• Published 3rd Mar 2018
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Persona: Phantom Thieves of Canterlot - KyleK12



Arriving in Canterlot to spend a year on probation, Sunset Shimmer and her new friends find themselves on a path to change the hearts of those with distorted desires.

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The Rebel's Soul: 8/27 [2]

Author's Note:

Mon. 8/27 (Morning)
Sunset had never felt this sort of power before. She felt as if she could take on the entire world, and it was all because of the demon floating above her.

“I am Diabla, your true self,” the demon said. “I am the rebel’s soul that resides inside you. If it is what you desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis.”

“Yes,” Sunset said, “give me your power.”

“Very well.”

“Flash” sneered. “Who the hell are you supposed to be? Guards!” All the guards instantly stood up at his command. “Start by killing this upstart.”

The knights seemed to convulse before they dissolved into pools of darkness. They then emerged as three carved pumpkins; they wore cloaks and pointed hats and carried lanterns in their right hands.

“Flash” laughed. “You’ll learn the true strength of my men.”

Sunset didn’t know where to start. She had never been in a fight her whole life. But the demon’s voice began to whisper again.

“Detest the enemies before you! Change that animosity into power…then unleash it!”

Sunset saw one of them moving towards her. “Burn him, Diabla!”

The demon appeared and launched a ball of fire—Agi—at the enemy. The pumpkin screamed as he was set aflame. Sunset saw that he dissolved into nothing as he died. Seeing the death of his ally, another pumpkin began to attack. Sunset was lucky enough to dodge the swung lantern.

“Curse him!” Sunset commanded her Persona. Diabla sent a wave a darkness—Eiha—at the pumpkin. The attack managed to fell the enemy, the shadow dissolving at he died.

“Good! Now swing your blade!”

Sunset felt the weight of the dagger in her hand. Looking to her last remaining enemy, she charged. She swung her weapon, the blade cutting deep into the pumpkin-head. Orange chunks flew as the shadow dissolved.

“This power of mine is yours. From this moment forth, kill your enemies however you want. Run wild to your heart’s content!”

The demon faded, leaving Sunset alone with Rainbow Dash and “Flash.” Her mind beginning to calm, Sunset looked down to the outfit she wore.

Rainbow slowly got up from the floor, hardly believing what she saw. “What…what the hell just happened?”

“Flash” had already began menacingly approaching Sunset. “You little bitch!”

Seeing him distracted, Rainbow decided to act. She quickly tackled “Flash”, knocking him to the ground. “You like that, asshole?” she yelled.

Sunset looked down to see that a set large iron keys had fallen to the floor. “The key! We can lock the cell!”

Rainbow looked down, too. “On it!” She quickly grabbed the ring that held the keys and followed Sunset out of the cell. She slammed the door shut before locking it. “There, it’s done!”

“Flash” struggled to get up. “Damn you!” he cursed.

Ignoring him, Rainbow turned to Sunset. “What exactly did you do in there?” she asked. “Also, what’s up with those clothes?”

Sunset wished she had an answer to that. However, a blue light flashed before she could say anything. She was back to her regular clothes when the light faded.

“Whoa!” Rainbow exclaimed. “Why did you turn back to normal?”

A large BANG was heard as they turned to see “Flash” hitting the iron bars with his fist. “Let me out of here, bitches! I swear, you’ll both regret this!”

“We need to leave!” Sunset exclaimed.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Rainbow said. “Lead the way.”

The girls ran off, leaving “Flash” alone in his cell. “You damn thieves! Someone stop them!”

Sunset and Rainbow ran through the cavernous dungeon, occasionally having to jump across the stream of water going through it. They even had to crawl through a hole connecting two cells. They eventually crossed a drawbridge to the other side of the dungeon.

As they reached what appeared to be a dead end, they began to hear clanking. “Hide!” Sunset exclaimed.

They ducked down behind crates as they saw two knights emerge from a hall on the other side. They went unnoticed as the guards ran further into the dungeon.

“You think they’re looking for us?” Rainbow asked.

Sunset looked to the left to see an opening. “C’mon, this way!”

Ascending a spiral staircase, Sunset was hoping that this was the way out. “You think this leads to an exit?” Rainbow asked.

The girls soon found a solid wooden door. “This might be it,” Sunset said.

Barging through the door, the two girls only found another section of the dungeon. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Rainbow whined. “What the hell is this place?”

After following another waterway, they could see cages dangling over the water. The two could clearly see that the cages were occupied. They eventually reached another drawbridge.

“Shit!” Rainbow cursed. “It’s already up! How’re we supposed to get across?”

Sunset saw a large bust of Flash. “There’s something weird about this statue,” she said.

“Who cares?” Rainbow said. “Let’s just keep going.”

They only got down a few feet before they reached a dead end. “Crap,” Rainbow said. “What now?”

“Hey!”

Sunset and Rainbow looked at each other. They were surprised that neither of them had spoken up.

“Hey! You two! Over here!” The voice came from the cell right next to them. What they saw had their eyes wide open.

The…lizard in the cell had to be at least two feet tall and mostly purple except for the green spines starting from his back and ending at the top of his head. It also had a pale-green underbelly and green eyes.

Rainbow looked disgusted. “What the hell is that supposed to be?”

The lizard seemed worried. “You’re not one of those guards, right?” it asked. “Please, get me out of here!” It pointed to the nearest wall. “The key is right over there.”

“Why should we help you?” Rainbow asked. “You might be with those knights!”

The lizard seemed perturbed. “If I was working with them, why would I be locked up in here? Just get me out already!”

Sunset sighed. “You are one strange lizard,” she said.

It actually snarled. “I am not a lizard! I’m a dragon!”

Clanking noises echoed through the dungeon. “They’re getting closer,” Rainbow said. “How’re we supposed to get out of here?”

“I know where the exit is,” the dragon said. “If you get me out of here, I’ll take you two straight to it. Otherwise, they’ll execute you both if you get caught.”

Sunset eyed the keys before taking them off the wall. “I really hope you’re telling the truth,” she said, unlocking the cell.

With the cell open, the dragon marched out and took a deep breath. “Ah, the sweet air of freedom.”

“Okay, lizard boy,” Rainbow said, “where’s the way out of here?”

“I’m a dragon,” he insisted, “and the name is Spike!” He pointed towards the bridge. “Now, follow me and stay quiet.”

Following the dragon to the drawbridge, they could see him examining the statue. “What’re you doing?” Rainbow asked. “We need to get out of here.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” Spike said. “This will lower the drawbridge.” He looked to the other girl. “Hey, you seem to pick things up faster than the other one. Check the statue and see for yourself.”

Sunset approached the bust. On instinct, she pulled on the chin and the statue’s jaw came down. A click was heard as an unseen mechanism lowered the drawbridge.

“Seriously?” Rainbow said incredulously. “How’s anyone supposed to know how to do that?”

Spike just scoffed. “Amateur. Come on, let’s go.”

The trio crossed the bridge. What they didn’t count on was a knight coming out of nearby doorway.

“Crap!” Rainbow cursed as she slid to a halt. “It’s another one!”

Spike rolled his eyes at the blue girl. “You’re such an amateur.” Sunset saw another blue flash and those strange clothes appeared on her again. “Huh, it seems you can fight. Let’s go!”

A scimitar appeared in the tiny dragon’s claws and he pointed the blade upwards. “Come forward, Seiryu!”

At his command, a large blue serpentine-dragon appeared behind him. It reminded Sunset of the dragons that appeared in Asian mythology. She could see gusts of wind swirling around it.

Rainbow blanched when she saw it. “You have one of those things, too?”

The knight dissolved, and two creatures came up in its place. One was another floating pumpkin, while the other seemed to be a winged bald imp.

Spike cursed. “Those Shadows are in intercept positions.” He looked to Sunset. “If you’re willing to fight for your life, I’ll gladly back you up.”

Sunset lunged at the imp with her dagger. The blade made a deep cut into the winged creature but did little to damage it.

Spike rolled his eyes. “Still new at this, huh?” he said. “Let me show you how to fight.”

Calling forth Seiryu, the Persona sent a gust of wind—Garu—to the pumpkin. The attack proved to be extremely effective, as it collapsed onto the ground.

“If you strike at an enemy’s weakness,” Spike lectured, “it’ll knock them down. That way, you have an opening to attack again.”

“Neat trick,” Sunset remarked. “Gonna have to remember that.”

Spike then proceeded to use the same attack against the imp, landing a fatal blow as the shadow dissolved. The pumpkin regained its composure and stood up to attack. Spike barely avoided the lantern swung at him.

Sunset responded with an attack from her own Persona. Having Diabla fire another Agi at the shadow, the creature dissolved upon its death.

“Not bad,” Spike commented. “That Persona of yours is pretty strong.”

Rainbow seemed confused. “Persona? You mean those things you guys bring out?”

Spike nodded. “You saw this other girl rip off her mask to summon it, right?” At Rainbow’s nod he continued. “Well, everybody has a mask just like it that they wear deep in their hearts. When you remove that—”

He was suddenly interrupted as Sunset returned to normal in a flash of blue.

“Seriously?” Rainbow asked. “You went back to normal again?”

Spike rubbed his chin. “She probably doesn’t have full control of her powers yet. The transformation doesn’t usually dissolve like that."

Rainbow shook her head. “That makes about zero sense.”

“There’s no time to properly explain it all.” Spike said. “We need to go now!”

The trio continued. Climbing a short staircase, they eventually reached another drawbridge. A sudden groan caught Rainbow’s attention as they skidded to a stop.

“Hold on a second!” Rainbow told them. She spied a teenage boy in a nearby cell. “I swear, I recognize what this dude’s wearing.” Rainbow shook her head. “Shit! With everything going on, I can’t think straight.”

“Come on!” Spike said impatiently. “We need to keep moving.”

“We can’t go yet,” Rainbow said. “We need to see if we can get this guy out first.”

Spike sighed in frustration. “That’s just a waste of time. They’re not—”

“There!”

The drawbridge was lowered as a knight began to cross it. “This is why we need to leave!”

“No problem,” Sunset said as her appearance changed once again. “We just fight our way through this.”

Spike grinned. “I like the way you think.”

The knight changed into a pair of female fairies. Sunset summoned Diabla, who swiped one of her claws as an attack: Cleave. The attack was powerful enough to kill the fairy outright.

Sunset felt a stab of pain in her gut. “What the hell?” she said, gripping her abdomen.

“You need to be more careful,” Spike warned her. “Using your Persona’s physical abilities can adversely affect you. Do it too much too often and it could kill you.”

Spike then summoned his own Persona to use another Garu attack. The fairy was damaged by it, but then zoomed forward. The kick she delivered did little to hurt Spike. Sunset struck with her dagger, delivering a fatal blow to the Shadow.

“Alright,” Spike said as Sunset returned to her normal appearance, “we need to get out of here before more show up.”

“Hold on,” Rainbow argued, “we can’t leave these people here.”

Spike face palmed. “You really don’t get it, do you? Look, we are leaving. If you don’t want to come, good luck trying to get out alone.”

Rainbow growled. “Fine, I’m coming.”

The small dragon eventually led them outside of the dungeon, leading them back to the grand hall where the two first arrived. They then kept running into another hallway, where they soon stopped at a set of double-doors.

“We’re here!” Spike exclaimed.

Spike waved for them to follow him through the doors. The room seemed to be used for storage as there were barrels and crates.

“How are we supposed to get out of here?” Rainbow asked. “There aren’t any windows.”

Spike sighed. “Such an amateur. This is the most basic part of infiltration.”

Sunset saw to where the crates were stacked and looked up. That’s when it hit her. “A ventilation shaft?”

“That’s right,” Spike nodded approvingly. “As I thought, you’re a natural at this. The two of you should be able to squeeze through one at a time.”

“Right,” Rainbow said, “we’ll just pull that mesh off and we’ll be free as a bird.”

Both girls worked together to get the mesh off the shaft. After pulling it loose, they gently placed it on the floor.

Sunset turned to the dragon. “Are you coming with us?” she asked.

Spike shook his head. “Sorry, but there’s still somethings I need to do, so this is where we go our separate ways.”

Sunset nodded in understanding. “Well, thanks for your help then, Spike.”

He smiled in gratitude. “Be careful on your way out,” he reminded them.

Rainbow began climbing, but then turned to Sunset. “Um, maybe you should go first.”

“Why?”

“Well,” Rainbow began, “because ‘A’, you’re wearing pants. and ‘B’, we just met, and I don’t know if you’re some kind of pervert wanting to look up my skirt.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said as she began to climb up the crates.

The two girls crawled through the vent, leaving the dragon behind to think. “Those two seem useful,” he said to himself. “Especially the flame-haired one.”

[The Real World]
Both girls panted as they ran out of the castle. They finally stopped to catch their breath as they left the castle grounds.

“That was close,” Sunset said.

Rainbow was still panting as she looked back. “Whoa!” she said surprised. “Where’s the castle?”

A voice sounded from Sunset’s phone. “You have returned to the real world. Welcome back!”

Sunset, too, was surprised by the sudden disappearance of the castle. “We should go inside,” Sunset said, “just to check it out.”

Rainbow reluctantly agreed as they both walked towards the school entrance. When they entered the building, they saw the lobby as it always was. The banner was still hanging from the ceiling, and the trophy case was where it was, too.

“Okay,” Rainbow said, “either I’m crazy, or there was a huge staircase here. What the heck is going on?”

“That is what we would like to know, Miss Dash.”

Both girls turned to see a scowling Vice-Principal Luna and a concerned Principal Celestia. Luna crossed her arms. “Would either of you like to explain why you have both decided to miss your first two class periods?”

Shit, Sunset cursed in her head, this isn’t good. How do I explain this one? I can’t afford to get in trouble on my first day.

“It’s my fault,” Rainbow said, bringing attention to her. “I was walking towards the school when I started feeling dizzy. That’s when I slipped and hit my head on the sidewalk. I was lucky when Sunset showed up to help me. She thought we should wait before I started walking again, and we came straight here when I started feeling better.”

Sunset’s eyes kept darting back-and-forth between the girl and the sisters. Luna’s glare made it clear she wasn’t buying the excuse; Celestia on the other hand…

“Well,” the principal sighed, “I’m just glad you’re both alright.” She turned and smiled at Sunset. “I’m glad to hear you stepped in to help her, Sunset.”

“Help who?”

Sunset and Rainbow turned to see a familiar face approaching. Flash Sentry was dressed in his attire of a white shirt under a black jacket and a pair of jeans. At the sight of him, Rainbow had a glare that would have burned him on the spot if it could.

“Whoa, Rainbow,” Flash said, holding his hands up. “What’s with the death glare?”

The girl scoffed. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember?”

He blinked at her confused. “What’re you talking about? Remember what?”

“Just now, in that castle?”

Flash looked even more confused. “What castle?”

Sunset decided now was the time to step in. “Sorry,” she said while putting an arm around Rainbow. “She fell and hit her head. She’s probably confused.”

“I think she just needs some rest,” Celestia said before turning to her sister. “Luna, why don’t you take Rainbow to the nurse’s office while I take Sunset to her class?”

Luna looked like she wanted to argue, but instead yielded to her sister’s decision. “Come along, Miss Dash.”

Rainbow sighed as she followed the vice-principal, shooting a worried look at Sunset as they left.

“So,” Flash motioned towards Sunset, “she’s a new student?”

Celestia nodded. “This is Sunset,” she introduced, “she’s starting today. Sunset, this is Flash Sentry, he’s captain of the basketball team and one of our star athletes. He took our team to the state finals last year.”

“You don’t need to tell her that,” Flash said. “It’s a team effort, the other players do as much work as I do.”

She didn’t know why, but Sunset could definitely tell that the modesty he was showing was as real as a unicorn.

“Well,” Flash said, “good luck on your first day, Sunset.”

As he was passing by, he sneered at the girl before whispering, “You’re gonna need it, bitch.” He then gave one last charming smile to Celestia before walking off.

Sunset managed to keep her composure during the sudden, unprovoked insult. What the hell was that about?

Celestia motioned for the girl to follow her. “Come on, Sunset,” she said. “I have your schedule in my office. We’ll go there first before heading to your third period class.”

Sunset followed her principal through the halls, passing two girls as they did. One girl had dark blue hair with a pink streak, while the other had cyan hair with white highlights. The cyan-haired girl did a double-take as the flame-haired girl passed by.

“Hey, BonBon,” the girl, Lyra, said, “I think that girl was the one from those rumors.”

BonBon gasped as she took a quick glance. “You mean the one who got arrested?”

After getting her schedule, Sunset was taken to the classroom for her World History class. Celestia introduced her to the teacher, Ms. Harshwhinny, who then introduced her to the class.

“This is Sunset Shimmer,” the teacher said to the seated students. “She’ll be joining us for the rest of the school year. Now, let’s see…” she scanned the room before finding an empty seat. “There’s an open desk right behind Fluttershy; you can take that one.”

Sunset looked to see a familiar pink-haired girl sitting in front of the vacant desk. As she walked to the desk, she reached into her backpack and pulled out an umbrella.

“Thanks for loaning this to me,” Sunset said, holding out the umbrella as she came to the girl’s desk.

Fluttershy nodded meekly before taking her umbrella back. Sunset took her seat and began hearing whispers from behind her.

“Do those two know each other?”

“Maybe she hit on her before coming here?”

“That means she’s cheating on her with Flash.”

“You know what they say about the quiet ones. Who knew Fluttershy was such a slut?”

Sunset balled her fist. She shouldn’t be surprised; there were kids like this back in her old school, too.

“What about the new girl? Isn’t she the one who got herself arrested?”

“Yeah, she assaulted someone.”

“Better watch our backs then. You never know when she might snap.”

Sunset turned her head to glare at her gossiping classmates. The girls quickly shut their mouths as they realized the flame-haired girl had heard them.

Sunset turned back towards the board. Assholes.

(After School)
“Meet me at the soccer field after school.” That’s what Rainbow Dash had told her when she approached Sunset in the cafeteria during lunch. Her encounter with the girl didn’t help with the rumors already flying around about Sunset.

“I heard she’s already hanging around with Rainbow.”

“Those two are gonna cause so much trouble; I just know it.”

Sunset arrived to find her already leaning against one of the goals.

“Sorry for bringing you out here,” Rainbow said as the other girl approached. “I bet you’ve heard some stuff about me, right?”

Sunset nodded. “People talk about you like you’re some troublemaker.”

“Heh,” Rainbow laughed, “that puts us in the same boat. Everyone’s talking about your criminal record.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong!”

Rainbow put her hands up defensively. “Whatever you say. It’s none of my business.” She sighed. “What was up with that castle? We almost got killed trying to get out of there!”

“Not sure,” Sunset answered. “I’m just glad we got out of there alive.”

“Me too,” Rainbow agreed. “I never thanked you for saving me in there, so thanks, Sunset.”

“No problem.” Sunset thought about this morning. “What about that ‘Flash’ guy?”

Rainbow grimaced. “You’re new here, so you probably don’t know, but there are rumors about him. The faculty doesn’t know anything about it, and all the kids in school are afraid to say anything, because it would be their word against his.”

“Because he took the basketball team to the state finals?”

Rainbow nodded. “That and his dad is the head of the school’s PTA. Anyone who tries to speak out against his son, he’ll just intimidate them into keeping quiet.”

Rainbow sighed again as she stopped leaning on the pole. “Sorry for dragging you out here. I just felt like venting, and you were the only person I could think of who would listen.”

As she began to walk off, Sunset voiced a thought out loud. “What if we went back to that castle?”

Rainbow turned back in shock. “Forget it,” she said. “Even if we could, we would probably just wind up getting ourselves killed.” She sighed. “Look, forget about it for now. I’ll see you tomorrow, Sunset.”

The rainbow-haired girl walked off, leaving Sunset to return home.

(Evening)
Sunset walked into the house and dropped her backpack near the door. “Cadence, I’m back.”

Her guardian came down from upstairs. “Welcome home,” she said. “Sorry if I don’t have dinner ready; I was trying to get the laptop set-up.”

“What laptop?”

“Well,” Cadence began, “you need a computer for school projects and homework, so I went out and got you a laptop.”

This surprised Sunset. “Cadence, you don’t need to spend so much money on me.”

“Sunset,” she began, “I work at a prestigious prep school that pays me a six-figure yearly salary. I don’t mind spending some money to make sure you have everything you need.”

Sunset couldn’t help but smile. “So,” she said, “are you having trouble with it?”

“Kind of,” Cadence nodded. “I might need to take it to Shining’s little sister, she’s better at computer’s than I am. She even recommended the model I got for you.”

After that, the two of them put a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner. Soon after, Sunset worked on her homework before showering and brushing her teeth. Dressed in her pajamas, she flopped herself onto the bed.

I’m so tired. Maybe it’s because of all that weird stuff. With that last thought, Sunset fell asleep.

[The Velvet Room]
Sunset saw she was back in the cell as she woke up. “Great,” she mumbled, “this place again.”

As she got up, Caroline slammed her nightstick against the bars. “Quiet in there, inmate,” she scolded. “On your feet!”

“Our master wishes to speak with you,” Justine said softly. “For your own sake, please take his words to heart.”

Igor cleared his throat. “Firstly,” he said, “let us celebrate our reunion. You have awakened to your power, and it is a special one at that. Thus, your rehabilitation may finally begin.”

Sunset narrowed her eyes. “You still haven’t told me what this ‘rehabilitation’ is.”

“There is no need to understand it all for the time being,” Igor said. “You will be training the power of Persona, the very power you have awoken to.”

“You mean that demon?” Sunset asked. “What is that thing anyway?”

“A Persona is, in other words, a ‘mask’—an armor of the heart when confronting worldly matters.” Igor leaned forward. “I have high expectations for you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Sunset asked.

Igor chuckled. “There is no need to worry. You will learn everything in due time. By the by, have you come to appreciate your Metaverse Navigator?”

Sunset knew exactly what he meant. “The app on my phone, right?”

“Exactly,” the master of the Velvet Room nodded. “Using it will allow you to travel in-between the real world and Palaces. I have bestowed it to you to train you as a thief.”

“It is a gift from our master,” Caroline barked. “You’d better take good care of it, Inmate!”

Justine nodded. “Devote yourself to your training so that you may become a fine thief.”

“To make use of the Navigator alone must be disheartening,” Igor said. “Should you ever find others that would prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well. All this is to help you grow into a most excellent thief.”

The loud bell had Sunset covering her ears again.

“Hmph, it’s time,” Caroline said. “Go back and enjoy what little rest you might have.”

With that, the Velvet Room went dark once more.

Comments ( 11 )

Worth the wait, can’t wait to see what happens next.

Nice! This was worth it man. Keep up the good work.

Spike feels a little too much like Morgana, and not like cannon Spike. That is a little worrying.

Methinks Spike shouldn’t be a carbon copy of Morgana.

Rainbow began climbing, but then turned to Sunset. “Um, maybe you should go first.”

“Why?”

“Well,” Rainbow began, “because ‘A’, you’re wearing pants. and ‘B’, we just met, and I don’t know if you’re some kind of pervert wanting to look up my skirt.”

Guess Rainbow doesn't wear shorts under her skirt in this universe.

Good start, would love to see more.

Man this story was so cool! If only it would continue.

8925157
I wouldn't hold my breath. Considering what this is trying to do, you'd be better of just playing Persona 5.

Comment posted by Lucasnike123 deleted Jul 7th, 2021

Next chapter... PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! :pinkiesad2:

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