"Ah jus' think yer bein' paranoid," Applejack said as she put a basket of apples on the shelf. "Y'all know--"
"She ALWAYS answers her door, at the very least!" Rainbow Dash yelled, hovering near the barn's rafters. "If she wants to be alone for a day, she'll TELL us!"
"She might jus' not be home."
"I already flew over the whole town! I didn't see her anywhere!"
"Ah'm jus' sayin' that we shouldn't--"
The barn door opened as Twilight entered. "Hi, girls," she said.
Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash jumped in surprise. Applejack nearly knocked over the basket she had just put up. "Whoa there, girl! Ya scared us there!"
"Sorry," Twilight replied sheepishly. She turned to Rainbow. "Today's the day. Are you ready?"
"Of course I am!" Rainbow yelled. "Fluttershy is in there, and we gotta get her out!"
Twilight's eyes widened. "What?! F-Fluttershy?!"
"We don't know that fer sure!" Applejack scolded. "Look...no matter who's in there, y'all can't go in there with guns blazin'. If ya don't calm down, yer gonna rush in and get hurt. Who'll save the victims then?"
"How can I calm down at a time like this?!?" Rainbow demanded. "All I can think about right now is how terrified she must be in there, surrounded by monsters and not being able to see through the fog! And...if HER Shadow shows up..."
Rainbow's eyes filled with tears. Twilight sighed as she landed and put a hoof on her shoulder.
"It'll be all right," Twilight said. "Fluttershy will be safe until the rain comes. Now c'mon, let's go get her out of there."
Rainbow nodded and stepped back. "I'll go get Rarity. Get ready and meet us at the old castle, okay?"
Twilight nodded, and Rainbow bolted out the barn door. Twilight turned to Applejack.
"Don't worry 'bout me none," Applejack said. "Y'all jus' go on and do yer thing."
"I promise, we'll bring her back," Twilight said as she turned around. She then left the barn herself.
"Well, I must say, this does not look like anywhere I've been to," Rarity said. "Though it does seem familiar."
"Well, I'd imagine you've been to a stadium," Twilight replied. "But this looks like something more complex...like a colosseum."
The three ponies stood before a gigantic structure that appeared to be made of sandstone. It was cylindrical in its design, and ornate arches and columns adorned much of the outside. There were battlements at the top, but it clearly wasn't a castle. There was an enormous double door beyond the arch that stood directly before the ponies.
"I wonder what this is doing here?" Rarity asked. "It isn't like the spa or the gingerbread house."
"Hey, good question," Rainbow said curtly. "Here's a better one: WHO CARES?! Let's get a move on!"
Rainbow flew in through the double doors before the others could stop her. They followed immediately afterward, and Twilight managed to stop Rainbow with her magic before she bolted. "Don't you remember what these places are, Rainbow? This place is somehow tied to Fluttershy's inner thoughts!"
"Yeah, but we still have to find her first!" Rainbow yelled. "We'll deal with her Shadow once we get to her! Now let me go!"
Rainbow managed to break free of Twilight's grip, and she began to fly down the hall. She screeched to a halt, however, as Shadows began to emerge from the walls before her. Some looked like large hands, and others looked like giant wheels.
A warped version of Fluttershy's voice suddenly rang out in the hall. "Welcome to the Arena! Since you're so eager, I think you're ready to begin Round One! Try not to die!"
"Whoa," Twilight said. "Just what has Fluttershy been hiding?"
"I believe we have more pressing matters at the moment," Rarity replied as her Arcana card appeared. Twilight and Rainbow conjured theirs as well, and everyone summoned their Personas.
Naturally, Peregrine was the first to act. She slashed through two hand Shadows at once and bolted through the crowd, positioning herself so that the three Personas were flanking the targets. One of the hand Shadows snapped its fingers and pointed at Rainbow Dash, and an aura that looked like fire surrounded her.
"What in the world was that?" Twilight asked.
Rainbow started shaking suddenly. She then let out a feral cry, and Peregrine slashed at Shadows randomly and with reckless abandon, hitting with less than half of her attacks. Those attacks that didn't hit ended up smashing parts of the walls.
"That Shadow must have made her too furious to think clearly!" Rarity yelled. "Looks like we must step in."
Merlin and Jack of Clubs flew forward. Jack of Clubs lunged at one of the wheel Shadows, immediately turning it to red mist. He then turned and slashed through more Shadows with extreme grace. Merlin, meanwhile, aimed his hands forward, consuming the hand Shadows in a blast of lightning. Eventually, the two of them defeated enough Shadows to cut a path to Peregrine, and Jack of Clubs froze her arms to stop her rampage.
"Are you calm now?" Rarity asked.
Rainbow Dash's forelegs were covered in ice, and she was shivering violently. "A l-l-lot m-more than I w-w-was a f-f-few s-seconds ago..."
Jack of Clubs left Peregrine's side and tried to get back over to Rarity, but on his way over, he was surrounded by Shadows. Merlin aimed his hands at them to assist.
"Now, Twilight," Rarity said, "I must ask that you do not underestimate me."
Jack of Clubs' rapier suddenly disappeared, but the sounds of it swinging could still be clearly heard. It reappeared after a few seconds, and he sheathed it. The second he finished with this, every Shadow that had been surrounding him was revealed to have been sliced in half.
"Okay, yeah, that was awesome," Rainbow said as she flew into the air a bit. She slammed her legs down to shatter the ice. "But this isn't the time to show off."
"Forgive me," Rarity replied. "I was caught up in the moment, I suppose."
"We should be able to go through now," Twilight said. "There's no reason to take down any more Shadows than is necessary. We're on a mission, after all."
With that, the three ponies sprinted through the remaining Shadows as their Personas flew beside them, warding off any Shadows that advanced. At the end of the hallway they were in was a large door. Twilight couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding from it. Even so, Rainbow flew ahead and kicked it open, and they all entered. Once they were inside, Twilight slammed the door into a wheel Shadow's face. The room they were in now was shrouded in unnatural darkness.
"Jeez, it's REALLY dark in here..." Rainbow said.
"This darkness feels somehow malevolent," Rarity added. "What's causing it, I wonder...?"
"Congratulations!" yelled a strikingly familiar voice. Four stadium lights came to life in the four corners of the room, dispelling the darkness. There was a thin circle painted on the floor, in which a carbon copy of Fluttershy stood.
Rainbow was thoroughly confused, but then she glared harshly. "Fluttershy's Shadow."
The Shadow turned towards the three ponies, revealing its sickly yellow eyes. "Well, well! Three competitors that made it past the first round! Congratulations."
"This doesn't sound like our dear Fluttershy at all," Rarity said.
"Our Shadows rarely do," Twilight pointed out.
Shadow Fluttershy stomped with one hoof, and a large Shadow appeared. It took the form of a very tall human with bulging muscles and only minimal clothing. "Time for round two! I wonder who will go down first...have fun with it!"
With that, Shadow Fluttershy left the room, cackling like a maniac. The Shadow before them raised its fists and took on a fighting stance as if it were boxing. It ran towards Rarity, but Merlin blasted it with flames before it could get very far, sending it back a few steps. Peregrine flew forward and tried to kick it in the face, but it blocked with its beefy arm and grabbed her.
"Ah crap," Rainbow said.
The Shadow threw Peregrine into the air. As she began to fall, it prepared a devastating uppercut as its body was surrounded with orange electricity.
"Oh, no you don't!" Rarity yelled. Jack of Clubs pointed at the Shadow with his rapier, and a large block of ice formed around it, trapping it inside. Peregrine flapped her wings before she hit the ground and shook off her dizziness. She then stepped back and roundhouse kicked the ice block, shattering it and sending the Shadow sprawling. In response, it stood up, and the orange electricity around it was redirected to its fist. It ran towards Peregrine again.
"Rainbow, defend yourself!" Twilight yelled.
Rainbow nodded, and Peregrine folded its wings in front of its body, The Shadow's fist slammed into her, causing her to skid backwards. Rainbow rubbed her wings in pain.
"Are you all right?" Rarity asked.
"S-sort of..." Rainbow replied. "That thing's punch is brutal..."
Jack of Clubs flew over to Peregrine and placed a hand on her shoulder. The mark of impact that the fist left disappeared, and Rainbow seemed to be feeling better.
"We can't get close to this thing, or it'll take us down in a second," Twilight said. "We have to fight from a distance."
"Got it!" Rainbow said with a nod.
The Shadow ran towards Merlin this time, but Peregrine flapped her wings, blowing it back with a gust of wind. Jack of Clubs surrounded it with ice, and Merlin raised his hands into the air, striking it with lightning from above. All that was left of the Shadow was a cluster of red mist.
"All RIGHT!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Are we awesome or WHAT?!"
"I must admit, this is rather exhilarating," Rarity said with a giggle. "It's as if fighting this way is a second nature."
"Focus, you two," Twilight said. "We need to find Fluttershy, remember?"
"Yes, of course. I was simply making an observation." Rarity looked around. "But...it doesn't seem as though there's anywhere to go from--"
Rarity was interrupted as a large portcullis appeared on the other side of the room and began to open slowly. The three ponies exchanged glances.
"Oh boy," Rainbow said. "Fluttershy's in the next room. I can feel it."
"And now, for the final round!" Shadow Fluttershy's voice shouted. "Please welcome the pit dogs from the Red team!"
The ponies walked through the portcullis, followed closely by their Personas. The next room was something like the previous--the only source of light was four stadium lights, and there was a circle in the center. This room, however, had bleachers on the side walls full of all kinds of Shadows, weapon racks beside the doors, and both Fluttershy and her Shadow.
"Welcome to the final round!" Shadow Fluttershy yelled. "Please, turn around and meet your opponent!"
Fluttershy turned to face the three ponies, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, thank goodness! You made it!"
"Fluttershy, are you okay?!" Rainbow demanded.
"I...I think so..."
"We're not out of the woods yet!" Twilight yelled, gesturing to Fluttershy's Shadow.
Shadow Fluttershy laughed. "What, some dirty, rotten PONIES are going to save me?" She said the word "ponies" as if it were poison.
Fluttershy jumped and turned towards her Shadow again. "Wh-what?"
"Ponies are nothing but violent, cruel, conniving MONSTERS! They lie, they cheat, and they bully you for no reason!"
Fluttershy backed away from her Shadow. "Wh-why are you..."
Shadow Fluttershy looked directly into her host's eyes. "I've seen the way those despicable villagers look at us! 'Oh, she's a loner, she must be a freak!' 'She has more animal friends than REAL friends!' 'If she loves nature so much, why not just move to the Everfree?!'"
"Are you...saying...we're the same?"
"Other ponies don't care about anything more than what they see at first glance! They treat me like an outcast without even thinking that it's THEIR fault that I act like that in the first place! They're worth less than the animals!"
"Please...stop..."
"Animals will always love me unconditionally...THEY should be the ones to rule this society, not those FILTHY PONIES!"
"That's...nothing like...how I feel..."
Shadow Fluttershy grinned slyly and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then tell me...how DO I feel?"
"Stop it...please..." Fluttershy was on the verge of tears.
"What, are you afraid that your little friends will judge you if you admit the truth? Open your eyes!" Shadow Fluttershy's previous expression of anger returned. "EVERY pony will judge you! It doesn't matter how close to you they are, or how close you are to them! It doesn't matter how many times you help save the country! They will ALWAYS find SOMETHING wrong with you!"
"B-but I--"
"Now...ANSWER ME!" Shadow Fluttershy's eyes looked feral. "HOW DO I FEEL?!?"
Fluttershy took a few more steps back. "N-no!"
"Fluttershy, don't say it!" Twilight exclaimed.
Shadow Fluttershy got directly in Fluttershy's face. "DON'T IGNORE ME!"
Fluttershy suddenly flared her wings, her tears finally overflowing. "YOU'RE NOT ME!"
With that, Shadow Fluttershy chuckled as red mist surrounded her. She turned around and walked into the circle in the center of the room and turned to face Fluttershy and the other ponies again, an evil grin visible on her face just before the mist completely shrouded her body.
"Oh, no!" Twilight said. "Are we gonna be able to handle this?"
"Looks like we don't have a choice!" Rainbow yelled. "It's too late to go back now!"
The red mist exploded outwards, sending Fluttershy sprawling and revealing a gigantic statue. It depicted the legendary Sphinx, but with a pale and furious version of Fluttershy's face. A large cobra slithered from its back and hissed. It appeared to be attached to the Shadow's back.
"I am a Shadow," the statue said. "The true self!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Rainbow and Peregrine both adopted fighting stances. "We've heard this before, y'know!"
"Hang in there, Fluttershy!" Rarity yelled. "We won't let this stop us!"
Shadow Fluttershy laughed maniacally. "Time for a special exhibition match! This rotten-to-the-core pony TRASH versus none other than yours truly!" The cobra reared up and looked down at the ponies with a feral look in its eyes. "BEGIN!"
The Shadows on the bleachers began to cheer. Various colors of paper boards appeared above them--some were purple, some were blue, and some were white. The purple boards had a grey M, the blue ones had a white P, and the white ones had a black J. The majority of the boards were purple.
"What are they doing?" Rainbow asked.
"Ignore them!" Twilight exclaimed. "Focus on the target!"
Merlin aimed both hands at the Shadow and blasted it with lightning. It didn't move, due to being a statue, but it was visibly injured by the attack. The cobra began to charge some kind of magical energy as the Shadow began to laugh again. "You asked, and I'll deliver!" it yelled.
The cobra aimed directly at Merlin, the charged energy in its jaws about to overflow. The energy exploded outwards into a huge laser, which fully encased Merlin in it. Twilight and Merlin were both forced to the ground, badly injured.
"TWILIGHT!" Rarity exclaimed. "Hold on, I'll heal you!"
"Jeez, that attack was brutal!" Rainbow yelled. "I'll keep the Shadow busy!"
"It's not going to be that easy!" Shadow Fluttershy taunted. The cobra hissed, and Jack of Clubs was suddenly cut off by a blast of fire. He only just avoided the conflagration, and he tried to fly around it. The cobra summoned another blast, this time hitting him directly and leaving Rarity with a nasty burn. Peregrine flew over to the cobra and slashed into its scales, causing it to turn away from Jack of Clubs. The latter managed to get to Twilight, and he healed both himself and her before flying upwards again. Merlin joined him.
"This isn't good!" Twilight said. "If that attack hits again..."
"It won't get the chance!" Rarity replied.
Shadow Fluttershy's eyes flashed, and Peregrine was surrounded by an aura of dull orange. She slashed the cobra again, but her strike barely even left a mark. Rainbow Dash sent her back just before the snake lunged at her, just missing her with a crushing bite.
"The hay did she just DO?!" Rainbow demanded. "I feel weaker, but not hurt!"
Shadow Fluttershy's eyes flashed again, causing Merlin and Jack of Clubs to be surrounded by the same dull orange aura. Ignoring it for the moment, Merlin and Jack of Clubs both aimed their hands at the Shadow, and with their combined powers, they completely shrouded it in ice.
"I do so love ice magic," Rarity said, smiling.
"We're not done yet," Twilight warned.
"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Shadow Fluttershy roared. The ice shattered, and the audience of Shadows lifted boards again. This time, the majority were white with black J's.
"Wait, I get it!" Rainbow said. "They're picking targets for that laser attack! Peregrine, help out!"
Peregrine flapped her wings, surrounding Jack of Clubs with green light. Shadow Fluttershy fired another laser, this time aiming for Jack of Clubs. Due to his augmented agility, he was able to fly out of the way, and it blasted a crater into the ground.
"Now!" Twilight yelled. "Get in there and whale on it!"
Jack of Clubs drew his rapier as he and Peregrine flew towards the Shadow. They began to attack with a great deal of jabs and slashes before the Shadow pushed them back with a wave of flames.
"I have to admit, you're doing well! I've never seen the crowd this excited!" Shadow Fluttershy yelled. Its eyes flashed again, removing the green aura from Jack of Clubs and surrounding Peregrine and Merlin with dull green light.
"Oh, a speed reduction, too?" Rainbow demanded. "Not on my watch! Cancel it out!"
As Peregrine brought herself and Merlin to normal speed again, Merlin aimed his hands at Shadow Fluttershy, encasing the base of the statue in ice. The Shadow brushed it off easily.
"What a JOKE!" Shadow Fluttershy's voice was furious now. "You're just like all the rest--judgmental SHEEP that CONSTANTLY UNDERESTIMATE ME!"
The audience of Shadows held up varying paper boards. This time, the majority were blue with P's. The cobra began to charge energy again.
"Wait, I have an idea!" Rarity exclaimed. "Rainbow Dash, can you force its jaws closed?"
"In my sleep!" Rainbow replied. Peregrine flew towards the cobra's head. The cobra turned to face her, but she managed to grab one of its jaws in each hand and push them together. Jack of Clubs then aimed his rapier, encasing the cobra's trapped jaws in ice.
"What?!" Shadow Fluttershy demanded. "No, that's not how it's supposed to--"
The Shadow was interrupted as the energy in the cobra's mouth exploded. The cobra was clearly no more--it hissed weakly before flopping limply onto the floor.
"Finish it off!" Rainbow exclaimed.
"It's all yours, Twilight!" Rarity added.
Twilight smiled as the dull orange light faded around Merlin. He lifted both of his hands skyward. "Maybe THIS will teach you what ponies are REALLY worth!"
Merlin's hands flashed, causing gigantic ice crystals to rain from the ceiling. Shadow Fluttershy was pelted relentlessly by the avalanche, causing red mist to flood from her body. "How can this be?! I...can't lose...to you filthy MONSTERS!"
The three ponies ran over to Fluttershy. "Are you all right?" Rainbow asked, her voice filled with concern.
Fluttershy stood up and nodded. She appeared to still be crying. "I'm...I'm so sorry..."
"It's quite all right, dear," Rarity said. "We're just delighted that you're safe. Far be it for us to pass judgment on you now."
The red mist stopped flowing from Shadow Fluttershy. Her pony form was there, and she was shivering violently. Fluttershy looked at her, concerned. Twilight stepped aside, allowing her to walk over to her Shadow. Through her wracking shudders, Shadow Fluttershy looked at her host with tired eyes.
"When...I lived in Cloudsdale...everypony there would always bully me." Fluttershy wiped away her tears. "They would make fun of me, push me off of clouds, and beat me up for my allowance...I couldn't figure out what I could have possibly done to deserve it."
"That's why you moved out, huh?" Rainbow asked gently. "Yeah...that place has always been full of competitive ponies. I'm sure you noticed..."
Fluttershy nodded. "When I came to Ponyville...ponies mostly just left me alone. I moved into a cottage on the edge of town so that I would be out of the way. I didn't get any worse...but I didn't get any better, either. No matter how hard I tried to push these thoughts aside...they would always come back to haunt me. No matter what, I could only assume the worst in ponies..."
"Even after you made friends?" Rarity asked.
Fluttershy nodded again, sadly this time. "I knew that SOME ponies were different...but for the most part, I had no reason not to believe that they were just as ruthless and cruel as they had been at Cloudsdale. I knew it was wrong..."
"You just need time," Twilight said gently. "Surely, you've seen that the ponies in Ponyville are a lot nicer than ponies in Cloudsdale."
"Yes...I know." Fluttershy walked closer to her Shadow and wrapped her forelegs around her. "These thoughts may not be right...but they're still mine."
Shadow Fluttershy's shivers slowed down and eventually stopped. She returned her host's embrace, and a bright flash blinded everyone in the room. When it faded, before Fluttershy was a large feline creature with folded pegasus wings and an Egyptian headdress. Her eyes were warm, and her aura was warmer. She turned into an Arcana card depicting the head of a nun coming out of a black circle with a red background, which floated down to Fluttershy and faded, bathing her in its glow. She wobbled on her hooves, but managed to keep standing. "Persona..."
The others walked over to Fluttershy. "She's beautiful," Twilight said softly. "What's her name?"
Fluttershy turned to Twilight. "Her name...is Naravirala."
"Well, let's get outta here," Rainbow said. "You look like you need a break."
Fluttershy nodded again. "Yes...that sounds wonderful."
The group left the colosseum, their attitudes infectiously positive. After all, they had just stopped a murder.
"This is a cause for celebration," Rarity said. "Perhaps a feast?"
Twilight grabbed Rarity, and Rainbow grabbed Fluttershy. They began to fly towards the exit. "Too pricey," Twilight said. "We should do something simple. Something more fitting for Ponyville, y'know?"
"No doubt Pinkie will throw something together," Rainbow added, facetiously rolling her eyes.
"All of this sounds fantastic, but..." Fluttershy's eyes were barely open. "After a day like this...I just want to sleep."
The others were silent for a few moments before smiling gently. "You know...I wouldn't mind that myself," Rainbow replied.
Just then, everyone got to the portal. They went through, leaving the other world behind.