Ponysona: Arcana Crusaders

by Phoenix Kitten

The shriek heard 'round Equestria.

All of Ponyville stopped dead at the sound of their resident fashionista's gasp. Breaths were held, some prayed to Luna quietly hoping the cause wasn't anything bad.
In the silence four ponies galloped through town towards the source of the noise... well three galloped, one flew.

All of Ponyville waited... and waited tensely.

Sweetie was ragged, her mane and tail were a mess and her coat looked like it had been brushed the wrong way in places.
She stood on her hindlegs, tonfa's ready as she slowly stepped in circles to keep all the Shadow's surrounding her in sight for at least a few seconds.
"Come on you.... things! Come on... just one of you make a move..." She grumbled to herself. "Just one...that's all I need... if all of you do..that will be even better."
Her horn was covered in a bright blue flame as she waited... and waited...

"Anythin' Tiara?" Applebloom asked as she formed a phalanx with Scootaloo and Silver Spoon in front of the fourth filly.

"Nope... can't sense her. She's out of my range." Diamond responded, drawing her sword and galloping over to help her friends. "We have to move further in."

"Great..." Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Well, no sense in standing here waiting... let's get them!"

A small crowd had gathered outside Carousel Boutique, stopped in the doorway by a green unicorn colt.
the crowd peered in the windows, with a small dragon watching from the staircase, his jaw on the floor.

Rarity hadn't moved, she was just staring at the ring and the lavender unicorn holding it in her magic. With a monumental effort she managed to shake the shock from her body and find her voice. "Y- yes?... Yes! Yes I'll marry you! Yes yes yes!"

Almost all at once the small crowd cheered as the rest of Ponyville let out their breaths with relief.

Twilight's eye's lit up as she levitated the ring from the small felt box and slid it over Rarity's horn.

The crowd of six finally spilled into the boutique as some passers by peeked into the window to see what all the commotion had been about.

Everything felt like it had slowed down to Sweetie as all the Shadow's broke out of their collective stupor and charged her.
Yelling as loud as she could, Sweetie launched herself into the air and spun, angling her body so she was perpendicular to the ground, she whipped one of her tonfa's out and shattered Nightmare's card before focusing her magic into her other tonfa and slamming it into the ground to create a shockwave to knock the Shadow's back.
"Nightmare! Mazio!"

The dark armor reared back and stomped the ground, loosing eight large bolts of blue lightning from various points on it's body.

Sweetie covered her eyes to shield them from the flash. "That...that's not a Mazio."

'No it wasn't.' The animate armor replied telepathically. 'I've gotten strong enough to advance to the next tier of my abilities. I believe that was a Mazionga."

The armor rattled as a dark wave of energy washed over it's body, Sweetie's body glowing golden for a couple of seconds after the last of the group of Shadows dissipated.

"You okay Nightmare?" Sweetie asked as her Persona reared up and stomped the ground, causing four pillars of black fire to erupt from the ground.

"Oh I'm better than alright." The armor responded through the solidified mouth poking out of the helmet. "I'm feeling a little more whole now."

"Uhh... okay.." Sweetie tilted her head before recalling the entity and glancing around.

"Whoa....did anypony else feel that burst of energy?" Diamond asked as she glanced around. "It felt... malevolent and dark."

"Relax Tiara." Scootaloo shrugged. "Sweetie probably killed a Shadow with Mudo again."

The pink earthpony shook her head. "It felt bigger than that."

"Then maybe she got strong enough to use the next version of it." Applebloom offered. "Luna knows the Shadows have been awful aggressive today. Ah'm feeling at least three times stronger than Ah was when we came in here earlier mahself."

"I guess..." Diamond sighed as she pulled out her laptop and opened it up. "I'm still getting a reading on her condition... her mana is almost empty... I think, and her vitals are looking... I'm not sure. A doctor or a nurse or some pony with medical training would be able to read these better." She grumbled as she looked over the vitals for the other fillies. "I can read earthpony vitals just fine because of my mom, but pegasus and unicorn vitals, don't have a clue."
She closed the computer and slipped it back into her saddlebags. "We all need to get out of here and rest up. So let's go find Sweetie Belle and get out of here."

The others all nodded and cantered further down the mist covered road.

"Oh... dear Celestia... in the sun..." Sweetie panted as she lay splayed out on the floor of the Crusaders clubhouse with her friends. "That.... was as close to Tartarus... as I EVER want to get.... I don't care if our school suddenly grows into a tower in the middle of the night, I'll happily explore it as long as we name it after something other than the gate to the underworld." She groaned and rolled onto her back. "All in favor."

A chorus of "Aye" erupted from the other exhausted fillies.

Semi silence reigned as the five fillies lay on the ground panting with exhaustion.

"I want to go home...but I'm too tired to move." Sweetie complained.

"Me too." Silver groaned as she dragged herself across the floor with her forelegs, slumping down in front of the door and glaring at the door knob.

"Me three." Diamond whined as she joined Spoon in glaring at the round sphere.

"Ah say we lay here until somepony finds us, if they do at all." Applebloom added, curling up on a cushion.

A whispered chorus of "Agreed" chimed out.

Author's Note:

Sweetiebella Marie Belle: level 22.
Persona: Nightmare: level 20/ Arcana: Judgment.
Skills learned/replaced: Mazionga/Mazio, Black Spot/Bash, Mamudo/Mudo, Posumudi.

Applebloom Anne Apple: level 21
Persona: Gaia: level 19/ Arcana: Chariot.
Skills learned/replaced: Diarama/Dia, Mediarama/Media, Poisma/Maragi, Rakunda/Rakukaja, Me Patra/Patra, Dekaja.

Scootaloo Cassandra Darling: level 21
Persona: Tempestates: level 19/ Arcana: Fool
Skills learned/replaced: Magarula/Magaru, Mind Slice/Cleave, Matarukaja/Tarukaja, Apt Pupil/Rebellion, Wind boost.

Silvia Liza "Silver" Spoon: level 20
Persona: Khione: level 18/ Arcana: Strength.
Skills learned/replaced: Mabufula/Bufula, Auto-Tarukaja/Tarukaja, Blade of Fury/Kill rush, Masukukaja/Sukukaja. Sexy Dance/Marin-Karin.

Danielle Monica "Diamond" Tiara: level 19
Persona: Lakshmi: level 18/ Arcana: Empress.
Weapon equipped: Great Sword. Atk: 108 Acc: 89
Skills learned/replaced:Mahama/Hama, Foul breath, Recarm, Tetraja.

Comments

[Aki_Iokua]

I don't care if our school suddenly grows into a tower in the middle of the night

Yay, P3 reference!

[the other sans]

and waited tersely
angling her body so she has perpendicular to the ground
The maybe she got strong enough

1. Should be tensely since tersely means concise/to the point.
2. Was.
3. Then.

[TundraStanza]

I now pronounce you mare and wife. You may kiss the bride.
...
Wait... is Nightmare becoming a pseudo-Nightmare Moon now? Is that what being whole means? I really don't know. But I am intrigued.
...

"Me too."
"Me three."
"I say we lay here until somepony finds us, if they do at all."
"Agreed."

You've got four or five potential speakers here. Mind letting the readers know who's saying what?

[Luigilewis889]

I have never played or really seen the Persona games before. I'd heard the name but had no idea what it was about.

That said, I can still understand what's going on here. That is a brilliant thing, meaning non-Persona fans can still enjoy your story. Well done!

Brilliant story, can't wait for more.

[Azure Sandora]

Wow, they jumped up really high. In their twenties now.

Also, I love the P3 reference! Here's to hoping for a random P4 reference later.

[New Dawn]

What does Lakshmi look like again? I dunno if I missed it or not.