//------------------------------//
// Chapter 24: A Plus 
// Story: Personas of Harmony 
// by EricStarstorm 
//------------------------------//

	Even though everyone in the group could normally see through the fog in the other world, visibility was rather low. It wasn't the same yellow fog that usually enveloped the place--rather, it was the same silvery fog that Twilight had previously seen in the Velvet Room. It wasn't heavy or overbearing like the yellow fog, but the fact that it was here made her worry nonetheless. If she hadn't been thrilled over the prospect of facing Margaret before, now it was a waking nightmare.

"I'm trying to find a new place, but there's so much of this fog that I can't make anything out!" Rainbow yelled from above. She landed and fell in line. "I don't get it. What's even causing this?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Twilight replied. "If this is something Margaret is capable of doing, I certainly didn't know about it."

"I'll run a scan," Pinkie offered. Aurora appeared above Pinkie and put her heart over her eye. A few seconds later, Pinkie turned to the left a bit and pointed. "She's thataway!"

"How far?" Spike asked. "We can't overexert ourselves from too much walking."

"Pretty close. It should only take a minute or two."

"You're really concerned about getting tired out just from the trip over?" Rainbow asked with an incredulous grin.

"Have you SEEN my legs?" Spike shot back.

Twilight put Spike on her back. "There. Happy?"

"Very."

When this exchange was over, Twilight immediately bumped into a wall. She stepped back and saw that they were right in front of a dark blue structure, but there was no way of telling what it really looked like. After a moment, part of the wall opened up, revealing a staircase.

"What're we waitin' for?" Applejack asked. "This Margaret girl is obviously invitin' us in. No reason to keep 'er waitin' on us."

Rainbow jumped into the air and hovered there, barely containing herself from gushing. "I can already tell that this is gonna be a fight to remember! Let's DO this!"

Rainbow flew up the stairs before anyone could stop her, but the others were close behind. It was a short climb, but as they reached the top, the fog seemed to thin until it was barely noticeable. The staircase led to a large, circular arena. Margaret stood in the center of the circle, holding her book in her right hand and waiting.

"I'm very glad that you were able to make it," Margaret said. "I regret that this is the first time most of us have met in person. My name is Margaret."

"We know who you are," Rarity replied. "Twilight has told us about you and your involvement in the situation."

"That is good to hear. And I know who all of you are, from seeing Twilight's memories." Margaret looked at the group sternly. "Are you sure you're all ready for this? Time means little to me. I can wait as long as I must."

"We wouldn't be here if we weren't ready to fight," Fluttershy said with as much determination as she could muster. "If this is the only way to help Twilight, then we have to."

"Then you understand the risk you're taking?"

"In the big scheme of things, how is it any worse than when we come here to fight Shadows?" Spike asked. "Dying against you and dying against a rampaging monster are pretty similar."

"...The strength of your spirit reminds me of a boy I attended to three years ago. Near the end of his journey, we had a duel much like this one." Margaret smiled as if she were thinking of fond memories for a fleeting moment. "That boy showed me the extent of human potential. I am doing this to help you, make no mistake...but I also wish to see if the potential of your kind reaches the same level." She raised her right hand and pointed her book at the group as if it were a weapon. "As one who rules over power, I will fight with all of my strength. I expect no less from you. Let us begin!"

As soon as she was done speaking, Margaret opened her book, and several cards came flying out of it to float around her. She rose into the air herself, seemingly floating under her own power. The group summoned their respective Personas and readied themselves.

Pinkie gasped as she scanned Margaret to find a weakness. "Her power is insane! Be careful!"

As usual, Hayabusa was the first to spring into action. However, instead of charging in like she usually did, she instead surrounded herself with an aura of orange electricity. Margaret moved before anyone else could directly after that. The cards that floated around her connected to each other and formed a whip, which she used to hit the entire group all at once. It didn't affect anyone too badly.

"Applejack, raise our defenses! We can't let that add up too quickly!" Twilight yelled.

"You got it!" Applejack yelled. Stronghold lifted her arms up, and everyone was surrounded with blue light.

Margaret raised an eyebrow. "Very well," she said. "Then I shall have to try something different."

Before everyone's eyes, the card whip separated, and the cards that made it up appeared in a line in front of Margaret. She waved her hand, lifting one of the cards from the line. The card gained a blue aura as she held up her book towards it. "Alice."

Margaret opened her book and slammed it shut around the floating card, shattering it. Everyone looked upon the scene with shock as a young, blonde human girl in a purple dress appeared, floating above Margaret.

"Y'all can use a Persona?!" Applejack demanded. "Just who ARE ya?!"

In lieu of a reply, Margaret waved her hand towards the group. Alice twirled once on the spot, and a large circle of darkness appeared under their hooves. They all managed to jump out of it just before the ground where they stood was completely shrouded in darkness.

"Oh, this is NOT happening! Let's rock, Hayabusa!" Rainbow yelled. With the aura from before still surrounding her, Hayabusa spread her wings and launched herself towards Alice. As she flew, she swung her foot in a roundhouse kick, slamming into Alice sole-first. As the attack made contact, a surge of wind burst from the point of impact, sending Alice flying into the floor. She got up and dusted herself off, but it was clear that she was wounded.

"Impressive. Your powers have grown considerably since you began your journey," Margaret said. "But you're going to have to bring your absolute best to bear." Alice raised both arms, and a cloud of pale energy appeared above the battlefield. Three spheres of energy started to descend from it.

"Wait, that's the thing Spike did before! Get down!" Twilight yelled.

Everyone braced themselves as a massive explosion consumed their field of vision. Intense pain filled their bodies even as they did so. The blast cleared up after a few seconds to show that the arena was unharmed, and despite the group's weariness, they made it back to their feet. Sekhmet glowed with white light, and the group's wounds disappeared.

"We cannot let it do that again!" Rarity exclaimed. "Leave this to me!"

"Ah got yer back, Rarity!" Applejack said.

Ace of Spades immediately froze Alice in a large block of ice. Curiously, Margaret was largely unaffected by this, save for a bout of shivers. Ignoring this, Ace of Spades and Stronghold charged towards the ice, and after the former slashed into it to weaken it, Stronghold slammed her fists onto it, sending frozen shrapnel flying in all directions. Alice fell to the ground and disappeared.

"Heh, is that all you've got?" Spike asked. "You're gonna put us to sleep if that's--"

"Arahabaki," Margaret interjected as she smashed a second card with her book. A large clay doll appeared that appeared vaguely humanoid, but with inflated appendages and hips. Its eyes were barely open, but the parts that could be seen glowed with a fiery orange.

Seven jaws dropped. "...Okay, when and how?"

"I have access to every Persona in the Persona Compendium. The defeat of one Persona is little more than a nuisance." Margaret floated back a bit as Arahabaki slammed itself into the ground, sending a shockwave towards the group. Hayabusa, Atlas, and Merlin avoided it, but the others weren't fast enough. Stronghold was unaffected by the blast, however.

"I'm gonna lay you out like a sleeping bag!" Rainbow yelled. Hayabusa charged forward.

"Wait, don't hit it directly!" Pinkie suddenly exclaimed. "It's--"

Hayabusa's claws connected with Arahabaki before Pinkie could finish what she was saying. As they did, the doll's surface glowed briefly, and Hayabusa went flying. Rainbow received three deep gashes on her side, and she winced at the pain.

"What just happened?" Fluttershy asked as Sekhmet healed the wounds.

"I don't know how, but...that thing repels physical attacks," Pinkie said. "We need to hit it with fire or ice."

"Say no more!" Twilight yelled. Merlin suddenly threw a large fireball at the doll, knocking it onto its back. He followed up by trapping it in a glacier, and Sekhmet blasted that apart with a plume of flames. After the attacks, however, Arahabaki got up again like nothing had happened.

"Yeesh, what's this guy made of?" Rainbow asked.

"Never fear," Rarity said. "I've got just the thing. Use this to finish it off!"

Ace of Spades aimed his sword skyward, and a heart-shaped mass of golden energy appeared above it. It let loose six beams of light, each one hitting one of the group's Personas save Pinkie's. As the light faded, both orange and purple electricity surrounded the Personas.

Margaret raised an eyebrow. "Another one...these are not average Persona skills."

"Oh yeah? What're you gonna do, arrest us?" Applejack asked.

"No...I will simply retaliate in kind."

"Don't give her the chance!" Spike yelled. "Let's finish this art class reject and move on to the next one!"

Merlin and Sekhmet aimed at Arahabaki and repeated their previous attack pattern. The ice and the fiery blast alike were both much larger this time, and Arahabaki was sent sprawling. Before it could get up, Hayabusa flew over and flapped her wings at the doll, tearing it apart in a whirlwind.

Margaret glared as she lifted her book again. "Orthrus," she said calmly as she smashed another card. True to its name, the resulting Persona was an Orthrus; however, instead of what the group was familiar with, it was a yellow-furred, blue-maned wolf with a long dragon's tail. As it floated in front of its master, it snapped viciously at the group with both heads. Even though it had only just appeared, a green aura surrounded it.

"A little girl, a clay doll and a dog?" Rainbow asked. "This is just embarrassing."

"Don't antagonize her," Twilight interrupted.

"Pay attention to the battle at hand," Margaret said with a stern and loud voice.

Orthrus howled at a moon that wasn't there. Before anyone could even think about reacting, a raging twister of fire spread from its body. Rarity yelped in fear and ducked, but Stronghold positioned herself in front of Ace of Spades to protect her. The twister badly wounded everyone save Fluttershy nonetheless as they felt its heat biting at their flesh. Fluttershy actually seemed to be revitalized.

"Rarity, you still have a charge! Use your ice spells!" Pinkie yelled.

Rarity was still on the floor, shaking. Everyone paused for a few seconds and looked at her until she opened one eye, then got up suddenly and cleared her throat. Her cheeks burned as hot as the flaming twister had. "Ehh...right. I...I will do that."

Ace of Spades snapped his fingers, and an enormous ice crystal emerged from the ground. Smaller ice crystals jutted out from under it, surrounding it like flower petals. All together, the mass of crystals was nearly as large as the arena. As suddenly as it appeared, the ice shattered, leaving Orthrus on its last legs.

"...And you were scared of it?" Rainbow asked.

"You get a Persona that's weak to fire and then we'll see how you react," Rarity snapped.

"We've got it on the run! Let's finish it while we can!" Twilight yelled.

Orthrus barked violently at Spike, and a purple sphere surrounded Atlas. It contracted rapidly and exploded, sending him flying backwards. Spike fell down and rolled a few feet before stopping himself. Stronghold managed to catch Atlas before he flew too far, however, and threw him like a football towards Orthrus. Spike recovered just in time for Atlas to slam his globe onto Orthrus's back as he flew, causing the dog to collapse. Atlas hit the opposite wall as it faded into the air.

"You're all quite a bit stronger than I would have guessed," Margaret said. "I thought you would be able to defeat my own arsenal, but not with such ease. Seiryu."

Margaret's next Persona was a large blue serpent. Though its length was overwhelming, it coiled its body in several places, making it seem smaller. It had a dragon's head with long whiskers on its snout and horns that resembled branches. As it roared, a few sparks jumped across its body.

"Oh, NOW we're talking!" Rainbow yelled. "I'm gonna cut him up!"

Hayabusa flew forward, drawing back her claws to strike. Before she could land a hit, however, the serpent blasted her with lightning breath, sending her back to where she started from. Sekhmet rolled her eyes and smacked Hayabusa on the back of the head with her wing, somehow healing her wounds.

"Okay, it's weak to fire! It's all you, Fluttershy!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"WHAT?!" Fluttershy's irises shrunk so much that they were barely even visible. "I-I can't beat..."

"Relax," Twilight said. "I'll help you."

Fluttershy took a deep breath and nodded, then sighed shakily. "All...all right."

Twilight turned towards Seiryu and planted her hooves. "We'll take it down quickly and decisively."

"Go for it! I believe in you!" Spike exclaimed.

As Merlin and Sekhmet advanced, Seiryu let out another roar, surrounding the entire group with dull orange auras. Directly afterwards, Merlin rolled his eyes in annoyance and threw up his arms, causing the auras to disappear. Seiryu repeated its last action, as did Merlin. This went on for nearly a full minute before Fluttershy decided that enough was enough, and Sekhmet blasted Seiryu with fire in spite of its lowered power. Seiryu recoiled before flying into the air, unfurling to its full length. As Merlin dispelled the auras one last time, Seiryu flew above them, dropping blasts of lightning. A few of them hit every so often, but they were too imprecise to be accurate. Merlin responded by slamming his palms into the floor, causing a plethora of fiery columns to erupt around him. However, the columns didn't reach high enough to hit Seiryu.

"This guy is too fast to hit with a projectile and spontaneous combustion is too inaccurate to rely on," Twilight said. "And we can't get any closer with that thing launching lightning bolts everywhere."

"What should we do, then?" Fluttershy asked.

"I've got this!" Rainbow yelled. Hayabusa flew in a loop-de-loop before aiming at Seiryu. "There's no way it can avoid a wind spell in the sky!"

"Dashie, it's immune to wind," Pinkie said quickly.

Rainbow froze for a second, then slumped. "Oh, for the love of the sun."

"Ah have an idea," Applejack said. "Pinkie, how does it feel about electricity?"

"Well...it's not weak to it, but it doesn't resist it either," Pinkie replied.

"...Huh." Applejack turned towards Twilight and Fluttershy. "Girls, Ah'm gonna need y'all to trust me on this'n, okay?"

"Of course! What do you have in mind?" Twilight asked.

"On my signal, jump into one of those lightning bolts!"

Twilight considered asking why, but this wasn't the first time Applejack had tested her trust in this manner, and she always knew what she was doing. She turned to Fluttershy. "You don't have any problem with that, do you?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "Why would I? I trust Applejack with my life."

Twilight nodded. "Good. Applejack, whenever you're ready."

Stronghold aimed one arm at Merlin and the other at Sekhmet, surrounding them with a transparent magic bubble. "NOW!" Applejack exclaimed.

Merlin and Sekhmet flung themselves into the shower of lightning. As soon as the bolts contacted with the bubbles that encased them, they rippled for a moment before bouncing the bolts right back. One hit Seiryu in the chin and the other in the stomach, causing it to roar in pain and crash onto the ground. Sekhmet flapped her wings once, and Seiryu went up in flames.

"I didn't know you could do that," Rainbow said to Applejack. "Have you always been able to?"

"Well...kinda," Applejack replied. "But Ah don't really like to. It tires me out real quick."

"Very clever," Margaret said with a smile. "You have proven that you are no doubt resourceful. Ananta."

The next emerging Persona was a very large snake, to put it simply. However, instead of having a single head, its body separated into five cobra heads. This separation was hidden by a white ribbon and strap held together by a golden clasp. It wasted no time--the second it was on the battlefield, it let out a screechy roar, and blazing meteors showered the battlefield. Though the group avoided most of them with aplomb, none of them made it through unscathed.

"Pinkie, what's this one like?" Spike asked.

"Hmm...it resists direct attacks, it absorbs ice...and it's weak to electricity," Pinkie said. "Rarity, don't get anywhere near this one."

"I wasn't planning to," Rarity replied with a reassuring tone.

"Hey, think I can handle this one?" Spike asked.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "On your own? Are you sure about that?"

"Well, maybe not by myself, but I gotta give it a shot."

Merlin and Sekhmet made way for Atlas, and suddenly, Aurora hit Spike in the back with a flying kick, knocking him over. As he stood up again, he was surrounded by the same rainbow-colored aura as before.

"Is this going to happen every time he fights now?" Twilight asked. "I'm not sure I approve of--"

Suddenly, Spike let out a perfect impression of a Godzilla roar that made everyone--Margaret included--recoil in shock. Atlas sprung into action, rushing towards Ananta with fire in his eyes. Ananta conjured a wall of ice to stop him, but he blew right through it with no effort. As he closed in, he lifted his globe above his head to strike, and slammed it down on one of the serpent's many heads. The head slumped over, unconscious. Atlas was about to strike again when the other four heads took their chance to tear at Atlas with icy fangs. Atlas broke free within five seconds and flew back before holding his globe in one hand and lifting the other towards the sky. Another three energy spheres descended from the sky and consumed the entire arena in a massive blast. Ananta was knocked onto its back, but managed to recover after a moment.

"Intriguing. I had no idea Spike was this powerful when he's hyperactive," Margaret said.

"Wait, you mean he's just hyper?" Rainbow asked. "I thought he was losing his sense of reason!"

"A reasonable assumption. However, due to the nature of ability-enhancing skills and Spike's age, the effect they have on him is similar to that of a sugar rush."

Before Margaret could continue, Atlas rushed forward to finish the job. He flew around Ananta and grabbed its tail, causing it to shriek in surprise. Atlas swung the serpent around his head, slowly increasing speed. Ananta tried to freeze Atlas to stop him, but it was moving far too quickly to aim properly, even with four active heads. Atlas just kept spinning it around, building up more and more force.

Rainbow, as a dedicated weather pony, could tell what was going to happen if this kept up. "...Spike...? How long are you going to--"

"LONG ENOUGH!" Spike bellowed in response.

Atlas spun Ananta around for a full minute, building up enough force for the wind to pick up. After another thirty seconds, Atlas was the focal point of a tornado. Any sounds of protest that Ananta made were lost in the intense wind. The twister sucked in the silvery fog that lay dormant on all sides of the arena, allowing everyone to see as if it were never there and turning the funnel shape silver itself. It was only then that Atlas let go. Ananta, still wrapped in the tornado, flew into the sky fast enough to generate a Sonic Rainboom the instant it was let go. The close proximity combined with the noise made everyone's bones rattle, but Ananta was far worse off. It was out of sight before anyone knew it, and after almost twenty seconds of stunned silence, a mushroom cloud suddenly erupted from far in the distance.

"...I...have no response for that," Margaret said. "Yoshitsune."

Another card was shattered, and another Persona was revealed. This one was the size and shape of a human, wearing red oriental armor and wielding two matching katanas. He opened his eyes and glared harshly at the group, struck at the air a few times with both swords, and planted his feet in preparation.

Spike suddenly wobbled on his feet as the rainbow aura faded away. "I...I don't feel too good," he said with a groan.

Twilight put Spike on her back. "Don't worry, we can handle this from here. You've done enough." She turned to Pinkie. "What can you see?"

"We're in for a tough fight," Pinkie said, narrowing her eyes through her scouting glass. "He repels electricity and light, resists fire, and blocks direct attacks completely. He doesn't have a weakness at all. On top of all of that, he's stronger than the others were."

"Oh, COME ON!" Rainbow groaned. "Fine, whatever...I'm good with wind too."

"We should fight this one at full strength," Fluttershy said before closing her eyes. Sekhmet flapped her wings gently a few times, and a few flower petals gently floated through the area. Within moments, everyone's wounds healed, and they were a good deal more energetic. Spike was still unable to fight, but he could at least sit up now.

"I plan on finishing this quickly," Margaret warned. "Do not hold back if you wish to live."

Yoshitsune ran forward with one sword pointed towards the group and the other trailing behind him. He closed in for a moment and then increased his speed drastically, rendering him invisible. Suddenly, the group could feel him hitting their Personas as red lines cut through the air. He hit the group eight times at impossible speed, each time passing from a different direction, before returning to his position. Applejack was unaffected, but the rest lost their newfound health just as suddenly as they had gotten it.

"Okay, that was AWESOME!" Rainbow yelled. "I wonder if Hayabusa could do that?"

Yoshitsune raised his left sword skyward, surrounding himself with orange electricity. He dashed forward, preparing to swing at Merlin.

"Oh, no ya don't!" Applejack exclaimed as Stronghold slammed down in front of Yoshitsune's target. A golden shield appeared in front of her, and though Yoshitsune tried to go around, it seemed as though his sword was drawn to it. As Yoshitsune's sword hit her, the damage was knocked right back. Yoshitsune wasn't wounded, but he was knocked backwards. He regained his footing and prepared for an oncoming assault.

"Whale on him!" Twilight yelled. Merlin, Hayabusa, and Ace of Spades cast wind and ice spells, throwing Yoshitsune into the air and then freezing him in a massive block of ice. As he fell, Merlin and Ace of Spades both sparked with purple electricity as they prepared for a follow-up. As Yoshitsune hit the ground, the ice around him shattered, and he stood up quickly despite his wounds.

"He's pretty persistent," Rainbow said as she cracked her neck, prompting Hayabusa to do the same.

"Keep your guard up and we should be able to win," Twilight replied.

Yoshitsune dashed forward again. Hayabusa flapped her wings as hard as she could in an attempt to keep him at bay, but the resulting wind barely even managed to slow him down. Ace of Spades flung himself into action, engaging Yoshitsune in swordplay.

"What are you doing, Rarity?" Pinkie asked. "You can't hurt him like that!"

"Just trust me," Rarity replied simply.

Despite Yoshitsune clearly having the upper hand in a direct confrontation, Ace of Spades managed to block most of his attacks. They fought over the ground they stood upon, and took turns pushing each other back. Both Personas had a look of intense concentration on their faces...until Ace of Spades suddenly froze Yoshitsune's right sword and jumped back. Due to the spell's increased power, he was forced to drop the blade, lest he get frostbite through his armor. Ace of Spades shattered the ice, and the sword within it fell to pieces as well. Yoshitsune turned to Ace of Spades with a furious glare and dashed forward, disappearing again. He mimicked his attack from before, but only hit Ace of Spades with it. When he was done, Rarity collapsed.

Twilight's eyes widened. "Rarity, are you all right?!"

"Fine...but I don't think I'll be of much further use," Rarity said, her voice betraying that she was getting weary.

Twilight turned back towards her target. "Rainbow, let's finish this quick."

"Got it," Rainbow said with a quick nod.

Yoshitsune charged forward, but Hayabusa blocked his assault with her claws. As she had him in blade-lock, she slammed her wings into him, disorienting him slightly and allowing Merlin to freeze him solid. Hayabusa withdrew her claws and kicked the ice block hard enough to shatter it, and a blast of wind pushed Yoshitsune onto his back. He quickly got up again and slashed into both of his adversaries multiple times at blinding speed. After a few seconds, Hayabusa forcefully flapped her wings to escape, but Merlin wasn't so lucky. She had to pull him out of Yoshitsune's assault, but upon doing this, Yoshitsune just charged forward again. Merlin lifted an ice wall, stopping the samurai in his tracks. He began to slash through it, but Hayabusa took advantage of the opportunity presented to her and engulfed him in a twister. At this point, he was barely standing, but Twilight and Rainbow didn't fare much better. Yoshitsune barreled through the ice at last, but just before he could attack, Atlas let out a roar. The ground cracked under Yoshitsune's feet and erupted with energy, burning his body away. The group was surrounded by gentle orange auras.

Twilight looked at Spike, her eyebrow raised. "I thought you were too weak to fight."

"Well, I had to do something," Spike replied. "I feel half-dead now, but it worked."

"You have done well," Margaret said. She was noticeably winded herself--while she was still floating, she grasped onto her arm as if it were wounded. "I have...one final test for you. If you can withstand this...you pass." She lifted her book again. "Messiah."

One final card floated in front of Margaret. The blue aura that normally surrounded Persona cards was so intense that it was nearly white. As Margaret smashed it, the aura exploded and blinded everyone. When the light faded, a human of pure white floated above Margaret. He had two angelic wings and a body that looked to be mostly mechanical. In one hand, he held a chain adorned with several small coffins. His hair covered up one eye. Directly behind him, there was a large cross. He glowed with white light as he slowly descended towards the battlefield.

Pinkie's eyes were wide with fear. "Th-this one's power is insane! It's almost as powerful as she is!"

"I know for a fact that at least one of you can block this attack," Margaret said. "With your bonds, you can avoid even total annihilation...that's what I believe. Prove that to me now."

Messiah simply snapped his fingers. A cloud of energy appeared in the sky, just like the ones that Spike and Alice could summon...but this one was much larger.

"That doesn't look good," Twilight said. "What do we do?"

"Applejack, do you think you can reflect it? Like you did with those lightning bolts?" Fluttershy asked.

Applejack shook her head. "That only works with elemental attacks. This'll just blast right through it!"

A bright flash was emitted from the cloud, and three energy spheres emerged from it. Each one was bigger than Atlas's globe.

"Horseapples! Here it comes!" Rainbow yelled.

"There's too much power behind that attack! There's no way we can avoid it!" Pinkie looked around frantically. "If we don't think of something fast...we're done for!"

"...Then we face our demise with dignity," Rarity said quietly. "It...was an honor to have known you all."

"We can't just give up now!" Spike exclaimed. "We've come this far together, haven't we?!"

The energy spheres had nearly reached the ground by this point. They collided just as they touched ground, and another blinding flash was let loose from the contact point.

Rarity sighed solemnly. "In the face of death, it matters not what we have done."

The blast that followed could have been seen from where Ananta landed. The entire arena and much of the surrounding area was consumed in the explosion, and everything in its radius was immediately vaporized. By the time the explosion had faded, all that was left of the arena was an enormous crater.

Despite the power of the blast, however, the combatants were completely unharmed. The ponies were shielded by translucent pink hearts, much to their surprise.

"Wait...pink hearts...?" Rainbow suddenly turned around. "PINKIE PIE!"

Aurora was fading in and out, and Pinkie was on her side, barely breathing. Everyone ran over to her.

"Y...you're all...okay..." Pinkie said, struggling just to speak.

"You shouldn't talk!" Rarity said as her eyes filled with tears.

"...Why...? Why did you do that?" Spike asked. He had fallen to his knees.

"Because...I had to...make sure you would live," Pinkie replied. "I could never...go on...without you."

"You should've saved yourself, you moron!" Rainbow yelled. "We can't live without you either!"

"But...I could never abandon you." Pinkie's eyes fluttered for a moment, threatening to close forever. "I...realize now...that it doesn't matter...how many friends I have. If I lost you...a thousand friends couldn't take your place." She tried to stand up, but her legs didn't respond. "That's why...I had to do something."

Aurora, even in her current state, started glowing. She floated over to Pinkie and gave her a quick hug, then floated above her and was consumed by blue light. It faded quickly to reveal that Aurora had transformed. Her buns had turned into long, flowing pigtails that curled up ever so slightly at the ends, and she now had two hearts on her head instead of one. She now only had two wings, but they were both massive--bigger than her body, even--and shaped like hearts as well. The heart on her face had moved to her belly in favor of a smiling mouth, and her eyes became circular and bulbous. She now wore white gloves and shoes and had heart patterns on her wrists and ankles. In each hand, she held yet another heart. Power surged through Pinkie, giving her enough energy to stand, but she couldn't do much else.

"Congratulations are in order, Pinkie Pie," Margaret said. "You have accomplished something amazing."

"Her new name is Love Bubble," Pinkie said groggily, wobbling a bit on her hooves. "I wish I weren't so tired...but it was definitely worth it."

"So, Twilight...I hate to rush you, but have you come to a conclusion?"

Twilight turned around. "W-wait...you're asking me now?"

Margaret nodded. "You have proven yourselves capable of defeating me, and the point of this battle was for you to discover yourself. Have you not succeeded in doing so?"

Twilight thought for a moment, but she couldn't come to a conclusion. "...No..."

"...I see." Margaret sighed and stopped floating, landing on her feet. "I didn't want to have to do this...but desperate times call for desperate measures."

Margaret snapped her fingers, and Twilight felt a strange pulling sensation. Before the group's eyes, a blue vapor formed in the middle of the crater...and a carbon copy of Twilight emerged from it.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me...we're in no condition to fight a Shadow!" Rainbow yelled.

"Wait," Twilight said, raising her hoof. "It won't go wild if I don't deny it. Let's just see what it has to say."

As Twilight walked forward, Shadow Twilight opened her eyes, revealing the shade of yellow that had become all too familiar by this point. As they came face to face, Twilight saw that her Shadow had no malevolence in her eyes...just sadness.

"I...am a Princess," the Shadow said, spreading her wings slightly. "I am an Element of Harmony...and I have wonderful friends. But...even with all of this, I still have no influence."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked. She was confused, but she wanted to hear the Shadow out.

"I have done nothing with my royal status...I may as well not even have it. On top of that, now that the Elements of Harmony are gone...there is nothing that only I can do. I could easily be replaced."

Twilight's first instinct was to deny that notion, but she knew what would happen if she followed that. She thought about what it said. "Well...it's true that there are a lot of other unicorn wizards out there..."

"Wait...you really feel that way?" Fluttershy asked.

"Princess Celestia made me her student...and she made me a princess...but why? Why did she do those things when she could've swiped any unicorn with magical talent off of the street and done the same with her instead?" Shadow Twilight shook her head. "There's just so much I don't understand."

"I guess I have always felt that way..." Twilight averted her eyes from the Shadow. "It is a bit hard to admit, though...I definitely see why you all had trouble with it. I know it's a dangerously self-destructive way of thinking..."

"We all have our moments, dear," Rarity said as she walked over to Twilight's side. "Your problem is certainly much less shameful than mine was."

"Yeah...you're right, of course." Twilight turned towards her Shadow. "I don't have the energy to deny it even if I wanted to, anyway."

Shadow Twilight nodded. Merlin floated above Twilight, and both he and Shadow Twilight were enveloped in the same blue light. When it was no more, Shadow Twilight had disappeared, and Merlin had transformed as well. His skin was now the same color as sand, but it was exposed in the same places. His robes seemed lighter in weight, but were now dark in color, and had several bells hanging off of the sleeves. On the front of the robe, there was a single white star and five curved lines that spiraled around it. He had a long white beard and solid hazel eyes, and where he once had two goat horns, he now had several unicorn horns. He also held a simple shepherd's staff in his right hand. He was now named Star Swirl.

"My duty here is complete," Margaret said with a nod as she closed her book. "Your victory was incredible. With power like this, you will succeed in all of your endeavors. As for me...I shall return to the Velvet Room. I hope to see you there soon, Twilight."

Margaret turned around and walked away, and she was soon out of sight. Twilight turned back towards the others.

"We should go home as well," Rarity said. "I don't know about all of you, but I am exhausted."

"I'm running on fumes myself," Twilight added. "We all need rest. Let's get out of here."

The others waited for Twilight and Rarity, and then everyone walked out of the crater and towards the way back home. Twilight knew that she would sleep well tonight.