My Little Persona

by Krael

Earth Part I

Chapter 4 - Earth Part I

“Demon?!” Both Twilight and Applejack exclaimed in unison.

“Did I stutter? Hehe...” Jack Frost asked tilting his head, Twilight noticed that it’s black velvet like mouth did not move as it talked. It gave the little guy’s voice an oddly surreal feel.

“Demon’s ain’t real...” Applejack murmured, shifting uncomfortably. Her gaze worried as it locked onto Twilight’s. The unicorn could tell her friend was getting more weirded out by the second, and the fact did not rest easily on Twilight’s mind.

“Ho? Yeah, well...neither are weirdly colored...” Jack Frost paused for a second, bringing a claw to his chin as if thinking deeply for that brief moment, “What the heck are ya guy’s anyway never seen anything like ya, hoho.”

“Ponies.” Twilight answered, cocking an eye. So ponies did not exist in this place? Having trouble believing the question as soon as it crossed her mind. She had seen one the other night. Surely there had to be more than just one pony in this entire place.

“Ho? Ponies?” Jack Frost echoed, tilting his head like a dog, “Dunno what those are, but sounds kinda tasty hehe...”

“W-What?” Twilight asked, taking a step backwards, the creature’s constant erie laughing noises were making the once cutesy looking monster much more frightening in her mind. Especially when coupled with the idea of getting eaten by such a creature.

“Now listen here ya little...” Applejack started, advancing on the demon dangerously.

“Geez, take it easy, hoho. I ain’t gonna eat you, hehe.” Jack Frost interjected running away from the menacing earth pony before Applejack could finish, “I said ponies sound tasty, not that they are tasty, ho. But I suppose that’s cause I’ve never tried one before. Wanna volunteer? Hehe.”

“No!” Twilight, and Applejack protested.

“Alright, alright. Geez, ho. No need to destroy my ear drums. I was just jokin’ hehe.” Jack Frost replied defensively.

“That wasn’t very funny...” Twilight murmured, retreating a few paces away from the demon. It’s constant laughing noises, and flippant attitude were making it hard to tell if it was being serious nor not.

“You don’ really eat ponies do ya?” Applejack asked for confirmation, giving Jack Frost a wide berth as she moved from the door to stand next to Twilight.

“Ho? No, though I’m sure the shadows would love ta, hehe. They like to eat anything. But your safe enough around these parts. The shadows stay away from here, too many of those boxes, hoho.” Jack Frost announced proudly, “Besides, meat is so overrated, I’ll take a Life Stone any day.” He finished, procuring a glowing stone from seemingly empty air .

“Wh-What is that?” Twilight asked staring at the stone in Jack Frost’s hand. The stone was a wonderfully colorful object. The small pearl-like item slowly changed a multitude of colors, with such brightness that, by itself, managed to illuminate a good portion of the darkened hospital room.

“What?!” Jack Frost exclaimed clutching the stone tightly in shock, the light cutting out, and thrusting the trio back into green moonlight, “You’ve never heard of a Life Stone?”

“N-No?” Twilight replied self-conciously. Though she had no idea why, she was not a denizen of this place, how was she supposed to know the local cuisine?

“Ho, how the heck do you live?” Jack Frost asked tilting his head, bounding up to Twilight in a hopping motion that made Twilight instantly think Pinkie Pie. A shiver ran through Twilight, as Jack Frost came face to face with her and wave of frigid air hit her straight in the face. The small demon seemed to make the air around him plummet to sub-zero temperates, and Twilight wanted to know how Applejack had managed to keep the thing in her mouth without freezing.

“Ya mean you eat those? But it’s a rock. That don’t make a lick of sense...” Applejack stated.

“Hmph, show’s what you know, hehe.” Jack Frost replied unperturbed, “Here try it!” He shouted.

“Wha-?” Before Twilight could speak another word, or even react. Jack Frost stuffed the hand with the Life Stone in it right into her mouth, and she knew right then and there why Jack Frost had the word frost in his name. The feeling like she had just bit into Equestria’s coldest ice cube shattered her brain, and gave her the worst case of brain freeze she had ever had the misfortune of having.

“Guh...” Twilight managed to huff as Jack Frost retracted his hand from Twilight’s mouth, her lips too cold to move in a pattern to relegate a proper word. Twilight could see the end come out as just a stump, though with a little grunt from the white demon, a new hand formed from the stub.

“Uh, Twi...You ok there?” Applejack asked. Twilight barely felt her friend’s hoof touch her side gently, “Oh sweet crab apples. Yer colder than pond water in the winter time. What did you do to her ya little rascal?” She demanded, rounding on the little demon.

“Rascal, ho? What the heck is that?” Jack Frost asked confused, taking a few defensive steps back, “I’m a snowman...”

“A snowman?” Applejack repeated slowly, “But it ain’t even winter.”

“Winter? What the heck is winter ho? You guys sure are weird...”

“We’re weird?!” Applejack started, but Twilight quickly stopped her from continuing. She could just imagine a fight breaking out.

“I-I’m, f-f-f-fine A-A-A-J...” Twilight stuttered out as fast as she could. Her entire being shaking from cold.

“You are most certainly not fine Twi.” Applejack stated, stamping a hoof in frustration, “Just look at’cha. Yer shaking up a storm.”

“Bite the Life Stone!” Jack Frost added gleefully.

“Now listen here...you’ve already done enough damage, just keep quiet for a second.” Applejack admonished the little demon, as she ran to the bed, “Hold on Twi, I’ll warm ya up.”

“O-Ok...” Twilight stuttered not really registering what exactly Applejack was doing. Her interest moving towards the globe in her mouth now that she was able to feel her tongue once more. She played with the smooth stone, though Twilight thought stone was not a good describer for the perfectly spherical item. ‘Orb perhaps?’ She thought, as she rolled the tasteless Life Stone around with her tongue.

In a moment of uncharacteristic bravado, and perhaps a little bit bad judgement, Twilight bit down hard on the supposed piece of food too intrigued to pass the opportunity up. She let out a small gasp of amazement as the orb shattered into smaller pieces in her mouth like a piece of hard candy. However the stone certainly did not taste like any hard candy she had ever tasted before. In fact it did not really taste like anything. Instead as the orb broke an odd tingle spread quickly throughout her body, just as the stone in her mouth seemingly melted into nothing.

It was not unlike the feeling she got when she used her unicorn magic. Though instead of being centered around her horn, the feeling spread throughout the very essence of her being. Almost instantaneously, Twilight felt as though everything about her was rejuvenated. Her frigid temperature returned to normal. All the aches, and pains from the night before, and her surgery vanished. She felt like a brand new pony.

“Th-That’s incredible!” Twilight shouted in glee, hopping up and down in place for a brief moment testing her new found health. She felt just as incredible as the idea of a miracle cure-all was. She would have to put more research into them when she had the chance. Perhaps she could bring these back to Equestria. She could just imagine the ponies she could save, she would undoubtedly go into the pony history books. Immortalized as the pony who saved pony kind from illness, and pain.

“Twilight! What in the hay do ya think yer doing?!” Applejack shouted worryingly. Interfering with the unicorn’s grandiose plans for the future, “You’ll open up your wounds!”

Twilight turned to look at her friend, only to find Applejack mid-stride, holding Twilight’s bed sheets firmly in mouth. Twilight giggled a bit, “I’m fine, really...look!” She stated, jumping up and down a few more times to show her new found good health.

“How does that work?” Applejack asked confused, letting the bed sheet fall unceremoniously from her mouth.

“Well, You know what they say, hoho. A stone a day keeps the Reapers away!” Jack Frost announced, happily hopping to the window.

“Reapers?” Twilight asked, unfamiliar with the term. She wished she had something to use to keep notes of everything she learned. It would have been so much more helpful to her when she started to decipher everything she was learning about this place. She never was one to rely on her own memory to recant past information.

“Never heard of Reapers either, ho? I know I keep sayin’ it, but man you two are weird. I thought everyone knew what Reapers were.” Jack Frost announced, still staring out the window.

“Yeah we get’cha. We ain’t from around here ok, so how ‘bout ya just tell us straight this time?” Applejack said, and Twilight could just hear the rolling of her friend’s eyes in the earth ponies voice. It seemed that the orange earth pony was starting to get a little comfortable, even in the strange circumstances. The thought was enough to let Twilight relax slightly.

“Ho...so serious. Reapers are bad news alright? They usually just float around the Prison, and stay there, heh. But if ya ever see one, make sure ya run, and run fast. The Reapers are the worst things you could run across ho...Even worse than the giant shadows.” Jack Frost finished with a shudder, and Twilight wondered how bad a Reaper could be. The giant shadow had been bad enough, and there were things that were even worse?

“There’s a prison here?” Applejack asked, “What do ya keep in there, these shadow things?”

Jack Frost scoffed, “I wish, hoho. Would make our lives a whole lot easier.”

“Then, what do you keep in there?” Twilight asked, joining Jack Frost at the window. Curious as to what he was looking at, though became dismayed when she could not see anything other than what she had already seen.

“Ho, that’s the million Soma question hehe. No one knows, the Reapers keep it locked up tight, and it’s a sea of shadows between here, and there. Only chance to ever get there is during the New Moon or New Sun. But even then, your probably gonna die hehe.”

“D-Die?” Twilight repeated. Checking out the prison was quickly cut from her list of things to do while here.

“Ho, yep.” Jack Frost answered solemnly with a nod, “Reapers aren’t nice, they kill anything that moves.”

Twilight was going to ask more, eager to learn from this creature that called itself a demon. But before she could there was a loud crash. Twilight turned just in time to see the door to her room fly clean of it’s hinges, barreling straight towards Applejack. Thankfully the earth pony’s reflexes were top notch, and Twilight breathed a sigh of relief as Applejack cleanly ducked the dangerous piece of debris with easy. It sailed clean across the room before slamming into the back wall, and landing neatly on her bed

“Brother! We’re here to save you!” A voice shouted from the darkness of the doorway, a moment before the flying pumpkin from before flew into the room, “Agi!” The pumpkin demon yelled, and Twilight watched in horror as a large gout of flame erupted from the little lantern it carried, and roared straight towards her.

“Bufu!” Jack Frost yelled in retaliation. Twilight felt a wave of cold rush past her flank, and a large spike of ice rocketed past her near centimeters to scraping alongside her face.

The two spells collided, and exploded in a burst of thick steam. Quickly the already poor vision in the dimly lit room all but disappeared, as the grey mist filled every corner. Twilight could already feel her coat become sticky with sweat, and she panted heavily as the temperature seemed to raise ten fold in an instant.

“Wait brother! Hoho!” Jack Frost yelled, “I’m a.o.k, hehe!”

Twilight paid little attention to the continuing conversation between the two demons. Her recent recovery dampened by the sudden, and overbearing heat in the room that seemed to sap all the strength from her hooves. Struggling she turned back towards the window, and with a good deal of effort, raised a hoof, sliding the window open.

The action brought immediate relief to Twilight’s sweating form, as a wave of significantly cooler air blasted her in the face. Slowly the grey mist started to seep out of the room, returning vision to all of it’s occupants. With a pleasurable sigh, she turned back towards the scene unfolding in her room.

“A-Applejack?!” Twilight shouted concerned, as she found the earth pony sprawled out on the ground. Quickly she rushed over to her friend, “Are you ok?” She asked kneeling beside the downed pony.

“Ah? Wha?” Applejack moaned shaking her head as if her mind was a haze. Twilight tried to get her friend to the cooler spot near the window. But before she could try Applejack thankfully slowly got to her hooves, “Ah, ah think so, Twi. Wooie, did it get hot in here quick...”

“Ho? Hot are ya? I can cool you down, hehe!” Jack Frost exclaimed, bounding over to the two ponies.

“Th-That’s ok!” Applejack exclaimed in return, getting up quickly, and backing away from the closing-in snow demon. Though Twilight could see the movements were unnaturally slow for the usually quick pony. Twilight looked at her friend worryingly, but could understand her reaction. If she could live the rest of her life without ever being touched by the little white creature ever again, she could die a happy mare.

“Ho? Really?” Jack Frost answered, slight confusion lacing his voice.

“Really!” Applejack confirmed nodding, backing up a few more steps.

“So...these guys aren’t really bad, brother?” The pumpkin headed demon asked, floating over to the duo.

As the demon floated closer to Twilight, she noticed that other than it’s head, and a pair of white gloved hands. It seemed as if the creature had no body to speak of, which raised far to many questions in the unicorn’s mind.

“Nope brother! They’re actually pretty nice, hehe.”

“It seems as if your haste was unwarranted Pyro Jack.” A creature not unlike Igor, and Theodore spoke, as it walked into the room. Twilight looked over the newcomer briefly, still not able to wrap her head around the coatlessness of such a being. It seemed odder to Twilight than jester snowmen, and floating pumpkin heads. The newcomer sheathed a massive sword as he strolled into the room with a calm elegance that betrayed the amount of muscle Twilight could see he owned.

“It’s jus’ one strange thing after another ain’t it...” Twilight heard Applejack mutter beside her, and Twilight nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, I guess not, Siegfried...” Pyro Jack murmured, flying over to the two legged creature.

“And who might you two be?” Siegfried asked, crouching down in front of Twilight, and Applejack so he was eye level with the two ponies.

“Twilight Sparkle, Applejack.” Twilight, and Applejack responded respectively.

“Hmm...is that so? Odd names...” Siegfried mused, and Twilight could tell something important was running through the newest creature’s mind. She wanted to ask, but felt that it was not her place to do so, and kept her thoughts to herself, “Well no matter. You seem to be unlike the shadows, and so you may stay here. No matter your oddity. As long as you vow you will do no harm to me, and my kind that is.”

“We are definitely not like those black things!” Twilight yelled defensively, the thought of even being compared to such creatures infuriating her. Realizing her hasty, and down right hostile response she quickly amended herself, “S-sorry. I didn’t mean to yell so loud.”

“I apologize if I caused any offense...” Siegfried apologized, bowing to the two deeply, “It is just...Not everyday do new species appear in this place. It is hard to judge you, your smells are...Odd I suppose is the best way to describe it, though I am loathe to use the same adjective twice to describe you.”

“Ah smell? But ah haven’t been buckin’ or anything today.” Applejack asked confused. Twilight found herself sneaking a sniff of her coat to try and pick up on anything foul smelling, but could not pick up on any traces of odor.

“Do you not differentiate members of your species by smell?”

“N-No?” Twilight answered with her own question. She knew that all ponies had their own unique scents, but being able to differentiate between ponies just by using that one sense? The thought seemed preposterous.

“I-” Twilight began but was cut short by a loud whistling noise piercing the quiet of the night. Twilight looked out the window just in time to catch a large red ball shoot into the air. At it’s apex it burst into a brilliant red flame, before fizzling out, and lazily falling back to the ground.

“Ho, looks like someone found something!”

“Indeed it does, I apologize on having to cut our first meeting so short. But it seems that we must go to work.” Siegfried spoke walking away from the window, “You will be safe here if you choose to remain, the shadows do not come close to here.”

“Wait, what was that?” Twilight asked, wanting to learn more about how this world operated.

“Ho, it was a signal!” Jack Frost answered, hopping towards Siegfried.

“Signal?” Applejack echoed, “Signal fer what?”

Siegfried paused, turning back to the two ponies, “Whenever there is a full body in the sky, the shadows come out in droves. When they cannot find things to eat, they turn on one another. Those that are stuck down often times leave valuable supplies behind.”

“Like the life stones, hehe!” Jack Frost interjected

“Yes, like the stones.” Siegfried confirmed, “After the bodies go on with their rotations, we have to make sure we can gather as many of those supplies as we are able to keep ourselves going.”

“I see...” Twilight murmured, intrigued, “Can we come?” She asked. It was a perfect opportunity to explore more of Ponyville, and she would be with several creatures who knew the in’s and out’s of the shadowy version of her home.

“If you wish. More eyes would indeed be helpful, you’re not worried about the Shadows?” Siegfried asked.

Twilight shook her head, though she felt as if she was lying slightly. She was indeed afraid of the shadow creatures, but her want for answers outweighed her fears, “Applejack are you ok with it?” It was more important to the unicorn that her friend was safe.

“Ah...” Applejack faultered for only a moment, “Well ah can’t right leave ya by yourself out there Twi. Ya know I’m ok with whatever yer ok with.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked, trying to stress the fact that if her friend was uncomfortable with going out into the unknown, it was fine.

“Ah’m sure...” Applejack answered with a determined nod, walking past Twilight to stand beside the tall two legged demon.

“Very well. Let us be off then.”

------

Twilight, and Applejack along with their new found ‘friends’, if Twilight could count them as such so soon, crossed the shadowed Ponyville with surprising ease. Having had to listen to both Jack Frost, and Pyro Jack’s incessant panicking of getting attacked by shadows every step of the way; Twilight had feared that at some point their makeshift group of ponies and demons would be overrun, and they would never have made it to their destination. When Siegfried had finally announced that they were here. Twilight let out a long deep sigh of relief, one that she had been holding in ever since stepping hoof outside the hospital’s front doors.

“Isn’t this...” Applejack spoke first, her voice halting as she, and the rest of the group looked over the odd anomaly they found themselves in front of.

Twilight had a hard time making out what exactly they were looking at. A gigantic gate had sprung up between Ponyville, and what seemed to be the path that would have led them to Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack’s apple farm. But instead of just letting the group go through, a large wall of alternating red, and black lines swirled from gate post to gate post. It heavily reminded Twilight of the portal from her dream, and she had a vague understanding of what was going to have to happen. They would have to go through.

“ ‘Ello...What do we have herrre?” A figure sauntered out of the shadows like a cat stalking it’s prey.

Twilight looked at the figure, unconsciously taking a few steps to stand behind Siegfried’s protective bulk. The new comer looked somewhere between a cat, and one of the two legged creatures like Siegfried, and Igor were.

“Hello Nekomata.” Siegfried hailed the newcomer, and Twilight felt herself relax when she realized the two knew each other.

“Grrretings Siegfrried. What are these two things you brrought with you?” Nekomata asked, but Twilight’s attention diverted elsewhere.

“Twi, this is the way to Sweet Apple Acres right?” Applejack asked in a hushed whisper, seemingly oblivious to the new demon. Her voice conveying the fact that the earth pony was as unfamiliar with the giant gate blocking their path, as Twilight was, “Cause I don’t remember anythin’ like that here, and I thought ya said this place was just like our home, just a little different.”

“Mmm, yeah. I thought so too...” Twilight responded half-heartily, too interested in wondering where this portal was going to end up taking her, and her friends. She had a terrible feeling about this one as she stared at the lines. A feeling she definitely did not feel when confronted with the strange blue door from her foray into the Velvet Room. It seemed to her as if the red, and black seemed to pulsate, moving almost as if the lines were alive. She felt as though the gate was assuredly an ill omen.

“So, what now?” Nekomata asked, taking a few steps towards the gate. Before backing off, thinking better of the idea.

“Hoho! Last one through is a rotten soul!” Jack Frost announced merrily, breaking out in a full on sprint as soon as he was finished.

“W-Wait, I don’t think that’s a good idea!” Twilight shouted, willing her horn into being in an attempt to reign Jack Frost in. But her horn refused to answer her call, staying dim, and she quickly was reminded that her magic did not work her.

“Hoho, comeon how bad can it-.” Jack Frost stopped mid sentence, as he careened face first into the red and black wall as if it were solid stone. His body smashing against the wall like a snowball, pieces of himself going every which way.

“Oh my...” Applejack muttered, “That didn’ look to good. Is he gonna be ok?”

“Eh...He’ll be fine. He does it all the time.” Pyro Jack answered with a shrug, “Just give him a minute.”

“He shoulda listened when I said stop...” Twilight muttered as she looked at the pile of mush with a grimace. She would have to work on her leadership skills, she had no doubt about that. Letting someone who had signed up under her leadership run full tilt into a wall had “bad leader” written all over it, in magic-non removable ink.

“Getting that one to listen to anything is a fool’s errand.” Siegfried responded mirthfully.

“Well, at least now I know we can’t go through it. Didn’t try that when I came across it...” Nekomata stated, as she sauntered up to the wall, tapping it a few times with a claw, “Kind of weirrrd though...doesn’t look very solid when you stand back from it, does it?”

“No, ah reckon it doesn’t...” Applejack answered readily, as she too walked up to the wall. Twilight was glad that the earth pony seemed to be taking the whole ordeal a lot better now. It gave her a slight peace of mind that at least she had somepony else to talk to about this whole situation, “In fact, it don’t look mighty solid at all.” She finished as soon as she stood hoof to hoof with the odd gate.

“Ah wonder...” Applejack started, and Twilight watched as her friend put a hoof through the wall, “Well now ain’t that strange.”

“Woah...why the heck can you go through it, and we can’t?” Pyro Jack answered, testing his own mettle against the wall. He tapped his lantern against it, his efforts only awarded with the dull pinging noise of metal hitting something.

“Well ah don’t rightly know...” Applejack said with a grunt, as she tried to extract her hoof, “Uh guys, ah think I’m stuck...” She stated, as she tried to pull away from the mysterious wall again without success.

“Oh comeon, do you think we’rre gonna fall for some dumb trrrick like that?” Nekomata snorted.

“I ain’t kidding ya’ll. Ah really am stuck.” Applejack tried to move a third time, “Twi, anyone? A little help here?”

“H-Hold on Applejack.” Twilight called, rushing over to her friend. But before she could reach her, Twilight watched in dismay as the red, and black portal started to spread over the earth pony like an amorphous blob. Before Twilight could reach Applejack, the unicorn watched as it engulfed her friend, sucked back into itself as soon as it had covered the earth pony, pulling Applejack with it.

“Applejack!” Twilight shouted, not stopping her breakneck pace. She charged the wall, not caring if she was denied access like her demon friends.

Twilight hit the portal full-tilt, and thankfully was not greeted with a new concussion. She went right through. It was a surreal feeling, halfway between solid mass, and nothingness. Twilight could only describe it as having run face-first into a wall of gelatin. Her inertia from running gave out almost immediately after having left the shadow world, and entered the space of reds and blacks.

She spent a few seconds of stomach wrenching weightlessness, before she was deposited harshly into a new environment. Twilight hit the ground, back first, with a dull thump. With a short cry of surprise rather than pain, she rolled herself over, moving to stand almost immediately, but stopping short as she noticed she had landed onto a bed of grass. She marveled at the fact that she seemed to have found her way back home.

Ponyville was spread out before her, in all of it’s vibrant glory. Even from her perch atop the hill that lead to Ponyville’s main gate, Twilight could see Ponies walking to and fro without a care in the world, and while Twilight found it slightly odd that she seemed to be at the village’s main gate, instead of on the path to Sweet Apple Acres, where she had taken the odd portal. She dismissed the arrant thought as quickly as it had appeared.

Twilight had gone far past the point of questioning every single oddity that the shadow world seemed to throw at her. Rolling with whatever came up seemed to be doing her usually over-analytical mind a world of good, and wondering why she was not where she had supposed to end up mattered little. What did matter was that the unicorn had seemingly arrived home safe and sound, and had managed to see Applejack through a night in that nightmarish place.

“Isn’t this great Applejack? We’re home!” Twilight found herself grinning, as she looked to her sides in an attempt to find her earth pony friend, “Applejack?” She called out, and was greeted with only by the rustling leaves of trees, and the calls of birds.

Applejack was nowhere to be seen.

“What?” Twilight found herself questioning the air, utterly confused as to where her friend could have gone. If she had been deposited at the entrance by the strange portal, why had her friend not as well?

Twilight looked over Ponyville, as possible answers raced through her mind in rapid fire. But the one that seemed to dominate was the nagging feeling that possibly she had been taken back home, while her friend had been taken somewhere else entirely. The thought made her sick to her stomach.

“Ok Twilight...” She murmured to herself, “No use standing around here worrying about nothing. I’m sure Applejack is fine, I’ll just head into town and make sure. She’s probably just at her farm or something. No need to worry your self to death about it.” She reasoned to herself as she descended the hill.

-----

By the time Twilight had traveled halfway through Ponyville, she was convinced that something was wrong. But while she had the nagging feeling of restlessness, she could not yet place a hoof as to why the feeling was there at all. To her it seemed that there was little to cause her to worry. Everything looked fine. The sun was high in the sky, shinning with it’s usual warmth, unimpeded by clouds. Ponies were busy doing everything ponies did throughout Ponyville. The Birds, and other animals were doing their common routines as well. Everything seemed to be normal, but Twilight felt that everything was far from it.

“M-My Library?!” Twilight exclaimed to herself, having to do a double take as she froze on the spot.

Her library stood in front of her, perfectly fine.

“I thought Spike said it had gotten destroyed...” She questioned confusedly, as she stared at the pristine condition of her tree home. Unable to resist the lure of her now fine home, Twilight made her way to the door. Surprisingly it had been left open.

“Hello?” Twilight called out as she entered the quiet of the library, “Is anypony there?”

“One second!” Came a call from inside, and Twilight could recognize it instantly as Spike’s.

Twilight let out a sigh of relief, if Spike was here then everything had to be fine, “Thank Celestia.” She murmured to herself, as she walked further into the library. Eager to find her assistant.

“Spike, where are you?” She called out to her baby dragon.

“Oh Twilight. You’re back already?” Spike called back, and the sounds of running hooves echoed through the wood hall. Twilight stared, open-jawed, as a small purple colt dashed into the room. A mane of neon green, arranged in individual spikes gelled to statuesque proportions adorned his head.

“S-Spike?!” Twilight exclaimed, unable to believe what she was seeing.

“Y-Yeah?” The colt answered taking a step backwards as if frightened, “You ok there Twi-” The colt froze for a second, “What the hay happened to your forehead?!” He shouted a moment later, pointing a hoof at her as if she had been caught with her tail held too high in public.

“W-What do you mean?!” Twilight yelled, bringing a hoof to her forehead afraid something terrible had happened that she was unable to see. The only thing she could feel was her horn.

“That thing! What happened? Did Pinkie feed you some weird cupcakes again?” He asked trotting up to Twilight, peering intensely at her horn.

“N-No?” Twilight questioned. Unable to comprehend what was going on. Demons, shadow worlds, and now assistants turned pony. Could anything get worse? Twilight pondered.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt something odd touch her horn. She stared as she saw the pony-Spike poking at it with a hoof. But it did not feel right to the unicorn. Instead of something hard, it seemed as if the fake Spike’s hoof was made out of some sort of rubbery substance. It bent, and conformed to curve around the cone shaped horn.

Twilight backed away immediately, “Don’t touch me!” She shouted, now certain that she had not been taken home as she had thought.

“W-What?” The fake Spike asked, a confused look gracing his face, “Are you ok Twilight? Is that thing poking through to your brain?! Is it some sort of brain poking parasite?! I can go get a doctor if you want!”

Twilight turned, and ran as fast as she could ignoring the calls to wait by the fake Spike. Even if it seemed to have his mannerisms, Twilight was not going to let whatever that thing was confuse her. She had to find Applejack, and get out of this place before something terrible happened.

Twilight ran straight down Ponyville’s main street, her pace only slowing when she was well away from the library. She had no idea how she would find Applejack. The town was by no means small, and without her normal magic, Twilight was afraid she would never find her friend.

“Hey! Twilight!” Twilight instantly recognized Rainbow Dash’s voice. Twilight looked skyward bewildered as to where the pegasus was coming from, “Um...Twilight, you alright there?” Rainbow’s voice came again, and Twilight brought her gaze to ground level, “H-Holy...what happened to your forehead?!”

Upon seeing her friend, Twilight instantly took a few steps backwards too surprised to answer. Rainbow had no wings.

“R-Rainbow?” Twilight asked unsure if she was actually seeing what she was seeing. Though after seeing her assistant turned pony, the thought of Rainbow without wings was much easier to digest, and only solidified the fact that she was not home, like she had initially thought.

“Uh, yeah?” The Rainbow maned pony answered, confusion evident in her voice, “You feeling alright Twilight? That looks like a hell of a bump...”

“B-Bump?” Twilight repeated, then remembered how the fake Spike had reacted to her horn as well, “Yes bump...I got hit kind of hard, but I’m ok...really.” Twilight rambled quickly, taking a step backwards, as the wingless Rainbow took a step towards her.

“A~lright...” Rainbow looked entirely unconvinced.

“Have you seen Applejack?!” Twilight asked suddenly, hoping that her spur of the moment idea would work. It seemed to Twilight as if all these fake ponies were trying their hardest to be the real thing, so perhaps all she had to do was treat them like the real thing.

“Applejack?” Rainbow repeated, “Yeah...she was in the town square, I just was talking to her. Why?”

Twilight broke into the fastest gallop she could muster, “No reason, just wanted to know. Thanks!” Twilight shouted over her shoulder as she ran passed the fake Rainbow, a grin on her face as she thought of how ingenious she was. Now all she had to do was get to the town square, get Applejack, then find a way out of this horrible manifestation of her home.

It seemed like an easy plan to the unicorn.

Comments

[Unlimited Harmony Xtreme]

First! So everyone has seeming changed species? I can only wonder what this has to do with Applejack's trial

[Otaku1995exe]

I sense the whole "Face your darker version of yourself" plot device used in Persona 4. I think her trial is that she feels that earth ponies are inferior to pegasi, unicorns, and for some odd reason dragons. I can totally see it coming.

[Dezib]

240728 dont know, we'll haft to whit and see

[Unlimited Harmony Xtreme]

240916 Interesting idea...but I'm not so sure; In her line of work (apple farming, duh) the raical traits of an Earth Pony are what would help her the most, she's learned to make the most of what she was born with, were she a Peguses or Unicorn (or even a Dragon), she would have an even harder time applebucking. She's also likes practical things over fun or flashy (her taste in clothing reflects this), and as I already said; being an Earth Pony is the most practical for an apple farmer. Were she in a less laber intensive line of work, your theroy would be much more likely

[soulwinds]

'Bump on twi head' probably means her horn. Everyone's reaction to it suggest this world is one that had absolutely no magic in it, every sentient being is an earth pony... Now that's out of the way... Who can guess what's Applejack's shadow gonna be like? Chie's? Yukiko's? Something out of this author's mind? I can't wait for the next chapter

[Dezib]

242078 why are you even here then?

[TenshuraX]

259067 no idea.

[Dezib]

259081 still read the story and lookup persona 3 or 4

[Cloymax]

I am thou
and thou art I

I seriously jizzed when I read that.

[ryu238]

More please, I really like Persona.

[Camlio]

Hmm, I'm liking where this is going. Though I've never really heard of the Persona Twilight has. Is it a new one or one from Persona 4? Because sadly I never got a chance to play that game loathe, I am to admit. I've managed to get bits and pieces from the story from the animated series which sadly I cannot for the life of me find in English.

[Scygnus]

2301207

I'm not sure if Cassiopeia showed up in any of the Persona games, but she is a mythological figure, so even if she hasn't it's fair game. I forget what she actually did, but I think I remember her being involved in the whole Troy incident somehow.

Oh, and of course, this is a good fic. Looks to possibly be one of the better Persona crosses I've run across.

[Romaji]

I would like to be a prereader

[DoctorWhooves1]

Please continue the story.