//------------------------------//
// Chapter 16: Metamorphosis 
// Story: Personas of Harmony 
// by EricStarstorm 
//------------------------------//

	Rainbow Dash watched Derpy Hooves as she pushed the last storm cloud towards the sole remaining egress in the sky. Derpy stopped for a second, mopped her brow, and started pushing the cloud again. However, she hit the cloud a bit too hard, and a bolt of lightning fired from it like a bullet. Rainbow Dash dodged the bolt, and it flew past her.

"Cut that out, Derpy!" Rainbow yelled. "Just PUSH the cloud. You don't have to hit it!"

"Sorry, Rainbow Dash!" Derpy replied sheepishly. She moved to push the cloud again and slammed her front hooves into it, sending another lightning bolt towards Rainbow. She dodged this one as well.

"DERPY! I swear to Celestia, if you do that again--"

Rainbow was cut off as a third lightning bolt arced from the cloud and hit her directly in the face. She recovered after a few seconds, but a large scorch mark was left on her face. She glared daggers at Derpy and flew over to the cloud. Derpy looked almost afraid. Without saying a word, Rainbow took the cloud and pushed it into place.

"I'm sorry," Derpy said. She looked rather downcast.

"Just...can you just?" Rainbow asked. "Okay? Okay. Ugh."

Both of the pegasi flew through the clouds, where several dozen other pegasi were hovering. Rainbow gave a signal, and the pegasi gave the cloud cover a good whack. A torrential rain began below them.





Raindrops began to reverberate into the barn from above. The ponies--and dragon--looked towards the sound, and with that, received confirmation that the storm had begun.

"Rainbow should be back any second now," Spike said.

"We hear it too, darling," Rarity replied. "Fluttershy, how's your leg?"

Fluttershy had decided to lay on the rafters of the barn, rather than exhaust her wings with hovering. "Sore," she said. "But it's a lot better today."

"That's wonderful."

Rainbow Dash suddenly opened the doors, walked into the barn, and closed them again. The others couldn't help but notice the ashes on her face.

"What happened to you?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow shook herself for a few seconds, dispersing the ashes and throwing off some loose rainwater. "I don't want to talk about it," she said. She walked over to the others. "So we're all here now, right?"

Twilight nodded. She turned to Applejack, but Pinkie sprung into action before she could say anything. "Simon, read us the minutes of the last meeting!" she yelled. She suddenly produced a bowler hat and a fake mustache, and then a scroll after she had put them on. She opened the scroll to read what had been written on it. "Minute minute minute minute minute minute minute!"

Rarity rolled up the paper with her magic and bopped Pinkie on the head with it. "That's quite enough of that."

Twilight cleared her throat. "First things first...I'm pretty sure I can do that memory spell that Looking Glass used with Fluttershy. It can't hurt to confirm whether the killer's methods were the same this time as they were last time."

"Go right ahead," Applejack said with a nod.

Twilight's horn glowed as she touched it to Applejack's forehead. She saw into Applejack's memories, but she saw only a black void at the time of her kidnapping. She looked to the very edge of it on both sides. On the former side, she heard something. She investigated further to find that it was a voice.

"Catch me if you can," the voice said. It seemed to be no less than six voices layered over one another, seemingly to preserve the culprit's identity.

With that, Twilight withdrew from Applejack's mind and turned to the others, who were looking at her expectantly in turn. "He planted a taunt for us," she said.

"Ah think Ah remember that, actually," Applejack said, putting a hoof to her chin. "Ah shoulda figured it didn't make any sense fer that to be there."

"Well, we must rise to his challenge!" Rarity exclaimed. "We're practically already doing it, after all."

"Y'know..." Spike looked a bit concerned. "If this guy left a message in Applejack's mind, then he's probably pretty confident in his abilities...maybe we're just doing exactly what he wants us to do."

"Don't be ridiculous, Spike," Rainbow replied. "How can we be doing what he wants us to do if we're saving his would-be victims?"

"Well, we can't assume that we know the full extent of his agenda," Twilight pointed out. "It's a possibility, and one that shouldn't be ignored."

"But how does it help us find the suspect?"

"Honestly...I don't know. But we're learning more and more, and that's still helpful."

"Well, all right, then! We can't waste any time," Applejack said suddenly. She reared up onto her back legs and windmilled her forelegs in excitement. "Let's go tell the detectives!"

Applejack charged out the door. Fluttershy jumped down from the rafters and flew out as well, grabbing her umbrella on the way out. Pinkie fired herself out of her party cannon and flew out the door at breakneck speeds, and Rarity followed shortly afterwards at a brisk trot, holding a fancy parasol with her magic. Twilight and Spike were about to follow, but as Twilight turned to Rainbow, she saw that she was just waiting there.

"Aren't you going?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow looked a little nervous. "Actually...can we talk for a minute first?"

Spike's eyes widened. "Oh, uh...hey Twilight! I think I forgot to re-shelve the, um...Scientology books! Yeah! I'd better go and...uh...do that."

Twilight looked at Spike in confusion. Spike winked knowingly at her before leaving the barn. With that done, Twilight turned back towards Rainbow. "Well...what do you want to talk about?"

Rainbow smiled. "I...wanted to thank you."

Now Twilight was even more confused. "What did I do?"

"You set me straight," Rainbow replied. "Back when I first entered the other world...if you hadn't beaten the tar out of my Shadow, I never would've realized something had to change."

Realization dawned on Twilight, and she smiled. "And?"

"All this time, I was wondering why I liked stunts and stuff more than you guys...and I finally realized that there was no good reason. It all just seemed like baseless conjecture. But while I was thinking that over, I noticed that there was almost a theme to what I was thinking. I kept thinking, over and over, that...while stunts were a temporary thing, you guys will always be with me."

"I have to admit, it's a little surprising to hear you say that," Twilight said. "If I didn't know you better, I would've assumed that you'd be as old as Granny Smith and still try to do Sonic Rainbooms."

"Yeah, but...well, hearing what that Shadow had to say was kinda...sobering, I guess." Rainbow's smile grew. "And that's not all I realized, either."

"What else did you realize?"

"Up to this point, I always thought that I couldn't let my feelings for you guys mess with my abilities. That's why I was so hung up about it--I thought that if I let the two things I'm most passionate about bleed into each other, they'd just get in each other's way. But after what happened the last time we went into the other world...seeing what happened to Fluttershy, seeing Applejack like that, watching Spike in action...something clicked. I get what I should REALLY be passionate about now."

"And that is...?"

Rainbow's chest swelled with pride. "I really love flying, and I really love you guys. But what I love more than anything in the world is doing all that reckless stuff I love FOR you guys!"

"I'm proud of you, Rainbow...but I think you would've come to this conclusion on your own eventually."

There was a second of silence, and then a flash of blinding white light consumed the ponies' vision. When it cleared, Peregrine was floating above Rainbow.

"Wait, what's going on? I didn't summon her!" Rainbow exclaimed.

Peregrine was consumed by blue energy. After another blinding flash, the energy dispersed to reveal that Peregrine had changed. Her wingspan was larger, and she now had an ornate plumage. While she still wore her gi, it was now covered at the torso by a leather breastplate with metal shoulderpads. Along with her black belt, a smaller black strap adorned each of her sleeves and leggings. Her claws now had a hooked blade on the back, and her feet had become wicked talons. After a few seconds, she turned into a Chariot Arcana card, which disappeared and bathed Rainbow in the same blue energy.

"What...just happened?" Rainbow asked as the energy faded.

"Peregrine...transformed," Twilight replied. "But--"

"Wait a second..." Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and enlightenment. "Her name's Hayabusa now. And...I feel a LOT stronger! What brought this on?!"

"I guess it's because you came to this revelation." Twilight's smile returned. "Personas grow as their hosts do, remember?"

Rainbow jumped into the air and hovered there, beaming. "Pretty fitting! I resolve to fight for my friends, and then I get more strength to do it with!"

Twilight walked over to her and put a hoof on her shoulder as she landed. "Let's go catch up to the others. They're probably waiting for us."

"Yeah, you're right!...But...I have no idea where the detectives are right now."

Twilight's smile faded, and her eyes widened. "Oh boy...I'm not sure ANY of us do."

The two ponies were silent for a few seconds. Rainbow broke the tension by jumping into the air again and shakily pumping her hoof. "Let's go...on a detective hunt...!"





After the group was reunited, they eventually found out that Looking Glass and Siren had been allowed to set up shop in Town Hall shortly after the latter's arrival. When they got there, the found only Looking Glass--Siren was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello, Officer," Fluttershy said.

Looking Glass turned to the group, and he raised an eyebrow upon seeing just how many faces there were before him. "Good day. What can I help you with?"

"We have crucial information regarding the case," Rarity replied as she folded up her parasol. "Specifically, Applejack's memories."

"Hmm. Normally, I would turn you away...but you are the ones working on the case independently, are you not?"

"We sure as sugar are," Applejack said. "Ah think that the culprit planted somethin' in my memories."

"Hold on a second," Twilight said. "Why would you have turned us away?"

Looking Glass let out a sigh. "It would surprise you to find out just how many ponies have come to me saying that they have information regarding whatever case I'm working on, and then finding out that it's a load of worthless gossip or trinkets. They think that all they have to do is waltz in here and offer something to the case, and it will be their ticket to glory."

"...How many?" Pinkie asked.

"Something to the effect of 200, if memory serves. Did you say the culprit...'planted' something?"

Applejack nodded. "Ah remember a voice, but Ah don't remember who said it or when. It's only a voice, too--and it just ain't natural."

"I see. And what did it say?"

"'Come and get me.'"

"That does certainly seem to be a taunt. I suppose I should confirm this."

Applejack sighed with relief. "Thank ya kindly, Officer. Ah'm glad that our efforts ain't goin' to waste."

Looking Glass began with his memory spell. In mere seconds, he was finished with it--after all, he only needed to find the voice. "Seems that the murderer is quite confident...but this was a slip-up on his part. If we can extract this memory, we might be able to discern the original voice within it using a spell to remove enchantments."

"Actually, I think you would need the original sound," Twilight interjected. "If you were to record the sound magically, then trying to remove the vocal alterations wouldn't leave you with anything left...and if you put it on a record, then there won't be any magic there to remove."

"Hmm...true." Looking Glass frowned at this. "But extracting the sound may still prove fruitful. Miss Applejack, would you be willing to return in a day or two? I'll have to call in an expert for this."

"So long as it don't interrupt my work schedule, Ah'd be happy to," Applejack replied.

"Excellent. I apologize that I cannot be of any more assistance at this time."

"Ain't no big deal. Besides, we're the ones helpin' y'all, ain't we?"

"Well, we should probably get going," Rainbow said. "It's no fun going through the storm, but hey, some of us have naps to take."

"I agree," Fluttershy added. "I'm not used to flying all the time yet...I'm absolutely spent."

Rainbow and Fluttershy left then and there. Rarity and Pinkie followed them directly afterwards. Before Applejack left, she stopped beside Twilight. "What held y'all up in the barn, anyway?"

"I'll tell you later," Twilight said. "Now's not a good time."

"If ya say so." With that, Applejack turned and left.

"Just one thing before you go, your Majesty," Looking Glass said. "Might I ask you to keep an eye out for my niece?"

Twilight seemed a bit surprised at the request. "Wait, you don't know where she is?"

"I do know she's still in Ponyville. If she left, I would have been notified. But she left three hours ago and has not returned, and I've received no word on the matter."

"Well...yeah, of course I can help you with that."

"Thank you, Princess. That is all I could ever ask of you."





With everyone going straight home to weather the storm, Twilight and Spike were alone on the way back to the library. The two of them whiled away the time with Twilight telling Spike about what had happened between herself and Rainbow Dash at the barn earlier. Spike was practically enthralled when Twilight got to Peregrine's transformation.

"I had no idea that was possible!" Spike exclaimed. "And it just happened after Rainbow got over what her Shadow said?"

Twilight nodded. "I assume it'll be the same for all of us. They all got their Personas the same way, so it naturally follows that they'll evolve the same way, too."

"Hmm...but what about you?" Spike's excitement was quelled a bit and replaced with confusion. "I mean, you did get your Persona first. Where's YOUR transformation?"

"Well, you have to remember that I never faced my Shadow--I don't even know if I have one. It's a bit easier for you and the others, because you actually knew what you have to work on. I probably do have to work on something myself, but I have no idea what it is."

Just then, Twilight and Spike noticed a particularly active thundercloud in their peripherals. While most of the cloud cover only let loose a lightning bolt every few minutes, this one cloud only took about three seconds between each bolt. Twilight focused on it to get a better look, and she saw that someone was bucking the life out of it.

"Wait a minute..." Spike's eyes widened. "That's Siren!"

Twilight noticed right then and there that Spike was right. She couldn't imagine why Siren would be ruthlessly abusing a cloud, but she intended to find out. "HEY, SIREN!" she called.

The young pegasus stopped for a moment and turned towards Twilight and Spike. She flew towards them after seemingly recognizing them from afar and landed in front of Twilight. "Uh...hi," she said sheepishly.

"What in the name of Celestia are you doing?" Spike asked.

"Uh...heh heh...it's a bit tough to explain."

"Well, it seems pretty simple to me," Twilight said. "But...why were you out here bucking a cloud?"

Siren hesitated a bit before answering, a nervous smile on her face. "I...needed to blow off some steam."

"What do you mean?"

"I just...my uncle is obsessed with this case, but with so little for us to go on, we have nothing to obsess over. We make a little progress every so often, but...this guy has already killed two ponies and kidnapped two others. We can barely touch him...and he knows it. It's just...so frustrating..."

"And kicking a cloud is how you vent?" Spike asked.

Siren nodded solemnly. "It's not a perfect system, but if I start hitting walls, I'll leave dents and make a pretty big racket. At least if I make a racket during a rainstorm, nobody really notices unless they pass by and look over there, like you guys did." Siren sighed. "I just want this case to be done with already...I've never been so frustrated with my job since I started working with the force."

"Nopony likes a murder case. I sort of get where you're coming from...this murder mystery stuff is all just so taxing."

"But it's your job as a detective to be thorough," Twilight pointed out.

"That's why it's so frustrating!" Siren exclaimed. The sudden change in her tone surprised Twilight. "I have to deal with this Celestia-forsaken murderer until we've searched every nook and cranny! And if we don't find anything there, we have to search them all again! There's no telling how long this will take us!"

"But you'll get through it all eventually, won't you?" Spike asked. "That's what counts when everything is said and done."

Siren glared at the dragon. "Is that all life is to you? Just a big scoreboard of wins and losses?"

Spike was shocked at the hostility. He rubbed his knuckles together nervously. "W-well..."

"Sure, we'll probably solve this case eventually...but to do that, I have to deal with everything that entails. It's like wading through a six-foot trench of barbed wire and salt just to get to the market--I'll get there, but it won't be satisfying. It'll just leave me wounded and broken."

"...There's more to this that you're not telling me, isn't there?" Twilight asked. "This is about more than just the case. If you got this frustrated over working on a case, then you wouldn't want to work on the force to begin with."

Siren's glare disappeared almost instantly. She looked to the side, but there was no hiding the despair in her eyes. "I...I'll go back to Town Hall..."

Before Twilight could respond, Siren took off and immediately flew towards the center of town. Twilight turned and watched her for a few seconds.

"Just what was that about?" Spike asked, the cheer that had previously been in his voice now long gone.

"I don't know," Twilight replied. "But...you saw the look in her eyes, didn't you?"

"Yeah...I've never seen somepony looking THAT despondent before."

The two were silent for a moment. The only sounds around were the raindrops hitting Twilight's umbrella and the ground around them, but their thoughts drowned out the ambiance.

Twilight decided to break the silence. "Let's go...we should get out of this storm."

"Sounds good to me," Spike replied. They turned and resumed walking towards the library, where a warm meal would soon be waiting for them.