The next morning was grey with clouds. It was still only about 7:30 AM, so the murk was no real surprise, but these were rain clouds. They would probably start running in an hour or so.
Twilight and Spike visited Looking Glass at the crime scene. It seemed as if he was always there, but given his line of work, it was hard to blame him. Looking Glass was a dull brown coat and a slightly more saturated brown mane and tail. He wore small eyeglasses and had a magnifying glass for a cutie mark. He was bigger than Twilight, but smaller than Big Macintosh.
"Hello, Officer," Twilight said as she walked up to the detective.
Looking Glass gave Twilight a nod. "Good morning, your Highness." His voice made it sound as if he was constantly speaking through a cigar in his teeth. "Here about the cause of death again?"
"Yeah. Sorry I keep badgering you about it, but..."
"Pay it no mind. You've got good instincts, to be so thorough." Looking Glass used his magic to lift a clipboard. "Unfortunately, we still can't figure it out. We did, however, find out more about the circumstances of the crime."
"Go on."
"We learned that Filthy Rich had been missing for three days before his body turned up. Given the time at which the body was discovered, we've come to the conclusion that the third day he was missing is the day he was killed."
"Do you think it was kidnapping?" Spike asked.
"We're working under that assumption. However, it's not a complete certainty. Could be that Filthy just went somewhere on business and ran into a bad character while he was gone. If that was the case, then this case will be out of Ponyville's jurisdiction." The unicorn put the clipboard down and sighed. "I've never seen a case that I can't solve...but this just doesn't seem to have enough to it. How can I find something when I don't even know where to look?"
Twilight sighed. "It's not your fault. This case would stump anypony...and you've beaten me to all the good information."
"I know it's not my own folly, but it's still a case I can't solve without more knowledge...and there just doesn't seem to be any way to get that knowledge." Looking Glass shook his head. "I'm still gonna try, though. Anything else you need?"
"That just about covers it...but before I go...do you think the killer will strike again?"
"Well...I hate to sound negative, but that does seem to be the case. It's a strong possibility that he's gonna get away with killing Filthy Rich at this rate. If he were willing to kill a pony so respected...well, let's just say there are a lot of less likable ponies around here." The detective narrowed his eyes. "Everypony is a suspect, your Highness. Trust no one."
"I'll...keep that in mind."
"We gotta hurry to Applejack's," Spike said suddenly. "Before it starts raining."
Twilight nodded. "Thank you for your time, Officer."
"Stay safe out there, Princess," Looking Glass replied.
The barn door was opened with Rarity's unicorn magic. "I'm terribly sorry that I'm late," she said as she entered the barn and closed her umbrella. "Sweetie Belle went out in the rain. If I hadn't taken some time and gotten her back inside, she could've gotten sick."
"It's just a light shower," Rainbow Dash said as Rarity closed the door again. "The big storm isn't for three more weeks. THAT'S when you should be worried."
"Nonetheless, I do not want to take any unnecessary risks. Now...what is this meeting all about?"
The other ponies and Spike were sitting at a table in the middle of the barn as Rainbow hovered above it. Twilight waved Rarity over, and she took one of the two empty seats.
"Girls, we have information regarding the case," Twilight announced. "It's going to be very strange to hear--and probably difficult to believe--but I assure you, every last bit of it is the truth."
"Filthy Rich died in a different world," Spike added.
The other ponies--besides Rainbow, of course--looked confused. "Another world?" Applejack asked.
Twilight nodded. "There's a white book in the ancient castle. Spike discovered it while we were looking for a method that the killer could've used to leave no trace of his work on Filthy's corpse, and we found that it's a window to a different world...one that's constantly foggy."
"The other world is a place where monsters called Shadows live," Spike explained. "Shadows are, from what Twilight tells me, the part of the subconscious that ponies hide from others given physical form. These monsters emerge when a pony dies."
"Or, in my case," Rainbow interjected, "when somepony enters the other world."
"Wait, hold on," Rarity said. "The three of you have all entered this world?"
Twilight nodded. "We don't know the full circumstances around it, but when Rainbow Dash entered the other world, her Shadow emerged. It tried to get her to accept it as part of herself, but that didn't work. It became a monster and attacked us."
"Well, if that's the case, then how'd y'all get outta there alive?" Applejack asked.
"I was just getting to that. When I first entered that world, my Shadow didn't emerge...for some reason. Instead...well, I think it'd be better to show you this part." Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow?"
"Yeah, let's do it," Rainbow replied.
Twilight stood up and walked towards the back of the barn, and Rainbow flew over to her side. Their respective Arcana cards appeared in the air, causing the other ponies to jump in surprise.
"Whoo-hoo! It's so pretty!" Pinkie Pie yelled.
"You ain't seen nothin' yet!" Rainbow exclaimed.
Twilight shot her card with a magic laser as Rainbow Dash jumped into the air and kicked hers. In explosions of blue mist, Merlin appeared above Twilight, and Peregrine appeared above Rainbow Dash.
"Well, dip me in soap 'n' string me up on a clothesline!" Applejack said. "That's...crazy!"
"They look simply marvelous," Rarity added. "...What are they?"
"They're called Personas," Twilight replied.
"They're...very imposing..." Fluttershy said nervously.
"YESSSS! New friends!" Pinkie yelled. "Or...would they be? Can Personas be friends?"
"They're part of us," Rainbow said flatly.
"That means we're ALREADY friends! We should totally throw a PERSONA PARTY!"
"As we were saying," Twilight said, putting a lid on Pinkie's antics. "My Persona came to me without me having to face my own Shadow. Rainbow Dash's Persona, however, was given to her once she accepted her Shadow. This is also tied to Filthy Rich's death."
"How so?" Fluttershy asked.
"Simple. Filthy Rich went missing for three days before his body was discovered. My theory is that during this time, he was in the other world. Sometime during that time, Filthy's Shadow emerged, and since nopony was there to stop it from going berserk...it killed him."
The other ponies nodded. "It makes sense," Applejack said. "I think I have an idea...maybe we could lay a trap fer th' killer. We know that they have access to this other world, and since we only know 'bout one entrance, it's a strong chance that they're usin' th' same one that y'all did."
"We could," Rarity said, putting a hoof to her chin. "But we'd have to figure out if the killer is going to act again first. We cannot say for sure that this wasn't a singular event."
"Is there any way to do that, short of it happening?" Fluttershy asked.
"Ooh! Maybe we could set up an ambush in the Princess's's's personal library!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"Possible, but impractical. You'd have to stay there and active for an indeterminate period of time," Twilight explained. "You might be onto something, though..."
There was a heavy knock at the door. "Everything okay in there?"
"Aw shoot, it's Big Mac!" Applejack whispered. "Dismiss th' Personas, quick!"
Peregrine and Merlin disappeared, and only a fraction of a second later, the barn door opened. Big Mac was there in all his glory. "There's been a big ol' racket in here," he said. "What're y'all up to?"
"Just talking," Twilight said quickly.
"Yeah! Talking about nothing!" Pinkie looked directly into Big Mac's eyes. "And yet...at the same time, talking about EEEEEVERYTHIIIIING..."
Big Mac looked thoroughly confused. Applejack saw this as an opportunity to change the subject. "Didja finish fixin' th' fence?"
"Eeyup," Big Mac replied.
"Shearin' the sheep?"
"Eeyup."
"Fillin' the cellar?"
"Eeyup."
"Red or green?"
"Eee..." Big Mac stopped himself. "Nice one, sis."
"Jus' makin' sure yer payin' attention."
With that, Big Mac turned around. "Well, I'll leave y'all t' yer conversation. See y'all later."
After Big Mac left and closed the door behind him, Pinkie cupped her hooves to her mouth. "Safety gear!" she yelled.
"Okay, now back to business..." Twilight sat back down. "Any ideas?"
"What if we all got Personas?" Rarity asked. "Then we could possibly beat the killer at his own game."
"Waaaay too risky," Rainbow said. "When my Shadow attacked, it nearly killed Twilight."
"Even ignoring the risk of horrible death, when Rainbow's Shadow first appeared, she nearly went into shock," Twilight added.
Rainbow scoffed. "I was fiiiiine."
"And even then," Twilight said, ignoring Rainbow, "we can't be certain that this guy even uses a Persona. We don't even know if he went into the other world himself."
"What about magical security?" Fluttershy asked.
"Those spells are exclusive to ponies that run banks and museums, and stuff like that. Other ponies would use them too irresponsibly."
"It's starting to seem like our only option is to wait for another victim," Spike said with a sigh. "Then we could establish connections between the cases, if nothing else."
"Hmmm...wait, I got it!" Pinkie yelled. "But...where would we get a cement mixer at this hour?"
There was a moment of silence as everyone gave Pinkie an odd look.
"Royal guards!" Fluttershy suddenly exclaimed. The others turned to her, waiting for her to elaborate. "We can ask Princess Celestia to send some royal guards to Ponyville. They can set up a perimeter around the castle! Nopony but us gets in or out until this all blows over."
"Fluttershy, that's genius!" Rarity exclaimed. "It seems to be our only option, as well. The guards are trained professionals! Nothing gets past them!"
"Juuuuuust one problem," Twilight said. "How are we supposed to explain that they need to be stationed at the old castle without telling them everything?"
"Hey, you have the authority to make 'em stand on one front hoof and juggle with their wings," Rainbow replied. "Just tell 'em it's an order."
"I guess...yeah, okay! We have a plan!" Twilight smiled. "Spike, write to the Princess immediately!"
"Got it!" Spike exclaimed. He produced a quill and paper and started writing.
"All right! Finally, some action!" Rainbow smirked confidently. "We're gonna nab this guy for sure!"
Twilight visited the Velvet Room that night. She didn't have many questions for Igor, but she figured that he might be interested by the progress that the group had made.
"It's good to hear that you and your companions are taking charge," Igor said. "The fact of the matter is that you must stay vigilant. However, so far you are doing an excellent job."
"Thank you!" Twilight replied. "I'm really confident that this will work. If it doesn't, we'll pretty much have to start from scratch again..."
"As long as you're here," Margaret said suddenly, "there is something I'd like to explain to you."
Twilight turned to Margaret. "And what would that be?"
"Several guests of the Velvet Room have had special abilities that were linked to their Persona power. Though you are not a Fool Arcana, and therefore do not possess the Wild Card ability...we have been able to discern what you DO have."
"We have looked into your memories, and from them, we have learned that you personify the bonds that people share," Igor explained. "This gives you an ability that we have called the Dominant Link."
"The...Dominant Link?" Twilight asked. "What's that?"
"You already have several unbreakable bonds. This is unusual for a guest in the Velvet Room, but it makes you much more interesting to work with as a result...but I digress." Igor waved his hand over the table. A spectral image of Merlin appeared, and a spectral image of Rainbow Dash appeared beside him. "Using Dominant Link, you can use these bonds to allow your Persona access to new abilities. Normally, a Persona gains power through experience. In your case, however...Merlin gains power and versatility by establishing a certain Arcana as a 'dominant bond.' For example, if you were to assert Rainbow Dash's friendship, of the Chariot Arcana..."
Igor waved his hand from Rainbow Dash to Merlin, and the two images combined. Rainbow Dash disappeared, and Merlin's robes looked considerably lighter.
"...your Persona gains extra agility, along with the power to use the same magic as Rainbow Dash's Persona can: the power of the wind."
Merlin's spectral image put its hand forward, and a small, green whirlwind appeared. After this, the spectral Merlin disappeared.
"So what you're saying is...I can choose one of my friends, and Merlin will gain abilities from them?" Twilight asked.
"Yes. Though this does apply to any and all bonds you have, only bonds with other Persona users can give your Persona new abilities." Igor waved his hand again, causing the normal Merlin and Applejack to appear. "If you were to assert your bond with Applejack..." This time, the two images fused and gave Merlin heavy-looking wristbands and ankle bands that appeared to be made of bricks. "...Merlin would gain extra endurance. However, he would not gain any further abilities."
"I'm guessing I can only assert one bond at a time?"
"Unfortunately, yes. However, asserting a new bond will not erase the bonuses of the old. In this example, Merlin can still use Wind magic. Due to Rainbow Dash's bond not being dominant, it will simply be less potent."
"This sounds incredible! How do I do this?"
"That task is mine," Margaret said. "I can tell you what bond you currently consider dominant, and I can change it for you."
"In that case...I guess I'll go with Rainbow Dash, to get the wind magic."
Margaret nodded. She took a book from her side that Twilight hadn't seen. She opened it, and a Chariot Arcana card appeared. This card floated over to Twilight and faded into her.
"Congratulations," Igor said. "Remember--Merlin will have his new magical abilities indefinitely. You can change your asserted bond now, if you so desire, and you will not lose the ability to cast Wind spells."
"Hmm...I dunno. I guess it is redundant to have both myself and Rainbow using fast Personas...is there any bond I have that increases my magical potency?"
"Ah, an excellent idea. That would be your bond with Rarity," Margaret explained. "Would you like to assert this bond?"
Twilight nodded. A new card appeared, this one with a picture of the moon floating above a river with a lobster in it, along with two towers in the background. This card, too, faded into Twilight.
"I have a feeling I'll be using this a lot," Twilight said with a smile.
"I should hope so. Your strength is in your versatility, after all." Igor's smile grew. "I eagerly await your next visit."
The familiar feeling of fading consciousness engulfed Twilight, and she found herself in the library again.