Hana sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry.” It was a bad habit she had, but that was no excuse for saying it. “And that’s why you’re so shy?”

Devon shook his head with a small smile. “I’ve always been like this. She just took away something I really liked from me. Forever."

“Did she do anything to Alec?”

He shook his head again and said nothing. Hana tried to think of something else to say, to change the topic. In the silence, she noticed that he was fidgeting. He was twiddling his thumbs, slightly shifting his body, and his eyes kept going back and forth between looking at and away from her. “What is it?”

He collected himself, though he still couldn’t decide where to look. “I mean… apart from the barista, my mother and Alec, you’re the first I’ve served coffee to, and I just wanted to know...”

Hana smiled. “It’s delicious,” she said, and he returned one of his own, no longer looking away from her. She let out a relaxed sigh. Much of the initial awkwardness was gone, though they still clearly had some things to air out. She endeavoured to get him talking more in the hopes of getting more results. “So what else did he teach you?” Devon looked directly at her in response, a twinkle in his eye.

Alec wandered the halls, trying not to think about Devon and Hana. He had no doubt he would start talking to her, and a small part of Alec admitted it would be best for the job, but he still didn’t trust her. He couldn’t trust someone who had been Sunset’s lackey. Not after what she did to Devon.

He shook his head and tried to distract himself by thinking of how to pass the time. Again. It was a small wonder he kept walking down the same halls while thinking the same things when he had no idea what he could do by himself.

It was also a small wonder that he bumped into someone with how little focus he had of where he was going. The sounds of crashing and scattering accompanied his trip to the ground, and he opened his eyes to see he was surrounded by streamers and unblown balloons.

“Oh my gosh! I’m sorry!” he heard a voice and a mass of pink appeared in front of him; he couldn’t decide which had come first. “I was carrying all these decorations and was in my own world, thinking about another world where you could change meanies into goodies, and *boom!* I crashed into you! Although it wasn’t really a *boom!*, but a *crash!* would have been redundant!”

Alec was dumbfounded. Her tirade (half of which he couldn’t even comprehend, and the other half sounded like a child) had confounded him, but even the sight of her alone overwhelmed him. She was pink. Alarmingly pink. Her hair, her body, and too much of her clothing were pink, though thankfully her top was white to break it up with blue shoulders to match her eyes.

Her introduction took a moment to digest. “It’s okay, I was in my own world too,” he eventually said, though I don’t think in the same way you were, he thought to himself.

The girl blinked and her entire demeanor changed from concern to the most happiness he had ever seen in one person. “Oh, good! I’m Pinkie Pie! What’s your name?”

Too much pink. “I’m Alec.”

She gasped as if taking in all the air in the room. “Alec? As in Alec Trigg?” He nodded cautiously, getting the feeling that he would regret it. By the look in her smile, he was right to be so. “Your teacher told me you’d be helping set up the Fall Formal! But then she said you were busy.” If Pinkie was bothered by that fact, she didn’t show it. “But wait! You don’t look busy. You look like me when you’re wandering the halls, waiting to crash into someone to do something with!”

Alec rubbed the back of his head. “Well, I was supposed to be, but it kind of got pushed to tomorrow.” He hoped it was tomorrow.

“Oh! So you’re free?” she seemed to look happier, if it was possible. “Then will you pretty please help me?”

He tried to say no, but it stuck itself in his throat. The look on her face – happy, expectant, and almost pleading – struck him deep in his core. He tried to resist, tried to come up with an excuse, but it was futile. Something about her eyes kept him truthful. There was no other way out of it; he had to tell her outright. Somehow, he had to say no.

Hana never gave much thought to how many types of coffee there were, or if there were any beyond whatever it was they served in stores . Turns out there were 30, something she was having a hard time believing despite now knowing them all. Though to be fair, she might have actually been having a hard time believing Devon was capable of talking this much.

“... they call it a mocha because the beans are exported from the port city “Mocha” in the Republic of Yem-Yem,” he went on, until he eventually stopped and stared at her. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

She laughed. “I’m sorry, I just didn’t think you had this much talk in you.” He backed down, abashed. She waved his concerns away. “Honestly, I don’t mind. It’s far better than the alternative. If it makes you feel any better, ask me any question. I’ll answer.”

Devon looked up at her, worry in his eyes. He took a deep breath and asked, “why did you stay with Sunset?”

Hana let out a breath of her own. He wasn’t pulling any punches. “Well, it all started when she joined my friend group. She wasn’t always like this, you know. She used to be kind and fun to be around. You remember she won that first Fall Formal completely legitimately? But something got in her and she started acting out every now and then.” She let out a small laugh. “That must have been her Palace developing, or taking effect, or whatever.

“Some of the group were quick to leave, not putting up with any of her behaviour. They were the smart ones. They were also the first victims; the first ‘traitors,’ as she called them. She made it very clear very fast that we were either with her or against her, and it would be best to be with. After that, it became a game. How much each of us was willing to put up with before it would be better to endure the punishment. And I lost.”

Devon looked sad as he looked at her. “You were scared,” he said.

She slowly nodded. “I hope so, because I’m far more scared that there was a worse reason. One I would find much harder to forgive.

“Anyway, let’s not let Sunset drag this conversation,” she said, punctuating her words by slapping the table. “Let’s forget about her and have some fun drinking coffee.” She raised her cup, and Devon did the same. They gestured to each other and took a sip from the still hot, delicious coffee.

Somehow, Alec had to learn to say no. How, he had no idea, but he had to find some way. He won’t always be able to rely on excuses, as evidenced by his helping with the setting up of the Fall Formal party.

Speaking of which, it was no wonder he was asked to help; Pinkie was the only other person working on it. There was a brother and sister – from the farm, if their accents were anything to go by – who brought more supplies to them every now and then, but they never stuck around for more than simple chatter, the brother even less so.

Pinkie didn’t seem to mind that she’d be doing it alone without him. She seemed happy enough that he was here for now, even though he insisted he definitely wouldn’t be there tomorrow. Still, as they spent their time decorating the room, although her mood never deflated, she seemed to be expecting something more and more.

“That’s odd,” she eventually said. “Sunset hasn’t come yet.”

Fear jumped through Alec’s body. “Sunset’s coming?”

“She usually does,” the farm girl said, putting down a box of supplies on a table and leaning against it. “She likes to come in and tell us what we’re doing wrong, like she’s some sort of Queen.” Alec couldn’t help but smirk a little. “But she should have been here by now.”

“Yeah, well she’s not around today,” he said. He regretted it as soon as he realised what he said.

“Really? Where? Why? How do you know that?” Pinkie asked, suddenly close to him. The farm girl was looking at him too, the same questions undoubtedly on her mind.

“I don’t know. I just… a hunch?” he gave a smile, hoping she would buy it.

Pinkie stared suspiciously at him for a few seconds longer before she perked up. “Good enough.” The farm girl didn’t seem as accepting of his answer, but said nothing. He decided the best option was to knuckle down until they were finished and he could go.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long. Apparently Pinkie had accommodated for no-one helping her up until this point, and had even prepared in case no-one could help her tomorrow. Nonetheless, she asked him to help one more time and he insisted he would definitely be too busy, though he ended up agreeing to “consider helping again” if he found himself free. He couldn’t tell if she was joking or not when she said she’d keep an eye out for him in case he was, or when she said she’d make no promises about not crashing into him if she found him.

Alec sighed at the thought. He soon found himself at the coffee room he left Devon and Hana in, and when he opened the door he was greeted with the sight of Devon shaking, his face red and bearing a smile that split it in two, and letting out small squeaks. He couldn’t see Hana’s face; she had her back to him, but also her face was buried in her hands and seemingly trying to dig itself deeper into them. He heard Devon say, “that didn’t happen,” between his giggles, and Hana replied with a muffled, “I wish it didn’t.

“You two seem to be getting along,” Alec said, not sure how to feel about it. He was happy to finally see Devon finally talking to someone else; he just wished it wasn’t Hana.

“It’s a start,” Devon said quietly, his giggles calming down. “What have you been up to?”

Alec sighed. “Doing exactly what I’ve been trying not to do –” he moved a chair to the table and collapsed into it “– setting up the Fall Formal. If we can’t enter Sunset’s Palace again tomorrow, we need to stay away from school. I can’t be caught here again.”

“But what about all my gym homework?” Devon asked. “Won’t you help me do that in the gym afterschool?” Alec rolled his eyes, a small smile on his face.

“I’m sure it’ll work out,” Hana said. “Did Sunset come by, tell you everything was wrong and order you to fix it?” Alec shook his head. “Then she’s gone for sure, though who knows where. But there’s no way she’ll miss the Fall Formal, and there’s no way she’ll have it looking how someone else wants it. She’ll be back tomorrow to tell them how to finish it.”

“Well,” Hana said, standing up and stretching, “I guess the best thing to do is go our separate ways until tomorrow. Same time?” Alec gave a reluctant nod and she left.

“You guys seemed to be getting along,” Alec said once he was sure she couldn’t hear them.

Devon nodded. “She’s nice.”

“She’s Sunset’s lackey,” Alec tried to warn him, but he was quickly interrupted.

“She was Sunset’s lackey. Big difference.”

“She was Sunset’s lackey until literally yesterday. I don’t see the difference.”

Devon smiled. “I think you’ll see it tomorrow.”

Author's Note

I am thou, thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Lovers Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power...

Chapter 9 – Navigation

“Sunset Shimmer.”

“Candidate found.”

“Canterlot.”

“Candidate found.”

“Kingdom.”

“Beginning navigation.”

Hana felt an itch of dizziness in the back of her head, and looked up from her phone to see the still unfamiliar castle in place of the school. She brought her hand up to her face, and her fingers ran across her mask. Her power, her Persona. She sighed in relief knowing they were all still there.

She made her way to the front of the castle where Alec, Devon and Fahran were waiting for her. Well, Devon and Fahran were; Alec looked like he wanted to go five minutes ago. Something about the area was off. It itched at the back of her mind, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. Instead, she ignored it to talk to the team. “It’s good to see this place is up and running.”

“What happened yesterday?” Alec asked.

Farhan looked confused. “I don’t know. The place was shut off, like a carnival at midnight. It was still here, but closed to everyone outside, and everything inside had just stopped; even I couldn’t move around.” He sighed. “Hana, has there been anything odd about Sunset recently? Any odd behaviours or actions?”

“Not much,” Hana said. “She’s been getting more impatient recently; she’s been going on about how this is an important week for her, so she’s been itching to make sure no-one interrupts it. It’s probably just the Fall Formal, but she’s been more so than the previous years.” She gasped as she remembered something that had been bugging her. “She seems to have some idea of what’s going on here. On Monday, she immediately knew Devon and Alec were up to something when she saw them, and then yesterday she somehow knew I betrayed her.”

“That makes sense,” Devon quietly chipped in. “This place is her cognition, so if you betrayed her here, she probably sensed it in the real world.”

Fahran shook his head. “No, that shouldn’t happen. This world represents the side you try to hide from others, even yourself, so whatever we do over here shouldn’t register in the real world. Unless...” Realisation hit, and he buried his face in his paws. “I’m an idiot. You’ve been using your real names here. I should have realised that would have an effect.”

“Nothing we can do about it now,” Devon said, “but we should use code names from here on out.”

“This guy knows what he's talking about!” Fahran said proudly. “I’ll be fine, but you guys will need some alternate identities.”

“Alright,” Alec nodded. “Devon, you were the first Phantom Thief; we’ll do you first.” He stared at him, taking in his mask and costume. “Talon.”

“No.”

“Pegasus.”

“No.”

“Avian.”

“No.”

“Bird.”

“Do you have any names not related to birds?” Devon asked, holding the side of his mask.

“No,” Alec said with a wry smile.

Hana snorted with laughter. “How about Gale?” she suggested.

“A strong wind?” Devon thought it over for a minute. “A simple meaning, but I kind of like it. It’s certainly better than anything birdbrain here has to suggest.”

“You’re going with her over me?” Alec asked.

“Over anything you’ve suggested? Yes. Anyway” – the newly dubbed Gale clapped his hands – “you’re next.”

Alec sighed. “Alright, what have you got?”

Gale took his time thinking, looking over him and his costume. “How about Brawn?”

“Who will be Brains?” Alec asked.

Gale chuckled. “Well, I’m not going to choose for you, but they will go well together.”

“No. I’m not going to be Brawn and you’re certainly not going to be Brains.”

“Just because you’re not Brawn, doesn’t mean I’m not Brains.”

“You already have a code name!” Alec yelled. Hana couldn’t help but giggle at the two.

“Okay, how about Ohm?” Gale asked.

Alec straightened and puffed out his chest. “Ohm. Electrical resistance. And with my electric powers, I shall resist the tyranny of Sunset, and indeed all in the world that wishes to push me around!”

“That was supposed to annoy you, not inspire you,” Gale muttered.

“Too bad. I like it,” Ohm said with a smirk.

“I guess that just leaves you,” Fahran said to Hana. Gale and Ohm looked at her in silence. She wasn’t even sure if they were thinking of a name for her, or if they were waiting for her to say one instead.

“How about Unicorn?” Ohm finally said.

“It’s a bit uncreative, isn’t it?” Hana asked. Ohm looked annoyed at her response.

“What about Aqua?” Gale suggested.

“My power’s ice, not water. It’s a little better, but–”

“Aqua it is,” Ohm said, interrupting her. “Come on, let’s move.”

“Move where?” Fahran asked. “We don’t even know what the game plan is.”

“The game plan is we get in there, find the key and then steal the treasure,” Ohm answered impatiently.

“Dude, if we’re going to do this soon, we need to do better than that,” Gale said. “That was basically our strategy yesterday, if you remember.”

“Can someone please fill me in on what we’re doing exactly? What’s this about a key?” Aqua asked.

Fahran answered. “Basically, there’s this giant door that holds all of Sunset’s desires behind it and we need to get in there, but we need a key first.”

She nodded, remembering her meeting with Sunset’s Shadow where their lockers should have been, and the giant door that replaced Sunset’s. “Are you sure her desires are behind it?”

“Absolutely,” Fahran said. “I’ve combed the entire castle myself multiple times, and it’s the only place I haven’t searched. And it’s definitely in this castle, that much I’m certain.”

“But you never found the key,” she said, “which means it can’t be in the school. It must be somewhere outside the castle.”

Fahran shook his head. “No, it has to be somewhere important to her; somewhere she has control. It can’t just be in some random house or some shop she likes, and this castle is the only place like that.”

“Actually, no it isn’t,” she smiled. “There’s one more place that fits the bill: her house.”

Her words hung in the air before they struck the trio. Fahran gave a silent groan, and even Alec couldn’t help but want to slap himself. “Do you know where it is?” Gale asked.

“Of course I do. I used to be her friend.”

Aqua led the group deeper into the Kingdom. The deeper they walked, the more Gale could see the two sides of Canterlot in Sunset’s Kingdom; the village half and the city half.

The city half, much like in the real world, had many buildings stacked together, in contrast with the fewer, more spread out suburbs. Its buildings, at least as far as Gale could see, were also tall with multiple floors, though they never pierced the skies like they did in the real world, and had roofs made of tiles and stone slabs, compared to the single floored houses in the outskirts with thatch and wooden shingles. The village houses were also composed of mainly wooden walls, though a few made of stone were scattered about, but even they didn’t compare to the city houses and their orderly laid bricks.

Gale was surprised when she turned into the suburbs rather than the city center, taking them to the more roughly built houses. For some, the words ‘hut’ or ‘shack’ may have been more apt descriptions. It wasn’t long until she stopped at a house Gale could describe as a stable in the condition it was in.

“Here we are,” she said. “Casa la Sunset.”

“I wasn’t expecting… I mean, I thought she’d live…” Gale couldn’t finish his sentence.

“Yeah, this doesn’t seem like the kind of place Sunset would live,” Ohm said, staring at her.

“Well, it doesn’t look like this in the real world.” She walked to the door, jiggled the handle with little success and let go with a click of her tongue.

“Locked, is it? Or is it just not her house?” Ohm continued to glare at her.

“Don’t worry, I can get the spare key.” She took a potted plant on the side, threw it to the ground with a satisfying smash, and crouched down carefully, sifting through the dirt and broken pottery.

“Sunset seems a bit too suspicious to leave a spare key where anyone else would,” Ohm said. “What if someone found it and used it to destroy her house?”

If she was aware of his gaze, she didn’t show it. “I don’t think anyone else even knows she lives here. She didn’t even mean for me to find out, and gave me quite the scolding afterwards. I promised I would immediately forget, let alone tell anyone about it.” She stood up with a key in her hand, dusting soil off it. “So much for keeping promises,” Gale heard her mutter. She put the key in and unlocked the door with a click, but before she could open it, Fahran spoke up.

“Wait, are you guys ready? We have no idea what could be in there. It’s unexplored territory.”

“The only way we could be more ready is if we knew what was in there,” Gale said. “And we haven’t done anything since we got to the Kingdom. If ever there’s a time, it’s now.

Ohm nodded. “There’s no way to prepare for whatever abomination’s in there other than to come here first thing. Let’s go.”

As it turns out, they weren’t ready, though Gale wasn’t sure how they could have been for the sight that beheld them behind the doors. There was a stereo system, a TV with a DVD player and console, books and guitars lining the walls, and a bunk bed with a computer underneath. It all took place in a large, single room, with another door on the side presumably for the bathroom.

“It’s… a house,” Gale said, not believing the sight before his eyes.

“It’s normal,” Ohm said. “It’s too normal. This can’t be Sunset’s house; it’s a home.”

“It doesn’t look anything like her distortion in here,” Gale admitted. “Why does she see this place like this?”

“Perhaps this is just exactly how she sees it; nothing more, nothing less,” Fahran said. “All of her ambitions, manipulation and deceptions, they’re not in here. In here, she gets to relax. In here, she gets to be normal.”

“No wonder she wants to keep it a secret from everyone,” Aqua mumbled.

“So if this is Sunset’s house, where’s the key?” Ohm asked.

“Where would you put a note with your locker combination?” she asked. “In the bin, probably, once you didn’t need it anymore, but ignoring that.” She walked to the computer under the bed. Ohm and Fahran split up, and Gale decided to follow her. When he reached her, she was searching through notes on the wall board.

He opened a cabinet drawer; the bottom of two in the desk. He rummaged through it, finding nothing but random paper, none of them even having eligible writing. He opened the second one. Immediately on top was a large white key with three segments, each one holding a number.

He called out to the others, who almost leapt across the room to see (Fahran did, in fact). Fahran’s eyes looked like they were twinkling at the sight of it, Aqua had a slight smirk, but Ohm looked at it suspiciously. “That was too easy,” he said. “That can’t be it, can it?”

“Part of me wishes it wasn’t,” Fahran said. “How much time have I wasted in the castle, solving puzzle after puzzle and fighting Shadow after Shadow, when it was here all along?”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Gale said. “But it has to be this.”

“Right,” Aqua nodded. “We’re in the last stretch, guys. Let’s get back to the castle.”

The group took their time going through the castle this time, making sure to avoid conflict. It was tricky with so many Shadows around, more than they had seen before, but patience had them eventually arrive without any violent encounters.

Gale put the key into the padlock. Ohm was still skeptical it was the right one, particularly when it didn’t go all the way in, but after some jiggling about, twisting it right, left, and right again, it unlocked and the door opened.

Farhan ran in first, the others close behind. Ohm looked for what might be Sunset’s treasure. He wasn’t expecting literal gold, but almost the entire room provided it, the floor and walls almost blinding him as they gleamed in the chandelier light.

Unfortunately, it didn’t provide much else, being pretty barren. Apart from the red velvet carpet, curtains and throne that decorated the otherwise golden room, Ohm couldn’t see anything else of note, unless they were supposed to carry out the throne without getting caught. Ohm didn’t fancy their chances, given how large it was. Particularly in height; not even including the same sun sigil they saw all around the Palace that was stuck on its top, it was twice as tall as anyone would have been sitting in it.

“Where is it?” he asked, hoping that Fahran would have an answer.

“You’re having a hard time seeing it,” Fahran answered. “Understandable; you’ve never done this before.” He pointed to thin air – as far as Ohm could tell, at least – in the middle of the room. “Look there and really try to see it.”

Ohm had no idea what he was talking about, but before he could respond, Gale spoke. “What is that?” Ohm turned to see him and Aqua squinting, staring at where Fahran was pointing. He had a second look himself, trying to follow Fahran’s advice to ‘really try to see it.’

Somehow it worked, or at least he assumed it did. What he thought was thin air turned out to be a cloud, glittering differently than the rest of the room, yet being darker, like a shadow floating.

“That,” Fahran said, “is Sunset’s desire.”

“That’s not what I expected it to look like,” Ohm said, though he wasn’t sure what he expected. “How are we supposed to steal it?”

“We aren’t, at least not today. First we need it to take a physical form and there’s only one way to do that.” Fahran turned to face them, striking a confident pose. “A calling card!”

Ohm, Devon and Aqua were silent for a moment before Aqua broke the quiet. “That explains nothing.”

Fahran licked his lips as he thought. “Basically, Sunset doesn’t believe it’s possible to steal desires, hence hers are intangible. But if we make her think it’s possible, then they’ll take form and we’ll be in business. And we can do that with a calling card!”

“Question,” Gale interrupted, “how can a calling card make her believe it’s possible to steal desires? I don’t care how convincing we can make it, she’ll just dismiss it because of course she will.”

“We don’t have to make her think it’s possible for desires to be stolen, we just need to convince her that her desires can and will be stolen.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?” Ohm asked. He really wasn’t getting it.

“I think I get it,” Aqua said. “If we address it not to Sunset, but to her Shadow, we’ll bring that part of her from the back of her mind to her front. That has to have an effect on her psyche. If nothing else, her Shadow’s still her, just part she hides from the world, so if her Shadow believes, then she’ll believe, even if she doesn’t believe.” She sounded less confident at the end.

“You had me until the last sentence,” Ohm said. Still, if she was right then he got the basics down (or at least he thought he did), and he didn’t really want to think about it anymore. As long as it worked, he didn’t care how it did so.

“There’s just one thing to note,” Fahran said. “The effect will only last for so long – I’d say 24 hours at most – and then it’ll never work again. If we don’t steal it while she thinks it’s going to be stolen, then she’ll never have any reason to think it can be stolen again.”

“So all we have to do is write a calling card, make sure it’s written good, then when she sees it, come here and steal the treasure,” Ohm clarified. “Got it. I don’t see any reason to put it off once she’s seen the calling card anyway.”

“You’ll also need to prepare for it. We don’t want to go in without anything we might need.”

“Like what? What might we need?” Ohm asked. Fahran shrugged. “Thanks for the advice, then. Alright, we’ll spend tomorrow preparing the calling card, getting whatever we apparently need ready and then we’ll finally do it Monday.”

“Tomorrow night,” Aqua said. “It has to be tomorrow night. Sunset’s been going on about how this is an important week for her, and I have a big feeling the Fall Formal is part of it.”

“Yeah, the Fall Formal’s always important to her. What could be different about tomorrow night?”

“I don’t know, but Aqua may be right,” Fahran said before she could answer. “Either way, we should play on the side of caution and do it tomorrow.” Ohm wanted to argue, but was interrupted by Gale.

“I’m not sure how much we’d be able to prepare, anyway,” he said. “I have no ideas of what we’ll need, or how we could get stuff we might want.”

Ohm sighed. “Alright. I suppose we could do it tomorrow.”

“Let’s get you guys back, then!” Fahran said. “You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow. Best you all get an early night ready for it.”

Chapter 10 – Preparation

“Twilight Sparkle wants to be your Fall Formal Princess.”

Sunset’s voice played over a girl sitting at a computer, mashing the keyboard with her fists and making an odd face. She was light purple, her hair dark blue with a pink highlight running through it. The video showed her doing more weird things with emphasised faces. Some of the things she did, or how she did them, made Devon wonder if she was set up by Sunset or if she really was that weird. Neither option would cast a good light on her.

“But what does it say about our school if we give someone like this such an important honour?”

Hana shut down the computer, looking pale and uneasy, though Devon didn’t think it was at the content of the film.

The three had taken a small break, specifically to watch a new video by Sunset everyone was talking about. Strangely, no-one was looking at them when they talked about it, so it couldn’t have been about them. But if not them, then who was it about, and why?

“Twilight Sparkle,” Alec said. “She must be new here. No-one runs against Sunset.”

“I can’t believe I used to help make those,” Devon heard Hana mutter.

“I’d still vote for her over Sunset,” Alec said. “Hopefully this means Sunset’s attention is off us for now, at least.”

“I don’t care,” Hana said. “I’d rather Sunset do this to us than anyone else, especially someone who has no idea what she’s like.” She sighed and leaned back into her chair. “So how are we coming along?” she asked, clearly looking to change the subject.

Devon dropped his pen and let his head rest in his hand. “How do you expect? This isn’t exactly the easiest writing assignment I’ve been given. I don’t even know how to start it.”

“How about ‘Dear Sunset Shimmer?’” Alec suggested.

“I’m writing a calling card, not a letter, and to her Shadow specifically” Devon said. Maybe, if I write it as if she were a Queen, he then thought. “What about you, Alec? How’s the design coming along?”

“I have a few ideas, but nothing on the logo,” he said. “I think it should really fit who we are, or at least who we’re saying we are.”

“That’s a good point, actually. We never did figure out what we’d call ourselves,” Hana said. “We should figure that out before doing anything else.”

They all thought for a moment, and Alec was the first to speak. “How about the Heart Burglars? Heart Thieves? Heart Confiscators?”

“Why are they all about hearts?” Devon asked.

“Well, that’s what we’re doing, isn’t it? Stealing their hearts.”

“I like the idea,” Hana said, “but it needs to be worded differently. Like ‘The Thieves of Hearts’.”

“‘The Thieves of Hearts.’” Devon mulled over the name. “I kind of like that, but it needs something else before it. Just one more word to sum up who we are and what we do.”

“Who are we, then? What do we do?” she asked.

He thought for a moment. “Well, we definitely steal hearts, or at least we’re going to, but we’re also rebelling against Sunset, we fight Shadows, we go to another universe to do it…”

“Rebellious Thieves?” Alec suggested. “Fighting Thieves? Alternate Thieves? Actually, forget Alternate Thieves. It sounds like some sort of hipster crime movement.”

Devon chuckled. “Yeah, we’re not your regular thieves, we’re, like, Alternate Thieves. We don’t go around stealing people’s property because that’s, like, outdated and illegal and just not our style, so we steal symbolic stuff to show our discontent with society and elites and stuff.” Alec laughed, and Hana giggled too.

“I don’t know,” he continued. “I mean, what we do would be hard to track and even harder to prove, even if you followed us into the Metaverse. It’s like we’re illusions that turn out to be real, or ghosts, or… phantoms. Phantom Thieves.”

“Phantom Thieves of Hearts,” Alec said. “I like it. I could work with that.”

“I agree,” Hana said. “Phantom Thieves sounds good. We are the Phantom Thieves and we’re going to take your heart!”

Devon snapped his fingers. “Take your heart. Could you write that underneath the logo, Alec?” He gave a thumbs up. “And what about you, Hana? Do you have any idea of where to put it?” Alec looked away, probably groaning inside. He wasn’t a fan of letting her choose where to place the cards, but Devon had outvoted him.

She shook her head. “No, I can’t think of anywhere. There aren’t too many places she’ll definitely see it, and less where we could get away with it.”

“How about her locker?” Devon suggested, but she shook her head again.

“By the time we can put it up without anyone noticing, it’ll be too late. She’ll see it tomorrow morning, but I really think we need to do this tonight.”

“What about her house?”

She gave an unpleasant face. “I’d like to keep that as a last option. Even if she doesn’t know it’s me, I’ll be her prime suspect because she knows I know where she lives. I don’t want to face that situation any more than you two would.” She sat for a moment in silence before standing up.

“Where are you going?” Alec asked.

“For a walk,” she said. “I’ll figure this out better if I look around than if I just sit around thinking.”

“I’ll come with you,” Devon said, starting to put his things in his bag, save for a pen and notebook.

“It’s okay. I can do it by myself.”

“I can write notes on the move. In fact, I might think better while I walk. Besides, we’re teammates; it’ll be best to stick together until we’re done.”

Alec also stood up, mumbling about being left alone. “Alright then. If you insist,” she said. She waited for the two to pack their things before leaving the library together.

The three wandered the halls, Alec boring his gaze into Hana’s back. She barely seemed to look around, mainly keeping her eyes facing forwards. He seemed to notice and wasn’t happy about it, though Devon didn’t think Sunset would likely bother with most of the places she passed without a glance. She seemed to keep most of her efforts to the big places such as the cafeteria, the school entrance, or even the school gym – temporarily the Fall Formal Hall – though she didn’t have to look long in there to find something new.

Everything was broken and thrown across the floor, save for the party streamers, which hung from the ceiling, torn and useless. But everything else was scattered across the room. Tables, decorations, even the disco ball was split into two. “Look at all the punch and cider on the floor,” Hana said. “It’s wet, not sticky. This wasn’t long ago.”

“Who did this?” Alec asked.

“Who do you think? Probably Sunset.”

“Why would she destroy the prom she wants to win so much?”

“I guess this Twilight’s more of a threat than she expected, so rather than possibly losing to her, she made sure the Fall Formal didn’t happen.” Devon wondered why Sunset would see Twilight as a threat after the video. As if reading his mind, she said, “Twilight must have made a counterattack. Even if it wasn’t effective, it would show she’s a fighter, and not one to go down easy.”

“I’m starting to like this Twilight already,” Devon mumbled.

Hana continued. “With so little time left, I could imagine Sunset resorting to postponing the Fall Formal until she could take care of her properly. And probably blaming it on her while she’s at it.”

“Well, that’s going to be hard for her to do,” Alec said, pointing at Twilight and five other girls cleaning everything and putting it all back up again.

“She must want to win as much as Sunset to fix it herself,” Hana said. She smiled. “I like her too..”

Devon looked at Alec, who had hidden himself behind the wall. “Pinkie Pie’s in there,” he whispered. “I can’t let her see me or she’ll drag me in there to help.”

Devon nodded. “Right. In that case, we’ll move on. Hana?”

Hana was staring into the room. He could have sworn he could see the cogs turning in her head as she did. “That’s it,” she eventually said. “That’s where we’ll put the calling card. The one place where we can put it up without anyone noticing and Sunset will definitely see it tonight.”

“Where?” Alec asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” She asked before turning to Devon and Alec. “We’re going to need a lot of calling cards. As many as you can make.”

“We’ll photocopy it and print out more,” Devon said.

“We’ll have to come in after school,” she continued. “She won’t see them for a while, but she will see them tonight, and that’s when we’ll strike.”

She and Devon looked to Alec, who gave a reluctant nod. “Come on, then. Let’s get to work.”

Chapter 11 – The Fall of Canterlot Kingdom

Sunset was early to the dance. She was always early to important events, giving her plenty of time to set things up in her favour, and of all the events she would attend, this would be the most crucial.

She wore her usual attire, having no money for a dress and no-one to provide her with one – not anymore, at least – but that didn’t matter. That never mattered.

She walked through the gym doors, deciding what to do first, and her thoughts were interrupted by the scenery. Everything in sight was decorated with cards: the walls, the tables, the balloons, even the disco ball had a few stuck on it as it spun in place. It was the same card over and over; red and black with some sort of symbol on them. Something about them didn’t sit right with her.

They seemed to attack her in a place she didn’t know existed. Gingerly, she took the closest one and examined it. It was decorated back and front with red and black circles hypnotically laid upon each other. On the front, it had a mask with a white, flaming eye wearing a red top hat, shadows cast all over it, and the words “Take Your Heart” spelled out underneath. On the back was a written message, every letter looking like it was cut out of a magazine:

Madame Sunset Shimmer, the Wannabe Queen of Greed.

You have lorded over your fellow students, and caused great fractures and suffering amongst them in the name of power and control. Thus tonight, we have decided to steal your distorted desires.

We will not fail.

From,

The Phantom Thieves

She couldn’t believe what she was reading. She had no idea what the card was talking about, yet it resonated deep within her. It felt like it took her time to process it, yet her response was instant, unthinking, automatic.

“Who did this?!” She looked around the empty room, looking for the phantom culprit. “Who did this?!” Her mind jumped to the two boys and Hana. A familiar voice echoed within her, brimming with hidden emotions, saying, so they want to rebel? Very well. I’ll throw them into the dust like everyone before them! and she immediately forgot it.

“Who’s there?” Vice Principal Luna called as she opened the doors and slowed to a stop at the sight of the place.

Principal Celestia walked alongside her, though unlike the Vice Principal, she didn’t stop. “What is this?” she asked as she walked around the room, looking through all of the cards.

“Did you do this?” Vice Principal Luna asked, her eyes boring through Sunset.

She finally finished processing everything. “No,” she said simply.

“These are all addressed to her,” Principal Celestia said. “I don’t think she’s the culprit behind this.” Vice Principal Luna looked over the cards herself. “So whoever did this is targeting you. Do you know who it could be, Sunset?”

By the time she asked, Sunset had fled the hall and soon left the building. She couldn’t go back in there. She’d give the crown to Twilight rather than face those again. She thought she saw shadows moving in the corner of her eye, but paid them no attention. It didn’t matter if they were the culprits or not. Everyone was guilty on this night, and everyone would bow to her by its end.

She’ll get her crown another way. She would tear it straight from Twilight’s hands if necessary.

Devon watched Sunset storm off from the shadows, Alec and Hana beside him. “If that isn’t a sign that it’s worked, I don’t know what would be,” he said. The two nodded in agreement.

“Only a little bit more to go and it’s done,” Alec said. “Just a little bit further.”

“Let’s be careful not to trip in the last stretch,” Hana said. “I have a feeling this will be the toughest part.”

“But it will be the last part,” Devon said. “Let’s go.”

The three took out their phones and entered the Metaverse. The first thing they noticed was the skies flashing red over all of Canterlot. The second thing they noticed was that it wasn’t just the sky; it was as though the air itself was shimmering a faint red.

Fahran walked up to them, looking up at the skies himself. “So this is what the place looks like on high alert,” he said. He then clapped his paws and rubbed them together. “Right! The Shadows are going to be swarming in there, looking for us. Let’s make sure to be careful, guys.”

Gale and the other two nodded. “Right then, let’s go!” Fahran said, and the group entered the castle one last time.

Gale lost track of time sneaking around the Shadows. They had flooded the building, to the point of blocking their usual route. Aqua was able to take them another way that was less populated, but it was longer, and still took time getting around them without being seen. None of the team wanted to get into a fight, big or small, if they could avoid it. If he had to guess, it was probably a few hours before they reached the Treasure Room. He wondered if the Fall Formal had started yet.

“Right. Where’s the treasure?” Ohm asked, clapping his hands together. No-one had to answer. Everyone saw the crown. A golden tiara holding a purple, star shaped gem, floating in the middle of the room where the mist once was, except far higher. It was the Fall Formal crown, and out of reach, as far as anyone could see. “How are we supposed to reach that?” he asked. “Can our Persona go up that far?”

“We’re not going to find out standing around,” Fahran said. “Let’s just find a way to grab it and get out of here.”

“No. I don’t think you will.” Sunset’s voice came from the other side of the room. Gale looked, only just realising the throne was covered by shadows. They dissipated, revealing her sitting in it, leaning on her hand and staring at the four. “Even if you could reach it, there’s no way I’d let you escape with it. Not that it matters. The crown will descend tonight, and I will have it in my grasp, one way or another.”

“And then what?” Aqua asked. Gale wished she hadn’t.

“What else happens when a monarch receives her crown? She gains her right to rule, and I don’t intend on keeping my kingdom in just Canterlot. I will invade and conquer with an army fit for a Queen!”

“No-one’s going to follow you,” Fahran said. “Crown or not, no-one will decide to follow you!”

Sunset gave a knowing grin. “When I get my crown, they’ll have no choice.”

“What’s so different about this crown?” Aqua asked. “You’ve won plenty of crowns before."

Sunset’s frowned.“They were all false crowns. Mere plastic, nothing more. This is a true crown from my own home country. I brought it here by my own hands two days ago, only for it to be stolen away from me. I would have taken it back, if it weren’t for the opportunity for the peasants to crown me properly.”

“So you’ll gain phenomenal cosmic power or whatever when you get the crown,” Ohm said. “Big deal. Did you really think we’d let you get it? If you can reach it, then we can reach it, and there’s four of us and only one of you.” He brought out his hammer and took up a fighting stance.

Sunset let out a loud laugh. “You think you can defeat me? Don’t you realise that I’m the most powerful Shadow in this Palace?”

“Is that why you kept running away from us?” Ohm said. Devon wished he hadn’t.

“Why should a monarch dirty her own hands? Far better to send others to do it for us.” She looked down at Aqua, who wilted slightly under her gaze. “But when we do, a true monarch makes sure she shows her power. After all, what gives you the right to rule if you’re not the strongest there is?”

“Even if you’re stronger than any one of us, don’t be so sure you’ll be stronger than us put together!” Fahran said with a smile. “I like our chances.” Ohm seemed to agree, but Gale wasn’t so sure, and Aqua didn’t seem that confident either.

“And I like mine,” Sunset said with a grin. “Let’s see whose are better.”

She stood, pulling out a golden helmet to match her armour and sliding it on her head. She then grabbed a sword that lay on the back of the throne, as long as she was tall. She unsheathed it, cast the scabbard aside, and held it straight at the four. Gale quivered at the sight of her, but nonetheless summoned Fuu-ki and brought out his staff. He heard Ohm and Fahran summon their own Personas, but didn’t hear Aqua. With his Persona at his side, he felt a bit safer, but not much, especially when Sunset’s gaze swept over him.

He drew upon Garu, calling the wind and sending it towards her like a blade. He saw lightning join it, but in one motion she moved out of their way and leapt towards them. She was greeted by fire, but she ran through it, seemingly unaffected, and straight at him.

He quickly whipped his staff around and his Persona blocked her first attack. She elbowed him and he felt a blow to his chest, quickly followed by what felt like a blade slashing across it. He collapsed, his back hitting the solid floor and his Persona leaping back to him. He was unaware of what was going on anymore, except a golden figure coming into view, raising what looked like a pillar and bringing it down on him, only to be stopped by someone jumping in the way.

He felt a cooling sensation on his burning wounds, enveloping them until they disappeared. He shook his head and saw Ame-no-Uzume above him, her fans holding Sunset’s sword, and Aqua standing beside him. Sunset disconnected, and was rushed by another Persona before she could strike again.

He stood up and summoned Fuu-ki again, seeing Fahran’s Persona clashing swords with Sunset. He sent his Persona charging at her, whipping his weapon down. She met his blade with her sword’s guard, its tip still holding Uriel’s sword. Despite the double offense, she held her ground until she was interrupted by a hammer crashing into her, sending her flying backwards. Thor summoned lightning (and Gale withdrew Fuu-ki, afraid of the coming storm) and threw a bolt at her.

She screamed in pain and stood up, her eyes angry enough to kill a small animal, and terrifying enough to make him feel like one.

Sunset knew she had no way of winning the Fall Formal; the entire school would vote against her with a second option. If they wouldn’t crown her at the Fall Formal, she would have to settle for manipulation, blackmail, and even brute force if need be. She had her two remaining minions take Twilight’s dog (she never intended to hurt it, but Twilight didn’t have to know that) and used it to lead her outside where, hammer in hand, she gave her an ultimatum: hand the crown over, or have her one path home destroyed forever.

And she didn’t fall for it. Despite everything she had back home, despite all of her friends, family and power, she would rather be trapped in Canterlot High than let Sunset take her crown. She would defend this place from her even if it meant she could never leave. Sunset couldn’t bring herself to go through with it. Part of her said she never intended to in the first place, but she didn’t listen. She had no choice but to give up. She dropped the hammer.

“You are so awesome!” one of Twilight’s new friends said. Sunset felt a twinge inside her.

“I can’t believe you were gonna do that for us,” said another. Sunset felt anger fill her, bubbling underneath her skin.

“It’s no wonder you’re a real life princess!” a third said. Everything in Sunset exploded.

“Yeah, she’s so very special!” She jumped at Twilight, tackling her into the ground and reaching for her crown, but she held her back. Sunset reached harder. It was almost in her fingertips, and the dog grabbed it.

The crown was passed between her friends, from one to another to another to one. Sunset and her minions chased it. One of them even managed to hold it for a few seconds before it was taken back. But as it exchanged hands, it was only a matter of time until it was so kindly given to her, ironically by Twilight herself.

“I’ll take that!” she said triumphantly. She couldn’t help but laugh in glee, finally holding it in her hands. “At last, more power than I could ever imagine!” She placed the crown on her head and immediately regretted it.

Gale breathed heavily, exhaustion beginning to settle in his bones. He didn’t realise how much effort it took to draw Garu until his fifth attempt. He had been much more conservative using it after that. What he wouldn’t do for a cup of coffee.

The storm had calmed; a ceasefire had taken place as everyone caught their breaths, waiting for the first person to restart the fight, each side staring at one another. He had no idea how long they had been going at it. It seemed to have been an hour, but for all he knew it could have been half that time, or maybe twice as long.

He glanced at his teammates. Ohm looked like how Gale felt, though with a few more faint bruises on him. He suspected that some of them were due to his larger physical attacks, which he used sparingly, but more than his lightning.

Fahran looked in better shape, having used much less of his fire since figuring it didn’t do much against Sunset, but was still notably tired. Perhaps it had to do with the occasional feeling of being thick. Not heavy, but like he had a few layers of bulk added under his skin. Sunset’s sword hurt less when he felt like that.

But by far the worst of them all was Aqua, something he could have guessed without looking at her. While she had almost never used her ice, she was far from sparse with her healing touch on Gale, and he could only assume Ohm got it even more. He was thankful Fahran was good at avoiding hits, or she would probably have collapsed by now. If the fight dragged on much longer, he worried she would soon anyway, and he didn’t see a victory without her support. As much as he wanted a coffee, he would hand one to her first.

He turned back to Sunset who, by contrast, he had a hard time figuring out, but she must be feeling the strain too. As much as she gave out more she took, she had to spread it out among the four of them and take it all herself and, as far as he could see, had no way of healing like they did.

She was also chuckling, which he did not see as a good sign.

And then he saw what the joke was; the crown was slowly floating down towards her. It must have been for some time, but only now was it finally in reach. Before Gale or any of the others could move, Sunset reached up and grabbed it with both hands, dropping her sword, and placed it on her head.

The crown glowed blue and surrounded her with blue rings, trapping her inside. From the look on her face, this did not seem to have been what she intended. A pillar of blue light with a black edge then erupted from underneath her, the faint outline of her inside seemed to change, and soon the pillar exploded in a blinding white light.

When Gale could see again, she had changed from a Queen to a demon. She was different shades of red, except for her hair, still like a flame, and black boots. She had also grown a tail and a new dress, both the same colours as her hair, and wings with red insides and a black outside, and where her eyes had once been white, they were now completely black, leaving her glowing, yellow irises as the only part not swallowed in darkness. What’s more, anything they had once done to her, wounds or fatigue, had seemed to have disappeared.

If Sunset had reservations when she had put the crown on, they had all disappeared as she marveled over herself, laughing as she did. “Finally,” she said, taking to the air. “I’ve waited so long. I’ve done so much for this.”

“Damn it,” Gale heard Ohm mutter, yet he stood straight anyway. “Shame it’ll be all for naught.” He could hear the fake confidence in his voice, and hoped Sunset didn’t.

“Yeah!” Fahran said. “If you think you’ve won already, you’ve got another thing coming! You’ve still got to fight us!”

She laughed. “Why should I bother fighting you myself? It’s far easier to make you fight each other.” She looked at Gale, her crown glowing and her eyes hypnotic. He saw new memories flash before his eyes. Memories of Ohm betraying him, of Aqua tormenting him with Sunset, and Fahran attacking him with the Shadows of the Palace. He tried to push them out and looked away from her eyes, but they still poured into him, pushing what he once knew away until he couldn’t remember it anymore; only the people he hated and had to kill.

“Gale?” he heard the Traitor approach behind him. He summoned Fuu-ki and swung his staff around, sending Ohm flying backwards.

“Devon! What the hell?” Ohm yelled as he recovered to his feet.

Gale stared down at him, recalling a time when he had struck him with lightning and how painful it had been. He drew from Garu, ignoring his fatigue, and sent the wind against him, slicing through the air and hitting him like a blade. Ohm cried in pain and collapsed to the floor again, this time staying down. Gale moved to send another wave after him, but his staff was blocked by the Accomplice with her two fans.

He withdrew his Persona, threw Aqua off him, and thrust the bottom of his staff into her stomach. She grunted breathlessly, and he brought his staff around, striking her side and dropping her to the ground. He then looked to his side, where the Shadow was, just in time to see it crash into him, sending both of them tumbling into the floor.

“Snap out of it, Gale!” Fahran yelled. Gale grabbed it, picking it off his body and stood up. He then threw it in the air and struck it with his staff.

He looked back at Ohm, who was struggling to get up again, and summoned Fuu-ki. He reached out to Garu, intending to send one more wave after him, when he heard his own voice echo in his head. No, no! The voice took over and he broke out of Sunset’s control, falling to his knees. All of his false memories disappeared without a trace, but everything he had done remained.

“You broke out,” Sunset said. “Unexpected, but it shouldn’t matter when you’re all fighting each other without mercy!” The crown glowed again, and this time she looked at all four of them. Gale looked away, knowing it wouldn’t do much good, and tried to resist everything she would put into his brain.

The room shook, knocking him off his feet. Everything burned, and his ears were filled with everyone’s screams, his own included. He opened his eyes. A blinding rainbow had filled the entire room, and all he could see was his team and Sunset. He thought perhaps she had caused it, only she was screaming the loudest of them all.

“What’s going on?” Ohm asked.

“I don’t know, something from outside, maybe?” Fahran shouted.

Gale could see Shimmer holding onto her crown as if someone was pulling it off her, muttering a mantra to herself.

Sunset had no idea how Twilight had done it. She had brought magic from their world into this one, and right now was throwing it right at her.

It wasn’t over yet, though. It was unbearable, but she still had the crown. If she could survive this, her victory would be guaranteed. All she had to do was hold onto it with all of her might.

“Get the crown off her!” Gale shouted.

“Persona!” Aqua summoned Ame-no-Uzume and, with what must have been the rest of her might, lunged at the crown, taking it clean off of Sunset’s head and out of her hands.

An accident, a slip of the hand, a small mistake, and Sunset lost her only hope of victory. The crown was launched from her hands and she took the rainbow at full force.

The rainbow disappeared and Sunset fell to the ground, her hair in disarray, her breath heavy, and her armour in tatters. She was no longer a demon, but neither was she a Queen. The silence of the aftermath was broken by the light clang of the crown bouncing on the floor.

“It’s over,” Ohm said. “Whatever that was, it’s over.”

Gale nodded. “And more importantly, we won.”

“Someone get the crown,” Fahran said. Ohm was the first to move, walking over to the crown and picking it up.

“How did you beat me?” Sunset asked, still gasping for breath. “Is friendship really that powerful?”

“We’re not friends,” Ohm quickly said. “Me and Gale are, but we just met Fahran, and we’ll be happy to drop Aqua once we’re out of here.” She winced at his statement, and Gale couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable about it himself. Ohm then started walking away. Gale and Fahran followed, but Aqua didn’t move.

“Wait,” she said, and they stopped and turned to look at her. She walked up to Sunset and crouched to her level. “That fortune teller we saw. She told you this would happen, didn’t she?” Sunset didn’t respond. “Perhaps if you listened to her, this wouldn’t have happened. There’s a lot of people you could have listened to, and none of this would have happened. But more than anyone else, you should have listened to yourself.”

Sunset looked up, visibly confused. “What do you mean ‘I should have listened to myself?’”

“Your inner voice of reason. I ignored mine for a long time, but eventually listened to it. I know those two went through the same thing. That’s how we managed to get the power to defeat you.”

“You listened to your Shadows,” Sunset said. “But I am the Shadow.”

Aqua shook her head. “I think it’s more complicated than that. This isn’t the only part of you you’re ignoring, just the part that’s controlling you. You used to be kind, and then you turned into this, but I think that part of you is still there.”

She stood back up. “Listen to others, listen to that voice, and I’m sure you’ll find how you lost, and how you can get better.”

“You’re right,” Sunset said. “You’re absolutely right. I should have listened. I’ll make sure to from now on, and when I find what I’m looking for, I’ll hold it tight and never let it go.” She glowed a white light, becoming more transparent, and disappeared in a flash.

“What was that about?” Gale asked, both about the disappearance and Aqua’s talk.

“I had to try to get through to her,” she replied. “Even if I didn’t know how, I had to try.”

“And what did that accomplish?” Ohm asked.

As if on cue, the Palace started to rumble. The walls cracked, and the ceiling dropped small bits of debris, threatening to drop larger.

“That!” Fahran yelled over the noise. “Come on!”

Sunset had lost. She laid in her crater, struggling to get up. But despite her loss, even because of it, she gained something she hadn’t had in years.

She opened her eyes. New eyes, fresh on the world. Eyes free of desire. She looked at everything she had done; back to when she had stolen Twilight’s crown, back to when she had taken over Canterlot High, back to when she was a student of Celestia. She looked at it all with fresh eyes and she realised exactly what they had all led her to become.

She heard Twilight speak, her voice commanding, and something inside her beckoned her to listen. “You will never rule in Equestria,” she said. “Any power you may have had in this world is gone. Tonight, you’ve shown everyone who you really are. You’ve shown them what is in your heart.”

Sunset looked up to Twilight, barely aware of the tears welling down her face. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn’t know there was another way!”

Devon watched Sunset, Alec and Hana by his side. They couldn’t hear her (they were too far away, hiding behind the school’s corner) but she looked devastated. She was talking to the new girl Twilight, who seemed to be giving her a lecture, and she listened while all of her emotions ran down her face.

“She looks so different,” he whispered. “It’s like watching a different person going through this. I don’t know how to feel about this.” Hana nodded, and even Alec said nothing before walking away, going behind the school building away from the scene. Devon followed, Hana not far behind.

“So that’s it? It’s destroyed, right? It’s done?” he asked.

“I think you know the answer, but there’s only one way to check,” Hana said. He nodded, taking out his phone and opening the app. There was no bookmark on it like before, but he tried anyway just in case.

“Sunset Shimmer.”

Candidate not found.

He let out a sigh at the response, and heard Hana do the same. “That settles it, then. We won,” he said. “Fahran must be happy.”

“It’s a shame we won’t see him again,” Alec said. “He’s a nice cat. I would have liked to know him better, but we all knew it was coming.”

“I wish I could have said goodbye, at least,” Devon said.

“Is this a bad time to speak up?” he looked down to see a cat – a real one, not the cartoon they had grown used to – that looked unmistakably like Fahran, right down to wearing a red collar.

“Fahran? What are you doing out here?” Alec asked.

“I don’t know. I was expecting to go into the main part of the Metaverse, or perhaps to another Palace at least, but here I am, through the door.”

“Maybe it was the power of our friendship all along,” Devon suggested with a cheesy grin, earning him a playful shove.

“That would just be stupid,” Alec said, rolling his eyes. “This is thief magic, not friendship magic, you dolt.”

“So what was the treasure, anyway?” Fahran asked.

“I don’t know. Some sort of book.” Alec passed a large book to Devon with the same sun symbol they had seen throughout the Palace. He opened it, flipping through a few pages.

“It looks like a journal or diary,” he said. Oddly, it seemed to have been used by two people.

Hana looked over his shoulder as he flipped through them. “Yep. That’s Sunset’s handwriting alright.” She closed the book in his hands. “And we shouldn’t read it. I don’t care how she is or was; it’s still a breach of privacy.”

“That’s fair,” Devon said. “But what should we do about it? I don’t think we should just throw it away.”

“Well, I don’t think any of us should take it home,” Alec said. “Let’s just hide it in our coffee room for now. We’ll figure it out later.”

“There’s something weird in it, though,” Hana said. “After every entry, someone else added their own comments to it. Someone who taught her personally, if her constant use of ‘my student’ is anything to go by.”

“Really?” Fahran said. “Who could that be?”

“I don’t know, but the handwriting looks awfully similar to Principal Celestia’s. In fact, if we could compare them, I’d bet they’d look exactly alike.”

“Wait, wait, are you saying that she may have personally taught Sunset?” Alec asked. “But hasn’t she been Principal for, like, a thousand years?”

“It’s probably just the Metaverse interpreting it,” Fahran said, shaking his head. “Maybe she had a personal teacher like this once, and Celestia is a stand in for her. Or maybe she just took that much away from Celestia that she perceived her as her personal teacher.”

“Well, whatever it is, we should probably split,” Hana said. “Or at least I should.”

“Why? Have somewhere to go?” Fahran asked.

“No, no, let her go,” Alec said.

“Not specifically. I just have a lot of people to apologise to,” she said. “Thanks for letting me help.”

She left, no-one but Fahran giving her a goodbye. He also took off, saying he was going to see what the real world looked like. When they were both out of sight, Devon spoke up. “You know, despite everything she’s done for Sunset, Hana really came through for us.”

“I don’t care. I’m not ready to forgive her yet,” Alec said.

Will you ever be? Devon wondered. “If it weren’t for her, we’d still be searching for the key to the door, we would have waited longer to pull off the heist, and we certainly wouldn’t have survived the fight. And she didn’t have to be the one to finish it.”

“So, what, I should just forgive her for everything?”

“I’m saying that after everything she’s done for us, she deserves a couple of friends rather than being all alone. She deserves a chance.”

“I’ll let other people decide that.” Alec started walking away, clearly done with the conversation.

“She’s as much a victim as us, Alec. She wouldn’t have helped if she wasn’t.” Devon wasn’t sure if he heard him, and was not done with this conversation yet, but for now decided to let that be the final word.

Chapter 12 – The Beginning

Hana wandered through the halls, no particular destination in mind. Her heart was still sinking after her conversations with her old friends, and walking aimlessly seemed to be the only thing keeping her from collapsing, both figuratively and literally.

“Hey Hana,” a familiar voice called. She turned to see Alec leaning on the wall. “How’d it go?” She could hear the strain in his voice.

She was surprised he was talking to her, but went along with it, if only to keep herself distracted for a bit longer. “About as well as you’d expect. None of them had anything kind to say to me. The best I got was a stern no.” And other words she’d rather not mention.

He approached her, looking hesitant and uncomfortable with every step. “Me and Devon have been talking. Well, he’s been talking.” Hana chuckled, thinking back to her conversation with him. He could really speak when he wanted to.

He looked unsure of how to continue. “You really helped us out with Sunset, even when you didn’t need to. He’s forgiven you, and I think I’m willing to try.”

Her heart started to lift. “Really?” He fidgeted and gave a small nod.

Hana’s entire body filled with a warm glow, a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time. If earlier she thought she might cry of sadness, now she thought she would from joy. “Thank you.” She barely held her feelings in, fearing the display she’d give if she let them all out.

Alec motioned to the door behind him. “So, you want some coffee?” She nodded vigorously, still reigning in her emotions. She followed him inside, and the scent of coffee hit her like a fist as soon as the door opened. Devon was standing at the counter, his back turned to them.

“Hey Hana,” he said softly but clearly. “Good to see you here.”

“I didn’t really have a choice,” she said, “but I would have said yes anyway. And not because I’m desperate.”

“But you are desperate,” he said with a wry smile. She rolled her eyes at him. “Anyway, you’re just in time.” He turned around, holding a tray with three cups of coffee and set them down on the table. Alec picked out a cup first, already sitting down, and she joined him, sitting opposite Devon.

The three sat in comfortable silence as they waited for their coffee to cool. When she finally took a sip, her tongue burned with its rich flavours. She wondered which of the thirty types of coffee he used.

Devon was the first to talk. “I’ve been thinking. I’m not sure I want the Phantom Thieves to end.” He waited a few seconds, perhaps waiting for a response, before continuing. “I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to do it again – certainly not on the same level – but if we can, I think we can really help more people.”

“This is quite sudden,” Hana said. Or at least it was for her: she didn’t think she’d have anything to do with the two again, let alone continuing as a Phantom Thief.

“Yeah, I’ve thought about it, like, twice, but never seriously,” Alec said.

“I mean, I’m not saying we have to do it tomorrow,” Devon said. “It’s just something to think about.”

Alec took a long sip from his coffee and let out a satisfied sigh. “I’m down for it.” Hana whipped her head round and looked at him in surprise. “I mean, I don’t want to jump straight back into it, but I’m down for doing it again. Especially if we can become actually good at it. What about you, Hana?” he asked her hesitantly.

She thought about it, but didn’t have to for long. “I think it’s worth a try, at least,” she said with a smile.

“I’m just worried someone will come looking for us,” Alec said, gripping his coffee. “I know what we’re doing is kind of insane, but if we get on the wrong side of the wrong person, it won’t matter how we’re doing it.”

“We should be fine,” Devon said. “As long as we don’t kick up too much of a fuss and go after anyone too big, no-one should have any reason to come after us.”

It was then that a familiar, feline voice came from above, causing the group to turn to the window. “You know, I was going to come in and encourage you all to continue myself, but what do you know, Gale beat me to it!” Fahran stood on top of a cabinet, the horizontal window open behind him.

“How’s the real world, Fahran?” she asked.

He jumped down from cabinet to cabinet until he reached the middle of their table. “A bit annoying, actually. No-one seems to understand me except for you guys. And maybe this one girl, but if she did it was only vaguely.”

“Perhaps they’re just hearing a bunch of cat noises,” she said. “No-one really thinks cats can talk, after all, so perhaps that’s just blocking them from understanding you.”

“Whatever it is, it’s properly annoying. I mean, no offence, but imagine only being able to talk to one group of people.”

“Probably for the best, really,” Alec said. “I don’t think the world is ready for a talking cat.”

“Anyway, I had another thought,” Devon said. “If we are going to become Phantom Thieves, there’s an elephant we need to address in the room: we all have codenames, but you don’t.”

Fahran blinked. “You’re going to give me a codename?”

“I thought about that, but we’ve already used your name in Sunset’s Palace. So maybe instead of coming up with a codename for other Palaces, we could think of something to call you in the real world.”

“Interesting idea,” Fahran said, hopping on the spot. “What have you come up with?”

“How about Mr. Cat?” Alec interjected.

“Call me that and there’ll be one more Ms. on the team,” Fahran deadpanned.

Devon leaned back into his chair. “How about Celsus?”

“I like it,” Hana said. “It’s much better than Fahran, that’s for sure.”

Fahran thought over the name. “Celsus. I like it. Alright, I guess I’m Celsus from now on,” Celsus said.

Alec clapped. “Congratulations! Now that we’ve named you, you’re officially our cat!” he said excitedly.

“Welcome to the team, Celsus,” Devon said more quietly.

Celsus furrowed his brows. “Hey, I was on this team before any of you were!”

“No, you were acting solo before any of us joined,” Alec said. “Me and Devon were the founders of the Phantom Thieves. Then you came along for the ride and Hana joined later.”

“I was listening to them. They definitely founded the team themselves,” Hana said. Alec cringed at her statement, but shook his head as if to shake it off. “Sorry about that,” she added.

Celsus sighed. “Well, with that sorted, I’ve got my own thing to bring up: who’s taking me home?” The three kept quiet and all looked away. “What? You can’t expect me to be a stray cat now, can you? The streets are rough, and I’ve never been outside the school grounds before!”

“Well, how are we supposed to take you home?” she said. “We can’t exactly just declare that we’re adopting a cat.”

“Also, my mother’s allergic to cats,” Alec said. “She’ll definitely notice you and, well, you know.”

“Also also, I already have a dog,” Devon said. “She’ll definitely notice you and, well, you know.”

“Well you can’t just make me live in the school!” Celsus said.

“Why not?” Alec asked. “There’s plenty of places to hide, and they lock it up overnight.”

Hana interrupted Fahran before he could argue back. “Okay, how about this: we’ll take a vote.”

The group voted, and it was decided that Celsus would live in the school.

“Anyway,” Celsus said with a tight voice, “how will we handle this team? I mean, who will be the leader?”

“How about you?” Alec suggested. “You know the most about the Metaverse.”

“No, I can’t agree with that,” Hana said. “He may know more about the Metaverse than us, but I don’t think we can say the same with the real world.”

“What about you, then?” Devon said. “You were quick to the uptake in the Palace.”

“Thank you, but even putting aside some problems with my past” – Alec wincing a bit, probably thinking of everything she had done – “I don’t want that much responsibility. Besides, I don’t think I’ve earned it.”

“Well, what would you suggest, then?” Celsus asked.

Hana thought for a moment. “I don’t see why we need a leader. Why can’t we just work as a group?”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Alec said.

Devon nodded. “I’m down for that.”

“That’s that sorted,” Celsus said. “We’re also going to need a hideout to meet in, and I already have an idea.”

“Oh really?” Alec said with a raised eyebrow. “Let’s hear it, then.”

“Why don’t we just use this room? There’s room for the four of us, you’re already using it without anyone knowing, and if anyone looks in, you have an excuse already!” he gestured towards the cups of coffee.

“Not a bad idea, but we don’t have permission to use it,” Devon said. “We get away with it by only using it every now and then, but if we were caught using it on a regular basis, it wouldn’t matter what we’re using it for.”

“Let’s just make a club, then,” Alec said. “It’s not just the two of us anymore.”

“A Phantom Thieves Club,” Devon said with a small smile.

Alec laughed. “Hey Principal Celestia, do you mind if we make a Phantom Thieves club? We just want to go around stealing hearts, and think that would really help organise things. Thank you!”

Hana joined in the boys’ giggles.

“But seriously, why don’t we make a coffee club?” he continued. “We already have everything we need: a barista, two enthusiasts, a room full of stuff we can use, we even have a mascot!” She picked up Celsus to show a point.

“I’m not a mascot,” Celsus responded. The others gave him knowing looks. “I’m not!”

Hana chuckled to herself. “Convincing Principal Celestia to let us use a room and equipment we’ve already been using without permission? That’s going to take some words to convince her. Devon, do you think you’re up to the job?”

He smiled. “As long as one of you says them for me.” He turned to Alec. “You should make the posters. You did a good job with the calling cards.”

“Okay, but you should hang them up where no-one can see them” – he pointed to Hana – “so it looks like we’re putting in an effort but don’t have to deal with other people joining.” She agreed.

“What can I do?” Celsus asked.

“Pose for the artist,” Devon said wryly.

Celsus rolled his eyes. “Alright,” he said, ignoring the comment, “this is our second job as Phantom Thieves. I’m calling it Operation Hideout. Let’s get this done smoothly, team. Let’s move out!”

Chapter 2 – Awakening

Devon didn’t need to look up to see who was standing over him. He knew Sunset’s voice all too well, as any Canterlot High student would.

“I said, ‘and who do we have here?’” she repeated, grabbing his face and forcing him to look up at her. She looked almost completely different than she normally did. If her head was covered up, he wouldn’t have suspected it was her. Rather than her usual punk rock outfit, she wore golden armour with a chestplate, boots, and gloves. Compared to the rest of the knights, her armour had less bulk to it, looking more elegant and like what a Queen might wear in battle. The only thing missing was a crown on her head.

But her change in wardrobe was nothing compared to her eyes. Rather than their usual cold blue, they were a sickly yellow and almost glowing. Her pupils were like pinpricks, and instead of sending cold shivers down his spine, they pierced through him and made him want to shrink underneath them. And yet they still held the same hate and viciousness they always had. This was undoubtedly Sunset Shimmer, despite everything saying otherwise.

“You’re different from everyone else,” she said with a cruel smile. Devon felt himself shake under her gaze. “But then again, you’re not so different, are you? You’re not a threat. You’re just another coward in the crowd.” She shoved him back to the ground and walked away. “Have him dealt with, and don’t waste my time with such insignificant peasants again.”

The guard grabbed him by his collar, dragged him out of the cell, and threw him face first in the middle of the room, where all the other guards formed a circle around him. He looked up at them, his face burning slightly. They towered over him, cracking their knuckles and closing in, almost giving him claustrophobia. He still hadn’t processed what happened in the hall earlier and now this was apparently happening. Even with the aches, he wasn’t sure this wasn’t just a very strange dream.

He took deep breaths to calm himself, though his heart still drummed loudly. Time seemed to slow down, and a strangely familiar voice echoed through his head. It was confident and charming. What’s wrong? Do you not wish to stand up to this? Or does cowardice hold you back that you’d accept defeat without a fight?

“I’m not a coward,” Devon said, somehow finding his voice. “I’m just not strong enough to fight. If I was stronger–”

“What’s that?” Sunset called over. “Are you saying I’m wrong?”

Is power truly all that you need?

“I–”

“Then prove it.” The guards made a break in the circle, showing her staring straight at him.

Very well. Then let us make a contract.

Pain pulsed through His head. He cradled it, writhed about on the floor and attempted to scream, but it was trapped in his throat.

I am thou, thou art I…

Thou art willing to take justice into thy own hands.

Take pride in your actions and forge your own path!

The pulsing faded, but the pain stayed. He pushed himself to his feet. His arms and legs still wobbled, but they held as he stood up straight, never breaking eye contact with Sunset. He felt like his entire body was tingling and a powerful gust of wind exploded outwards from him. The room rang with the clangs of the knights smashing against the walls and floor. He covered his ears and noticed a mask on his face, covering his eyes and stuck firmly to his skin. He grabbed it and pulled it, but it wouldn’t come off. He shifted both his hands to one side and pulled again. It ripped off his face, taking blood with it and leaving a burning pain behind.

Blood poured down his face, boiling and bubbling on his skin, and turned to blue flames which engulfed his entire body. Instead of being burned, however, the heat flowed around him. He could feel power within it when it brushed against him. He reached out and grasped it, letting it flow into him, and the flames rose, leaving a staff clenched in his hand. The flames dissipated, leaving behind a figure floating above him. Its face has been carved out, leaving only its bottom teeth, it had four horns, spiral tattoos all over its body and it wore white robes with black symbols of the sun, and blue arm braces. It held a double-bladed sword and stood tall, and ready to fight.

Devon looked over himself. He was wearing a different outfit; a black suit unbuttoned to show a navy blue undershirt and gloves. His wrists had chains that were there yet not there flowing out of them, writhing in the air and connecting him to the figure. Say my name, he heard it say in his head. Say my name and gain my power!

He didn’t have to think. He knew what it was; it was as much a part of him as his left hand. It was his Shadow, his other half, his Persona. “Fuu-Ki.” He stood firmly, looking up at his enemies as they climbed back to their feet. It was like he and his Persona were of one and the same mind. And Fuu-Ki knew what to do. And so he knew what to do.

He reached out to the Power of Garu. He didn’t know where it was, yet he found it as easily as any part of him. He reached deep into it, feeling it pour inside himself. It rushed through him, swirling all around his body and into Fuu-Ki. In unison, he and Fuu-Ki whipped their staff and double-blade, and he released the power. The air swirled around the room like a hurricane, sending the guards flying into the air and crashing into the walls and ceiling. As the air settled, they fell to the floor, all but two crumbling into black dust, leaving only Sunset on her feet stumbling backwards.

“What are you?” she asked, her eyes wide.

Devon turned to face Sunset, but before he could move further, his mask appeared back on his face, Fuu-Ki disappeared and he collapsed, suddenly exhausted.

“Well, well,” Sunset grinned confidently again. “I guess you don’t know your limits.” Sunset snapped her fingers and the two guards immediately stood and ran to her side. “I was wrong about you. I’ll make sure to fix that before it becomes an issue.”

The guards approached, one in front of the other. Devon tried to pick himself up, but fell to the ground again, his muscles exhausted. He refused to die, but he couldn’t make himself do anything. He looked up at the guards and imagined the ceiling falling onto them. He imagined a hurricane sweeping them up. He imagined lightning striking down at them, a blizzard freezing them in their place, and hellfire raining down on them. Then fire rained down on them. It was a light rain, but a rain of fire nonetheless.

The second guard shielded itself with its arms and stumbled back outside the rain, but the first wasn’t so lucky and fell to its knees, covering its face until the shower stopped. As the guard climbed back to its feet, a small figure leapt down out of nowhere and pushed him to the ground. Devon saw its armour was damaged with three large slashes cutting right through it before it turned to black dust.

Looking at the figure, it turned out to be a cat. A cartoon-like cat – the type to stand on two legs – with navy blue fur and a crimson red scarf that flickered like a flame. “Why, hello there,” it said. Great, a talking cartoon cat.

“Who are you?” Sunset asked.

“Who am I?” The cat laughed. “I’m the cause of all your problems!”

Sunset looked confused. “What?”

“You know, the one who’s been causing you trouble for the past few days!” Sunset gave no reaction. “Months?” No reaction. “Since this place was made?”

“Have we had something causing trouble here recently?” Sunset asked, to which the guards simply shrugged.

“Oh, come on! I’m the reason the security is so tight! The alarms were blaring just this morning!”

Sunset shook her head. “You’re mistaken. Our security hasn’t changed since this Palace’s creation. That alarm was simply announcing my arrival. It happens every morning, which you should know if you’ve been here as long as you say you have.” The cat appeared stunned, and Sunset rolled her eyes, clearly done with everything. “Guard, take care of them!” The guard stepped forward, its gaze fixed upon the cat. Devon recognised him as the one who had found him, guarded his cell and would have executed him.

“Hey.” The cat spoke quietly to him. “Hey, you. What’s your name?”

He briefly debated whether he should give his name to such a strange creature, but decided it was here to help. “Devon.”

“Devon. Nice to meet you. Can you run?”

“I don’t know. I’m pretty exhausted.”

“Well you’re going to have to try when I say so. Straight up and out of this place, got it? It’s not far.”

He had no choice but to agree, keeping down and watching the cat. A shadow briefly appeared above it, surrounded by a familiar blue flame, and with its disappearance he felt as though his whole body was lighter.

The guard lunged and its sword rang as it struck the ground where the cat once was. The cat rushed him from the side, three claw marks appearing where it hit him. The guard stumbled, but kept on his feet, turned and leapt forward again. This time he opted for short, swift strikes on both of the cat’s sides, keeping it in front of him. If he was hoping to win a war of attrition, his hopes were dashed as the cat jumped up high, hitting the guard in the head and toppling him. He crashed into the floor with a great clatter.

“Now!” the cat shouted, barely audible over the racket of the fallen guard.

Devon scrambled to his feet and ran with all of his might. He was no athlete, and with how exhausted he was, he expected to collapse before he reached the stairs, but he still had breath when he started climbing them. It wasn’t because of his stamina, though; the dash he made would have had the school track team look his way. He might have thought it was adrenaline, but he remembered the feeling he got when the cat summoned that shadow. Whatever he did to him, he had to thank him.

Thanks to his newfound speed, he soon collapsed outside of the dungeon, hearing the door shut behind him with a satisfying click. He looked behind him to see the cat. “That door won’t keep her locked in there forever,” it said. “We need to get away from here before more Shadows come and corner us.”

“What did you do to me?” He couldn’t help but ask. Whatever it was, he could feel it wearing off and his body becoming heavier, weighing him down again. He had to remember it was his normal weight.

“I made you faster,” the cat said casually. It walked past him with a skip in its step. “Now do you want to get out of here or not? ‘Cause if you want them to throw you back in there, you’re welcome to stay around for an idle chat.”

The cat ran to the end of the hallway, and Devon dragged himself to his feet and followed, limping along the wall. He couldn’t tell how long the journey took, or how many guards they came across along the way, only that they eventually reached the much more familiar outside, now empty of students. Though not completely familiar; something was different, and not just the castle. Not that he could care to know at the moment.

“Here we are. Home free,” the cat said, turning to face him. “And free of the guards if you want to talk. Though I think most of your questions are best saved for another time.”

Devon sat down, managing not to collapse for what seemed like the first time in the day. His body seemed to sigh in relief, though he did have to fight to keep his eyes open. “Is this a dream?”

The cat looked almost offended. “Of course not. If it was, I wouldn’t be real.”

He sighed. He wasn’t expecting a yes, but had to try. “What kind of place is this?”

“How do I explain this simply?” the cat said, licking its lips. “It’s Sunset’s heart. The world according to her.”

“No wonder it’s such a horrible world,” Devon said. No wonder it’s so messed up.

“Specifically it’s one side of her. The part that’s all messed up and distorted by her desires, to the point that she sees the world like this.”

Devon nodded and looked at the Kingdom in front of him. “So what was she doing here, then? How did she get here?”

“That wasn’t her, or at least not as you know her. That was her Shadow. The side of her that she’s hidden, even from herself. We all have different sides of ourselves. Some we wear as masks, some we keep secret, and some we don’t even know about. The only difference is which we let drive ourselves, and she let her Shadow take over and rule her.”

“Are you saying I have something like that too?”

“Shadows aren’t necessarily cruel. They’re just the part of you you’ve hidden away from yourself. Besides, you’ve already met your Shadow when you got that power.”

Devon hauled his hand up to touch his mask. That voice, he thought. So that’s what that was.

“Treasure that power,” the cat said. “Even if you never use it, simply having it is a rare gift. Perhaps rarer than one of these places.”

He let his mask go. "I guess the only other question I have is what are you?”

“Me? I’m just a talking cat,” it said. Devon waited for it to continue.

“That’s it?” He eventually said. “No explanation for how you can talk?”

“You’re not explaining how you can talk either. Why should I have to?”

Devon rubbed his temple. This was not the time for this. “Whatever. I think that’s everything. Or at least everything you can answer.”

“So you have more?”

Devon started standing up. His body groaned in protest, but he quickly managed to get on his feet. “Yeah, like ‘what was that about all those guys changing to become the same?’ and ‘why me?” and “how did I even get here in the first place?’”

“Oh, that was me. I brought you here.”

He snapped around and stared at the cat. “You brought me here?”

“Yes. Sorry I left you on your own for a while there. I kind of lost you to the crowd.”

Devon immediately had a lot to say, but all that came out was, “Why? How? Why?”

“Well, after a long time of working this place on my own and getting nowhere, I decided to form a team, and you are my first candidate!

“So you brought me here against my will?”

The cat lowered its head. “Yeah, that’s… right. Sorry about that.”

Devon dragged his hand over his face. “Why me?”

“Your encounter with Sunset this morning.” The cat said. Devon groaned; he really didn’t want to think about that again. “I saw that look in your eyes. That look that would stare into hers despite their fear.”

“You misread that badly,” Devon said. He thought back to that moment when he found himself paralysed under her gaze, unable to move or look away. He shook the memory out of his head. “Whatever. Just get me out of here.”

Thankfully it didn’t take much of a search to find the door he came through, else he probably would have left it to the cat so he could sit down again. Though it was hard to see from the entrance, it became more visible and obvious the closer they came. By the time they were standing in front of it, it glowed a bright, ethereal blue, and the other side was a pure white light.

“It doesn’t look like anyone’s about, not that Sunset would know if they are, but no-one should see you coming out of nowhere.” The cat patted Devon on the back of his leg. “I’ll see you next time.”

“What makes you think I’m coming back?” he asked.

“How about taking down Sunset?” Devon straightened his back; the cat was smiling as if it had caught a fish. “Like I said: this is the side of her heart that’s all messed up from her desires. Destroy this place, and you’ll remove that part of her while keeping all the memories and guilt that come with them.”

“Won’t that damage her?” Devon asked.

“Destroying her Shadow will, but her Palace is fair game.”

Devon considered for a moment. He thought about what his Shadow said; the “contract” he made, as it called it. “Can I bring a friend?”

The cat smiled. “If they can get their own Persona, absolutely. They won’t be able to fight without one, and will just be dead weight in this world.”

“And you said it was a rare gift,” he said to himself. “Just one more question: how do I get back here?”

“I don’t know.” The cat rubbed the back of its head. “I’ve never been outside myself, and I’m not sure if I can. But I showed you this door earlier and you had to unlock it yourself. And if you unlocked it before, you should be able to unlock it again.”

Even if I don’t know how I did it, Devon thought. “I’ll be back after school, not before or during, and I don’t know when. But I’ll try to be back quickly.”

The cat smiled again. “Now go on. You’ve got a long day of recovery ahead of you.”

With a smile, Devon braced himself and fell through the door, catching himself on the concrete path. He looked behind him and saw the castle had gone, and his school was back how it was supposed to be.