Chapter 2: Hidden Meaning

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Applejack glared up to the top of the tree. Her eyes were narrowed in determination, and a drop of sweat rolled down her cheek. She licked her lips.

"Come on out, ya varmint," the farm pony muttered. "Yer gunna hafta come outta there eventually..."

The tree remained motionless. Applejack stared at it for another minute, but nothing happened.

"Consarn it!" she exclaimed. "Ah've had enough!"

Applejack turned around so that her back was to the tree, looked over her shoulder, and slammed her back hoof into the trunk. This caused a single fruit bat to fly out of the leaves that had concealed it. Applejack acted quickly, grabbing her lasso in her teeth and throwing it at the bat. The bat was trapped in the rope coil, and she pulled it down and shoved it into her saddlebag.

"Yer s'posed ta stay in the west fields," Applejack said sternly, not caring whether her words were understood. The bat squeaked sheepishly. With that, Applejack began to walk towards the west orchard.

"There you are, Applejack!" a familiar voice shouted.

Applejack turned towards the source of the voice and saw Spike approaching. "Howdy there, little fella!" she replied, her frustration fading. "C'n we walk 'n' talk? I gotta take this little critter over ta th' west fields where 'e belongs."

"Sure," Spike replied. The two began to walk together. "Twilight sent me to ask you something."

"Well, what's she wanna know?"

"Did you have any strange dreams last night?"

"Strange dreams?" Applejack thought for a moment as she walked. "Well...I did have a dream where Apple Bloom was a unicorn, and she was usin' them fancy magic powers they get ta' bring the apple trees ta life. Does that count?"

Spike held back a chuckle. "I don't think that's what Twilight is thinking of."

"Why does Twilight need ta know what I been dreamin' about, anyway?"

"She told me she had a dream last night where she was told her life would change soon by some guy with a really long nose. I guess she's trying to find out if there's anything to it."

Applejack took a second to process this. "A really long nose?" she said, a chuckle escaping her lips as she said it.

"Yeah, I don't get it either. I think she's reading too much into this, but I do want to help her put her mind at ease, y'know?"

"Yeah, I getcha. Y'all would know better'n anyone how she gets when this kinda thing happens, though."

"Why do you think I'm here?"

"Fair point."

Spike turned around and waved. "I'd love to stick around, but I still need to ask Fluttershy. Thanks anyway!"

"Y'all come back now, y'hear?" Applejack shouted as Spike ran off.

"Nothing, huh?" Twilight asked, sadness in her voice.

"Terribly sorry, darling," Rarity replied. She was talking to Twilight as she cleaned up her workroom. She wore her glasses, and her mane was out of shape, as if she'd been working on dresses all day. "I usually don't remember my dreams, but I believe I would be able to recall one so vivid."

"Well, it's certainly not your fault...I was just wondering if there was some meaning to this dream."

"It's not impossible. We live in a world with at least two portals to alternate worlds sitting right where anypony can get to them, after all. Receiving a message through your dreams is mild by comparison."

"Well, thanks for your time." Twilight turned to leave. "I still need to ask Pinkie and Rainbow about this, so I should go."

"Darling...I know what you're thinking here. If this dream were a message for us, would we all not have had it?" Rarity put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Assuming it is more than a dream, it was a message for you and you alone. That's what I believe."

Twilight didn't have a rebuttal for that. "Yeah...I guess you're right."

"For now, though, don't worry about it! You just come with me to the spa. We'll take some time and relax."

Twilight smiled sadly. "Thanks, Rarity...I think I could use that."

Rarity took off her glasses and placed them on her desk. She then took a look in the mirror and jumped in surprise before turning back to Twilight. "Eh heh...I could as well, it would seem."

After eating a late lunch with Rarity, Twilight decided to just head home. The sun was already starting to go down, turning the sky a heavily saturated blue. As she walked, she saw Rainbow Dash moving a few clouds around. Rainbow apparently saw her, and she turned back to her clouds for a moment, as if debating whether or not it was okay to leave them unattended. After a few seconds, she shrugged and flew down to meet Twilight.

"Hey, Rainbow," Twilight said with a cordial smile. "Is it gonna rain tomorrow?"

"Tonight, actually," the brash pegasus replied, hovering just in front of Twilight. "It'll stop before the sun comes up. We're actually gonna start the water works in another hour or two, so you might wanna clear your schedule."

"I was just gonna go straight home today. There's a book waiting for me that I'd like to finish."

"All right, then. Sorry I can't stay and talk to you, but I gotta move the rest of the clouds into place. We'll catch up later, okay?"

Twilight nodded and smiled. "Of course."

Rainbow Dash turned around and flew back towards her clouds. She began to spread them out, arranging them so as to form a light shower. Twilight watched for a bit as she walked back towards the library. Before she could get much farther, though, she saw another pony. It was an Earth Pony mare, a few inches shorter than Twilight. Her coat was dark grey, and her mane was straight black and unkempt. The other pony just stared at her, glaring. From the angle she was at, Twilight couldn't see her cutie mark.

"Um...hello?" Twilight asked pensively. She had never seen this pony before.

The other pony didn't react. Her eyes never left Twilight's frame, even as she turned to leave. She walked away, leaving Twilight speechless.

"Hmm...wonder who that was," Twilight said to herself after a moment of tense silence. She continued walking towards home, trying to push the encounter out of her mind.

Twilight had made it home in fifteen minutes. Spike was making dinner when she got there, and they talked about their findings--or lack thereof--as he worked.

"So you didn't find anything either?" Spike asked as he stirred up something in a pot.

"That'd be a no," Twilight replied. "I dunno, Spike...do you think I'm just worrying over nothing again?"

"Honestly? Yeah." Spike put down his stirring spoon to let the mixture simmer. "You really shouldn't worry, even if this dream does mean something. You're awesome at magic, you're a princess, and you've got great friends to help you. No matter what comes along, you can handle it!"

Twilight's cheeks turned rosy at the praise. "Thanks, Spike. You always know what to say to make me feel better."

Spike turned back to his little project. "Looks like dinner's ready. You hungry?"

"I had lunch late today. I'll just read until I get hungry, I guess."

The little dragon rolled his eyes. "You've been on that same book for a week now. How long is it, anyway?"

"About 2000 pages, I would guess. But it's not like I haven't read longer books."

"Yeah...I remember you were stuck on that philosophy book for a month. You didn't even stop to sleep!"

"That book was a lot longer. Besides, that was a long time ago. I'm not about to skip a night any time soon." Twilight got up and started to leave the kitchen. "Turn the burner down and keep that stuff warm for me, okay?"

Spike gave Twilight an overly dramatic salute, and she couldn't help but laugh for a second before retiring.

The next morning brought a smell that Twilight always recognized during the rainy season: the more pronounced aroma of tree sap. Drops of water lingered on the bedroom window, which formed sparse and faint shadows on the reading desk. Twilight climbed out of bed and looked outside to see if it was still raining. It wasn't.

"Spike, time to get up," Twilight said gently, using her magic to lift the dragon into the air and nudge him awake. Spike, being used to being awoken this way, opened his eyes with no struggle.

"Morning, Twilight!" he said, smiling. It always amazed Twilight how Spike never seemed to be groggy during the morning nowadays. "Did you have another dream?"

Twilight shook her head as she released Spike from her hold. "Not another one in the Velvet Room, at any rate."

"See? I told you." Spike nudged Twilight with his elbow. "So what do you want for breakfast?"

"You can pick this time."

Just then, there was a rapid-fire series of knocks at the door. It sounded like someone had put a rock on the end of a sewing machine needle and turned it on. Twilight and Spike exchanged confused glances, and Spike descended down the stairwell to answer the door. As soon as he turned the doorknob, the door shot open, throwing Spike into a bookshelf. The books immediately fell from the shelf, completely covering the poor dragon. More than a little surprised, Twilight turned to see an extremely distressed Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie, what's wrong?" she asked. "You look like you saw a ghost."

"Twilight, Spike, c-come quick, please!" Pinkie stammered. "S-something happened!"

"Breathe," Twilight said as she came downstairs. "It's all right. Take a second."

Pinkie complied. She turned around and breathed heavily, saying something to herself on her exhales that was too fast for Twilight to understand. After a good thirty seconds, she turned around again. Her expression was much more calm, but it was filled with sorrow instead of panic.

"There's...a dead body in the well," she said softly, tears surfacing in her eyes.

The color drained from Twilight's face. "WHAT?!?" she screamed.

Pinkie fought back the urge to cry. "Please, follow me...I'll explain when we get there."

Pinkie turned around and galloped off, headed for the well. Twilight glared and used her magic to pull Spike out of the pile of books.

"Did she say what I think she did?" Spike asked.

Twilight nodded and hastily put Spike on her back. "Let's go. We've got to do something about this."

"Yeah, I agree. Lead the way!"

Twilight ran out the door to the library and then took to the air, chasing after Pinkie.

Chapter 3: The Change

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"How're we doin' down there?" Applejack asked into the well.

"It's really heavy!" Rainbow Dash replied, her voice echoing up the stone column. "Whoever this is really should've eaten less alfalfa!"

"Now ain't the time for jokes." Applejack's voice was stern, but she couldn't mask her concern. She turned to the small crowd of waiting ponies. "Don't y'all worry none! Rainbow Dash'll get this pony out lickety-split! She's got even more upper body strength'n I do."

Naturally, this didn't help ease the crowd's tension very much.

A few more seconds passed before Pinkie, Twilight, and Spike appeared on the scene. "I brought her," Pinkie announced, still in her somber tone. The presence of a royal figure seemed to calm down the other ponies a bit, but it still wasn't much.

"All right. Somepony fill me in," Twilight said calmly.

"Th' body was found 'bout twenty minutes ago," Applejack explained. "Dash is tryin' ta get 'em out so we can ID the victim."

"Trying, my flank!" Rainbow interjected. "I am SUCCEEDING!"

Applejack rolled her eyes. "She's also puttin' on a brave face, as ya can see."

"Looks like we can't really do much until the body is out of the well," Spike said quietly.

Pinkie Pie couldn't bring herself to look at the well. "I...I need to go let Fluttershy know...be right back." She turned around and dashed away.

"Make way!" Rainbow yelled. She finally made it out of the well, beating her wings furiously. In her hooves was the body of a brown pony with a grey, combed-back mane, a red tie with a dollar sign on it, and three moneybags for a cutie mark. Many ponies recognized him instantly as the tomboyish pegasus gently put him down.

"Filthy Rich...?" Applejack's voice was filled with disbelief. "Who in the hay would wanna kill Filthy Rich?"

The crowd was distraught. Filthy Rich had been a respected member of the community ever since he inherited Barnyard Bargains from his father. Despite not being very popular with children, he had many adult friends--earned with charisma, no less, rather than wealth.

Twilight walked over to the body. "There's no way this was an accident or a suicide. A grown stallion doesn't just fall into the well, and Filthy lived a very happy and social lifestyle. There's no doubt about it...this was a murder."

This caused the crowd to murmur amongst themselves. Murder was very rare in Equestria, and even when it did happen, many of the cases were considered accidents. In fact, this was the first murder that many of Ponyville's citizens had seen in their lives.

Rarity pushed her way through the cluster of ponies, holding a scroll with her telekinesis. She made it to Twilight after a few seconds, and Twilight noticed the smeared makeup on her face. "I...took the liberty of writing a letter to Princess Celestia," she said softly.

Twilight put a gentle hoof on her friend's shoulder and handed the letter over to Spike, who blasted it with a plume of green fire. "It'll be okay, Rarity," she replied.

"My apologies." Rarity rubbed fresh tears away from her eyes. "I just...haven't been around death in such a long time."

"I think it's the same for all of us," Rainbow Dash said, averting her eyes from Filthy Rich's remains.

Pinkie returned, this time with Fluttershy in tow. As the latter noticed the body, she covered her mouth and tried not to vomit. "S-sorry I'm late," she said in her quiet little voice. It was all she could manage without gagging.

Spike's eyes widened as his cheeks puffed out. He belched out a scroll with Celestia's royal seal on it. Twilight caught it and opened it.

"'Citizens of Ponyville,'" Twilight began, addressing everyone in the area. "'This news is greatly distressing. As I'm sure many of you know, murders in Ponyville are nearly unheard of. However, I beseech you to remain calm. Ponyville's safety is in the very capable hooves of Princess Twilight Sparkle and the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony. I will, however, send the best detective at my disposal to assist with the investigation: a one Officer Looking Glass. You may be wondering what you can do to help--and that is to continue with your normal routines and lives, while also not letting your guard down. I will provide assistance personally if it becomes absolutely necessary, but I am confident that it won't be. Sincerely, Princess Celestia.'"

Naturally, any words that came from the Princess's mouth put the ponies' minds further at ease. It wasn't long before they began to disperse.

"I can't imagine how they're gonna break this to Diamond Tiara," Spike sighed. "She may be a bully, but...nopony deserves this."

"All right, I'm mad now!" Rainbow suddenly yelled, surprising everyone else. "This murder not only ended Filthy's life, but it also left a lot of other lives damaged--or even ruined! I am gonna make this killer PAY!" She accented the last word by slamming her two front hooves together.

This also made Applejack glare with determination. "Yer right, Dash. After we mourn Rich's passin', it'll be time fer action!"

"Let us make it official, then." Rarity stepped forward. "We'll make it a vow--we'll find whoever killed this stallion, even if we must search all of Equestria. Or even beyond Equestria!"

The group nodded, and each put a hoof foward--or a claw, in Spike's case--and placed them on top of one another's. Something occurred to Twilight, as if she had just realized something...but she couldn't place it. "We'll start investigating this right after Filthy's funeral," she announced.

"So what do we do until then?" Rainbow asked.

"Officer Looking Glass will be here soon, I bet. We'll let him take charge for the moment."

"I should go," Rarity said. "I believe I'll have to do a lot of explaining tonight."

Applejack sighed. "We should ALL go fer now. I think I speak fer all of us when I say we should get some rest."

Everyone agreed. They all said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

That night, Twilight felt a vaguely familiar feeling as she slept. She was awake again, but still asleep at the same time. Just as she had been during her previous dream.

As if in confirmation, she found herself in the Velvet Room. It was the same as when she had left it--she was even standing in the same spot. The inside of the chariot was still completely blue and padded with leather.

"This dream again?" she asked herself.

"I assure you, my guest, that this is no dream," Igor said.

"Then...am I insane?"

"Perhaps a bit, but your state of mental health is completely irrelevant."

"Then...what exactly is this?"

"The Velvet Room exists on a different plane of existence," Margaret explained. "A plane that exists both within the conscious mind and within the physical world...and yet it exists in neither at the same time."

Twilight shook her head. "I don't get it."

"Though this plane does exist in both of these realities, it cannot be accessed from either by just anyone," Igor replied. "I have summoned you here because you are now bound by a contract."

"Wait, really? I don't remember signing anything."

"You did not have to. Your vow amongst your friends to catch the killer...that is the contract that allows you access to the Velvet Room. And...I also see that the change I foresaw has already begun."

"The change was the murder?"

"Part of it, yes. The other part, you must explore on your own. Rest assured, however, you will discover it soon."

"How can you possibly know all of this? And...what is the other part?"

"I cannot answer those. If I were to do so, it would directly influence your path. We residents are only allowed to do this if the guest is in mortal peril, and even then our assistance is limited." Igor's smile grew. "Only you can decide where your journey will take you."

"From this point on, you can enter here of your own will," Margaret said. "Once your contract is resolved and your journey reaches an end, our services to you will be complete."

"Well...okay...but why?" Twilight asked. "Why can I come here just because of a promise? That makes no sense at all. Tons of ponies make promises!"

Igor closed his eyes knowingly. "Yes, but your contract leads you to a path towards the truth. That is why you were chosen."

Twilight thought for a moment. She thought she understood, or that she would in time. "So...you said you had services to offer me. What exactly are they?"

"For us to explain that, you will have to travel down your path for a bit longer." Igor opened his eyes again. "I apologize for keeping you here for so long. For now, it's nearly time to wake up. The next time you come here, it will be your own choice, rather than by my summons."

Before Twilight could say anything more, the Velvet Room faded into the shadows again. She lost consciousness.

Chapter 4: Other Side

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Officer Looking Glass had begun his work on the crime scene the next day, leaving everyone free for Filthy Rich's funeral. The majority of the town was in attendance, given the stallion's popularity. Though all of the ponies were in low spirits, none were worse than Diamond Tiara. Throughout the entire procession, she couldn't stop sobbing. Twilight had heard nothing good about the filly, but she couldn't help but feel heartbroken at just how miserable she was.

Twilight and Spike checked in with Looking Glass on the way home. They had investigated the body quite thoroughly, but even a professional autopsy didn't reveal a cause of death. It was as if his heart had just decided not to beat anymore. This lead Twilight to wonder if it had been a murder after all. Uncertain and desperate, the two of them made their way back to the library.

"What do you think we should do?" Spike asked, absentmindedly sweeping the first floor. "This whole thing is so...tense. I can't think under pressure like this..."

Twilight was on her bed, holding her head in her hooves as if it would help her think. "I still believe it was a homicide. After all, if it weren't, the body probably wouldn't have ended up in the well...but I just have no idea how the killer could've done it."

"Yeah, I hear you. No cuts, no bruises, no magic burns, no blood clots, no pathogens..."

"You're just quoting Looking Glass."

"That doesn't make what I'm saying any less true."

On any other day, Twilight would have laughed. "If only there was some way to find out more about how this could've happened..."

"We're in a library, Twilight."

"Don't be ridiculous. I don't stock that kind of book here!"

"Hmm...well, what if the old castle has something? There's enough books there to last a lifetime or three."

Twilight was about to wave the idea aside, but she couldn't deny the plausibility of Spike's logic. There was no way they'd completely scoured that library. "You might be onto something there...and Looking Glass wouldn't think to check there. I'd honestly be surprised if he knew much about the place at all."

"So do you think it's worth checking out?"

"If we don't, we might not find what we need to label a cause of death. It's better to have something and not need it than need it and not have it."

"Then let's get going!" Spike leaned his broom on the wall and cracked his knuckles. "I just hope nothing crazy happens this time. Seems like something goes terribly wrong every time we go there."

"That's silly. I go there by myself all the time, and I've found a lot about its history! Did you know that Princess Celestia had considered turning it into a museum once?"

"Focus, Twilight."

"Oh! Right, sorry." Twilight smiled sheepishly, which was accompanied by what sounded like air being pushed out of a dog's chew toy.

Spike rolled his eyes. Twilight stood up and put the dragon on her back, then opened the door. The sun was still high in the air, giving the pair plenty of time to search.

Why Twilight had ever thought Celestia would keep books about methods of death, she didn't know. Celestia was a very peaceful and fair ruler, and there had never been a recorded war in Equestrian history--a few battles now and then, but never a full-scale war. Even then, those kinds of books didn't detail how ponies passed--only that they had died.

Imagine Twilight's surprise, then, when not only did the library in the old castle contain these books, but there were actually several of them.

Given this source of information on different ways ponies could die, Twilight learned a great deal that day. She couldn't honestly say, however, that she had wanted to learn much of it, and despite the myriad of methods, each and every one of them would leave behind something that could be detected via autopsy. On the so-called bright side, Twilight learned a great deal about the horror that is the guillotine.

"It feels like we've been at this all day!" Spike whined, tossing a book about pressure points over his shoulder.

"We HAVE been at this all day," Twilight replied as she skimmed a chapter detailing an unorthodox weapon called the cat-of-nine-tails. "Or all afternoon, at least. The sun's going down."

Spike looked out the window and saw that Twilight was right. The sky was turning from blue to orange as the sun continued shining brightly behind the treetops. "Oh boy...I'm not looking forward to going home after nightfall."

"We'll be fine as long as we stay on the path. You know that."

Spike then had a thought. "Did you ever see a book like this in Celestia's personal library?"

"No, but I had planned on checking that from the start. The public library just has a lot more ground to cover, is all."

"Maybe I should go up there and see if there are any books like that up there. If there are, I can start working through 'em."

"If you want to, then go right ahead. But try to stay focused, okay?"

"Of course!" Spike turned around. "If I'm not back in five minutes, I'm making progress!"

Spike ran through the castle as fast as his little legs would carry him. He had only been in the castle a few times, but it wasn't hard to find the Princess's quarters. There were two master bedrooms on the top floor of the castle, and one belonged to each of the two Princesses of the day. Despite all the years that had passed, Spike was easily able to identify Celestia's quarters--her room had large tapestries depicting the same image of the sun that was on her cutie mark, just as Luna's had tapestries of the moon. Celestia's personal library was only another door away. Despite the ease of access that Spike had to the modest room, however, it didn't offer any helpful information. Why the Princess decided to stock books about strange weapons and death in the public library but not her own, he would never know.

"Weird...there are books about war, but not death," Spike said thoughtfully as he looked at some of the titles of the dusty old tomes. "It might make sense, considering we're dealing with the ruler of the country, but..."

Something stopped Spike mid-sentence. He couldn't place the feeling that was in his mind right now. It felt like a little bit of everything--joy, sorrow, fear, determination, calm, and panic...all at once. He looked around the room to see if something in it had somehow sparked this surge of emotion. His eyes stopped on a certain book.

By all appearances, there was absolutely nothing special about the book that was currently the object of Spike's attention. Its cover was pure white--even brighter than Rarity's coat, if that were at all possible. There was no title on its spine, and...it looked much newer than the other books in the library.

Spike knew he should just report back to Twilight on his lack of findings, but there was something about this book that stopped him from tearing his eyes away. He walked towards it hesitantly, as if it would jump out of the shelf and attack him. It wasn't long before he was within arm's reach of the book. He carefully drew his clawed hand closer to it, finding himself too curious to take it back. He grabbed the book and tried to pull it out. It was much heavier than it looked, but if Spike was strong enough to lift a mountain of luggage, he was certainly strong enough for this. He carefully inspected both covers, but still found no title or author name.

"Okay, this is getting a little bit creepy. Just...what is this thing?" Spike asked himself. The little dragon couldn't stand it any longer. He grabbed the front cover with one hand and lifted it from the first page.

As if in response, the book suddenly took on a mind of its own. It immediately wrenched itself free from Spike's grasp and opened up to a page in the exact center, making it symmetrical. It then alighted on the room's reading podium and started glowing with white light that was nearly blinding.

"Spike?" Twilight's voice called. "Are you okay in here?"

"Twilight!" Spike yelled in reply. "Get in here, quick! I found something!"

"Oh! Did you figure out how the murderer did it?"

As soon as Twilight finished talking, she arrived in the room and shielded her eyes from the glow. Spike's eyes, on the other hand, were beginning to adjust. "Not exactly," he said sheepishly.

"Oh, for pony's sake, Spike! How many times can one baby dragon open portals to other worlds through books?"

"I didn't do this! It just happened on its own, I swear!"

The book glowed even brighter now. It was almost as if it were beckoning Twilight and Spike towards it. As Twilight tried to figure out what this could mean, she had an idea. An absolutely crazy idea.

"Should we go in?"

Spike turned to Twilight with a flabbergasted look on his face. "WHAT?!? You're not serious, are you?!" he demanded.

"Hear me out on this one. We've looked for a method of homicide that doesn't leave a trace for hours, and we've found nothing--even in one of Equestria's greatest sources of information. There just isn't any way that it could work..." Twilight grinned slyly. "...in THIS world."

Spike understood immediately. "Ohh...I get it! But...what if this thing just takes us to an active volcano, or something?"

"We're going to have to try anyway. As of now, it's our only lead. If nothing else, the murderer could've used it as a place to kill Filthy Rich without witnesses."

"But if we go in there...we might not come back out, even if we don't die."

"You were there when we vowed to catch the killer. Rarity said that we would search all of Equestria, or even beyond Equestria." Twilight laughed softly. "I don't think this is what she meant, but the point is that we have to do whatever it takes."

Spike sighed deeply, concern in his eyes. "Well...I guess it IS the only option we have right now."

Twilight abruptly lifted Spike into the air and dropped him onto her back. "Glad you see it my way! Now hold on tight. We might experience turbulence."

"Holding on tight!" Spike laid down on his belly and held onto Twilight's shoulders. He grabbed on a bit too tightly, however, and Twilight winced.

"Not THAT tight."

The pain receded as Spike loosened his grip. "Less tight!"

One flap of Twilight's wings was all she needed to gain enough altitude to dive into the book. The glow of the pages consumed her and Spike, forcing their eyes closed. The light receded after a few seconds, and the companions opened their eyes.

"Geez, I can barely even see my hooves in front of my face!" Twilight exclaimed. "This fog is thick enough to cut with a knife."

"I can actually see a bit," Spike said. "It is foggy, but it's no worse than our own world's fog."

Twilight credited Spike's ability to see to his dragon eyes. "Well, can you help me land safely, then?"

Spike chuckled. "NOTHING can help you land safely."

"MORE safely, then? I can't see the ground...assuming this place has ground."

The little dragon leaned over Twilight's shoulder and looked down. "You should be okay. It looks like a tile floor to me."

Twilight nodded and flew forward a bit before spreading her wings to glide. She circled in the air, gradually losing altitude while relatively staying in one place. This went on for a moment before Twilight could actually see the ground just inches below. She frantically flapped her wings, screeching to a halt just before she landed. After cushioning the impact, she allowed herself to hit the ground, and Spike jumped off of her back.

"Hey, I think I see a building," Spike said. He narrowed his eyes, as if to see better through the fog. "Yeah...yeah, it's definitely a building. Looks...like a gingerbread house."

"Oh, this had better not be some kind of fairy tale world," Twilight replied as she rolled her eyes. She began to walk in the direction Spike was staring. "Thick fog surrounding Paul Bunyan and green, warty witches just seems silly."

To Twilight's surprise, the walk to the building was a short one. It only took about five minutes. Spike was fascinated. "It really is a gingerbread house," he said, awestruck. He grabbed the door and took a piece of it, then put it in his mouth. He quickly swallowed the whole piece. "With real gingerbread!"

"What in...wherever we are...is this doing here?" Twilight wondered aloud. "Is this really the only building around here?"

Twilight and Spike heard a sound that reminded them of bubbling tar. They turned around to see a black blob sliding across the ground towards them. Oddly enough, the blob appeared to have a mask that one might see to advertise a drama club. The face showed no emotion, however. The blob started floating and formed into a sphere. The sphere gained color, turning red with black stripes. It flipped over, revealing a huge mouth and an even bigger tongue.

"Whoooooa," Spike said. "What IS this thing?"

The sphere let out a hiss and launched itself at Spike. Twilight reacted quickly, lifting Spike with her magic and jumping back a few feet.

"Crap, there's nowhere to run!" Twilight yelled as the sphere started floating again.

"Quick, into the gingerbread house!" Spike replied frantically.

Twilight complied, opening the door and sprinting into the house. She was too scared to absorb the details, but she quickly saw that there was no good place to hide from the monster. She looked back towards it as she ran away, only to find that two more identical monsters had joined it. "Oh no...there are three of them now!"

"What do we do?!" Spike asked.

"I have no idea!"

Twilight kept running. She ran towards a window, planning to fly out. However, just as she was about to jump, another monster flew in through the window, blocking her path. Becoming more and more terrified by the second, Twilight turned and ran up a flight of stairs. Another monster floated through the wall opposite the top of the stairwell, and Twilight turned left. Two more monsters cut her off, leaving Twilight nowhere to run. She looked up to see if she could fly away, but three of the monsters had taken positions above her.

She was officially out of options.

"Oh man...Twilight, this is really bad," Spike whispered as the monsters began to draw closer.

Twilight looked around for any sort of egress, but the monsters' perimeter was nearly airtight. What few holes existed were further closed as the monsters advanced. Resigning herself to her fate, she sighed and drew Spike back.

"Wait, what're you doing?!" the dragon asked.

Twilight looked directly into Spike's eyes. "I'm not about to let you die here, Spike."

"Wh-what are you..."

Before Spike could say anything else, Twilight saw an opportunity. There was a tiny gap between two of the monsters. "Sorry about this!" she yelled. She then launched Spike towards the gap. He blasted through it and through the wall of the gingerbread house, screaming and flailing all the while.

"TWIIILIIIIIIIGHT!" Spike's voice was absolutely heartbroken, but it was too late now to take back what had been done. Twilight's horn glowed as she charged up a magical laser, aiming at one of the monsters. The monster she was aiming at wretched horribly before lashing at her with its tongue.

Suddenly, Twilight felt a sharp pain in her head. It felt as if someone had stabbed her right between the eyes. She was forced to her knees, holding one hoof up to the base of her horn in agony. The pain distracted her from what had been going on, but despite being surrounded by monsters, she was never attacked. After struggling with the action, she opened one eye just enough to see through and noticed that all of the monsters had stopped. A few were backing away...as if they were afraid of something.

"I am thou...and thou art I..."

Twilight's sudden migraine struck back at full force, and Twilight shut her eyes again. It took everything she had not to fall over. A sharp ringing filled her ears, and she only barely registered what came next.

"From the sea of thy soul I come...I shall be your strength, and I shall walk this road alongside you."

Twilight suddenly opened her eyes. Directly in front of her face was a floating card. One side of the card depicted a blue checkerboard with a two-toned mask above it, and the other depicted two black hands holding a fireball between them in front of a purple background. The card was surrounded with strange blue flame. In spite of what was happening around her, Twilight could focus on nothing more than this tiny slip of paper. She felt an unbelievable urge--no, a need--to destroy it, as if it was the only thing that mattered in the world. She briefly reached out to it, and a single word entered her mind. It was a word that she had heard a few times before, but not one that ponies would use in conversation. A word that held great meaning, and yet a word that not many truly understood.

"Per...so...na."

The spectral fire that surrounded the card spread, enveloping Twilight herself. Normally, she would have panicked and tried to put herself out, but right now, fear was at the back of her mind. Slowly but surely, she stood up, the card in front of her face rising with her. She took another look at the monsters surrounding her, noticing how afraid they seemed of her now. She couldn't hold back the smirk on her face as her horn lit up with magic. She blasted the card with a laser, burning it to a crisp instantly. The blue flames brightened until they consumed her vision.

The white light persisted for longer than Twilight would have expected. Though only a few seconds passed, they felt like hours. As Twilight was trying to regain her sight, she saw several images in the light and heard a familiar chuckle. However, they passed so quickly that her brain barely even registered them before they were gone. Only two images managed to stick in her mind: a pile of several wooden limbs and a glowing blue butterfly. Even those faded away before long as the light began to ebb.

The light finally faded, and with it gone, Twilight could finally see what blasting the card had gotten her. Before her was a large, humanoid creature. It had grey skin, though only its head and hands were exposed. The rest of its body was covered by large and heavy wizard's robes. The robes were adorned with two matching sashes, which met in the center of its torso, sealed together by a golden clasp. The creature stared at her with vaguely dragonic eyes, and it had two blue horns like those of a goat.

"I am Merlin...the timeless spellweaver."

The creature lifted one of its arms, and a large explosion of electricity immediately vaporized three of the monsters. They recoiled, then lunged forward to attack. One of them successfully landed a hit on the creature's torso with its tongue, and Twilight's knees buckled in pain. This seemed to bring her to her senses a bit, and she looked a bit confused. She was mostly unfazed, however, and reasoned that there were more important matters at hand.

The humanoid nodded once before swinging its arms out. Several fiery blasts consumed all of the monsters that surrounded it, and it flew upwards. The monsters changed their targets, now chasing after the Persona. It aimed each of its hands at a monster as they advanced. Before they got much farther, it launched a fireball with one hand and a thunderbolt with the other, vaporizing two more of the vile creatures. The others were undeterred, but the Persona brushed them aside with a powerful, electrified shock wave. By this point, there were only a few left. Despite the Persona's obvious power, they flew towards it again. It grabbed a monster in each hand and set them on fire, then threw them back into the advancing cluster. The blazing monsters bounced off of others rapidly, both sending them flying and setting them ablaze as well. The Persona aimed both hands at the crowd and fired a humongous blast of lightning, vaporizing every single monster that was left all at once.

Despite having felt much more confident, Twilight was stunned to see this being in action. Never before had she seen such tremendous power from a single living thing. The Persona floated back over to her, and she reached out towards it. It flashed briefly before turning into the purple card that Twilight had seen before. It floated down to her eyes again, but this time, it faded into a few lingering specks of light before disappearing completely. It took a moment for Twilight to recover from her shock. She didn't know what to think of this or how to feel about it, but one thing was clear--whatever this Persona creature was, it had just saved her life.

"Wait a...I can see!" Twilight looked around to notice that there was barely any fog left. She stood up and spread her wings. "No time to think about that right now. I need to go find Spike before more of those monsters show up!"

With the help of her newfound sight, Twilight flew into the air and through the hole in the wall that Spike had made when Twilight had thrown him through it.

Chapter 5: Investigation

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Twilight hadn't been aware of just how hard she'd thrown Spike. When she left the gingerbread house, all she could see of him was a little speck of green on the horizon. She guessed that Spike might have continued running after the sudden expulsion from the building. She flew over in his direction. Soon, she got close enough to see that the poor dragon was balled up in the fetal position, crying uncontrollably. She flew faster, and before she knew it, she was right beside him. Spike apparently heard the sound of her footfalls, which caused him to open his eyes before recoiling in shock.

"TWILIGHT!" Spike exclaimed. He tackle-hugged Twilight so fast that it seemed as if he had been fired from a cannon. "I-I thought you were...dead...and I..."

Twilight felt fresh tears on her chest. She returned Spike's embrace and looked around for anything fuzzy she could use. Upon finding nothing, she pried Spike off of her torso and plucked a feather from her wing, then used it to tickle his belly. Spike's sobs were replaced with laughter. After a few seconds of this, Twilight put Spike on her back so that he could calm down. It took him a few minutes, but it happened.

"Are you hurt?" Twilight asked gently.

"Am I hurt?!" Spike demanded. "What about YOU?! You fought those...tongue...guys!"

"It's a miracle, but I'm fine. I had a little help."

Spike looked confused. "What do you mean? You were alone back there."

Twilight smirked. "At first, yeah...but take a look at this."

Before Spike could ask what Twilight meant, the same purple card from before appeared above her and gently floated down to her face. She fired another laser at the card, and in a blinding explosion of light, Merlin appeared before her. Spike was so surprised that he nearly fell off of Twilight.

"Whooooa!"

"You like?"

"He's so cool!...What is he?"

"From what I can gather, he's my Persona--a physical manifestation of...some part of myself. When he first came to me, he said we were one and the same."

"Well, that's fantastic! But how does that help you beat those monsters?"

"I'm glad you asked! Merlin, care to demonstrate?"

Merlin aimed his hand to the side, well away from Spike and Twilight. An explosion of flames consumed the floor where his hand was aiming, and Spike was awestruck.

"So let me get this straight," Spike began. "This guy is some part of you given physical form...and he's also a battle-mage?"

"That sounds about right, yeah," Twilight replied.

"That's the coolest thing I've ever heard! Oh man, Rainbow Dash is gonna be so jealous!"

At that, Twilight frowned and shook her head. "We shouldn't tell the others."

"What? Why not?"

"Because if we do, they might want to come here in the hopes of getting Personas themselves. I got extremely lucky with Merlin, but we can't risk anypony else coming here until we find out more about this whole thing. For all we know, he's the only Persona in existence!" Twilight's expression fell. "If our friends come in here, then they'd just be putting themselves in danger for no reason...and it'd be all my fault."

"But they'd listen to you! If you tell them it's too dangerous, they'll believe you."

"I'm afraid to take that chance."

Spike sighed. He knew that it wasn't right to keep this secret, but he could understand Twilight's reasoning. "Okay...okay, yeah. So what do we do now?"

"Well, we haven't done what we came here to do yet. We have to investigate the gingerbread house."

"But those monsters..."

"Trust me, Spike. Merlin will keep us safe!" Twilight turned to Merlin. "Right?"

Merlin nodded slowly.

"All right...I trust you. But can you just keep him out the whole time? I'd feel a lot safer that way."

"Of course."

"Okay, so...do you need me to point you towards the house again?"

Twilight beamed. "Actually, I can see through the fog now! I think it's because of Merlin, but I'm not positive."

Twilight flapped her wings and took off, then flew towards the gingerbread house. Merlin followed close behind. Due to Twilight's airspeed, the trip took mere seconds instead of minutes, and Twilight flew in through the hole in the wall. Now that there were no monsters, Spike and Twilight were free to observe the details. The house appeared to be divided into two rooms--one on the first floor, and the other upstairs. The downstairs room was painted pink, with a frilly bed and ornate furniture. It appeared to belong to a little girl. The second floor looked like an office. A mahogany desk adorned the center of the room, along with a single chair and papers strewn everywhere. Both rooms were covered with photographs. The girl's room's photos were of Filthy Rich and Diamond Tiara, while the office's photos were of products from Barnyard Bargains.

"This is really creepy," Spike said pensively. "Is the first floor supposed to be Diamond Tiara's room?"

"I doubt that the real thing has this many pictures on the walls," Twilight replied, "but it's a valid theory. The question is, why is it here?"

"Maybe it has something to do with Filthy Rich's death?"

"That makes sense. We already know that Filthy Rich probably died in this world. But...what really strikes me as odd is that there are no pictures of Diamond Tiara in the office, or of products in her room."

Suddenly, two voices permeated the building, causing the duo to jump in surprise. "Daddy, can we go to the park today?" asked a young, female voice. Spike and Twilight recognized it as Diamond Tiara's.

"I don't have time today," Filthy Rich's voice replied. "You know I have to run the store."

Diamond Tiara let out an angry scoff. "But...you NEVER have time! Can't you just leave for a DAY?!?"

"I'm sorry. If I do that without it being a holiday, I run the risk of losing business."

"You...you..." Diamond Tiara sounded as if she was on the verge of tears. "FINE! I'll just go with Silver Spoon! Who NEEDS your worthless flea market anyway?!?"

A few seconds passed. Diamond Tiara's presence seemed to leave. Filthy Rich's voice sighed deeply.

"I wish things didn't have to be this way...but I want my little girl to have a good future. Her hating me is a small price to pay to ensure her prosperity."

Twilight and Spike waited for a few more seconds, but there were no more voices.

"Were those...Filthy Rich's thoughts?" Spike asked.

"It seems that way," Twilight replied. "I think I see what's going on now...this place is symbolic of Filthy Rich's hidden side. The first floor represents what he wanted, and the second represents what he felt had to be done."

"I feel so bad for them...this probably explains why Diamond Tiara is such a big bully."

"Filthy's heart was in the right place...but he was misguided. It's too easy to make that kind of mistake."

Spike and Twilight were both silent for a moment.

"We should stay on task," Twilight said. "We're here about the murder."

"I don't think we're gonna find anything else here," Spike replied. "We've heard and seen everything here. Besides, it's probably nearly sundown back home. We should leave."

"...Yeah...yeah, you're right. Looks like we didn't find out anything after all, huh?"

"Hey, it's fine! We didn't find out how Filthy died, but we do know that this house is somehow linked to him. Maybe we can come back after we learn more about how this stuff works! Who knows? We might figure out what we need to know with time."

Twilight was hesitant, but she didn't disagree. She sighed deeply. "Let's find the exit and get out of here, then."

"Don't worry. We'll work this out."

Twilight dismissed Merlin and flew out of the house. She looked around for any sort of exit. Eventually, her eyes stopped on a large white square in the sky. It appeared to be where they had entered from. She began to fly towards it. "So what do you think our next course of action should be, then?" she asked.

"I think our only option is to wait and see," Spike replied with a shrug. "We'll let Looking Glass take the helm for a while, and when an opportunity presents itself, we'll take it."

After the two companions got home, Spike went straight to bed. Twilight chose to stay up and go over what they had found in her mind.

"It seems like Filthy's subconscious thoughts appeared as that house," she said. "And then he just inexplicably died...but why? Why did the house even appear?...The only reason I can think of is that he somehow entered that other world. But...did he die there?"

Then Twilight had an idea. She knew of two people she could ask about this. She closed her eyes.

"Igor?"

Twilight heard a sound like that of a jingling sleigh bell. She opened her eyes to find that an ornate blue door had appeared in front of her. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew it would take her to the Velvet Room. She touched it, and everything went white. Again.

"I've been waiting for you," Igor said cordially. The light faded quickly to reveal the Velvet Room before Twilight. "It seems the events that I foresaw during our first meeting have all come to pass. Acquiring your Persona was the second part of the change."

Twilight decided to get straight to the point. "Igor, I have some questions for you."

"Then by all means, ask what you like. But your answers may not be so easily found."

"That world I went to today. What is it?"

"It is a world in which Shadows congregate."

"Shadows?"

"When someone dies, their subconscious thoughts--the ones they hide from others--take on a physical form. A Shadow can take numerous forms. These creatures run on pure instinct, and go wild when provoked." Igor chuckled. "If the Shadows were to have killed you, your own Shadow would have emerged."

"Okay, I think I understand. What about Merlin? Why did he come to me?"

"I am not certain of that myself. The normal method of obtaining a Persona is something you will discover soon on your own, and something that I cannot tell you at this time."

Twilight was used to not getting straight answers by now, so this didn't surprise her. "Can I assume you won't provide me with any answers about the case?"

"My humblest apologies. I cannot."

"Tell me as much as you can about Personas, then. Every little bit helps."

"Very well." Igor waved his hand over the table, and a familiar purple card appeared. A spectral image of Merlin then appeared above it. "Your Persona is named Merlin, as you know. He is a Persona of the Magician Arcana. Personas of this Arcana are revered for their magical power."

"Arcana? What's that about?"

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed." Igor's smile grew. "An Arcana can be applied to any personality, and the path towards destiny can be defined and deciphered with it. It would be little exaggeration to call it an omniscient element in the understanding of the world around us."

"I...guess I get it. Sort of." Twilight cleared her throat. "Where do Personas draw their power from?"

"The power of the human--or pony, in this case--spirit is tremendous. If all of its power were drawn at once, the resulting Persona would have the power to create and destroy entire worlds--power exceeding that of gods."

"That doesn't explain the fireballs and the lightning."

"Personas draw upon the power of the spirit, and can bend it to their will. This is how Personas use spells and attacks."

"Okay, I get it. What about Personas and...you called them Shadows? Are they related?"

"That is correct. They are linked in that they are both a physical manifestation of thoughts and feelings. Shadows and Personas alike grow stronger along with your own heart."

Twilight tried to think of another question. Though she had a lot to ask, she knew that Igor couldn't answer any of it.

"There is no need to feel any sense of urgency. After all, you can come here as often as you like." Igor closed his eyes. "I'm sure that all of your questions will be answered with time. Until next we meet, my faithful guest."

White light engulfed Twilight's vision once more.

Chapter 6: Adrenaline Rush

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Ponyville's mood was certainly more somber the next day, but for the most part, daily life was back to normal. The villagers still had responsibilities, after all--they couldn't let their lives stop, even if there was now an important pony missing from many of them.

Twilight had elected to stay home for the morning and rest. She hadn't noticed until she left the Velvet Room, but using her Persona had tired her out immensely. She slept for longer than usual (but still woke up before Spike, somehow), and she didn't have the motivation to do much but read today.

It was about noon when there was a sharp knock at Twilight's door. Spike turned away from his crossword puzzle and stood up, then ran over to answer it. He opened the door to see Rainbow Dash.

"Hey, Spike, Twilight!" Rainbow said. "I brought back Sapphire Statue." She used her wing to take the first Daring Do book from her saddlebag and handed it off to Spike.

"You have GOT to get your own copy of this," Spike replied, rolling his eyes. "Twilight likes to read this sometimes too, y'know."

"Good morning, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight exclaimed from the upper floor. "Thanks for bringing that back."

"No problem! Hey, I've got nothing to do today. You wanna go get some lunch?"

"Straight to the point as always, I see." Twilight hopped to the floor from her bed and stretched. "Yeah, I'll go with you. Where do you want to go?"

"Hay Burger. Normally I'd stay away from that place, but it's been making me curious for a while." Rainbow turned to Spike. "Do you wanna come too?"

Spike shook his head. "Somepony's gotta hold down the fort while Twilight's gone. Might as well be me."

"Suit yourself, then." Rainbow stepped out of the way, allowing Twilight to leave the library.

"Remember, don't try to put any returns on their shelves," Twilight said as a friendly reminder. "Just put them on the table, and I'll take care of it when I get back."

"I know, I know! You don't have to remind me." Spike grabbed the doorknob. "Go on and have fun!"

Spike and Twilight waved to each other, and Spike closed the door.

"All right, let's go!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, suddenly taking off.

"Oh, for--Rainbow, you know I can't fly that fast!" Twilight yelled as she took to the air herself and tried to keep up.

Rainbow Dash scarfed down her food like a pony possessed. It reminded Twilight of how she herself had eaten last time she came here--but her lack of table manners didn't leave crumbs everywhere, at least. There were so many crumbs on Rainbow's side of the table that Twilight was surprised there was any food left in her mouth to swallow.

"This food tastes amazing!" Rainbow yelled through a mouthful of fries. A few pieces of food flew out of her mouth and hit Twilight in the face, prompting her to wipe it off with a napkin.

"This is your first time eating here, huh?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash still had food in her mouth, and Twilight levitated a napkin into the air to use as a shield. "I know that fast food is bad for you, but I figured I get enough exercise to treat myself once in a blue moon."

"Well, I'm glad to see that you're enjoying it." Twilight took a bite of her own burger, making sure to chew it up and swallow it before speaking again. "I never got a chance to ask...did you tell Scootaloo about Filthy Rich?"

Rainbow nodded. "She took it well. She's a strong little filly." She suddenly looked a bit somber. "She tried talking to Diamond Tiara. Poor girl's a mess--puffy red eyes, frizzy mane, that sort of thing."

"It's hard to blame her. Is her mom living here?"

"I dunno. All I know about DT is through Scootaloo." Rainbow noisily slurped at her drink. "As for the other Crusaders...Apple Bloom is fine, since she's been around death before, but Sweetie Belle was terrified."

"I really hope the town heals from this soon...it's just not the same here any more." Twilight began to drink her own juice as well.

Rainbow nodded in agreement. "So, with that out of the way...where were you all day yesterday?"

Twilight suddenly did a spit take directly into Rainbow's face. Rainbow looked mildly annoyed, and wiped the juice off of her cheeks.

"It's just that I tried to visit you yesterday, and you weren't around. Spike was gone too. You didn't tell anypony you were leaving, so I got worried."

Twilight was conflicted. She didn't want to lie to Rainbow, but she couldn't tell her what happened, either. If anyone were to go to the other world despite the dangers, it would certainly be Rainbow. "Well, you see...I, um...I was..."

"Look, whatever it is, you can tell me. I can handle it!"

Twilight then realized that she didn't have to lie--she only had to withhold information. "Okay, okay. Spike and I went to the old castle yesterday. We figured that if there were a book describing how to kill a pony without leaving a trace, it'd be there."

"Oh. Well, did you find anything?"

"An alarming number of death-related books, but nothing conclusive. The closest thing we saw was this martial arts technique that let you hit somepony in a certain spot and then they'd die in 20 years or so, but even that would leave evidence."

Rainbow nodded. "I see..." Her eyes narrowed. "But there's something else you're not telling me, isn't there?"

Twilight tried to keep her composure. "Wh-what makes you think that?"

"Well, when I first asked you where you were, you panicked. Your response wasn't anything worth hiding, though...which means you must be hiding something else."

Twilight would have kicked herself, were she alone. She stuffed her mouth with fries.

"Does it have something to do with the case? We all vowed to solve this together!"

Twilight shoved what was left of her burger into her mouth as well.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Look, we're not leaving here until you tell me."

Twilight looked for something else to stifle herself, but she saw nothing. She resigned herself and held up a hoof, then began to chew through the food invasion that was stuffed in her cheeks. Her mouth was empty again after about three minutes.

"You can't tell anypony," Twilight said. "At all. Not even our friends."

"Whoa, why not?"

"For their safety. Trust me on this, okay?"

Rainbow Dash nodded. She made the familiar motions of a Pinkie Pie Swear, which Twilight reciprocated.

"Come with me. There's something in the old castle that you need to see."

The portal was right where Spike and Twilight had left it, still glowing with otherworldly light. Rainbow Dash didn't look very surprised to see it.

"I'm starting to wonder just how many different worlds we're going to visit in our lives," Rainbow said as she observed the light.

"We're not going in there," Twilight replied flatly.

Rainbow turned to Twilight. "Why not?"

"It's extremely dangerous in that world. There are monsters called Shadows inside, and they'll kill you if you step hoof into their territory!"

"That sounds AWESOME!"

"No, it does not! You'll get overwhelmed if you try and fight them!"

"I ain't afraid of some low-down monsters!"

"Fear isn't the issue! This is life and death!"

"You came out alive, didn't you?"

"I got lucky! EXTREMELY lucky! If even the slightest thing had gone wrong, I would've been a Twilight pancake!"

"And how exactly did you get lucky?"

"I...found an escape route."

"If you did, I can too! Look, here's what I'm gonna do. I'll just head in there, beat up a Shadow or twenty, and show you that it's not a big deal!"

Twilight glared. "RAINBOW, DON'T--"

Rainbow took to the air. "TOO LATE!" she exclaimed before flying straight into the book.

"Oh, NO!" Twilight followed directly afterwards. She waited for her vision to adjust when she got to the other side, and miraculously, Rainbow Dash was just trying to see through the fog.

"Okay, where are those Shadows? I can't WAIT to see Twilight's face when I bring back a pile of 'em!"

Something in Twilight snapped just then. Rainbow Dash was treating this like a game. She was in the some world from which Twilight had only barely escaped, and in which Spike thought he would be stuck forever...and Rainbow Dash was treating it like a game.

"...Why do I smell something burning?" Rainbow asked herself. She turned around and saw Twilight glowing with heat. "...Ooohh...that would explain it. Heh heh..."

"I HAVE HAD IT!" Twilight bellowed. Her mane and tail were suddenly set ablaze as her fur turned tan. Her eyes turned red and held the fury of a thousand suns. "DO YOU HAVE EVEN THE SLIGHTEST INKLING OF WHAT SPIKE AND I WENT THROUGH HERE?!? I ONLY SURVIVED BECAUSE OF SOME OUT-OF-NOWHERE DEUS EX MACHINA! SPIKE THOUGHT I WAS DEAD! IF I HADN'T SHOWN UP WHEN I DID, HE MIGHT'VE BEEN DEAD TOO! SO YOU ARE GOING TO START TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY RIGHT NOW, AND WE ARE GOING TO LEAVE BEFORE I HAVE TO SAVE YOU TOO!"

Rainbow Dash had never been so guilty in all her life. "...Can I just--"

"NOW!"

After that, Rainbow Dash sighed. "...Yeah...you're right. I don't know what came over me...I guess I just wasn't thinking." She then smiled weakly. "Gotta say, that's some impressive moxie."

"Are you KIDDING me?"

Twilight and Rainbow Dash jumped in surprise. They both turned to the source of the very familiar, yet slightly warped, voice. Upon seeing who spoke, the color drained from the ponies' faces, and Twilight returned to normal.

Flying beside the two was a cyan pegasus...with a rainbow-colored mane and tail...and a rainbow-colored lightning bolt for a cutie mark.

"What the--what ARE you?!" Rainbow demanded.

The copy of Rainbow Dash looked up at the real one, revealing eyes of sickly yellow. A dark fog surrounded the impostor's hooves. "I'm Rainbow Dash, of course."

"But I'M Rainbow Dash!"

The copy grinned crazily, ignoring Rainbow. "You said you weren't thinking, huh? We both know that's a load of horse apples! You knew EXACTLY what you were doing...didn't you?"

Rainbow's surprise turned to anger. "Hey, what're you talking about?!"

"It's not that you didn't THINK about how Twilight felt! It's just that you didn't care!" The impostor cackled. "I don't care WHO I piss off, as long as I get to feel some excitement in this boring ol' town!"

"You take that back! I love Ponyville!"

"Rainbow, we should get out of here!" Twilight yelled.

The impostor ignored Twilight. "I never said you didn't LIKE living here...but nothing EVER happens here that's actually exciting! When's the last time you got to do what you REALLY love? Y'know...doing stunts, throwing punches, all that reckless stuff! All that FUN stuff!"

"You shut up!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Why so angry? Are you upset that I'm telling the truth?"

"So what if I love doing reckless things?! I don't care about that nearly as much as I do this town, and my friends!"

As soon as Rainbow finished saying that, the impostor began laughing uncontrollably. It took a good thirty seconds for her to calm down. "Oh, now THAT'S a good one! Since when do you ever let your silly little friendships get in the way of looking out for number one?!"

"ALL THE TIME!" Rainbow was livid. "Stop spouting these lies! I oughta deck you in the face!"

"Thank you for proving my point! That's what you really care about, isn't it?" The impostor chuckled. "When Twilight told you about this place...you know you were excited! A new world, just ripe for exploring! There are even monsters to fight! Sounds like my kind of vacation from this dull life!"

"S-stop it!" Now Rainbow's anger was turning to panic. "That's not true!"

"Face it! You came in here for one reason and one reason alone: because it sounded fun. You had to jump at this chance! You might never get another one like it!"

"Shut up already! What makes you think you know me?!"

The impostor looked into Rainbow's eyes, not tearing them away for anything. "I told you already! I know you...because I AM you!"

Rainbow Dash glared harshly at her copy. Twilight felt an extreme sense of foreboding.

"Rainbow, calm down!" Twilight yelled. "I have a really bad feeling about this...we should just get out of here now!"

Rainbow ignored Twilight. "You...you MONSTER!" she screamed. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT ABOUT ME!"

"And why is that?!?" the impostor demanded, her crazy smile growing even wider.

Rainbow flew up to the impostor and stopped only inches away from her face. "BECAUSE YOU AREN'T ME!"

The impostor started laughing. It was a terrifying sound, despite that it was in a voice much like Rainbow Dash's. The laughter escalated into a wild, crazed cackle. "OOOH, IF ONLY THAT WERE TRUE!" she bellowed. "I bet you'd feel so much BETTER!"

Red clouds began to flow into the impostor. Twilight decided she couldn't stand this anymore, and she grabbed Rainbow Dash.

"Hey! Lemme go!" Rainbow yelled. "I gotta--"

"It's going to ATTACK us!" Twilight yelled. "I'm going to put you somewhere safe, and then I'll take care of this!"

Before Rainbow Dash could protest further, Twilight flew towards the exit...only to find that it was blocked by the red mist. She looked down and went into a steep dive. She put Rainbow Dash down and turned to fly back up. Before she could, however, four gigantic swords fell from the sky. They landed about ten feet in front of Twilight, all in a line. Directly following them was a gigantic, cyan shape. It crashed into the ground, kicking up dust that Twilight hadn't known was there. When she could see through it, she saw a gigantic, cyan bird with a human torso and legs. Its legs ended in talons that looked strong enough to crush solid bedrock. It had two gigantic wings in lieu of forelegs or arms, with enormous blades instead of feathers. It was mostly cyan, but its tail feathers were in all colors. It spread its wings, revealing a colossal wingspan and a streamlined head with blood red eyes and the beak of a falcon.

"I am a Shadow," the bird said, speaking with the warped version of Rainbow Dash's voice. "The true self!"

"Wh-what's happening?!" Rainbow asked frantically. Twilight had never seen her so afraid.

"Let me handle this!" Twilight yelled. She closed her eyes, and Merlin's Magician card appeared before her. Without waiting for it to float down, she blasted it with magic energy, releasing Merlin.

"Oh, so the little wizard wants a fight, does he?!" the bird asked, her tone mocking. "Fine, I need some excitement! I'll slaughter ALL of you!"

The bird spread its wings, and Merlin was surrounded by a small green whirlwind. Merlin was knocked back, and Twilight's knees buckled. She could easily tell that this Shadow was much stronger than the others she had faced.

"TWILIGHT!" Rainbow yelled.

"I'm...fine!" Twilight stood up again. "It's gonna take more than that! Merlin, let's hit it hard!"

Merlin aimed a hand at the Shadow's torso. An fiery conflagration consumed it, but it didn't seem to affect it very much. It cackled crazily again.

"Is that all you can do?!" the Shadow demanded. It flared its wings, surrounding itself with orange electricity. "What a JOKE!"

Two of the bird's blade feathers launched themselves at Merlin, but he was able to narrowly avoid them. He aimed his other hand at the raptor, blasting it with lightning. This time, the Shadow fell over onto its back.

"Hey, that worked really well!" Twilight said to herself. "It's weak to electricity!"

The Shadow stood up again. "Grr...I'm gonna CRUSH you!"

Merlin fired another lightning blast, but this time, the Shadow retaliated with its own blast of wind. The two attacks hit each other in midair and cancelled each other out. The Shadow laughed again and grabbed two of the swords embedded in the ground, with one in each talon. She flew higher into the air.

"Oh boy...this one's gonna hurt," Twilight said nervously.

"HEADS UP, GOAT-BOY!" the Shadow roared. It dove down feet-first, aiming the swords directly at Merlin. The mage tried to fly out of the way, but it was too fast--it only managed to avoid one of the two swords. The other impaled it directly on the shoulder, causing Twilight to cry out in pain.

"Ugh...it's...so powerful!" Twilight said wearily, collapsing onto her stomach. "I...don't know if I can win this..."

"Ready to go again?!" The Shadow withdrew the sword from Merlin's shoulder, and he flew back to avoid another strike. It flew higher again, this time going even higher than before. "This is just plain boring! I have much more exciting things that I could be doing!"

Merlin aimed both hands at the Shadow and let loose an enormous stream of electricity. Despite the size of the blast, he managed to focus it towards the Shadow, and it hit its mark. Countless sparks danced across the raptor's body, and in its painful stupor, it dropped the swords it was holding and fell to the ground in a heap. It stood up again.

"You're REALLY starting to make me MAD!" the Shadow bellowed. "No more playing around! It's time for me to DESTROY YOU!"

Twilight suddenly had an idea. She grabbed one of the swords that the Shadow had dropped with her telekinesis. At the same time, the Shadow grabbed the other two swords from the ground. Twilight held the sword up to Merlin, who touched the blade and charged it with electricity. Merlin then stayed perfectly still, and Twilight hid the sword behind him.

The Shadow went into another dive, aiming its swords at Merlin. "STOP SQUIRMING AND DIE ALREADY!"

Merlin waited until the last possible second, until the Shadow's swords were a fraction of a second from impact. He twisted his body around the twin blades, avoiding both swords at once. Twilight acted fast, revealing the electrified sword. The bird saw this and tried to fly back up, but it wasn't fast enough--Twilight immediately shoved the sword's blade directly into its heart.

"You...can't be serious!" the Shadow yelled. Red clouds began to leak from the sword's point of impact as its flight became shaky. It fell down and landed with a deafening crash as the clouds completely shrouded its body from view.

"Twilight...please tell me you're okay!" Rainbow said, running over to her friend.

Twilight looked up at Rainbow and gave her a gentle smile. "I'm...a bit roughed up...but nothing serious."

The clouds of darkness finally dispersed. The Shadow had taken Rainbow's form again, but it was still lying on the floor, only just conscious. It looked up at Rainbow Dash, its eyes full of pain.

"I should take you down for hurting my friend," Rainbow said. Despite this, her voice wasn't angry. "But I'm not a huge fan of hitting myself."

The Shadow looked directly into Rainbow's eyes, a glint of hope appearing in them. She waited for Rainbow to continue.

"It's true...all of it is true. I really do seek excitement in my life, and I don't always find anything there...and this is how that ended up. I was so ashamed that I would even think of putting the thrills of flying and stuff over my friends...some Element of Loyalty I turned out to be." Rainbow's expression hardened. "I am loyal to my friends. I love them like family. But...you're part of me at the same time."

The Shadow smiled gently. Rainbow walked over to it and held out a hoof. It accepted the gesture, and Rainbow helped it up.

"I am you...and you are me."

Shadow Rainbow Dash was then encased in bright blue light and floated into the air. There was a blinding flash, and when it cleared, it had been replaced by a cross between a falcon and a human. It had a bird's head and a human body, along with large wings. It wore a cotton gi and a black belt, and had several large blades on its hands that emulated enormous claws. It stayed there for just long enough for the ponies to absorb its details before turning into an Arcana card. This card depicted a knight in a chariot being pulled by two Sphinges. The card, too, disappeared, encasing Rainbow in a gentle glow.

"How do you feel?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow smiled. "Relieved, more than anything. If you hadn't been here with me...I don't know what would've happened."

Twilight sighed and stood up, dismissing Merlin. "That's what friends are for, Rainbow. You should know that better than anypony."

"I don't know how you can stand to be around me right now." Rainbow turned to Twilight. "You learned all of that...horrible stuff about me, and then part of me attacked you...can you ever forgive me?"

Twilight looked directly into Rainbow's eyes. "There's nothing for me to forgive. Now let's go...I think we could both use some rest."

Twilight and Rainbow Dash went back to the Golden Oaks to rest. As they recovered their strength, Twilight told Spike everything that had happened while he labored over dinner.

"A Shadow Rainbow Dash, huh?" Spike asked as he chopped up a carrot. "And it turned into your Persona?"

"Her name's Peregrine," Rainbow replied. "And yes."

"Weird...none of that happened to Twilight when she got Merlin."

"Yeah, couldn't tell you why," Twilight said. "But I think we can assume that how you got yours is the 'normal' way of getting a Persona, Rainbow."

"What I don't get is why MY Shadow didn't show up. I was in there for way longer than Rainbow!"

"Well, if it had, you'd probably be dead now," Rainbow said matter-of-factly. "So let's just count ourselves lucky on that one, huh?"

Something clicked in Twilight's mind. "Waaaait a second...I get it now!" she exclaimed.

"Get what?" Spike and Rainbow asked in unison.

"Filthy Rich's death! The Shadow attacking, the gingerbread house being tied to him...it's all connected!" Twilight's face was probably a bit brighter than it should have been. "Filthy Rich got killed by his Shadow. Nopony was there to stop it from going berserk!"

Spike's eyes widened. "Whoa! Are you sure?"

"No, it's just a theory. But it would explain nearly everything! And since Filthy most likely had no way of knowing about the book, it reinforces the homicide theory!"

"Am I missing something here?" Rainbow asked. "I don't remember any gingerbread house."

"You guys must've left before you saw that," Spike replied. "There was a gingerbread house in the other world that we think formed because of Filthy Rich's hidden thoughts--his Shadow."

"Oh. That...doesn't make much sense."

"Yeah, we didn't get it either."

"So should we tell Looking Glass?"

"He would never believe us," Twilight replied, shaking her head. "But we SHOULD tell our friends. If I knew what I did now when I first decided to hide it, I never would've made that decision in the first place. This is vital information for the case."

"Even so, it wouldn't hurt to talk to Looking Glass again tomorrow," Spike said. "If they've figured out a cause of death by now, that blows it all out of the water. We're going to have to be thorough."

"Wait, didn't you say that not telling them about the other world was for their own safety?" Rainbow asked.

"I did," Twilight said. She grinned. "But THEY'RE more likely to listen to me."

Rainbow cleared her throat and averted her eyes. "Well, uh, I should...probably go. I'm feeling better now, and there's rain scheduled tomorrow."

"Before you go," Spike interrupted. "Can I see Peregrine? I bet she looks AWESOME!"

"Not HERE, Spike!" Twilight exclaimed. "We're in the middle of town!"

Spike slumped over. "Oh...right."

Rainbow stood up. "Maybe tomorrow I'll get a chance. We'll see!"

Twilight opened the door for Rainbow, and she left, closing the door back behind her.

"Man, I want a Persona," Spike muttered.

"Well, you know what? You have to clean your plate before going and raiding the gemstone jar before you can have one."

"THAT WAS ONE TIME!"

Twilight laughed. "One time too many. Now let's eat dinner and head to bed early tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a big day."

Chapter 7: Progress

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The next morning was grey with clouds. It was still only about 7:30 AM, so the murk was no real surprise, but these were rain clouds. They would probably start running in an hour or so.

Twilight and Spike visited Looking Glass at the crime scene. It seemed as if he was always there, but given his line of work, it was hard to blame him. Looking Glass was a dull brown coat and a slightly more saturated brown mane and tail. He wore small eyeglasses and had a magnifying glass for a cutie mark. He was bigger than Twilight, but smaller than Big Macintosh.

"Hello, Officer," Twilight said as she walked up to the detective.

Looking Glass gave Twilight a nod. "Good morning, your Highness." His voice made it sound as if he was constantly speaking through a cigar in his teeth. "Here about the cause of death again?"

"Yeah. Sorry I keep badgering you about it, but..."

"Pay it no mind. You've got good instincts, to be so thorough." Looking Glass used his magic to lift a clipboard. "Unfortunately, we still can't figure it out. We did, however, find out more about the circumstances of the crime."

"Go on."

"We learned that Filthy Rich had been missing for three days before his body turned up. Given the time at which the body was discovered, we've come to the conclusion that the third day he was missing is the day he was killed."

"Do you think it was kidnapping?" Spike asked.

"We're working under that assumption. However, it's not a complete certainty. Could be that Filthy just went somewhere on business and ran into a bad character while he was gone. If that was the case, then this case will be out of Ponyville's jurisdiction." The unicorn put the clipboard down and sighed. "I've never seen a case that I can't solve...but this just doesn't seem to have enough to it. How can I find something when I don't even know where to look?"

Twilight sighed. "It's not your fault. This case would stump anypony...and you've beaten me to all the good information."

"I know it's not my own folly, but it's still a case I can't solve without more knowledge...and there just doesn't seem to be any way to get that knowledge." Looking Glass shook his head. "I'm still gonna try, though. Anything else you need?"

"That just about covers it...but before I go...do you think the killer will strike again?"

"Well...I hate to sound negative, but that does seem to be the case. It's a strong possibility that he's gonna get away with killing Filthy Rich at this rate. If he were willing to kill a pony so respected...well, let's just say there are a lot of less likable ponies around here." The detective narrowed his eyes. "Everypony is a suspect, your Highness. Trust no one."

"I'll...keep that in mind."

"We gotta hurry to Applejack's," Spike said suddenly. "Before it starts raining."

Twilight nodded. "Thank you for your time, Officer."

"Stay safe out there, Princess," Looking Glass replied.

The barn door was opened with Rarity's unicorn magic. "I'm terribly sorry that I'm late," she said as she entered the barn and closed her umbrella. "Sweetie Belle went out in the rain. If I hadn't taken some time and gotten her back inside, she could've gotten sick."

"It's just a light shower," Rainbow Dash said as Rarity closed the door again. "The big storm isn't for three more weeks. THAT'S when you should be worried."

"Nonetheless, I do not want to take any unnecessary risks. Now...what is this meeting all about?"

The other ponies and Spike were sitting at a table in the middle of the barn as Rainbow hovered above it. Twilight waved Rarity over, and she took one of the two empty seats.

"Girls, we have information regarding the case," Twilight announced. "It's going to be very strange to hear--and probably difficult to believe--but I assure you, every last bit of it is the truth."

"Filthy Rich died in a different world," Spike added.

The other ponies--besides Rainbow, of course--looked confused. "Another world?" Applejack asked.

Twilight nodded. "There's a white book in the ancient castle. Spike discovered it while we were looking for a method that the killer could've used to leave no trace of his work on Filthy's corpse, and we found that it's a window to a different world...one that's constantly foggy."

"The other world is a place where monsters called Shadows live," Spike explained. "Shadows are, from what Twilight tells me, the part of the subconscious that ponies hide from others given physical form. These monsters emerge when a pony dies."

"Or, in my case," Rainbow interjected, "when somepony enters the other world."

"Wait, hold on," Rarity said. "The three of you have all entered this world?"

Twilight nodded. "We don't know the full circumstances around it, but when Rainbow Dash entered the other world, her Shadow emerged. It tried to get her to accept it as part of herself, but that didn't work. It became a monster and attacked us."

"Well, if that's the case, then how'd y'all get outta there alive?" Applejack asked.

"I was just getting to that. When I first entered that world, my Shadow didn't emerge...for some reason. Instead...well, I think it'd be better to show you this part." Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow?"

"Yeah, let's do it," Rainbow replied.

Twilight stood up and walked towards the back of the barn, and Rainbow flew over to her side. Their respective Arcana cards appeared in the air, causing the other ponies to jump in surprise.

"Whoo-hoo! It's so pretty!" Pinkie Pie yelled.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet!" Rainbow exclaimed.

Twilight shot her card with a magic laser as Rainbow Dash jumped into the air and kicked hers. In explosions of blue mist, Merlin appeared above Twilight, and Peregrine appeared above Rainbow Dash.

"Well, dip me in soap 'n' string me up on a clothesline!" Applejack said. "That's...crazy!"

"They look simply marvelous," Rarity added. "...What are they?"

"They're called Personas," Twilight replied.

"They're...very imposing..." Fluttershy said nervously.

"YESSSS! New friends!" Pinkie yelled. "Or...would they be? Can Personas be friends?"

"They're part of us," Rainbow said flatly.

"That means we're ALREADY friends! We should totally throw a PERSONA PARTY!"

"As we were saying," Twilight said, putting a lid on Pinkie's antics. "My Persona came to me without me having to face my own Shadow. Rainbow Dash's Persona, however, was given to her once she accepted her Shadow. This is also tied to Filthy Rich's death."

"How so?" Fluttershy asked.

"Simple. Filthy Rich went missing for three days before his body was discovered. My theory is that during this time, he was in the other world. Sometime during that time, Filthy's Shadow emerged, and since nopony was there to stop it from going berserk...it killed him."

The other ponies nodded. "It makes sense," Applejack said. "I think I have an idea...maybe we could lay a trap fer th' killer. We know that they have access to this other world, and since we only know 'bout one entrance, it's a strong chance that they're usin' th' same one that y'all did."

"We could," Rarity said, putting a hoof to her chin. "But we'd have to figure out if the killer is going to act again first. We cannot say for sure that this wasn't a singular event."

"Is there any way to do that, short of it happening?" Fluttershy asked.

"Ooh! Maybe we could set up an ambush in the Princess's's's personal library!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Possible, but impractical. You'd have to stay there and active for an indeterminate period of time," Twilight explained. "You might be onto something, though..."

There was a heavy knock at the door. "Everything okay in there?"

"Aw shoot, it's Big Mac!" Applejack whispered. "Dismiss th' Personas, quick!"

Peregrine and Merlin disappeared, and only a fraction of a second later, the barn door opened. Big Mac was there in all his glory. "There's been a big ol' racket in here," he said. "What're y'all up to?"

"Just talking," Twilight said quickly.

"Yeah! Talking about nothing!" Pinkie looked directly into Big Mac's eyes. "And yet...at the same time, talking about EEEEEVERYTHIIIIING..."

Big Mac looked thoroughly confused. Applejack saw this as an opportunity to change the subject. "Didja finish fixin' th' fence?"

"Eeyup," Big Mac replied.

"Shearin' the sheep?"

"Eeyup."

"Fillin' the cellar?"

"Eeyup."

"Red or green?"

"Eee..." Big Mac stopped himself. "Nice one, sis."

"Jus' makin' sure yer payin' attention."

With that, Big Mac turned around. "Well, I'll leave y'all t' yer conversation. See y'all later."

After Big Mac left and closed the door behind him, Pinkie cupped her hooves to her mouth. "Safety gear!" she yelled.

"Okay, now back to business..." Twilight sat back down. "Any ideas?"

"What if we all got Personas?" Rarity asked. "Then we could possibly beat the killer at his own game."

"Waaaay too risky," Rainbow said. "When my Shadow attacked, it nearly killed Twilight."

"Even ignoring the risk of horrible death, when Rainbow's Shadow first appeared, she nearly went into shock," Twilight added.

Rainbow scoffed. "I was fiiiiine."

"And even then," Twilight said, ignoring Rainbow, "we can't be certain that this guy even uses a Persona. We don't even know if he went into the other world himself."

"What about magical security?" Fluttershy asked.

"Those spells are exclusive to ponies that run banks and museums, and stuff like that. Other ponies would use them too irresponsibly."

"It's starting to seem like our only option is to wait for another victim," Spike said with a sigh. "Then we could establish connections between the cases, if nothing else."

"Hmmm...wait, I got it!" Pinkie yelled. "But...where would we get a cement mixer at this hour?"

There was a moment of silence as everyone gave Pinkie an odd look.

"Royal guards!" Fluttershy suddenly exclaimed. The others turned to her, waiting for her to elaborate. "We can ask Princess Celestia to send some royal guards to Ponyville. They can set up a perimeter around the castle! Nopony but us gets in or out until this all blows over."

"Fluttershy, that's genius!" Rarity exclaimed. "It seems to be our only option, as well. The guards are trained professionals! Nothing gets past them!"

"Juuuuuust one problem," Twilight said. "How are we supposed to explain that they need to be stationed at the old castle without telling them everything?"

"Hey, you have the authority to make 'em stand on one front hoof and juggle with their wings," Rainbow replied. "Just tell 'em it's an order."

"I guess...yeah, okay! We have a plan!" Twilight smiled. "Spike, write to the Princess immediately!"

"Got it!" Spike exclaimed. He produced a quill and paper and started writing.

"All right! Finally, some action!" Rainbow smirked confidently. "We're gonna nab this guy for sure!"

Twilight visited the Velvet Room that night. She didn't have many questions for Igor, but she figured that he might be interested by the progress that the group had made.

"It's good to hear that you and your companions are taking charge," Igor said. "The fact of the matter is that you must stay vigilant. However, so far you are doing an excellent job."

"Thank you!" Twilight replied. "I'm really confident that this will work. If it doesn't, we'll pretty much have to start from scratch again..."

"As long as you're here," Margaret said suddenly, "there is something I'd like to explain to you."

Twilight turned to Margaret. "And what would that be?"

"Several guests of the Velvet Room have had special abilities that were linked to their Persona power. Though you are not a Fool Arcana, and therefore do not possess the Wild Card ability...we have been able to discern what you DO have."

"We have looked into your memories, and from them, we have learned that you personify the bonds that people share," Igor explained. "This gives you an ability that we have called the Dominant Link."

"The...Dominant Link?" Twilight asked. "What's that?"

"You already have several unbreakable bonds. This is unusual for a guest in the Velvet Room, but it makes you much more interesting to work with as a result...but I digress." Igor waved his hand over the table. A spectral image of Merlin appeared, and a spectral image of Rainbow Dash appeared beside him. "Using Dominant Link, you can use these bonds to allow your Persona access to new abilities. Normally, a Persona gains power through experience. In your case, however...Merlin gains power and versatility by establishing a certain Arcana as a 'dominant bond.' For example, if you were to assert Rainbow Dash's friendship, of the Chariot Arcana..."

Igor waved his hand from Rainbow Dash to Merlin, and the two images combined. Rainbow Dash disappeared, and Merlin's robes looked considerably lighter.

"...your Persona gains extra agility, along with the power to use the same magic as Rainbow Dash's Persona can: the power of the wind."

Merlin's spectral image put its hand forward, and a small, green whirlwind appeared. After this, the spectral Merlin disappeared.

"So what you're saying is...I can choose one of my friends, and Merlin will gain abilities from them?" Twilight asked.

"Yes. Though this does apply to any and all bonds you have, only bonds with other Persona users can give your Persona new abilities." Igor waved his hand again, causing the normal Merlin and Applejack to appear. "If you were to assert your bond with Applejack..." This time, the two images fused and gave Merlin heavy-looking wristbands and ankle bands that appeared to be made of bricks. "...Merlin would gain extra endurance. However, he would not gain any further abilities."

"I'm guessing I can only assert one bond at a time?"

"Unfortunately, yes. However, asserting a new bond will not erase the bonuses of the old. In this example, Merlin can still use Wind magic. Due to Rainbow Dash's bond not being dominant, it will simply be less potent."

"This sounds incredible! How do I do this?"

"That task is mine," Margaret said. "I can tell you what bond you currently consider dominant, and I can change it for you."

"In that case...I guess I'll go with Rainbow Dash, to get the wind magic."

Margaret nodded. She took a book from her side that Twilight hadn't seen. She opened it, and a Chariot Arcana card appeared. This card floated over to Twilight and faded into her.

"Congratulations," Igor said. "Remember--Merlin will have his new magical abilities indefinitely. You can change your asserted bond now, if you so desire, and you will not lose the ability to cast Wind spells."

"Hmm...I dunno. I guess it is redundant to have both myself and Rainbow using fast Personas...is there any bond I have that increases my magical potency?"

"Ah, an excellent idea. That would be your bond with Rarity," Margaret explained. "Would you like to assert this bond?"

Twilight nodded. A new card appeared, this one with a picture of the moon floating above a river with a lobster in it, along with two towers in the background. This card, too, faded into Twilight.

"I have a feeling I'll be using this a lot," Twilight said with a smile.

"I should hope so. Your strength is in your versatility, after all." Igor's smile grew. "I eagerly await your next visit."

The familiar feeling of fading consciousness engulfed Twilight, and she found herself in the library again.

Chapter 8: The Lovestruck

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The morning came without further incident. Twilight had woken up a few times during the night due to a mixture of excitement and worry at the prospect of catching the killer. That, and the potential of Dominant Link, weighed heavily in her mind. Nevertheless, she wasn't tired at her usual wake-up time, and she was ready to start the day.

The first thing she had to do was wake Spike up. After nudging him awake with her magic, he stood up and stretched. "Morning, Twilight!" he said, beaming. "Looks like it's not gonna rain today. What do you wanna do?"

"I dunno. All I can think about is catching the killer right now," Twilight replied.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Spike hopped out of his basket and started going downstairs. "I think we still have leftovers in the fridge. Wanna just eat those for breakfast?"

"But...we had pot pie for dinner. Is that really a breakfast food?"

"Ehh, can't hurt. Besides, I'd rather eat that than make something right now. Don't wanna waste any time, y'know?"

"I guess."

Reheating the food was easy for someone that had the ability to breathe fire. Despite Twilight's hesitation, they both enjoyed the leftovers, and soon enough, they were out and about. However, everywhere Twilight looked, there was no one around.

"Where is everypony?" Spike asked.

"I...have no clue," Twilight replied. "This is pretty unusual for a day like this. You don't suppose they're hiding from Zecora again or something, do you?"

"No, it's not like that...besides, that's long since past."

The silence was nearly crushing. Twilight looked around again, this time looking on the rooftops and in the sky for any pegasi flying around. Her eyes fell to a stop on a familiar pony standing on a nearby rooftop.

It was the same pony that she had seen on her way home the night before the first body was discovered.

"Hey, is that Pinkie Pie?" Spike asked. Twilight turned to where Spike was looking, and Pinkie was, in fact, speeding towards them.

"THERE you are!" Pinkie yelled. Twilight sighed with relief.

"Finally, somepony else I know," Twilight replied as Pinkie finally stopped in front of them. She looked to where the dark grey pony had been to provide an example, but she was gone. She decided to dismiss the topic.

"Pinkie, are you all right?" Spike asked. Twilight turned to Pinkie again to discover that her mane was droopy, and her eyes full of worry.

Pinkie shook her head. "I have some bad news..."

Twilight's eyes widened. "Oh, don't tell me..."

Pinkie nodded solemnly. Twilight's ears splayed, and Spike's hands balled into fists.

"Do they know who it was?" Spike asked, a tranquil fury in his voice.

Pinkie nodded again. "It was Lotus Blossom...from the spa."

"How could this have happened...? Where did we go wrong?" Twilight looked up and put a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "Go get yourself cleaned up, okay? We'll take care of this."

Pinkie nodded a third time before turning around and walking away.

"Let's go, Twilight!" Spike exclaimed. "We're headed to the spa to sort this out!"

"You're right, Spike." Twilight's somber expression turned into a harsh glare. "This isn't the time for doubt. We have work to do!"

The trip to the spa was a short one. The inside was just as beautiful and pristine as it had always been. It was difficult to even tell a difference between how it had been a few days earlier and how it was now. The one noticeable difference was the missing presence of a friendly blue pony.

"Lotus was missing?" Spike asked.

"For three days," Aloe replied, wiping tears away. "I thought she would be coming back with the new shipment."

"Twilight, you know what this means, right?"

Twilight nodded. "Both victims were missing for three days before their bodies were discovered. In both cases, the third of those days was a rainy one." She turned to Aloe. "Did Lotus ever associate with Filthy Rich before he died?"

"Hmmm...I'm not sure myself, apart from his monthly spa visit," Aloe said.

"Can we take a look in her room? It might provide vital information."

"Anything that will help you end this madness."

Twilight looked at Spike. "Go up there and find anything you can that might connect the two victims. Even the most insignificant connection is vital for this case."

Spike saluted. "Got it!" he yelled, then ran up the stairs.

Twilight turned back to Aloe. "How are you holding up?"

Aloe shook her head. "About as well as you would expect. Lotus was my dear sister...and without her, I might have to close the spa." She sighed heavily. "Maybe I'll try my luck in Manehattan next."

"You guys really get in tight with your regulars, too, don't you?"

"Yes. Many of our customers have turned up to offer their condolences." Aloe looked up at Twilight. "You know Rarity, don't you? Oh--silly question, of course you do. She's like extended family to us, even though our only interaction is through her visits to the spa."

Spike came back downstairs. "All I found was her diary...and I'm not so sure about it."

"Isn't it really disrespectful to use that as a clue?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, no, please...if it helps you solve the case, you can have it," Aloe interjected. "I've never bothered to read it myself, and I think she would want that."

Twilight's eyes softened. "Are you sure?"

Aloe nodded. "She was my sister, after all. I would hope I've gained some insight into the mare."

"Then we have a lead. We'll look through this, and you'll be the first to know if we find something. Thank you for your cooperation."

"I beg you...please, avenge my sister." Aloe's eyes were pleading. "Bring her killer to justice."

Twilight nodded slowly. "I will."

"Celestia be with you, Princess."

Twilight turned to Spike again. "Let's go. We need to go get Rainbow Dash."

Spike nodded. "Yes ma'am!"

Rainbow Dash's house was on the edge of the town, making the trip a bit lengthy. Twilight and Spike did make it in due time, however. Once they were there, Lotus's diary was stored to go over later, and the three began their trek to the old castle. But first...there was one thing to do.

"Twilight, why can't I come with you?" Spike asked as they walked into the library.

"Because you know firsthand how dangerous it is in there," Twilight replied. "We don't know what we'll find. You have to stay here."

"But if you're in danger...how can I just ignore that?"

"I'm not asking you to ignore it. I'm asking you to be safe."

"I--I can't just stand by and do nothing!"

"Spike." Twilight put her hoof on the dragon's chin, holding his head up and making eye contact. "My only reason for not bringing you along is so you won't get hurt. If I took you to that other world again and you did get hurt, I'd never forgive myself."

Spike averted his eyes. "I...I just want to be there...in case something happens to you..."

"And do what? You'd just have something equally terrible happen to you right along with me."

"That's not what it's about!" Tears filled Spike's eyes. "I should still be there with you..."

Twilight knew that she wasn't going to change his mind...but at the same time, she couldn't let him go. "I'll be okay, Spike. I have Merlin, and now I have Rainbow and Peregrine to watch my back."

Spike stayed silent. He wiped away the tears from his eyes and nodded. "O...okay..."

Twilight couldn't bear to leave him like this. She knew that what she was doing was right, but seeing him in this state was heartbreaking. She sighed and smiled at Spike gently. "C'mere," she said, holding out her forelegs.

Spike ran up and hugged Twilight closely. She wrapped her forelegs around him in return, softly rubbing his back.

"Twilight...please come back...I don't know what I'd do without you..." Spike said, his voice choked up.

"I promise you I will," Twilight replied. "It'll be okay."

It took a few seconds, but Spike was done crying. He and Twilight let go of each other, and Twilight stood up. No more words needed to be said between them--everything was already in the open. Twilight opened the library door and left, closing it gently behind her. She then turned towards the path ahead to find Rainbow Dash and Rarity.

"She's insisting that she comes with us," Rainbow said.

"Okay, for pony's sake!" Twilight exclaimed. "I already told you about how dangerous it is! Besides, I JUST finished explaining to Spike why HE couldn't come!"

"Twilight...Lotus was like a sister to me," Rarity replied. "If I sit by and do nothing to help with your investigation of her murder...no, the very thought of it sickens me. This foul murderer has made things personal between himself and me, and I do not intend to let this go on any longer."

Twilight's eyes softened after hearing Rarity's side of things. "Rarity, I...I know how you feel. But you have to stay here. You don't have a Persona, and going there without one is certain death."

"I don't care!" Rarity yelled suddenly. "I'll die for this case if I must! If it means catching the murderer, my life is a small price to pay!"

"Whoooa there, girl," Rainbow said. "Let's not get--"

"Enough!" Rarity glared harshly at Twilight. "I AM going with you. I will not take no for an answer. Should you continue to deny me, I will never speak to you again!"

"RARITY!" Rainbow exclaimed, getting in the posh mare's face. "You don't know what it's like over there! Do you have any clue how close we came to losing Twilight?!"

"I have already offered my rebuttal to the risk of danger!"

"And your rebuttal is horse apples! How do you think we'd feel if you died?!"

"Both of you, stop!" Twilight yelled. Glares still plastered on their faces, Rainbow and Rarity turned to hear what Twilight had to say. "Rarity...if you're going to come with us, I need to warn you. Your Shadow might emerge while we're in there, like it did for Rainbow Dash. You may think you're strong enough to keep calm and accept it, but it will get under your skin, and it most likely will make you angry and irrational. If that happens, we'll have to fight it, and it might kill you...or worse. Are you truly prepared to face that?"

Rarity nodded.

"You won't be able to see. Thick fog permeates that whole world."

"It takes more than a lack of visibility to deter me."

"You're truly, honestly ready?"

Rarity's eyes hardened with determination. "No matter the cost, I will avenge Lotus Blossom."

"Then you can come with us."

"WHAT?!" Rainbow shouted. "Twilight, what about--"

"It's like she said," Twilight interrupted. "With her, it's personal."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Ugh...fine. Whatever. But you'd better stay behind us at all times, got it?"

Rarity nodded. "While it is true that I am obligated to help with this investigation, I know the importance of staying out of your way at the same time."

"All right, then. Let's go," Twilight said. She began walking, and the other two ponies followed closely behind.

Even as the group first entered the other world, Twilight could tell that something was different. Looking around as she held Rarity in her forelegs, she saw a carbon copy of the spa in the distance, in a different direction from the portal than the gingerbread house.

"You didn't tell me this was here," Rainbow said.

"That's because it wasn't before," Twilight replied. "It must have come into existence when Lotus was thrown in here."

"You weren't kidding when you were talking about the fog," Rarity said, rubbing her eyes with her hooves. "I can't see what you're talking about."

"Stay close to us, and you'll be fine."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that. You are the professionals, are you not?"

Twilight started gliding towards the spa, with Rainbow close behind. Twilight descended quite a bit faster, and as they flew, she debated casting the spell to give Rarity butterfly wings next time--if there were a next time, of course. Nevertheless, she managed to land only a short distance from the spa, where Rainbow joined her by going into a steep dive. She put Rarity down and walked up to the front door.

"Let's be careful. We don't know what's waiting for us in there," Twilight said. Rarity and Rainbow nodded, and she turned around to carefully crack the door open ever so slightly and peek into the building.

The instant Twilight saw the spa's interior, the sizable crowd of Shadows inside trained their own eyes on her. There were two kinds of Shadows inside--one that looked like a morbidly obese police stallion, and another that looked like a large pair of metal dice. Twilight slammed the door shut as they lunged towards it.

"What did you see?" Rarity asked.

"Rainbow, summon Peregrine about five seconds ago," Twilight said quickly.

As if on cue, the Shadows began to bang on the door. Twilight jumped back, and both she and Rainbow summoned their respective Personas. The instant their Personas had emerged, the Shadows broke through.

"Oh dear!" Rarity exclaimed. "I'll take a few steps back and stay out of the way..."

Peregrine sprung into action as Rarity started backing up. She flew up to a small group of police Shadows and slashed through two of them with her claws. At the same time, Merlin blasted some of the dice Shadows with lightning, vaporizing them. As more Shadows advanced, Peregrine flapped her wings vigorously, trapping them with a whirlwind. Merlin followed up by throwing a fireball into the twister, causing it to turn into a violent firestorm. By combining their powers, Merlin and Peregrine managed to move the firestorm around, trapping and incinerating more and more Shadows.

Several police Shadows lifted large crossbows and aimed them at the Personas. A hail of crossbow bolts pelted the air around the two, and a few hit their marks. After brushing off the pain, Twilight and Rainbow headed for cover.

"Jeez!" Twilight yelled. "How can we get to the Shadows like this?"

"Leave it to me," Rainbow said with a smirk. "Peregrine, boost our speed!"

Peregrine flapped her wings, and both herself and Merlin were surrounded by green auras. Twilight felt somehow faster. Peregrine emerged from her cover and managed to somehow weave between the barrage of crossbow bolts, slashing through Shadows on the way. Twilight sent Merlin out of cover and decided to try out a wind spell. Merlin summoned a large tornado, throwing the sharpshooters into the air. Peregrine acted quickly before the Shadows began to fall, flying between them and slashing through their bodies. In ten seconds flat, they were all gone, and the ponies themselves emerged to survey the carnage. Not many Shadows were left, but those that were either charged or loaded up more bolts on their crossbows. Merlin and Peregrine both cast wind spells to throw spheres of compressed air, which exploded on impact and vaporized the remaining Shadows.

"ALL RIGHT!" Rainbow exclaimed, jumping into the air. "That was AWESOME! We make a great team, Twilight!"

"Yeah, we certainly do," Twilight replied as she caught her breath. She turned over to where Rarity was waiting. "It's safe now!"

Rarity sighed with relief and rejoined her two friends. "That was simply marvelous," she said. "Now I know firsthand why you did not wish for me to accompany you."

"Well, hey, at least YOUR Shadow hasn't popped up yet," Rainbow said, still full of adrenaline. "I'm already getting the hang of this, but that'd be a different story."

"You're gonna jinx it if you keep that up," Twilight scolded, finally regaining her composure. "Now let's go. We can't get distracted."

"You're absolutely right, Twilight. Let us make haste!" Rarity yelled.

The group entered the spa. The walls and floor were littered with photos, just as the gingerbread house had been. Merlin and Peregrine rejoined their hosts now that they were inside the building, and the ponies absorbed the details of the various photos. Aloe and Lotus were in each one of them, along with one other pony that varied from picture to picture. There were multiple pictures of some ponies, Rarity and Fluttershy included.

"These must be regulars at the real spa," Rarity said in a calculating tone. "I recognize some of them."

"Is it me, or does Lotus not look very happy?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight took another look around, this time paying attention to Lotus. In every picture, she was smiling, but her eyes showed sadness, rage, or emptiness. The smile she wore was hollow and empty.

"Ugh...working here is so frustrating!" the voice of Lotus yelled.

Rarity nearly jumped out of her skin. "Wh-what was...is that Lotus's voice?!"

Twilight nodded. "She's about to tell us her hidden feelings."

Lotus continued. "I thought working at a spa would be great! It's my special talent, after all--and Aloe adores her job. How bad could it possibly be?" She scoffed, mocking her old, idealistic self. "But ever since day one, it's been nothing but a constant parade of sore hooves and stupid rants from worthless ingrates! And to make matters worse, I'm trapped here...if I quit this job, Aloe will be devastated. We'd have to move back to that snooty, pompous cesspool Canterlot!"

Twilight's expression dropped. "...Not ALL of Canterlot is bad..."

"Try not to take it personal," Rainbow said reassuringly.

"I just want some way to escape," Lotus said, her voice desperate. "Some reprieve from this torture..."

Rarity sighed as Lotus's voice faded. "How could I not have seen this?" she asked herself. "Oh, my dear Lotus...you were stuck with a life that you're unhappy with. It's simply unfair..."

"Unfair?" asked a warped version of Rarity's voice. "UNFAIR?! Since when do YOU care about that?!"

The three ponies were flabbergasted, and turned towards the sound of the voice...to find a duplicate of Rarity with a blue aura and sickly yellow eyes.

"Ooooh horseapples," Rainbow said.

"What...what do you mean?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean!" Shadow Rarity hissed.

"By all means, enlighten me."

"You know, your dear friend..." Shadow Rarity's eyes narrowed. "...Spikey-wikey."

Now it was Rarity's turn to glare. "What did you do to him?!"

"Oh, SPARE me! You lament on how Lotus Blossom's situation was unfair...when the way YOU treat HIM is far worse! He's so agreeable, especially for a child. And you take advantage of him!"

Rarity's eyes widened. "Wha--take that back, you scoundrel! I treat Spike like family!"

"Spike wishes nothing more than to be with you...to make you happy." Shadow Rarity grinned crazily. "Why not have a little fun with that?"

"Stop talking!"

The Shadow laughed. "Spikey-wikey, my little slave...he'll do anything I say. I have him wrapped around my hoof!"

Rarity was livid. "Now listen here, you--"

"The dear boy would move mountains for me! Why would I ever let go of something so very useful?!"

"SPIKE IS NOT A SOMETHING!" Rarity bellowed, rapidly losing her composure.

"Rarity, calm down!" Twilight exclaimed. "It's trying to--"

"This doesn't involve you!" the Shadow yelled. She turned back to Rarity. "He thinks I'm a goddess...or an angel...it really doesn't make a difference to me. What matters is that he'll always be there, so I never have to do ANYTHING myself..."

"Listen to me, you INGRATE!" Rarity yelled. "Spike is like the little brother I never had! You could never understand the way I feel about him! You may wear my face, but we are nothing alike!"

Shadow Rarity saw an opportunity, and her crazy grin widened. "Run that last part by YOURSELF again?" she asked mockingly.

"YOU HEARD ME THE FIRST TIME!" Rarity's eyes were on fire.

Rainbow started flapping her wings and took to the air. "Rarity, don't--"

"YOU ARE NOT ME!"

Shadow Rarity began cackling maniacally. "Yes, that's right! It's just as you said..." Red clouds began flowing into her. "We are NOTHING alike!"

The red gas completely engulfed the Shadow. Rainbow acted fast, grabbing Rarity and putting her out of harm's way.

"What is this?! What's happening?!" Rarity demanded.

"The Shadow is going berserk!" Rainbow replied. "It's because you wouldn't accept it! Don't worry, just leave it to us!"

Rarity's anger disappeared as Rainbow flew over and landed beside Twilight. She felt wobbly on her hooves and sat down. "Ohh...what have I done?"

The red mist finally dispersed. Shadow Rarity had become a large, floating humanoid. She wore a large golden crown and an ornate black robe and white cape. The bottom of both garments had been cut into long, jagged spikes, which flowed down past her hips. Instead of hands, at the end of each arm was an enormous sapphire. Emerging from under the crown was long, flowing hair that was rising into the air from some unseen force. Her eyes were deep blue, just like the sapphires on her wrists.

"I am a Shadow..." Shadow Rarity raised her arms and extended them to each side. "...the TRUE self!"

"Rainbow, are you ready for this?" Twilight asked.

"I was BORN ready!" Rainbow replied.

"Spikey-wiiiikeeeey!" Shadow Rarity whined. "Don't you know that it's TERRIBLE to keep a lady waiting?!"

Shadow Rarity lifted one of her arms, and a small purple doll appeared beside her. It was about Spike's size, but it had no spines, hands, or feet. Its eyes were simple green buttons, and there was a gaping hole in its chest. It floated as if it were dangling by a string.

"What's that thing for?" Twilight asked.

"Here's a better question: Who cares?!" Rainbow yelled. "Let's get down to brass tacks, Peregrine!"

Peregrine flew forward and lifted her claws to attack. As she closed in, the doll's eyes flashed with blue light. Shadow Rarity was encased in a blue aura, and Peregrine's claws bounced off, only leaving a small wound.

"How sad!" Shadow Rarity yelled. She slammed her hand into Peregrine's stomach, sending her flying. Rainbow Dash covered her mouth.

"Rainbow, are you all right?!" Twilight asked frantically.

"Trying...to keep...my lunch..." came the pained reply.

Twilight glared at the Shadow. "Merlin, try a Wind spell!"

Merlin swung his hand towards Shadow Rarity. The doll's eyes flashed green, and the blue aura around her changed to a green one. She easily dodged the spell, laughing evilly.

"Just as I thought," Twilight said thoughtfully. "That doll is boosting the Shadow's abilities!"

"Got it," Rainbow replied, shaking the pain away. "Peregrine, speed us up!"

Peregrine surrounded herself and Merlin with green auras again, then launched herself at the doll. She slashed into it once before Shadow Rarity stopped her with some kind of telekinetic force. The doll didn't even react to the attack.

"Get away from my TOY!" Shadow Rarity yelled. She aimed her sapphire hand at Peregrine, encasing her arms in ice.

"Rainbow?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow's forelegs were frozen solid as well. "J-j-just a bit...c-cold..."

"Don't get distracted, now!" the Shadow taunted. The doll's eyes flashed orange, giving her an orange aura. She launched an icicle spear at Merlin, which impaled his shoulder. Twilight screamed in pain and fell forward.

"It's...so strong!" Twilight said, the pain evident in her voice. "Merlin...fight back!"

Merlin used his increased agility to get within point-blank range of the Shadow. He aimed his hand directly into her face, and before she could smack him away, he blasted her with fire. She recoiled and clutched at her face (or did the closest thing to it that she could, considering her lack of fingers). The doll's eyes flashed white this time, and some of the damage from the blast disappeared.

"The doll's HEALING her, too?!" Rainbow demanded. She took to the air and slammed her front legs down, shattering the ice. This also caused the ice trapping Peregrine's arms to shatter. "All right, that's it! That little cotton ball's going DOWN!"

"Go for it! I'll keep the Shadow busy!" Twilight yelled.

Peregrine flew forward and began tearing into the doll. Shadow Rarity turned to her, enraged. "Don't you ever LEARN?!" she demanded. She was about to fly towards Peregrine, but Merlin got in the way and blasted her with fire again, causing her to take a few steps back.

"Almost got it," Rainbow said as Peregrine relentlessly attacked the doll.

Shadow Rarity slammed her sapphire hands into Merlin and threw him to the ground, then flew towards Peregrine again. With another icy blast, she froze Peregrine's arms, halting her onslaught.

"Aw, not again!" Rainbow yelled. "Twilight, are you okay?!"

"I'll live," Twilight said wearily.

Rainbow tried to break out of the ice again, but it was stronger this time. Meanwhile, Shadow Rarity advanced towards Peregrine, laughing softly. "Scream for me," she said menacingly.

"Oh, wait!" Rainbow yelled, She would have smacked herself if she could. "I'm an idiot! Peregrine, blow him away!"

Peregrine flapped her wings, trapping the doll in a twister. Due to the deep claw wounds it had already sustained, the force of the wind shredded it with ease. Shadow Rarity gasped.

"Spikey-wikeeeey!" Shadow Rarity cried. "NOW who's going to be my slave?!"

"STOP TALKING ABOUT SPIKE LIKE THAT!" Twilight roared. Merlin aimed both hands at the Shadow and blasted her with fire again, causing her to clutch her head in pain.

"Insolent whelps!" she screamed. "You're USELESS to me!"

The Shadow punched Merlin in the gut and threw him into the air, then trapped him in ice. Twilight was also frozen as a result. He flew towards the ceiling, but Peregrine flew up and caught him before he could and put him down gently beside Twilight. She then flew back towards the Shadow.

"BOW TO ME!" Shadow Rarity bellowed. She lifted both arms, and a huge mass of white light appeared above her head. As it grew, she began to laugh crazily. Soon, this turned into a cackle that gave no indication that its owner had any coherence whatsoever.

"Yeah, no," Rainbow said. Peregrine flew up and impaled Shadow Rarity with one hand. The energy mass above Shadow Rarity dispersed as she froze in place, allowing Peregrine to withdraw her claws and swing a wicked left hook with her other hand, cutting the Shadow clean in half. With that done, Peregrine flew over to Merlin and smashed the ice, freeing both him and Twilight.

"N-nice one..." Twilight said, barely conscious.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Shadow Rarity cried as red mist began to leak from her two halves. "I...CANNOT...LOSE!"

Both halves were completely encased in the red mist, and as they hit the ground, it completely dispersed. Shadow Rarity had gone back to her pony shape, her eyes closed.

"We...we did it..." Rainbow said. She smiled. "Phew...that was a lot tougher than I expected."

Rarity stood up. "I see now what denying yourself can do," she said quietly. She walked over to her Shadow. Upon hearing her host's footfalls, she opened her eyes and looked up at her. "I...truly do think of Spike as family. He's always so full of life...it's difficult not to like him. When he first offered to do me favors...I agreed at first because I didn't want to turn him away."

"Do you...still deny me?" Shadow Rarity asked.

"Let me finish, please." Rarity sighed. "As Spike continued to be so generous...I couldn't help but spoil myself. I knew that it was awful of me...but I told myself that it was so he wouldn't feel rejected. I'm fully aware of how frustrating it can be for one's generosity to be turned away...it was the perfect lie."

"But just like you said, you still care about the little guy," Rainbow said. "In spite of all that, you're still really good friends. Doesn't that count for something?"

Rarity smiled weakly. "Yes...of course it does." She placed a hoof on her Shadow's shoulder and looked into her eyes. "I apologize for keeping you locked away for so long...I can see now why you were frustrated. You and I...we truly are the same pony."

Shadow Rarity smiled tenderly. There was a blinding flash. When it faded, floating before Rarity was a man wearing a duster with shoulder brushes, a modest golden crown, and leather pants. He wielded a golden duelist's rapier. After a few seconds, he turned into an Arcana card that was identical to the one that Twilight had seen last night. The card floated down to Rarity's face and disappeared, bathing her in white light.

"Jack of Clubs," Rarity whispered. "My Persona."

With that, Rarity wobbled on her hooves. She buckled, but Rainbow flew over to support her. "Let's get outta here," she said. "I think we could all use some rest."

Rarity smiled. "Indeed...though I believe Twilight needs it much more than we do."

Rarity walked over to Twilight, despite her dizziness. She extended her hoof, which Twilight took. Rarity supported Twilight, and they both began to leave the spa.

Rainbow then realized something. Her eyes widened, and the color drained from her face. "Aw, GREAT!" she yelled. "I have to carry BOTH of you!"

Chapter 9: Time Off

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Everyone took two hours to rest before meeting in the barn again, this time with all of their findings. Apart from Lotus's diary and the information from the other world, Pinkie had found a wallet photo belonging to Filthy Rich of the spa, and Fluttershy learned that the two of them had owned the same cat for a collective year.

"Of course, it's not anything conclusive," Twilight said. "But after coming up empty after our trip to the other world and looking in Lotus's diary, even the most insignificant connection between them gives me some hope."

"So what DID you find in the other world?" Spike asked. "I'm guessing that Lotus's place was a copy of the spa."

Twilight nodded. "She secretly loathed working at the spa, but she felt like she couldn't leave...or she and Aloe would've had to move back to Canterlot."

"Then Rarity got a Persona," Rainbow added casually.

"Wait, really?" Applejack asked.

"I most certainly did!" Rarity said, beaming. She walked over to the side, where everyone could see. Her Arcana card floated down to her as she lifted a sewing needle with her magic. She used it to jab the card and shatter it, thereby summoning her Persona. "His name is Jack of Clubs."

"Oh, that means your Shadow came out, right?" Pinkie asked. "What'd it say, what'd it say?"

"Pinkie!" Twilight scolded. "That's very personal information."

"No, no...it's all right," Rarity assured. "Besides, it's important that it's heard. I'm sure you're all aware of Spike's...little crush...on me?"

"Oh, everypony knows about that," Pinkie said with a giggle. She took out a clipboard with a list of names. "I took a survey!"

"Seriously?" Spike asked dryly.

"And you're also aware of how Spike insisted on doing me favors?"

Everyone nodded.

"Well...as much as I'm loathe to admit it, I got spoiled from his generosity. I began to...take advantage of it."

"Oh, that?" Spike asked. "Yeah, I knew about that."

"Wait, what?" Twilight asked as everyone turned to Spike.

Spike nodded. "Yeah, and I don't mind. I love doing favors for you guys! If it makes you happy, it makes me happy. That's really all there is to it to me."

"Nevertheless, it's still absolutely deplorable of me," Rarity replied. "To abuse your good will like that...the thought sickens me still."

"Don't worry...I know how you feel." Spike seemed a bit sheepish.

Rarity gave Spike a tender smile. "Spike...you are simply the best kind of person. Do us all a favor...never change."

Spike's cheeks burned at the praise. "Aw, c'mon...I don't do all that much..."

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. "Hey, I like bonding just as much as the next pony, but can we move this along? We're here about the murder."

"That's right. My apologies." Rarity was silent for a moment. "So...what do we know?"

Fluttershy timidly raised a hoof. "Um...before we started talking about Rarity's Persona...I noticed that both Filthy Rich and Lotus Blossom hated their jobs, but for one reason or another, they felt like they couldn't quit."

"Hey...you might be onto something!" Twilight said. "Out of what connections we've established, that's a lot more likely to be applicable than a photo or a cat."

"Also..." Applejack's eyes were thoughtful. "Didn't the two bodies show up right after a rainy day? And then they were missin' fer two days b'fore that?"

"Indeed," Rarity replied. "I believe it's safe to assume that their time spent missing is time spent in the other world."

"How do they stay in there for three days?" Pinkie wondered. "Does the murderer throw in food and water for them?...Or a porta-potty?"

"Well, that doesn't matter," Rainbow said. "What DOES matter is that we've got ten days before the next light shower. The big storm is another week after that."

"So what do we do until then?" Fluttershy asked.

"We have eight days before the murderer makes another move, if what we're going on is right," Spike said. "Why don't we just take some time off? This murder mystery stuff wears me out."

"Try fighting the Shadows," Twilight replied, rolling her eyes. "After fighting Rarity's Shadow, my everything is sore."

"Does this mean we can throw a Time-Off-From-Hard-Work party?" Pinkie asked.

"You have a serious problem, girl," Rainbow scolded. She stretched her legs and wings. "I'm still spent...all I wanna do right now is take a nap."

With that, everyone left the barn, determined to enjoy the break while there was a break to enjoy.

Twilight and Spike went home so that Twilight could rest for a while longer. After that, however, they didn't know what to do. With the mystery temporarily out of mind, the others had work that they needed to catch up on--with the exception of the heavily sleeping Rainbow Dash. This in mind, they decided it couldn't hurt to talk to Looking Glass again. He was standing in the center of the bridge overlooking the river.

"Afternoon, your Highness," came the detective's greeting. "Here for a progress report?"

Twilight nodded. "Skip the procedure and target criteria, though. I managed to piece those together."

Looking Glass sighed. "Well, there's not a whole lot to tell, then. Lotus's body was discovered at the bottom of the river, but she didn't drown. Just like Filthy Rich, we can't figure out a cause of death."

A small, orange pegasus with an unkempt red mane came up, holding a paper bag in her mouth. She put it down beside Looking Glass. "Got your dinner, sir," she said. She turned to Twilight. "How're things, your Highness?"

"Oh, I don't believe you know my assistant." Looking Glass ruffled the young mare's mane. "This is Siren, my niece."

"Sir, we're supposed to stay professional when we're on the clock," Siren said indignantly. Despite that, Twilight could tell that she appreciated the affection.

"Are you working on the case, too?" Twilight asked. "How come we never saw you before?"

"Truth be told, I only got transferred here after the second murder." Siren smiled. "Looking Glass is the best mind on the force, but I help him out with the crimes that are beyond his grasp."

"Aren't you a bit young for this kind of work?" Spike asked.

Siren laughed. "Look who's talking! Besides, right now I'm just an intern. I'll be able to get a real job with the force when I have some work experience."

"You can get internships as a detective?"

"Oh, for sure! You'd be surprised what kind of internships are available to ponies. Firefighter, royal guard, snowflake maker, dragon tamer..."

"Well, we'd better get out of your hair," Twilight said suddenly, before Spike could ask the obvious follow-up question. "It was good to meet you, Siren."

"You too, Princess." Siren winked at Spike. "Bring the kid again next time, yeah? He's a cute little bugger."

Spike was confused. "I don't follow."

Twilight smiled. "We'll just have to see what happens."

As she finished talking, Twilight felt an intensely warm feeling in her heart. To try and describe it would be an exercise in futility, but it was a bit familiar somehow.

"Twilight?" Spike said. "You zoned out there."

"Right. Sorry," Twilight replied. "Let's go."

After their short conversation with Looking Glass and Siren, Twilight and Spike decided to just go home and read. Sundown was fast approaching, and Spike was looking forward to making dinner.

"What're you planning on making?" Twilight asked.

"We haven't had spaghetti in a while," Spike replied. "You've GOTTA try it with topaz dust this time! I gave some to Pinkie, and she loved it!"

"Well, first of all, Pinkie would eat dirt if there were enough ketchup on it, so I'm not sure she's the best judge of taste. Second...well, is that really safe?"

"The gems are ground down to powder. What's there to worry about?"

"Either way, I'm not sure I'd taste it the same way you..." Twilight stopped as she saw a vaguely familiar face. A small, pink, tiara-wearing face.

"What's wrong?" Spike looked at Twilight, then followed her gaze to find Diamond Tiara plodding along. She looked as if she hadn't slept in days.

"Should we talk to her?" Twilight asked.

"I'm...not sure. It'd be nice to support her in her time of need...but she doesn't really seem like the type to accept good intentions like that."

"We can't leave her like this. She's just a filly!"

"A filly with an attitude worse than Discord's..."

Twilight turned to Spike. "How do you know all of this, anyway? You don't go to that school. Or any other school, for that matter."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Scootaloo was desperate for a show-and-tell one day, so she dressed me up and dragged me there. I STILL haven't gotten all the glitter out of my scales."

"Is THAT why I had to buy a new telescope?"

"Hey, uh, maybe we should go talk to Diamond Tiara!"

Twilight giggled. She turned back towards Diamond Tiara and trotted at a brisk pace to catch up, with Spike close behind. At Diamond Tiara's (lack of) speed, they were beside the distraught filly in no time.

"Hi, Diamond Tiara," Twilight said cordially. "How are you feeling today?"

Diamond Tiara didn't respond.

"You...don't look so good. No offense." Twilight's eyes filled with concern. "Have you been sleeping?"

The filly shook her head.

"Who's taking care of you?" Spike asked.

Diamond Tiara turned towards Spike, and he saw the emptiness in her eyes. "Aunt," she muttered. "Inherited the house."

"Is she being good to you?"

Diamond Tiara nodded. She studied Spike for a moment, and her face lit up ever so slightly, as if she remembered something. "Spike, right?"

"Yeah. Though you may remember me better as 'Baja Blast.'"

Twilight stifled a laugh.

"You two are the first to actually say something to me besides Silver Spoon that isn't condolences." Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. "I guess everypony else is worried that I'll...blow up at them or something. I dunno."

"Didn't Scootaloo try to talk to you?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, but it didn't really go anywhere. She seemed pretty nervous...suppose I can't blame her for that."

"You're like a completely different pony now," Spike said. "I don't mean to sound rude, but I'm kinda surprised you haven't made fun of me for not having wings yet."

"Spike!" Twilight scolded.

"It's fine," Diamond Tiara said. "I guess...there just isn't much to gain from it anymore."

Everyone was silent for a few seconds. It wasn't an awkward silence, but it wasn't necessarily a happy one either.

Twilight decided to break the tension. "Hey, you're headed home, right? At the rate you're going, it'll be midnight before you get there. Need a lift?"

"...You mean you'll carry me?" Diamond Tiara asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"You look like you could use it."

The filly thought about it for a moment. "...Okay, I guess...I am really tired."

Twilight smiled and gently lifted Diamond Tiara using her magic, placing her on her back as comfortably as possible. She was a bit heavier than Spike, but Twilight managed.

"Do you even know where her house is?" Spike asked.

"It's...straight down the road from here," Diamond Tiara added sleepily. "Big gate...can't miss it."

Twilight was about to respond, but she felt Diamond's breathing slow down. She had fallen asleep the second she stopped talking.

"Well, would you look at that!" Spike exclaimed. He then stopped himself, seeing as there was a sleeping pony not three feet away from him. "She actually looks pretty peaceful. Y'know, as opposed to bloodthirsty."

Twilight giggled softly. Just as she was about to start walking, she felt that same intense warmth again. She wondered briefly if this was what Margaret meant when she said that Merlin grew stronger via bonds.

The trip to Diamond Tiara's house was uneventful, and there wasn't much conversation--Twilight and Spike didn't want wake up Diamond Tiara, after all. It was difficult enough not to jostle around the little pony as Twilight walked. When they entered her house, there was a red mare with a hot pink mane waiting for them. Twilight could only assume that it was Diamond Tiara's aunt.

"Thank you for escorting her," the mare said softly as Twilight carefully placed Diamond Tiara on the couch in the living room.

"It was no trouble," Twilight replied. "She's changed a lot since Filthy Rich died."

"I'll go grab a blanket," Spike said, and he hurried up the stairs.

Diamond Tiara's aunt was undeterred. "I suppose it gave the poor dear some perspective. She's always been afraid of isolation, see. She has a good friend in Silver Spoon, but sometimes, one pony just isn't enough."

"By the way, I don't think I know your name," Twilight said, turning to face the mare. "I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"Well, of course I know the name of Equestria's newest princess! My name is Ruby. It's an honor to meet you."

Spike came downstairs, holding a rolled-up blanket in his hands. He unrolled it beside the couch and carefully spread it out over Diamond Tiara's sleeping form. "Oh, and that's Spike," Twilight said. Spike turned to the two in confusion.

"I must say, I've never seen a dragon before." Ruby looked Spike up and down.

"I used to get that a lot around these parts," Spike replied.

"Well, we should probably go." Twilight turned back to Ruby. "It was very nice talking to you, but it's getting late, and the two of us haven't eaten yet."

"Well, by all means, don't let me keep you," Ruby replied. "Please do drop by to see Diamond Tiara sometime. I'm sure she would appreciate it."

Twilight nodded. She was about to turn and leave...but she felt the intense warmth again. To say that she was confused would be an understatement--after all, this was the third time today.

Spike walked up to Twilight's side. "Jeez, would you quit spacing out like that? You're starting to worry me. Let's get home."

Twilight shook her head back and forth. "Uh...yeah. Yeah, let's do that."

After voraciously eating dinner, Twilight decided it was time she confided in someone about the Velvet Room--and who better to tell than Spike? She kept the description brief, and Spike understood. He was rather excited about the prospect, in fact.

"And just how long is Igor's nose?" the little dragon asked.

"Uhh...I'm not sure. Maybe a foot?" Twilight replied. "It doesn't matter all that much, honestly. He's been nothing but polite, despite his...less than gentlemanly appearance."

"And all you have to do is just...kinda ask to come in with your mind, right?"

"That, or they'll summon me while I'm sleeping. I don't fully understand it myself, but I'm not about to complain. They're very helpful."

Spike was about to reply again, but his cheeks puffed out all of a sudden. He belched out a scroll tied up with a blue ribbon and a golden seal, upon which a single V was inscribed. Twilight picked it up and straightened it out to read it.

"Now who would be writing at this hour?" Twilight asked. She began to read out the letter. "'Miss Twilight Sparkle...I see that you've made a few new bonds during your investigation. You may have noticed that you felt an intense warmth--' Okay, wow, we're being written to by a spirit medium."

"Keep reading," Spike said, "Don't just leave me hanging now."

Twilight nodded. "'...when these bonds were formed. What you're feeling is the power of your Persona growing. It may not be noticeable at first, but eventually, you will see the results of your efforts. Please remember: There will be more to your journey than fighting Shadows and stopping murder attempts. Sincerely...'" Twilight blinked to make sure she wasn't imagining things. "'...Margaret.'"

"Huh! Speak of the devil!" Spike exclaimed. "...Sort of."

"I'm...not sure how she can write to me, but I guess it's a lot less of a hassle than summoning me to the Velvet Room."

"Also...let me get this straight. Personas get stronger when you make friends?"

"Looks that way."

"That is CRAZY convenient. Why do you suppose that is?"

Twilight thought for a moment. "Well, ponies are social creatures by nature, and our hearts grow as we make friends. Since Merlin is a part of me, it makes sense that he would grow along with me." She rolled up the letter and put it on the reading desk. "We should tell the others about this. Who knows? It might be very helpful to them."

"And...since you're friends with us already, Merlin must already be crazy strong, even by Persona standards!"

"Well, without other Personas to compare with, that's kind of impossible to tell."

There was another short silence.

"So, um...Baja Blast?" Twilight asked.

Spike audibly sighed and rolled his eyes. "Do we have to talk about this?"

"C'mon! This is going to bug me all night if you don't tell me."

"Fine, whatever." Spike crossed his arms. "You know that storybook describing the legend of Bahamut?"

"The King of the Dragons? Of course I do."

"Well, Scootaloo figured that everypony in class knew about me already, so she decided I needed a new name for her assignment. She found the storybook, but she didn't know how to pronounce Bahamut...and the rest is history."

Twilight tried her best to stifle her laughter. Spike looked at her with mild distaste.

"Go ahead," Spike sighed.

That was all it took. Twilight fell over as if someone had pushed her, laughing uncontrollably.

Chapter 10: Hidden Curriculum

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Three days passed without incident. Despite the gravity of the two murders, Ponyville was indeed a strong town--while still remembering the victims, its atmosphere and mood were much less somber. It probably helped that Pinkie Pie had thrown a Moving On Because That's What They Would Want Party to lift the town's spirits. Not everyone was back to normal, of course, but for the most part, it was almost as if nothing had happened.

There was frantic knocking at Twilight's door. The second she heard it, she assumed the worst. She got up and walked over to answer. "Please don't tell me there was another murder...we'd have to start from scratch!"

Thoughts among these lines continued to plague Twilight as she opened the door to a panicked Cheerilee. "Oh, thank Celestia you're here!" she exclaimed.

"It's all right," Twilight said. "What happened?"

Cheerilee stopped for a moment, taking a few deep breaths. "I-I desperately need your help, your Highness!"

Twilight waited to hear what Cheerilee had to say. The flustered teacher took another deep breath.

"I-I got a letter from my mother today."

A few of Twilight's concerns were replaced by confusion. "Your...mother?"

"She lives in Fillydelphia, see. She demanded that I come and see her for the afternoon! She says she wants to ask me about the murders. I've been trying to get a teacher to substitute for me today, and--"

Twilight smiled, feeling immensely relieved. "And you want me to do it?"

Cheerilee nodded. "Can you?"

The prospect of teaching at Ponyville's elementary school had excited Twilight for a good while. She loved to help ponies learn, and she wasn't about to pass up this opportunity. "You should've come to me first. I'd love to sub for you!"

Cheerilee sighed with relief and began rummaging through her saddlebag. "I'm terribly sorry about the short notice, but I only got the letter this morning." She managed to pull a vanilla folder out and hand it to Twilight. "This is today's lesson plan. Feel free to keep this one--I make copies." She turned around to leave. "I've got to hurry along now. Thank you very much!"

"Don't worry about it! I'm just glad I can help."

Cheerilee galloped away to get to the train station. Twilight turned towards her clock to see how long she had. It read 7:57.

School started in three minutes.

Despite this, Twilight wasn't worried in the slightest. She looked over the lesson plan briefly, and when she was done, her horn glowed brightly. Within about a second, the world around her turned white for an instant, and she was suddenly in front of the schoolhouse. "I'm never gonna get tired of that," she said to herself.

Within seconds of Twilight's arrival, the schoolhouse's bell rang. Fillies and colts began to file into the building, and Twilight waited until they were all inside before entering herself. She closed the door behind her and took her place in front of the chalkboard.

"Good morning, everypony!" Twilight said cordially. "Miss Cheerilee asked me to be your substitute teacher today."

"Hi, Twilight!" yelled the extremely happy and energetic voice of a little white unicorn.

"Please don't talk out of turn, Sweetie Belle."

Sweetie Belle opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself and settled for raising her hoof.

Twilight facetiously rolled her eyes. "Yes?"

"Hi again, Twilight!"

The class giggled.

"All right, all right. Settle down now." Twilight took the lesson plan and placed it on Cheerilee's desk. "You all have a multiplication test today."

There was a chorus of "Aaw"s from the young crowd.

"Sorry, but you have to take tests every now and then. Everything off your desks except for something to write with, please."

The class worked through the test much more quickly than Twilight had expected. Cheerilee apparently had similar expectations--she had written on the lesson plan to allot time for the test from the first bell to recess, but everyone had turned in their tests in only half the time. Whether this was due to guessing profusely or diligent study, Twilight couldn't say. She was debating moving onto the day's lesson so that the class would have time to start their homework in class, but before she could make a decision, a pale purple unicorn filly raised her hoof.

"Yes, Dinky?" Twilight asked.

Dinky seemed a bit concerned. "Um...Miss Twilight...what does it mean..." The filly cleared her throat. She seemed to have a hard time putting her thoughts to words. "What does it mean when somepony, um...dies?"

Twilight hadn't expected a question like that, and raised her eyebrows in surprise. She was equally surprised to see that the whole class had glued their eyes to hers. They all looked at her expectantly.

"Worried about the murders, huh?" Twilight asked. The students nodded collectively, and Twilight sighed. "Yeah, I guess that can't be helped. Death is...complicated. When somepony dies, it's like...going to sleep, except they never wake up. Their bodies stop working. It can happen for a number of reasons: old age, heart failure, disease...homicide." Twilight paused, expecting the children to be hesitant to hear more. Instead, they were listening to and taking in every word from her mouth. "A dead pony is gone forever. There's no point in trying to reach them...because there's nopony left to find anymore."

Scootaloo raised a hoof. "Miss Cheerilee told us that death is a natural part of life...does that mean we're all gonna die?"

"Not for a long time." Twilight smiled. "You're all young, and you have many wonderful years to look forward to."

The children did seem a bit worried now. Twilight wondered what she should say.

"Death isn't something you should be afraid of. Provided you stay healthy and safe, it will only happen to you after you've lived a long and fulfilling life."

A plump grey colt spoke up. "But if that's the case...why did Mr. Rich and Miss Lotus die?"

Twilight wasn't sure how to answer that, but the kids were still expecting a response. She sighed deeply. "You all have to understand that homicide is extremely rare in Equestria. Serial murder--which is what this is--is almost unheard of. But...there are still ponies out there that will hurt others. We don't know why they did it yet, but rest assured, nopony else is going to die because of it."

On hearing this, several of the children calmed down a little. A few were still worried, but Twilight knew that they would understand in time that they would be okay.

A familiar sensation of warmth spread through Twilight's body. If what Margaret had said was true, this was the sign of a new bond forming. Naturally, Twilight was a bit confused. How could an entire classroom be considered a single bond?

Trying to keep herself on task, Twilight decided to try and keep the conversation going. "Any more questions?" she asked. The class was silent.

Twilight had never been so relieved to hear a recess bell.

The rest of the school day went by rather smoothly. Recess had done wonders in calming the young ponies' nerves. Twilight was amazed at how well they had handled the explanation. It probably helped that the deaths themselves were no longer fresh in their minds. Meanwhile, the bell marking the end of the day had rung, and after the students left the schoolhouse, Twilight put the day's tests into Cheerilee's vanilla folder, figuring that she wouldn't mind if she received them pre-graded. As she was on her way home, however, she felt a gentle tug on her tail. She turned around to find three very familiar ponies.

"Hey, Twilight!" Apple Bloom said. She was smiling, but it looked a bit forced. "We were just wonderin'...I mean, it's not that we don't trust ya, but--"

Scootaloo interrupted. "How do you know that nopony else is going to die?"

Twilight turned around to face the three fillies. "Because," she said with a smile, "me and your sisters...we'll protect you. Pinkie and Fluttershy, too."

"But YOU guys could be in danger, too!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "We've thought about it for days, and we can't figure out who the killer's after!"

"C'mon, Sweetie Belle. Do you really think we're going to go down without a fight?"

"W-well...no, but..."

"Don't worry about it. You're all still kids, and you don't need to involve yourselves with this. Okay?"

The Crusaders nodded. Their expressions were still worried, but they were at least a little relieved.

"You should get home. Don't make your families worry."

"...Can you sub for Cheerilee again soon?" Scootaloo asked. "I mean, don't get me wrong. Cheerilee's great, but..."

"I don't really have any say on that matter." Twilight's gentle smile turned into a sly grin. "But...maybe if three little ponies asked her, I could come back sometime..."

The three fillies smiled brightly, and their irises filled up their entire eyes. Twilight was worried for a moment that she'd have a heart attack then and there.

"Either way, I'll see you again soon. I should go home myself now. Are you all right on your own?"

"Yes, Twilight," the three fillies chorused as their faces returned to the realm of physical possibility.

"Goodbye, then. Have a good day!"

Twilight turned and left, and the Crusaders waved until she was out of sight.

"They asked you what death means?" Spike asked, looking up from his book.

Twilight nodded as she sat down at her reading desk. "I'm not too surprised by it anymore. I'm willing to bet that this is the first time that most of them have been around death."

"Huh...well, it's a little sad that their parents didn't let them in on it."

"A lot of adults aren't comfortable with the topic themselves. It's a natural reaction as a parent to shelter children from unpleasant truths." Twilight finished grading the last math test. "The class did pretty well on the test today! Cheerilee will be glad to see this."

"Well, every cloud has a silver lining."

"Don't say it like that. Today was great! The kids took the explanation very well."

"Yeah, but you've wanted to sub for Cheerilee ever since we moved here. Isn't it a LITTLE depressing that you finally get the chance...and THIS is how it goes?"

There was a knock at the door before Twilight could respond. She got up to answer it, and when she opened the door, Cheerilee was there again. She also noticed that the sun had gone down hours ago, and the stars were out--she had no idea how late it had gotten.

"Hello again, Twilight!" Cheerilee said, smiling as per usual. "I'm very sorry to disturb you at this time of night."

"Think nothing of it," Twilight replied. "Oh, before I forget...I went ahead and graded those tests for you."

Cheerilee looked a bit surprised as Twilight lifted the stack of tests and floated them over to her. She took them and placed them in her saddlebag. "Thank you so much for your help today. You don't know how much I appreciate it!"

"It was no problem. Your class was a bunch of little angels for me today!"

"Wow, really? Heh, I can never seem to get some of the children to calm down. So how did the lesson go?"

Twilight's smile faded. She was a bit hesitant to answer that, but if she didn't tell Cheerilee, the students would. "Well...most of the day was normal, but Dinky asked about...what death really meant."

Cheerilee's expression fell. "Oh...well, what did you tell them?"

"The truth. I could tell that they needed to know, and most of them were no worse for wear when it was over."

"I suppose that's probably for the best. I tried to explain it to them myself--twice--but I've never been the best with words, believe it or not." Cheerilee smiled sadly. "You're going to have to stop doing me all these favors. How am I ever going to make them up to you?"

Twilight smiled herself. She then felt the now-familiar warmth of gaining another new bond. "Do you need anything else?" she asked.

"No...but next time I need a substitute teacher, I'll let you know." Cheerilee turned to leave. "Have a good night, your Highness."

As Cheerilee walked away, Twilight closed the door and turned to Spike. "Everything okay, Twilight?" he asked.

"Fine, fine. I'm getting a bit overwhelmed by all of these new bonds, though...moreso now that I know what they mean for my powers." Twilight thought for a moment. "I think I need to ask Igor something."

Just as Twilight finished talking, she heard that jingling bell sound again. A familiar blue door appeared right in front of her.

"I guess I'll wait here for you," Spike replied, yawning.

"I'll be back in a few minutes." Twilight entered the door, and after the blinding flash that she was now more than used to, she was in the Velvet Room.

"Welcome back," Igor said cordially. "What brings you here tonight?"

"I was wondering if you could answer a few new questions about what's happened over the past day or two," Twilight replied.

"What would you like to know?"

"Well, first of all...do all of my new bonds have Arcana associated with them?"

"Indeed they do. In fact, every person has at least one Arcana--and in rare cases, multiple--associated with them. Margaret keeps track of this."

Margaret opened her book. "Since the investigation began, you have made the following bonds: Diamond Tiara of the Hanged Man Arcana, Ruby of the Hierophant, Cheerilee of the Temperance, Siren of the Devil, Looking Glass of the Justice, Aloe of the Fortune, and the group of students, being the Fool."

"How can one bond encompass an entire class?" Twilight asked.

"While you did make a bond with the class itself, you did not associate with each child on a personal level. Therefore, the entire group was considered a single bond."

"What does the Fool Arcana mean? I remember that you mentioned it before."

"The Fool Arcana is commonly associated with innocence, inexperience, and new beginnings. It is the number zero--the void from which all things begin."

Twilight couldn't help but be curious. "What would happen if I asserted that bond with Merlin?"

"Actually...nothing whatsoever. The Fool has nothing to give."

"Speaking of," Igor interjected. "I notice that your currently asserted bond--Rarity--has gained a Persona."

"That's right, she did," Twilight replied.

"Because your bond with Rarity is already asserted, you do not have to assert it in order to gain magic akin to hers--that being the power of ice."

Igor waved a hand over the table, and a spectral Merlin appeared. He threw his arms up, causing a large block of ice to appear and immediately shatter. He then disappeared.

"That's convenient! I was a little worried I'd have to take it off and put it back on."

"In addition...unless you plan on changing your asserted bond, your Ice spells will be much more powerful," Margaret added. "This may come in handy during the trials ahead."

Igor chuckled. "Be aware--your time of relaxation will soon come to an end. As you know, you only have a few more days before the killer strikes again. It is imperative that you do not waver, no matter the circumstances."

Twilight's eyes narrowed. "I won't. I promised the class that nopony else was going to die, and I am not about to let them down."

"Your resolve is admirable. Perhaps you will surpass my expectations...it has been some time since that has happened." Igor nodded slowly. "I look forward to seeing what is at the end of your path. For now, however...it is time to say farewell."

Chapter 11: The Arena

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"Ah jus' think yer bein' paranoid," Applejack said as she put a basket of apples on the shelf. "Y'all know--"

"She ALWAYS answers her door, at the very least!" Rainbow Dash yelled, hovering near the barn's rafters. "If she wants to be alone for a day, she'll TELL us!"

"She might jus' not be home."

"I already flew over the whole town! I didn't see her anywhere!"

"Ah'm jus' sayin' that we shouldn't--"

The barn door opened as Twilight entered. "Hi, girls," she said.

Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash jumped in surprise. Applejack nearly knocked over the basket she had just put up. "Whoa there, girl! Ya scared us there!"

"Sorry," Twilight replied sheepishly. She turned to Rainbow. "Today's the day. Are you ready?"

"Of course I am!" Rainbow yelled. "Fluttershy is in there, and we gotta get her out!"

Twilight's eyes widened. "What?! F-Fluttershy?!"

"We don't know that fer sure!" Applejack scolded. "Look...no matter who's in there, y'all can't go in there with guns blazin'. If ya don't calm down, yer gonna rush in and get hurt. Who'll save the victims then?"

"How can I calm down at a time like this?!?" Rainbow demanded. "All I can think about right now is how terrified she must be in there, surrounded by monsters and not being able to see through the fog! And...if HER Shadow shows up..."

Rainbow's eyes filled with tears. Twilight sighed as she landed and put a hoof on her shoulder.

"It'll be all right," Twilight said. "Fluttershy will be safe until the rain comes. Now c'mon, let's go get her out of there."

Rainbow nodded and stepped back. "I'll go get Rarity. Get ready and meet us at the old castle, okay?"

Twilight nodded, and Rainbow bolted out the barn door. Twilight turned to Applejack.

"Don't worry 'bout me none," Applejack said. "Y'all jus' go on and do yer thing."

"I promise, we'll bring her back," Twilight said as she turned around. She then left the barn herself.

"Well, I must say, this does not look like anywhere I've been to," Rarity said. "Though it does seem familiar."

"Well, I'd imagine you've been to a stadium," Twilight replied. "But this looks like something more complex...like a colosseum."

The three ponies stood before a gigantic structure that appeared to be made of sandstone. It was cylindrical in its design, and ornate arches and columns adorned much of the outside. There were battlements at the top, but it clearly wasn't a castle. There was an enormous double door beyond the arch that stood directly before the ponies.

"I wonder what this is doing here?" Rarity asked. "It isn't like the spa or the gingerbread house."

"Hey, good question," Rainbow said curtly. "Here's a better one: WHO CARES?! Let's get a move on!"

Rainbow flew in through the double doors before the others could stop her. They followed immediately afterward, and Twilight managed to stop Rainbow with her magic before she bolted. "Don't you remember what these places are, Rainbow? This place is somehow tied to Fluttershy's inner thoughts!"

"Yeah, but we still have to find her first!" Rainbow yelled. "We'll deal with her Shadow once we get to her! Now let me go!"

Rainbow managed to break free of Twilight's grip, and she began to fly down the hall. She screeched to a halt, however, as Shadows began to emerge from the walls before her. Some looked like large hands, and others looked like giant wheels.

A warped version of Fluttershy's voice suddenly rang out in the hall. "Welcome to the Arena! Since you're so eager, I think you're ready to begin Round One! Try not to die!"

"Whoa," Twilight said. "Just what has Fluttershy been hiding?"

"I believe we have more pressing matters at the moment," Rarity replied as her Arcana card appeared. Twilight and Rainbow conjured theirs as well, and everyone summoned their Personas.

Naturally, Peregrine was the first to act. She slashed through two hand Shadows at once and bolted through the crowd, positioning herself so that the three Personas were flanking the targets. One of the hand Shadows snapped its fingers and pointed at Rainbow Dash, and an aura that looked like fire surrounded her.

"What in the world was that?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow started shaking suddenly. She then let out a feral cry, and Peregrine slashed at Shadows randomly and with reckless abandon, hitting with less than half of her attacks. Those attacks that didn't hit ended up smashing parts of the walls.

"That Shadow must have made her too furious to think clearly!" Rarity yelled. "Looks like we must step in."

Merlin and Jack of Clubs flew forward. Jack of Clubs lunged at one of the wheel Shadows, immediately turning it to red mist. He then turned and slashed through more Shadows with extreme grace. Merlin, meanwhile, aimed his hands forward, consuming the hand Shadows in a blast of lightning. Eventually, the two of them defeated enough Shadows to cut a path to Peregrine, and Jack of Clubs froze her arms to stop her rampage.

"Are you calm now?" Rarity asked.

Rainbow Dash's forelegs were covered in ice, and she was shivering violently. "A l-l-lot m-more than I w-w-was a f-f-few s-seconds ago..."

Jack of Clubs left Peregrine's side and tried to get back over to Rarity, but on his way over, he was surrounded by Shadows. Merlin aimed his hands at them to assist.

"Now, Twilight," Rarity said, "I must ask that you do not underestimate me."

Jack of Clubs' rapier suddenly disappeared, but the sounds of it swinging could still be clearly heard. It reappeared after a few seconds, and he sheathed it. The second he finished with this, every Shadow that had been surrounding him was revealed to have been sliced in half.

"Okay, yeah, that was awesome," Rainbow said as she flew into the air a bit. She slammed her legs down to shatter the ice. "But this isn't the time to show off."

"Forgive me," Rarity replied. "I was caught up in the moment, I suppose."

"We should be able to go through now," Twilight said. "There's no reason to take down any more Shadows than is necessary. We're on a mission, after all."

With that, the three ponies sprinted through the remaining Shadows as their Personas flew beside them, warding off any Shadows that advanced. At the end of the hallway they were in was a large door. Twilight couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding from it. Even so, Rainbow flew ahead and kicked it open, and they all entered. Once they were inside, Twilight slammed the door into a wheel Shadow's face. The room they were in now was shrouded in unnatural darkness.

"Jeez, it's REALLY dark in here..." Rainbow said.

"This darkness feels somehow malevolent," Rarity added. "What's causing it, I wonder...?"

"Congratulations!" yelled a strikingly familiar voice. Four stadium lights came to life in the four corners of the room, dispelling the darkness. There was a thin circle painted on the floor, in which a carbon copy of Fluttershy stood.

Rainbow was thoroughly confused, but then she glared harshly. "Fluttershy's Shadow."

The Shadow turned towards the three ponies, revealing its sickly yellow eyes. "Well, well! Three competitors that made it past the first round! Congratulations."

"This doesn't sound like our dear Fluttershy at all," Rarity said.

"Our Shadows rarely do," Twilight pointed out.

Shadow Fluttershy stomped with one hoof, and a large Shadow appeared. It took the form of a very tall human with bulging muscles and only minimal clothing. "Time for round two! I wonder who will go down first...have fun with it!"

With that, Shadow Fluttershy left the room, cackling like a maniac. The Shadow before them raised its fists and took on a fighting stance as if it were boxing. It ran towards Rarity, but Merlin blasted it with flames before it could get very far, sending it back a few steps. Peregrine flew forward and tried to kick it in the face, but it blocked with its beefy arm and grabbed her.

"Ah crap," Rainbow said.

The Shadow threw Peregrine into the air. As she began to fall, it prepared a devastating uppercut as its body was surrounded with orange electricity.

"Oh, no you don't!" Rarity yelled. Jack of Clubs pointed at the Shadow with his rapier, and a large block of ice formed around it, trapping it inside. Peregrine flapped her wings before she hit the ground and shook off her dizziness. She then stepped back and roundhouse kicked the ice block, shattering it and sending the Shadow sprawling. In response, it stood up, and the orange electricity around it was redirected to its fist. It ran towards Peregrine again.

"Rainbow, defend yourself!" Twilight yelled.

Rainbow nodded, and Peregrine folded its wings in front of its body, The Shadow's fist slammed into her, causing her to skid backwards. Rainbow rubbed her wings in pain.

"Are you all right?" Rarity asked.

"S-sort of..." Rainbow replied. "That thing's punch is brutal..."

Jack of Clubs flew over to Peregrine and placed a hand on her shoulder. The mark of impact that the fist left disappeared, and Rainbow seemed to be feeling better.

"We can't get close to this thing, or it'll take us down in a second," Twilight said. "We have to fight from a distance."

"Got it!" Rainbow said with a nod.

The Shadow ran towards Merlin this time, but Peregrine flapped her wings, blowing it back with a gust of wind. Jack of Clubs surrounded it with ice, and Merlin raised his hands into the air, striking it with lightning from above. All that was left of the Shadow was a cluster of red mist.

"All RIGHT!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Are we awesome or WHAT?!"

"I must admit, this is rather exhilarating," Rarity said with a giggle. "It's as if fighting this way is a second nature."

"Focus, you two," Twilight said. "We need to find Fluttershy, remember?"

"Yes, of course. I was simply making an observation." Rarity looked around. "But...it doesn't seem as though there's anywhere to go from--"

Rarity was interrupted as a large portcullis appeared on the other side of the room and began to open slowly. The three ponies exchanged glances.

"Oh boy," Rainbow said. "Fluttershy's in the next room. I can feel it."

"And now, for the final round!" Shadow Fluttershy's voice shouted. "Please welcome the pit dogs from the Red team!"

The ponies walked through the portcullis, followed closely by their Personas. The next room was something like the previous--the only source of light was four stadium lights, and there was a circle in the center. This room, however, had bleachers on the side walls full of all kinds of Shadows, weapon racks beside the doors, and both Fluttershy and her Shadow.

"Welcome to the final round!" Shadow Fluttershy yelled. "Please, turn around and meet your opponent!"

Fluttershy turned to face the three ponies, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, thank goodness! You made it!"

"Fluttershy, are you okay?!" Rainbow demanded.

"I...I think so..."

"We're not out of the woods yet!" Twilight yelled, gesturing to Fluttershy's Shadow.

Shadow Fluttershy laughed. "What, some dirty, rotten PONIES are going to save me?" She said the word "ponies" as if it were poison.

Fluttershy jumped and turned towards her Shadow again. "Wh-what?"

"Ponies are nothing but violent, cruel, conniving MONSTERS! They lie, they cheat, and they bully you for no reason!"

Fluttershy backed away from her Shadow. "Wh-why are you..."

Shadow Fluttershy looked directly into her host's eyes. "I've seen the way those despicable villagers look at us! 'Oh, she's a loner, she must be a freak!' 'She has more animal friends than REAL friends!' 'If she loves nature so much, why not just move to the Everfree?!'"

"Are you...saying...we're the same?"

"Other ponies don't care about anything more than what they see at first glance! They treat me like an outcast without even thinking that it's THEIR fault that I act like that in the first place! They're worth less than the animals!"

"Please...stop..."

"Animals will always love me unconditionally...THEY should be the ones to rule this society, not those FILTHY PONIES!"

"That's...nothing like...how I feel..."

Shadow Fluttershy grinned slyly and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then tell me...how DO I feel?"

"Stop it...please..." Fluttershy was on the verge of tears.

"What, are you afraid that your little friends will judge you if you admit the truth? Open your eyes!" Shadow Fluttershy's previous expression of anger returned. "EVERY pony will judge you! It doesn't matter how close to you they are, or how close you are to them! It doesn't matter how many times you help save the country! They will ALWAYS find SOMETHING wrong with you!"

"B-but I--"

"Now...ANSWER ME!" Shadow Fluttershy's eyes looked feral. "HOW DO I FEEL?!?"

Fluttershy took a few more steps back. "N-no!"

"Fluttershy, don't say it!" Twilight exclaimed.

Shadow Fluttershy got directly in Fluttershy's face. "DON'T IGNORE ME!"

Fluttershy suddenly flared her wings, her tears finally overflowing. "YOU'RE NOT ME!"

With that, Shadow Fluttershy chuckled as red mist surrounded her. She turned around and walked into the circle in the center of the room and turned to face Fluttershy and the other ponies again, an evil grin visible on her face just before the mist completely shrouded her body.

"Oh, no!" Twilight said. "Are we gonna be able to handle this?"

"Looks like we don't have a choice!" Rainbow yelled. "It's too late to go back now!"

The red mist exploded outwards, sending Fluttershy sprawling and revealing a gigantic statue. It depicted the legendary Sphinx, but with a pale and furious version of Fluttershy's face. A large cobra slithered from its back and hissed. It appeared to be attached to the Shadow's back.

"I am a Shadow," the statue said. "The true self!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Rainbow and Peregrine both adopted fighting stances. "We've heard this before, y'know!"

"Hang in there, Fluttershy!" Rarity yelled. "We won't let this stop us!"

Shadow Fluttershy laughed maniacally. "Time for a special exhibition match! This rotten-to-the-core pony TRASH versus none other than yours truly!" The cobra reared up and looked down at the ponies with a feral look in its eyes. "BEGIN!"

The Shadows on the bleachers began to cheer. Various colors of paper boards appeared above them--some were purple, some were blue, and some were white. The purple boards had a grey M, the blue ones had a white P, and the white ones had a black J. The majority of the boards were purple.

"What are they doing?" Rainbow asked.

"Ignore them!" Twilight exclaimed. "Focus on the target!"

Merlin aimed both hands at the Shadow and blasted it with lightning. It didn't move, due to being a statue, but it was visibly injured by the attack. The cobra began to charge some kind of magical energy as the Shadow began to laugh again. "You asked, and I'll deliver!" it yelled.

The cobra aimed directly at Merlin, the charged energy in its jaws about to overflow. The energy exploded outwards into a huge laser, which fully encased Merlin in it. Twilight and Merlin were both forced to the ground, badly injured.

"TWILIGHT!" Rarity exclaimed. "Hold on, I'll heal you!"

"Jeez, that attack was brutal!" Rainbow yelled. "I'll keep the Shadow busy!"

"It's not going to be that easy!" Shadow Fluttershy taunted. The cobra hissed, and Jack of Clubs was suddenly cut off by a blast of fire. He only just avoided the conflagration, and he tried to fly around it. The cobra summoned another blast, this time hitting him directly and leaving Rarity with a nasty burn. Peregrine flew over to the cobra and slashed into its scales, causing it to turn away from Jack of Clubs. The latter managed to get to Twilight, and he healed both himself and her before flying upwards again. Merlin joined him.

"This isn't good!" Twilight said. "If that attack hits again..."

"It won't get the chance!" Rarity replied.

Shadow Fluttershy's eyes flashed, and Peregrine was surrounded by an aura of dull orange. She slashed the cobra again, but her strike barely even left a mark. Rainbow Dash sent her back just before the snake lunged at her, just missing her with a crushing bite.

"The hay did she just DO?!" Rainbow demanded. "I feel weaker, but not hurt!"

Shadow Fluttershy's eyes flashed again, causing Merlin and Jack of Clubs to be surrounded by the same dull orange aura. Ignoring it for the moment, Merlin and Jack of Clubs both aimed their hands at the Shadow, and with their combined powers, they completely shrouded it in ice.

"I do so love ice magic," Rarity said, smiling.

"We're not done yet," Twilight warned.

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Shadow Fluttershy roared. The ice shattered, and the audience of Shadows lifted boards again. This time, the majority were white with black J's.

"Wait, I get it!" Rainbow said. "They're picking targets for that laser attack! Peregrine, help out!"

Peregrine flapped her wings, surrounding Jack of Clubs with green light. Shadow Fluttershy fired another laser, this time aiming for Jack of Clubs. Due to his augmented agility, he was able to fly out of the way, and it blasted a crater into the ground.

"Now!" Twilight yelled. "Get in there and whale on it!"

Jack of Clubs drew his rapier as he and Peregrine flew towards the Shadow. They began to attack with a great deal of jabs and slashes before the Shadow pushed them back with a wave of flames.

"I have to admit, you're doing well! I've never seen the crowd this excited!" Shadow Fluttershy yelled. Its eyes flashed again, removing the green aura from Jack of Clubs and surrounding Peregrine and Merlin with dull green light.

"Oh, a speed reduction, too?" Rainbow demanded. "Not on my watch! Cancel it out!"

As Peregrine brought herself and Merlin to normal speed again, Merlin aimed his hands at Shadow Fluttershy, encasing the base of the statue in ice. The Shadow brushed it off easily.

"What a JOKE!" Shadow Fluttershy's voice was furious now. "You're just like all the rest--judgmental SHEEP that CONSTANTLY UNDERESTIMATE ME!"

The audience of Shadows held up varying paper boards. This time, the majority were blue with P's. The cobra began to charge energy again.

"Wait, I have an idea!" Rarity exclaimed. "Rainbow Dash, can you force its jaws closed?"

"In my sleep!" Rainbow replied. Peregrine flew towards the cobra's head. The cobra turned to face her, but she managed to grab one of its jaws in each hand and push them together. Jack of Clubs then aimed his rapier, encasing the cobra's trapped jaws in ice.

"What?!" Shadow Fluttershy demanded. "No, that's not how it's supposed to--"

The Shadow was interrupted as the energy in the cobra's mouth exploded. The cobra was clearly no more--it hissed weakly before flopping limply onto the floor.

"Finish it off!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"It's all yours, Twilight!" Rarity added.

Twilight smiled as the dull orange light faded around Merlin. He lifted both of his hands skyward. "Maybe THIS will teach you what ponies are REALLY worth!"

Merlin's hands flashed, causing gigantic ice crystals to rain from the ceiling. Shadow Fluttershy was pelted relentlessly by the avalanche, causing red mist to flood from her body. "How can this be?! I...can't lose...to you filthy MONSTERS!"

The three ponies ran over to Fluttershy. "Are you all right?" Rainbow asked, her voice filled with concern.

Fluttershy stood up and nodded. She appeared to still be crying. "I'm...I'm so sorry..."

"It's quite all right, dear," Rarity said. "We're just delighted that you're safe. Far be it for us to pass judgment on you now."

The red mist stopped flowing from Shadow Fluttershy. Her pony form was there, and she was shivering violently. Fluttershy looked at her, concerned. Twilight stepped aside, allowing her to walk over to her Shadow. Through her wracking shudders, Shadow Fluttershy looked at her host with tired eyes.

"When...I lived in Cloudsdale...everypony there would always bully me." Fluttershy wiped away her tears. "They would make fun of me, push me off of clouds, and beat me up for my allowance...I couldn't figure out what I could have possibly done to deserve it."

"That's why you moved out, huh?" Rainbow asked gently. "Yeah...that place has always been full of competitive ponies. I'm sure you noticed..."

Fluttershy nodded. "When I came to Ponyville...ponies mostly just left me alone. I moved into a cottage on the edge of town so that I would be out of the way. I didn't get any worse...but I didn't get any better, either. No matter how hard I tried to push these thoughts aside...they would always come back to haunt me. No matter what, I could only assume the worst in ponies..."

"Even after you made friends?" Rarity asked.

Fluttershy nodded again, sadly this time. "I knew that SOME ponies were different...but for the most part, I had no reason not to believe that they were just as ruthless and cruel as they had been at Cloudsdale. I knew it was wrong..."

"You just need time," Twilight said gently. "Surely, you've seen that the ponies in Ponyville are a lot nicer than ponies in Cloudsdale."

"Yes...I know." Fluttershy walked closer to her Shadow and wrapped her forelegs around her. "These thoughts may not be right...but they're still mine."

Shadow Fluttershy's shivers slowed down and eventually stopped. She returned her host's embrace, and a bright flash blinded everyone in the room. When it faded, before Fluttershy was a large feline creature with folded pegasus wings and an Egyptian headdress. Her eyes were warm, and her aura was warmer. She turned into an Arcana card depicting the head of a nun coming out of a black circle with a red background, which floated down to Fluttershy and faded, bathing her in its glow. She wobbled on her hooves, but managed to keep standing. "Persona..."

The others walked over to Fluttershy. "She's beautiful," Twilight said softly. "What's her name?"

Fluttershy turned to Twilight. "Her name...is Naravirala."

"Well, let's get outta here," Rainbow said. "You look like you need a break."

Fluttershy nodded again. "Yes...that sounds wonderful."

The group left the colosseum, their attitudes infectiously positive. After all, they had just stopped a murder.

"This is a cause for celebration," Rarity said. "Perhaps a feast?"

Twilight grabbed Rarity, and Rainbow grabbed Fluttershy. They began to fly towards the exit. "Too pricey," Twilight said. "We should do something simple. Something more fitting for Ponyville, y'know?"

"No doubt Pinkie will throw something together," Rainbow added, facetiously rolling her eyes.

"All of this sounds fantastic, but..." Fluttershy's eyes were barely open. "After a day like this...I just want to sleep."

The others were silent for a few moments before smiling gently. "You know...I wouldn't mind that myself," Rainbow replied.

Just then, everyone got to the portal. They went through, leaving the other world behind.

Chapter 12: Missing Evidence

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Twilight and her friends met up in the barn again the day after Fluttershy's rescue. It was time to go over the case again, and the ones who hadn't gone into the other world needed to be brought up to speed on what had happened during the trip. This in mind, Fluttershy was standing to the side where everyone could see, Angel sitting on her back. She summoned her Arcana card, and Angel jumped up, shattering it with a swift karate chop. With that, Naravirala appeared in all her glory.

"By Celestia's beard, she's ADORABLE!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Who's a good kitty? Who's a good--"

"Ahem." Fluttershy looked at Pinkie with distaste.

"Oh...uh..." Pinkie sat down again. "Sorry."

"Why did Angel break the card, exactly?" Twilight asked.

Fluttershy shrugged with her wings. "I tried summoning Naravirala when I was at home by myself earlier, and he smashed the card himself. He seemed to enjoy it."

Angel nodded vigorously. He jumped into the air and mimicked a few karate maneuvers.

"So...yer gonna have Angel summon Naravi-whats-'er-name fer ya?" Applejack asked. "Is that safe?"

"It should be if he stays close to me," Fluttershy replied. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Ah suppose. So long as he don't get no Persona of his own." Applejack rolled her eyes. "The li'l varmint makes enough trouble as it is."

"On to more pressing matters," Spike interjected. "This incident isn't too good for the investigation."

"Oh...right," Twilight said, her expression turning bleak. "Fluttershy's very happy with her job...meaning we've lost the one connection we had to link the victims."

"If I may," Rarity said. "We may still have hope."

"Whatcha gettin' at?" Pinkie asked.

"We know that the killer has access to the other world. He--or she--probably knows just as much as we do, if not more, about it."

Rainbow Dash scoffed impatiently. "We knew that already. What's your point?"

Rarity glared at Rainbow. "If you would let me, I'd explain. Now..." She turned back to the group. "Given the murderer's knowledge, they may have been able to figure out that we entered it before. I imagine that the killer targeted Fluttershy due to her knowledge of the other world. That, or the killer was hoping that we would stay away from the investigation once one of us was put in danger because of it." She turned to Fluttershy, her expression turning slightly pensive. "And we all know what happened next."

"Hmm...I suppose that is a strong possibility," Twilight said. "There's no other way this could possibly make sense."

"Well, that's good...but it doesn't really tell us anything new, either," Spike said with a sigh. "We may have stopped a murder, but we're no closer to catching the guy than we were when this all started."

"Let's not worry about it just yet. Rainbow Dash, how long do we have until the next kidnapping?" Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow Dash thought about it for a moment. "Uhh...six days, I think. I'll double check later, just to be sure...but whenever it is, it's the big storm."

"So we get anoth'r break, then?" Applejack asked. "Ah feel like we ain't doin' enough fer this case."

"We're doing what nopony else can," Spike pointed out. "Nopony else has Personas. If not for us, the victims would be helpless."

"That's what bugs me! Y'all've investigated the murders more'n Lookin' Glass ever could, and ya even managed to stop one! It just don't feel right that whenever the rain passes us by, we do nothin' but wait fer the next incident."

"What do you think we should do, then?" Rainbow asked.

Applejack opened her mouth to say anything, but no words came to her. She looked thoughtful for a moment.

"We ALL want to solve the case, AJ. But we can't just go worrying about it non-stop! All work and no play makes Dash a dull pony."

"When you say it like that, it just makes you sound slothful," Rarity scolded. "What she MEANS is that we shouldn't use up our energy on matters that are better left to the police. If we do that, we will get in their way, and we will have less energy to do what we ARE capable of."

Applejack sighed deeply. "Ah guess so..."

"Well, with that in mind, let's just enjoy our time off!" Twilight said. "Just remember...six days."

Twilight and Spike decided to talk to Looking Glass and Siren before anything else--after all, it couldn't hurt to stay in the loop, even if the group wasn't actively participating. They began to head to the bridge, where Lotus had died.

"You know he probably won't have found anything, right?" Spike asked. "He might not even know that Fluttershy was kidnapped. Y'know, since she came back so soon."

"You know as well as I do that we have to be thorough," Twilight replied. "Even if there's nothing to find, we have to look wherever we can."

"Hmm...should we tell him about the kidnapping if he doesn't know?"

"I feel like he'd know about it. There had to be a witness, wouldn't you--"

Twilight was interrupted as she bumped into another pony. She took a step back in surprise and embarrassment as the other pony turned to face her. He was a unicorn about her age with a light-grey coat and a white mane and tail. Oddly enough, his cutie mark was a single black dot.

"Well, hey there!" the stallion said, beaming. "Sorry I was in your way. I get distracted easy."

"Oh, uh...no problem!" Twilight replied sheepishly. Looking at the stallion, she could've sworn he was familiar. "Have we...met before?"

"Well, everyone knows you." The stallion's smile never wavered. "But I don't think we've met in person. Name's Bright Side!"

"It's good to meet you...I'm Twilight Sparkle."

Bright Side tilted his head quizzically. "Why do ya still introduce yourself to people, if ya don't mind me asking? Pretty sure everyone in Equestria knows your name."

"It just feels natural, I guess."

"Did you just move here or something?" Spike asked. "I don't think I've seen you around here before."

"Well, you're on the right track! Spike, right?" Bright Side asked. Spike nodded. "I moved out here from Las Pegasus. Been meaning to for a while, y'know. I know that my timing coulda been a lot better, but hey, I'm not about to let a couple of murders slow my roll!...Don't mean to sound insensitive or anything."

"That's all right," Twilight replied.

"But...speaking of those murders. Sure is weird about that girl vanishing yesterday, huh? What was her name...Fluttershy?"

"How do you know about that?" Spike asked.

"The walls have ears, little man! Rumors that she's the killer are spreading like wildfire. But...not many people actually believe she did it, y'know. I mean, look at her! Poor girl's afraid of her own shadow." Bright Side's expression darkened a bit. "I'm thinkin' she was kidnapped. Celestia knows why, but the two that died were kidnapped before their bodies showed up."

"Have you talked to the police about this?"

"Where do you think I heard it from?" Bright Side chuckled. "Well, hey, I gotta split. Maybe we'll bump into each other again sometime, yeah?"

Twilight nodded. She felt the familiar warmth of a bond forming. "We'll...see."

With that, Bright Side turned to the direction he was originally facing and walked off.

"Well, he was certainly a character," Spike muttered. "Just what was with his dialect?"

"Something about him seemed...weird," Twilight said. "Why did he seem familiar?"

"Maybe you've seen somepony who looks like him before? He has the same coat color as Mr. Waddle, down at the old folks' home."

"Mr. Waddle lost his mane years ago." Twilight sighed. "I'm probably just imagining things. Let's go hear the detectives' side of the story."

Twilight and Spike found Siren and Looking Glass on the bridge over the river again. They were just leaving to go to Fluttershy's cottage, but they stopped to talk to the two. After a short conversation, Siren mentioned that Fluttershy was under suspicion.

"You're joking, right?" Spike asked.

"'Fraid not, little guy," Siren replied. "Fluttershy's sweet and timid and all, but there's no concrete evidence that gives her an alibi. Given her sudden disappearance yesterday, that makes her a suspect."

"We just plan on asking her some questions," Looking Glass added. "Princess Celestia is a firm believer in 'innocent until proven guilty.'"

"But...Fluttershy is working on the case with me!" Twilight exclaimed. "How is that not proof enough?"

"Your Highness." Looking Glass gave Twilight a determined glare. "I have faith in your friend. Unless she can prove she's innocent, however, we have no way of knowing that it wasn't her who did this."

"What if she can't remember? Would you believe she's guilty then?"

"That won't be an issue." The detective swelled with confidence. "I have a spell that allows me to probe a pony's memories. I'm sure you've mastered several spells of that nature yourself, Princess."

"Well...could I do that myself?"

Siren shook her head. "You're great friends with Fluttershy. If there's any chance that you could falsify information, it'd be a huge lapse in judgment to take it. Nothing personal, of course."

Twilight sighed. "I suppose that's true..."

Looking Glass's expression became gentle, but serious. "The only thing I desire is to find the truth, Princess. I'm sure you can sympathize with that notion. To find it, we cannot leave a single stone unturned."

"Don't worry, I understand."

Siren smiled gently. "I'm sure Flutters is innocent. She...just happens to be the prime suspect right now, is all."

Spike crossed his arms. "If she's the murderer, then why would she come back to town after less than a day? Even if she did think it was a good idea to come back, wouldn't she at least wait till the heat died down?"

"That's what we wanna know, kiddo."

"Rest assured, I will not let your friend be wrongly accused," Looking Glass said. "To accept a false pretense simply to find a way out would be unacceptable."

Twilight smiled. "So what will you do when she's proven innocent?"

"IF she's proven innocent, our next lead will be the memory of her disappearance. Whether she's the one or not, it will provide some insight."

"In that case...can I come to see it? You know, since I'm working on the case with her and all."

"Of course, your Highness."

After a ten-minute trip, the ponies and dragon made it to Fluttershy's cottage. Fluttershy was eager to help in any way she could, so she gladly let them all in.

"Now, Fluttershy..." Looking Glass closed his eyes. "In order to prove your innocence, I must probe your memories. Are you all right with that?"

Fluttershy seemed surprised. "But...can't you just ask me questions?"

"We could...but we have no way to be certain that your answers aren't lies."

Fluttershy grew pensive. "B-but...I wouldn't lie about..."

"Fluttershy..." Twilight turned to her friend pleadingly. "I know you have nothing to hide. The police are doing nothing more than what they have to, I promise."

"We want to believe you're not the one," Siren added. "But we just need a little bit of your time and cooperation to prove it."

"You've got nothing to lose, Fluttershy!" Spike exclaimed. "It'll help us all out."

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment, apparently taking some time to think it through. When she was done, she nodded. "It's not going to hurt...is it?"

"It might feel a bit strange," Looking Glass admitted. "But it won't last long. I'm only going to access where you were during the first two kidnappings and the time of your own disappearance."

"Yes, sir."

Looking Glass closed his eyes and touched his horn to Fluttershy's forehead as it started glowing. He stayed like this for a full minute before withdrawing, his eyes full of confusion.

"What'd you see, Chief?" Siren asked.

Looking Glass shook his head. "Fluttershy is not the killer."

Fluttershy, Twilight and Spike collectively sighed with relief.

"However...there are no memories of your own disappearance. Or anything directly before it."

"Wait, what?" Spike asked. "What in the hay does THAT mean?"

"It means that your memories were removed."

"Come again?" Fluttershy asked. "I mean, I can't remember that myself...but doesn't that mean I just forgot?"

"Allow me to explain with a simple analogy." Looking Glass cleared his throat. "It's like losing a file in a file cabinet. If you lose a file, it is likely still in your office somewhere--just in a place where you cannot access it. However, if somepony takes the file...then no matter where you look, you will not find it in the room." The detective's eyes grew sharp. "I am certain of this: Whoever kidnapped Fluttershy also forcibly removed her memories of the event."

"Is that possible?" Twilight asked. "I've never heard of anypony doing that."

"Seeing and displaying memories are one matter, but altering and removing them is entirely different--it's on a much higher level. Despite this, it isn't unheard of--some murderers in the past have used the same technique to preserve their identities in the eyes of witnesses."

"So we're dealing with a high-level unicorn." Twilight then realized something. "Looking Glass...do you think it's still possible that the killer did this to silence Fluttershy or keep us out of the case?"

"The latter is possible, but the former is highly unlikely. If the murderer wanted to silence Fluttershy, they simply would have removed her memories of the case as a whole."

"So we've narrowed it down, then!" Siren said happily. "We don't know for sure if that's why the killer got Fluttershy, but it's a start!"

"That, and we know that whoever this guy is, he's a unicorn," Spike added. "At this rate, we'll catch that killer in no time!"

Twilight smiled. She felt her bonds with Siren and Looking Glass grow stronger as they stayed silent for a moment.

"Well, that in mind, we'll get outta your hair," Siren said to Fluttershy. "Thank you so much."

Fluttershy smiled and nodded. "It was no trouble at all."

The two detectives left the cottage. Twilight thought about what had just been established for a moment.

"So all we have to do now is work out which unicorn in town knows that spell," Spike said. "This case is a cakewalk now!"

"I wouldn't go that far," Twilight interjected. "Yeah, we know he's a unicorn...but there's still a lot of loose ends. How they know about the other world, for starters. Why they went after the first two victims, too."

Fluttershy's smile faded. "Oh, my...but the police don't know about the other world. How will they...?"

There was a moment of uneasy silence in the room. Twilight sighed deeply. "We've made some headway now...but this case is far from over."

That night, Twilight was summoned to the Velvet Room in her dreams. That familiar feeling of waking sleep overtook her as she looked around, waiting for the inside of the chariot to pop up.

"Welcome back," Igor said as Twilight finally gained her vision. "Your progress today is impressive."

"Thank you," Twilight said with a nod. "...How did you know about it?"

"We can see your memories, remember?" Margaret asked.

"Oh yeah."

"There is something I wish to mention." Margaret opened her book, and a Magician Arcana card appeared above it.

"A Magician card?" Twilight's brow furrowed in confusion. "But...I'm a Magician. What's that all about?"

"You have broken new ground with this. You have created a bond of the Magician Arcana."

"...You mean with Bright Side?"

Margaret nodded. "While it is not unheard of for guests in the Velvet Room to forge bonds with their own Arcana, it has so far only been done with groups. Much like the classroom that you share a bond with."

"Forging a bond with one of your own Arcana--a single person--is somewhat rare. It has not happened to another Velvet Room guest for as long as I can remember," Igor added.

"But why is that important?" Twilight asked.

"Should this bond become genuine, asserting it to Merlin will yield...interesting results." Igor conjured a spectral image of Merlin. "Because Merlin is also of the Magician Arcana, we do not know what asserting the bond will do. One would guess that it would increase Merlin's magical capabilities...but there is no way to be sure."

The spectral image of Merlin shrugged sheepishly and vanished. Twilight couldn't help but giggle a bit at the sight. "So...what do you suggest I do about it?"

"Well, there would certainly be no harm in it," Margaret said. "Whether you assert the bond or not, it will still increase Merlin's power."

"Your approach to this matter is entirely up to you," Igor said, waving his hand mysteriously. "I simply felt it prudent to let you know of the effects that this may have. I will refrain from calling you here again until it becomes necessary. Farewell."

Chapter 13: Field Trip

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"The Crystal Empire?" Twilight asked, her eyes widening in surprise. "That seems a bit far off for a school trip."

"Oh, not at all!" Cheerilee replied. "I did some checking up. The train ride doesn't actually take that long!"

"Well, yeah...I've taken the trip a few times myself." Twilight thought for a moment. "Not to be rude, but why exactly are you telling me this?"

"Well, after the kids spoke so highly of you...I was wondering if you and your friends could be chaperons for the trip. It isn't that big of a class, but...it can be quite a handful."

"Hmm...okay, I get it. When's the trip?"

"The morning after tomorrow. The trip is only for that day."

Twilight looked over her shoulder into the library. "Spike, can you check our schedule?"

Spike opened a drawer on Twilight's hutch and pulled out her calendar. "Looks like we still have four days."

Twilight nodded and turned back to Cheerilee. "Looks like we're free, then."

"Wonderful! Even if you're the only one who can come, I'm sure the kids will enjoy it." Cheerilee's smile grew even wider. "I'll be waiting at the schoolhouse. Let me know what they say so I can make further arrangements, all right?"

Cheerilee turned and left. Spike walked over to Twilight. "Hey, that means we get to see Shining Armor and Cadence again, right?"

"Of course!" Twilight replied, beaming. "I don't think I've seen Shining Armor since the coronation."

"Well, what're we waiting for? Let's go ask the others!"

The morning of the trip, the group got up early to get to the train station. They got there before the class or the train, so they took some time to talk while they waited.

"It's been entirely too long since we last visited," Rarity said. "Why, I've nearly forgotten what the palace looks like!"

"Ah wonder if it's still jus' as well-kept as it was last time," Applejack added. "Ah imagine th' crystal ponies're keepin' it in good shape fer th' Equestria Games."

"That reminds me...am I the only one who's curious about where Shining Armor has been?" Rainbow Dash asked. "We didn't see him when Twilight went into the human world."

"Hmm...you have a point there," Twilight said. Her expression grew concerned.

"We'll find out later," Spike said. "Where's Miss Cheerilee? The train's going to be here any minute."

Rainbow flew above the train station, then came back down after a few seconds. "She'll be here in a minute or two."

"Ooooh! I don't know what's better--visiting the Crystal Empire, or going with the school ponies!" Pinkie shouted. She started hopping in place.

"Calm down, wouldja? Yer gonna scare 'em if ya ain't careful," Applejack scolded.

Pinkie Pie continued hopping, but her expression turned to a normal smile, and her jumps were only about half as high.

"Good morning!" Cheerilee called in a sing-song voice as she entered the train station. The children followed behind her. "Sorry to make you wait."

"It's cool," Rainbow said, waving a hoof dismissively. "The train isn't here yet."

The kids finished filing onto the platform. Many of them were excited, but due to the time of day, a few still looked tired.

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "I shined my hooves till they hurt last night!"

"Oh, Miss Cheerilee...I am a bit curious. Might I inquire as to the purpose of this trip?" Rarity asked.

"History, of course!" Cheerilee replied with a huge smile. "The Crystal Empire was gone for a thousand years! It's practically a gigantic museum! I've been trying to schedule this trip ever since the Crystal Heart was recovered."

The intercom suddenly crackled to life. "The train from the Crystal Empire is arriving. Please stand clear, and do not approach the train until it has come to a complete stop."

Just as the speakers turned off, a large, crystalline locomotive pulled up to the station. It slowed down to a stop after a few seconds. The doors to the passenger cars opened, and several ponies exited. One of them, to the group's surprise, was a tall pink alicorn.

"Princess Cadence!" Twilight exclaimed, a smile growing on her face.

Cheerilee recoiled in surprise and bowed. The children followed suit, exchanging confused glances as to why their chaperons didn't.

"I heard about your school trip," Cadence explained. "I was going to meet you at the Crystal Empire station, but I got antsy. You're Miss Cheerilee, right?"

Cheerilee and the class rose. "Yes, your Highness! The children have been looking forward to this."

Cadence smiled. "Well, I'll have to make sure I don't disappoint them!" She turned to Twilight and the others. "It's so good to see you all again."

"Th' pleasure's all ours, yer Highness," Applejack said, tipping her hat politely.

"Yeah, all ours! YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY!" Pinkie Pie shrieked.

Twilight looked at Pinkie like she was crazy, but Cadence couldn't help but laugh a bit. Twilight cleared her throat. "We can talk more on the train. We don't want to miss our chance."

"Oh, you're right!" Cheerilee exclaimed. "All right, kids! Onto the train you go! Single file, please!"

The class began to file into the passenger cars. The adults waited until they were all aboard before entering themselves. After a few minutes and a few more ponies' entrances, the doors closed. Another minute later, the train started moving.

"Hey, Cadence...I've been wondering," Twilight said, feeling a bit uneasy. "Where has Shining Armor been?"

"He's been around," Cadence replied. "For one, he insists on continuing his duties as guard captain. That's not the only reason, but I think he should explain the rest himself."

Twilight sighed. "Can't you tell me anything else at all?"

"Let's talk more later, okay? I promise, you won't have to leave the Crystal Empire today without an explanation."

Twilight was about to reply, but several of the students came up to the two. One of them was Dinky. "Princess Cadence, can you tell us how you became a princess?" she asked.

Cadence looked over to Twilight. Twilight shrugged with her wings, and Cadence turned back towards the children. "Of course! It all started when I was even younger than you all..."

As soon as the train's doors opened at the Crystal Empire train station, the kids practically fell out--as if they were a mess stuffed into a closet. The adults followed, with Cadence being the last to leave. As the ponies looked towards the crystal palace in the distance, they could swear that it was brighter than the sun itself.

"You totally called it, AJ!" Pinkie exclaimed. "The crystal ponies must've used Rarity's hoof polish."

"All right, everypony, listen!" Cheerilee called. The class turned to face her. "I know you're all very excited to see everything, but please don't get separated from the rest of the class. If you do somehow lose track of us, wait by the Crystal Heart. It'll be easy to see you there. Also, if you want to buy a snack or a souvenir, that's fine--but don't ask to go into anypony's home! Invasion of privacy is unacceptable under any circumstances, and we're here to learn. Any questions?"

The class was silent. Cheerilee nodded to Cadence, and she cleared her throat. "If you want a tour of the palace, follow me. Your teacher will be going around the city itself."

About half of Cheerilee's students went over to one side, preparing to follow Cadence to the palace. As soon as everyone was ready, they all began to walk towards the city.

Twilight walked beside Cadence. "Are you really going to give them a castle tour?"

"Actually, that responsibility will fall to Flash Sentry," Cadence replied. "But I have to lead them to the gates, at least."

Twilight nodded. "And then we'll go see him?"

"Relax, Twilight. He's in the palace, and I'm absolutely positive that he'll be delighted to see you."

As promised, Flash ended up taking the kids on the castle tour. Twilight and Cadence made a beeline for the throne room to see Shining Armor. As they got closer, however, Twilight began to feel conflicted. She wondered if she should tell him about what had been going on in Ponyville over the last few weeks.

"What do you think, Spike?" Twilight asked suddenly, surprising the little dragon.

"Uhh...about what?" Spike asked, rapidly regaining his composure.

"Should I tell Shining Armor about..." Twilight stopped herself as Cadence turned to her, a curious expression on her face. "Umm...never mind."

"What are you talking about, Twilight?" Cadence asked.

"It's, uh...it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Cadence looked concerned for a moment, but decided to drop the issue. Spike leaned over to whisper in Twilight's ear. "You know he'll believe you, Twilight. There's no reason not to tell them."

"Even so, something's stopping me," Twilight whispered back. "I can't place it, though."

The rest of the trip was made in silence. By the time they reached the throne room doors, Twilight still hadn't made a solid decision.

Cadence opened the door with her magic, but only a little bit. She stuck her head into the throne room. "Shiny, I'm back!" she called.

"Welcome back!" Shining Armor's voice replied. "Where are the kids?"

"They're in good hooves," Cadence said. She opened the door further, and Shining Armor's eyes widened as he saw Twilight and Spike.

"Twily?! Spike?!" Shining Armor took his helmet off and got up from the throne. "Where did--did you come with the class?!"

"Wait, you didn't know we were coming?" Spike asked.

"Ohh dear," Cadence said mischievously, poorly feigning remorse. "Did I forget to mention that to you, Shiny?"

Shining Armor ran over and gave Twilight a tight hug. "I really missed you guys! Are your friends here, too?"

Twilight returned the embrace. "They're serving as chaperons today."

The two siblings separated, and Shining Armor gave Spike a noogie. "And look at you! Man, you're starting to look like a real dragon, Spike!"

"Whaddya mean, 'starting?'" Spike asked, pushing Shining Armor's foreleg away and grinning.

"So how have you been? I haven't seen you since my coronation!" Twilight said.

Shining Armor's expression grew pensive. He stayed silent for a moment, then nodded. "I'll explain everything. Why don't you come in?"

Twilight and Spike exchanged a confused glance, and everyone went into the throne room. Shining Armor closed and latched the doors behind them. "What's this about?" Twilight asked.

"About three days after you were crowned...we stumbled on something big," Shining Armor explained.

"We, who?"

"Me, Cadence, and a few guards. We were investigating Sombra's version of the palace to try and figure out how he got his dark powers--after all, the magic he was using is usually only usable by alicorns. In the depths of his dungeon...we found this."

Shining Armor walked over to the throne and took a large box from behind it. Twilight heard a series of locks opening inside it, and it opened to reveal a blinding--and familiar--light. After their eyes adjusted, Twilight and Spike recoiled in surprise.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" Spike exclaimed. "Is that what I think it is?!"

"It leads to another world," Cadence said.

"Another world? Is the other world really foggy and full of weird monsters?" Twilight asked, her irises shrinking to the size of pinpricks.

"Actually...yes. How did you know?"

"We've been to that world, too!"

Now it was Cadence's and Shining Armor's turn to be surprised. "You WHAT?!" Shining Armor demanded. "How did you find out about it?!"

"There's this white book in Celestia's personal library in the ancient castle. We went there to try and find information on how the serial killer in Ponyville was murdering his victims!"

"We thought this was the only entrance...did you find what you were looking for?"

"You...could say that, yeah. Do you know about the Shadows?"

"You mean the duplicate of me?" Shining Armor put a hoof to his chin in thought. "Yeah...I think that thing called itself a Shadow."

"You faced your own Shadow?! How...how did that end up?"

Instead of replying with words, Shining Armor put his hoof back on the ground and closed his eyes. Spike and Twilight nearly fell over with shock as an Arcana card appeared in the air. It depicted a king in front of a purple and green stain glass window, with a scepter on one side of him. It descended to Shining Armor's face, and he blasted it with a magic laser. A flash of blinding light ensued, and when it cleared, floating above Shining Armor was a man completely covered in armor wielding a massive two-handed sword that seemed to glow with power. "This is Arthur," Shining Armor said.

Twilight's jaw was hanging open. Spike recovered from his surprise first and jumped down from Twilight's back, then closed her jaw for her, snapping her out of her reverie. "I...think you need to see this," she said. Her own Arcana card appeared, and she shattered it with her own magic laser, summoning Merlin. Shining Armor and Cadence recoiled as well.

"H-how...did you face your own Shadow?" Cadence asked.

"I'm not sure how it happened. When I first explored that world, I was almost immediately put into a difficult position...he appeared before me all of a sudden, just when all hope was lost. He saved my life."

"Just what's happening in Ponyville?" Shining Armor asked. His surprise was gone--it was replaced by concern. "All we know about is the murders...but it seems like something bigger is going on."

"The murderer is throwing his targets into the other world," Twilight explained. "We don't know why, and we don't know who it is...but we managed to stop his third attempt with our Personas."

"'Our' Personas?"

"Oh, yeah...Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy have all gotten Personas from facing their own Shadows. Fluttershy was the murderer's third target, too."

"If he's doing that, then does that mean he's counting on the victims' Shadows to kill them?" Cadence asked.

Twilight nodded. "That's what we're thinking, anyway."

"This is unforgivable..." Shining Armor glared. "We'll do whatever we can to help you fight back."

"Hold the phone there," Spike interjected. "This is Ponyville's problem. We should be the ones to solve it. Besides, you've got your hooves full running this place!"

"I can't just do nothing as you put yourselves in danger!"

"We're not saying you should," Twilight replied with a gentle smile. She put her hoof on Shining Armor's shoulder. "The best thing you can do is keep running the Crystal Empire, just as you've been doing. If the ruler of the Empire gets in on this case, it'll probably cause an uproar all across the country."

"Yeah! Just leave it all to us!" Spike exclaimed, showing off his muscles.

"...Is that supposed to be reassuring?" Cadence asked, grinning and holding back laughter.

Shining Armor didn't react to this. He thought for a moment before nodding slowly. "Fine...but if you need help for any reason whatsoever, write to me. I'll do whatever I have to. No matter what it takes!"

"I know you will. Thank you," Twilight replied.

There was a knock at the door. Twilight and Shining Armor dismissed their Personas as Cadence hastily closed the box and put it back where it was before. Once everything was seemingly normal, Shining Armor opened the door for Flash Sentry, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and the half of the class who had elected to take a castle tour.

"And here we have the throne room," Flash announced. "I hope we're not interrupting, your Highnesses."

"Not at all," Cadence replied. "Please, come in. Feel free to look around."

Pinkie and Rarity walked over to Twilight, and the three of them went to the side of the room to allow the class to move around more freely. "How are things going, Twilight?" Rarity asked.

"We'll have to talk about that later," Twilight said. "The tour going okay?"

"It's super-duper-fantastariffic! And SUPER SHINY!" Pinkie yelled, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Well, enjoy it while you can. It'll be time to leave in another couple of hours." Twilight waited for Pinkie to calm down before continuing. "It's too bad we couldn't have come during the Crystal Fair, huh?"

Suddenly, one of the children came up to the three adults. Twilight instantly recognized her--it was Diamond Tiara. Upon seeing her, Rarity looked a bit uneasy. Diamond Tiara, on the other hand, was looking much better than she had been when Twilight last saw her.

"Hi there!" Pinkie shouted, waving her hoof up and down with the speed of a paint mixer.

"...Miss Twilight...you have amazing friends," Diamond Tiara said. She smiled. "This trip has been amazing so far. Thank you for coming with us."

"It was my pleasure!" Twilight replied. "You should be thanking your teacher, though. We wouldn't have come if not for her invitation."

"Yeah, but she wouldn't have invited us if you weren't such an awesome substitute teacher!" Pinkie exclaimed. "...But you wouldn't have subbed if Cheerilee's mom hadn't called her out...and THAT wouldn't have happened if not for the murderer! But the murderer is a big ol' meanie-pants, so no gratitude for ANYPONY!"

"Pinkie Pie, will you PLEASE calm down?" Rarity asked with an exasperated sigh.

Diamond Tiara snickered a bit before replying again. "Well, I should get back."

"Before you go..." Twilight's expression became concerned. "Have you slept at all?"

"Yeah. It took another day or two, but I think I'm starting to feel a lot better."

Twilight nodded. "All right, then. I won't keep you."

Diamond Tiara turned and vanished into the crowd again. Rarity's eyes were widened slightly, betraying her surprise. She saw Twilight staring and cleared her throat. "My apologies," she said. "It's just...she didn't make a single snide remark. I almost can't believe it, based on Sweetie Belle's accounts..."

"Ehh," Pinkie Pie said, shrugging. "All bullies grow out of it eventually. She's just faster than most."

"That concludes the castle tour," Flash announced. "We should go back to meet your teacher. It'll be time to go home before you know it."

The class followed Flash out of the throne room. Pinkie and Rarity followed, but about halfway to the door, the former turned to Twilight. "You coming?"

Twilight looked at Shining Armor, and he nodded. "Go on with your friends. I'll be sure to write to you this time, okay?"

Twilight smiled and put Spike on her back again. She turned and followed her friends out through the throne room door.

Cadence didn't board the train back to Ponyville, so it was just the school ponies and Twilight's group. Ponyville was still an hour and a half away, and many of the children were asleep. No one had much to do, so much of the train ride was spent just staring at the stars in the sky.

"Thank you all so much," Cheerilee said for what had to be the fifth time. "The children must be overjoyed! The trip was a rousing success."

"Well, you don't have to keep thanking us," Rainbow said dismissively. "I mean, why would we need a reason to go to the Crystal Empire? It's a great place."

"Plus, we didn't run into no trouble! That's a win in my book," Applejack added.

Cheerilee nodded. "It makes me so happy to see them this excited. Not much can compete with the vitality of youth!" Her smile faded a bit when she finished talking. "Though...sometimes I wonder if I'm really doing a good job as a teacher."

"Why would you think you're not?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well...it's just that I can never know for sure if they're actually learning anything. Sometimes I forget that they need to learn above all else. It's...difficult to explain."

"Well, allow me to dispel your doubts," Rarity said. "Sweetie Belle has become quite proficient at thinking through difficult problems. She tells me that she does so by emulating your own methods."

"Apple Bloom tells me all the time how much she's learnin' at school!" Applejack said with a wide smile. "She says you're a great teacher, and I don't have no reason to doubt her judgment."

"...Oh, am I supposed to say something about Scootaloo now?" Rainbow asked. "Uhh...she usually doesn't bring it up. She manages to get high C's, so..."

"That's good to know," Cheerilee replied. Her eyes widened a bit, and she stood up. "I'm sorry...you probably didn't want to listen to me ramble on like some boring housewife. I should check up on the students."

Cheerilee left the car, leaving the group with nothing but the sounds of the train carting them towards home.

Chapter 14: A Reason to Stay

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The stars were shining outside, and the moon was high in the sky. Not even one pony was active in the village under the starry night...but there was a single dragon.

Spike took long, dragging steps towards no obvious goal. His eyes were open but vacant, and his arms and tail hung limp. Closer inspection of his expression would reveal that he was staring at a tiny white light in the distant forest and walking towards it. It didn't distinguish itself from the stars in any way other than that it was peeking through the trees, but something about it felt different--almost malevolent, even.

"...Tr..."

At the same time, Twilight was in the Velvet Room. She had never asserted her bond with Fluttershy, and now that she knew about Shining Armor's Persona, she figured it wouldn't hurt to assert that, either.

Margaret opened her compendium, and a Priestess card floated above it. It faded away, bathing Twilight with pale blue energy. "Asserting your bond with Fluttershy has given you the ability to lower the defensive capabilities of your foes."

"Wait, what? Fluttershy can't do that," Twilight replied, confused.

"No, but she can cripple her foes' offensive power. It is possible that the nature of Merlin's own style of combat has adapted the skill to suit his own needs better."

"I see...well, what about Shining Armor?"

An Emperor card appeared above Margaret's book shortly, then disappeared just as the Priestess had. As it faded, Margaret's eyes widened in surprise. "Hmm...well now, this is interesting."

"What is it?"

"Merlin has inherited an adapted skill from your brother's Persona that is usually not learned until much later on in a Persona's...lifespan, for lack of a better term. It is called Mind Charge."

"That sounds nice...what does it do?"

"When used, Mind Charge will focus your mind so sharply that your next magic attack will carry more than twice its normal power behind it. It is the adapted version of your brother's Power Charge--an equivalent skill used for physical attacks, like those that Peregrine and Jack of Clubs use."

Twilight's confused expression was replaced with a wide smile. "That's incredible! I feel like I have to thank Shining Armor now!"

"There is one downside..." Margaret's face went back to its normal stoic nature. "Continual use of Mind Charge is a very good way to tire yourself out. Use it responsibly, and you won't have a problem...but use it too much, and you may find that you're too exhausted to continue fighting."

Twilight nodded. "I'll be careful."

Igor chuckled mysteriously. "Remember, my faithful guest...tomorrow is the time. By the time you awaken in the morning, the next victim will already be gone."

"We've been staying on top of things, don't you worry. Whoever goes missing tomorrow, we'll have them out before lunchtime."

"That is good to hear...but only through experience can this confidence be proven accurate. Good luck tomorrow...you might just need it more than you know."

A loud knock on the front door awoke Twilight the next morning. Shaking off her grogginess, Twilight went downstairs and opened the door. Pinkie Pie was there, and she was panicked.

"TWILIGHT!" Pinkie Pie screamed. Even though she was used to Pinkie being a bit louder than average, Twilight recoiled a few steps. "I just came from Applejack's!"

"Did she find out who's missing?" Twilight asked.

Pinkie's expression became even more frantic. "SHE'S the one who's missing!"

"Jeez, this guy overpowered Applejack?" Twilight rubbed the sleep from her left eye. "Well, don't worry. She'll be out of there before you know it."

"You're awfully calm about it," Pinkie replied, her expression softening a bit. "How do you do it?"

"We always manage against the Shadows, and this time we have Fluttershy to back us up. What's there to worry about?"

Pinkie nodded. "All right, then...good luck in there."

Twilight and Pinkie left the library at the same time. In her focus on the task at hand, she had failed to notice that Spike's basket was empty.

The walk to Celestia's personal library was made in silence while everyone finished waking up. Once everyone had gotten past the early-morning reverie, they began to discuss their strategy.

"I can cripple the Shadow's defense now," Twilight said. "If I use that, and Fluttershy lowers their offense, it'll make the fight a lot easier."

"That reminds me...Fluttershy, just what can your Persona do?" Rarity asked.

"She's a healer," Fluttershy explained. "I can heal everypony at once with her, and I can lower a Shadow's offense, just like Twilight said. She also has fire magic."

"All right," Rainbow said, smirking. "And once its abilities are crippled, I'll go in for the kill!"

"Don't you think an agility boost would be more fitting for a long battle?" Rarity asked, rolling her eyes.

Rainbow's expression fell immediately. "Ugh...yeah, I guess."

By this time, the group had made it to the portal. Twilight grabbed Rarity, and they all entered, the light of the portal blinding them. Their vision returned after a few seconds, and as Twilight continued to hold Rarity, they flew down and landed safely.

"Rainbow, can you see it from here?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow flew above the group for a moment and looked around. "Looks like a run-down skyscraper to me...hey, wait a second...somepony's over there!"

"Applejack?"

"No, no way...it looks like Spike!"

Twilight's eyes widened. She sprinted away in the direction that Rainbow was looking.

"Twilight, you aren't supposed to run off on your own like that!" Rarity yelled as the other ponies followed her.

It wasn't long before the group caught up to Spike. He was shuffling towards the skyscraper, his eyes vacant and his arms hanging by his sides.

"Spike? Are you all right?" Fluttershy asked. There was no response.

"Hey! Answer me, little buddy!" Rainbow exclaimed. Still no response.

"...He appears to be asleep," Rarity said, confused. "I don't understand..."

"That would explain it," Twilight replied. "He's a bit of a heavy sleeper." She grabbed Spike with her magic and nudged him until the vacancy left his eyes, and he shook his head back and forth.

"Whoa, what?! Where--where am I?!" Spike asked, looking around frantically. "Why...why am I here?!"

"Calm down," Twilight said, looking at Spike with a gentle but stern expression. "You were sleepwalking. Are you hurt?"

Spike shook his arms one at a time, followed by his legs. He then shook his tail in all directions for a second. He nodded. "Well, all of my body parts are still attached, at least."

"Yeah, he's fine." Rainbow looked at the skyscraper again. "Well, we'd better get going. Spike, as long as you're here, just try and stay out of the way, okay?"

Spike looked a bit hurt. As Twilight put him down, he rubbed his hands together nervously. "O-out of...the way...?"

Rainbow turned back to Spike, and her expression changed to one of concern. "Oh, no, I didn't mean it like--"

The tomboy was interrupted by a deep sigh. Everyone jumped in surprise and looked around, but saw nothing...until a cloud of blue mist congregated in front of them, forming a copy of Spike.

"Oh boy," Twilight said. "Get ready."

Everyone waited, but even as the Shadow stared with its yellow eyes, it said nothing. The tense silence went on for a few minutes before Spike broke it by scratching his head in his confusion.

"Uhh...why isn't it ranting?" Rainbow asked.

The Shadow closed its eyes. "Because there isn't any point in it."

Spike looked even more confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"There's no point to anything I do. I have no purpose..." The Shadow opened its eyes again. "I live in a town where I have no rightful place. I am the only one of my kind that any of my loved ones knows of. I live a borrowed life."

"Borrowed?"

"I don't know where I came from, or who my parents are. I do think of the ponies as family...but the fact is that we're not related by blood. I have no entitlement to this life, and it is not one I deserve to lead."

"What're you going on about? I don't care about that stuff anymore."

"Wrong. You just aren't capable of searching for the answers." Shadow Spike glared. "You cannot leave this town, despite the fact that you wish more than anything to lift the burden from your friends' shoulders..."

"A BURDEN?!" Spike demanded. "Twilight and the others have told me a hundred times how much I mean to them!"

"And that is what allows you to stay. A fragile, finite bond that will one day cease to exist. And though you wish to relieve them of the burden...this bond keeps you from doing so."

"Wh-what?" Fluttershy's expression was heartbroken. "Spike...you want to leave...?"

"Of course not!" Spike yelled. He walked up to his Shadow. "It's lying!"

"Why delude yourself?" Shadow Spike shot back, causing Spike to recoil. "It's not as if it will offend them. You'd be doing them a favor in the long run! How can you get in their way if you're not around to do so in the first place?"

"S-stop it!"

"You have no place to call your own. There isn't a pony alive who can tell you where you came from! Face the facts!" Shadow Spike's glare intensified, and Spike took another step back. "You know that despite their feelings for you, you do nothing but weigh your friends down! You desire nothing more than to liberate them of this roadblock!"

"STOP IT!"

"Your answers will never come to you...you cannot search for them, either." The Shadow's expression grew livid, and Spike took yet another step back. "There's a way to relieve them right in front of you...all you have to do is say three little words!"

"This is bad," Twilight said. "Spike...stay calm!"

Spike ignored Twilight. "YOU'RE the burden!" he yelled. "You don't know the first thing about me!"

Shadow Spike's glare became a mocking sneer. "Oh, you poor, naive fool...how do you not understand by now? I AM you."

"Y-you...LIAR!" Spike's eyes filled with tears. "You're not even close to me!"

Ominous silence filled the area as Shadow Spike was surrounded by red mist. He let out a chuckle, which quickly escalated into a demented cackle. "Well, then! Looks like I'LL be the one who takes you off their hooves!"

Twilight practically threw Spike onto her back as the red mist exploded outward. It cleared to reveal a pale version of Spike holding a whip. He was sitting in a large chariot, which was adorned with a bindle stick on each side and had harnesses that floated in midair. The Shadow cracked its whip towards the harnesses, as if egging on the horses that weren't there.

"I am a Shadow...the true self!"

All of the ponies summoned their Personas. "Is this really what Spike has been thinking?" Rainbow asked.

"It has to be," Twilight replied. "Shadows don't lie."

"What, are you defending him?" Shadow Spike asked. "He does nothing for you! Why would you want to hold onto something when all it does is hold you back?!"

Staying true to the strategy, Merlin aimed his hand at Shadow Spike as Naravirala's eyes flashed. The Shadow was surrounded by an aura of dull blue and orange. It scoffed and hit Jack of Clubs in the chest with his whip, causing Rarity to buckle with pain.

"Urgh...I thought his attacks were weakened!" Rarity exclaimed.

"He must be crazy strong!" Rainbow replied. "Peregrine, go for it!"

Peregrine and Jack of Clubs flew towards the Shadow. Meanwhile, Naravirala spread her wings, and it was consumed by a fiery blast. It shook off the flames and swung at Peregrine, but she was able to dodge it.

"Keep it busy, guys!" Twilight yelled. Merlin threw his hands into the air, surrounding Twilight with blue electricity. Her mind felt much clearer than it ever had before.

Meanwhile, Shadow Spike easily brushed off a flurry of strikes from Peregrine and Jack of Clubs. He aimed his free hand at the former, and a blast of pale purple light threw her back. He followed suit with Jack of Clubs. Their respective hosts nearly fell over.

"What in the world was that?!" Rainbow demanded. "It wasn't ice, fire, or lightning...and wind wouldn't have hurt so much!"

"I believe it was some sort of pure energy," Rarity replied.

Naravirala's eyes flashed again, and the two ponies' wounds disappeared as they were bathed with warm light. Before they could attack again, however, Shadow Spike wrapped his whip around Peregrine and slammed her into Jack of Clubs. Both were knocked aside, and Twilight saw her opportunity.

"All right, now's our chance! Blast it, Merlin!"

Merlin aimed at Shadow Spike, and a colossal pillar of lightning crashed down from the heavens. He cried out in pain, and the other ponies turned to Twilight, flabbergasted.

"H-how did you just DO that?!" Rainbow demanded.

"There's no time to explain right now!" Twilight replied. "Just keep it busy, so I can do it again!"

Shadow Spike recovered, an intense glare on its face. "You...are gonna PAY FOR THAT!"

Jack of Clubs acted fast as the Shadow swung at Merlin, just barely managing to block the strike. Merlin used Mind Charge, once again surrounding Twilight with electricity.

"I've had enough of this!" Shadow Spike yelled. "Why are you protecting him?! Won't you regret it eventually?!"

"We shouldn't have to explain this to you!" Rainbow shot back. Peregrine flew forward, but the Shadow aimed his free hand at her. She was stopped in her tracks as a magic circle appeared in front of her that glowed with the power of darkness. Oddly enough, it disappeared harmlessly, allowing her to slash into the Shadow's skin with brutal force. He roared in pain and blasted her back with another purple blast.

"NOW!" Twilight yelled. Merlin raised his hands above his head, forming a gigantic fireball in a matter of seconds. He threw it, and it slammed into the Shadow with the force of a freight train. After it faded, Twilight started to breathe heavily.

"Twilight, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked. "I can heal you if you need me to."

"I'm not hurt," Twilight replied. "Just tired...but I think I can do that one more time."

The Shadow recovered a bit faster this time. "THAT'S NOT GONNA WORK!" he bellowed, throwing a purple blast at Merlin.

"Think fast!" Rainbow yelled. Peregrine flew over to the blast and hit it with a swift roundhouse kick, sending it flying back at the Shadow. He grabbed the blast just before it hit him and crushed it in his fingers. Merlin used Mind Charge one more time, and at the same time, Shadow Spike cracked his whip at the harnesses. The chariot started to move, and the ponies just barely avoided it as it rumbled past them. It turned around, and the Shadow was smirking with confidence.

"What's he so happy about?" Twilight asked.

"Got you now!" Shadow Spike yelled. Twilight's eyes widened in realization--she was directly in front of the Shadow now, as opposed to behind the other ponies. The Shadow swung its whip at her.

"No you don't!" Fluttershy yelled (as loudly as she could, anyway). Naravirala spread her wings, and a blast of fire consumed the Shadow's whip, incinerating the majority of its length. The end of the whip flew over the ponies' heads and flopped uselessly onto the ground. The Shadow turned to Fluttershy, his eyes even more furious. He lifted his free hand to prepare an attack.

"Merlin, let's end this!" Twilight yelled. Merlin flew over the flames and up to Shadow Spike's head. The Shadow was surprised by the sudden proximity, giving Merlin the chance to slam his palm directly between its eyes and release a massive electric charge. The Shadow cried out in pain as the sparks coursed across its body again and again. Merlin flew back as the chariot's front left wheel suddenly fell off. The chariot fell forward, and the additional weight caused the other front wheel to fall off as well. The back wheels followed, and the chariot fell apart, causing red mist to flow out of all of the pieces, as well as the Shadow itself.

Spike's eyes slowly opened, and he looked around, confused and groggy. "Where...am I?"

The red mist stopped flowing, leaving Shadow Spike in his original form. Spike looked at it sadly, and Twilight gave him a supportive smile. She put him onto the ground, and he walked over to it.

"I...I know how much you guys care about me," Spike said. "But...I have thought a few times...no, a lot of times...that I really don't have a place in a pony-run society. There's an enormous species divider between us...our species have next to nothing in common. I always felt like a fish out of water." He sighed. "And I know that it must set you guys back a lot to keep buying me gems, and supporting me, and fixing all the messes I make of things...that's why I thought I was a burden."

"We do those things because we care about you," Rainbow said. "How many times do we have to tell you that before it gets through that thick little skull of yours?"

"We love you, Spikey-wikey," Rarity added with a tender smile. "A loved one is never a burden."

"If we ever doubted your place in Ponyville, we would've sent you away after that time you turned into a monster," Fluttershy pointed out.

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Spike...even if we're not around, you'll always have a place in Ponyville. It doesn't matter if you're a dragon--the ponies there treat you like you're no different from anypony else."

A smile grew on Spike's face, and he turned back to his Shadow. "But still...I did think like that, and I probably will again in the future...as much as I know it's not true." He put a hand on his Shadow's shoulder. "Yeah, I get it...you're me."

The Shadow smiled back at its host before being consumed with blinding light. When it faded, there was a small red imp-like creature floating in front of Spike that didn't look much different from Spike himself--although it had no spines, and it had two pointed ears rather than Spike's fin-like ones. Its eyes were closed, and it held a gigantic canvas bag full of grain over its head. After a few seconds, it turned into an Arcana card that depicted a sand-colored star with a human face over a background of purple diamonds and a few smaller stars. Spike watched as the card disappeared, bathing him with light.

"Whew...that was rough." Twilight mopped her brow. "What do you guys think we should do now?"

"We need to save whoever's trapped here, don't we?" Spike asked wearily, turning shakily to the others.

Rainbow glared sternly at Spike. "You're not thinking of that now of all times, are you? You only just now awakened to your Persona! We need to take some time and rest first."

"But Applejack is still in here," Rarity pointed out. "Leaving her in here while we rest is, at absolute best, a risky gamble."

"Actually..." Twilight's expression changed to a thoughtful one. "I think we've confirmed that the victim spends three days in here, and their bodies only appear after their deaths. Applejack might be safe for a day, and we can come back tomorrow."

"We can't just leave her here!" Fluttershy exclaimed desperately. "This place is terrifying!"

"We don't really have much choice," Rainbow replied. "I mean, look at us. Are we really in any shape to be fighting ANOTHER Shadow like that? And who's gonna save AJ if we work ourselves to the bone trying to get to her?"

"I must admit, you raise a valid point..." Rarity looked despondent. "I do not like this at all."

"But...I can help you now!" Spike said indignantly.

"Like I said, you just got your Persona! You're in worse shape than Twilight right now."

"Rainbow is right. We don't have any other options," Twilight said. "Let's head back for now and rest. We'll come back for her first thing tomorrow."

"...I don't like this," Spike muttered. "But...yeah. I am kinda tired..."

Rainbow nodded. "Well, then, let's get outta here before we get swarmed by Shadows."

Twilight put Spike on her back again. "We just have to have faith in Applejack. She's the toughest one of us by no small margin! If any one of us can spend a day in here, it's her."

With that, Rainbow lifted Rarity into the air, and they all flew up to the exit.

Chapter 15: Collapse

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The next morning was a cloudy one. The sky was a murky grey behind the clouds as well, what with the early time of day. As such, no beams of sunlight greeted Twilight's newly-opened eyes. She knew when she saw the weather out her window that time was running out, and she climbed out of bed. She picked up and nudged Spike with her magic, waking him up as well.

"Morning, Twilight," Spike said, his voice a bit groggy. Twilight guessed that he must have slept rather soundly--he was exhausted from yesterday, after all.

"Hey, Spike. Listen..." Twilight put Spike down on the floor by his basket. "Do you remember what happened yesterday before we found you? While you were sleepwalking?"

Spike put a hand to his chin in thought. "Hmm...nothing comes to mind. But...I think I heard a voice."

"You did?!" Twilight's eyes widened. "What did it say?!"

"I'm...not sure. I think it said something about...'showing'...something...to somepony." Spike shrugged. "Sorry, but that's all I've got."

Twilight's surprise was replaced with contemplation. "It's okay. I honestly wasn't expecting you to remember anything at all."

"Why do you ask, anyway?"

"Well, it just strikes me as really, really odd that you would just sleepwalk into the old castle, up two flights of stairs, and sleep-jump onto a pedestal. Especially considering that this is the first time you've ever done something like this."

"Yeah, good point...I was too busy worrying about my Shadow to think much of it, I guess."

"Well, don't worry about it. Are you ready to go save Applejack?"

Spike's eyes lit up, and he pumped his fist. "You bet I am! Let's do this!"

The skyscraper was much more obviously run-down when the ponies saw it up close. The walls were worn, the windows were cracked and dirty, and some pieces had even fallen victim to erosion and been completely severed from the building. It nearly hurt Rarity just to look at it.

"Welcome t' the Great Renovation Project!" Applejack's voice yelled. "If'n y'all just step inna the door, the elevator'll take ya all the way up to the roof! See y'all here soon!"

"What...in the world...?" Rainbow asked, her profuse confusion evident in her voice.

"Maybe she's, uh...trying to..." Spike held up his hand as he tried to think of an explanation. This went on for a good thirty seconds. "...Yeah, okay, I've got nothing."

"We'll just ask the Shadow while we're fighting it or something," Twilight said, rolling her eyes. "Let's go."

Everyone nodded and entered the unfinished skyscraper. The very first thing they saw upon entering was not a lobby or a parlor of any kind, but an elevator. As soon as everyone was inside, it began to move. It was surprisingly spacious--easily able to hold at least twenty ponies.

"All right...I can't stand it anymore!" Spike exclaimed. His Arcana card appeared before him. "Xanthias!"

The others looked at Spike strangely as he incinerated the card with a plume of fire breath. Spike's Persona appeared above him.

"Why'd you do that? There aren't any Shadows yet," Rainbow Dash said.

"Well, uh..." Spike chuckled sheepishly. "I've been waiting for a chance to do that since yesterday."

"Well, while we wait for the elevator, let's confirm our situation," Fluttershy suggested. She put a hoof to her chin in thought. "I think we can safely assume that Applejack is at the top of this building--along with her Shadow."

Behind the ponies, a group of Shadows that looked like small colts attached to each other with swords passed through the elevator walls. Spike noticed them, and Xanthias whacked one with his bag of grain.

"I'm willing to bet my entire Daring Do collection that this thing will stop mid-way and we'll have to fight a stronger Shadow," Rainbow added. One of the Shadows tried to sneak up on her, but Xanthias lifted his free hand, surrounding it with glowing talismans and causing it to explode. The ponies still didn't notice.

"Applejack's memories have probably been removed, just like Fluttershy's," Rarity said. "As of yet, all we are doing is keeping prospective victims from dying. We need to find some way to catch them in the act."

Xanthias suddenly flew across the elevator as a Shadow knocked it aside. Spike waved his arms frantically until he regained his balance. The ponies STILL didn't notice.

"All we know for sure is that the perpetrator is a unicorn. He probably also has a way to enter this world without the book in the old castle, but that's not a certainty."

Another Shadow flew towards Xanthias, but he hit it with a blast of pale purple light. He flogged yet another Shadow as it approached.

"Maybe we should talk to the detectives again?" Fluttershy asked. "They've probably eliminated everypony with an alibi. A narrowed-down list would be very helpful to us."

Spike clutched his head in panic as three Shadows attacked Xanthias at once. He hit the opposite wall, and the Shadows continued to advance.

"Good idea, Flutters," Rainbow said. "And then we'll keep an eye on 'em!"

Xanthias whacked one of the Shadows in the gut and another on the back, defeating them both. The final Shadow's eyes flashed, and Xanthias flew out of the way just as the space where he had been burst into flames.

"I'm wondering, though...maybe they just engineered a perfect alibi," Twilight pointed out. "It wouldn't be too hard, considering they can alter memories."

Xanthias threw his bag into the air, and it crushed the last Shadow...and made a loud thumping sound. The ponies turned to Spike and Xanthias as the latter picked up his bag again.

"Jeez, Spike," Rainbow said. "I know elevators are boring, but you shouldn't be fooling around at a time like this."

Spike's eye twitched as he opened his mouth to retort. He was so enraged, however, that no words came to him.

The elevator suddenly stopped. Applejack's voice began to speak again, and despite there being no intercom in sight, she sounded as if she were speaking through one. "We're sorry fer the delay, y'all, but some debris is blockin' up the elevator shaft! Just hold yer horses fer a hot minute, and it'll be cleared away lickety-split!"

Just as the voice faded, a huge, hand-shaped Shadow grabbed onto the elevator platform. The ponies summoned their Personas as it pulled itself up.

"Called it," Rainbow said smugly.

"Oh, hush," Rarity snapped.

The Shadow acted quickly, snapping its fingers and trapping Peregrine in a block of ice. Naravirala went to thaw Rainbow out while the others attacked--Merlin with a fireball, Jack of Clubs with his rapier, and Xanthias with his bag. All three attacks hit, but the fireball didn't seem to do much.

"Oh, it resists magic," Twilight said nervously. "That's...not good."

With her magic near-useless, Merlin instead lowered the Shadow's defenses. Peregrine and Rainbow were thawed out at about the same time.

"For the love of Celestia!" Rainbow yelled. "Can I come here ONE TIME without being frozen?!"

Peregrine charged up to the Shadow, meeting Jack of Clubs and Xanthias. They all whaled on it for a few seconds, but the Shadow reared back and smacked them all away. Naravirala healed the three injured ponies at the same time as Merlin surrounded Twilight with blue electricity.

"This already grows wearisome," Rarity said. "Let us end this quickly!"

Jack of Clubs flew up to the Shadow's mask and slammed the pommel of his rapier into it. It fell over, the sudden blow to its head too much for it. Twilight saw her chance, and Merlin raised his arms. A gigantic column of lightning hit the Shadow directly, causing it to explode into red mist.

"Huh...that was easy," Spike said, crossing his arms.

"Well, there are a lot more of us than there were the first time," Rainbow pointed out. "We're getting better. The Shadow's aren't!"

The elevator started moving again, but the time it took to get to the roof now was much shorter. Instead of stopping on the top floor, however, it stopped on the actual roof of the building. Just as Fluttershy had guessed, both Applejacks were there. The sound of the elevator caught the real Applejack's attention, and she turned to see the ponies.

"Oh, good! Yer here!" Applejack smiled as she walked over to the group. "Ah'm just plumb confounded right now."

"Hey, where d'ya think yer goin'?" Shadow Applejack asked with a frown. "Y'all can't leave yet!"

Applejack turned towards her Shadow. "Ah got a lotta farm work to do. Can't be hangin' around somepony like you who wears ma face."

"Well...yeah, ya do have a lotta work. Why do ya suppose that is?"

"...Cuz runnin' a farm ain't easy?"

"Wrong answer!" Shadow Applejack started walking forward menacingly. "The farm is just like this buildin'! Both're on the verge o' collapsin' if even the slightest thing goes wrong!"

"That's why Ah need to get back and work on it s'more!"

"Hah!" Shadow Applejack's frown turned into a contentious sneer. "All th' hard work in Equestria ain't gonna bring the farm to where ya want it to be! Y'all know that as well as Ah do!"

"I don't like where this is going," Rainbow said. "Should we..."

Twilight shook her head. "Our Shadows are only trying to get us to face ourselves. If we put a stop to this, Applejack's secrets will just keep tearing her apart."

Applejack either ignored the others, or she simply hadn't heard them. "What makes ya say that?"

"'Cuz there's somethin' that ya keep havin' to pour bits into! Or...should I say 'somepony?'"

"Ah don't know what yer talkin' about!" Applejack's confusion was replaced with anger.

"Then what're ya mad for all of a sudden?" The Shadow smirked. "Just admit it--y'all know who Ah'm talkin' about...Apple Bloom!"

"Apple Bloom, a burden? Yer officially off yer rocker."

"She's a huge money sink!"

"She's ma SISTER!"

"She's constantly gettin' ya to buy her all sorts of crazy stuff! Helmets, safety goggles, flippers, oven mitts, weldin' masks, wrenches, gunpowder...what kinda filly her age needs alla this?!"

"It's fer findin' her talent! Ah can't blame her fer wantin' to find that!"

"Hmph! Yer an awful stubborn one, ain'tcha?" The Shadow frowned again. "Ah'll say it flat out...whether she's tryin' to or not, Apple Bloom is forcin' ya to live in borderline poverty! It's all her fault!"

Applejack recoiled in surprise, then glared harshly at her Shadow. "Don't you DARE talk about ma sister that way!"

The Shadow's eyes lit up, and it smiled. "Why not? She's ma sister, too."

"Well then, ya must be ma long-lost twin...cuz ya sure as Tartarus ain't me!"

Shadow Applejack suddenly started laughing as red mist gathered around her. She took a few steps back. "Yer s'posed to be the Element of Honesty, y'know!"

The others prepared themselves as the red mist burst outward. Under it was a gargantuan tortoise. Instead of a shell, however, its back was covered by a run-down castle. The structure was made up of three main towers, one of which had already fallen off. Half of the thicker center tower was gone as well, leaving the right tower the only one intact. Moss, vines, and cracks covered the castle walls.

"Ah am a Shadow!" Shadow Applejack exclaimed. "The TRUE self!"

Applejack walked backwards a bit in terror until Twilight used her magic to put her out of harm's way. She sat down where she was, completely awestruck.

"Don't worry, AJ!" Spike exclaimed. "We're here to help!"

"Ah hafta make this place shine...Ah hafta bring it to glory!" Shadow Applejack lifted one of her front legs and stomped on the roof of the skyscraper, shaking the entire building. "And fer that, Ah need to get rid of y'all!"

The ponies wasted no time. Peregrine flapped her wings, sending a ball of compressed wind at the Shadow. It hit its mark, but she was barely fazed at all. A cannon suddenly appeared at the top of the intact tower and fired at Peregrine. The cannonball hit her directly, and Rainbow fell onto her stomach as she slammed into the roof.

"Rainbow, are you all right?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh, just fine! Why wouldn't I be fine after BEING HIT WITH A CANNONBALL?!" Rainbow replied.

"Yeah, she'll live," Spike said. "Focus on the Shadow!"

After another second, Peregrine recovered. She, Jack of Clubs, and Xanthias flew towards the Shadow.

"Y'all sure are foolhardy!" Shadow Applejack yelled mockingly. She fired her cannon at Xanthias, but he held his bag open in its path, catching the cannonball harmlessly. Just as the Personas got to melee range, Merlin crippled the Shadow's defenses. Jack of Clubs and Peregrine slashed into the Shadow as Xanthias blasted it at point-blank range with pale purple energy blasts. In spite of it all, however, the Shadow just laughed--even with the defense drop, the attacks barely seemed to do anything. The Shadow suddenly reared up on its hind legs, lifting her front legs high into the air.

"Get out of the way!" Twilight yelled. "It'll crush you!"

The three Personas retreated only a second before Shadow Applejack came crashing down. The force of her collision with the roof made the ponies feel as if they were at the focal point of an earthquake.

"This place is gonna fall apart if she keeps that up!" Rainbow yelled. "What do we do?"

"Stay away from her! If we're not in range, she won't try that again!" Spike replied.

Shadow Applejack laughed. "Thanks fer lettin' me in on that!" she yelled. She lowered her body a bit, then launched herself into the air. She withdrew her legs into her castle shell and positioned herself so that she would fall directly onto the ponies.

"Ah, horse apples," Rainbow said.

"This is gonna be close!" Twilight yelled. "RUN!"

Everyone scrambled to get out from under the Shadow's...well, shadow. Just as everyone was almost safe, Fluttershy tripped over a piece of rubble just on the edge. She had no time to get up again before Shadow Applejack landed on her back leg. She let out a scream the likes of which no one in the group had ever heard before--one not of fear, but of torturous, spirit-breaking agony. The group's hearts collectively shattered just as Fluttershy's bones did.

"FLUTTERSHY!" Applejack screamed. She ran into action as tears started to stream down her face.

"Applejack, no!" Spike yelled. "We can heal her!"

Applejack didn't listen. The Shadow turned to her as she approached, and lifted her body to face her. Fluttershy frantically crawled out from under her. Applejack looked directly into her Shadow's eyes. "STOP THIS!" she screamed. "Just...leave 'em alone! Kill me instead!"

Shadow Applejack's eye twitched. "Even when it comes to this, yer still bossin' me around?!"

"Ah'm BEGGIN' ya!" Applejack's voice was even more shaken than the skyscraper. "They're ma best friends! Ah can't go on without 'em!"

The Shadow hesitated for a moment. Her glare sharpened, and she aimed her cannon at her host. "It's too late fer beggin'," she said in a terribly calm voice. She fired her cannon directly at Applejack. The farm pony braced herself, but Xanthias threw another energy blast, knocking the cannonball away from her. He flew up and grabbed Applejack, then dodged another cannonball.

"How's Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.

Rarity shook her head. "The damage is grievous. We may need more than just healing magic to restore her to health...but if we do nothing, she will not last long."

Fluttershy was silent, but her breathing came only in short bursts. Her eyes were closed tightly, and she suffered wracking shudders.

"I dunno how long I can keep this up!" Spike yelled as Xanthias dodged a cannonball. "What do we do?"

"I suppose I could try to heal her," Rarity replied. "Twilight, what do you think?"

Twilight shook her head. "If you heal her like this, her bones will stay the way they are. You'll heal them into their current state--pounded into dust. We need to put them back together first."

"How do we do THAT?!" Rainbow asked.

Twilight sighed deeply. She directed Merlin over to her and tore off a piece of his robe, then handed it to Fluttershy. "Bite down on this."

Despite Fluttershy's current state, she was coherent enough to comply. Rainbow turned to Twilight. "Wait...are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

"If you're thinking I'm thinking of cutting her leg open, then yes."

Rarity looked like she had seen a ghost. "Y-you aren't serious, are you?!"

"I should be able to put her bones back together with my magic. Depending on how badly they're damaged, it might even be easy. Once I'm done with that, you can heal her up again."

"But...why do we need to cut her leg open?"

"Because if I can't see what I'm doing, I'll just make it worse. It's a very delicate process, and if I don't do it, she might not make it out of here."

"Then do it!" Rainbow yelled. "Spike, I'm on my way! It's up to us to finish her off now!"

Spike nodded. Xanthias managed to put Applejack down near the others, and he flew towards the Shadow with Peregrine.

Shadow Applejack laughed. "Y'all just don't know when to quit! Ah gotta admit, Ah kinda respect that. But Ah'm gonna kill y'all just the same!"

"Shut up!" Rainbow shot back as Peregrine flew over to the Shadow's face. "This one's for Fluttershy!"

Peregrine jammed her claws into the Shadow's eye. She recoiled immediately, taking several steps back. Her screams of pain managed to somehow cover Fluttershy's as Rarity and Twilight worked on her leg. The Shadow glared at Rainbow with enough intensity to send a dragon crying home to its mother, but Rainbow was unfazed. "Yer gonna pay fer that!"

"YOU'RE the one who made this personal!" Rainbow snapped. "Now shut up and let me finish you!"

"Rainbow, stay calm!" Spike said. "The skyscraper is in bad shape, and if it falls, we're done for!"

Peregrine started slashing relentlessly into the Shadow--almost with as much reckless abandon as when she had been enraged in the stadium. Though the attacks rarely hit flesh, the sheer brutality of the assault caused Shadow Applejack to back up. Xanthias joined in with energy blasts after a few seconds, speeding up the process. Eventually, she was standing with her back to the edge of the rooftop.

"Enough of this!" Shadow Applejack yelled. "It's time fer me to crush y'all!"

Shadow Applejack reared up on her hind legs, preparing to slam them down onto Peregrine. However, while she was standing up like this, Peregrine flapped her wings, causing a huge gust of wind. Shadow Applejack realized her folly too late. She tried to regain her balance, but failed and fell off of the skyscraper. Spike and Rainbow looked over the edge to see her land on her back. The instant she touched the ground, her castle-shell exploded into hundreds of pieces, each of which began to turn into red mist. Spike and Rainbow Dash ran towards Fluttershy and the others.

"How is she?" Spike asked as calmly as he could manage.

"We're just about done," Twilight replied. Jack of Clubs floated over to Fluttershy as Twilight carefully unfolded the skin on her leg, covering up her insides. He put his hand on her leg, and with a bright light, the incision closed, presumably fixing Fluttershy's leg along with it.

"I think you're gonna have to stay off of that for a while until you get your strength back," Rainbow said. "You're lucky--as a Pegasus, it shouldn't be too hard for you."

"Fluttershy...Ah'm so sorry," Applejack said through her tears. "Ah shoulda just accepted it right away...none o' this woulda happened!"

Fluttershy spat out the piece of Merlin's robe and looked up at Applejack. "Don't be...so hard on yourself," she replied. Her voice was hoarse and groggy, and her eyes were barely open. "We all know...that we run the risk of death...every time we come here."

"You need to save your strength," Rarity said sternly. She turned to Applejack. "If it troubles you so much that you did not accept your Shadow straight away...then perhaps it would be best if you accepted it now."

Applejack hesitated as she looked at Fluttershy again. "B-but...the damage is done..."

"If you don't accept it now, it'll attack us again," Twilight said gently.

"It's all right, Applejack," Fluttershy added. "I'll...survive."

"I'll stay with her," Spike said. "You guys help Applejack. She needs you more than we do."

Twilight looked concerned at the prospect of leaving Spike alone, but Rainbow nodded. "We'll catch up as soon as we're done. Don't die in the minute, minute and a half that we're gone, got it?"

Spike gave Rainbow a thumbs-up. The four ponies walked over to the edge that the Shadow had fallen from, and after Twilight grabbed Rarity and Rainbow grabbed Applejack, they all flew down to her, leaving Spike and Fluttershy alone.

"That was...one of the bravest...things I've ever seen," Fluttershy said, smiling softly. "You...were amazing out there."

Spike chuckled a bit. "Yeah...I guess it was kinda brave, huh?...With both you and Applejack in danger, I guess I sorta just...forgot what I was afraid of."

Fluttershy put her hoof around Spike as her eyelids began to lower even more. "Thank you...for what you did. And...tell the others...I said thanks, too. I'll...always remember this."

"Hey, no problem. That's what friends are for, right?"

With that, Fluttershy's eyes finally closed in her fatigue.

The four ponies had landed to find Shadow Applejack in her original shape again, lying on her back. She opened her eyes upon hearing their footfalls and looked her host directly in the eye.

"Ah'm...so sorry," Applejack said. "Ah knew ya were always there...but Ah love ma sister, y'know? Ah couldn't stand to think like you, and Ah always shut ya out. But...Ah knew y'all were right from th' very beginnin'...Ah just couldn't admit it."

Shadow Applejack's eyes softened a bit, and she smiled hopefully. She waited for Applejack to continue.

"In the end, it comes down to one simple fact." Applejack walked over to her Shadow and sat down beside her. "Yer me. Ah just wish I coulda opened up to that in the first place."

Shadow Applejack nodded. There was a flash of white light, yielding a nine-foot-tall behemoth. It was vaguely human-shaped, with a torso that looked like a thick T made of stone bricks. It had thin arms and legs, the former of which were attached to its shoulders. Only a few inches of the limbs could be seen, however--the majority of each was covered with a wrist or ankle band in the shape of a castle tower, made of the same bricks as the torso. Its shoulders also sported castle battlements.

"That guy is a GIANT!" Rainbow exclaimed, awestruck.

"He does look very powerful," Rarity added.

Applejack's Persona turned into an Arcana card that showed a thin woman befriending a lion, which floated down to Applejack and disappeared. Applejack stood up again as she was bathed in its glow. "Stonewall, huh...? Ah like it. Simple, but strong--just my style."

Twilight smiled brightly. "All right...I think we're done with this place. Let's get Fluttershy and Spike, and then we'll leave."

Applejack nodded. "Yeah, Ah agree...Ah think Ah need to have a long talk with Apple Bloom about what happened here."

Chapter 16: Metamorphosis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"That's wonderful."

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

"What happened to you?" Twilight asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Aren't you going?" Twilight asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"What else did you realize?"

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

"And that is...?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Hello, Officer," Fluttershy said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"...How many?" Pinkie asked.

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

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

"I see. And what did it say?"

"'Come and get me.'"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"What do you mean?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 17: The Tower

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Twilight was in the Velvet Room again. What with all the chaos surrounding Spike's and Applejack's Personas, she had completely forgotten to assert the bonds, and there was no better time than the following morning.

A Star Arcana card floated above Margaret's book and bathed Twilight with blue light. As it disappeared, Margaret looked her in the eyes. "The magic that Spike's Persona uses is known as Megido. Not many Shadows resist it, but there are even fewer that are particularly vulnerable to it. It is, however, inherently more powerful than elemental magic."

"Sounds good to me," Twilight replied. "What about Applejack?"

Margaret waved her hand over her book, causing a Strength Arcana card to appear. After it disappeared, Margaret smiled a bit. "Another adapted skill."

"How so?"

"Applejack's Persona, Stonewall, possesses the ability to increase the defensive abilities of itself and its allies. This will be a very useful asset, by the way--I do hope you make good use of it. However, Merlin has adapted it so that it increases offensive capabilities instead. Also...I see you'll be able to assert the Devil bond soon. I can't promise that it will do much of anything for you, though."

"Oh, um...there was something else I wanted to ask you." Twilight's excitement died down, and she frowned. "You guys know about Hayabusa already, right?"

"We do indeed," Igor replied. "And it is more important than you know."

"Well...will that happen to me, too?"

"Fear not. You already know the answer to that question." Igor's smile grew. "I see no harm in telling you that you and your friends will all have Ultimate Personas by the time your journey reaches its end."

Twilight nodded. "I'll keep it in mind. Thank you."

"Before you leave, I must warn you...the storm has passed, but your quest is far from over. Relax while you can--your greatest trial yet is just on the horizon, and you will need all of your willpower and energy to face it." For the first time, Igor's smile faltered a bit as he spoke. "You must be on your guard after today. Once Fluttershy's leg is fully healed, that will bring with it a call to arms."

Twilight shuddered at the prospect. Facing Applejack's Shadow had been the most taxing thing she'd ever done--she wasn't sure she would be able to handle another fight like that. Nevertheless, she didn't let these fears surface any more than they already had. "I'll be careful."

"I know you will be." Igor's smile returned to normal. "With that, I'm afraid I must bid you farewell."

As Twilight's vision returned to her, she found herself in her room. She heard voices downstairs--one was Spike's, although the other was too quiet for her to recognize. That probably meant it was Fluttershy. She went downstairs to join them, and as soon as she was able to see into the living room, she saw that Spike had been a good host and made tea. As he and Fluttershy heard her coming down, they turned towards her.

"Hi, Fluttershy," Twilight said cordially. "How's it going?"

"Well...Rarity and I were on our way to the spa for our weekly visit, and she noticed that we've barely done anything as a group that hasn't involved the case somehow since it started. So she said I should come and invite you," Fluttershy replied. "She's paying for everything, so don't worry about that.

"Hey, that's a fantastic idea!" Twilight smiled. After a second, though, she looked a bit confused. "Wait, the spa is still open? Aloe told me that she might have to close it."

"We still go every week, and she's adjusted to running it herself. There's nothing to be concerned over."

"Oh...that's good. She seemed pretty worried about it."

"I don't think that's ever gonna happen," Spike said, waving his hand dismissively. "Rarity goes there often enough to put Aloe's foals through college."

"Aloe has foals?" Fluttershy asked.

"No, it was...actually, I don't know if she does or not. Does she, Twilight?"

"No, she doesn't. If she did, we would've seen them when we asked her about Lotus's disappearance," Twilight pointed out. "Besides, you're a regular, Fluttershy. Why would Aloe not tell you about having foals if she had them?"

"Good point...anyway, I'm sure we could all use the chance to relax," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah...you especially. Speaking of, how come you're not hovering?"

"Because I can put weight on my leg now...for a little bit at a time, at least. Anyway, you guys are coming, right?"

"Of course!" Spike exclaimed. "Let's get a move on!"

Spike and Fluttershy stood up as Twilight opened the door. The three of them left the library and went in the general direction of the spa.

Twilight, Spike, and Fluttershy were the last to arrive at the spa. To Twilight's relief, Aloe was delighted to see them. As soon as they arrived, the group's services began. Though the services varied, the cost for each pony was about the same, and Rarity was more than willing to cover all of their expenses. Where she got the extra money for that, no one ever found out.

"It feels like it's been forever since we got a chance to relax like this," Applejack said. "It's just like you said, Rarity...everything's just been so serious."

"I hear ya," Spike said. His voice was shaky due to the massage he was currently receiving. "This is probably one of the only times since the case started that I'll have left home and not come back sore."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Rarity replied. "I would say you could all join us more often, but this outing has been something that just Fluttershy and I partake in since before we became a group. It's something of a tradition between us."

Rainbow tried to look towards Rarity, but due to the cucumbers over her eyes, she ended up looking a little bit to her left, towards a mud pool. "We understand," she said. "I wouldn't wanna do this every week anyway. I've gotta stay active, y'know?"

Aloe entered the room with a few towels draped over her back. She smiled from ear to ear and nodded in greeting. "I trust that you're enjoying yourselves?"

Pinkie suddenly burst through the surface of the mud pool, wrapped tightly in seaweed. "TENNOUTTATEN!" she yelled.

"...What she said," Twilight added. "...I think."

"I take it she's always like this?" Aloe asked.

"Yep!" Pinkie replied immediately. She jammed a hoof into the mud and pulled out a slide whistle, which she then used to mimic a falling sound effect as she descended into the depths once more. As the whistle was submerged, the mud bubbled like a pool of tar, reminding Twilight of her first encounter with the Shadows.

"So how's the place been runnin' lately?" Applejack asked. "It must be rough with only one of the owners around."

Aloe looked a bit sad at this. "Actually...it's surprisingly well. Almost as well as when Lotus wasn't around, if only for the reduced need for a high income."

Rainbow Dash looked perplexed. "And...that's a good thing, right?"

Aloe nodded. "It means I don't have to leave Ponyville...it's great, even."

"So why do you look so bummed out?" Spike asked.

"Well...Rarity told me how Lotus really felt about her job."

Twilight shot Rarity a look. "You told her?"

"Oh, come now, darling," Rarity replied. "She has a right to know how her sister feels. Besides, we found it in her diary, remember?"

Spike raised an eyebrow. "I don't remember that being--BLECH!"

Rarity cut Spike off by using her magic to throw one of Rainbow's cucumbers into his mouth. She turned to Aloe. "Continue, please."

"Well...I'm just not sure that Lotus had to go through what she saw as torture at all," Aloe explained. "I'm doing just fine without her help...it's almost as if she put herself through this for no reason."

"Nonsense! Her diary was very clear-cut on the matter. Right, Twilight?"

Twilight hesitated a bit, then nodded. "Yeah...we could tell from what she said--uh, wrote...that she knew you were happy to have her working with you. She worked here for you, not for herself."

Aloe smiled weakly. "She always was one for self-sacrifice...I remember that she would give me her lunch every day when we went to school together because I liked to eat a bit more than she did. She stopped doing that only when she started suffering from malnutrition. Of course I tried to convince her not to, but she would never hear of it."

"Goodness...that sounds taxing," Fluttershy said.

"Oh, no doubt...but she would always insist. In fact, when I tried to tell our parents, she stopped me then and told me she was all right. Naive as I was, I didn't doubt it." Aloe's smile widened. "But enough about that. Have you heard about the show in town?"

"There's a show?" Rainbow asked with a grin. "Is it the Wonderbolts?"

"Oh, goodness, no. They're much too busy this time of year. But...this show has been in town before...although the name escapes me. I believe it's a magic show..."

Twilight thought for a moment, and then her eyes widened. "Y-you don't mean..."

Aloe's eyes lit up with realization. "Oh, now I remember the name! It's the Great and Powerful Trixie!"

Pinkie suddenly blasted through the surface of the mud pool again. "Say WHAT?!"

"Oh, JOY," Spike said as he finally spat out the cucumber. "How is that allowed? Last time she was here, she terrorized the town! It was almost as bad as when Discord was freed!"

"And all because Twilight beat her fair and square at magic, no less," Rarity added, rolling her eyes with disdain.

"Well...something's been bugging me about that, actually," Twilight said. "I mean, I think that she was just doing her job up until she challenged the townsfolk."

"You can make a living off of saying you're awesome?" Rainbow asked. "Jeez, if I had known that, I wouldn't have had to sign up for weather duty."

"That's not what I meant...it's part of her act. She plays up her abilities to excite the crowd. Things like that are a bit less common in Ponyville, but they happened once a year in Canterlot at the very least, so I was kinda used to it. She took the bragging to extremes, but that was probably just a mistake based on inexperience."

"Ah guess that does make some sense," Applejack conceded. "And she certainly did THAT right...the crowd was pretty excited 'til a certain point."

"Plus, she learned her lesson after the Alicorn Amulet incident. I doubt she's going to do anything malevolent."

"I guess it couldn't hurt to go see it," Fluttershy said. She turned to Aloe. "Do you want to come with us?"

"Oh, I'm afraid not," Aloe replied. "I have to stay here and tend the place. Plus, I saw it already."

"Let's go check it out when we're done here, then," Rainbow said, her expression brightening again.

The conversation died down after that as the group let themselves be immersed in the reverie of their relaxation.

There was a resounding drumroll as the very sky itself seemed to grow dim. The cart that stood before the anticipating crowd was surrounded by a column of light that mimicked a spotlight.

"Citizens of Ponyville! Come one, come all!" a familiar voice boomed. "Witness the awe-inspiring prowess of the New and Improved..."

The cart suddenly unfolded into a stage. Fireworks erupted from each side, and in a burst of pink smoke, a blue unicorn wearing a purple robe and wizard's hat appeared in the center.

"THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!"

The crowd cheered at the impressive display as the sky returned to its normal shade. Twilight couldn't help but smile.

"WATCH in awe as the GREAT and POWERFUL TRIXIE performs the most spec-TAC-ular feats of magic EVER WITNESSED by PONY EYES!"

Rainbow leaned towards Applejack. "Is it me, or did she get even louder?"

Applejack laughed. "Maybe so."

Trixie took off her hat and wrapped it within a magical cocoon. After about ten seconds, it dispersed. The hat didn't change visibly, but Trixie stuck a hoof into it and pulled. After struggling with it for a few seconds, the head of an Ursa Minor popped out of the hat, stunning the crowd into silence. The Ursa began to climb its way out of the hat, and as its stage-sized paw crashed into the ground, the crowd began to panic.

"Fear not, Ponyville!" Trixie boomed. "I will duel this foul BEAST into submission!"

As Trixie faced down the Ursa, she used her magic to put her hat back on and conjure a gust of wind to make her robes flow. The crowd realized that it was all part of the act at this point, and the cheers resumed. Meanwhile, Trixie aimed her horn at the Ursa and let loose a huge stream of lightning. The Ursa reared back in pain, but managed to take a swipe at the unicorn. She jumped over the attack with surprising grace.

"Man, is this even real?" Spike asked in a mixture of awe and incredulity.

"I think the Ursa is an illusion," Twilight replied softly. "But to hold up an illusion like that for so long...that's no small feat."

"An illusion?" Rarity asked. "But...it looks so real!"

"If you could tell it was an illusion, then it wouldn't be much of an illusion."

Trixie used her magic to grab one of the Ursa's paws and hit it in the face repeatedly with it. The sight drew giggles from the audience, but the Ursa was only enraged by the display. It lifted its free paw into the air and roared violently. Trixie looked upon it with a horrified countenance as it descended, and it slammed onto her before she could stop it. The crowd gasped in horror.

"Ah thought it was just smoke an' mirrors!" Applejack exclaimed.

"I-I'm...sure that th-there's a rational explanation for th-this," Twilight stammered.

Suddenly, the Ursa's cheeks puffed out. It put its paws over its mouth, but eventually was forced to open it. The crowd gasped again as they saw Trixie standing triumphantly on the beast's tongue, surrounded by fireworks. She jumped off, and the beast fell backwards. Before it hit the ground, however, it dispersed into stars, which flew above the stage and formed a replica of Trixie's cutie mark before flying towards the Everfree Forest.

There was dead silence as Trixie stood upon the stage, looking towards the crowd expectantly. After about ten seconds, there was an eruption of applause. Trixie looked almost surprised, but she quickly regained her composure and bowed. "Thank you! Thank you all! You have only BEGUN to witness the INESTIMABLE prowess of...the GREAT and POWERFUL TRIXIE!"

The show went on for another twenty minutes. After it ended, the group went their separate ways for their own reasons. The crowd had also dispersed, as they had begun to do the second Trixie left the stage. Despite all of this, Twilight was hesitant to leave so soon.

"C'mon, Twilight!" Spike said, nudging her in the side. "I'm all for taking in the scenery, but the sun is going down!"

"I know, I know," Twilight replied. "But...I'm curious about the magic she was doing. Those were top-tier illusions!"

"Hmm...yeah, I hear ya. I certainly wasn't expecting that from Trixie."

"I really would like to talk to her about it. If she could do that when she first came here, then she sure didn't show it!"

"You two are excellent with the whole backhoofed compliment thing, aren't you?" Trixie asked.

Twilight and Spike turned around and found Trixie behind them. "Oh! Hi, Trixie! You were amazing up there. How have you been?"

Trixie scoffed. "Listen, I already know you're more successful than I am. So don't even bother with the whole bragging thing, okay? I'm satisfied with my job, and that's all the validation I need."

"Hey, there's no need to be rude!" Spike replied indignantly.

"Spike." Twilight cleared her throat. "I wasn't planning on bragging. In fact, I wanted to congratulate you."

Trixie's eyes widened in disbelief. "Congratulate...me?"

"It doesn't take a genius to see that you've been working hard for this. Those spells you did were incredible! I don't think I could conjure up illusions that convincing if I wanted to!"

"You...don't know illusion magic?"

"Not much! If I did, I would've used it instead of dressing up my friends when you had the Alicorn Amulet."

"W-well...illusions are, um...practically a staple in my...uh...line of work." Trixie smiled nervously. "...I have to go."

Trixie slammed her front hooves into the ground, kicking up a plume of smoke that concealed her from sight. She then sheepishly walked out from behind it and past Twilight and Spike, headed back towards the stage. As she left, Twilight could've sworn she felt a bond grow between the two of them.

"All right, NOW can we go home?" Spike asked.

"Hmm...didn't get much out of her," Twilight replied. "Well, maybe I can get her to show me some more another time. She seemed a bit jumpy, if you ask me."

"Yeah, but she's a travelling performer. She might skip town before we get to see her again."

At this, Twilight's ears splayed, and a look of sadness played across her features. "Yeah...I suppose." She lifted Spike into the air and put him on her back. "You're right, though...it is about time we went home."

Twilight started walking back to the library, leaving the show and the pony behind it in favor of a relaxing evening.

Chapter 18: Fear Factor

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Three mostly uneventful days passed. After the storm, they were all rather clear, but there was no telling when it would rain again--it was still the rainy season, after all. A visit was scheduled by Princess Celestia today, and the town was more active than usual to prepare for it. Despite it being little more than a casual visit, the townsponies were, of course, frantic to make everything spic and span. Twilight and Spike were walking through town, checking up on the preparations. They seemed to be coming along very nicely, but there were a few things left to check up on--such as the food.

"I can't help but feel like this is a bit familiar," Spike said as he and Twilight made their way to Sugar Cube Corner. "Borderline deja vu, even."

"Of course it feels familiar," Twilight replied. "The Princess makes casual visits pretty often. We have to make sure everything is accounted for when she decides to drop in on us. And as far as I'm concerned, it's my responsibility to make sure we show her a good time."

"Yeah...and I suppose there's no way it can go worse than last time." Spike rolled his eyes. "I still can't believe they were practicing ice archery in the park that day."

"Well, here we are!" Twilight smiled at the bakery's characteristic design. "Let's just check on things really quick and move on. We're on a tight schedule."

Twilight knocked on the door, and after a few seconds, Mr. Cake answered. Apparently there had been a bit of a mishap--his mane was utterly saturated with pink frosting. "H-hello, your Highness! What can we do for you?"

"Just making sure Pinkie isn't eating all the food again," Twilight replied.

"Oh, don't worry about that--we sent her out this time. We've mostly got everything prepared, but we're still finishing up one little thing."

"I don't know if I'd call the Madness 'little,' dear," Mrs. Cake piped up from inside.

Spike's eyes lit up, and he smiled. "You mean the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness? The masterfully made mixture of mouth-melting flavors that makes your stomach murmur with mirth?"

"...Yes, that's the one..." Mr. Cake cleared his throat. "We found out that Princess Celestia never actually got to try it during the National Dessert Competition, so we're making another one. It should be ready in about twenty more minutes, plus however long it takes to assemble it."

"Oh, um, Princess Twilight?" Mrs. Cake called. "If you see Pinkie while you're out, could you tell her to bring some eggs back with her? After this, we don't have enough left to make much of anything."

"Sure thing," Twilight replied with a nod. "Well, I'll leave you to it. C'mon, Spike."

Twilight started walking away, but soon she saw that Spike wasn't following her. She turned back towards the bakery to find that Spike was practically hypnotized--he had a glazed look in his eyes, and a river of drool flowed freely from his mouth. She rolled her eyes and put him on her back.

About an hour later, Twilight and Spike had finished checking up on everything. Ponyville was officially ready for Princess Celestia's visit, and now the only thing left to do was wait at the outskirts of town where she usually arrived. They were both laying down, but Spike was noticeably less pleased with their situation.

"Yeah, this is boring," Spike said. He picked up a pebble from the ground and tossed it into the air, then spat a fireball at it.

"You should've brought something with you," Twilight replied. She turned the page in the book she was reading, which pertained to the history of the Equestria Games.

"Well, I thought we'd be going back to the library when we were done." Spike burned up another small rock. "...Why didn't we, exactly?"

"Because we have to be here to welcome Princess Celestia personally. You know how this goes."

"Uhh...yeah, I guess. I just wish she'd hurry up and get here already."

As if in response, the two of them heard a royal fanfare. They both got up, with Spike being in much higher spirits.

"I can't believe that worked! Okay, okay...I wish for a hundred bits!" Spike exclaimed.

"It was just a coincidence," Twilight replied.

A few seconds later, two royal guards landed, towing Princess Celestia on her personal chariot. The larger-than-life alicorn dismounted, and the two princesses bowed to each other.

"It's so good to see you again, Twilight," Celestia said. As always, her voice was both powerful and enchanting. "And you as well, Spike."

"Likewise," Spike replied. "We've been looking forward to your visit."

"So...if you don't mind me asking, where are your friends? I expected them to be here as well."

"They're at Sugar Cube Corner with everypony else," Twilight explained. "We all know how much you like that place."

Celestia laughed briefly and nodded. She gestured to the royal guards, and everyone present started walking towards town again. "I mean no offense to the chefs in my own employ, but I've yet to meet a pony who can bake better than the Cakes...and it's not just the food I enjoy, either."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Spike said with a chuckle. "Whenever Pinkie's around, the service turns into a comedy act."

"Well, they've prepared something special for you this time around," Twilight added. "I think you're in for a pleasant surprise, Princess."

The gathering at Sugar Cube Corner was a resounding success. Celestia had been overjoyed to find the Madness that the Cakes had whipped up (and she was even happier to find that Pinkie hadn't gotten to it first). In addition, this visit was the first in which the townsponies actually let themselves relax--Celestia had made it clear last time that they should just be themselves, and that she wouldn't be offended no matter what they did. Even so, something was missing that Twilight couldn't place.

"Mr. Cake, I don't mean to impose, but could I possibly ask for the recipe that you used to make this cake?" Celestia asked. "I'd love to have my own bakers try to make it for the Grand Galloping Gala."

Mr. Cake frowned. "My humblest apologies, your highness...but it's a closely guarded recipe. We only share it with family members. It's been our tradition ever since there were Cakes to practice it."

"Say no more." Celestia smiled gently. "I understand completely."

"Thank you, Princess."

"It's the least I can do for your wonderful hospitality."

Rainbow Dash suddenly flew in through the window and screeched to a halt just before slamming straight into Bon Bon. "No wayward clouds," she announced.

"Thank goodness," Rarity said. "It would be such a shame were there anything other than a sunny sky."

"Tell me about it," Applejack chimed in. "'Specially since the shady spots're only just now gettin' dry from the storm."

After that, the party continued unabated. Twilight still felt that something was out of place, but she couldn't figure out what it was for the life of her. She felt like whatever it was, it was on the tip of her tongue. Eventually, she noticed Fluttershy walking over to her and tried to put on a happy face.

"Twilight?" Fluttershy asked hesitantly.

"Hi, Fluttershy. Are you having fun?" Twilight asked hastily. She smiled nervously and looked around to see if anyone else was listening.

"Well, yes...but...what about you? You seem troubled."

"Troubled? Me? Of course not!" Twilight laughed nervously. "I'm just fine, really!"

Fluttershy's look of concern didn't waver for even a fraction of a second.

"...Okay, fine, you got me." Twilight dropped the facade and took another look around. "Everything is going well, but something seems...off. Do you feel it too?"

"Sort of," Fluttershy replied. She rubbed her hooves nervously. "I can't place it, but...it feels like we're forgetting something."

A moment of silence hung between them. Twilight broke it by clearing her throat. "So how's your leg doing?"

Fluttershy smiled. "It's all better now! All this time I was worried that there might be lasting damages."

Twilight smiled, but at the same time, she remembered something that Igor had told her. "Once Fluttershy's leg is fully healed, that will bring with it a call to arms..."

"What do you mean by that?"

Twilight jumped. "Oh, uh...did I say that out loud?"

Fluttershy nodded. "What kind of call to arms, though?"

Twilight thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure yet...I need to go talk to Rainbow."

"All right, then. Talk to you later!"

Twilight nodded and turned around. Rainbow Dash was eating a salad in what was probably the messiest fashion that Twilight had ever witnessed. She grit her teeth, however, and walked over to her. Rainbow looked up from her food and smiled as she approached.

"Hi, Twilight. What's up?" Rainbow asked.

"Can I get you to do something for me?" Twilight asked.

"Sure. Whatcha got?"

Twilight leaned in to whisper. "I need you to go check the weather schedule."

Rainbow looked a bit perplexed. "Uh...sure, okay. I'll be back soon." She stood up and took off, flying out the same window through which she had entered. She only just missed Bon Bon, who sighed in exasperation.

"Is everything all right?" Celestia asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Twilight replied. "It depends on what Rainbow finds out."

No one seemed to let Rainbow's departure foul their mood, and the party went on just like normal. After a few minutes, Spike finished eating a slice of the Madness. "Man, it's too bad that Pinkie is missing out on all this," he said. "She would love it for sure."

With that, Twilight suddenly realized what was missing from the party. Her eyes widened, and she suddenly ran across the room, stopping in front of Mr. Cake. "Can I talk to you for a second?" she asked frantically.

Mr. Cake looked a bit surprised. "Pardon me, your Highness...what do you need?"

Twilight's panic only intensified as she took in another breath. "Where's Pinkie Pie?!" she demanded, asking much more forcefully than she had intended to.

Mr. Cake's eyes widened as he realized the same thing Twilight had. "Sh-she hasn't come back yet...I was so busy that I didn't even notice."

Suddenly, Rainbow flew back into the building. Bon Bon dove to the left, but she only ended up flying into Rainbow's path. Both ponies slammed into the wall. Rainbow recovered almost immediately and brandished a clipboard. "I brought it!" she yelled.

Twilight ran over and snatched the clipboard from Rainbow's hooves. She looked at the current date and saw that clear skies were scheduled. She looked towards the next two days. Tomorrow was also clear...and the day after would bring light showers. She put her hoof to her chest and performed the breathing exercise that Cadence taught her, calming her down somewhat. She turned to the guest of honor. "Princess Celestia, something's come up. We need to go."

"We do?" Applejack asked.

"Yes. Yes, we do."

"Hmm...what happened?" Celestia asked. "Is it anything I can help with?"

"Nah, we can handle it," Rainbow replied, waving her hoof dismissively. "We might even be back before the party's over, if all goes well."

Celestia still looked concerned, but she didn't try to stop them. "Very well. Whatever it is you're about to do, please be careful."

"Don't worry, Princess." Twilight gestured to the others, and they all left the bakery. As soon as the door closed behind them, Twilight lead them towards the old castle.

"What's goin' on, exactly?" Applejack asked.

"Take a look at this," Twilight replied. She used her magic to hold up the weather report so that the others could see it. "Two days from now, it's going to rain. I don't think it's a coincidence that Pinkie didn't show up for the party."

"Jeez...what is this guy's beef with us?" Spike asked indignantly. "If we didn't stop working on the case after Applejack, what makes him think he's gonna have more success if he takes Pinkie?"

"Maybe...he has another reason?" Rarity offered. "Though I cannot imagine what that reason could possibly be..."

"We'll worry about that later!" Rainbow yelled as she flew above the others. She slammed her hooves together. "Let's go beat up a Shadow!"

The other world felt different went the group entered, but no one could say how. It was only a few seconds before Rainbow found the newest addition: a gigantic circus tent that exuded a highly foreboding atmosphere, despite the upbeat carnival music playing from within.

"I don't like this," Spike said nervously. "It feels like a ghost story...a LOT like a ghost story."

"Oh, don't tell me you're afraid of the old 'creepy clown' cliche!" Rainbow exclaimed as she flew over to the tent's entrance.

"It's not really that...it's just that the jump scares really surprise me, and I tend to accidentally burn things when I'm surprised. You guys are lucky you don't have such volatile body functions."

Rainbow didn't reply again, instead focusing on the task at hand. She opened the tent flap, and the interior of the tent was clearly visible...if not for the inky darkness that smothered any possibly visible details.

"Looks like we have visitors!" a familiar, warped voice exclaimed. "Let's make sure they get a WARM WELCOME!"

"Get back, Rainbow!" Applejack yelled. Rainbow complied, and the group summoned their Personas as Shadows began pouring out of the tent. Some looked like oversized hands, while others looked like hyperactive UFOs with cannons situated on top of the fuselage.

Rainbow landed beside Applejack. "Hey AJ, I have a fun idea," she said.

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Can't ya take this seriously, Rainbow Dash? We're kinda fightin' fer our lives here."

"Yeah, but hear me out! Why don't the two of us take care of these guys ourselves and see who can beat more?"

"That sounds ridiculous and risky. No deal."

A sly look crept onto Rainbow's face. "Well, it's cool if you don't want to...chicken."

Applejack's eyes widened, then narrowed into a fierce glare. "Oh, it's ON."

The others stood back as Hayabusa and Stonewall took point. "Knew you'd see it my way," Rainbow said smugly.

Applejack smirked, and Stonewall suddenly stopped floating. As she landed, the entire world shook with the force of the impact, causing the Shadows to recoil in fear. Hayabusa and Stonewall took the opportunity to charge into the crowd. Hayabusa tore through every Shadow in sight, making her way through them in record time. Stonewall, on the other hand, didn't even lift a finger--Shadows attacked her relentlessly, but everything they tried simply bounced off onto other Shadows. This was so effective that the two competing Personas seemed to be completely even.

"Can't say I was expecting that to work," Rainbow said.

"Jus' you wait til Ah get serious," Applejack replied.

Stonewall suddenly stopped where she was. As another hand-shaped Shadow rushed towards her, she grabbed it in the air and smashed it into the ground. She took a giant step forward, crushing a UFO Shadow underfoot. As another UFO flew towards her, she grabbed it by the cannon and used it as a weapon, defeating five other Shadows with it before it faded itself. Not to be outdone, Hayabusa emerged from the other side of the crowd and turned back towards them. She leaped back into the crowd, and just before she would have hit a Shadow, she started rapidly spinning, becoming a whirlwind of claws and talons. This process kept on until only a few Shadows remained. Stonewall suddenly leaped into the air towards them. She landed in the center with a cataclysmic crash, landing on one of the hands. A shockwave of fiery energy erupted from the point of impact, consuming and pulverizing every Shadow that was left.

"Whew! That was AWESOME!" Rainbow yelled. "So, uh...who won?"

"Beats me...Ah lost count of how many I beat. How 'bout you?" Applejack asked.

"Heh heh...same here."

The others rejoined Rainbow and Applejack. "That was pretty cool to watch," Spike said. "But...does anypony have an idea on how we're gonna see through the darkness here?"

"Let me try something," Fluttershy said. Naravirala spread her wings, and her feathers lit up with bright flames. She entered the tent by herself, and the fire managed to light up a tiny portion of the tent's interior. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. The others entered.

"Hello?" Twilight called. "Pinkie Pie?...Shadow?"

There was no response. The group walked further into the tent, but it wasn't long before they heard a loud slam behind them. Everyone turned to the source of the sound to find that the exit was closed.

"T...Twilight?" Pinkie asked wearily. "Is...that you?"

"Pinkie!" Rainbow exclaimed. "It's all right! We're here for you!"

"W-wait...please, don't come any closer..."

"What're ya talkin' about, sugar cube?" Applejack asked. "We're here ta rescue ya!"

"N-no! Please, stay back! STAY BACK!"

Before anyone could respond, Pinkie's voice trailed off into a terrified scream. "I don't think she's talking to us anymore," Spike said. Everyone sprinted at top speed towards the sound of the voice.

Fluttershy suddenly screeched to a halt. The others stopped as well just before hitting her and turned towards her with concerned looks. Fluttershy's eyes stared past them, looking at something with pure, abject terror.

"Fluttershy, what's the matter?" Rarity asked. "What are you staring at?"

Fluttershy said nothing. She shakily raised a hoof and pointed it towards what currently held her attention. The others turned towards it and recoiled in horror.

Though the light from Naravirala's flames wasn't enough to pierce the darkness very far, the group could still tell exactly what they were looking at. It was Pinkie Pie...hanging by her neck from a noose.

"PINKIE PIE!" Rainbow screamed. Hayabusa flew up and above Pinkie's lifeless body, slashing through the rope. Before Pinkie could hit the ground, Hayabusa descended again and caught her, putting her down gently in front of the others. Everyone stared at her in disbelief and despair.

"Th-this can't be happening," Twilight whispered. Her vision grew blurry as tears stung her eyes.

"Ah...Ah can't look," Applejack said. She turned around and put her hat over her chest.

"Why...?" Rarity collapsed where she stood, holding back sobs. "The Shadow...isn't supposed to kill the host until the rain comes..."

Spike dropped to his knees and slammed his fist into the ground. "That Shadow...is gonna pay for this!"

Suddenly, Pinkie's eyes opened. However, they weren't their usual sky blue color--instead, they were an all-too-familiar shade of sickly yellow. As soon as everyone noticed that she was up and about, she stood up and sneered at them. "That...was satisfying."

The darkness lifted from the tent almost immediately, allowing everyone to see everything around them. The inside of the tent was quite a bit smaller than it looked from outside, only just having enough room to fit the crowd of Shadows that had flooded out. In addition to Shadow Pinkie, the group could see the real Pinkie only a few feet away, looking on in horror. The look in her eyes suggested that she had seen everything that had happened.

"You...unbelievable piece of TRASH!" Rainbow flew up to the Shadow and drew back her hoof, preparing to punch the Shadow in the face. However, her swing only met air as the Shadow faded into the air. She reappeared next to Pinkie, causing her to take a step back.

"Fear...despair...these things are all you feel when you're alone," the Shadow said. She turned towards Pinkie Pie. "That's why you have so many friends, isn't it? If there's always somepony to be around, you never have to feel that way."

"Th-that's not..." Pinkie's eyes widened in fear. "Please..."

"The truth is, you're so afraid of what you might do if you're alone for too long that you try and surround yourself at all times! And no matter what, it's never enough, is it?"

Pinkie shook her head and backed up more. "I-I..."

"Everyone is your friend...because if you make tons of friends, you'll be happy! The more the merrier, right?" Shadow Pinkie walked towards her host as she backed away. "Just admit it...I know it's the truth. It's a bit tough to hide things from yourself."

"Wh-what are you saying...?"

"What, you didn't figure it out already?" Shadow Pinkie's malevolent smile grew. "I am you. You should really know that by now."

Pinkie's eyes widened further. She stopped backing up. "N-no...no! If you were me, you'd never do things like that to my friends! There's no way you're part of me!"

The instant Pinkie was done talking, Shadow Pinkie started laughing. She rose into the air as red mist surrounded her. "You sound so very frightened...you know how it goes in these scenarios, right? EVERYPONY DIES!"

The red mist fully consumed Shadow Pinkie. Instead of exploding, however, it only grew and warped. Once it was the size of the castle that had been on Shadow Applejack's back, three giant tentacles burst from each side, each tipped with a wicked silver blade. Two more tentacles appeared at the top of the cloud of mist and curled towards each other, forming what appeared to be the shape of a heart. Finally, an enormous eye of many colors opened on the front of the Shadow.

"I am a Shadow...the true self." Shadow Pinkie blinked once and stared down at her host. "I can taste your fear...and it is exquisite. I'm going to make you scream!"

"Well, here we go again," Twilight said. "Let's get this done quick!"

Each of the Personas save Stonewall attacked at the same time--Merlin and Xanthias with purple blasts, Hayabusa with a whirlwind, Naravirala with a fireball, and Jack of Clubs with an icicle spear. However, despite all of the attacks landing, they all seemed to fade into the mist, not doing any visible damage. The Shadow laughed maniacally as she turned towards the attackers.

"I want to see you suffer," Shadow Pinkie said. The two upper tentacles threw themselves skyward, and a huge column of lightning slammed down onto Hayabusa. Rainbow collapsed immediately. Jack of Clubs flew over and put his hand on her back, healing her wounds. As Rainbow stood up again, the Shadow looked almost intrigued.

"What, is that all you've got?" Rainbow asked. "It's gonna take a lot more than that!"

The Shadow didn't respond. Instead, she stared at Rarity and Rainbow in turn, as if studying them. She looked towards the others as well before curling up her tentacles over her eye defensively.

"Ah'll break through it!" Applejack yelled. Stonewall flew up and drew back her fist. As she got to the Shadow's height, she noticed that she watched her with a piercing gaze. Nevertheless, she slammed her fist into the tentacles, causing them to return to their normal positions. Shadow Pinkie sent her flying with a fiery blast, but Merlin stopped her before she could hit the ground. Meanwhile, Naravirala healed Applejack after Stonewall got back into a favorable position.

"I see...you all fight to support each other. You draw strength from each other's company." Shadow Pinkie's calculating expression was replaced with what appeared to be a confident sneer. "I wonder...what would happen if I took that away from you?"

The Shadow suddenly launched its six tentacles towards the ponies. Before anyone could react, one tentacle had impaled each of Twilight's friends--not even Pinkie was spared. Each of Twilight's friends collapsed, but they were still conscious. They tried to choke out words, but they couldn't speak.

"NO!" Twilight screamed. She ran over to Spike and tried to use her magic to pull out the tentacle, but it wouldn't budge. She attempted to use her hooves and even her teeth, but to no avail. Even so, she knew that Spike was still alive, and somehow she just knew that the Shadow was going to drag out his death as long as she could.

"It's your turn next," Shadow Pinkie said menacingly. Twilight turned to the Shadow to see that she had charged a hollow orb of purple energy between her upper tentacles. Twilight mentally commanded Merlin to attack it, but there was no response. She tried again, but nothing happened. She turned to Merlin to see that he was slowly fading away from the bottom up.

"N-not you too!" Twilight pleaded. "You can't leave now! Not when I need you the most!"

Twilight's pleas fell on deaf ears. Within a few more seconds, Merlin was gone completely. Tears threatened to overflow from Twilight's eyes as the gravity of her situation set in.

"Farewell!" the Shadow boomed. Twilight heard a noise behind her, but everything went black before she could turn around.

For a few seconds, Twilight thought that she'd been knocked unconscious. Then she realized that if she could think anything at all, that probably wasn't the case, so the theory was quickly rejected. Not only that, but she could move. She looked around in all directions, but nothing was there--just darkness. She couldn't even see what was below her, leading her to wonder what she was standing on. "Am I...dead?" she asked.

"Not yet," the Shadow's voice replied. "But you will be in due course."

Twilight recoiled in surprise as a smaller version of Shadow Pinkie's eye opened directly in front of her. Her surprise was quickly replaced with fury. She took a few steps back and fired a beam of magic energy at the eye, but it only faded into the darkness.

"Don't waste your energy," the Shadow said. "You can't touch me, and you know it as well as I do."

Despite Twilight's intense fear, she glared at the eye. "So you're here to finish me off, then? Fine. Just do it."

"You've never been a good actress, Twilight." The eye began to orbit Twilight, as if trying to keep her from escaping. "I can feel your fear. It has a distinct woodsy flavor to it."

"Just be quiet! I don't care what you have to say."

"Oh, but you do. For I'm only here to tell you one thing..." The eye lit up with morbid glee. "I'm not done with your friends."

"Wh...what?"

"Their injuries aren't fatal. I wouldn't let it end that simply...oh, no. I plan to torture them individually...while none of them can fight back. None of them shall be spared."

Twilight shook her head. "Y-you're bluffing!"

"What, forgetting what you've learned? Aren't you supposed to be searching for the truth? It's right here in front of you!" The Shadow's joy only grew. "And do you know what they see right now? They see you and your Persona...standing there and doing nothing. Just watching them die."

Despite her attempts to stay strong, Twilight's glare faltered. "Stop...lying to me!"

"What reason would I have to lie?...One at a time, your friends will meet their fate...and they will believe that you let it happen. Nothing will be left for you, even in the afterlife...only then will I allow you to die."

"Why...why are you doing this?!" Twilight demanded as tears flowed down her cheeks.

The eye closed partially as the Shadow's voice chuckled. "You feel fear, don't you? Fear...despair...and anger. The most intense of each that you've ever felt in all your days, no less! That is what I am...fear."

Before Twilight could respond again, the eye closed completely. She stood there for a few seconds, her jaw hanging open. She found that her legs could no longer support her, and she broke down.

Time passed. Each second dragged on for what seemed like hours. Twilight had no idea what was happening on the other side, or when her own death was coming. She thought she felt madness set in at some point, but she couldn't be certain.

After what seemed like a century, a thought finally occurred to Twilight. "What if...I kill myself?" she asked no one. "Then...what they see in the afterlife will contradict what they saw here. We can still be friends on the other side, if nothing else..."

Maybe Twilight had gone mad after all.

Another century seemed to pass before the eye returned. It seemed stronger than it had before. "It's your turn next, Princess," it said menacingly.

However long it had been, it was enough time for Twilight to accept her own demise. She stood up and looked at the eye sadly. "I know."

From random points in the darkness, the Shadow's six bladed tentacles entered. They slowly crept towards Twilight, but she didn't scream or try to run. She stood up straight, closed her eyes, and waited for the end.

But the end never came.

"What...what's this interference?" Shadow Pinkie asked. Twilight opened a curious eye to find that the air (if there was any) was shimmering between herself and the eye. Both eyes opened with shock as a ball of blue energy appeared there, and then were forced closed as a blinding flash erupted from it. When the light cleared, standing between the eye and Twilight was none other than Princess Luna.

"BEING OF DARKNESS!" Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice. "RELEASE THESE PONIES AT ONCE!"

The eye didn't obey, and only narrowed in anger. "I suppose you think that extra volume makes you think you're intimidating."

Princess Luna didn't respond with words. Instead, she flapped her wings, rising into the air as her horn and eyes glowed with magic energy. A huge stream of lightning arced from her horn, hitting the eye directly. To Twilight's surprise, it actually worked--the eye growled in rage and faded into the darkness, taking the six tentacles with it. Luna turned around and landed in front of Twilight.

"Princess Luna...what's going on?" Twilight asked.

"That shadowy being trapped you and your friends in a nightmare," Luna explained. "It is not too late. I will assist you in breaking the curse."

"A-a nightmare?! But...it seems so real!"

"It is not a natural nightmare, I assure you...but still, nothing I was unable to handle." Princess Luna's horn glowed again, this time with softer light. "My sister awaits your waking, but do not be alarmed. She only followed you out of concern. Just know this...your friends are still alive."

Luna touched her horn to Twilight's forehead before she could respond. Where everything had been dark, it was now blindingly bright. When the light faded, Twilight was standing where she had been before the Shadow attacked her. She saw that her friends appeared to have just woken up, and she guessed that she had as well. As if that wasn't enough, Merlin was also beside her again. Even if she couldn't express it due to the circumstances, the joy she felt was nearly overwhelming.

She was snapped back to reality when she saw that the entire circus tent was on fire.

The group turned to where the Shadow had been to find that she was currently facing down Princess Celestia. The Shadow looked the same, but Celestia was barely recognizable. Where her mane and tail were normally gentle auroras, they were currently streams of blue fire. Her coat had changed color, going from pure white to a fiery orange. Her wings were spread to their full length, and each of her feathers were alight with flames as well. Even her eyes were on fire--fire so intense that it blocked out any view of her eyes. Just as the group took in the sight, Celestia fired a massive beam of orange light that fully consumed the Shadow. To their amazement, the Shadow screamed in pain and shrunk a great deal. Celestia let up after a few seconds, after which it took a moment to recover.

"Just...what are you...?" the Shadow asked, staring at the Princess weakly.

"My identity is no concern of yours!" Celestia boomed. Even her voice was laced with flame's fury. "You have endangered my subjects, and that was your last mistake! Now yield, or I will not hold back next time!"

Shadow Pinkie scoffed in response. She aimed her upper tentacles at Celestia, trapping her within a huge block of ice. Before it could savor the victory, however, the ice shattered violently. Twilight managed to put up a barrier to protect herself and her friends from the shrapnel. Without saying anything more, Celestia fired another orange beam at the Shadow. The Shadow writhed in agony until its tentacles finally receded into the mist. Its eye closed only a second later, and only then did Celestia cease her assault. The mist dispersed, and there Shadow Pinkie was in her pony form. Hayabusa flew over and caught her as she fell. Celestia's horn glowed once more as it prepared to finish off the Shadow once and for all.

"PRINCESS!" Twilight yelled. Celestia blinked in surprise and turned towards her. "It's all right now. She's harmless!"

Princess Celestia descended a bit as Hayabusa flew back towards the group with the Shadow in tow. "Are you certain?" she asked.

Twilight nodded. "Trust me."

Celestia hesitated for a moment, but she smiled and nodded. She returned to her normal appearance and landed a few feet away. "Very well. I will stand by."

Hayabusa gently put the Shadow down in front of Pinkie, who sighed deeply as the Shadow looked up at her with tired eyes. "I...was confused," Pinkie said. "I know that Shadows don't lie...but what you were doing seemed a bit extreme, even by Shadow standards. But...I suppose it does make sense. You were obsessed with fear, just like I was...just like I am. You were right all along...that's why I make so many friends."

"It's all right," Fluttershy said. "We all know how much you actually care about us."

"Yeah, what she said!" Rainbow exclaimed. "And if that's the case, then does it really matter what your reasoning was?"

Pinkie smiled at the others. "Thank you all for helping me...I'm sorry I put you through this." She suddenly grabbed her Shadow's midsection and hoisted her into the air. "You were right, you meanie-pants! You really are me!"

The Shadow giggled a bit before glowing with white light. When that faded, she had transformed into a pink fairy that was about the size of a basketball. She had solid blue eyes, small arms and legs, and a red heart pattern on her stomach. Four tiny insect wings buzzed on her back, and she had two hair buns on her head that were separated by another red heart. She quickly turned into an Arcana card that depicted a sand-colored sun with a human face in front of a background with varying shades of red and orange. The card faded into the air, bathing Pinkie with blue light.

"She's adorable!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "What's her name?"

Pinkie turned towards the others. "Aurora...her name's Aurora."

Princess Celestia walked towards the group and cleared her throat. Everyone turned towards her. "I do hope there's a good explanation for all of this," she said.

"There is," Twilight replied. "But we shouldn't talk here. This world isn't made for ponies."

"The library, then. We'll meet up there. Is that all right?"

Everyone nodded. "That sounds like a great idea," Rainbow said.

Princess Celestia listened intently as each pony (and dragon) recounted their personal experiences in the other world. As they told more and more of the story, their respective sides of it began to culminate into a very clear and coherent explanation. Not only Celestia was learning, however--the earlier parts of the story brought to light details that the others weren't there for, putting everyone on the same page. As the explanation started winding down, Celestia seemed to understand more and more with every word she listened to.

"And then you saved us," Twilight said. "That just about wraps it all up. You saw the rest with your own eyes, after all."

Celestia took a deep breath before speaking. "This is a great deal to process...you have all been through so much together." A warm smile spread across her muzzle. "It is good that you've all learned a valuable lesson...each in your own way."

"Which lesson?" Rainbow asked. "It feels like there've been tons of 'em."

"Everypony has a bad side...but it does not define who we are. That is the lesson I'm referring to...and what a valuable lesson it is."

"I just wish we had all learned it before this ordeal," Rarity said. "Had we done so, we never would have needed saving."

"By the way, Princess...why exactly did you follow us?" Twilight asked. "It seems...a bit strange."

"True, but you have to remember that it was strange to me that you left so hastily. I wanted to know what you were hiding...but I never would have imagined that it was something like this....Why did you hide it from me? I could have offered assistance, or at least sent a few more guards to Ponyville..."

"That's part of the problem right there," Spike said. "If any royals get in on this other than Twilight, it's probably gonna cause some widespread panic."

"We also have found that the magic in that world is radically different than our own," Rarity added. "If knowledge of that world were made public...ponies would either try to study the magic or just go to see the world with their own eyes. They would all be putting themselves at extreme risk in doing so."

"Honestly, Ah'm surprised ya didn't know about all this already," Applejack said thoughtfully. "The book we used to enter the other world was in yer own private library, after all."

"The castle has been abandoned for generations. The book was probably placed there so that it would be hidden...but no matter who put it there, I can assure you that I know nothing of its origin."

"Hmm...well there goes a lead," Rainbow muttered. "What about Princess Luna, though? How did she even know what happened to us?"

"To be honest, I had no idea that she was involved before you told me. She can just sense when a pony has a nightmare. It's part of her royal duty." Celestia stood up. "You have my gratitude for bringing this issue to my attention...but I'm afraid I must return to Canterlot at once."

"We understand," Fluttershy said. "You'll keep this a secret, won't you?"

"Fear not. Your secret is safe with me." Celestia smiled again. "Send my regards to all of Ponyville for their wonderful hospitality...and congratulations on your Persona, Pinkie Pie."

With that, Celestia walked towards the library door. Twilight opened it for her and closed it as she left.

"...So now what do we do?" Rainbow asked.

"It's getting late," Rarity said. "I shall retire to my home for the night. We'll plan our next course of action tomorrow at the barn, just like always."

The others voiced their agreements. After saying their goodbyes, everyone left the library that didn't live there...except for Pinkie Pie. She seemed a bit hesitant to leave.

"Are you all right, Pinkie?" Twilight asked. "You were awfully quiet this whole time."

Pinkie nodded, but her expression was rather forlorn. She sighed deeply. "Do you mind if I stay over here for tonight?"

Twilight seemed taken aback for a moment, but she smiled gently and nodded. "As long as your antics don't wake me up too early, you're welcome to stay as long as you like."

Pinkie cheered up slightly. As the moon rose in the sky, so did her spirits.

Chapter 19: Think of the Pink

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The next morning was surprisingly quiet. Twilight expected Pinkie to be an early riser, but when she woke up, Pinkie was still fast asleep. For some reason, she was sleeping in Spike's basket, holding the little dragon to her chest with her forelegs like a teddy bear. Twilight stifled a laugh at the sight and decided to let them sleep in. She went downstairs and poured a bowl of cereal, given that Spike wasn't awake to make something. She had learned long ago not to try cooking herself--the last time she tried that, she nearly burned down the library.

Just as Twilight sat down, however, Pinkie suddenly burst out of her bowl, sending milk and pieces of cereal to every corner of the room. There was no indication whatsoever that she'd been sleeping. "Good morning, Twily!" she exclaimed.

Twilight was surprised, but she knew that it was pointless to question how and why Pinkie did things. "You seem pretty happy."

"Why shouldn't I be?" Pinkie asked as she climbed out of the bowl. "I slept GREAT last night! Probably better than I have in weeks!"

"Well, yeah, but...the Shadow? The nightmare we were trapped in? The time we spent thinking that our friends were being tortured to death?"

"Water under the bridge!" Pinkie accentuated her words with a wave of her hoof as she sat down across the table.

"Someday I hope to be as optimistic as you are." Twilight used her magic to pick up a towel and started wiping the milk off the walls.

A half-asleep Spike appeared at the top of the staircase. He let out a cavernous yawn and descended the stairs groggily. "Mup," he said.

"Hey there, champ!" Pinkie yelled. She grabbed Spike in her front hooves and hoisted him into the air. "Twilight, go long!"

Twilight dropped her towel in surprise. "WHAT?!" she demanded.

Pinkie threw Spike towards Twilight. As he flew through the air, Twilight noticed that he was still half-asleep. Twilight caught him nonetheless, and Pinkie cheered heartily.

"Spike...you don't look so good," Twilight said.

"Yeah, but...the french toast..." Spike droned.

"...What?"

"...Cheese Sandwich...and the check marks...so many check marks..."

Twilight gently nudged Spike with her magic. Spike's eyes suddenly opened wide, and he stretched his arms and legs. "Morning, girls!...Why am I in the kitchen?"

Pinkie skipped past the two, headed for the pantry. "'Cause you're not a morning dragon!"

"...I'm confused."

Twilight put Spike down. "Well, as long as you're up, do you mind making something for us to eat?"

"Oh no you don't!" Pinkie exclaimed. She turned around and faced Twilight, looking past a bag of flour in her hooves. "I'll take care of that today."

"Wait, really?" Spike asked. "I do this all the time...it's no trouble. In fact, I like doing it."

"You guys let me spend the night, silly!" Pinkie tossed the bag of flour into the air and produced a chef's hat from her mane. She plopped the hat onto her head and raised her back left leg, catching the flour on her hoof. "I'll do this, and we'll be even!"

"Well...sure, I guess. Go ahead."

Had a bystander entered Twilight's home that morning, they would have thought that Twilight was painting her kitchen yellow. Twilight and Spike had lost count of how many eggs Pinkie had inexplicably taken out of a bag or pocket that they couldn't see only to smash them with reckless abandon. Twilight knew after that morning why Pinkie usually handled the register at the bakery.

That isn't to say that Pinkie couldn't bake, however. She had made three apple strudels for each of them--though why she had needed eggs for that was anyone's guess--and they were among the best things Twilight had ever eaten. The taste of the pastries captivated her, and she had eaten through the first of hers much faster than she had intended. She restrained herself from devouring the other two treats so messily, and was now only part of the way through her second one. Meanwhile, Pinkie had eaten all three of hers in a single bite.

"And here's some for the coolest guy I know!" Pinkie said jovially as she slid a plate of strudels towards Spike. He caught it, and upon closer investigation, he saw that these weren't like the others.

"Are these...rubies?" Spike asked.

"They sure are!" Pinkie rubbed the top of Spike's head. "They go great with sweet stuff."

"Wait, where did you even get those?" Twilight asked. "I don't have any rubies...just emeralds."

"Same place she got those eggs, I bet," Spike said as he took a huge bite of his first strudel.

Pinkie smiled at Twilight, accompanying the action with a high-pitched squeak. Twilight rolled her eyes. "We should go to the barn as soon as we're done eating today."

"Okie dokie loki!" Pinkie sat down and wiped the apple filling from her face by rubbing her cheeks on the table. Twilight would have said something, but she was going to have to clean the whole room anyway, so she didn't mind.

Spike finished his food before Twilight did. Twilight took much longer, given that she wasn't eating her food like a pack of starving timberwolves. When she was done eating, Pinkie immediately became a pink tornado of water and suds. She went around the room like this, making everything she passed over completely spotless. She stopped by the door and smiled as if nothing had happened whatsoever. It took Twilight and Spike a minute or two to process this.

"Well, we'd better get going," Twilight said. "The others are probably waiting for us by now."

"Right you are!" Pinkie exclaimed. "TWILIGHT! SPIKE! TO BATTLE STATIONS!"

The three of them left the library in rather high spirits and headed for the outskirts of town, where Sweet Apple Acres awaited their arrival.

As Twilight had guessed, she, Pinkie and Spike were the last to arrive. It was evident, however, that only Applejack had been there for any length of time--Rarity was putting a hairbrush in her saddlebag, as if she had just been brushing away the knots and loose strands that travelling brought; Rainbow had just finished brushing cloudstuff from her wings; and Fluttershy was only just now sitting down. As soon as everyone was seated, Twilight cleared her throat. "All right, for our first order of business...Pinkie Pie, do you remember anything that has no place being there?"

"I don't think the murderer planted anything, if that's what you mean," Pinkie replied. "But I might've been too focused on what was going on in the foggy-fog world to have kept it in mind."

"Hmm...I'll have to scan, then. Just to be certain."

"Before you do that, though..." Rarity smiled. "Tell us more about your Persona, Pinkie! Her name was Aurora, was it not?"

Pinkie nodded. She launched herself out of her seat and cartwheeled over to where the others usually showed off their own Personas. then brought her Party Cannon out as her Arcana card floated down to her eye level. She blasted the card with an eruption of confetti and streamers, and Aurora flew across the room. She bounced off the walls several times before screeching to a halt just above Pinkie's head. "Watch this!" Pinkie chirped.

Aurora flew over to Spike and sat on his head. Spike was thoroughly confused, but Aurora didn't care. She smacked Spike on his foremost spine, and he was suddenly surrounded by an aura that glowed in all the colors of the rainbow. He suddenly jumped up to the rafters, knocking Aurora off of his head. "This is AWESOME! I feel like I could wrestle a hippopotamus!" He dropped down onto the table. "Let's go find a hippopotamus to wrestle."

"What's up with you all of a sudden?" Rainbow asked.

"Aurora boosted his power, defense, and speed all at once!" Pinkie exclaimed with a huge grin.

Spike ran over to Applejack. "AJ, I need you to do something really quick for me! What, you ask?! Simple! PUNCH ME IN THE FACE!"

"Wh-what?" Applejack backed up ever so slightly. "Whaddya mean?"

"You heard me! Punch me in the face! Just one punch, right in the jaw!"

"Ah'm not gonna--"

"No buts! HIT ME!"

"Spike, yer bein' ridiculous!"

"I'm waaaaitiiiiing!"

"What in the name of Celestia are we watching?" Rainbow asked.

"Rainbow!" Spike zipped over to Rainbow Dash. "Just one punch, really fast!"

"Spike, you really need to--"

Spike suddenly grabbed Rainbow's foreleg and lifted it so that her hoof was on the table. He then grabbed her hoof and slammed his head into it full-force. He ran to the center of the table and spat out a few embers as if they were a tooth. "YEEEEEEEEEAH!"

"...I think I made a horrible mistake," Pinkie whispered.

"Well, can Aurora do anything else?" Rarity asked. "Surely we haven't seen everything."

"Oh! Yeah, watch this!"

Aurora flew back over to Pinkie. She grabbed the heart that was on her head and pulled at it, eventually removing it with a comical pop. She put it over Pinkie's eye, and it turned translucent, allowing her to see through it.

"What's that supposed to do?" Fluttershy asked.

"I CAN SEE EVERYTHING!" Pinkie shouted. "I can see what elements your Personas are weak to! I can see what your Personas can do! I can even see what Twilight did on the night of the 14th!"

Twilight's face turned bright red. "I-I didn't mean to do that! I had no idea that thing was--"

"Just joking!" Pinkie took the heart off of her eye and dismissed Aurora.

"...Don't joke about that, Pinkie." Twilight's face was still red even as she glowered at her friend.

Spike ran over to Pinkie. "If you saw everything, does that mean you saw how PUMPED I AM?!?" he demanded.

"I didn't need the scouter to see that," Pinkie replied with a giggle. "You're bouncing off the walls, Spikey."

As if in response, Spike ran over to the wall and tore out part of one of the planks with his teeth. He turned back towards the group and snapped his jaws shut, shattering the wood into hundreds of splinters.

"Spike, stop wreckin' the barn!" Applejack yelled indignantly.

"THIS BARN CAN'T HANDLE ME RIGHT NOW! THE CLUB CAN'T EVEN HANDLE ME RIGHT NOW!"

Twilight picked Spike up and held him in the air. "Let's get back on task, okay? This will wear off in a little bit. Pinkie, I need to run a quick scan on you."

"Go ahead!" Pinkie replied. She sat down, narrowed her eyes, and scrunched up her nose.

Twilight got up and walked over to Pinkie, handing Spike over to Rarity. She closed her eyes and focused on the memory spell. After a few seconds, she was staring into Pinkie's mind. As she had suspected, the memories surrounding her disappearance had been removed. She looked both directions, but still saw nothing out of the ordinary. It seemed as though the culprit hadn't planted anything after all. She withdrew and sighed heavily.

"Nothin', huh?" Applejack asked.

"Nothing at all," Twilight replied. "I guess he knew we were on to him after the last time."

"I've been wondering more and more lately regarding the killer's intents," Rarity said. "So far, our theory is that he is trying to cease our involvement...but his perseverance in kidnapping us and that which he planted in Applejack's mind are evidence to the contrary. There is no way he thinks we're going to stop now, and what his taunt said is practically a direct contrast to the theory."

"Well, yeah, but what in the world could he be trying to accomplish?" Rainbow asked. "Is he just kinda hoping that a big enough Shadow will take us all down?"

"I don't think so," Twilight interjected. "If he thought that, then he probably would've just kidnapped Pinkie in the first place. Her Shadow was definitely the most powerful."

"None of the Shadows were exactly easy. Except maybe Spike's."

"What if he wasn't trying to kill us at all?" Fluttershy asked. "What if he was trying to get us to face ourselves?"

"That's preposterous. If that were the case, then why simply kill Filthy Rich and Lotus?" Rarity's eyes lit up with intense focus as she thought. "Though...it is a possibility that Filthy Rich and Lotus were killed by accident. In the first case--and the first case alone, before you get the wrong idea--the culprit may not have known the exact nature of this world."

"I don't think that's it. He was probably at least suspicious that the other world was dangerous," Rainbow pointed out. "Besides, even if he didn't mean to kill them, he still kidnapped them and threw them in. That's enough of a crime in and of itself."

"We can worry about this creep's intentions later," Applejack said. "Right now, we don't have enough to make an educated guess. Rainbow, when's it gonna rain again?"

Rainbow shifted her weight to make herself more comfortable. "I think it's twelve days from now. But don't quote me on that."

"But now that we've all been targeted...who's the killer going after next?" Fluttershy asked. No one had an answer for that.

The aura around Spike finally dissipated, and he blinked a few times in confusion. "What...just happened?"

"Oh, good, you're not crazy anymore," Twilight said. She put Spike down beside her.

"Yeah, sorry about..." Spike's voice trailed off, and he suddenly grabbed his forehead. "OH CELESTIA, THE PAIN! MAKE IT STOOOOP!"

After putting ice on Spike's forehead and letting him go to bed early, Twilight wasn't really sure what to do. Usually, she would go to Looking Glass and Siren to relay the new information regarding the case. However, this time there was no new information that she could share with them. The killer hadn't left any clues, and it would be a waste of time to tell the detectives that. As such, she was just wandering aimlessly around town.

While she was lost in thought, she almost smacked right into someone as they were leaving the market. This snapped her out of her trance, and she managed to stop herself just in the nick of time. "Sorry!" she said frantically. "I know, I need to watch where I'm going!"

"Think nothing of it, your Highness," a familiar voice replied. Twilight then realized that, as luck would have it, she had nearly run into Ruby.

"Hi, Twilight!" Diamond Tiara exclaimed. If Twilight didn't know any better, she would've thought that this was planned ahead of time.

"It's good to see you again," Twilight said. "What brings you here?"

"Just picking up a few things for the weekend." Ruby gestured to her saddlebags. "What about you?"

"No reason, really. I was just walking around." Twilight turned to Diamond Tiara. "You seem awfully happy today."

"Do I?" Diamond asked. "I didn't even notice."

"She's been visiting Filthy's grave a lot over the past few weeks," Ruby explained. "She always returns a bit brighter than the last time."

"Makes sense." Twilight smiled. "I can't speak from experience, but I've heard that kind of thing is very therapeutic."

"It's certainly helped me in the past. In fact, I was the one to suggest it in the first place."

"Sometimes I bring flowers, and sometimes we just talk," Diamond Tiara said. "Or...well, I talk, anyway. I like to think that he listens."

"Of course he's listening! If he could see you now, I bet he'd be so proud," Twilight replied. "You've come so far since we first met. At the time I was worried you would stop sleeping at night forever."

Diamond Tiara suddenly looked a bit guilty as Ruby's expression contorted in confusion. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Wait, you didn't know? Diamond Tiara went a few days at a time without sleeping before."

Twilight hadn't expected Ruby's reaction to be what it was. She turned towards her niece, a stern glare on her face. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I-I didn't want you to worry..." Diamond Tiara replied. "I know how this kind of thing affects you..."

"That doesn't matter! You should have told me. It's my responsibility to take care of you!"

"Umm...did I miss something here?" Twilight asked nervously. "Why is this such a big deal?"

Ruby thought for a moment, her eyes clouded with doubt. Diamond Tiara was the one to speak up. "Have you heard of 'sporadic fatal insomnia?'"

Twilight nodded. "It's an unbelievably rare mutation that causes incurable sleeplessness and eventually leads to death...are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Diamond Tiara nodded. "Uncle Moneybags died from it last year. The doctors said--"

"That's enough, Diamond Tiara!" Ruby yelled. "You shouldn't go around telling everypony about what happened to my husband. That's no way to behave!"

Diamond Tiara shrunk a little bit and looked guilty. "S-sorry..."

"And you and I are going to have a long talk about keeping your own lack of sleep a secret. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am..."

Ruby sighed and turned to Twilight. "We should go."

Ruby left without another word, and Diamond Tiara was about to follow her. Twilight knew that she couldn't let her leave like this. "Wait a second," she called.

Diamond Tiara turned towards her. "Wh-what?"

"I'm sorry I brought that up...I had no idea that it was like this."

"No, it's all right...you didn't know." Diamond Tiara sighed. "I'd better get going...Aunt Ruby's gonna be even more angry if I don't."

Without saying anything else, Diamond Tiara turned and ran off as well. Twilight considered going after them, but it was obvious that Ruby didn't want anyone to encroach on family matters. She just knew that if she caused family problems between the two of them, it would keep her up at night.

She silently reminded herself to have Spike smack her for that pun when he was feeling better.

Chapter 20: Diminishing Returns

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Spike carefully investigated the cart of books that sat in the center of the room. The library had been bustling with activity for the past week or so, and as such, there were a lot of returns coming in that day. Twilight had asked him to start re-shelving them while she went to ask Looking Glass about progress on his and Siren's end of the case, and he wasn't planning on letting her down. Still, he was only vaguely familiar with how the books were supposed to be shelved. He decided to start with the three Daring Do books that were there--after all, the only thing he had to figure out there was where the other Daring Do books were. He picked them all up and stacked them in his arms. He had to climb up the library's rolling ladder to put them where they belonged, but he was used to that, so it didn't bother him.

Owlowiscious flew into the room and landed on the cart. When Spike was done putting the books back, he saw him there. "Hey, Owlowiscious," he said. "Could you hand me another fiction book while you're over there? I'm pretty sure this is where Twilight keeps them."

"Hoo." Owlowiscious grabbed a book off of the cart with his talons. On its front cover were four ponies clad in plate armor standing before what looked like a solar eclipse. He flew over and dropped it into Spike's waiting hands.

"Thanks, big guy." Spike looked at the spine of the book to figure out where exactly to put it.

"Hoo?"

"I think I can handle it. Thanks for the offer."

"Hoo."

"What do you mean? I'm pretty sure this is..." Spike took another look at the spine of the book in his hands. He then looked at the Daring Do books to find that the book he was holding belonged on the other side of the fiction section. "...Oh...well, that's fine. I'll just go over and--"

A knock on the door interrupted Spike mid-sentence, surprising him and making him drop the book. Owlowiscious flew over and caught it before it hit the ground, but Spike wasn't so lucky--he fell off of the ladder and hit the floor. Nevertheless, Spike recovered quickly. "Who is it?"

"It's Rarity," the voice behind the door replied. She sounded troubled. "May I come in, please?"

"Just a second!" Spike turned to Owlowiscious. "Hey, do you mind getting some of this work done for me?"

Owlowiscious raised an eyebrow at Spike. "Hoo."

"Oh, don't worry, I'll pay you back for it. Do this for me, and I'll get Fluttershy to massage your wings for you!"

Owlowiscious rolled his eyes, but he started working on the books. Spike went to go answer the door, and when he opened it, he saw that Rarity was holding a box. Spike stepped aside, allowing Rarity to enter.

"I apologize for the short notice," Rarity said. "Is Twilight home?"

"Nah, she's doing some detective stuff. What brings you here?"

"I wanted to talk to you, actually...about what my Shadow said before."

Spike was a bit confused. "Well, sure...I'll make some tea."

Fifteen minutes later, Spike and Rarity sat down at the table, each with a cup of tea. Rarity had set her box on the table as well, and Spike couldn't help but eye it curiously. It had been wrapped in a beautiful red ribbon with gold lacing, meaning that it was obviously a present. He wondered who it was for.

"Spike...I've been thinking about how to make up for what I've done to you ever since I obtained my Persona," Rarity said.

Spike looked Rarity in the eyes. "You don't have to do anything. As far as I'm concerned, you didn't do anything wrong."

"But I did do something wrong, whether you believe so or not. I...I did many things wrong. Things I would take back if I had the chance...without any hesitation." Rarity lifted the box and put it down beside Spike. "This is the best way to make things right that I could think of."

Spike took the box and gently removed the ribbon. He opened it and looked inside. Sitting there was a strikingly familiar necklace. In the center of the necklace was a red, heart-shaped gem. "Y-your Fire Ruby?"

"YOUR Fire Ruby." Rarity sighed. "To be completely honest...back when you gave that to me, I knew that you would do so if I coerced you a little bit. It ate me up inside afterwards, especially after my Shadow appeared."

"But this gem made you so happy! I couldn't ask you to give it up."

"It does pain me to part with it, but it is the right thing to do. Thank you again for allowing me to keep it, but I can no longer hold onto it in good conscience." Rarity stood up. "I hope it's just as valuable to you as it was to me."

"Wait, are you leaving already?"

"I must...before I change my mind. We'll talk again soon, darling."

Rarity turned around and started walking towards the door. Spike looked at the Fire Ruby thoughtfully for a moment, then had an idea. He took the ruby out of the box and hid it behind his back. "Rarity, wait!"

Rarity turned around. "Yes?"

"I have something for you. Close your eyes."

"Spike, you don't have to--"

"Upupupupup! Close 'em!"

Rarity hesitated, looking at Spike with concern. After about five seconds, she sighed and acknowledged his request. Spike walked over and stood on his toes, putting the necklace on her. He then backed up. "Aaaand open!"

Rarity opened her eyes. She felt something slightly cold on her neck, so she looked in a mirror. She looked surprised, then turned to Spike. "But...I just gave this back to you."

"Yep!"

Silence.

"I'm...not sure what to make of this."

"Well, you wanted to give this back because you feel like you forced me to give it to you, right?"

"Yes, but--"

"So now I'm giving it to you of my own accord! Now you can look at it and say you got this as a gift, instead of taking advantage of me for it."

Rarity's surprised look intensified. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. "I...I can't..."

"Don't even say that you can't accept it. We both know you can."

Rarity was silent for a few more seconds. She suddenly picked Spike up with her magic and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you so much, Spike. I won't forget this any time soon."

Spike wasn't sure how he kept his composure after that, but he and Rarity shared a tight embrace. "Aw, c'mon. What are friends for?"

"This is more than that, Spike." Rarity pulled back so that she could look Spike in the eye. "This is one of the happiest moments I've experienced in a long time...you have my eternal gratitude."

"All right, I get it, you're thankful! You're starting to embarrass me."

Suddenly, there were two sounds above them that sounded like a glass breaking. Each of them looked up to find that their Personas had summoned themselves.

"Wait a--is this what I think it is?!" Spike yelled, excitement dripping from his tone.

"What? What's happening?" Rarity asked.

Both Jack of Clubs and Xanthias were consumed by white light. Rarity and Spike had to close their eyes until the light dispersed. They looked up in awe as they saw that their Personas had changed. Jack of Clubs's duster had become a sleeved king's robe, and his tiara was now a jeweled crown. His rapier was more ornate, and it appeared to have two blades that met at the top. Xanthias was taller and more muscular, with knowing eyes and sharp fangs. His arms ended in spheres that yielded massive claws, and in one hand, he held a large globe surrounded by tiny stars. Both Personas turned into their respective Arcana cards and then faded into the air, bathing their hosts in familiar blue energy.

"What...was that?" Rarity asked.

"Well, I'm a little fuzzy on the specifics, but..." Spike smiled. "Apparently, when someone with a Persona gets over what their Shadow said about them, their Persona evolves to reflect the change in their outlook."

"I see...well, I certainly do feel more powerful." Rarity put a hoof to her chin. "Apparently, my new Persona is Ace of Spades. What about yours?"

"Atlas. But it's a funny feeling...we have these new powers now, and normally getting them would distract us from the moment we just had."

"And yet, after the initial shock of the transformation...it only pronounces its significance." Rarity looked back at Spike and stared into his eyes. "I promise you, I will never take advantage of you again. I can say that with confidence now."

"You're not gonna change your mind no matter how many times I tell you it doesn't bug me, are you?"

"Not a chance."

Spike laughed for a few seconds. "Well, with that out of the way, what do you say we go and pick up some food? I dunno about you, but I am starving."

"Only if I get to pay for it!"

As Spike and Rarity were leaving, Spike heard Owlowiscious hoot at him indignantly. He turned towards the owl. "What?"

Owlowiscious gestured to the books on the cart, an annoyed glare on his face.

"Oh, come on. Let me have this, okay?"

Owlowiscious's frustration persisted for a moment, but he eventually rolled his eyes and nodded. "Hoo."

"Thanks! You're the best." Spike turned around again, and he and Rarity walked out of the library.

Town Hall was a mess. Papers were scattered everywhere, with some torn to shreds. A machine that looked something like a gramophone had been knocked over. Twilight could barely take a step without her hoof falling on a piece of what looked like garbage. Looking Glass was also there, sitting at his desk and looking intensely troubled.

"What in the name of Celestia happened here?" Twilight asked.

"It was...Siren," Looking Glass replied. "I...don't know what happened. I mentioned something about the case, and she..."

"She did ALL of this?" As Twilight spoke, she swept her hoof across the room to emphasize just how big the mess was.

"I've never seen her so upset...I'm not sure what to do."

Twilight sighed. "All right, I think I can help you with this. Do you know where she went?"

Looking Glass shook his head. "She just stormed out. I believe I saw her flying towards the forest through the window, but I can't be certain."

"The forest? As in the Everfree Forest?"

"I'm afraid so. I would have gone after her, but...my presence would only make things worse at this point."

Twilight remembered what Siren had said the last time they talked. She was tired of the case, and she had no problem making it known to her. "I'll see if I can't bring her back here. It's not safe to leave her in the forest by herself."

"Thank you, your Highness. And...tell her that I'm sorry for whatever it is that I did wrong."

"I will."

Twilight turned and left Town Hall after that. Time was of the essence, so she took off immediately and flew towards the mass of dark trees and enormous brambles that was the Everfree.

The flight took only a few minutes, mostly because Twilight had a particular destination in mind. She had it on good authority that there was at least one safe place in the Everfree Forest, and that place was the shack of a certain rhyming zebra.

After struggling with the forest's canopy for a minute, she landed right in front of Zecora's hut and knocked frantically on the door. There was a sound that Twilight recognized as someone collapsing, and after a few seconds, the door opened. Zecora looked a bit frustrated. "What gives you the inclination to interrupt my meditation?" she asked.

"Sorry," Twilight replied. "But I need your help. Have you seen a small orange pegasus around here anywhere?"

"I have indeed; I'd say you're in luck. She managed to escape some brambles in which she was stuck."

"Where did she go after that?"

"She's right here in my home, partaking in one of my alchemy tomes."

"She's here?! Zecora, please, I need to see her!"

"There is no need to be frantic--I can put up with a good friend's antics. You're welcome to enter, but watch what you say...dear Siren's anger cannot be kept at bay."

Zecora turned and entered her hut again, and Twilight followed. Sure enough, Siren was sitting there, reading a book. She had been crying. As she heard them enter, she looked up and smiled weakly at Twilight. "Hey, Princess! Did you know that there's an herb with sap that works as an amazing adhesive? It's called Gumleaf!"

Twilight didn't let herself get distracted. She looked into Siren's eyes and saw that tears threatened to overflow again at any moment.

"...You're here about my uncle, huh?" Siren asked, her smile fading. "I...I guess I kinda overreacted. It's just a little too embarrassing to go back until the heat's died down a little bit, I guess."

"I think I get it now," Twilight said. "You're not mad about the case. You're mad because Looking Glass is so obsessed with it that he doesn't make time for you."

Siren's eyes widened. "How...did you know?"

"Because if you could get mad about a case so easily, you wouldn't be a detective. There was something else to it, and really, what else could it be?"

"I believe Twilight should hear what you told me," Zecora chimed in. "She's on the right track; the big picture, she must see."

"...Yeah...I suppose." Siren sighed. "Twilight, do you have time to listen to me for a little bit?"

"I always have time for a friend," Twilight replied. She sat down at the seat opposite Siren's. "Tell me everything."

"All right...I guess I should start by saying why I live with my uncle. You see...I was only four when my parents died in an accident. I hadn't even gotten my cutie mark yet, and already I was an orphan. I know that some ponies have it worse, but that wasn't much consolation."

"And then your uncle took you in?"

"No, it wasn't that simple. He lived in Manehattan and I lived in Canterlot, so he didn't hear about it for a few days. During those few days, I was on my own. The fact that my parents were dead somehow slipped under the radar, so no orphanages contacted me or anything like that...and let's just say that I learned how to boil noodles EXTREMELY quickly."

"Noted...so what happened after Looking Glass heard about it?"

"He bought me a train ticket to Manehattan, of course. He didn't care much for Canterlot, and I guess he didn't want me growing up around their elite class. And...after that, everything sorta escalated."

"How so?"

"He didn't have a wife or any kids of his own, so he tried to be both a father and a mother at the same time. I feel like I would've been fine with just a father, but I was too young to think much of it. He helped me get my cutie mark, he got me an internship, and he always did whatever it took to make me happy. When he's not working, he's a lot less serious. And..." Siren's cheeks turned red. "Well...I guess I got a little spoiled at some point down the road. I started working on cases with him just so I could spend more time around him. I felt like I needed him to be around at all times."

Twilight understood quite a bit. "I can't say I know that feeling firsthoof, but I'm not completely alien to it."

"So when he starts obsessing over the cases and ignores me...well, I guess it really bugs me. Even though he's in the same room, he's not there at all...do you get what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, and...well, I do see where you're coming from, but it's just a fact that he's not always going to be there for you. You're going to have to stand on your own four hooves eventually."

"I know..." Siren sighed. "I just...feel like I need some time."

"Time is not the only cure," Zecora said. "Only you can make you mature."

"...I suppose."

"I know how you feel, but it's probably best that you go back and see him," Twilight added. "He's worried about you."

Siren stayed silent for a few seconds as she thought about her situation. Twilight and Zecora both waited for her response. She sighed deeply. "Fine...I'll go."

Twilight smiled. "I'm glad to hear it."

Siren closed the book she had been reading and stood up. "Thanks for putting up with me, Zecora. I appreciate it."

"If you find yourself needing to roam, you're always welcome in my home," Zecora replied. "There is a path to town with great egress. When we next meet, I hope you've made progress."

Twilight and Zecora exchanged their own goodbyes, and then she and Siren left the hut. Siren looked extremely nervous, and Twilight couldn't help but notice.

"Do you think he's going to be mad at me?" Siren asked.

"Of course not," Twilight replied. "He didn't seem mad at you when I talked with him. He's just worried that you're still mad at him."

"How could I still be mad at him? It's not like I had any right to be mad at him in the first place." Siren rolled her eyes as she spoke in annoyance, which seemed largely directed at herself. "I can't believe I overreacted like that. I should've just kept in mind that we'd get to spend more time together once it was over."

Twilight smiled gently. "You know, it seems like you're already on the right track to improvement."

Siren didn't say anything else, so Twilight didn't elect to speak either. The trip through the forest was somewhat lengthy on foot, so it would be a few minutes yet before they would see unobstructed sunlight once more.

By the time Twilight and Siren returned to Town Hall, much of the mess had been taken care of. Looking Glass was busily cleaning up the rest of it when they came in, but when he saw who it was, he abandoned that pursuit in favor of talking with them.

"Hey, Uncle," Siren said nervously. She tried to smile, but it wasn't happening.

"Siren...I'm so glad you're safe!" Looking Glass exclaimed. He walked up to Siren and hugged her, catching her by surprise. "I'm sorry...I think I know why you're upset. And it has nothing to do with the case."

Siren wasn't sure how to process this. "W-well...I just wanted to say that you didn't do anything wrong. You're already trying to balance work with taking care of me, and it wasn't right of me to put this kind of pressure on you..."

"Siren, don't be daft." Looking Glass took a step back. "You're the closest thing I have to a daughter, and it is my responsibility to make sure you have a happy and safe life...and yet, all this time I was blind to your troubles. Just because we're working on a case doesn't mean I should ignore you completely."

"But that's exactly what it means!" Siren exclaimed. She then actually took the time to register what she had just said. "I mean...our job isn't full-time. We work and get paid on commission. So it's to be expected that work comes first when we actually have it. I was wrong to ever think otherwise."

"This has put you through great pain...and you're asking me to persist in the same vein? I cannot do that."

"I'll manage...besides, we'll get to spend time together again when it's over. I understand now that the case comes first. From this point on, I won't get upset over it at all."

"...Well, I suppose that is difficult to contest. What brought on the change of heart?"

"Twilight drilled some sense into me. What did you think was gonna happen?"

Looking Glass turned towards Twilight. "Princess...I don't know what to say."

"Hey, I didn't do this," Twilight said. "I just brought her back here. She figured that out all on her own."

"Oh, don't be so modest!" Siren scolded. "I was hiding from my own uncle until you came. How is what you did not helping me?"

Twilight tried to offer a rebuttal, but she couldn't think of anything. Instead, she just stayed silent.

"Well, rest assured, I will be more sensitive to your troubles from this point on," Looking Glass said. "If anything troubles you, Siren...please, don't hesitate to come to me with it. Whether the case is over or not."

Twilight suddenly heard a familiar sound--the same sound that she heard every time she or one of her friends summoned a Persona. She saw Justice and Devil Arcana cards in her mind's eye, which glowed with bright light. A deep voice resounded in her thoughts. "You have created bonds that cannot be broken...these everlasting bonds shall be your eyes to see the truth. We bestow upon you the ability to harness the power of the Justice and Devil Arcana."

The cards disappeared as soon as they had appeared, leaving Twilight dumbfounded. She recovered from the shock after a few seconds and smiled. "Well, I'm happy for you two. Looks like everything worked out for the best in the end."

"Well, let's get back to work!" Siren said jovially. "We've got a killer to catch!"

"Right you are!" Looking Glass replied. "Twilight, I imagine you're rather busy. Don't let us keep you."

Twilight nodded. "Yeah...I guess I should head home."

At this point, nothing else needed to be said. Twilight left Town Hall in an optimistic mood, not reflecting much on what the voice had said--it didn't take a genius to piece together its meaning. She began the trip home, looking forward to whatever came next.

Chapter 21: Parallel

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Vacation time was over. The killer had struck again, and this time there was no way that it was one of the group. More than one of the group hoped dearly that whoever was in the other world at the moment could tell them more about the case than they already knew, but they knew it probably wasn't going to happen. Everyone was meeting in the barn to make sure they were prepared before they went--they didn't want any situation like the Shadow Pinkie fight. So far, everyone was there except for--ironically enough--Applejack.

"Hey Pinkie," Rainbow said. "Once we're in there, do you think you can find out who's been kidnapped with your Persona?"

"I dunno," Pinkie replied. "I guess it's worth a shot."

"I figure you'll be able to tell where they are, at least," Spike chimed in. "But I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

The barn door swung open, and Applejack entered with saddlebags stuffed to the top. "Ready to go!" she exclaimed.

"Pray tell, Applejack...what are you taking in those bags?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, I'm makin' sure I'm prepared for anything we run into! I got a lasso, some safety goggles, a flashlight...the works. Sorry I couldn't pack fer everypony."

"...Well, it's good that you're being thorough," Twilight said. "Anypony need to use the bathroom before we leave?"

Everyone said no. It wouldn't do to have any distractions.

"Pinkie? I don't want to--"

"I said no!"

"Okay, good. Let's get going."

The other world didn't seem to be different at all when the group entered. As the group descended, they couldn't see anything new. They decided that leaving wasn't an option, however--after all, the killer was still at large.

As soon as everyone landed, Rainbow took to the air again. "I'll go look by myself for more buildings or whatever!"

"You sure about that?" Applejack asked. "What if you run into Shadows?"

"Then I'll kick the crap out of 'em! Simple." With that, Rainbow flew off.

Twilight turned towards Pinkie. "Can you start scanning for other ponies?"

Pinkie nodded. She summoned Aurora, who put the heart-scouter over her eye. She stayed silent as she scanned.

Rainbow came back. "Yeah, there's nothing."

"That sure was fast," Twilight said.

"Look at who you're talking to!"

"Good point."

"I sense somepony!" Pinkie exclaimed. "...Wait...there's more than one..."

Everyone turned to Pinkie as she continued scanning. "Can you tell how many there are?" Spike asked.

Pinkie nodded after a few seconds. "There are six of them. But...something is weird about all of them. They feel like...more. More than just...regular ponies."

"...I don't get it."

"Could they be Shadows?" Rainbow asked.

"No...Shadows feel different. If it were just Shadows, I could tell."

"Well, let's go see what's going on, then," Twilight said. "Where are they?"

"The room where you guys fought Fluttershy in the arena, looks like."

"Then there's no time to waste. Let's go."

The colosseum hadn't changed since the last time the group had been there. As they walked through the hall, they could even see where Rainbow had been blinded with rage and taken chunks out of the walls. One thing that struck them as odd, however, was that there were no Shadows at all. It was especially strange because this was the only place that they hadn't completely cleared out before.

"Wait!" Pinkie suddenly exclaimed. "Something...isn't right!"

"Besides the lack of Shadows?" Spike asked.

Pinkie nodded. "...We're being watched."

"All right, that's about all I can take of this!" Rainbow yelled. She suddenly summoned Hayabusa. "I'm going in!"

"Alone?!" Twilight demanded. "Are you crazy?!"

"We have a job to do! I'm gonna see who these ponies are and get them out of here before whatever is watching us has the chance to ambush us!"

Before Twilight could say anything more, Rainbow rushed ahead. The rest of the group followed, of course, but they were nowhere near as fast.

"Do you feel deja vu as well, Twilight?" Rarity asked.

"Yep," Twilight replied bemusedly.

Rainbow had already gotten to the final room by the time the others had gotten to the room before it. They couldn't hear anything from the next room except for Rainbow's hoofsteps. They hurried into the arena to join her...and they found no one but her and Hayabusa.

"Well, that's weird," Spike said. "Where in the world are they?"

"I'll do another scan." Pinkie focused as Aurora put her heart-scouter over her eye again. "They're in this room, I can tell that for sure..."

"The jig is up, whoever you are!" Rainbow yelled. "Show yourselves!"

There was a tense silence. It persisted for nearly ten seconds before a slightly familiar voice broke it. "It would seem that we've been discovered."

Six ponies suddenly walked out from behind the bleachers. The group recognized all of them, and it appeared that they recognized the group as well. They were ponies that they frequently saw around town--namely Derpy Hooves, Octavia Melody, Lyra Heartstrings, Vinyl Scratch, Bon Bon, and Time Turner.

"What in the hay are y'all doin' here?!" Applejack asked.

"We could ask you the same question," Time Turner said in a slightly threatening tone. "But...the fact that you're here today and that you have Personas answers that question for us."

"What're you talking about?" Rainbow demanded.

"Everyone, on guard!" Time Turner planted his hooves and glared harshly at the group. "We're not letting these murderers leave!"

"MURDERERS?!" Twilight's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in anger. "Who do you think you are?! We--"

Twilight was interrupted as each member of the opposing group closed their eyes...and floating Tarot cards appeared near them. They were all shattered at the same time. Derpy Hooves had summoned an old man in a toga with a book in one hand; Octavia had summoned a small, female bird with a human head and a ribbon; Lyra had summoned a man with a lyre that was only covered by a scarf that resembled a musical staff; Vinyl brought forth a humanoid machine whose parts were separate, but held together by an unseen force; Time Turner had a man that appeared to have an hourglass for a torso and wielded an axe-bladed pendulum; and Bon Bon summoned a woman in a flowing gown with a large veil that resembled a pair of wings.

"W-wait!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "We can talk this out!"

"It's too late for that!" Twilight yelled. "They're attacking! We need to defend ourselves!"

Everyone summoned their own Personas as the opposing Personas sans Bon Bon's charged towards them. Stonewall stood in front of the others and braced herself. Time Turner's Persona took a swing at her, but his pendulum bounced off with no trouble. Stonewall retaliated with a bone-shattering punch that sent the opponent sprawling.

"Gah! Bon Bon, scan them!" Time Turner yelled.

Bon Bon's Persona put its veil over her eyes, and she closed her eyes in focus for a few seconds. "Disable Applejack! If she's out of the picture, we'll be pretty even!"

"You heard her, Lyra! Get it done!"

Lyra nodded. Her Persona strummed his hands across his lyre, and Stonewall suddenly disappeared. Applejack put a hoof over her mouth in shock.

"Applejack! What's wrong?!" Spike asked frantically. He only had enough time to ask that before Atlas was blasted with fire, causing him to take a step back.

"She's been silenced!" Pinkie yelled. "As long as she's like this, she can't use her Persona!"

"Oh, are you SERIOUS?!" Rainbow demanded. "Now you're in for it! I'm gonna tear you guys apart!"

Hayabusa tried to go for Lyra's Persona, but Vinyl's cut her off. At the same time, Octavia's Persona confronted Merlin, Lyra's faced Naravirala, Derpy's focused on Atlas, and Time Turner's shifted his attention to Ace of Spades. Meanwhile, Aurora put her scouter over Pinkie's eye again, and she started scanning each Persona individually.

"I will give you one chance to turn yourselves in," Time Turner said in a low voice. "If you do not comply, then we will have to make you do so with force."

"Just you try!" Twilight shot back. "We're not giving up now! Not after everything we've been through!"

This only seemed to make the opposing group angry. "Oh, that's how you feel about it?! What about what WE'VE been through?!" Vinyl demanded. Her Persona grabbed Hayabusa's shoulders forcefully. Hayabusa struggled in vain to break free, and she was suddenly assaulted by electric shocks. Rainbow's knees buckled, but she managed to keep standing.

"I feel like we're having two different discussions here," Fluttershy said meekly. Naravirala barely managed to avoid being frozen as Lyra's Persona played a chord on his lyre.

"Enough! If you have something to say, let your actions speak for you!" Time Turner exclaimed.

Time Turner's Persona accented these words by swinging his pendulum at Ace of Spades. He blocked the attack, and the two attacked each other afterwards at once. Their weapons were hidden by the speed of their motions, and the only sign that they were fighting were the sounds of their blades hitting each other. Just when it seemed as if Ace of Spades had the upper hand, his opponent jumped back. Ace of Spades flew forward to pursue, but stopped again when the opponent's blade was suddenly wreathed with flames. Ace of Spades tried to keep his distance, but Time Turner's Persona was too fast--he slammed the fiery blade into him, knocking both him and Rarity to the floor.

"Oh, this is bad," Pinkie said. "You're all in a bad matchup! Their Personas are using what you're weak to!"

"Oh, that is SO not cool!" Rainbow yelled.

"If you have time to complain, you have time to do something about it!" Vinyl exclaimed. "Helena, take her out!"

Vinyl's Persona let loose a huge stream of lightning. Hayabusa tried to dodge it, but there was too much of it to weave through, and she didn't have time to go around it. Rainbow buckled, but she wasn't about to give up. Hayabusa tried to slash through Helena's body, but her body parts separated enough for the strike to go right through her. She moved so that her pieces surrounded Hayabusa, then rapidly reformed to try and crush her. She only barely managed to avoid the attack. As she was recovering, Helena's arms and legs flew towards her, taking themselves apart as they did so. They surrounded Hayabusa on all sides once again, keeping her from moving as Helena launched another stream of lightning from her hands. Rainbow was only barely conscious by this point.

"It's no use...I can't even land a hit!" Rainbow said wearily.

Naravirala turned towards Rainbow Dash, but before she could go to her assistance, Lyra took the chance to trap her within a huge block of ice. Fluttershy was similarly frozen. Time Turner's Persona rushed over and embedded the blade of his pendulum into the ice surrounding Fluttershy, then hoisted her up into the air and threw her into Ace of Spades. Rarity hit the wall along with her Persona. Meanwhile, Hayabusa forced her way out of the makeshift cage and tried to hit Helena with a twister. Octavia's Persona caught wind of this, however, and grabbed Merlin's arm in her talons. Twilight was distracted by the sharp pain in her foreleg, allowing her opponent to throw Merlin into the tornado. Merlin was thrown into the ceiling, and Twilight couldn't stay on her hooves. This gave Helena the chance to retaliate with yet another burst of electricity, sending Rainbow sprawling. Spike ran over to tend to them, and in his distraction, Derpy's Persona summoned a cloud of pink energy above the two combatants. A bolt of energy struck down from the cloud and exploded, enveloping Atlas and sending him flying.

"Are you ready to give up yet?" Lyra asked smugly.

"Not...on...your life!" Spike replied. "I'm not done yet! Just you try and beat me!"

Atlas aimed his free hand at Derpy's Persona, launching his signature energy blasts. She dodged them all with aplomb, however, and soon, Helena's body parts wrapped around Atlas's limbs, serving as makeshift handcuffs. He tried to free himself, but to no avail.

"All right! That's a wrap!" Vinyl exclaimed with a laugh. "You're all beaten, Spike and Applejack are out of the picture, and Pinkie isn't even a threat. We won!"

Applejack glared at the enemy group with a fire in her eyes. She couldn't say anything to them due to her condition, but the glare was enough to scare a dragon.

"Let go of him..." Rarity suddenly said.

"What was that?" Vinyl asked.

Rarity's legs shook violently as she struggled to stand back up. She planted her hooves on the ground, standing as firmly as she could. It took her a few seconds, but she made it to her feet. Once she was up, she looked at Vinyl with fire in her eyes. "LET GO OF SPIKE!"

Suddenly, Ace of Spades was back on his feet again. Time Turner's Persona lit his pendulum ablaze once again, but Ace of Spades went right past him. He aimed his free hand at Helena's main body, freezing her solid. Helena's separated body parts fell off of Atlas, and he as he picked up his globe again, Spike saw his chance. He went over to Fluttershy and breathed a steady stream of fire onto the ice surrounding her, freeing both herself and Naravirala.

"Finally, I've got it!" Pinkie yelled. "Dashie, Rarity, switch targets! Twilight, use lightning! Fluttershy, fight back as hard as you can! Spike, take this!"

Aurora flew away from Pinkie's head and towards Spike. She punched him in the gut, and he glowed with multi-colored light.

"What in the world is that supposed to be?" Derpy asked.

Spike slowly turned towards Derpy, his eyes turning nothing short of feral. He smiled at her in a way that would unnerve just about anyone. "Are you ready to GO?!"

The battle started anew. Though Time Turner and Vinyl tried to fight their original targets, Hayabusa was too fast and Ace of Spades too stubborn for them to do so. Fluttershy focused her efforts on offense, and Merlin started using lightning spells.

As for Spike, he immediately went on an unstoppable rampage. Atlas launched attack after attack with no break in between, and though Derpy's Persona managed to dodge nearly all of them, there was no time for him to retaliate whatsoever. Each attack hit with the force and speed of a freight train.

"What in the world is this?!" Derpy demanded.

"You pile of horse apples, you're MINE!" Spike shot back. "You are SO DEAD right now!"

Atlas suddenly tackled Derpy's Persona to the ground. He let out a deafening roar before lifting his globe with both hands and slamming it into his rival's face. He lifted it back up only to slam it down again four times. Once that was done, he took a moment to observe the enemy's condition. His target was just barely conscious, and he decided to go in for the kill. He took a few steps back from the opponent and waited for him to get up. Just as it seemed he was about to retaliate, Atlas suddenly roared once again, but with much more volume. The ground under his enemy's feet erupted with energy, encasing him in it and sending him flying. He hit the ceiling and faded, and Derpy fell over, defeated. She fluttered in and out of consciousness.

"This is bad!" Bon Bon yelled. "Spike's power has increased tremendously! We have to--"

Applejack suddenly bopped Spike on the head, knocking off the rainbow-colored aura and leaving him in a daze. He shook his head back and forth to regain his composure, then laughed sheepishly.

"Why would you do that?" Time Turner asked. "You had a clear advantage with his power boost."

"Because a hyperactive Spike is just as dangerous to us as he is to you," Twilight replied. "Besides, now we outnumber you again. We STILL have a clear advantage."

Time Turner's eyes narrowed. "Then come and get us."

Unfortunately for Time Turner, the group was happy to oblige. Merlin, Naravirala, Ace of Spades, and Hayabusa each blasted their opponents with a spell of their element, sending them flying. They each tried to go back to the battlefield, but Atlas launched a large mass of energy into the sky above them. Three small spheres descended from this mass, spiraling around each other as they fell. The instant they hit the ground, there was a small flash.

"Well," Bon Bon said. "We're done for."

The flash dissipated, and in its place was an enormous explosion. Everyone present had to brace themselves just to stay on their hooves. The light shed by the explosion blinded everyone, but they could feel its impact shake the very foundation of the world they were in.

It felt like forever, but everyone was finally able to open their eyes. The enemy group was down for the count, but that was far from the most surprising thing about what had transpired. The colosseum was no more. The yellow sky of the shadow world was there for all to see, and where there was once an arena, there was now only rubble. Only a few tiny sections of wall remained, and even they crumbled as time passed. Dust and smoke hung in the air like the fog.

Twilight walked over to Time Turner, who was only just barely conscious. He looked up at her with contempt. "So...I suppose this is it, huh...?"

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked. Her voice was surprisingly gentle, given the situation.

"You're going to kill us now, aren't you? Finish us off? Isn't that why you threw us in here the first time?"

"No...there's been a misunderstanding here." Twilight waved over the rest of her friends. "We aren't murderers."

"Then why are you here?" Octavia asked. "If you are innocent, then how could you have known about this place?"

"'Cause we're victims like you, moron," Rainbow replied. "The killer is after us, too. Why did you think there were so many of us?"

"But how do we know we can trust you?" Lyra asked. "You could just be trying to make us lower our guard."

"If we wanted to end your lives, why would we wait for that?" Rarity rebutted. "There would be no better opportunity than now to do so."

Applejack nodded. "Hmm mm mmnmmn mmm mm-mmn mm--"

"Oh, you're still silenced!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "I think I can help with that now."

Naravirala's eyes flashed briefly, and Applejack opened her mouth for the first time since the battle started. "Oh, thank Celestia! I owe ya one, Fluttershy!" She turned back towards the others. "Ahem...as Ah was sayin', y'all attacked us first. We were just defendin' ourselves. If we were tryin' to kill y'all, wouldn't we be a bit more proactive about it?"

"...I suppose that's true," Octavia said.

"I believe it's a safe assumption to say that your Personas were achieved in a similar fashion to ours," Time Turner interjected. "You all faced your Shadows, correct?"

"Every one of us except for me," Twilight replied. "Let's get out of here for now, and I'll explain. It's hard to breathe in here!"

Everyone went back to the usual entrance. Before they left, Fluttershy had healed the other group so that they could walk and defend themselves if Shadows ambushed them. Once they got there, Twilight explained everything that had happened up to this point. The other group took it better than Princess Celestia had--probably because they had experienced it themselves.

"...And you don't know why you got your Persona?" Lyra asked.

Twilight shook her head. "It just happened. But what about you guys?"

"What do you mean?" Time Turner asked.

"Well, for something like this, there had to be a catalyst of some kind. None of us would've gotten our Personas if I didn't get mine, so Merlin was the catalyst for us. What was yours?"

"Believe it or not, Turner was actually able to man up to his faults," Derpy said. "He's the only one of us that did."

"It was only because I was without witness," Time Turner added, turning towards her. "If any of you had gone in first, you probably would have owned up as well."

Rainbow cleared her throat. "Yeah, enough with the modesty thing. How come we never heard about you guys being kidnapped if it was happening all this time?"

"We have two theories regarding that," Octavia replied. "One is that the culprit has been using his memory charm to wipe the incidents away from any witnesses before it can reach public eye."

Bon Bon sighed. "The other is that the killer is just REALLY good at going incognito."

"So the whole time, he's been working on two fronts!" Spike exclaimed. "This could be a huge help in finding out who he is. Was there any sign when he kidnapped one of you guys?"

Time Turner shook his head. "It was completely random. To be safe, we met up every day, and if one of us was absent, we came here to see if they had been kidnapped."

"Well, why did you come here today, then?" Pinkie asked. "I mean, if you all have Personas..."

"We wanted practice as a group, in case something else came up," Bon Bon explained. "And boy, did we get it."

"Oh, so THAT'S why all the Shadows were gone!" Spike exclaimed.

Bon Bon nodded. "This was the only place where there were enough to make a visit worthwhile."

"Well, it seems that everything is cleared up," Time Turner said. "And now that it has been, I would like to propose an alliance."

"Yeah, I think we'd be much better allies than enemies," Twilight replied, nodding in agreement. "But at the same time...six ponies taking out Shadows is one thing, but thirteen might be too large of a group. We'll get in each other's way, especially since you guys seem to use the same elements that we do."

"Indeed. What I'm suggesting is that we continue on the path that we took before, but to be able to rely on each other should a great need arise. There are some battles that even you or we may not be able to win alone."

"Works for me!" Rainbow yelled. "I dunno if this was the murderer's intention, but they REALLY slipped up this time!"

"...Wait a minute, that reminds me..." Fluttershy looked both confused and concerned. "Did the murderer bring anypony here today?"

There was a long moment of silence. Everyone exchanged glances in turn until Time Turner cleared his throat. "Bon Bon...if you would."

"Oh! Right, sorry." Bon Bon summoned her Persona again, and she immediately placed the veil in its place over her eyes.

"Am I the only one who thinks that's ironic?" Pinkie asked.

"What, that she scans by putting a veil over her eyes? No, you aren't," Derpy said.

Bon Bon's Persona faded away, and she shook her head. "Nopony's here."

"How can you be sure? Maybe we should have Pinkie run a scan too," Applejack said worriedly.

"Trust me--if Seshat can't sense it, nothing can," Bon Bon replied. "Aurora's a decent scanner, but she traded some of her skill in that area for that...boost thingy."

"How do ya know all that?"

"How do you think? I sensed it."

"Well, I guess we have no reason to stay here," Twilight announced. "The killer must be running out of options. We've got him on the run now, and all we have to do is finish the job."

"I couldn't agree more," Time Turner added. "Celestia only knows why he decided to work on two fronts, but whatever his reason is, it shall be his undoing. Let us meet again."

Time Turner and his group waved goodbye, then turned and started walking away.

"Wait, isn't the exit right above us?" Rainbow asked.

"Ours is," Twilight answered. "They use a different entrance."

"They never said they did. How would you know?"

"Because one pegasus doesn't have the energy or the strength to help five other ponies out of here with that exit. We should get going ourselves."

Each pony that could fly grabbed someone that couldn't, and everyone flew towards the exit, knowing that their chances were better than they had ever been.

Author's Notes:

I am NEVER writing a battle scene between two groups again.

Herla (Time Turner's Persona)
Weak to Wind, absorbs Fire.
-Rainy Death
-Agidyne
-Power Charge
-Blight
-Sharp Student
-Sands of Time - Doubles the current duration of stat boosts.

Wani Kishi (Derpy's Persona)
Neutral elemental affinity.
-Megidola
-Masukukaja
-Mind Charge
-Hamaon
-Mudoon
-Forbidden Knowledge - When a Light or Dark skill fails to kill, the target is knocked Down instead. Passive.

Aglaope (Octavia's Persona)
Weak to Lightning, absorbs Wind.
-Garudyne
-Mind Charge
-Mediarama
-Amrita
-Dekunda
-Revival Song - Revives all unconscious allies with 80% HP.

Linus (Lyra's Persona)
Weak to Fire, absorbs Ice.
-Bufudyne
-Marakunda
-Gigantic Fist
-Foolish Whisper
-Dekaja
-Eternal Reticence - Instantly kills all Silenced foes.

Helena (Vinyl's Persona)
Weak to Ice, absorbs Lightning.
-Ziodyne
-Rainy Death
-Arrow Rain
-Power Charge
-Matarukaja
-Bass Cannon - Deals heavy Phys/Elec damage to all foes.

Seshat (Bon Bon's Persona)
Analyzer
-Complete Analysis
-Third Eye
-Healing Wave
-Relaxing Wave
-Target Lock - Increases the party's damage dealt during Player Advantage rounds.

Atlas
-Megidolaon
-Hamaon
-Mudoon
-Arrow Rain
-Stagnant Air
-Dragon's Roar

Aurora
-Complete Analysis
-Heat Riser
-Third Eye
-Orb of Resolve

Chapter 22: Pride

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The birds were singing outside, and to the untrained ear, that was all there was to it. A keen listener, on the other hand, could hear that not only were the birds singing, but they were singing with structure and to a rhythm. Many of them also followed similar tunes, with those that didn't providing backup notes that supported the primary tune. All in all, everything flowed like a well-conducted symphony. Given that the source of the singing was Fluttershy's songbird choir, that probably made sense.

It wasn't often that the songbird choir practiced, but those that were familiar with it recognized it even on the other side of town when it happened. Because of this, Twilight and Spike heard it even as they walked through the market. They stopped to absorb the tune for a moment, their silence helping them hear it a little bit better. It took a good portion of Twilight's willpower to stop her from humming along.

"Fluttershy's that bored, huh?" Spike asked.

Twilight stifled a laugh. "Don't be like that, Spike."

"Hey, Twilight!" a familiar voice called. "C'mere fer a second!"

Twilight and Spike turned around and saw Applejack at her fruit stand, flagging the two of them down. Twilight walked over to her, smiling. "Hey, AJ. How are sales looking today?"

"Mighty fine, I'd say!" Applejack was beaming. "Ah asked Big Mac to take the helm fer today, so when he comes by, will ya come with me to the farm? There's somethin' Ah gotta talk to ya about."

"Well, it's not like we're busy or anything," Spike replied. "We just came here to buy some stuff to hold us over for the next few days. After that, I was gonna try to get some practice in, but..."

"What in the hay do YOU need to practice for? Last time ya fought, ya razed the battlefield like it was nothin'!"

"Exactly! I wanna be able to do that whenever I want!...Anyway, I can put that off."

"We should all go in for practice one of these days, though," Twilight said. "There's no telling if we're capable of handling whatever comes next. We might not be dealing with regular Shadows anymore."

Heavy hoofsteps caught everyone's attention, and they turned to see Big Macintosh walking over to the stand. Applejack smiled brightly as he approached.

"Yer gonna keep this open 'til 'round sundown, right?" Applejack asked.

"Eeyup," Big Mac replied.

"Thanks a bundle, big brother." Applejack hugged Big Mac tightly, and he reciprocated. They broke apart after a moment, and she turned towards Twilight. "Y'all go ahead 'n get the things y'all wanted. Ah ain't goin' anywhere without ya."

"We'll just be a second, then!" Spike exclaimed. He turned around sharply and ran over to another market stall. Twilight rolled her eyes, but she followed him at a much more controlled pace.

After Twilight and Spike were done shopping, they went with Applejack to Sweet Apple Acres, just as planned. On the way over, Twilight noticed that Applejack seemed to have something on her mind, but she figured that she would talk about it when she was ready. They were currently leaning on the fence just outside the barn, where they had a good view of the orchard. For a long while, they just stayed like that--looking over the farm's pride and joy, leaning on the fence in silence.

"Twilight, Spike...Ah suppose yer wonderin' why Ah brought ya out here," Applejack eventually said.

Twilight was a bit surprised to finally hear Applejack's voice. She turned towards her and saw the distant look in her eyes. "...Yeah, I suppose. If you don't want to talk about--"

"No, no. Talkin' about it is the entire reason Ah asked ya to come." Applejack never turned to face Twilight as she talked, and the fog in her eyes never went away. "It's just that nopony knows about this but me, Rarity, and the family. Ah haven't told anypony else."

"Well, what is it?" Spike asked.

"It's the story of how mah parents died."

Twilight and Spike both froze instantly. Applejack's parents were always a bit of a touchy subject for her--any time someone brought it up, she lashed out at them until they let it drop. When Father's and Mother's Day came, she stayed home all day and wouldn't see anyone. She even went so far as to cover up one of their pictures of them with a bandanna for a short while.

"Do ya remember when Princess Celestia planned on turnin' the old castle into a museum?"

Twilight nodded. "She told me about it during class one day. She said that making sure nopony forgets what happened there is the best way to keep it from happening again."

"And do ya remember why she shut it down?"

"Hmm...I think it was because there was an accident while they were trying to repair the bridge..."

The realization hit Twilight like a freight train. Given that Applejack brought it up at all, the connection couldn't have been more glaringly obvious.

"But Ah'm bettin' ya don't know the whole story."

"...The Princess never went into detail..."

"She wasn't there. Ah was." Applejack sighed before continuing to steady her nerves. "There was a big ol' team workin' on the bridge repair job, seven days a week, from sunup to sundown. When they started, the thing was barely even a bridge anymore. They set out to change it into somethin' real fancy-like, but we were short on materials. The rope-'n-boards thing it's got goin' on now was meant to be temporary."

"Wait...if there was a big team, then how come the rest of the ponies on it didn't know about...the accident?" Spike asked.

"Ah was just about to get to that. About ten days into the project, pretty much everyone took the day off. Their backs were hurtin', their kids needed some love, stuff like that. But mah parents refused to...they said that the others' reasonin' fer takin' the day off was just a buncha excuses. They had to get that work done as quick as possible, even if they had to do it alone. They were real stubborn that way."

Applejack paused. Twilight and Spike couldn't think of anything appropriate to say.

"When they went, they wanted me 'n Big Mac to go with 'em to keep 'em company, and Rarity tagged along 'cause she wanted to keep us company. Ah didn't think that she would go into the Everfree with us, but she didn't have much of a problem with it--Ah guess she knew she was in capable hooves. When we got to the bridge, mah parents started workin' right away. They even got Rarity to help out a bit with her telekinesis thing, but her magic was still developin' at the time."

Twilight was a bit confused when she heard that last bit. "How old were you when this happened?".

"'Bout Apple Bloom's age. I'd only gotten mah cutie mark a coupl'a days before this. Same deal with Rarity, considerin' we all got our cutie marks around the same time. Anyway, they were both standin' in the middle of the thing when...the rope connectin' it to the far side of the cliff snapped."

At this point, Applejack had to stop to collect herself. Twilight and Spike weren't sure what they could possibly say.

"Me 'n Big Mac were no help, ma parents couldn't run back towards us...and as hard as she tried to keep the bridge from fallin', Rarity just wasn't strong enough. To make matters worse, they probably coulda lived through it if they hadn't been workin' themselves so hard the past ten days. Earth ponies're made outta tougher stuff than unicorns 'n pegasi."

"Man...that all fits together way too well," Spike muttered. "It's...almost like fate."

"That's what Ah thought too, fer a while. Ah think at the time, Rarity was even more shook up than we were...after she lost 'er lunch, all she could do was hold onto me and apologize over 'n over. Me 'n Big Mac...we just sat there til somepony came to check on us, numb to the world."

"Applejack..." Twilight put a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "I appreciate that you're confiding in us...but why? Why us and not Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie?"

"Rainbow's not the best when it comes to emotional stuff, Fluttershy and Pinkie would try too hard to make me feel better, and Rarity already knows the whole thing. Ah can count on y'all to be rational...most of the time. As fer why Ah'm lettin' it out now, Ah just feel like Ah've been holdin' this in fer way too long." A warm smile spread across Applejack's muzzle, and she gestured towards the orchard. "And there's one other reason, too."

Twilight and Spike looked over. Apparently, Apple Bloom had gone over to the trees without them noticing. She was currently bucking one of the larger trees repeatedly, knocking down a hoofful of apples as each kick hit its mark. She looked over and waved briefly as she saw that they were staring at her, and they all waved back. After that, she went right back to work.

"What's gotten into her?" Spike asked.

"This has been goin' on ever since Ah came back from the other side," Applejack replied. "After Apple Bloom got all the reunion gushing outta her system, she told me that she had come to her own realization while Ah was gone...that if somethin' ever happened to me, she had to be ready to pick up the slack. It meant a lot, especially after...what we went through...while Ah was in there."

"That reminds me...if getting Apple Bloom all of those things was such a burden on the farm, why do it?" Twilight asked. "Sure, she's impatient...but I'm sure if you explained it to her, she would understand."

"When Ma 'n Pa died, my foalhood was over." Applejack finally turned to look Twilight in the eye. "Ah got mah cutie mark before they passed, but foalhood don't end there. Ah was so busy tryin' to get mah cutie mark that Ah never got the chance to enjoy it fer what it was. And...just because mah own foalhood was taken away from me doesn't mean hers has to be too." She turned back towards her sister. "But now look at 'er. This is the most initiative Ah've ever seen from 'er. Up 'til now, me 'n Big Mac had to shoulder most of the costs to raise her ourselves...but if she was a burden before, she sure ain't one now. It got me thinkin'...maybe she's just been like this for a while, and Ah was just blind to it the whole time because Ah wanted the farm to succeed."

"Well...it is true that she wanted all of that crazy stuff to crusade with."

"Of course she wants crazy stuff. She's a little filly with a big imagination! Y'all were one yerself once, y'know." Applejack's eyes softened and finally seemed to focus as she continued watching Apple Bloom. "All this time, part of me saw her as a project. But it's just like what y'all told Spike...she's mah sister. And loved ones are never a burden."

A sound like shattering glass drew everyone's attention. They all looked up to find that Stonewall had summoned herself. Spike smiled in giddy anticipation while Twilight and Applejack watched in awe as Stonewall was cocooned in blue light. When it faded, her torso was even bigger and no longer T-shaped, and was reinforced with steel plates. At the bottom was a metal skirt of some kind. Instead of her shoulders being extensions of her torso, she now had enormous shoulder guards in the shape of trapezoids that had castle battlements on top. Her hands were now robotic and had nearly quadrupled in size, nearly rivaling the size of her host. Her head was now much like a tiny castle tower with a gaping hole in the front, through which nothing could be seen. Her entire body appeared to be made of reinforced steel as opposed to stone bricks. After a sufficient time had passed, she turned into a Strength card and faded into the air.

"...Stronghold."

"Congratulations, AJ!" Spike exclaimed. "I bet that feels awesome!"

Applejack laughed softly for a moment. "And to think...all Ah needed to do to make this happen was to actually have a lick of common sense. Ah must look like a pretty silly pony right about now."

"How can you look like a silly pony when you just got over what was making you a silly pony?" Twilight asked. "...If that makes any sense."

"Ah suppose so...well, there's only one thing fer me to do, really." Applejack's smile grew wider still. "Ah'm gonna use this new power to make sure these murders don't take away Apple Bloom's foalhood, either."

"You're gonna do a great job. I'm proud of you, Applejack."

With that, nothing more needed to be said. For a while, everyone kept leaning on the fence, watching Apple Bloom buck the trees in the orchard as if her life depended on it.

That night, Twilight was summoned to the Velvet Room. She was understandably confused by this, but she knew by now that she was never summoned without there being a good reason.

"You've done well in your latest trial," Igor said. "Though the odds stood against you for a while, you managed to turn the tables...and you fought back with aplomb. It was wondrous to witness."

"Thank you," Twilight replied with a nod. "So what am I here for tonight?"

"Margaret will answer that question for you." Igor turned towards his assistant. "Please do shed some light for the girl."

Margaret cleared her throat. "Twilight...do you know what it is you need to fix yet?"

The question caught Twilight off-guard. She had been concerned over Applejack and didn't pay much attention to her own problems. To her, it came out of nowhere. "...Not yet...but how do I look for it when I don't know where to start?"

Margaret closed her eyes and nodded thoughtfully. "I see..." She opened her eyes again and stared into Twilight's very soul. "I am not the Velvet Room's first attendant. That title belongs to my sister, Elizabeth. My brother Theodore also preceded me. We have each tended to different guests in our time."

"Umm, not to be rude...but what does this have to do with--"

"There has been an unspoken tradition amongst us...when a guest has lost their way, or when we have lost our own way, we challenge the guest to a duel. You are doing well in your path, and you have bested everything that has come your way. But..." Margaret's eyes hardened. "If you do not find and embrace your own faults, you will never survive what lies ahead."

Twilight was shocked into silence. She tried to find some words--any words--but it was as if her tongue had gone numb. She stood there, apprehension and even fear welling up in her.

"You have done extremely well to survive this long. But you have lost your way where it matters most...your own soul. Your own needs." Margaret's expression mellowed. "I am going to help you find that with a duel."

"B-but...how does that..."

"When one is in great peril...that is when their character shines through the most. Do they run? Do they fight? Do they watch? Why do they do this? What do they feel? Peril is one way of discovering oneself...and as cruel as it sounds, I believe it is what you need."

Twilight still couldn't speak. She could only stare at Margaret, a feeling of dread and confusion overtaking her.

"The day after tomorrow...find me in the Shadows' realm. I will create a suitable arena. Bring your friends as well--you will not defeat me without them. Fight as though you mean to kill, or you may never find the answer you need."

After a few seconds of silence, Igor chuckled slightly. "Do not be afraid. Rely on the bonds you have...rally your powers to their fullest extent...and you need not fear death in battle, even from one as powerful as Margaret or I. You can overcome any challenge that comes your way. Do not forget that."

The Velvet Room started to fade into Twilight's subconsciousness before she could respond. It didn't matter much--she couldn't say anything to that if she wanted to. Though she had been fast asleep when she had entered the room, her dread awoke her in the night as soon as it faded completely. Though she tried, she could not sleep.

How could she fight Margaret--someone who had helped her more than nearly anyone else on this journey--to the death?

Chapter 23: Chance Encounter

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The next morning didn't come easily. For nearly every second of the night, Twilight was at war with her bed. She tossed and turned like waves on the ocean, jammed a pillow onto her head several times, and got up to tidy up the sheets every hour or so. Given that her previous bouts of late-night pacing always managed to wake Spike up, she wondered how he was still asleep now. Hoofsteps on a wooden floor weren't exactly quiet, but the creaking of her bed and her repeated groans were certainly louder than that could've possibly been. Eventually, Twilight gave up and decided to try reading the time away, hoping that she would just doze off when she was tired enough. An uncomfortable sleep would be better than no sleep at all. Just as she settled in with her favorite book on comets, however, she heard rustling from Spike's basket.

"...Twilight...?" Spike asked groggily as he turned towards her, his eyes barely open. "Is...everything all right?"

"Oh, NOW you wake up," Twilight replied, much more rudely than she had intended to. "Uh...sorry. I can't sleep."

Spike shook his head back and forth, and though there were still bags under his eyes, he looked much more alert. He stood up and hopped onto Twilight's bed, prompting her to scoot over a bit. When she was done with that, he sat down, leaning back against her. "Is it anything I can help with?"

"Not...really, no. Not right this second, at the very least."

"Well, I'm gonna try anyway. Tell me what's on your mind."

Twilight smiled sweetly at her assistant. "Yeah...okay." Despite Spike's comforting presence, she still hesitated before spitting it out. "Do you remember when I told you about the Velvet Room?"

Spike nodded. "You told me that two people live there named...Igor and Margaret, right?"

"I'm a little surprised that you remember."

"Hey, give me some credit. They're not exactly common names, y'know?"

"Fair enough. Anyway...I was summoned there earlier tonight." Twilight frowned as the events resurfaced in her mind. "Margaret told me to take everyone to the other world the day after tomorrow...where we would fight to the death."

Spike's eyes widened. He looked bewildered as he raised his hands, as if he wasn't sure what to do with them. "Wh...wha...WHY?!"

"To help me find what I need to fix, apparently. I didn't get it either...but I don't think she was going to take no for an answer."

Spike couldn't. He tried, but no matter how he tried to rationalize it, he just couldn't. "Okay, FIRST of all...Margaret can FIGHT?!"

"I haven't seen it firsthand, but apparently. She told us that if we held back, we would never be able to win."

"Second...to the DEATH? Against YOU? She's supposed to be HELPING you!"

"Odd as it sounds, I think that's why she's doing this."

That was the breaking point for poor Spike. His eyes twitched as his control over his body started to wane. He subconsciously grabbed onto his head and started pantomiming tearing out hair, wearing a blank expression the whole time. He was shaking as if he'd been thrown into the dryer.

"...Spike?"

Spike responded by letting a cascade of foam escape his maw. At this point, Twilight was at a loss for what to do, so she did the only thing she could think of: She slammed a pillow into Spike's face. He finally regained his composure and cleared his throat noisily.

"S-so, uh...how is that helping you, exactly?"

"She says that peril is one way to discover oneself. I can't really argue with that."

"...Hmm...yeah, that's true. So you're worried about having to fight her, is that it?"

"That's part of it, but I'm also worried about what will happen if I don't find what I'm looking for. She said we would fail in our task if I don't."

Spike thought about that for a moment. He could only begin to imagine what Twilight had experienced, but there was one thing he knew for sure--she was terrified. "Well...you just have to remember that you're not doing this alone. We'll help you, no matter what the dangers or the costs may be. That's what friends are for."

Twilight nodded. "Thanks, Spike...I just hope I can do the same for you and the others someday."

Rays of sunlight started peeking into the room. Twilight and Spike looked towards the window and saw that the sun had begun its daily journey across the sky. Though it was always a sight to behold, Twilight couldn't help but roll her eyes and sigh at the fact that she hadn't gotten any sleep.

"Well, no point in trying to sleep again now," Spike said. "You want some coffee?"

"Sure. If nothing else, I'll crash before we actually have to go."

Spike hopped off the bed and ran downstairs, and Twilight got up soon after. She sighed heavily, knowing that in spite of everything Spike had said, it was going to be a very long day.

After Twilight and Spike had breakfast, Twilight decided she needed to get some air. She walked through town, wondering what she should do to while away the hours. She didn't think she would be able to focus on reading or sleeping, but even the company of her friends wouldn't help calm her nerves. Nevertheless, Twilight knew she had to tell them about what had happened. She couldn't imagine what would've happened if she didn't.

"Heya, Princess!" a masculine voice shouted. "It's been a while!"

Twilight nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard that. She turned around sharply and saw Bright Side trotting towards her. "Oh, uh...hi!"

"It's good to see ya! Hey, have you heard?" Bright Side grinned like a colt. "Nobody got kidnapped the last time the rain passed us by. That's pretty great, huh?"

"Yeah...it sure takes a load off of my mind. So what brings you here?"

"Well, I was just passing through....Is it me, or do the other ponies seem anxious about something?"

Twilight looked around briefly. The other ponies weren't just anxious--they seemed to be wary of Bright Side. She hated to say it, but she saw where they were coming from. Bright Side was different, somehow.

"What's that all about?" Bright Side frowned slightly. "I mean, I'd be pretty relieved. This might mean that the murders are over, y'know? You won't have to go and rescue the kidnapped victims any more."

"Yeah, it's a bit...wait, what?" Twilight's eyes widened as she turned back towards Bright Side.

"What, did ya think nobody was gonna find out about what you were doing?" Bright Side's smile suddenly looked much more sinister. "You and your friends, all going to the forest the day someone gets kidnapped? And they just happen to be rescued later that day? Maybe others don't see what's happening, but you're all up to something."

"I...don't know what you're talking about."

"Look, there's no point in hiding it. If nobody else has figured it out, I won't spoil it for 'em. I'm no snitch." The stallion's smile returned to its previous state. "But you should really try to be a bit more subtle. Otherwise, your big secret might get out faster than you would think."

"Uhh...r-right. I'll try that."

"Hey, you seem a bit on edge. Something up?"

Twilight thought for a moment. After what Bright Side had just said, she wasn't sure if she should trust him with the time of day...but it was true that she and the others hadn't really thought of whether or not they were being conspicuous. He seemed to be rather observant, however. That was a sign of intelligence. "Well...yeah, there is something."

"What is it?"

"I...have this friend. She's been helping me for a while now, giving me advice on the case and making sure I'm on the right track...but now she wants me to confront her. She says it will help me, but...I don't know."

"Hmm...yeah, I've been there." Bright Side put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "'She says it'll help you.' Isn't that all you need? From there, you've just got to trust her."

"...I suppose."

"Don't worry so much! She wouldn't ask ya to do it if she didn't think you could. Have a little faith!"

Twilight stayed silent for a moment. "Yeah...yeah, you're right. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Bright Side turned to the side. "I've gotta get going, but I have one last thing to say. Don't try to shoulder so many burdens yourself, all right? If ya try to help everybody, there's no way you can help yourself. That's why your friend is doing this in the first place, I bet. You're expecting too much of yourself." He smiled. "Let someone help you for a change."

With that, Bright Side walked away. Twilight was too absorbed in thought to offer him a goodbye, but Bright Side's words had sparked something in her mind. She needed her friends to help her now, and Bright Side was right--she had to let them.

"I'd better gather everypony at the barn," Twilight said to herself with newfound resolve. "If Margaret wants a fight, then a fight is what she'll get."

With a determined smile, Twilight turned towards home and left to get Spike.

Fluttershy walked pensively through one of the residential districts near her cottage. She mostly kept her head down, trying to avoid being noticed by the other ponies around. Ponyville was very active today, and although she would have normally stayed in as a result, she had to pick up some things for Angel and her other animals. That didn't mean she had to like it, though.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she accidentally bumped into a unicorn mare. The other pony turned around. "Oh, I'm sorry. Was I in your way?"

Fluttershy shook her head, trying as hard as she could to keep her wits. She reflexively waited for a snide remark or something along those lines.

The mare did nothing of the sort. She looked concerned. "Are you okay?"

Fluttershy nodded and began to walk away, carefully stepping around the unicorn. She could feel the unicorn's eyes on her as she left, causing her to walk faster. She only slowed down when she had turned the corner, stopping to sigh deeply. "I can't keep acting like this," she said to herself. "How am I ever going to be brave in combat if I can't even be brave around other ponies?"

Just then, Fluttershy heard a door open, followed by someone calling her name. She looked towards the source of the sound. Time Turner was on his porch, looking down at her from his apartment on the second floor. She waved back at him, and he descended the stairs to join her.

"Is everything all right, Fluttershy?" Time Turner asked. "You seem flustered...almost as much as you did during our battle."

"Don't talk about that around here," Fluttershy replied in a whisper. "There are ponies listening."

"Ah...right, of course. But my question stands. It doesn't take a genius to see that you're very troubled."

Fluttershy thought about it for a moment. This seemed like a great opportunity for her to fix her problem, but she didn't exactly trust Time Turner fully yet. She wanted to, but it wasn't exactly easy to get along with someone who had tried to kill you less than a week ago. She decided to play along for the sake of common courtesy. "It's not that important. I was just going to the market...will you come with me, so we can talk?"

"Ah, an escort is what you desire, is it? Very well, then." Time Turner started walking in the same direction that Fluttershy had been, and she followed soon after. They walked side by side. "What would you like to talk about?"

"Well, um...nothing in particular, really....What about you?"

"Hmm...well, if you're willing to lend your attention, I'd be glad to tell you about a new project I'm working on. How about it?"

Fluttershy nodded. "That sounds interesting. What is it?"

"Well, every clock in Equestria currently utilizes a hand system. This is all well and good, but some young ponies have a difficult time understanding it. In fact, I'm pretty sure Lyra and Derpy still can't read a hand clock--and they probably aren't the only ones. What I'm working on is a clock that shows the time solely in numbers, with a distinction between hours and minutes just like on a hand clock. It will hopefully take up less space as well, so it can be put on a desk or a table instead of being hung on the wall."

"That would be very convenient! Have you made any headway?"

"Quite a bit, actually! I had to change the shape quite a bit, but it shows the numbers just like I hoped it would." Time Turner smiled. "I hope to be able to get them manufactured en masse by the end of the year. There are still a few kinks to work out, but once those are done with, there won't be much left to stand in the way."

Time Turner went on like this for quite a while. Fluttershy listened intently to every word he had to say, and it felt that with every sentence, she knew a little bit more about him. Time seemed to fly as the two kept walking, with Time Turner going on about his projects and Fluttershy listening. Soon enough, walking turned into something that just happened on its own, and the scenery around Fluttershy seemed blurry and inconsequential. Ironically, she was so intent on listening that time had no meaning.

"Well, here we are," Time Turner said suddenly, snapping Fluttershy back to reality. She looked around frantically for a few seconds in confusion. "Is...something the matter?"

"No! Nothing at all," Fluttershy said a bit too quickly. "Um...thank you. I appreciate this. Really."

Time Turner looked concerned, but he didn't press the matter. "Very well, then. I hope we meet again soon." He turned to leave, but stopped himself after a second. "Oh, and...I apologize for monopolizing the conversation. Next time, I'd love to hear about what you do for a living."

Having heard that, Fluttershy managed to calm down and give Time Turner a smile. "I'll be looking forward to that! There's so much to say about it." She waved and started walking into the market. "See you later!"

Once she was on her own, Fluttershy began to think about the encounter. Despite forming an alliance with one another, she and Time Turner were barely even acquainted. She hadn't been sure what to make of him, other than that he seemed to be rather intelligent. But as they talked, he had shown himself to be a kind pony with an admirable work ethic and a natural air of leadership. Fluttershy's skepticism had melted away by the minute.

"If I can warm up so quickly to somepony I don't even trust...maybe the ponies in this town aren't bad after all," she said to herself. "I...suppose the only way I would ever trust him is to actually talk to him, and I see no reason not to trust him now."

Fluttershy looked around as she walked. Before she can continue down her line of thought, she stopped suddenly as Scootaloo blasted across her path. She, too, screeched to a halt and turned around. "Sorry, Fluttershy!" she said sheepishly. She got off of her scooter and walked towards her, towing it along with her front hooves. "I didn't bump into you, did I? I tend to do that to ponies a lot more than I mean to. Which...is not at all, of course. Heh heh..."

"Thank you for your concern, Scootaloo. I'm fine." Fluttershy wondered about her situation for a moment. "Umm...do you mind if I ask you something before you go?"

"Sure! Ask anything." Scootaloo's smile brightened considerably as she let go of her handlebars and put her hooves on the ground.

"How...how have you been getting along with Diamond Tiara lately?"

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. "That's...a weird question."

"It's kind of important right now."

Scootaloo shrugged. "Well, she's been a lot nicer lately. In fact, she and Silver Spoon play with us at recess now sometimes. I think she said that she didn't want to be a bully any more, so her dad wouldn't be disappointed if he could see her. Not sure about Silver Spoon, though."

Fluttershy grinned. "That's wonderful."

"To be honest, it's taking some getting used to. It's been a while since she stopped doing it, but I still can't help but think she's going to call us blank-flanks every time she sees us." Scootaloo shrugged. "Anyway, I should get going. I have to get back to the clubhouse ASAP! Sweetie Belle is expecting a full scouting report!"

"A...scouting report?"

"Bye, Fluttershy!"

Just like that, Scootaloo had mounted her scooter again and ridden off as fast as a bullet.

Fluttershy took a moment to think. If Scootaloo could make friends with both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, then that just proved the theory she was garnering. She nearly smacked herself in the face. "Why did it take me this long to learn not to assume things about other ponies? Of course you can't know what someone is thinking before you talk to them...that's just impossible."

Something shattered above Fluttershy's head. She looked up to see Naravirala in the air, sitting down like always. She was consumed with blue light. With a forceful spread of her wings, Naravirala dispersed the light to reveal that she was Naravirala no more. She now had a face like a pony, larger wings--not unlike Twilight's or Cadence's--with blazing feathers, a more ornate headdress, and a tuft of white fur on her torso that looked almost like shoulderpads. She turned into a Priestess card and faded into the air, leaving Fluttershy feeling extremely invigorated. Naravirala had become Sekhmet.

After Fluttershy got over the initial shock, she realized that her Persona had just appeared--and transformed--in front of dozens of other ponies. She looked around in a panic, but no one was looking towards her, whether in awe or fear. Her fear was replaced with bafflement and relief at the same time.

"There you are, Fluttershy!" a voice called. Fluttershy turned to the left and saw Pinkie running up to her. "I've been shaking the bushes for you!"

"Hello, Pinkie Pie. Is everything okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"Uhh...sorta? Yyyyyyyyyyes...? Yes. Yeah, I don't think anything is particularly wrong." She cleared her throat. "But, uh, Twilight's calling for us all to meet at the barn. She says it's urgent--oh, wait...I guess that means not everything is okay. Dang it."

"Tell her I'll be there as soon as I can be. I need to buy some things here before they get sold out."

"Gotcha!" Pinkie jumped into the air and backflipped until she was somehow facing the other direction, then sprinted off in a puff of smoke.

Fluttershy turned back towards the market stalls. "Okay...time to get this done before I get interrupted by something else."

The meeting began at noon, after everyone had arrived. Twilight wasn't really sure how to phrase her request, so the first few minutes were spent making small talk on Applejack's reassurance that she'd get to the point when she was ready. She knew that what she was going to ask would be ridiculous--she was pretty much asking her friends to risk their lives for her sake alone. She knew that they would probably be okay with it, but it was still an issue she would much rather leave buried. The last thing she wanted was to seem selfish. However, she knew that nothing would change if she didn't say anything. She stood up and cleared her throat, gathering everyone's attention.

"Everypony, thank you for coming today. The--"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Rainbow Dash looked rather perplexed. "Why are you being so formal? Did you forget who you're talking to or something?"

Applejack lightly bopped Rainbow on the back of the head. "We're listenin', Twi."

"Umm...thank you. Anyway, the reason I've asked you all to come here is...because I need your help." Twilight found herself unable to make eye contact with her friends and nervously pawed at the floor. "See...there's someone waiting on us tomorrow in the other world."

"Really, now?" Rarity asked. "How do you know that? It doesn't rain again for at least a few days, if memory serves."

"I know because she told me. Her name is Margaret...and she's a human."

Naturally, this made Twilight's audience curious, with the exception of Spike. "A human...?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's a long story...the point is, she's challenging us to a duel. She says that I need to find my inner demons and face them, and that this is the way to do it."

"Well, rock on!" Rainbow exclaimed, jumping out of her seat and hovering above it. "I hope she isn't too mad when we pound her into dust!"

Twilight was surprised at this. She looked up at Rainbow. "What...what are you talking about?"

"Uhh...isn't it obvious? I'm in! I'm helping you." Rainbow landed next to the table and looked towards the others. "We all are. Aren't we?"

"Of course," Rarity said. "Twilight, you're our dear friend...and you've done so much for all of us. How could we possibly turn you away?"

"B-but...I'm asking you all to put yourselves in danger...just for my sake!" Twilight replied. "Aren't you at least a little bit hesitant?"

"Should we be?" Pinkie asked. "Because I can TOTALLY do that!"

Spike turned towards Pinkie. "I don't think she--"

Pinkie was suddenly sitting with her back hooves propped up on the table, wearing Applejack's stetson and holding a stalk of wheat in her mouth. "What's in it for me?" she asked, lifting the brim of Applejack's hat to look at Twilight with disinterested eyes.

"Gimme that!" Applejack exclaimed as she snatched her hat from Pinkie's head and put it back on. "Yer not makin' her feel any better about this, y'know."

"Aww, I was just trying to lighten the mood!" Pinkie spat out the wheat and pouted. "I'll help, though."

"Anyway...don't y'all worry about it none, sugar cube." Applejack smiled. "We've got yer back, no matter what. You should really know that by now."

"I...I'm a bit scared at the prospect...but I couldn't abandon you if I wanted to," Fluttershy said. "Besides...if I didn't come with you, who would heal you when you get hurt?"

"...Thank you. Thank you all so much," Twilight said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I wish I could repay you somehow for all of this."

"Hey, you helped us face our Shadows," Spike pointed out. "It's only natural that we repay the favor!"

Twilight smiled, and her eyes burned like the sun. "All right, then. Tomorrow...we're going to fight our hardest! Be ready for it!"

Rainbow cheered and pumped her hoof as she launched herself in the air. Everyone looked at her strangely. She stayed like this for almost a minute before she noticed that she was alone in doing so. "Umm...what, nothing?"

"We're a group of friends, not a hoofball team," Spike said.

Rainbow landed back on the floor and rolled her eyes. "You guys are no fun."

With nothing more to be said, everyone left the barn. Twilight planned on spending the rest of the day preparing as best as she could. For the first time, it felt certain to her that it was do or die.

Chapter 24: A Plus

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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.

Chapter 25: Uncertainty

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After what had happened the previous day, it was strange for Twilight to see the inside of the Velvet Room again--especially in its pristine condition. It was as if she weren't fighting one of its two inhabitants in a battle to the death less than 24 hours ago. This was reinforced by the fact that, as she entered, Margaret greeted her just the same as she would any other day. Igor, as usual, was completely unreadable--his expression rarely, if ever, changed.

"So, what brings you to the Velvet Room this fine morning?" Igor asked.

"...Are we just going to ignore what happened yesterday?" Twilight brought a hoof to her mouth, surprised at the venom lacing her words. She cleared her throat. "Um...what I mean is--"

"It's quite all right," Margaret replied. "I can certainly understand if you're angry with me. I did fight to kill, after all. But there really isn't much for me or my master to talk about on the subject, so we saw no reason to bring it up."

"I have a few questions, though." Twilight kept an eye on Margaret's facial expression. "You said you wanted to fight us to help me and to test our potential...but there's yet another reason, isn't there?"

Margaret grinned ever so slightly. "Quite perceptive. I admit, there was another personal reason involved...it's been quite some time since I last saw battle. Three and a half years, to be exact. While I normally don't miss it, when I see a Persona-user of your caliber...I can't help but be excited. Despite what has happened, you must admit that you find combat somewhat thrilling as well, do you not?"

Twilight had to think about that. "Well...I know that I shouldn't like it, but I do have to admit that it can be pretty fun sometimes."

"So you understand what I mean, then." Margaret pulled something out of her pocket. "I forgot to give this to you on the battlefield, but you have most certainly earned this reward."

Margaret handed over a bookmark. It was blue with a golden circled V on it. Twilight had plenty of bookmarks already, but you could never have too many. She smiled as she floated the bookmark near her.

"Now, then...what can we do for you?"

Soon after the group had returned from the other world, Rainbow Dash had realized that the day they fought Margaret had been a day that the murderer would have struck. Rain was scheduled tomorrow, and even now, she and the weather crew were putting a few of the clouds into place. It wasn't going to be as bad as the storm after they rescued Applejack, but it would be quite the downpour in its own right. Rainbow was fortunate enough to go around all of Ponyville because of her job, so she kept stealing glances at the ground for signs of suspicion when the other workers weren't looking. Though she prided herself on her scrutiny, she didn't see anything out of the ordinary, and the job was almost done.

"Rainbow Dash?" Thunderlane asked. Rainbow looked up and turned towards him. "You okay? You seem kinda...distant today."

Rainbow turned back towards the cloud she was tending and shaped it so that it would be ready to put into its position. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"It doesn't seem like nothing. You've been watching the ground like a hawk!"

Rainbow resisted the urge to inflict some form of self-punishment and made a mental note to do it later. "You, uh...you saw that, huh?"

"It's hard to miss. I'm surprised the supervisor hasn't called you out yet."

Rainbow thought about what to say for a moment, but nothing came to her. Instead, she purposefully flapped her wings out of sync for a brief moment, wobbling in the air and bringing herself closer to the cloud she was shaping. She waved her forelegs like a pony possessed, hitting the cloud and sending it flying. "Oh, uh, whoops! Runaway cloud! I should go and get that, we'll continue this conversation never."

Before Thunderlane could respond, Rainbow was already gone. Chasing the cloud took her to the edge of a construction site. For the moment, it was empty, since the weather and construction crews often got in each other's way if they worked at the same time. Naturally, she got to the cloud in a matter of seconds, but there were bigger things on her mind than setting new records for cloud retrieving. She stopped to think, keeping a hoof on the cloud so she would know if it started floating away. She wracked her brain, trying to think of a good reason for the killer to skip an appointment, so to speak. She went over everyone who had been targeted previously in her mind.

"Hmph...this would've been so much easier if that second group weren't in the picture," Rainbow grumbled. "It was just us, Filthy Rich and Lotus before they came along...even I could draw something from that. But with another six victims in the picture, there's no way to tell who he's after."

Something caught Rainbow's eye, interrupting her thought process. A pegasus had alighted on the ground. Her coat and mane were either black or very dark grey, but from this distance, it was hard to tell. Her wings covered up her cutie mark, but Rainbow could see a speck of white. After she absorbed the pegasus's details, it turned towards her, revealing themselves to be female.

"What're you doing down there?" Rainbow asked. "This area is restricted to anyone not on the weather team, and if you're part of the weather team you should be up here."

The pegasus didn't respond. Instead, she started walking further into the construction site.

"Hey!" Rainbow exclaimed. She sent the cloud she was tending on a drift course back towards its destination. "I'm talking to you!"

The pegasus still ignored her. That was the sign she had been watching for all day, she could tell. Whoever that pony was, she was hiding something. Rainbow flew down to the construction site, but just before she could cut the other pony off, she took to the air and flew straight up through the frame of an unfinished building.

"You're not getting away that easy!" Rainbow yelled. She had an idea--one that would definitely keep the mystery pony from escaping. She knew that she was probably just being paranoid, but even if this pony wasn't the murderer, she was still breaking a law right now--two, counting the law against unauthorized flying during cloud arrangement. She flew to the top of the building frame to cut her off, but she immediately changed direction, flying straight ahead towards where the weather team was working. Rainbow smirked and flew after her, making sure she was slowly gaining on her.

It wasn't long before the two passed Thunderlane. As they flew by, he nearly lost control of the cloud he was carrying. The wind ended up knocking a bit of mass off of it, and it now looked like a large mushroom.

Meanwhile, Rainbow decided it was time to stop fooling around. She flew so she was just beside the pegasus, who almost lost her course in her shock. "One last chance to explain yourself!"

The other pegasus glared and sharply turned around. Rainbow turned around as well, but simply stopped instead of kept up with the chase. Instead, she grabbed a nearby cloud and threw it as hard as she could. It sailed through the air and, just as it was slowing down, the other pegasus slammed into it with a loud, muffled noise.

"All right! Let's see what we've won."

It only took a second for Rainbow to get to the cloud, but there was still a small crowd gathered by the time she did. The pegasus had apparently impacted the cloud so hard that she had been buried within it. Rainbow dug out a large chunk of cloud with her forelegs and looked inside...and saw something she could scarcely believe. "Derpy?!"

Derpy Hooves looked back at Rainbow Dash, her cheeks and mouth stuffed with blueberry muffins. Her out-of-sync eyes showed intense confusion, but also joy.

"Weren't you just chasing somepony else?" Cloud Chaser asked.

"Y-yeah...I don't know how this could've happened," Rainbow replied.

"Well, there's no point in trying to find them now," Blossomforth said. "They're probably long gone already."

Rainbow stared at Derpy for a moment. She dug out a bit more of the cloud and helped Derpy out of it, after which she swallowed her muffins, smiled sheepishly, and took the cloud away with her.

"...This is just getting weird," Rainbow said to herself. "I should probably tell the others later."

"Enough gawking!" A gruff male voice yelled. "Get back to work, all of you! Rainbow Dash, double-time it!"

Rainbow snapped to attention and flew towards the large pile of clouds that needed positioning.

As she pulled her cart through Ponyville's streets, Trixie cursed her schedule fiercely but silently. Whose idea was it for her to go to Ponyville, then Dodge Junction, and then back through Ponyville again to Canterlot? That just seemed counterproductive. Nevertheless, she didn't have much choice but to go through with it. Despite the enchantments she had placed on her cart, however, it was still not the easiest thing to drag around. At least the builders had the good sense to put wheels on it--despite her initial protests, it was making things a lot easier.

Suddenly, she heard a quiet voice coming from nearby. She couldn't quite make out the words, but she couldn't help but be curious. As subtly as someone as flamboyant as her could be, she focused her attention on the voice, cocking her head towards it ever so slightly.

"...and she wants to see us in the barn so she can describe what happened in detail."

"All right, I'll be there soon." Trixie noted that the second voice was a bit louder, but its owner was whispering, so she still couldn't tell whose it was. "Have you told the others yet?"

"Not yet...you're the first one I managed to find. Sorry."

"Well, there's no rush. You go on ahead, I'll catch up."

The voices stopped speaking after that, so Trixie stopped paying attention to their sources. In her peripherals, she saw Fluttershy fly above the roof of the nearest building and keep a constant altitude as she left the area. She started walking a little faster, hoping to avoid running into whichever one of her friends she had just been talking to.

"Oh, hi Trixie!" Twilight suddenly exclaimed.

Trixie froze in place, cursing her luck, before reluctantly turning around. "Hello again, Twilight," she said, putting on a nervous smile. "What do you want?"

"I'm a little surprised to see you. Weren't you leaving town after your show?"

"Yes, and I did...but I have to pass through again to get to my next stop. I'll be here for another two hours or so, but I have to take my cart to the right place."

Twilight's look changed to a concerned one. "That sounds awfully taxing...why do you have to do it that way?"

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Because my manager is a buffoon." She turned back around. "I should get going."

"Oh, wait!" Twilight trotted up to Trixie's side. "Do you want some company?"

Trixie would have said no, but she was a bit tired of being alone with her thoughts at this point. She was too proud to say yes outright, however. "If you insist."

"All right!" Twilight slowed down slightly to match Trixie's pace. "So where did you go after you left?"

"Dodge Junction." Trixie sighed. "That place is so filthy...but the townsfolk aren't too bad. It's just so quiet there. Definitely not my favorite place."

"I take it they liked your show?"

"They did indeed. Apparently the owner of the cherry orchard loved it, because she gave me three baskets to take with me." Trixie floated one of the baskets out of her cart. "Would you mind taking this one? I can't eat them all before they go bad, but no one else will take this one off my hooves. They all say I need it more than they do."

"I think you need--" Twilight stopped herself as Trixie's words registered. "...Um...sure, I'll take it."

Trixie passed the basket over, and Twilight sent it to the library with a burst of purple light. "Thank you. Don't worry about me--I still have two baskets left."

Before Trixie knew it, Twilight changed the subject. "So I've been thinking...I'd really like to learn how you did those illusions before. Do you think we could trade notes?"

Trixie looked at Twilight quizzically. "Trade notes?"

"Yeah! There are all kinds of spells I'd be happy to teach you. I have a spell that gives you wings, a spell that turns you into a Breezie...oh! Do you know how to teleport? That would be extremely helpful for your commute!"

"Let me just stop you right there." Trixie narrowed her eyes. "When did I ask for your pity?"

Twilight's eyebrow raised. "Huh?"

"I know what you're doing. 'Oh, Trixie's not a real magician! No way could she learn magic without my help!' Well, news flash: Just because you're a princess doesn't mean you can look down on me like I'm a foal!"

"That's not what I'm doing at all! I'm just trying to help you--"

"I never asked for your help, and I never asked for your friendship." Trixie shifted her hat so it covered her eyes from Twilight's perspective. "Please...just leave me be."

Twilight stopped in her tracks, surprised at Trixie's outburst. The showpony kept walking, heedless of her reaction. To be honest, she was a bit surprised at herself for lashing out so violently. She felt a little bad as she walked, but she wasn't going to apologize. She wanted to be a powerful magician in her own right, and she wasn't going to get there by piggybacking off of others. As she turned around to see if Twilight was following her, she saw that the bookish mare took the hint and was now walking in the opposite direction. She faced forward, trying not to let the incident bug her too much.

After her conversation with Trixie, Twilight went home to get Spike, and they went to the barn together. For the first time in what felt like forever, they weren't the last to arrive--that title belonged to Pinkie, who managed to drag along a huge box full of black clothing and goggles upon hearing what the meeting was about. It was anyone's guess how she got it through the barn door.

"...and then when I dug part of the cloud away, she was gone!" Rainbow had been getting angrier as she told the story, and by this point, she was livid. "Derpy was there, stuffing her face with muffins like she always does!"

"Well, it's hardly fair for you to say that," Rarity scolded. "The poor dear has enough on her plate without you assuming she isn't doing society a service."

"I don't care about that right now!"

"You said she was a dark grey pegasus?" Twilight interrupted before the exchange could scale into an argument.

"Yeah, she was. I got a really good look at her when I was chasing her."

Twilight put a hoof to her chin. "I've run into a pony that matches that description once or twice around town...but she was an earth pony when I saw her."

Rainbow's fury gave way to confusion. "Wait, really? But...not only was she a pegasus, she was flying pretty well!"

"...Could she be a Changeling?" Fluttershy asked. "She could've forgotten what type of pony her disguise was."

"It's possible, but let's not make any assumptions just yet," Rarity answered. "Perhaps you simply missed her wings, Twilight. Celestia knows we didn't see yours when you first became an alicorn until you spread them in front of us."

"That was different, though! We were so relieved to see her again that it was all that mattered fer that second," Applejack pointed out. "She coulda popped outta that star a dragon and we wouldn't'a cared."

"How would we recognize her if she was a dragon?" Pinkie asked.

Spike cleared his throat. "Could it have just been Derpy the whole time? Maybe there was a shadow or something keeping you from--"

"Spike, I saw her up close!" Rainbow said exasperatedly. "Besides, her cutie mark was different. I didn't see what it was, but it wasn't bubbles."

"I'm still going with the Changeling theory," Fluttershy said softly.

"Well, for now it looks like our best option is to try and keep an eye on this mystery mare," Twilight said. "If she can change what type of pony she is, that might make her a suspect for the murders. If she really is a Changeling, that just makes her more suspicious."

"It also makes it harder to keep an eye on her," Rarity muttered. "That doesn't mean we shouldn't try, though."

"Oh, and another thing," Rainbow said. "When we fought Margaret...that was a day that the murderer should've made a move, but there was nopony but us in the Shadow world."

"That's certainly strange, but it was the same when we fought Time Turner and his friends," Fluttershy pointed out. "Maybe the murderer just stopped trying?"

"If that's the case, then we have to act fast," Applejack said sternly. "B'fore the trail gets too cold to follow."

"I'll go check to see if we just missed the victim yesterday," Pinkie offered. She immediately left the barn in a puff of smoke.

"...I'd better go too." Rainbow started flying towards the door. "She'll be in trouble if she gets ambushed while she's scanning."

As Rainbow left the barn, Rarity sighed. "There are just so many things to consider in this case...we don't know anything for sure. All we can do is grasp at straws."

"Hey, at least we have straws to grasp at," Spike replied. "And if we just keep grabbing for 'em, we'll be right eventually!"

"I'm...not sure that's how that works," Twilight said.

"Well, we've gone over pretty much everything that's available to us fer now," Applejack said. "Soon as those two get back, Ah think it's safe to end this meeting."

"I agree," Fluttershy said. "I guess we should still keep an eye on when it's going to rain...but I don't know how much it will help any more."

Twilight sighed. "That's all we have to hang on to. It's all that's keeping us from being in a whirlwind of unanswered questions."

A somber mood overtook the barn. It was only just now hitting the group how little they knew about what they had gotten themselves into...and despite their best efforts, there was no end in sight.

Chapter 26: Youth of the Nation

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"Just give up."

Twilight suddenly stopped walking, her eyes widening in shock. Her friends kept on as if she were still there, even continuing to address her and acting as if she had replied. She was about to call out to them, but before she could, a vaguely familiar yellow fog blanketed her vision, obscuring the group completely.

"Hello?" Twilight called. She looked around frantically for the usual landmarks--Filthy's gingerbread house, Lotus's spa, the crater that was once Fluttershy's arena...but she saw nothing through the fog.

"You'll never find the answers you seek."

Suddenly, a much more familiar eye opened in front of Twilight. Despite the fog all around her, she could see the eye clearly, and she instantly recognized it as the eye of Shadow Pinkie. She planted her hooves and glared. "You!"

"Don't act tough, Twilight. You're not very intimidating." The eye circled Twilight slowly, sizing her up. "You can look as much as you want, but there is no way you will find your answer."

A large tortoise with a run-down castle for a shell appeared, its eyes almost jovial. "Y'all're never gonna make Ponyville a safe place again...there just ain't enough to work with."

An adolescent dragon in a chariot pulled by invisible horses showed up next. "It would be better off if you just left. Go somewhere far away, whether in body or in mind..."

After that, a Sphinx statue with Fluttershy's face and a large cobra on its back materialized. "Now you've seen the dark side of this society. There's no escape from it...no reprieve from it."

A white-skinned humanoid in flowing black robes appeared next. "The culprit will always be hidden behind a veil, using you as his entertainment!"

A bird with human legs and bladed wings was the next to arrive. "It was fun while it lasted...but face it. Your little journey is as good as done."

By this point, Twilight was visibly shaking. The Shadows of her friends separated a little bit, and Twilight's own Shadow walked between them, making itself known through the fog. "Somepony as weak and meaningless as you can never make a difference. You were foalish to ever think otherwise."

Twilight wanted to scream. She wanted to defy the Shadows, to say that she would overcome the obstacles ahead and solve the case at any cost. But though she knew exactly what she wanted to say, her mouth simply wouldn't respond.

The Shadows started walking closer, each one murmuring what they had said previously under their breath. Twilight fell onto her stomach, then curled into a ball as the monsters surrounded her. The yellow fog became darker and darker until it was pitch black as the Shadows kept creeping closer. Twilight cowered in fear, waiting for them to attack her.

When she opened her eyes again, Twilight was lying in her bed. She propped herself up on her headboard and looked around, making sure that she wasn't in the other world. Making sure she was safe. Though she could've sworn she still heard remnants of the Shadows' voices around her, they were nowhere to be seen, and were even now fading into the back of her mind.

"Oh good, you're awake," Spike said as he came upstairs with a bowl of scrambled eggs. "You were tossing and turning and...talking a little bit in your sleep."

"I was talking?" Twilight asked groggily. She felt awful, and she guessed that she must have slept in--after all, Spike was already up and about.

"Yeah. Couldn't make out what you were saying." Spike put the bowl down on Twilight's desk. "I tried waking you up, but what with how much you were flailing around, I couldn't get close to you without you decking me in the face...so I made you breakfast in bed. I know you must've been having a pretty bad nightmare."

Twilight smiled as warmly as she could given her mental state. She picked Spike up with her magic and hugged him. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Spike."

"Likewise." The dragon returned Twilight's affection, and after he was on solid ground again, he scratched his head. "So...what were you dreaming about, anyway?"

"Nothing you need to be concerned over. I'll be all right now." Twilight floated a hoof mirror and hairbrush over to her bed and started fixing the mess she had made of her mane overnight. "Soon as I'm done eating, I'll go walk it off."

"That's good to hear." Spike took off his apron and folded it over his arm. "I need to go clean up. Do you need anything else?"

Twilight was about to just dismiss Spike to avoid troubling him further, but she realized then how dry her throat was. It felt dusty, even. "A glass of milk would be nice."

"Coming right up!" Spike hurried down the stairs as fast as his short legs would carry him.

True to her word, Twilight left the library after she ate, leaving Spike alone to tend to it. He would have gone with her happily, but she said she wanted some time to think. Because of this, Spike took it upon himself to make sure everything was in order when she got back--he re-shelved books, dusted the furniture, even re-positioned some books that Twilight had put in the wrong place thanks to her mind being occupied on other things. He was in the process of the latter when he heard a rough but quiet knock on the door.

"Just a second!" Spike called as he jumped down from the ladder he was so accustomed to falling off of. That ladder wasn't getting the best of him today, no sirree. He walked over to and opened the door to find three extremely familiar fillies.

"Howdy, Spike!" Apple Bloom said jovially. "It's Twilight Time! Is she around?"

"Oh, wow, is it Wednesday already?" Spike shifted his weight sheepishly. "Sorry, she went for a long walk to clear her head. She'll probably be back before too long. Do you want to come in?"

"You bet!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "It's so hot out here I can actually smell something burning!"

Spike opened the door, and the rambunctious trio charged into the library--without wiping their hooves, naturally. Spike hadn't swept the floor yet, though, so it was only a minor inconvenience. "Don't go making a mess, now. I'll make you some lunch."

"You don't have to do that, Spike," Sweetie Belle said. "We can wait until we go home."

"A few hours from now, you mean?" Spike started walking into the kitchen. "Yeah, no. You can't learn on an empty stomach anyway."

"Thanks!" Scootaloo said as Spike started his work. He hoped that the three fillies could keep themselves busy somehow so that they wouldn't undo his housework, but even if they did, staying mad at them would take a lot more willpower than he had.

"So...what d'y'all think we should do?" Apple Bloom asked. "Ah don't wanna risk blowin' up the library with ma potions unless Twilight's here to tell me if Ah did somethin' wrong."

"Yeah, you can't start a lesson without a teacher," Sweetie Belle added. "If you try, the classroom just gets covered with spitballs and paper airplanes made from the remains of last night's homework."

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at Sweetie Belle strangely. "How did you come up with that analogy?" Scootaloo asked.

"Oh, it's not important." Sweetie Belle used her magic to open her saddlebags and take out a list. "Maybe we should see if there's any crusading we can do without making a mess."

"Well, we already tried speed-readers...and Ah certainly don't wanna summon another demon," Apple Bloom said, rolling her eyes.

"Ooh! How about acting?" Scootaloo asked. "We could read something from one of the fiction books and then act it out! So long as we don't get too physical, we should be fine!"

"Worth a shot, I guess!" Sweetie Belle replied with a smile. "So, um...what book should we choose?"

"It HAS to be one of the Daring Do books!" Scootaloo flew into the air about two feet, adopting a sense of leadership that she didn't actually possess. "One of us plays the daring adventurer, going headfirst into the thick of danger and getting tons of experience points!"

"Experience points?"

"One of us plays the damsel in distress! Whether she simply waits for her hero or tries to talk her way out of the situation on her own, there can be no doubt that her role is important!"

"Does Daring Do even have a role like--"

"And the last of us plays the wicked Auhizotl, stealing ancient artifacts and scheming to take over the world by any means necessary! Not it, by the way."

"Not it!"

"Not--oh, pony feathers," Apple Bloom grumbled.

Scootaloo landed on the floor in front of her friends, her eyes full of excitement and her smile full of pride. "We'll be sure to get our cutie marks if that's the kind of act we put on!"

"Okay, that sounds like a lot of fun!" Sweetie Belle went over to the Fiction shelves. "But which book should we do it on? There are so many of them to choose from!"

"Well, it's our first act, so how 'bout Sapphire Statue?" Apple Bloom said. "Ah mean, it is the first book in the series."

"It's not the first chronologically, though," Scootaloo pointed out. "She hurt her wing in Wayward Wonderbolt while she was trapped in that harpy nest, and that's what caused her rough landing!"

"Wasn't that a different injury?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Her wings get hurt a lot somehow."

"No, it wasn't. When she was asked about it during an interview, she said it was the same one."

"So are we doin' Wayward Wonderbolt or Sapphire Statue, then?" Apple Bloom asked, becoming slightly impatient.

"Hmm...there's a good reason to do both," Sweetie Belle said thoughtfully. "Maybe we should find some way other than compromise to settle this."

Scootaloo smiled innocently. "Hoof-wrestling?"

"NOT IN MY HOUSE!" Spike bellowed from the other room.

After recovering from their shock at Spike's outburst, they thought some more about it. All three fillies wished they were under that hanging light in their clubhouse that almost seemed to stimulate their thought process, but it was halfway across town.

"Oh, I have an idea!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "What we do is this..."

About fifteen minutes later, Spike finished making a casserole for his three rambunctious little guests. He regarded his handiwork proudly, picking up a towel to put the scorching-hot dish on. As he carefully handled the delicious mixture and walked into the other room, he stopped suddenly.

"Scootaloo, stop flapping your wings! That's cheating!"

"It's not my fault you two don't have them!"

"How can y'all stay concentrated when yer shoutin' at each other like that?!"

A very strange scene was playing out before Spike. Even though the ladder was on the other side of the room, the fillies had somehow managed to climb up to the top of one of the bookshelves and were now standing very precariously with their front hooves peeking over the edge. As Spike looked on, the three fillies noticed him there. A long period of awkward silence followed.

"Uhh...we can explain?" Sweetie Belle said, smiling sheepishly.

"GET DOWN FROM THERE!" Spike yelled. "You're going to get hurt, and then your sisters are gonna blame me!"

"Aww, but how else will we decide which Daring Do book to act out?" Scootaloo asked.

"Do the fifth one. There, no more contest. Get down." Spike put the casserole down on the table. "And I'll make sure Twilight hears about why there are hoofprints on the bookshelf."

A dangerous look entered Scootaloo's eyes. "Oh, really?"

Spike was confused again at that statement. "...Yes. Really."

"Well, we can't let THAT happen, now can we?!" Scootaloo spread her wings imposingly as she grabbed her two friends and jumped down to the floor. "Here's our chance for an all-out attack!"

"Wait, what?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Just follow my lead." Scootaloo suddenly charged at Spike. "YOU'LL NEVER TAKE US ALIVE!"

Taking a walk around town did wonders for Twilight's energy. She didn't feel entirely rested after her ordeal this morning, but the uplifting atmosphere of the town she called home was more than enough to lift her spirits. It was like going to the spa, but on a lesser scale.

That said, her nightmare still wasn't completely forgotten. Though she didn't see the Shadows when she closed her eyes any more, she still heard their voices nagging at her in the back of her mind. Not only that, but her dreamless sleep reminded her of a problem that, without meaning to, she had a hoof in causing. With this in mind, she ignored her misgivings and tried to remember where Diamond Tiara's house was. The only directions she had gotten for it were to follow the road she had been walking on at the time and looking for--

A large, wrought iron gate made itself known in Twilight's peripheral view. She turned towards it, confirming that it was, in fact, the gate to Diamond Tiara's home. "That was easy," she said to herself. She walked over to the brick post on the left side of the gate and pushed the button that was there. After a few seconds, the gate opened, and Twilight walked up the driveway to knock on the door.

Inside the house, Twilight thought she heard something crashing to the floor, followed by clicking that sounded almost like hoofsteps. She then heard actual hoofsteps as Diamond Tiara opened the door. As soon as she saw who it was, she smiled. "Hi, Twilight! Come on in!"

Twilight complied as Diamond Tiara made way for her, making sure to wipe her hooves. The inside of the house was just as it had been last time, save for one thing--in front of the couch, there was a spindle and a pile of wooden blocks. "What's going on there?"

"Aunt Ruby says I'll fall asleep easier if I have something to focus on during the day." Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. "I can fall asleep just fine these days, but she insists."

"Does it help at all?"

"...A little, I guess. I don't think I need it, though."

"Why a spindle, anyway?"

Diamond Tiara just shrugged.

"Wouldn't it make more sense if you were to read a book, or watch some of those silent movies?"

"She thinks that if I get captivated, it'll be harder to fall asleep."

Ruby walked into the room just then. "That's because it would be! You wouldn't want to abandon what you're doing for rest." She nodded to Twilight. "Hello, your Highness. What brings you here today?"

"I wanted to check on you two," Twilight replied. "I've been pretty busy lately, but I haven't forgotten what happened last time we saw each other. I wanted to know if you...well..."

Ruby raised her hoof to stop Twilight, a knowing smile on her face. "Say no more, Princess. You have nothing to fear. Families never stay angry at each other forever--I'm sure you know that as well as I do."

"Actually...I've barely had conflicts with my family period."

Diamond Tiara suddenly looked at Twilight as if she were an alien. "WHAT?!"

"Is that...strange?"

"Diamond, just because you and your father weren't on the best of terms doesn't mean that everypony is in the same situation," Ruby said with a frown.

"No, I get that...but for it to NEVER happen? If you're around someone for that long, you're bound to argue with them! I've even fought with Silver Spoon a couple of times!"

"Well, I actually fought with my brother relatively recently." Twilight frowned as the stinging memories of Shining Armor reprimanding her like he would one of his cadets resurfaced. "It...wasn't pretty...and it took quite a feat to patch things up again."

"Ah, that makes sense. If that's your only experience with family issues...well, I must say, you're quite the lucky mare in that regard," Ruby said, a gentle smile on her face.

Twilight fought back a shudder as she tried to push the bad memories down. "I certainly don't feel that way." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, I'm glad to see that you two are okay now!"

"And I appreciate your concern." Ruby walked closer and put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "And if you ever need to talk about what happened with your family, I'm here to listen. I've had my share of family feuds in the past, and I know how painful they can be."

"...Thank you. I...might take you up on that sometime."

That oh-so-familiar shattering sound played in Twilight's mind as she saw images of Heirophant and Hanged Man cards appear before her. The same deep voice from last time rumbled to life as well. "You have created bonds that cannot be broken...these everlasting bonds shall be your eyes to see the truth. We bestow upon you the ability to harness the power of the Hanged Man and Heirophant Arcana."

"Is everything all right, Twilight?" Diamond Tiara asked.

Twilight shook off the images and turned towards the filly. "Yeah, I'm fine...let me guess, I spaced out for a second?"

Diamond Tiara nodded. "Does this happen a lot?"

A smile crept onto Twilight's muzzle. "More than you know."

After a short while, Twilight decided it was time to go home. She had gotten what she came for--reassurance and a clear mind to spend the rest of her day with. She had also forgotten that today was the day she was supposed to teach the Cutie Mark Crusaders, so she kept up a brisk trot all the way to the library. Not that she didn't like the Crusaders, but she didn't want to leave Spike alone with them for too long.

When she got to the library, Twilight heard voices on the other side of the door. Curious and more than a little bit wary, she leaned in to listen. There was a rhythmic thumping that was only just audible over the voices.

"We have defeated the mighty dragon and claimed his treasure!"

"Yeah, yeah, you can have it. Just get off of me!"

"That'll teach y'all to mess with the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

"...Can I stop swinging around this broom now?"

Twilight decided that was a good a time as any to open the door. Everyone in the room turned to look at her as she entered. Scootaloo was quite literally standing on a very bemused Spike's back. Apple Bloom assisted in this by holding his arms with a lasso made of her own bow. Sweetie Belle was holding Twilight's broom in her magic, standing just beside a plate with a piece of casserole and a fork on it. The four of them just kept staring at Twilight, an exceedingly awkward silence overtaking the room.

"Sooooo, uhh...can we start the lesson now?" Scootaloo asked, trying to sound as casual as she could.

Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes the way she always did when the Crusaders got themselves into mischief. "You know what? Sure."

Chapter 27: The Culprit

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A familiar shade of blue entered Twilight's vision as her eyelids slowly fluttered open. Shaking off the usual grogginess, Twilight found herself standing within the Velvet Room. Igor and Margaret sat on the couches in front of her, just as they always did. She had come to the Velvet Room several times now, but Twilight couldn't help but be confused whenever she was summoned by its residents.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Igor said cordially, bringing him to Twilight's attention. "I have summoned you here for a rather informal purpose, so there is no need to be concerned."

"An informal purpose?" A smirk played at the edges of Twilight's lips. "Of all the things I've seen since this mess started, this is the most surprising."

Igor closed his eyes and chuckled. "Well, aren't we witty tonight?"

"You have been summoned here to receive our congratulations...and a warning," Margaret interjected. "I suggest you take the latter seriously."

And there went the smirk. Twilight cleared her throat and stood at attention.

"You have done very well in making it so far," Igor said after he saw that Twilight was paying attention. "Even though you have no heading, you still march forward into the murk and the gloom. You show a level of dedication to your cause--and your contract--that we have not seen in some time. That you can still have faith even in the face of seemingly insurmountable doubt...it is an achievement all its own."

Given her modesty, Twilight's cheeks burned as Igor spoke. She hadn't really thought of it that way before. "You really think so?"

"It takes more than just an ordinary being to keep marching on when all seems to be lost. Even though there is so much obstruction in your path, however...your efforts are not in vain." Igor's ever-mysterious smile widened. "You will learn a great truth sometime after you awaken. I am certain of this."

"A great truth? What kind of great truth?"

"I'm afraid I am unable to tell you that at this time. However, I can tell you that it will change the course of your journey...what that means exactly is up to you to decide. Whether your adventure ends after this truth is revealed, or whether you continue until you have searched every nook and cranny...either way, a great trial stands before you."

"You have proven yourselves capable of defeating me, so you probably do not have to worry about the battle that lies ahead," Margaret said, smiling ever so slightly. "But that does not mean you should become complacent. Fight with all of your power."

Twilight nodded. "I will."

Igor let out a low chuckle that was somehow even more mysterious than the last. "The fog only grows thicker as your journey continues...but I am confident that some light will be shed at last."

"Oh, um...before I go, can I ask you something?"

"Naturally. It is my duty to answer any question you have for as long as our services are required."

"Well...this is going to sound strange, but...it's been bugging me for a while now..." Igor didn't respond. Twilight waited for a moment to see if he would, but he was just listening. "...Who's pulling this chariot?"

There was a moment of awkward silence. For a moment, Twilight could've sworn she saw Igor's smile falter.

"I look forward to your next visit," Igor said, a bit more hastily than usual. Before Twilight could say anything more, the Velvet Room faded from her consciousness.

Just as Twilight was settling back in to sleep, her door suddenly slammed open, and there was a loud crash from downstairs. At first, Twilight didn't react, hoping that she was dreaming. However, this had happened enough already for her to know that was a pointless thing to wish for. She sighed and sat up. "What is it, Rainbow Dash?"

A cyan blur zipped into Twilight's room and revealed itself to be just who she thought it was. "Get your stuff, Twilight! It's two days till rain!"

"What stuff? I don't take anything with me on these trips." Twilight rubbed her eyes. "And since when do you get up early?"

"Hey, I can wake up early if I need to!" Rainbow crossed her forelegs indignantly. "But never mind that! We need to get a move on!"

"I'm getting up, I'm getting up." Twilight climbed down from her bed and woke up Spike.

"Okay, you guys get something to eat, and I'll see you at the barn." Without waiting for a response, Rainbow flew downstairs and out of the library.

"...Why is she concerned?" Spike asked. "It's not like we ever fail when we're on the other side."

"I was thinking the same thing," Twilight said. "Come on, we shouldn't keep her waiting for too long."

Spike hopped out of his bed and stretched. "I'm a bit confused, though. All of us have already been targeted, and last time we went there on one of these days, no one was kidnapped at all."

"Last two times." Twilight smoothed out her bangs as she spoke. "You forgot the time with Time Turner and the others."

"That just backs up my point! What if they stopped trying? There wouldn't be any point in checking today."

"We should still keep our guard up until someone is caught. They might be trying to lull us into a false sense of security. At any rate, I'd rather not start brainstorming until we all meet up."

Spike looked as if he had something else to say, but he didn't say it. Instead, he let out a heavy sigh.

Twilight turned around. "What is it?"

"I...I just really want this to be over already." Spike averted his eyes. "It's kinda fun, fighting to solve the case...but I really miss Ponyville the way it usually is. You can't tell at first glance, but everyone is still nervous that somepony else is gonna die. With that going on...it's easy to forget why we love it here so much in the first place."

"You're right, Spike." Twilight put a hoof on Spike's chin, turning his head so that she could look into his eyes. "But don't you think that just gives us more of a reason to fight as hard as we can? So that Ponyville will be the peaceful town we all know and love again?"

"Yeah...yeah, of course it does." Spike started walking downstairs. "Let's just do cereal this morning."

"So what do you sense, Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked.

Pinkie stood a little bit ahead of everyone else. Love Bubble held one of her hearts in front of each of Pinkie's eyes, and a translucent golden material appeared to connect them, giving the illusion of heart-shaped glasses. As Love Bubble hovered there, the hearts on her head swayed back and forth as if they were leaves in a breeze, sending out small waves of barely-visible light. After a short while of this, Love Bubble disappeared, and Pinkie turned towards the others. "It looks like Time Turner beat us to the punch. His group is here too!"

"Wait, really?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah! And there's a really strong Shadow, too!" Pinkie turned and pointed at a slight angle to the right of where the group was facing. "They're this way. I think a new area has formed."

"Is there not a victim?" Rarity asked. "Why would there be a powerful Shadow if it didn't come from anyone?"

"Well, we'd better see what's going on," Twilight said. "Pinkie, can you tell if they're hurt or not?"

Pinkie shook her head. "Not from this far away...all I could tell for sure is that they're really close together. They're probably fighting each other as we speak."

"Then let's go already!" Rainbow exclaimed, flying so that she was a little farther along than Pinkie. "If they are in trouble, then they'll be mincemeat if we don't pick up our pace!"

Without any more words, the group started running. However, the instant they left the ground they had been standing on, they heard the familiar sound of bubbling tar.

"Ah, pony feathers! There are Shadows coming!" Twilight yelled.

The blobs of shapeless matter floated into the air, taking a variety of shapes. None of the shapes were new, but every familiar shape appeared--from the spheres with long tongues to the jittery UFOs. Dozens of Shadows--hundreds, even--surrounded the group.

"We don't have time for this!" Spike exclaimed. His Arcana card floated in front of his face. "You're up, Atlas!"

With a burst of flame, Atlas faded into existence just above Spike. As the others summoned their own Personas, Atlas lifted his globe towards the sky, and several clouds of energy appeared, dispersed somewhat sporadically above the Shadows. Bolts of energy rained down from the clouds, striking down many of the Shadows at once. Before anyone else could launch an attack, some of the UFO and the police Shadows aimed their cannons and crossbows at the group and opened fire.

"Looks like we got our work cut out fer us," Applejack said as Stronghold conjured a golden shield in front of her. All of the crossbow bolts and cannon rounds were drawn to the shield as if by a magnet, and the projectiles bounced off like spitballs.

"Don't worry, I'll clear a path! We can lose 'em if we hurry!" Rainbow shouted. Hayabusa flapped her wings, catching enough Shadows in the wind to allow her to land. She launched herself into the crowd, spinning like a drill. In her wake, Shadows were either knocked to the side or vaporized. There was an egress, but it wasn't wide enough to run through.

"Now what do we do?" Fluttershy asked as Sekhmet incinerated a particularly brave Shadow.

"I'll try to make the path wider!" Rainbow yelled.

"We don't have time!" Pinkie said. "Don't worry...I think I have an idea."

Love Bubble sprung into action, flying over to Atlas and snatching the globe from his hands. Atlas shook a clawed fist in protest as Love Bubble set the globe on the floor and landed on top of it.

"...Pinkie, are you trying to roll over them?" Twilight asked.

Pinkie had an outrageously innocent look in her eyes. "Maaaybe."

Twilight rolled her eyes, but she couldn't deny that there was some merit in her plan. Star Swirl aimed his staff towards Atlas and then Love Bubble, raising their offensive power. With that done, Love Bubble started rolling the globe forward. It was a bit slow at first, but when Rainbow saw what she was doing, Hayabusa boosted her speed. Using these boosts combined with her acceleration, Love Bubble rolled the globe over every Shadow in sight, crushing those that were foolish enough not to jump out of the way. Through it all, Love Bubble's expression was as jubilant as it always was.

"Now is the time," Rarity said. "Let us hurry, before more Shadows arrive."

Everyone started running. Atlas tried to retrieve his globe, but when he did, Love Bubble reached down towards him and bopped him on the head. She continued rolling it as she followed the others.

"So what was that about, anyway?" Applejack asked. "Never seen that many Shadows at once before."

"Something's got them riled up," Pinkie explained. She turned towards Twilight. "It's probably because of that strong Shadow. That's how it was when you were rescuing most of us, right?"

"Something like that," Twilight replied. "Something was different about this, though...before, the Shadows didn't show up until we got to the new area that had formed. I thought they were drawn to those places because the power of the Shadow selves was like a beacon for them."

Spike perked up a bit just as Atlas finally got his globe back. "Could that new Shadow be controlling them? Maybe it sensed we were here and sent them to stop us."

"Would a Shadow self do that?" Fluttershy asked.

Something caught Rainbow's eye just as she was about to add something. She took to the air, staying just above the others. "Hey, look over there!"

The group followed Rainbow's gaze. Just ahead, the tile floor started turning into charred grass. A large, scorched plain, about the same size as the crater that had once been the colosseum, stretched across the landscape. Tombstones littered the plain sporadically, each one in a different state of repair--some were like new, and others had already collapsed. Some of the less pristine tombstones had a few bones scattered around them. In the center of the plain, Time Turner and his Persona stood alone against a dark grey mare. All of the others from Time Turner's group had been knocked over, unconscious or just unable to stand.

"That's HER!" Rainbow yelled. "That's the pony I chased the other day!"

"We'd better get over there quick, then!" Applejack said. Everyone changed directions, running towards the source of the commotion.

A few seconds before they reached their destination, Time Turner looked over his shoulder and saw them. He turned around as they drew closer. "No! Stay away! It's too powerful!"

"What're you talking about?" Spike asked just as he got within range to ask without raising his voice. "We're here to help you!"

"You idiots! Save yourselves before it attacks again!"

"Playing the martyr, eh?" the pegasus asked. "Well, it's too late for that. There's nothing you can do to change your fate now."

"So you DO talk!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Just what are you doing here?!"

"Stop wasting time and RUN!" Time Turner yelled. "It won't hesitate to kill you if you don't!"

"Silence!" the pegasus exclaimed. Her eyes flashed briefly, and Time Turner fell over. He was still conscious, but he couldn't move. "I should've known it was too risky to wait so long. I should have done this long ago."

"Hold on just one moment!" Rarity said. "What in Equestria are you talking about?"

The pegasus rolled her eyes and glared at the ponies before her. "Is it not obvious by now? I'm the one who you've been looking for."

"G-girls!" Pinkie took a step back, her eyes wide with fear. "That's...that's not a pony! It's a Shadow!"

"Wait, WHAT?!" Twilight demanded.

There was a moment's pause. The pegasus's frown slowly turned upwards, stopping upon reaching a terrifying smirk. She closed her eyes for a moment and started chuckling ever so softly. Blue mist surrounded her and her voice began to warp as her laughter intensified. Suddenly, she burst out with a cackle and opened her eyes. They were the all-too-familiar shade of sickly yellow that had by now burned its way into Twilight's memory forever. The blue mist swirled around her like a tornado, but it was still thin enough to see through. After what felt like an eternity, she finally calmed down. The blue mist stayed near her feet, and she simply smiled darkly at the group. "You're a perceptive one, aren't you?"

"H-how is that possible?" Fluttershy asked. "What ARE you?"

"You really don't know anything about the monsters you've been fighting...fine, I guess I'll spell it out. It's rare, but sometimes a Shadow can regain the ego they once lost...and when that happens, sometimes they choose to take different forms. I am one such Shadow...and I awoke with only one thought on my mind." The Shadow narrowed her eyes. "That thought...was to cause my world to merge with yours. That is the one reason for my existence."

"And just how in the hay do ya expect to pull that off?" Applejack demanded. "Yer just one Shadow. Ain't no way ya can do somethin' like that on yer own!"

"Persona-users are ponies--with an essence of Equestria--that have tamed and controlled their Shadows and accepted into themselves. The Shadows have an essence of this world, and since they reside within the Persona-user, they have the essence of both worlds within them. I plan to draw on the combined essence and use you as chains to connect the two worlds. Your power, combined with the power of the last group that fought me, shall be far more than sufficient for my purposes."

"Chains to...I don't get a word you're saying!" Rainbow yelled. "Enough beating around the bush! You threw ponies in here, is that what you're saying?!"

The Shadow was silent for a moment, a small smile on its face. Its face darkened as it stared into Rainbow's eyes, as if that would answer her question.

"ANSWER ME, DANG IT!"

Before the Shadow could say anything, however, Hayabusa flew forward, claws raised. She got to the Shadow in less than a second and let loose a barrage of lightning-fast strikes. However, they were all blocked as the Shadow's mist floated in front of Hayabusa, forming a barrier that she couldn't break. She flew backwards a bit, anticipating a counterattack.

"I am the Blackguard," the Shadow said. It floated into the air a bit, supported by its blue aura. The mist slowly began to turn red as she floated higher. "I will fulfill the purpose I was born with...even if I have to destroy your bodies to do it."

Red mist fully engulfed the Blackguard. Several pools of black sludge formed near it, and as soon as they did, their contents began to flow into it. The cloud of mist only grew larger until it finally dispersed. At first, the ponies couldn't see anything--just a huge mass of tar, floating in the air. However, soon it began to take shape. It was a seven-foot humanoid made of the same black sludge, floating by some unseen force just as Margaret had. Only one eye was visible, and it glowed the usual shade of yellow. On its wrists and ankles, there were large metal bands with chains emerging from them, which were attached to the ground by small metal loops that had appeared there. Four wavy shapes floated in an X behind it, and near each one were three spikes that almost looked like feathers.

"This one's tough!" Pinkie yelled. "Please be careful!"

The Blackguard moved first. It floated a bit higher into the air and lifted its arms towards the sky, and the yellow fog around everyone began to darken. It slowly became darker and darker until it was pitch-black, making only the Shadow's yellow eye visible.

"Ah, horse apples," Applejack said. "Anypony got a light?"

"Leave that to me!" Spike exclaimed.

Atlas swung his free hand upwards, and several golden circles appeared all around. Glowing talismans rose and spiraled up from them, providing a good bit of light. However, similar to how the darkness in the circus tent had worked, it did nothing to abate the lack of clarity. Meanwhile, the Blackguard's eye briefly glowed a bit brighter as the movement of its limbs could just barely be seen. A raging inferno suddenly burst from the ground, washing over the ponies like a tidal wave. Spike and Fluttershy were unaffected, but the others recoiled in pain. Rarity, given her weakness to fire, did a bit more than recoil--she skidded backwards, unable to stand. As the attack ended, several standing flames lingered, but they did not pierce the shadows.

"Rarity, are you all right?!" Rainbow said as she flew over, her back to the battle.

"I-I'm...all right," Rarity replied. "We must strike back. Don't let your--"

It was too late. A bolt of electricity lanced through the air and hit Hayabusa square in the stomach, and Rainbow slammed into the ground with the force. With what strength she had left, Rarity directed Ace of Spades, and he healed a few of the two ponies' wounds.

"Pathetic!" the Blackguard yelled. "Is that really all you can do?!"

"This is bad!" Pinkie yelled. "The darkness is even jamming my abilities! If we don't do something about it fast, we aren't gonna win this fight!"

"Don't even bother!" The Shadow moved again, and a pillar of ice suddenly appeared around Fluttershy. Another movement, and Twilight was blown back by a fierce whirlwind--but it didn't affect her quite as badly as it once would have. "Just give it up! Do you really think you can win?!"

"We have come this far!" Rarity yelled back. Ace of Spades brandished his rapier, preparing to charge. "I WILL NOT SUBMIT!"

"You tell 'em, Rarity!" Spike said. He focused his gaze on the Shadow's yellow eye. "Let's DO THIS!"

Atlas and Ace of Spades charged forward. As they flew, Hayabusa wrapped them and herself in green auras, and she and Stronghold flew to join them. They all flew right up to the eye and began a frenzied assault with globe, sword, fist and claw. However, not even one strike managed to land. Laughing, the Shadow's eye flashed again, sending the four Personas flying with a blast of white light.

"It's like it wasn't even there!" Rainbow yelled. "What the hay are we supposed to do now?!"

"Try magic!" Twilight yelled. "Maybe it's immune to physical attacks or something!"

The others nodded. Hayabusa attacked with blades of green wind; Ace of Spades instantly froze the area all around the yellow eye; Sekhmet incinerated the same area, shattering the ice; and Atlas let loose bolts of purple energy. The assault lasted for nearly a whole minute. When it was over, however, the Blackguard was still completely unscathed.

"Pinkie Pie, PLEASE tell me you can explain this," Twilight said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"It's...almost as if the Shadow is all around," Pinkie replied. "The darkness all around us...I think it's actually part of the Shadow itself."

"Then why can't we hurt it? We're hitting it head on!"

"I don't know...it doesn't make sense to me either."

"Frustrated?" the Shadow asked smugly. "Well...I'm sure you won't be for much longer."

"You COWARD!" Rainbow screamed. "Show your face, why don'tcha!"

"If you think I'm a coward, that's your business. In a few moments, it won't matter. Nothing will."

The Blackguard's eye flashed one more time, and the ponies were suddenly exhausted. They stayed on their feet for a moment, but even that was fleeting. Some sprawled out on the ground, others managed to keep at least one of their hooves on the ground, but all were too drained to launch another attack.

"Now...it's time for me to FINISH YOU!"

Twilight braced herself for impact. Five dark red masses appeared above her and her friends. These masses looked somewhat similar to the mass of energy that Spike used when he nuked a battlefield. Feeling a bit of deja vu, she tried to stand back up, to fight back.

Suddenly, everything seemed to stop. In fact, everything DID stop--except for Twilight. No longer feeling exhausted, she took a quick look around. Everything around her was completely still and completely silent.

"I've been waiting for you."

Twilight's eyes widened, and her irises shrunk to the size of pinpricks. "Igor?!"

The darkness around the battlefield, the darkness that was so impervious, began to disperse around Twilight. In its place was the blue interior of a chariot. Igor and Margaret sat in their usual places, a trademark mysterious smile on the former's face.

"What's happening?" Twilight asked. "Why am I here?"

"Did I not tell you before?" Igor opened his eyes and looked into Twilight's. "Most of the time, we are unable to assist you directly. However, when times are dire and there is no other way, we can intervene. In the end, it is still up to you to overcome the trials set before you, but we are allowed to assist with that."

A spectral image of Star Swirl appeared above the table. A Tarot card appeared behind him, but it was gone before Twilight could see what it was. Star Swirl's eyes flashed with understanding.

"I'm afraid that is all we can do...but I think you might find that it is just enough." Igor's smile widened. "Good luck to you, most faithful of guests."

The Velvet Room began to fade back into darkness. Twilight's eyes widened. "Wait! Hold--what did you--"

Time suddenly resumed around Twilight as she found herself back on the battlefield. The red masses above the group each launched a single orb. They slowly descended towards the ground.

"Pinkie!" Rainbow yelled. "Do you think you can do that shield thing you did when we fought Margaret?!"

"I-I can try!" Pinkie replied.

As the red orbs descended, Love Bubble fluttered her wings rapidly for a moment. Flickering pink bubbles with a few red hearts placed on them enveloped the group just as the red orbs impacted. The orbs exploded violently. Though the ponies weren't affected by the attack, the bubbles shattered once it was over, and Pinkie just barely stayed conscious.

Twilight managed to get on her hooves again, despite the exhaustion from before returning. Star Swirl floated above her, a harsh glare on his face. Though Twilight wasn't sure what would happen, she knew she had nothing to lose. She wasn't sure how, but she felt the presence of another ability in her mind. Without any further hesitation, she gave Star Swirl a mental command to use it. He lifted his staff. As it glowed, it let loose a glowing sphere, which began to drop bits of light like a sprinkler. As if the light were drops of rain hitting the ground, each one rippled across the darkness as it landed. Where the ripples spread, the darkness finally began to recede--and this time, it wasn't just in Twilight's mind. Black turned to yellow, and the Shadow's original form was there, its yellow eye filled with rage.

"HOW?!" the Blackguard demanded. "That's IMPOSSIBLE! There's no way you could have pulled that off!"

"To be honest..." Twilight pointed with her hoof at the Blackguard, and Star Swirl mimicked the motion with his staff. "I don't even know how I did it myself!"

The fog began to change color again. However, this time, it didn't grow darker--it simply changed to a deep blue, like the night sky. In the distance, a white streak lit up the sky that looked just like a shooting star. However, it didn't fade into the sky or the distance. Instead, it gradually slowed down as it flew. It suddenly turned in the air, flying at unimaginable speeds towards the Blackguard and growing into a massive ball of energy. By the time the Blackguard reacted, it was too late. The ball slammed directly into it, and after it slammed the Shadow into the ground, it exploded violently, blinding everyone present.

When the dust cleared, there was a massive crater where the battle had taken place. The ponies were still weary and still wounded, but the Blackguard was much worse for wear. Where she had been, there was no longer a humanoid or even a pony. It had turned into a puddle of black sludge, just like any other Shadow. A mask lay on top of it, its empty eyes looking at the group.

"It's...over," the Blackguard said after a full minute of silence. It let out a weary laugh. "This is where I disappear..."

"That should teach you," Spike said with a smirk. "You never stood a chance. You were outclassed from the beginning."

The sludge shuddered slightly as the Blackguard let out another laugh. "Honestly...you're all such naive brats." The mask almost seemed to smile, even with its rigid features. "Don't you understand...you brought this fate upon yourselves?"

"What're ya talkin' about?" Applejack asked. "Pretty sure we just stopped ya from carryin' out yer crazy plan."

"Yes...you stopped me. There may be others..." The sludge puddle started to shrink, and the mask began to turn to dust. "...and if you had not tried to save anyone, they wouldn't be able to do anything."

"H-hey!" Rainbow flew over to the Shadow. "You can't die yet, you scumbag! You're gonna face the music and accept your punishment!"

The Shadow let out one final laugh. "Enjoy the time you have left...but you're slaves to the fate that you made for yourselves. You can't fight it for long...that's your desssstinyyyy..."

With that, the puddle receded and faded to nothing. The final bit of the mask crumbled and blew away in an unseen wind.

There was a long period of silence. Glances were exchanged all around as the ponies processed what just happened.

"Well...I guess that means the case is over," Fluttershy said.

"Y-yeah...yeah, yer right. Ah don't care about some dyin' monster's crazy ramblin'." Applejack smiled. "Far as Ah'm concerned, this is victory!"

"Not a total victory, though," Rarity pointed out. "The culprit disintegrated...we have no one to turn in to Officer Looking Glass. And...with no one to turn in..."

"Hmm...we can't exactly tell anypony that it was a Shadow that did it, either..." Rainbow averted her eyes from the others. "So...what do we do, then?"

"There's really only one way things can progress now," Twilight said. "We just wait until it all tides over. The murders and the kidnappings will stop, and if they have too much trouble finding the perpetrator, they'll eventually just go home."

"So...it's a victory, but only for us," Spike said with a heavy sigh.

"Hey, cheer up!" Pinkie said. She bounced into the center of the group, a big smile on her face. "It's all over! We won! Isn't that good enough?"

"Well...yeah, I guess so."

Suddenly, Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Oh, no! We forgot about Time Turner!"

Everyone turned around and ran over to the second group. By now, several of them had regained consciousness--only Vinyl and Derpy were still out of commission, and they looked much more serene, as if they were just sleeping off the beating they had gotten. Time Turner smiled at them as they approached. "You did a good job. I never would have guessed you had the ability to disperse that darkness--that's how she got the upper hand on us."

"I wouldn't have guessed it either," Twilight replied. "I still don't know what that was."

"I do," Bon Bon said. She smiled knowingly. "That was a spell that disrupts and removes any positive alterations that the target may have. Lyra actually has a skill like that, but yours was...more potent, somehow."

"And that dispelled the darkness around us?"

"That was never real darkness. It was an extension of the Shadow's body--that's what Pinkie was sensing before. It was a positive alteration, so the spell got rid of it."

"Well, enough about that!" Rainbow yelled. "Are you all right?"

"Just fine," Lyra said. "Tavi has been healing us bit by bit."

"I told you not to call me that," Octavia said with a bitter look in her eyes. "But...yes. I had too little energy to heal you all at once, so doing it in smaller increments was a necessity...and I still haven't gotten to Vinyl and Derpy yet."

"Worry not," Rarity said. "We'll handle that."

Ace of Spades and Sekhmet floated gently over to Vinyl and Derpy, respectively. Ace of Spades laid a gentle hand on Vinyl's stomach, and Sekhmet's eyes glowed with a pleasant warmth. The scrapes and bruises on their bodies disappeared, and both awoke from their slumber.

"All right, now let's get out of here," Twilight said. "We're all pretty worn out, and I don't want to get attacked by Shadows."

"I concur," Time Turner replied. "Let's make haste, ladies." He and his group got to their hooves, and everyone started walking towards the exit.

Despite the fact that what the Blackguard said as it was dying probably was just what Applejack said it was--crazy ramblings--Twilight couldn't help but dwell on it. It had said they were slaves to their fate--the fate that they had brought about themselves. Today had definitely been a great victory, but those words kept gnawing at Twilight's mind...and she knew that they would for quite a while longer.

Bonus: Blooper Reel

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"Spike?" Twilight's voice called as she walked in. "Are you okay in here?"

Spike lay on the floor as if he had been punched in the gut. The book he was reading was little more than a pile of ashes and charred scraps of paper. The dragon himself was twitching, his eyes wide and his irises the size of pinpricks.

"Spike...why is this book burned up?"

"NEVER AGAIN."

"Huh?" Pinkie suddenly asked. Twilight and Spike, who had started to space out a little bit, both turned towards Pinkie.

"Everything okay there?" Spike asked, his eyebrow raising.

Pinkie turned around, holding an egg in her hoof. "This one smells kinda funny...like somepony left it out for too long."

"...Pinkie, for the love of the gods, do NOT break that egg."

"Okie dokie loki!" Pinkie sang. She was about to get back to work, but her sudden movements caused the egg to fall out of her grasp.

"AAH!" Twilight exclaimed. She frantically tried to grab the egg with her magic, but to no avail--it smashed against the floor. She and Spike covered their noses and braced themselves, but to their surprise, there was no smell permeating the air. Instead, when they looked at the pile of eggshell on the ground, they saw a baby chicken.

"Aaaaw!" Pinkie cooed as she picked up the tiny chick in both front hooves. "He's so cute! This is gonna make a GREAT birthday present for Fluttershy!"

"...I'm not sure if you should go take a bath or if you should go to the store more often, but do that next time."

"Well, can Aurora do anything else?" Rarity asked. "Surely we haven't seen everything."

"Oh! Yeah, watch this!"

"What's that supposed to do?" Fluttershy asked.

There was silence in response. As time passed, Pinkie's smile turned into a look of intense concentration.

"...Pinkie Pie?" Rainbow asked, almost nervously.

Another smile spread across Pinkie's face as she lifted the heart from her eye. "Ohmygoshyouguys! I can get Space Invaders on this thing!"

Rarity cleared her throat. "Well, at least she can support us when we--"

"Did you say SPACE INVADERS?!" Spike demanded as he ran up to Pinkie.

"Uh-huh! I got a pretty high score!" Pinkie replied, nodding vigorously.

Spike ripped the heart out of Aurora's hands and practically slammed it over his own eye. He let out a fierce battle cry, not even pausing to take a breath, for what seemed to be an eternity.

"...I think this meeting might not have been such a good idea," Twilight said.

"We can't get close to this thing, or it'll take us down in a second," Twilight said. "We have to fight from a distance."

"Got it!" Rainbow said with a nod.

The Shadow ran towards Merlin this time, but Peregrine flapped her wings, blowing it back with a gust of wind. Jack of Clubs surrounded it with ice, and Merlin raised his hands into the air, striking it with lightning from above. The Shadow fell over and landed on its back, unable to move.

Rarity looked over to Twilight. "Now is our chance! We must strike!"

In lieu of a response, Twilight nodded and grinned. Rainbow smiled as well, somehow knowing what was about to happen.

"Good answer!"

For a brief moment, the image of the three ponies' determined smiles passed through Twilight's mind's eye. When that faded, they galloped over to the Shadow and began to beat it relentlessly. They pounded it with their hooves, blasted it with magic, and buffeted it with wings. This seemed to go on for a while before an explosion of dust appeared where the Shadow was, appearing in a shape not unlike that of a skull. The cloud suddenly disappeared, and the Shadow exploded in red mist.

"...Why did we do that again?" Rainbow asked. "I mean...we coulda just had our Personas do that...or just finish it off with another lightning blast or something..."

For a long while, Rainbow's question went unanswered as an awkward silence settled over the group. It seemed as though Twilight and Rarity would say something on more than one occasion, but they never did. Twilight ended up breaking the silence, but not for a while. "Let's...just go and find Fluttershy, all right?"

"...Stronghold."

"Congratulations, AJ!" Spike exclaimed. "I bet that feels awesome!"

Applejack laughed softly for a moment. "And to think...all Ah needed to do to make this happen was to actually have a lick of common sense. Ah must look like a pretty silly pony right about now."

Twilight was silent. Thoughts were rushing through her head at breakneck speeds, so fast that not even Twilight's hardworking brain could grasp them before they were gone. Something about that last phrase had given Twilight pause. She didn't know what it was about it, but it simply wouldn't leave her be.

"...Twilight?" Spike said eventually. He and Applejack were staring at her, their eyebrows raised.

"...knocking over gates and falling into trenches..."

Applejack and Spike exchanged a confused glance. Spike waved a hand in front of Twilight's face, but she didn't respond.

"Welp, she's out fer a while," Applejack said matter-of-factly. "Wanna go get some cider?"

"...I...I do..."

Applejack and Spike turned around and walked into the barn. Twilight didn't even notice them leave--she was still entranced by that last phrase. She just stood there, her eyes glazed over, long after the sun went down.

Twilight decided to get straight to the point. "Igor, I have some questions for you."

"Then by all means, ask what you like. But your answers may not be so easily found."

"That world I went to today. What is it?"

"It is a world in which Shadows congregate."

"Shadows?"

"When someone dies, their subconscious thoughts--the ones they hide from others--take on a physical form. A Shadow can take numerous..."

Igor's voice trailed off suddenly. Twilight waited a moment, waiting for him to continue. It wasn't until a hint of a mirthful smile appeared on Margaret's lips that Twilight realized this wasn't supposed to happen.

Igor cleared his throat. "When someone dies, their subcon--" He stopped again. "Their subconscious..."

Margaret was barely holding back laughter by this point. Twilight, on the other hand, looked concerned. "Igor...?"

Igor cleared his throat. "Sorry...I simply tripped over my line." Igor reached under the table, and the sounds of sliding paper could be heard from underneath. Margaret had to cover her mouth with both hands to keep from laughing at this point.

"...Igor, do you need anything?" Twilight asked.

Igor raised his hand. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Now, let's try this again..."

A few more seconds passed in silence. Margaret was practically burying her face in the couch.

"Ahem...when someone--"

Suddenly, Margaret couldn't hold it in anymore. She burst out laughing and fell off of the couch.

"Okay, okay, stop the cameras!"

Chapter 28: Limbo

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Three days passed. Even now, after so much time had passed, the effects of the murders held sway over the citizens of Ponyville. Twilight and her friends tried not to think about it too much, but it was everywhere--they were reminded of it constantly, whether it was passing by a pony with a worried look on their face or seeing one of the royal guards stationed in the town. It seemed more noticeable now than it ever had that the case really was tearing apart the way of life in the small town.

After lunch on the third day, Twilight tried and failed to keep herself from pacing in the library. She had reasoned only a few hours after they had left the other world that the effects on the town would be more noticeable now that there was nothing for them to do to keep their minds off of it. Sometimes, she hated it when she was right.

Spike opened the door rather suddenly, almost making Twilight jump out of her skin. "Hey, Twilight," he said as he entered. "I brought you something from the mayor. She wants you to sign it."

Twilight sighed as she took the paper Spike was holding from him in her magic. It was a sanction to cut down some trees from the Everfree Forest to put up more farmland. It already had Mayor Mare's signature on it, but there was a blank line under that, which Twilight guessed was where she was supposed to sign.

"I can't let this pass," Twilight said, shaking her head. "Don't those ponies know how dangerous it is in that forest? The monsters aren't going to accept the loss of their territory. Besides, we have plenty of farmland as it is." She lifted a quill and wrote the word "denied" on her signature line, then handed it off to Spike again. "Surely we can figure something else out if we really do need the extra space. Send it off."

With a quick nod, Spike breathed a plume of flames onto the paper. It turned into a mass of purple energy and flew away. Spike then closed the door and turned back towards Twilight, finally noticing what she had been doing. "...Twilight, you wore another groove into the floor."

Twilight looked down. Sure enough, her path was marked by a shallow depression in the ringed floor of her home. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I really should have expected this to happen, in hindsight."

"What's on your mind, Twi?" Spike asked, walking over to her. "Thinking about the case again?"

"It's not like I can think about anything else." Twilight stepped out of the line she had worn into the floor and sat down at the table. "Celestia knows how long this is going to take to blow over. It might last weeks...or months...or even years." She slumped, her head resting on the table's surface. "And I'm already going crazy after just a few days. I just want things to be normal again."

"Yeah, I feel the same way." Spike sat down across from Twilight, trying to look more hopeful than she did. "And what the Shadow said as it died...that isn't helping much."

"I can't help but wonder if this is what she was talking about. The way things are now, they'll never find a culprit...so Ponyville still being tense is our fault, even if only a little bit."

"Hey, don't talk like that!" Spike's spirited demeanor became less of a facade as he spoke. "The only reason it ever became tense in the first place is because of that Shadow, and the police were never gonna find her anyway. And there's no telling what would've happened if we didn't manage to stop her."

"...Maybe." Twilight suddenly stood up.

"What're you doing now?"

"I...I know that I shouldn't talk to anypony about what we saw, but...I'm going to try and convince Looking Glass that the case is over." Twilight smiled weakly. "I know it's probably not going to work, but I have to give it a shot."

"Well, in that case, why don't I come with you? They're SURE to believe you if I back up your story." Spike ran over and jumped onto Twilight's back, trying to suppress his eagerness. "So what do you plan on telling them?"

"I'll think of something on the way." Twilight opened the door again and walked out. "I don't like lying, especially to a police officer...but it's for the best. You think so too, don't you?"

"Of course! If Looking Glass knows the truth, he'll go check out the other world, and then we'll have to save him, too."

"...I suppose you're right."

The walk to Town Hall was a silent one. For some reason, Twilight couldn't help but be filled with dread as she got closer. It wasn't an entirely unfamiliar sensation, but this was probably the first time in months that the feeling was this intense. What was normally a matter of minutes stretched on and on, and it felt like hours had passed when she stood before the doors of the grand building. She stopped in front of them, her brain roiling with activity.

"...Hey, uh...Twilight?" Spike asked. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," Twilight replied. "Just...wondering if it's worth the effort after all."

"What could possibly go wrong? If they don't believe us, they just go back to work. No harm done."

"Yes, but..." Twilight tried to finish her thought, but nothing that came to mind seemed justified. She sighed and steeled her nerve. "You're right. Let's just do this quick, before I think of a reason not to."

With that, Twilight opened the doors and entered the building. When she took a look around, she had a strange sense of deja vu. There were papers covering the floor, and several stacks dotted the corners. They were mostly disheveled and chaotic in their placement, as if they had just been thrown off of the desk. When Twilight saw the detectives, however, the sense of familiarity was diminished. Looking Glass was half-asleep at his desk, a sheet of paper that looked as if it had been balled up and then straightened out in his hooves. Siren was laying on her back, all but one foreleg sprawled out. She used her remaining limb to repeatedly bounce a paperweight into the air.

"Uhh, hello?" Twilight said.

Looking Glass's reaction was immediate--he sat up, all traces of weariness gone from his features. He then got up from his seat and cleared his throat. Siren, meanwhile, simply lifted her head up to see who had spoken. "P-Princess!" Looking Glass said, his voice panicked. "I'm...we, uh...I wasn't trying--"

"You're fine, don't worry about it." Twilight took a few steps forward. "So, um...how are things going?"

"'Going' is a strong word," Siren said. She put her head back down and sprawled out her active foreleg, allowing the paperweight to land on her chest. "I'm BORED! We've run into a wall made entirely of mythril and dragon scales in this case, but we can't just leave it be, or more ponies might get murdered. So now we don't have much choice but to read over every little detail over and over in the hopes that we'll find some discrepancy or something."

"As much as I hate to say it...I have to agree," Looking Glass added. "I could probably tell you all of the information we've gathered just from memory by now. I've been very thorough, but nothing new has come to light."

Spike grinned, stood up and struck a pose on Twilight's back. "Then it's a good thing we know exactly who did it!"

Siren sat up so fast that the paperweight on her chest flew across the room and bonked Twilight on the head. "WHAT?!"

After rubbing her forehead for a moment, Twilight shook her head back and forth and cleared her throat. "Uh...yes. Yes we do."

Looking Glass stared at Twilight, his eyes narrowing. "Princess, I don't mean to sound rude...but I need you to tell me everything."

"Well...we actually caught a black pegasus mare in the act. Her name was...um..." Twilight tried to think of a name for a moment, but it was never her strong suit. Looking Glass and Siren exchanged a glance as they waited for her to respond. She tried to keep from sweating.

"Her name was Black Star," Spike chimed in, just a little bit too quickly. Looking Glass either didn't notice or didn't think much of it, because he said nothing. "We confronted her and chased her into the Everfree Forest."

"Was it just the two of you?" Siren asked.

"No, it was all seven of us. You can ask any of them, they'll say the same."

"All right...go on."

Twilight spoke up again, much less nervous about what to say now. "We ended up cornering her at the edge of the ravine under the bridge near the old castle. She..." Her brain worked fast, trying to think of a reason why this Black Star would no longer be at large. A thought came to her, and she grasped it with all of her considerable mental power. "...started talking to us about destiny, and how we were all slaves to it. How she had been trying to free us from it."

"Then she just cuts off her own wing and jumps in!" Spike exclaimed, spreading his arms for emphasis. "We tried to bring the wing back to Ponyville as evidence, but we got jumped by timberwolves on the way back and lost it."

"What about the rest of the body?" Looking Glass asked. "Surely, if she fell into the ravine, there would at least be bones left over."

"We don't know about that either! We went back for the rest of the body after we lost the wing, and it was just gone!" Spike spread his arms again. "Poof!"

"...So what you're saying is that the culprit is a pegasus--who cannot cast memory charms--and that she not only committed suicide when confronted, but also that every piece of evidence that she ever died was vaporized or eaten?"

"...Well, uh...anything sounds bad when you put it that way..."

"I expected better from the two of you." Looking Glass turned and walked back to his desk. "We want the case to be over as much as anyone else does, but you of all ponies know that we can't close it without something conclusive. And certainly not with a lie."

Twilight wanted to protest. She wanted to lash out at Looking Glass. She wanted to run away. Despite all of this, however, she just stood still and hung her head in shame. "I'm...sorry."

Siren gave Twilight and Spike a concerned look. She studied them for a moment, almost as if she knew something else was going on. Still, she said nothing.

"It's all right, I suppose." Looking Glass sat down again and shuffled through more papers. "I'm sure you didn't mean any harm. But for now, I have work to do."

Spike climbed onto Twilight's back again as she left Town Hall. She sighed heavily as soon as the doors closed behind her.

"Well, uh...no harm done, right?" Spike asked sheepishly.

"No good done, either." Twilight's hoofsteps were heavy as she began her trip towards home again. "This was a complete waste of time."

"Well, it's not like we were doing anything else today."

Twilight turned her head and glared at Spike, and he responded with a nervous chuckle before looking around for a moment, trying to find something else to set his gaze on. He settled for a passing butterfly.

"And what's got YOU so down in the dumps?"

Twilight fell over in her shock. Spike stayed in the air for a moment, but as soon as he realized he was no longer on Twilight's back, he joined her on the ground.

"For pony's sake!" Twilight exclaimed. "Can I go one day without somepony sneaking up to me on the street?!"

"Oh, silly Twilight...you should really know that I'm not a pony."

Twilight looked up at the source of the voice. She knew who it was before she looked--the voice was quite a distinctive one. It seemed to be coming from the butterfly, and as Twilight got a closer look, she saw its distinctive snaggle tooth. "Discord."

With a burst of white light, the butterfly was gone. In its place was something Twilight was all too familiar with by this point. It was three to four times a pony's length, but with no extra thickness to match. Its head was like that of a horse, with the same snaggle tooth that the butterfly had, bushy white eyebrows and a goatee of the same color. It had a goat's horn and a deer's antler, a bat's wing and a bird's wing, a snake's tail with a white tuft at the end, a lion's paw and an eagle's leg for arms, and a lizard's leg and goat's leg lower on its body. The whites of its eyes were yellow, and its irises were red. It wore a smile that always seemed to dance on the line between goofy and sinister. Discord lifted Twilight in his arms and gave her a tight embrace. "It's so good to see you again, friend!"

"Put me down! I'm not in the mood right now."

Discord put Twilight down where she was and crossed his arms. "Well, of COURSE you're not in the mood! When are you EVER in the mood?" He put on a pouty expression. "No time for old Discord, I see. And all I wanted was to help you with that dark cloud over your head." As he spoke, a small thundercloud with polka dots in multiple colors appeared above Twilight, and after a few seconds, it started raining apple juice. Despite drops of the stuff landing all over Twilight's back, she stayed completely dry.

Twilight sighed. "Fine. What do you want?"

"Well, I just told you what I want!" Discord snapped his fingers. Twilight was suddenly sitting in a rocking chair, wearing reading glasses and a bathrobe. Discord and Spike both wore fuzzy blue pajamas, and were sitting in front of Twilight. Spike plucked at the cloth in confusion as Discord held his chin in his hands. "By all means, tell me what ails you."

Twilight was silent for a moment as she wondered how Rarity would react to seeing Spike in those pajamas. She probably would never get over it. Nevertheless, she removed the garments she had been given and teleported them away. She didn't know exactly where they had ended up. "Fine, if it'll get you to leave me alone."

"Oh, goodie, it's story time!" Discord picked up Spike and gave him a forceful noogie. "Aren't you excited, little Spike?"

"Get me outta this thing!" Spike exclaimed as he tried to fend off Discord's talons. "It feels like it's made of cacti!"

"Why, thank you for noticing! Mama Discord taught me that when I was barely even as old as you."

Twilight's eyes widened at that statement. "You have a...wait, don't change the subject!" She glared. "Do you want to listen or not?!"

Discord gazed sourly back at Twilight. "Oh, fine. I'll just stop having fun for a moment." He snapped his fingers again, and Twilight was suddenly walking again subconsciously, the rocking chair gone. Spike was on her back again. She got a hold of herself, walking on her own power.

"As for what's bothering me...look around." Twilight gestured with her hoof. "The townsponies are still hung up on this murder case, and they probably will be for Celestia knows how long. I'm sure you don't mind, but I don't know how long I can wait for things to go back to normal."

"I'm no barbarian, Twilight. I prefer to think of myself as more of a knight." Discord was suddenly dressed up in a suit of armor, holding a sword in one hand and a tower shield in the other. He scrutinized his weapon for a moment, and with a snap of his tail fur, the blade turned into a silly straw. "I don't enjoy watching ponies suffer. Unless I'm more than a little bored, that is."

"You? A knight?" Spike asked. "Yeah, okay. The day you protect someone is the day I dye my spines pink."

"What, you don't think I can?" Discord's expression became much more sly all of a sudden. "Why, the nerve! I could certainly do it better than you do in the other world."

Twilight stopped suddenly, her eyes bigger than dinner plates. "How do you know about--" She stopped herself and blinked a few times, returning her eyes to normal. "I mean, umm...what are you talking about?"

"Oh, please, Twilight. Do you really think I don't know about that place? I have eyes everywhere." Yellow eyes with red irises opened on several buildings and trees nearby before closing again and disappearing. "Even if I didn't, though, you could never keep the secret if I pressed you on it. You're a terrible liar."

"Well...okay, but...why bring it up now?"

"Normally, I would just say it's because it's directly related to your little murder case, but I think I'll be merciful today and give you a little hint."

"A hint? What are you talking about? Like I said, the case is over."

Discord didn't seem to hear what Twilight had said. He simply looked into her eyes, and while he still wore his regular smile, she could've sworn she saw just a bit of a grave look in his eyes. "You've already found your culprit, and they have watched your powers grow. In the coming days, be wary of the ones you already know."

Before Twilight could open her mouth to ask what he meant, he was already gone.

"What a load of horse apples," Spike said, rolling his eyes. "How many times do you have to tell him something before it sticks?"

Twilight didn't respond. She simply stared into space, facing where Discord had just been, her eyes betraying the activity in her mind.

"Twi?" Spike asked, waving a hand in front of her eyes. "You okay?"

Twilight took another moment to respond. "...The ones you already know." Twilight turned her head to look at Spike. "We didn't know the Shadow before we fought her the other day. Why would Discord tell us to be wary of the ponies we've met?"

Spike crossed his arms, an annoyed expression on his face. "Honestly, Twilight, you're reading too much into this." He stopped himself before continuing, wiping away his disillusionment. "Are you sure you're not just trying so hard to find something about the case that you're looking for things that aren't there?"

"...Maybe I am."

Twilight's thoughts kicked themselves into overdrive as she continued walking. Spike looked over her with concern. It wasn't unlike her to overthink things, but when it came to this subject, it could easily become self-destructive. The library appeared on the horizon after what seemed like an eternity, and the awkward silence between Twilight and Spike would persevere long after they got there.

Chapter 29: Holiday

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"You're not going to go out at all today?" Spike asked, carrying a stack of books up the stairs and placing them on Twilight's desk.

"Why bother?" Twilight responded, rolling her eyes indignantly. "I can see how paranoid everypony is just fine from here."

"I talked with Rarity yesterday. She's worried about you."

"Why is she worried about me? I'm just fine!"

"Don't you think--"

Twilight turned around sharply. "Spike, I'll go out when I'm ready, all right?!" She stopped herself. Her voice had been much louder than she knew was justified. She took a moment to do her breathing exercise, and while it didn't work as well as it usually did, at least now she could speak with a level tone of voice. "I just don't want to deal with all of that for now. It's been a week, and nothing has changed."

Spike had dealt with an angry Twilight before, so he wasn't as fazed as the average assistant might have been. "All right, then. Will you at least let visitors in today?"

"...Yeah, I suppose. If the others are worried about me, it's probably a bad idea to give them more of a reason to."

Knowing that was all he was going to get, Spike put on a satisfied grin. "Is it okay if I head out, then? I imagine those books are gonna keep you pretty busy."

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll let you know if I need you."

"All right, then. See you later!"

Spike went down the stairs, and after a moment, Twilight could hear the front door open and then close. She focused on her book again. However, without Spike's or anyone else's presence, the silence that accompanied her reading seemed almost oppressive. She opted to read the book aloud, if only to give her something to listen to.

"The history of rock farming is quite extensive, leading back to B.C. times. Though it isn't a widely-populated business, there was always been at least one rock farm somewhere within what is now Equestria's borders during any given time within written history."

Well...I guess that means the case is over.

Twilight stopped for a moment as she heard Fluttershy's voice echo in her mind. After a moment, she shook her head and went back to reading. "However, despite the practice being one that has endured throughout history, only recently was the science behind it explained. Whether rock farmers knew and simply didn't tell anypony or whether nopony knew and the rock farmers were just going through the motions, no one knows."

The culprit disintegrated...we have no one to turn in to Officer Looking Glass. And...with no one to turn in...

"Several theories have been put forth regarding the nature of the rock farm, ranging from the reasonable to the absurd, but recent discoveries have uncovered the facts."

Hmm...we can't exactly tell anypony that it was a Shadow that did it, either...

Twilight didn't realize at the time, but by this point she was talking through clenched teeth. "The most universally-accepted theory was that the stones absorb sunlight in a way not unlike photosynthesis and turn the energy into mass. Though this theory has now been proven false, there is some truth to it."

So...it's a victory, but only for us.

"The stone actually does benefit from contact with the sun, but it isn't absorbing sunlight. Instead, it absorbs the..."

Just give up.

Before she knew what she was doing, Twilight had already thrown the book in her magic across the room. She breathed heavily through her teeth, her mane sizzling in her rage. It took her a moment to realize what had just happened, but once she did, the sizzling stopped immediately, and she opened her mouth. Clenching her teeth like that left her with a bit of soreness, but that was of little importance.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself. She turned around and flopped onto her bed, her expression much heavier than it had been before. "Maybe I should go out today...I'm going to go crazy if this keeps up."

Despite what she said, she couldn't bring herself to get back up. She continued to lay there, her eyes slowly fluttering closed. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, however, there was a knock at the door. A moment later, she heard Rarity's voice. "Twilight, please open the door!"

With a heavy sigh, Twilight got up and trudged downstairs. She opened the door a few steps before she was actually in front of it, and standing outside was indeed Rarity. The moment the door opened, the unicorn's eyes lit up with joy, and Twilight could tell that she was resisting the urge to glomp her. However, after a second, her expression became horrified. "My word, Twilight! You look like you aged ten years!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Thanks, that's just what I needed to hear today."

"Oh, forgive me, darling, I meant no offense. May I come in? I'll have you looking like your normal self again in no time, I assure you."

Twilight considered turning her away, but she couldn't deny that she was feeling rather lonely. She tried her best to smile and nodded, stepping out of the way to allow Rarity in. "Spike didn't send you here, did he?"

"Oh, heavens no. I'm only content to leave you to yourself for so long--I believe we all know the dangers of letting you stew over a problem for a long period of time."

"It's really not the same." Twilight closed the door. "With those problems, I was going crazy because I was trying to come up with a solution. Here, there IS no solution."

Rarity frowned. "I...wasn't about to bring that up." She cleared her throat. "Well, never mind that! You just sit back and relax. I'll make you some tea, and then I'll get you cleaned up."

"Do I really look that bad? I've been taking baths."

There was silence for a moment as Rarity froze up. She turned towards Twilight sharply, her eyes filled with abject terror. She seemed even more horrified now than she did when she was up against Margaret's Orthrus. "You take baths for HYGIENE?!" She put a hoof up to her forehead. "No doubt that's part of the issue!"

"...What's wrong with that?"

"Darling, take it from an expert--baths are meant to be for relaxation, not cleanliness. It is true that it will remove the grime from your body, but then you just...sit in it for however long you're in there!" She shivered violently for a moment. "A bath is much better used for when you want to unwind. Light a few candles, use a scented soap, and just let yourself marinate for a while." She smiled, clearly getting absorbed in what she was talking about. "In fact, that sounds like just what you need! The chance to relax will no doubt do wonders for your...complexion."

"There is no way it's as bad as you're saying it is."

Rarity's eyes became ever so slightly deadpan, and she pulled over a mirror with her magic. Twilight looked at herself and was quite surprised with what she saw. More than a few hairs in her mane were out of place, her feathers were matted, and there were bags heavy enough under her eyes to stuff a foal into. After briefly wondering why that analogy came to mind and shrugging off the incredibly disturbing mental image that came with it, she turned to Rarity and smiled sheepishly.

"Not to worry, dear. When I'm done, you'll look just like your old self again!"

Rarity's experience and eye for detail were powerful weapons. Half an hour later, Twilight looked at herself again in the mirror, and this time saw nothing of the tired and frustrated mare she had been earlier. She couldn't help but smile.

"Now I'm afraid that caring for feathers is a bit beyond my scope," Rarity said. "I did what I could with them, but I suggest you take some time to preen later."

"They look fine," Twilight replied, spreading her wings to take a look. They weren't perfect, but at least she looked like she hadn't flown through a tornado now.

"For now, yes. But I must insist that you take care of yourself better, and that includes proper wing care." Rarity's eyes wavered a bit, but she managed to keep her smile. "We've all been...very concerned over you these past few days."

"I know, Spike told me. And...I'm sorry." Twilight turned away from the mirror to look Rarity in the eye. "You all deserve better than that from me. I just didn't want to go out there and have a constant reminder of our failures shoved in my face."

"Our failures? Perish the thought, darling!" Rarity put a comforting hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "We did a great thing for Ponyville and for Equestria."

"Well...yeah, but we're stuck like this for Celestia knows how long." Twilight shook her head. "It doesn't feel like we've won, that's for sure."

Rarity stayed silent for a moment. "Perhaps you just need to take your mind off of this for a while. You haven't been thinking about it nonstop, have you?"

"I tried reading a book, and even that didn't work. I don't think it's going to be that easy."

With that, Rarity was out of ideas. She liked to think she was good at this sort of thing, but there were some things that couldn't be fixed. Just like the town, Twilight was going to stay this way until the case blew over. "I'm...sorry I couldn't be more helpful."

"It's all right. I do feel better after that bath." Twilight tried to look encouraging, lest her sour mood ruin Rarity's day. "At any rate, don't you have anything better to do than tend to me all day? You should go and relax. I'll be all right."

"I sincerely doubt that, but...if you're sure..."

"Of course I am!" Twilight opened the door and started pushing Rarity towards it. "If it'll put your mind at ease, we can all do something tomorrow. As a group. That'll show you that I'm not too bad off, right?"

"W-well, perhaps...but--"

"See you later, then! And tell the others I'll be okay!"

Rarity tried to reply, but before she could say anything, Twilight pushed her onto the doorstep and closed the door. Twilight felt bad forcing her friend to leave like that, but she would feel a lot worse if she were so inconsolable that Rarity got dragged down with her. Unfortunately, now she had nothing to think about but the case again. It didn't bother her quite so much, however, now that she had been able to relax for a while.

"I guess I'll just try reading again," she said to herself. She started walking upstairs. "Not really much else for me to do until Spike gets back."

Spike silently cursed his lot in life as he walked back towards the library. He thought he was headed towards the library, anyway--he knew this town backwards and forwards at this point. On the other hand, it was difficult to tell if he was headed the right direction when he was pushing along a cart taller than he was. There was a gap between the tops of the books on the bottom shelf and the metal plate that formed the top shelf, but it wasn't at Spike's eye level, and that would not be very good for peering through regardless.

"Twilight would've been able to get this done in no time flat," Spike grumbled. "One spell and all the books would just be on the shelves already."

Spike's ruminations ground to a swift halt as the other end of the cart suddenly bumped into something. Spike peered around the corner warily, praying to Celestia that it wasn't Bulk Biceps. Fortunately, it was just the trunk of the most important tree in town. Spike mopped his brow and pushed the cart around to the front door. Before he could get it inside, however, he suddenly felt as if his throat had been inflated with a bicycle pump. He swiftly turned away from the extremely flammable books and belched loudly, releasing a plume of green dragonfire. The flames turned into a scroll with a blue seal adorned with a wand and a crescent moon. Spike could swear he had seen that symbol before, but he couldn't put his finger on where. After thinking about it for a moment, he wrapped his tail around the scroll to free up his hands and opened the door, managing to get the cart up the doorstep with minimal effort (but with some annoying clattering sounds).

"Spike, is that you?" Twilight asked from upstairs.

"No, it's Commander Hurricane," Spike replied.

"Well, Commander, what's all that noise?"

"It's the book cart. Cheerilee asked me to bring the returns back." Spike paused for a moment as a realization came to light. "Now that I think about it, I'm not sure how I even ended up at the schoolhouse..."

"Okay, just put it by the table. I'll deal with it later."

Spike did as he was told, closing the door behind him. He grabbed the letter from his tail and started walking upstairs with it. "There's something else. Somepony sent you a letter."

"How do you know it's not for you?"

"Because the only pony who writes to me is the Princess, and it doesn't have the royal seal."

Twilight got off of her bed just as Spike reached the top of the stairs. She took the letter from him with her magic and got a closer look at it. "Isn't this Trixie's cutie mark?"

"Is it? I never really got a good look at it."

"It looks just like it." Twilight opened the letter and checked the bottom. "Yours truly, Trixie. Huh."

"Well, what does it say?"

Twilight started reading the letter from the beginning. "Dear Twilight Sparkle...I'm sure you're busy, so I'll keep this brief. Last time we spoke, I said some things that I now regret. I apologize sincerely if I offended you, and hope that you'll understand that I was and am under a great deal of stress. I'm still on tour at the moment, but it will be over before long. When we're both free, I would greatly enjoy the opportunity to share notes with you. I'm sure that we could learn a great deal from each other. Yours truly, Trixie."

"Well hey, it's good that she came around!" Spike said. "She seemed pretty upset last--"

"Wait, there's something else." Twilight narrowed her eyes. There was something hastily written at the bottom of the page, much more messy than the rest of the letter. "P.S.: Please don't let anyone else know about what this letter says."

There was an awkward silence for a moment. Twilight and Spike slowly turned to face one another, both of them looking slightly embarrassed.

"All right, she can't possibly blame me for that," Spike said quickly.

"Of course not!" Twilight replied instantly. "The letter literally passes through your body on its way to me! How could she blame you?"

The silence persisted for a moment. Sometime in the middle of it, Twilight rolled the letter up and put it in the drawer of her reading desk.

"I gotta wonder where the change of heart came from," Spike said. "I mean, wasn't she pretty mad when you even suggested studying together before?"

"Hmm...yeah, but..." Twilight suddenly looked very thoughtful. "Maybe something happened to her?"

"I'm not so sure." Spike put his chin in his hand, and his brow creased in deep thought. "If she swallowed her pride to send you that letter, then she would probably figure that she had nothing left to lose by telling you that something happened."

Twilight smirked. "Well, she has a lot of pride to swallow." She climbed back onto her bed and picked the book she had been reading back up. "In any case, there's not much we can do about it now. It sounds like she'll be visiting when she's not on tour any more, so let's just not worry about it until then."

"All righty then!" Spike walked over to his basket and drop-kicked the cushion. "I'm gonna take a nap. Lemme know if you need anything."

Twilight was about to respond, but as soon as he said that, he was asleep. She couldn't help but giggle at how easily sleep came to him. She resumed reading her book, feeling a bit better about what was to come.

Chapter 30: Lonely Mountain

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Rarity sighed with relief as she put her bags down on the counter. She didn't know how she had let her pantry run so low on food, but rest assured she wasn't going to make that mistake again. She had bought enough food to last quite a while...unless someone else raided her stock.

Speaking of Sweetie Belle, Rarity figured she could use some help in putting the groceries away. She had used a lot of magic to carry the bags in, and she was sure that her little sister would be happy to make herself useful. "Sweetie Belle, I'm back! Could you come here for a moment?"

There was no response. Rarity waited to see if she would just come down without any fanfare, but there wasn't even any sound coming from upstairs.

"Hmm...that's strange." Rarity started walking towards the stairs. "She couldn't be asleep, could she? I've been gone all morning!"

Other than the sound of her own hoofsteps, the house was completely silent. A mixture of annoyance and concern arose in her as she got closer to the guest bedroom. Sweetie Belle was usually up before she was, but when Rarity left the house she was still asleep. She didn't think much of it, but she thought now that something might be wrong.

"Sweetie Belle?" Rarity called as she opened the door. There was still no response. In fact, there was no one in the room. She narrowed her eyes. "Sweetie, this had better not be a prank. I've spent all morning getting groceries and I don't have the energy to deal with this right now."

Silence.

Rarity rolled her eyes and opened the closet door, expecting to see Sweetie Belle hiding there. Unfortunately, she wasn't--there was only a hastily folded blanket and a broom. Rarity picked up the broom and examined it more closely, and she noticed a small crack in the middle. "That's strange...what are these things doing in here?"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang from downstairs. Rarity put down the broom and went to answer the door. When she opened it, Applejack was there.

"Howdy, Rares," Applejack said, tipping her hat. "Have ya seen Apple Bloom anywhere?"

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "I haven't....Why? Is she missing?"

"Well, the little scamp wasn't in her room when Ah checked on her this mornin'. Ah thought she might'a gone with the other Crusaders to the clubhouse, but she wasn't there either...so Ah thought Ah might find her here."

"Sweetie Belle wasn't in her room, either." Rarity felt the annoyance wash away completely, to be replaced with more concern. "As a matter of fact, I was about to go ask you if you had seen her."

"Hmm." Applejack's eyes fell. "Well, we still got one more Crusader to check on. Maybe they found a way to get to Rainbow's."

"...Unlikely as that is, I suppose it is possible. They could easily ask Twilight for a cloud-walking spell." Rarity stepped outside and closed the door behind her. "We should go ask Rainbow Dash, then. With her vantage point and her exceptional eyesight, she's bound to have seen something."

Applejack and Rarity made it to Rainbow's house easy enough. After all, it was always hanging in the air near the outskirts of town, unless Rainbow needed to move it for some reason. Everyone wondered how she kept it in place, but they never had an opportunity to ask about it, so it remained shrouded in mystery. However, it was much easier to get to the house than it was to get to its inhabitant--Rarity and Applejack had called for her multiple times, but hadn't gotten an answer.

"She's still asleep, isn't she?" Rarity asked, rolling her eyes.

"Ah can't fathom how she does it," Applejack replied. "Ah mean, Ah know that flyin' around all the time and doin' weather work must be tirin', but Ah buck trees for hours every day and ya don't see me lazin' about like she does."

"Well, we have to get her attention somehow." Rarity picked up a small rock near her hooves. "...Her house won't disintegrate if I throw this at it, will it?"

"Ah think you'd need a bigger rock fer that."

"Well then, here goes nothing."

Rarity threw the rock nearly straight up. It flew above the roof of Rainbow's house before slowing in the air and beginning to fall. The ponies lost sight of it after that, but after about thirty seconds, a furious Rainbow appeared just above them. "Hey, what's the big idea?!"

"Honestly, darling, would it kill you to give us some way of reaching you while you're up there?" Rarity asked. "A doorbell or something, at least?"

"The idea was that I'd be able to sleep without being disturbed!"

"Yeah, that's all well and good, but we didn't come here just to throw rocks at ya and reprimand yer sleepin' habits," Applejack interjected. "Is Scootaloo around?"

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Scootaloo? What do you two want with Scootaloo?"

"Well, we thought that maybe our sisters had come here for a sleepover," Rarity said. "I know it's not likely, but neither of us can find our own sisters. We're simply being thorough."

"Huh...well, okay. I'm pretty sure Scoots is here, but I'll go check anyway if it'll put your minds at ease."

Rainbow turned and went back into her house. Silence hung in the air as Rarity and Applejack waited for her. Rarity was starting to fear that the worst had happened, but she pushed those thoughts into the recesses of her mind. After all, the case was over. How could they have been kidnapped?

"Rarity?" Applejack said. Rarity jumped in surprise and turned sharply towards her, making her flinch as well. "Whoa there, girl!"

Rarity took a deep breath. "I...apologize. I don't know what's gotten into me..."

Applejack gave Rarity a serious yet gentle look. "Listen...it's gonna be all right. Just calm down, okay?"

Rarity averted her eyes. Applejack's expression wasn't even slightly malicious, but it still managed to make her uncomfortable. "I'll try."

Suddenly, Rainbow burst out of the house again, this time by flying through one of the windows. She seemed more frantic now. "She's gone!"

"Whoa, nelly," Applejack said. "All right, they're probably at Zecora's. Ah'll go--"

Rarity suddenly spoke up. "Rainbow, bring us the weather schedule!"

Rainbow's frantic expression took on a hint of confusion. "Wait, what? Why would--"

"Please, just do it!"

The panic in Rarity's voice was palpable, and Rainbow knew it was best not to argue. She flew inside again.

Applejack turned towards Rarity. "Yer not thinkin' what Ah think you are, are ya?" she asked.

"I know...it shouldn't really have even crossed my mind. But I need to put my mind at ease regarding this possibility," Rarity replied. "Something just doesn't seem right about all of this."

"...Are you gonna be okay?"

"If they've been kidnapped, I can pull myself together and prepare myself to save them. But I have to know. If we don't even know what's happened to them, we can't do anything."

"All right, then. Ah'll check Zecora's and be back as soon as Ah can, okay?"

Applejack ran for the forest. Rarity closed her eyes, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. Celestia, she thought. Please let me be wrong...

Rarity was left alone with her thoughts for a moment, allowing her to ruminate. After about three minutes, Rainbow came back outside with a clipboard in her mouth. Instead of the panicked expression she had when she had last come out, this time her eyes burned with barely-restrained fury. She landed in front of Rarity, and as she took the clipboard from her, she noticed that there were visible teeth marks in the wood. Only seconds later, she also noticed exactly what she had feared--rain was in two days.

"I don't know who's behind this," Rainbow said, her voice sounding restrained as well. "But they are gonna pay."

"How is this possible?" Rarity asked. "We stopped the culprit...didn't we?"

Rainbow suddenly jumped and hovered before Rarity. "That doesn't matter! What matters is that SOMEBODY kidnapped our sisters, and I'm not gonna stand for it! I'm gonna go get the others!"

Before Rarity could stop her, Rainbow took the schedule back and flew off. By the time Rarity could have said a single word, Rainbow was already out of sight. With a heavy sigh, Rarity started running towards the barn.

Once everyone had gathered at the barn, they left for the castle immediately. Rainbow had told them about the situation as she met up with them individually, so there wasn't much for the group to discuss. The atmosphere was heavy, both because of the problem at hoof and Rainbow's unbridled fury towards it. They didn't really say anything to her, for fear of her inevitable explosion being directed at them. It wasn't healthy, but what could they say?

The other world felt different as well. From their vantage point at the entrance, the group couldn't see any new locations, but the omnipresent fog that hung in the air was a bit thicker. It wasn't dissimilar from the silver fog that had settled in with Margaret's arrival, but this fog was unmistakably the world's natural fog.

"We don't have time for this," Rainbow said. "I'm gonna scout out the area!"

As Rainbow began to fly off, Twilight grabbed onto her tail with her magic. "Don't go off on your own," she warned. "We don't know what this fog could bring. The Shadows might be even stronger than usual." She turned towards the others. "Anything yet, Pinkie?"

"Well, the fog is bringing one thing to me...interference." Pinkie lifted the heart from her right eye and continued scanning with the left. "It's almost as if somepony is controlling it...but who would be doing something like that? And...why?"

"Do you think it could be the killer?" Fluttershy asked.

"...I don't know."

"Let me GO, Twilight!" Rainbow yelled, struggling to break free of her friend's iron grip. "I'm not scared of those dumb Shadow things! I'll CRUSH them if they get in the way!"

"Listen to yourself!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "Please...how can we find you if Pinkie can't scan for you?"

"Are none of you guys taking this seriously?! That...that MONSTER took Scootaloo! He's going DOWN!"

"Wait...I think I'm getting something!" Pinkie said suddenly. "...It's faint, but...gimme a minute. I might be able to pinpoint its location..."

"If that guy is here, then the girls are probably alone with him right now! Who knows what he's gonna do to them?!"

Fluttershy and Twilight both looked as if they were going to say something, but Rarity cleared her throat. They turned towards her, only just now noticing how collected she and Applejack seemed. She walked over so that she was directly in front of Rainbow. Twilight seemed to understand what she was trying to do, as she let go of Rainbow's tail, allowing her to land and face Rarity directly.

"Rainbow Dash," Rarity said calmly. "What exactly is going on here? Is there--"

"What's going on? THAT'S your question?!" Rainbow spread her wings out of instinct. "What's going on is that some jerk took my little sister away from me, and he's gonna pay the price! What else could be going on?!"

"My sister was also kidnapped, darling, as well as Applejack's. There's nothing to warrant this level of rage in you if we can go through the same thing and not feel the same."

"I'm not like you!" Rainbow narrowed her eyes. "And just look at yourselves! Do you even care that your sister was taken?! Even if we do save them, they're trapped there with the Shadows, and maybe even with HIM! Does that not mean ANYTHING to you?!"

A spark of anger flashed in Rarity's eyes, but she held it back. She closed her eyes and created a circle of shimmering blue light in front of Rainbow Dash. The circle slowly shifted, and Rainbow's reflection appeared on it. "Is this the face you want to be wearing when you see Scootaloo again?"

At first, Rainbow's expression didn't change. However, she finally registered just how angry she looked. Her eyes were laced with such fury that she barely even saw herself in them any more, and her teeth were clenched so rigidly that she was surprised they hadn't cracked under the pressure. Her expression softened, and she took a step back. "Th-that's...I..."

"Of course I care that Sweetie Belle was kidnapped. I'm quite angry myself, and I probably haven't been so worried in years. But this is about more than our feelings...we do have to save them, but their feelings are just as important." Rarity dismissed the mirror and stepped forward to close the gap between herself and Rainbow Dash, then put a hoof on her shoulder. "Is there another reason why you're acting this way? Some other reason why you saw fit to leave us behind?"

Rainbow averted her gaze, as if to close herself off from her friend. She fidgeted nervously, but found herself unwilling to break the contact she had with her. Eventually, she sighed. "Do you think we have time for this?"

"We can't go anywhere until Pinkie locates the girls, right? We would be waiting here anyways, and Celestia knows how long we would be able to stop you from darting off."

"...Yeah...you're right." Rainbow hesitated for a moment. "A few weeks ago...Scootaloo and I had a serious talk. About us."

"What was there to talk about?" Applejack asked as she walked over. "Y'all seem pretty close to me. Plus, long talks don't seem like yer thing."

"Yeah, but...we became honorary sisters so suddenly. I felt like we had to clear the air. Anyway...I found out during that talk that Scoots had wanted to be my little sister for a long time--a lot longer than I had thought. At the time, it seemed like she was just a fan, but...she actually saw me as a role model. The very picture of what a big sibling should be. And...don't tell her I told you this, but I wanted her to be my sister too. It may not seem like it, but I actually think she's stronger than me...I kinda admire her." Rainbow stopped for a moment, and her face became unreadable.

"If you wanted to be sisters for so long, then why didn't you simply ask her about it sooner?" Rarity asked. "I have no doubt that she would have agreed to the notion."

"Because...we were both too proud." Rainbow shook her head. "I didn't want to seem like I needed a sidekick, and she didn't want to seem weak either. So we both just hoped that the other would ask someday...and that just felt wrong. So...I promised her that I would be the best sister I could be...y'know, to make up for lost time." She sheepishly rubbed the back of her head with her foreleg. "It...probably seems kinda silly, huh?"

Rarity smiled knowingly. "I actually completely understand. I made a similar promise to Sweetie Belle after we reconciled at the Sisterhooves Social. I thought that teaching her things and conditioning her for the world was what being a sister meant, but there was no love in my treatment of her...so I promised her almost exactly the same thing that you promised dear Scootaloo."

"Ah know yer mad 'cuz yer worried. It's good that ya feel that way," Applejack added. "But we can't afford to fail when we go to save 'em. If ya lose yer head and get wiped out, then ya can't do what needs to be done for her. What's more important: Savin' yer sister...or gettin' revenge?"

Rainbow put her hoof back on the ground and looked her friends in the eye. "...You're right. I'm sorry I flipped out like that...it won't happen again."

"Ain't no need to worry so much that ya lose sight of yerself. Now that we're on the case, they're as good as saved."

Suddenly, Pinkie let out a high-pitched gasp. Everyone turned towards her, surprise and expectancy written on their faces. "We have a signal, everyone! They're that way!" Pinkie gestured to her right. "But...there're some really strong Shadows over that way, too! We'd better be careful!"

"All right. Is everyone ready?" Twilight asked, positioning herself at the front of the group. Everyone nodded to her. "Then let's go. We don't have any time to waste!"

A gigantic mountain stood before the group. It was undoubtedly tall, but its true height was concealed, both by the fog enveloping the area and a canopy of dark clouds that formed a ways up. A massive statue, easily the size of five ponies, appeared on either side of a stone archway, and all of the architecture looked Greek. Strangely enough, one of the statues was of something that looked almost exactly like Discord, while the other was another creature made of random animal parts arranged in a different way. Beyond the archway, a winding path stretched forward and into the mouth of a cave, where it was lost in the darkness.

"This place...is it supposed to be Mt. Olympus or something?" Spike asked.

"Nah, Ah don't think so," Applejack said. "It's prob'ly just a mountain. Some arch 'n statues ain't nothin' to read much into."

"A statue of Discord, though?" Pinkie chimed in. "That just SCREAMS fishy! And suspicious! It's...it's...SUS-FISH-OUS!"

"Never mind that," Twilight said, her eyes giving the impression that her mind was elsewhere. "Do you think...we'll see the girls' Shadows?"

Rarity sighed. "We cannot ignore the possibility. I am loathe to think of my sister having to face something like that at her age..."

"I'm more worried about the fog," Fluttershy said. "It...it must mean something, right? Whatever it is...it can't be good."

Rainbow Dash flew to the front of the group and turned to face them all, looking down on them from above. "There's no point in just guessing what's gonna happen to us and the girls here. We're here now, aren't we? Let's go in and find out for ourselves!"

The group briefly exchanged glances with one another. Turning forward again, Twilight nodded with a fierce expression on her face. "Our first order of business is getting through that cave up ahead. It's the only way forward."

Nothing else needed to be said now that the mission was underway. The group's first steps onto the path were made with some trepidation, but as they got closer to the cave entrance, the normal level of confidence quickly seeped into their minds. Though each of them had their own misgivings, their goals were the same, and their hearts beat as one.

Scootaloo's eyes finally fluttered open. She looked around, but there was nothing but fog no matter which way she looked. She strained her eyes, squinting as hard as she could without having to close her eyes, but it didn't help. The fog was just too much to see through.

"Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle said. "Are you awake?"

Scootaloo tried to turn towards the sound of Sweetie Belle's voice. She was very close, but Scootaloo couldn't turn far enough to see her. "Yeah...where are we?"

"I...I dunno. All I know is that we're all tied up here."

Scootaloo looked down, and sure enough, there were thick ropes binding her to the backs of her two friends. She tried to loosen them up, but they wouldn't budge. "Hey! What gives?!"

"Keep it down," Apple Bloom hissed. "Ah think there's somepony else here!"

"How can you tell?" Sweetie asked.

"Ssh!"

The three fillies stayed silent, and suddenly, they heard it. It was the sound of hoofsteps on stone, and it was getting closer.

"Ah, horseapples!" Scootaloo said, obviously trying to keep her voice restrained. "What do we do?"

"There isn't much we can do," Sweetie Belle replied. "None of us can move...and I think these ropes are magic-proof."

"Play dead!" Apple Bloom whispered. "If he thinks we're dead or asleep, maybe he'll leave us alone!"

"Good idea!" Scootaloo slumped her head and shoulders, and she assumed that her friends did the same. "Cutie Mark Crusaders...uh, tricksters?"

Sweetie Belle, despite the fact that she knew Scootaloo couldn't see her face, cocked an eyebrow. "Tricksters? That...makes no sense."

"Well, let's see you do better!"

"Why didn't you just say player-deaders?"

"Because it's ridiculous! You're the dictionary here, you should know that's not a word!"

"Well, there ain't really a word in the right tense fer what we're tryin' to say," Apple Bloom pointed out. "'Player-deaders' does sound kinda silly, though."

"Well, it definitely fits better than tricksters!" Sweetie Belle said indignantly. "That just makes it seem like we're pulling a prank on somepony!"

"Gimme a break, I was pressed for time!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "Ugh, just forget it. Nothing is specific enough."

"Hello, girls," said a warped voice. "I'm so glad you finally came around."

The Crusaders nearly jumped out of their skin. They all turned towards the voice and saw a silhouette of a pony much older than they were. They couldn't make out any of its features...save for a single yellow eye.

"Since you're already awake...why don't we play a little game?"

As if the fog didn't do a good enough job hampering visibility on its own, the cave was shrouded in all-encompassing darkness. The group had to rely on feel to judge their surroundings, and they felt cold stone under them.

"Jeez, I can't see a thing," Rainbow muttered. "Hey Twilight, can you use your magic to light the place up?"

"My magic isn't all that bright, and it won't do anything about the fog," Twilight replied. "I have a better idea, though. Fluttershy, can you summon your Persona?"

Fluttershy jumped ever so slightly, but she understood what Twilight was getting at. "Oh, um...okay."

The cave was lit briefly as blue light surrounded Fluttershy. Though this faded quickly, it was replaced with orange light as Sekhmet appeared and spread her wings. Now with a much better view of their surroundings, everyone looked around, noting that they were in what appeared to be an abandoned mineshaft. A set of minecart tracks had been placed near the entrance and kept going into the distance. Stone columns lined the walls, reinforced in such a way as to prevent cave-ins. Divots and cracks in the walls denoted where veins of ore may have been in the past. The shaft stretched on for as far as the group could see.

"We should hurry," Twilight said. "Let's go."

"OOH!" Pinkie suddenly yelped. "Look at that!"

Everyone looked towards Pinkie and then followed where she was eagerly pointing. Near the corner to the left of the entrance, a large minecart had been laid on its side. Its chassis was marred with dirt, rust and scratches, but the wheels looked brand new.

"Is that thing gonna hold us all?" Rainbow asked. "It looks like it'll fall apart the second we get in."

"Well, if it does, the worst case scenario is that we fall onto the ground and skin our knees," Spike pointed out. "No harm in giving it a try, right?"

"Spike is absolutely right," Rarity declared. She dramatically put a hoof to her forehead. "It would be positively dreadful if we were forced to walk through the entirety of this filthy place. We may be here to rescue ponies, but that doesn't mean we can't do so conveniently!"

Before anyone else could voice their opinions, Rarity had already lifted the cart with her magic and placed it on the rails. She took a moment after she was done talking to adjust it so that the wheels were properly aligned with the rails.

"Y'know that thing is dirty too, right?" Applejack asked.

"Lesser of two evils, my dear," Rarity replied.

"Well, there's really no harm in it," Twilight said. "Get in, everyone."

The group managed to squeeze into the cart. It was a tight fit with all seven of them, but the cart was just big enough to house all of them. They sat in silence for a moment, awkwardly shifting their gazes to the walls around them.

Spike finally decided to break the silence with the question that was on everyone's minds. "So, uh...how do we make it go?"

"Well...usually these things are meant to transport ores, so they're operated from the outside," Twilight said thoughtfully. "But...there isn't a control panel or anything here."

"Oh, I know!" Rainbow said. A glowing Chariot card appeared above her, but though she tried to hit it with her hoof, the only thing she hit was Rarity. The white unicorn yelped, more in surprise than pain.

"Rainbow Dash, please be more careful!" Rarity scolded, looking over her shoulder with a glare on her face.

"Uh...sorry. Heh..."

Rainbow hit the card with her tail instead. It was a weak hit, but it was enough. Hayabusa appeared above the cart and beside Sekhmet, then flew behind the minecart and grabbed onto the sides, taking a moment to grip it tightly. She flapped her wings forcefully, and the cart suddenly began to move. It accelerated quickly, leaving Sekhmet struggling to keep up. After a moment, she gave up and clung to Hayabusa's back, being mindful of her wings.

"Pinkie, I want you to constantly keep an eye on things," Twilight said. "There are probably still Shadows here. If you sense any, let us know."

"Gotcha!" Pinkie replied. She summoned Love Bubble, who sat on her back and put the heart lenses over her eyes. Love Bubble made sure to keep her wings out of Hayabusa's way.

For a time, that was all there was to the exploration. No one could think of anything to say, and even if they could, it would probably be lost in the rumbling sound of the cart's wheels against the tracks. The scenery along the tracks was practically nonexistent--everything was just more stone and the occasional column. Suddenly, however, the scenery drastically changed. Where the tracks were once within a tunnel, they were now on a massive bridge that spanned a chasm filled with lava. The lava below was violent--it churned like the sea in a storm, and streams of flames popped up from within. Despite how far away it was, the lava's brightness reached the entire cavern.

"Whoa, whoa! Stop the cart!" Pinkie suddenly yelled.

Hayabusa suddenly slammed her feet down onto the tracks. It took about three seconds for all of the cart's momentum to dissipate, but once it had, it came to a complete stop. Rainbow shifted her weight to her front legs, wincing in pain.

"What's the matter?" Spike asked. "Is there a Shadow nearby?"

"Not just any Shadow," Pinkie said. "We're close to an F.O.E.!"

Pinkie's warning was met with complete silence. It only lasted a moment, however. "What in Equestria is an F.O.E.?"

"A FREAKIN' OVERPOWERED ENEMY!" Pinkie exclaimed, dramatically pointing forward and accidentally hitting Spike in the back of the head. "Oops! Sorry."

"Well, where is it?" Twilight asked. "I don't see it any--"

Twilight was interrupted as a mass of familiar red mist started to gather about twenty feet ahead of the minecart. Everyone got out of the minecart, and the red mist dispersed, revealing what appeared to be Sweetie Belle.

Rarity couldn't keep herself from taking a step forward. "Wait a moment...that couldn't be--"

"It's not her Shadow," Pinkie said. "But it is trying to imitate it!"

The Shadow's eyes opened, revealing that shade of sickly yellow that everyone was pretty tired of by now. It was silent for a moment, then took a few steps back as if it had been struck. "Please...no..."

"Huh?" Spike walked towards the Shadow, but only just enough so that he was in front of the ponies. "What's with this thing?"

"Please...don't make me go...I-I can't take it any more!"

"It's getting stronger!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I don't think it's gonna wait for anypony to reject it!"

Red mist gathered around the Shadow again as it sat back and started crying. "Please...I don't want to do it! I'm scared!"

The red mist fully enveloped the Shadow, and everyone summoned their Personas. The mist dispersed seconds later, revealing a pool full of large and demonic sharks. A cage held up by a chain suddenly fell from above, stopping just short of the pool. Nothing could be seen from within the cage, but dozens upon dozens of small hands firmly grasped and rattled the bars.

"Do we really have to fight this thing?" Rainbow asked. "It seems so pitiful..."

"Here it comes!" Pinkie yelled.

The cage suddenly shook back and forth violently, and several icy spears flew towards the group from the opposite side of the room. Ace of Spades sprung into action, shielding Sekhmet and slicing as many spears as he could reach into pieces.

"I will fight this one myself," Rarity said. "It dares to imitate my sister...and it shall pay the price!"

"No...NO! DON'T COME NEAR ME!" the Shadow wailed.

Ace of Spades ignored the Shadow's cries and flew forward, ready to strike. Before she could get to the Shadow's cage, it surrounded itself with a blue aura. Ace of Spades swung at the bars of the cage repeatedly, but nothing he did left much more than a dent. He flew back to regroup.

"Ya sure ya can handle it?" Applejack asked. "It seems pretty tough."

"I am not foolish enough to continue fighting alone if I am in need of assistance," Rarity replied. "But for now...please, just let me do this."

Applejack nodded. "Just don't get in over yer head."

Ace of Spades raised his sword, and orange electricity surrounded him. As he charged again, the Shadow tried to stop him with walls of ice, but he flew above and around each one. The electricity shifted to his sword as he drew it back again, and he slashed at the bars of the cage with enough force to cut one of them right in half. The cage suddenly jerked and fell towards the pool of sharks a bit, causing the Shadow to scream.

"NO! We...we can't do this! This is way too dangerous...please!"

The hands that had held onto the now-severed bar grabbed onto the bars on either side of it. The cage shook again, and purple light burst from the ground under Ace of Spades, consuming him. He wasn't terribly injured, but tiny purple bubbles started rising from his body as if they were smoke. Similar bubbles started appearing from Rarity.

"Rarity's been poisoned!" Pinkie yelled.

"Wait, THAT'S what poison looks like?!" Rainbow demanded. "That's just silly!"

"A little poison won't stop me!" Rarity yelled.

Ace of Spades drew back his sword and suddenly lunged into the middle of the cage through the gap that now existed in the bars. The Shadow screamed again, this time sounding like it was in pain rather than afraid. The cage swung back and then into Ace of Spades, knocking him away. He was visibly tired now.

"H-hey, the poison is really taking its toll on you!" Fluttershy said. "Let us help!"

"I'm fine!" Rarity replied. "I'm going to finish this now before that changes!"

Ace of Spades charged up again and flew towards the cage, this time staying higher than the cage itself. More blasts of purple light erupted from the ground below him, but he managed to dodge each one. With a final, brutal slash, Ace of Spades cut through the chain that held the cage aloft.

The Shadow screamed as the cage fell into the pool of sharks and slowly began to sink into it. "I-I knew this would happen! I KNEW! Please..." It began to sob as only the top of the cage remained. "Please...let me stay...I'm sorry..."

As the cage finally disappeared into the water, what remained of the Shadow dissipated into the same red mist that had formed it. Rarity sighed heavily and slumped a bit. Ace of Spades flew towards the group again and put a hand on Rarity's shoulder, healing her wounds.

"Do you think...that's how Sweetie Belle really feels?" Rainbow asked. "I know that thing wasn't her Shadow...but what if what it was saying is the same as what her Shadow would actually say?"

"...It's possible," Twilight said. "Rarity, are you all right?"

"I am." Rarity coughed for a moment. "The poison lingers, but it won't for long. I apologize for being so reckless."

"We don't have time to worry about that Shadow," Spike said. "We're here to rescue the genuine article, remember?"

"...Yeah, you're right. We might be able to find out later anyways," Rainbow said with a shrug. "All right, everybody get back in the cart. I'll push it slower this time, so you should all keep your Personas out in case we get ambushed."

Everyone got in the cart again, and it resumed moving. The group's Personas save Pinkie's each surrounded the cart from a different angle, forming a protective parameter on all sides. Once the minecart left the cavern, the tracks were suddenly at a steep upward angle. Rainbow Dash groaned at the sight, but Hayabusa kept pushing regardless.

Spike turned towards Pinkie. "Hey, can you sense any more Shadows like that above us?"

"You mean F.O.E.s?" Pinkie asked, as if it were the most natural question in the world.

Spike rolled his eyes. "Just answer the question, Pinkie."

"Well...it's hard to say. I'd have to specifically scan for them because of the fog, and if I did that, I couldn't keep an eye on what's around us."

"It don't matter much anyhow," Applejack said. "Rarity handled that last F.O.E. on her own, right? They ain't no big deal."

"I fear that may have partially been luck on my part," Rarity interjected. "After all, there was an obvious weakness to exploit with that chain. If we run into more of those F.O.E.s, they may not have such a weakness."

"Are we seriously calling them that now?" Spike asked, finding himself not as surprised as he felt he should have been.

"Well, if more of them show up later, it's more convenient to call them that than to say that they're 'a Shadow that's stronger than the others,'" Twilight said. "And safer, since it'll take less time to say if we get ambushed by one."

Spike rolled his eyes, and Pinkie stuck her tongue out at him.

"In any case, I'm not about to let any Shadow get in my way, F.O.E. or no!" Rainbow exclaimed. "I'll rip it apart, no matter what!"

"Whoops, speak of the devil!" Pinkie yelled. "There's another one nearby! Not close enough yet to be dangerous, though."

"I expected as such," Rarity said. "If there was a Shadow willing to imitate one of our sisters, then it's only natural that the other two would also be imitated."

The cart flattened out again, to Rainbow's relief. Another opening appeared in the tunnel, leading into another chamber. As the group passed through the chamber, they quickly realized that this one looked quite different from the last. Though it was the same size, below the tracks was nothing but a seemingly bottomless abyss. Empty picture frames adorned the walls, along with several photographs that featured two ponies whose faces had been either blurred or cut out.

"Am I the only one who thinks this is really creepy?" Spike asked. "This is...a lot different from the last chamber, that's for sure."

"Stop the cart!" Pinkie said. "The F.O.E. is coming!"

Sure enough, red mist began to gather just as the minecart came to a stop. As the mist dispersed this time, a copy of Apple Bloom appeared. Unlike the last Shadow's fearful eyes, this one looked despondent and tired.

"I already don't like where this is going," Spike muttered.

The Shadow opened its eyes, revealing that they were brimming with tears. "Ah wanna see 'em," it said, though the group could barely hear it. "Nopony'll let me go...but Ah wanna see 'em."

Applejack raised her eyebrows. She took another look around the chamber. "Wait...don't tell me..."

"The others're tryin' to forget that they ever existed...but they did! An' Ah wanna see 'em!"

Red mist gathered again, fully encasing the Shadow. It dispersed more quickly this time, revealing a foal in wrappings floating within a sphere of empty scrapbooks.

"This one is just as strong as the last one was!" Pinkie yelled. "Who's gonna fight it?"

"I think AJ should do it," Rainbow said. "Not to seem callous or anything, but Rarity fought her sister's Shadow. It's only fair."

"Ah couldn't agree more," Applejack said. She positioned herself in front of the others. "This may not be mah sister's actual Shadow...but Ah helped make this monster. Ah'm gonna clean up after mahself."

"Give 'em all ya got, AJ!" Spike exclaimed, pumping his fist.

Stronghold suddenly launched herself forward, drawing back her fist. The scrapbooks floating around the Shadow rearranged themselves quickly, forming a barrier in front of it and blocking the brutal punch that followed. Before Stronghold could move, several of the scrapbooks opened, and several fiery explosions consumed her. She moved back a bit, but didn't seem badly injured.

"You forgot about 'em, didn't you?!?" the Shadow cried. "And ya want me to forget 'em too!"

A red light suddenly consumed Stronghold, causing both her and Applejack to shudder. It was only brief, however, and Stronghold was back in action without delay. She slammed her fists into the ground, and blazing meteors fell from the sky towards the Shadow. It rearranged its scrapbooks again, but it couldn't block every meteor headed its way--they were too fast. It cried out in a mixture of shock, pain and rage, then threw a barrage of fireballs at Stronghold. As the fireballs hit their mark, Applejack was noticeably hurt.

"Wait, what? That thing's fire didn't hurt this much last time!" Applejack said in a strained voice. She nearly fell onto her knees, but locked her joints so that she could still stand.

"I think the Shadow canceled out your fire resistance!" Pinkie yelled. "Maybe you should let somepony else--"

"No way, no how!" Applejack's tone regained all of its usual strength and confidence. "It ain't gonna be that easy!"

Stronghold conjured up a purple aura and charged forth again. The Shadow threw more fireballs at her, and though some of them still hit her, she dodged quite a few. She finally got to the Shadow and reached out towards it. The scrapbooks, still occupied with their barrage, were unable to rearrange fast enough to stop her from grabbing the foal and ripping it out of their protective shell. It screeched sharply, and fiery explosions erupted on Stronghold's armor. Though the fire left its mark, it didn't stop or even slow down Stronghold's movements. She lifted the foal past her head, then slammed her down into the solid stone below. The Shadow's cries went from being filled with rage and pain to fear and despair.

"Why won't you let me know them?! Ain't they important to you?! How couldja just forget about 'em like that?!"

Applejack grimaced, and Stronghold slackened for a moment. As she did, the Shadow blew a stream of flames into her face, causing her to drop it and take a few steps back. The assault was shaken off quickly, however, and Stronghold took a single step towards the Shadow, drawing her fist up to finish the job. The punch shattered the stone that the combatants stood on, and the Shadow started falling into the emptiness below. It looked as if it was about to say something, but before it could, Stronghold outstretched her hand towards it. A circle of purple light appeared in front of it, but it was quickly replaced by a huge energy spear, which vaporized the Shadow immediately upon impact.

Applejack breathed heavily, her eyes narrowed to the point that they were barely even open. The others turned towards her to congratulate her, but stopped when they saw her expression. They exchanged glances for a moment. Spike walked over and hesitantly put his hand on her shoulder. She flinched, which in turn caused Spike to take a step back.

"Whoa, girl!" Spike exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

Applejack was silent. She shook her head, sighed and loosened up a bit. "I'm fine," she said. "Let's just go."

Before anyone could protest, Stronghold flew over and picked up the minecart. She carried it over the newly-formed gap in the tracks and put it down on the other side, adjusting it so that it wouldn't fall off. Applejack ran forward and jumped over the gap herself, then got into the minecart.

The others exchanged glances again, but there was an unspoken consensus that more pressing matters were at hand. Everyone flew and jumped over the gap except for Spike. He worriedly looked down into the chasm, then took a few steps back to get a running start. Before he could, however, Rainbow grabbed him and carried him over instead.

"Oh...uh, thanks," Spike said.

"No problem, dude," Rainbow replied. "You should've asked, y'know."

They got into their places in the minecart, and Hayabusa positioned herself to push it again. However, Twilight cleared her throat before she started moving. "I think I should push this time," she said.

"What? Why?" Rainbow asked.

"Well, we've fought Shadows based on Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. I'd be surprised if we didn't find one based on Scootaloo."

"...Ohh."

Hayabusa moved out of the way, and Star Swirl conjured a strong tailwind. It wasn't quite as fast as Hayabusa's method, but the cart moved at a decent clip. Soon, it had entered another tunnel. Unlike the last two, this tunnel was pitch-black--so much so that the group couldn't see the others or even their own bodies. Not even the light from Sekhmet's wings could pierce the darkness.

"This...could be problematic," Rarity said.

"Aw, no fair! That's cheating!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Now what?"

"Calm down," Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. "The tunnel being dark isn't the end of the world. All we have to do is keep the cart moving 'til we get to the next room."

"But what if we get ambushed?" Applejack asked. "Are we gonna be able to deal with Shadows that we can't see?"

"I'm starting to wonder if there even are any Shadows here that aren't F.O.E.s."

Twilight's eyes widened at that. She put a hoof to her chin. "That's right...we haven't been attacked by any normal Shadows yet." Out of habit, she turned to look over her shoulder. "Pinkie, can you scan the whole place?"

"Uhh...are you sure?" Pinkie asked. "It'd be super-duper bad if Shadows came up while I'm not looking out for them..."

"I know, but I think this might be important. It won't take long, right?"

Pinkie scrunched her muzzle in intense thought for a moment. "Okey dokey loki," she said deliberately. Love Bubble somehow managed to put her heart glasses on Pinkie's face in the darkness, and she widened her view so that it was all-encompassing.

"Can you actually scan without being able to see like that?" Fluttershy asked.

"I think so...but it might take a little longer than it would if I could see."

"Okay, Pinkie needs to concentrate," Twilight said. "Everyone be quiet until she's done."

Silence fell over the group, with the only sounds coming from the minecart's wheels rolling along the tracks and the wind rushing past their ears. It was difficult to judge how much time passed, but it passed very slowly.

"WHOA!" Pinkie suddenly yelled. "I'm getting a HUGE Shadow reading from somewhere above us!"

"Is it close?" Twilight asked.

"No...I think it's at the top of this place. I'm sensing TONS of Shadows...but they're all in one place...and they're near the girls!"

Rainbow's eyes widened. "Then we have to hurry!"

"Hold on," Twilight said. "Pinkie, can you tell whether the girls are hurt?"

Pinkie paused for a moment. "They...seem okay. I don't think they've been attacked."

"Do you sense anything in particular about the mass of Shadows?" Rarity asked. "It seems odd, that they would simply ignore three helpless victims."

"Umm...how do I put this..." Pinkie lifted the hearts from her eyes, then rubbed her eyes to adjust to the sudden change. "I think...that all the Shadows were drawn into one. Or something like that..."

"You mean...they fused into a bigger monster?" Spike asked.

"No, not bigger...just stronger. The signal is buried under the Shadows', so it's hard to tell, but I think that they've all been drawn to another pony."

Suddenly, sight returned to the group's eyes as they finally exited the tunnel. The minecart tracks abruptly ended, sending the group skidding across grassy ground before Stronghold grabbed the cart and stopped it. As everyone exited the minecart, they found themselves on a large plateau. It was roughly the same size as the last two chambers, but unlike those chambers, there was no perilous gorge below. Above the group, there was what appeared to be open blue sky. Clouds were unceremoniously placed around the plateau, hinting at just how high this place would have been. The fog seemed to have cleared, but it still felt as if it was there somehow. On the other side of the plateau was a staircase, marked with an archway that was nearly identical to the one at the mountain's entrance. The staircase went up and into a mass of clouds, leaving what was at the top unseen.

"The last F.O.E. is coming!" Pinkie yelled. "Get ready!"

Everyone faced forward, and red mist once again gathered, this time at the center of the plateau. When it dispersed, it left behind a copy of Scootaloo.

"All right, squirt," Rainbow said, taking a step forward so that she was at the front of the group. "Whaddya got?"

The Shadow glared harshly. Its body tensed up, and it spread its hooves out, as if it was about to pounce. "So it's you, huh? Here to 'save' me?"

Everyone's eyes widened, and Rainbow visibly flinched. "Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that," Rarity said.

The Shadow pointed an accusing hoof at Rainbow. "Why are you leaving me behind?!?" it demanded. "Aren't we supposed to be sisters?!?"

Rainbow shook her head. "What in Equestria are you talking about? If you're trying to imitate Scootaloo, you're not doing a very good job of it!"

"SHUT UP!"

The Shadow's voice came as a scream of primal rage. Red mist gathered once more around it, fully encasing it. It dispersed to reveal a massive bird with its wings outstretched. However, instead of being a majestic bird of prey, this looked more like a crow or even a pigeon. Additionally, its talons were buried in the ground, and it had heavy shackles keeping it from lifting off around its ankles, neck and stomach.

Rainbow's eyes narrowed as Hayabusa assumed a combat stance. "Hmm...I think I see what this is about. But that doesn't matter right now! I'm gonna tear you apart!"

Hayabusa charged forward, rapidly becoming a whirling frenzy of claws, wings and talons. The Shadow spread its own wings, and dozens--hundreds, even--of arrows were fired from between its feathers. The arrows that did get close to Hayabusa, however, were either deflected or blown away. Hayabusa's claws dug into the Shadow's flesh, causing it to cry out and futilely try to shake her off. She backed off on her own eventually, looking a bit disoriented, but the Shadow was much worse for wear. However, the Shadow recovered with surprising speed and drew its wings back. They crackled with electricity, and Pinkie's eyes widened.

"DASHIE!" Pinkie screamed. "MOVE!"

Rainbow shook her head back and forth. "Just a sec...I gotta--"

Rainbow was interrupted as the Shadow suddenly slammed its wings into Hayabusa with overwhelming force. She went flying as if she'd been fired from a cannon, and Rainbow immediately fell over, clutching at her stomach. She flinched again as Hayabusa slammed into the mountain, her wings seeming to take much of the force of the impact. Sparks danced across her body all the while.

"WHOA, that was intense!" Spike exclaimed.

"Ugh...that thing hits like...a freight train..." Rainbow shakily got back on her hooves, struggling to speak. The electricity caused her to wince every few seconds. "I'm okay." She glared at the Shadow. "And I'm not about to let this thing get away with that!"

Hayabusa launched herself from the rock face, landing right in front of Rainbow. She spread her wings imposingly, then started charging power. The Shadow let out a cry before electing to do the same. Hayabusa lunged forward again, this time making sure to stay alert. Lightning bolts flew at her from the enemy's wingtips, but with an impressive (if a bit showboaty) display of agility, she avoided them easily. She made it to the Shadow and flew up to its face, then wheeled back and kicked it right between the eyes. A burst of wind blew the Shadow back with such force that its talons were uprooted from the ground. The chains that bound it, however, snapped back before long, sending it flying towards Hayabusa again.

Rainbow's eyes lit up, and she smirked. "LET'S GO!"

In a split second, Hayabusa managed to encompass herself in a familiar green aura and hit the Shadow again just as it got into her range. The next twenty seconds almost played out like a game of Pong--Hayabusa hit the Shadow, it went flying and then flew towards her again, repeat. With each attack, a plume of mist burst from the Shadow's body.

"You're doing fantastic, darling! Keep it going!" Rarity cheered.

"I'm just getting started!" Rainbow said, pawing the ground with a hoof.

The Shadow suddenly let out a pained cry. "GET BACK!"

Another storm of arrows fell from the sky. Hayabusa was able to dodge them easily, given her speed boost. However, while she was preoccupied with that, the Shadow used the opportunity to buffet her with its wings again. Though it didn't seem to hurt as much this time, the force still managed to knock Hayabusa back. She landed on her feet and dug her claws into the ground, skidding to a stop in front of her host.

"This is how it ALWAYS is!" the Shadow yelled. "I tell you all the time that I want to be like you, but you just brush me off! Why won't you support me?! Why won't you teach me anything?!" It slammed its wings into the ground, a furious look in its eyes. "Why did you even take me in, if you're gonna keep acting like I'm just a fan?!"

Rainbow glared right back at it. "CAN IT! Just what do you think you know about Scootaloo, anyway?!"

"I AM SCOOTALOO!"

"No, you aren't! You're a fake, and all you're trying to do is get me to lose my focus!" Hayabusa stood up again and took to the air. "Well, it's not working! If that is how Scootaloo feels, then we'll work it out, but I've been through too much to get discouraged because of gutter trash like you!"

The Shadow cried out in rage again. Electricity erupted from its body in all directions, striking parts of the mountain with no rhyme or reason. Hayabusa dove towards it, dodging bolts when they headed for her. She lifted her foot above her head and slammed it into her target. The force of the blow, combined with the cutting edge of Hayabusa's talons, was enough to split the Shadow's head open. It started to disintegrate into mist, but its furious wails didn't cease until it was gone completely. Rainbow Dash looked as if she was about to collapse, but she locked her joints in place.

"Great job, Rainbow," Twilight said. "You should take a breather."

Sekhmet spread her wings, bathing Rainbow in warm light. Her wounds disappeared, but she was still winded. "I can keep going," she said. "Don't sweat it. Besides, we're almost there, aren't we?"

"Yuppers," Pinkie said. "The girls and that mass of Shadows are just up those stairs!"

Twilight took a few steps forward and turned to face everyone. "All right, you heard Pinkie. Once we move on, there won't be any going back." She paused, studying everyone's expressions. "If you need to make any last-minute preparations, now's the time. Is everyone ready?"

"'Course we are, sugar cube," Applejack said, smiling broadly. "If we weren't ready, we never woulda come this far in the first place."

Spike puffed out his chest and glared, fire in his eyes. "The girls are depending on us. I'm not about to let them down!"

"We have to do this. We can't let that big jerk keep doing whatever he pleases!" Fluttershy declared with uncharacteristic determination.

Twilight smiled, then turned around. "All right, then...here we go!"

Everyone trotted over and stood beside Twilight. With one final exchanged glance, they nodded to each other and took the first step in perfect unison. Since Spike's legs were shorter, however, he promptly tripped over himself trying to match their stride.

"Whoops," Spike said. "Uh...sorry."

The others held back laughter with varying degrees of success. Twilight plopped Spike down onto her back. Everyone started walking towards the stairs, where their last battle awaited them.

Chapter 31: Grand Finale

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The fog came back in full force as everyone walked into the clouds that covered the top of the staircase. Though the cloud cover itself was rather thin, the fog was so thick that it might as well have been all-encompassing.

"Jeez, what's with this place?" Rainbow asked. "The fog's almost as bad as it was before we got our Personas...you could probably cut this stuff with a knife."

"It's probably because there are so many Shadows here," Fluttershy said. "I can't brush off both the Shadows and the fog gathering here as a coincidence. This has to be deliberate."

"Agreed," Rarity said. "Can anyone see through it at all?"

"I can a bit," Spike said, standing up on Twilight's back. "It's still pretty bad, but...I think I can make out some details of what's ahead of us."

Twilight lifted Spike into the air and put him down in front of her. "All right then, Spike," she said. "Lead the way."

Spike nodded and started walking. Everyone followed close behind, keeping themselves from walking at full speed for his sake.

"I think I sense them just up ahead," Pinkie said.

Sure enough, Spike perked up a bit. "Yeah, you definitely do! I see them!"

Spike broke out into a run, and the ponies followed him. The fog made it impossible to see if Spike was right about what he saw, but they simply had to put their faith in him. They didn't have to wonder for long, however--soon, they were close enough to see three small ponies sitting against one another. It was difficult to tell at this distance, but they looked as if they were tied up.

"Hey, do you guys hear that?"

"More hoofsteps...? Please don't tell me he's coming back..."

"No, there's a lot more ponies this time! Can't ya hear 'em?"

"You don't think it's..."

Rainbow couldn't contain herself anymore. She flew ahead to close the last bit of distance between the group and the fillies. Before any of them could be surprised by what they saw, Rainbow had already picked up the three of them and lifted them over her head. "AW YEAH! We found 'em, guys!"

It didn't take long for the others to catch up to Rainbow. Upon seeing everyone and registering what had happened, the girls' faces lit up. "Oh my gosh!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "Rarity! Everyone! Is it really you?"

"In the flesh, darling!" Rarity said, striking a pose. "Surely you knew we would come for you, did you not?"

Pinkie jumped into the air, pumping her hooves. "This mission is a SUCCESS!"

"Everyone calm down," Twilight said loudly. "We're not in the clear yet. Rainbow, put the girls down."

Rainbow paused for a moment, smiled sheepishly, and gently put down the Crusaders. Scootaloo almost looked disappointed at that.

"Spike, try to get them out of those ropes. Pinkie, I want you to run a scan of the area. See if you can sense where the Shadows went."

Spike and Pinkie nodded in unison. Spike walked over and started working on the knot that kept the ropes taut. Pinkie summoned Love Bubble again, and she put her heart lenses over Pinkie's eyes. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom jumped in surprise as they saw her, their jaws dropping.

"What is that?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"We'll explain later," Spike replied. "For now, we have to get you out of here."

"But where's here?" Scootaloo asked. "And what are you guys talking about? I can't see!"

"Uh-oh," Pinkie said. "We have a problem! The Shadows are really close!"

Before anyone could respond to that, the fog suddenly cleared. Everyone looked around, finally able to see their surroundings. They were on another plateau, but instead of being grassy like the last one, this was cold, hard stone. The edge of the sudden clear zone was marked by several crude archways reminiscent of those at Stonehenge. The Crusaders had been placed in the exact center of a white circle with numerous runes inscribed into it, which was surrounded by torches as tall as two ponies.

"Everything has fallen into place," a warped voice said. "It's good that you've finally come. He hungers."

Everyone turned towards the source of the voice. A pony emerged from the fog. He was light-grey with a white mane and tail, a black circle for a cutie mark, and sickly yellow eyes.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "...Wait a second...Bright Side?"

Bright Side smirked. "He's almost here. You can sense Him in the winds...the ground...the seas...soon, He shall return and claim what is rightfully His."

"Whoa, what's with this guy?" Spike asked. "Twilight, do you know him?"

"Well...yes, but he's never acted like this before," Twilight said. "Maybe that's his Shadow?"

"Stay back!" Pinkie exclaimed. "There's no doubt about it...all the Shadows have gone into him!"

"A new age is upon us," Bright Side said. He took a few steps forward. Spike ran around the Crusaders, positioning himself between them and Bright Side. "He shall descend upon us, and He shall recreate us in His image. It will be a glorious dawn for our kind, and for all others."

"What are you TALKING about?" Rainbow demanded. "And WHO, for that matter?! Nothing you say makes any sense!"

"I speak of one of the true gods. I speak of that which existed before the usurpers came to be."

"Ah don't think we're gonna get a straight answer outta this guy," Applejack said. "What do we do?"

Twilight glared. "All right, Bright Side...answer one question for me. Did you bring the girls here?"

Bright Side's smirk grew more malicious. "I did."

Rarity pawed at the ground, her eyes full of intensity. "How DARE you! Why would you do such a thing to innocent little fillies?!?"

"He needs sacrifices...it is the final step towards bringing Him back to this world once more. You proved yourselves worthy of such an honor...but you would never come here willingly."

"So you used us as bait?!" Scootaloo asked.

"I shall give you an unattainable gift." Bright Side stopped walking and straightened up, now standing within the white circle. "Allow yourselves to be sacrificed, and you shall be marked down in history as they who brought salvation to the universe. You will not be alive to enjoy the new world, but He shall reward you, even in the embrace of eternity. Refuse..." He frowned suddenly, looking at the group with distaste. "...and I shall simply force you. I shall break you until you are no longer able to resist, and then I shall sacrifice you myself."

Everyone stiffened a bit at that. However, the threat did nothing to deter them. "I dunno about you, but I like living," Rainbow said.

"Why would we ever agree to something like that?" Spike asked. "You're not so tough. We'll just beat you down the way we have every enemy before you!"

"Don't do this," Twilight said, shaking her head. "It doesn't have to be this way. I don't know why you're acting like this, but you can stop now, and nopony has to be hurt!"

Bright Side, having seemingly ignored Twilight, closed his eyes and sighed. "So be it, then." His horn flared with magic, and the Crusaders were lifted into the air. Before he could be met with any protests, he moved them out of the circle and then gently put them down. A barrier formed along the edge of the circle. "The children shall not be harmed. They are not part of this conflict."

Red light flowed from Bright Side's feet as he closed his eyes. At first, everyone thought that he would turn into a monster. However, their eyes widened as they saw a Magician card materialize in the air. It descended slowly until it appeared just before Bright Side's eyes, surrounding him with familiar blue flames. His eyes snapped open and flashed briefly. "Ifrit."

At first, the only thing that appeared was a golden, ancient-looking, Saddle Arabian-style lamp. However, a plume of flames burst from the spout. A muscular, humanoid torso emerged from the fire, matching its shade of orange. It had large black bands just below its shoulders, and past its elbows, its flesh seemed to turn into more flame. A slightly smaller forearm emerged from these flames. Four large wings spread from its shoulder blades, each one appearing to be made of red smoke and yet more flame. The skin on its neck also flickered with fire, yielding a yellow head with blank white eyes. Resting where eyelashes would be on each eye, as well as on the center of its forehead, were three long and hooked black horns.

"A Persona?!" Pinkie exclaimed. "But...I didn't sense anything like that from him!"

"Never mind that!" Twilight yelled. "Take him down, everyone!"

The group summoned their own Personas, and each one took on their own version of a combat stance. Pinkie stole a glance at the Crusaders and saw that their jaws had dropped once more. Even with the tension of the situation, she couldn't help but smile at that.

"Pinkie!" Spike exclaimed. "Hit me!"

Pinkie snapped back to attention. "Gotcha!"

Love Bubble flew forward and kicked Atlas right in the temple. As Atlas recovered from the blow, a rainbow-colored aura enveloped him, and he started vibrating.

Bright Side raised an eyebrow. "What...is this, exactly?"

Spike suddenly let out an ear-piercing roar as Atlas charged. He threw his globe forward with the force of a supertanker, knocking Ifrit off-balance. It quickly recovered, however, and though Atlas lunged at it with great speed, it held out its hand and grabbed him by the head. It created a hollow fireball around Atlas, keeping him from moving.

Bright Side scowled. "I am insulted that you ever believed this would work."

Spike didn't respond. Atlas roared loudly, dispersing the fire around him. However, before he could move again, Ifrit grabbed him by the stomach, causing Spike to flinch. It lifted Atlas so that the two Personas made eye contact.

"Your attacks are powerful, but they come without any strategy or grace. Do you truly think this an infallible strategy?"

Ifrit's hand started glowing with purple light. Atlas tried to break free, but he discovered that its grip had become ironclad.

"Now...you shall know what you stand against."

Suddenly, Ifrit clenched its fist with such force that Atlas shattered into motes of white light. Spike immediately lost his aura and fell to his knees, screaming in agony.

"SPIKE!" Twilight ran over to the dragon. Before she could try to soothe him, however, he fell unconscious.

Pinkie gasped. "Oh, no...that attack will destroy our Persona instantly if we boost more than one attribute!"

"Are you SERIOUS?!?" Rainbow demanded. "That's not fair!"

"We can still power ourselves up a little bit," Fluttershy said. Sekhmet flew over to Spike and bathed him in warm light, waking him up. "Spike, are you all right?"

Spike slowly got to his feet, holding his head in one hand and grimacing. "I've...been better."

"Do you not understand the suffering you go through as you desperately cling to meaningless lives?" Bright Side asked. "Allow yourselves into His embrace, and He shall take it all away...you cannot do anything to change your fates, regardless of your decisions."

"Meanin'less?!?" Applejack demanded. "Ain't nothin' about life meanin'less! For us or for anypony else!"

Ifrit suddenly pointed its palms forward, letting loose a massive stream of flames from both hands. Before anyone could react, it had already consumed them all. Fluttershy was unfazed, but everyone else staggered. The power behind this attack was greater than they ever would have thought. Rarity's knees buckled, and she struggled to stay on her hooves.

"RARITY!" Sweetie Belle cried. "You can't let this creep beat you! Please!"

Rarity's eyes widened. She looked over her shoulder at her sister, seeing the fear in her eyes. In spite of her situation, she tried her best to look confident for her sake. "N-never fear...I am far from beaten!"

Ace of Spades sprung into action. He raised his sword, enveloping the battlefield in a violent blizzard. Though Ifrit was unaffected, its attack slowly grew weaker until all that was left were a few sparks feebly sputtering out of its palms. After allowing Rarity a moment to sigh with relief, he flourished his blade towards the ground, letting loose golden beams towards his allies. The Personas were enveloped by orange and purple electricity. Seeing an opportunity, Ifrit clapped its hands together, letting loose a barrage of lightning bolts. This time, however, the group was ready for it, and most of them managed to dodge the onslaught.

"Well, aren't you full of surprises!" Rainbow yelled. Not to be outdone by Rarity's display, Hayabusa launched herself forward, poised to strike. Stronghold and Ace of Spades followed quickly, as did Atlas as Spike summoned him again.

"Indeed I am," Bright Side replied with a devious smirk. "Here's another one."

Ifrit clenched its fist menacingly. Suddenly, the electricity dancing around the Personas' forms faded away, as if it had never existed. Rarity's eyes widened in alarm and fury alike.

"Wh...WHAT?!?" Rarity slammed her front hoof onto the stone below. "What madness is this?!? It just took away our charge in the blink of an eye!"

"Well, we can't hold back now!" Rainbow yelled. "Don't stop 'til you hit your mark!"

Ifrit held out its hand as the group advanced, and blazing meteors fell towards them from the sky. Stronghold positioned herself above the others, shielding them like a gigantic, mechanical umbrella. What meteors didn't get smashed to bits on contact with Stronghold's body were kicked or sliced in half by Hayabusa's lightning-fast strikes. Ifrit followed up immediately by conjuring up purple energy from the ground, and although this managed to hit Atlas, they continued onward undeterred.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Fluttershy...are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Upon acknowledging Twilight's question, Fluttershy focused on the fray. She noticed the same thing Twilight had before long. "It looks like Bright Side is trying to keep us at a distance," she replied.

"Yeah, that has to be it...Ifrit doesn't have any weapons, and I haven't seen Bright Side use a close-range tactic." Twilight's eyes lit up. "That means that if we can keep the pressure on him at close range, we have the upper hand!"

"Then let's go!" Rainbow yelled, pumping her hoof.

The next moments were a blur of action. As the Personas made it to Ifrit, they immediately sprung into action, surrounding it and punching, kicking, slashing and striking with all of their force. Ifrit flailed its limbs wildly, but the clumsy motions were easily dodged. After a moment, it set itself on fire, forcing the Personas to back up.

"It's time to end this," Bright Side said. Ifrit spread its wings, and the fire surrounding it turned into a fiery twister. Ace of Spades and Hayabusa were blown back, and while Atlas and Stronghold were able to hold their ground momentarily, they soon followed. The attack subsided as quickly as it had been launched, but Ifrit wasn't done yet. It held out its hand towards the group, and massive explosions of both fire and lightning consumed their Personas. It relentlessly continued with its assault, leaving the group no time to retaliate. One by one, it became too much for them to handle, and their Personas began to disappear. Ace of Spades and Hayabusa went first, followed by Atlas, Stronghold, Sekhmet and even Love Bubble. Ifrit finally stopped as Star Swirl was the only one left, but any hope that Twilight may have had of it giving up was lost as it let out a primal roar. A massive pillar of flames erupted from under Star Swirl, and he dissipated as well. Everyone was forced to their knees, breathing heavily and struggling to stay conscious.

"This...is kinda...bad," Rainbow said. "What are we...gonna do now?"

"We're not...out...just yet," Twilight replied. She didn't want to admit it, but she strained just to say the words. "As long as we're still alive...he hasn't beaten us!"

Bright Side raised an eyebrow. "You would keep fighting, even when you can't stand up? How foolish."

"Who cares...if it is?" Applejack asked. "At this point...we got nothin' to lose...since yer just gonna kill us anyway..."

"Do you not understand yet? You are being given a great and honorable opportunity to bring salvation to all existence. Does that mean nothing to you?"

Spike gritted his teeth as he struggled with all his might to stand up again. "So what...you expect us to die...just so we can be...some old god's doorstop? Not...gonna happen!"

"I am done...with running away," Rarity declared as forcefully as her fatigued state would allow. "I still have...much to live for...and you will not take it away from me!"

"And yet you are powerless to resist. Face it...I have defeated you," Bright Side said, glaring harshly. "You have made things difficult, but it ends now. All shall be forgiven, as this conflict is insignificant to Him."

"COME FORTH, HAYABUSA!" Rainbow suddenly exclaimed. Hayabusa suddenly reappeared and flew towards Bright Side. Before he could do much more than take a step back, she kicked Ifrit hard in the side. The combined force of the kick and the blast of wind that resulted from it were enough to knock Ifrit on its side.

"Wh-what?!?" Bright Side said, staggering backwards. "But...you were beaten!"

As suddenly as she had appeared, Hayabusa faded away, and Rainbow fell onto her knees again. "Y-yeah, well...maybe I just got tired of listening...to this garbage." She smirked. "Besides...only I can...say...when I'm...beaten..."

Rainbow fell onto her side and closed her eyes.

"RAINBOW DASH!" Scootaloo yelled. "Sh-she can't be dead! Please...don't let her be dead!"

As much as Twilight wished otherwise, she knew she couldn't worry about Rainbow yet. The only way the group was going to win was by pressing the advantage that she had given them. She stood up and pointed towards Bright Side. "RUSH HIM NOW!"

"You're up, Atlas!" Spike yelled, summoning his Persona again. Atlas raised his globe towards the sky, and three familiar orbs of purple light descended from above. They exploded as they touched down, forcing Bright Side onto the ground.

"Sekhmet, please help us!" Fluttershy exclaimed. Sekhmet appeared and spread her wings forcefully, managing to look rather imposing. She then flew forward and, to the surprise of everyone else, dug her claws into Ifrit's flesh before fading away.

"You're all fools!" Bright Side yelled as he slowly stood up. "You would bring countless back into strife with your actions! What about that is just to you?!?"

"Ace of Spades, I summon you!" Rarity boomed. Ace of Spades charged forward, his rapier trailing behind him. He slashed forcefully into Ifrit's chest, forcing Bright Side to his knees again.

"Stronghold, it's up to you," Applejack said. Stronghold appeared and slammed her fists onto the ground. Meteors fell from the sky and battered Ifrit from all directions.

"How do you not see it?!" Bright Side demanded. "His power permeates us...it is all around us! Why are you protecting meaningless lives when all of civilization could share in this revelry?!"

Twilight stomped her hoof so hard that the stone under her cracked. "STAR SWIRL!"

Star Swirl appeared and pointed his staff at Ifrit. The fog darkened, taking on the appearance of the night sky. A massive ball of energy slammed into Ifrit from above and exploded into white light. Everyone present was blinded, the explosion brighter than anything they had seen previously.

The light faded slowly, and everyone was eventually able to open their eyes again. The sound of the explosion also woke Rainbow up, but she evidently decided that standing wasn't in her best interests at the moment. In addition, Ifrit was gone, and Bright Side was on the ground. His eyes flickered from yellow to hazel and back again, and almost a dozen black hands seemed to be trying to claw their way out of him.

"This...isn't...happening," he said weakly. "How...when you were so close to death..."

"Don't you get it yet?" Spike asked. "It's pretty obvious when you think about it."

"Yeah!" Rainbow chimed in. "We won because we're all too dumb to know when to quit!"

"Such...foolishness." Bright Side shakily stood up. "Very well...you have your victory. But...I will not accept...failure in my mission!"

Everyone tensed up as Bright Side straightened himself. The stone arches around the battlefield began to glow brightly, and each one suddenly fired a beam of yellow light. Each of these beams hit Bright Side as he closed his eyes, and he rose into the air.

"What's he doing?!" Twilight asked.

"We should run while we have the chance," Rarity said. "Quickly, grab the girls and--"

Suddenly, Pinkie let out a sharp cry. Everyone turned towards her to find that she had fallen to her knees, her eyes clenched shut. A warm trickle of blood flowed freely from her nose, and she clutched at her head with her front hooves. She tried to speak, but all she could manage was more pained cries.

"Pinkie?! What's wrong?!" Spike asked, running over to her.

Pinkie managed to open one eye ever so slightly. She shakily gestured towards Bright Side. "S-s-ssstop...hiiiim..." Her eye widened, then shut again as she fell onto her side, curled up into a ball and clutched her head more tightly. "H-hurryyy..."

Spike nodded and turned towards Bright Side. "ATLAS!"

Atlas drew his hands back, then threw his globe as hard as he could. It slammed into Bright Side at full force. The effect was immediate--he was knocked right out of the air, and the beams of light disappeared as the arches stopped glowing.

"What was THAT about?!" Rainbow demanded. "Pinkie, are you okay?!"

Pinkie opened her eyes and looked around. She looked much more tired than she had a moment ago. "I...I sensed something. Something terrible..." She shivered. "It was...powerful...and just really bad somehow...I don't know how to describe it..."

"Is it gone now?" Twilight asked.

"I...think so..."

Rainbow stood up and helped Pinkie get on her hooves. "Don't strain yourself, okay? Lean on me for now."

A retching sound got the group's attention. They turned towards Bright Side just in time to see some of the hands emerging from him grab onto the ground. Masses of black tar-like substance began pulling themselves out of his body--only a few at first, but their numbers grew rapidly until they were clambering on top of one another. Bright Side's form was completely lost in the mass of Shadows.

"This is bad!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "We need to get out of here!"

"We gotta take him with us," Applejack said. "Rainbow, can ya clear me a path?"

"I can try," Rainbow replied.

Applejack shuffled through her saddlebag for a moment. Eventually, she pulled out her lasso. "All right, then do it now! Twilight, you grab the girls, yer the one best suited to carryin' 'em!"

Twilight nodded and ran out of the battle zone. She picked up the Crusaders with her magic, then turned to wait for the others.

"What's going on?" Scootaloo asked. "I don't get any of this!"

"There's no time!" Twilight replied. "As soon as we're safe, I promise we'll explain, but for now, please just bear with us!"

Meanwhile, Hayabusa had dispersed a good number of Shadows using blasts of wind. Several dozen of the creatures flew through the air and off of the mountain, and Bright Side's hoof was just barely visible. Applejack threw her rope and somehow managed to coil its loop around the appendage, then yanked on it hard enough to pull Bright Side out of the crowd. She ran over and caught him on her back, then turned around and nodded.

"All right, let's book it!" Spike yelled. Everyone turned towards the way they came and ran as hard as they could as the Shadows spread themselves around all corners of their home.

It was late by the time everyone got back to Ponyville. Before they did anything else, they thought it would be prudent to turn Bright Side in to Looking Glass. Whether he had kidnapped anyone besides the Crusaders or not, kidnapping three children was still a highly punishable offense. Looking Glass assured them that he would put Bright Side into a holding cell and find out if he was the culprit they were looking for. After they thanked him and left, the Crusaders spoke up once more.

"Okay, now can you PLEASE tell us what happened in there?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I mean...it seemed like you almost died! We deserve to know!"

"Indeed you do, darling," Rarity said. She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Before I begin, is there anywhere you want to go? We can explain on the way over, and it's the least we can do for worrying you so."

The girls exchanged long looks. Despite the innocence of the gesture, it was one that nearly all of Ponyville had learned to be wary of--it meant that their minds were in perfect synch. They turned back towards Rarity, and she tried to hide her apprehension. "Is that ice cream store still open?" Scootaloo asked.

"It should be," Twilight said. "They don't close for another half hour."

"You really want to give them sugar so close to bedtime?" Rainbow asked. "We're never gonna get 'em to go to sleep."

"Rainbow, they got kidnapped today," Spike said, putting his hands on his hips.

"...Yeah, that's a good point."

The fillies smiled so widely that it looked as though their faces would tear in half at a moment's notice. This was the kind of smile that even Pinkie Pie had a hard time perpetrating. Everyone started walking towards the ice cream shop, and Pinkie took it upon herself to begin an outrageously spirited retelling of their adventures, complete with wild, flailing hoof gestures and sound effects.

Rarity settled into bed, shuffling her way under the neatly-tucked blanket. It had been a long day, and a taxing day in more ways than one, but it was finally over.

"I do hope that this ends it all," she said to herself. "I was never cut out to be a warrior...and I've had enough near-death experiences for one lifetime, thank you."

With the final two words, Rarity put on her sleep mask and relaxed, allowing the comfort of the mattress to seep into her muscles. She began to drift off to sleep within moments...until the door opening interrupted her, that is. She tried to ignore it and convince herself that she just hadn't closed it fully.

"Rarity...?"

Rarity sighed. She looked towards the door and lifted her sleep mask, and her suspicions were confirmed--Sweetie Belle was standing in the door frame. At first, Rarity looked slightly annoyed, but that melted away when she saw that there were tears in Sweetie Belle's eyes.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Rarity sat up in her bed, as fully awake as her exhaustion would allow. "Aren't you a little old for that, darling?"

Sweetie Belle rubbed her foreleg. "I know...but..." She hung her head. "...I...realized how close we came to losing each other...and..."

As her sister's voice trailed off, Rarity hesitated for a moment. She knowingly smiled at her sister. "All right. Just don't mess up the blanket, please."

Sweetie Belle smiled weakly back at Rarity and climbed into the bed, gently nestling herself into place. It was slightly sloppier than how Rarity did it, but both could care less right now. Rarity used her magic to close the door, then returned to the blanket's embrace herself. Under the covers, Sweetie Belle wrapped her hooves around Rarity and laid her head on her barrel.

"Please don't leave me behind, Rarity," Sweetie Belle whispered, her voice indicating her own exhaustion.

Rarity wrapped her own hoof around Sweetie Belle's body, somehow drawing her even closer than she already was. She gently kissed her on the forehead before settling on the pillow again. She was about to respond, but there was no need--Sweetie Belle was already asleep. She closed her own eyes and put her mask on again, and she quickly let sleep find her as well.

Bonus: Reactions to Other Bosses

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The theater was a modest affair--there were only approximately two dozen seats, and the screen was much smaller than usual. What few lights there were in the ceiling were powerful enough to illuminate the entire room, but a blue tint covered everything. Seven of the seats were filled, and the occupants of said seats were chatting animatedly amongst themselves. Silence fell over them as two spotlights suddenly flickered on, each one illuminating a figure on one side of the screen. Igor was under one spotlight, sitting down in a folding chair whose back had been replaced with a wooden sculpture of a lyre. Margaret stood under the other spotlight, acting surprisingly casually.

"Welcome to the Velvet Theater," Igor said, gesturing towards the guests. "I am Igor. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter--"

"Actually, I'm pretty sure it exists in my backyard," Twilight said suddenly. "At least, that's where it was when we came in."

Igor covered his mouth and cleared his throat. "You're correct. My apologies, it's simply habitual at this point."

"We have brought you here so that you might witness the trials of our previous guests," Margaret said. "It is our hope that seeing these will both inspire you and show you just what your opposition is truly capable of."

Rainbow Dash raised a hoof. "Uh, sorry, but is this gonna take long? I have things to do today."

Margaret sighed. "Time is not currently passing outside of this theater. You'll still be able to accomplish whatever goals you have set for yourself."

"That works, thanks!"

"Now then," Igor said, "if I could direct your attention to the screen...we shall begin."

The spotlights turned off as the other lights began to dim. The rapid clicking of a projector met everyone's ears for a moment as an image began to form on the screen.

The monster charged towards the girl, its many flailing hands serving as its only means of locomotion. Its knives flashed in the moonlight, each pointing menacingly at its target. The girl had a strange object pointed at her forehead, but for some reason, she seemed hesitant to use it. It wasn't long before the monster reached her and batted her easily to the side.

"Geez, did this thing take all of the arms and hands that were SUPPOSED to be in Equestria?" Spike asked. "I mean, I know I should be worried about the girl, but that is just an outrageous number of arms."

"Do they even connect to anything?" Fluttershy asked. "It...wouldn't make much sense if they didn't..."

"Shadows have never made sense," Rarity pointed out. "Besides, this really isn't what we should be focused on."

"Quiet down, please," Margaret scolded.

"Sorry," Spike replied. He watched intently as a Persona formed above the boy's head.

A large, fat man sat upon a throne in the middle of the stage. In front of him were two white crosses, and behind him was a beige woman with a six-pronged cross for a head, gently massaging his shoulders. Electricity loosed itself from the prongs of the woman's head, striking each of the Persona-users that faced it.

"It's weird," Rainbow said. "Seeing this reminds me that there really aren't many fat ponies around here."

Silence overtook the group, and it seemed for a moment as if they had simply gone back to watching the show. However, other voices soon popped up.

"You're RIGHT, Dashie!" Pinkie exclaimed, putting her hooves up to her cheeks. "Not even Mrs. Cake is anything worse than 'endearingly chubby,' and she runs a BAKERY!"

"Does the schoolhouse even have a PE program anymore?" Applejack asked herself. "Ain't no way every single one o' them foals is eatin' and exercisin' just right."

"My word, I haven't done proper exercises in months," Rarity said. "How have I not gained any weight?"

"Well...I do have a dragon's metabolism," Spike mumbled to himself.

"Please focus on the screen," Igor said. "You've already missed quite a bit."

The group stopped themselves from voicing their observations any further and turned back towards the screen...only to find that a giant, heart-shaped Shadow was now being shown, keeping itself aloft with wings that appeared to be made of pink slime.

"Aaaaw! I love you too, you big ol' horrible monster!" Pinkie cooed.

A slender, mechanical feline jumped into the air, slotting itself into place in the center of a gigantic roulette wheel. The roulette was mostly red, but a small blue section could be seen. There were cartoonish pictures of explosions on each section.

"WHEEL! OF! FORTUUUUUNE!" Spike and Pinkie boomed.

"Oh, for--How many times are you two gonna do that?!" Rainbow demanded. "And that joke is way too obvious! Just give it a rest already!"

Margaret pinched the bridge of her nose and held back a sigh. "This was a bad idea..."

The titanic humanoid lifted its sword once more, a red aura surrounding it. Its expressionless face glared down at the Persona-users, who glared back with fear, but also with unmatched determination. This staredown continued for a moment as the sound of the wind filled the spectators' ears.

"Let us finish this!" the humanoid yelled. "It is the path of your choosing!"

The battle resumed on the canvas screen. The ponies were sitting on the edges of their seats, their eyes glued to the scene before them. It took a good deal of willpower for them not to cheer when the Shadow took a hit, or to gasp when one of the Persona-users was put in harm's way. They felt as if the battle would go horribly awry if they did anything but watch intently.

Before long, the battle was over, and the screen faded to darkness. The group exchanged glances briefly before applauding vivaciously at what they had seen.

"It's good to see you're enjoying yourselves," Igor said. "A moment, if you would."

The group turned towards one another, eager to discuss what they had just seen.

"I like the part where the blue-haired guy summoned the Persona that Margaret almost killed us with!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Uh...Messiah! Or something."

"That was indeed a marvelous display of power on both sides," Rarity said. "To think...everything that we've seen here would have meant nothing if they had not won that battle. We've been fighting to solve a murder case...but they've been fighting to save the world!"

"I can't say I know much about this whole 'the Fall' business," Twilight said. "But what I do know is that they have the power to prevent it. Just think...other than their powers, they're normal human beings!...And a dog....And a machine." She cleared her throat. "The point is, their victory proves that they have the capacity to overcome any obstacle...and if they can, then so can we!"

"You got that right!" Spike yelled. "We aren't slouches ourselves, either! Just look at what all we've done!"

"Well, I guess that about wraps this up," Applejack remarked. She turned towards Igor and Margaret. "Thanks fer all this, but we're gonna get goin'."

"What are you talking about?" Margaret asked. "We aren't done yet."

There was a tense silence for a few moments. "...We aren't?"

"We're only about halfway through all of the trials we were going to show you."

Another moment of silence followed. It persisted as the ponies settled back into their seats, resigned to their fate.

"Do not worry," Igor said. "This next group is one that you'll be able to relate to. You'll see why shortly."

The phoenix spread its wings, opening the door to its cage. "Now, my Prince...why don't we dance and make merry together?"

"Hang in there, Yukiko...I'm right here for you!" replied a brown-haired girl.

"Oh! This one is like Philomena!" Fluttershy exclaimed, unable to keep a large smile from spreading across her features.

"Yeah, except for the creepy human face," Twilight said. "I know we've seen a lot of Shadows' eyes, but these are especially creepy."

"It's the bangs," Rainbow said.

"...What do you think Philomena would look like with long, black hair like that?" Pinkie asked.

Everyone stopped to consider that for a moment. The thought was met with shivers from some, giggles from others, and nonchalant shrugs from those remaining.

"I will give you the truth you claim to hold so dear..." The Shadow shifted its weight inside the crater. "...the inescapable fact of your death here!"

No one had anything to say about the Shadow on the screen. Some stared at it with wide eyes, some openly gaped at it, and Pinkie couldn't help but laugh at it.

"I'm certainly glad that Sweetie Belle isn't here to see this," Rarity said. "She would probably burn her stuffed animals...and part of the boutique along with them."

"Hey, ain't its eyes kinda...familiar?" Applejack asked.

"Are they?" Twilight replied. She took a second look at the Shadow's eyes. "Huh...maybe they are."

Pinkie abruptly stopped laughing as she saw what the others were talking about. Her hair drooped slightly, and she frowned. "They're like my Shadow's..."

"Why do you still resist?!" the Shadow demanded. "Even should you win, naught but suffering awaits!"

Suddenly, Pinkie started laughing again. "Oh, that's a good one, Mr. Shadow Bear! You're a riot!"

"What, are you sick of yourselves too?" The Shadow spread its arms out, accompanying the motion with a loud, mechanical noise. "Very well...then let us begin the special operation!"

"Astro Colt!" Spike exclaimed, suddenly pointing at the screen.

Twilight looked at Spike. "What?"

"That Shadow reminds me of Astro Colt!" Spike repeated. "...I mean, it's a girl...but still! Doesn't it make sense?"

"I dunno, you're kinda reaching there," Rainbow said.

"No I'm not! She has foot thrusters!"

"Should we know who Astro Colt is?" Fluttershy asked.

"No, you're not missing much," Twilight replied.

Spike frowned. "How do you not see it? It's so--"

"Spike, pipe down!" Applejack said sternly. "Half of us don't even know what yer talkin' about."

Spike looked as if he wanted to protest further, but he sat back down and crossed his arms...until he saw the Shadow dive towards one of the Persona-users, spinning like a drill. He jumped up again. "I KNEW it! Astro Colt!"

Twilight rolled her eyes and used her magic to zip Spike's mouth shut.

"I...am a god..." Izanami spread its eight arms menacingly, towering above the Persona-users that stood against her. "I'll teach you the truth of your miniscule existences."

"Man, everybody gets to beat up gods but us," Pinkie said glumly. "Where's our god to beat up, huh?"

"You really shouldn't be complaining," Rarity replied. "We've bested godlike beings without our Persona abilities before. I think it's good that we don't have to face something that powerful in direct combat."

Pinkie pouted slightly. "Yeah, but it seems like everyone got a better deal than we did."

"I kinda see where you're coming from," Rainbow said. "These guys were investigating a murder, just like we've been doing, and they got to fight gods anyway at the end! The strongest things we've fought are a Shadow that got arrogant, a Persona-user with too much free time and Margaret."

"But we still solved our case, didn't we?" Twilight asked. "In the end, we've wrapped everything up nicely."

"...Yeah, maybe."

"If we were to face a god in battle, we might not all make it back," Rarity pointed out. "I'm perfectly happy with what we've accomplished so far."

"And who knows?" Spike put his hands behind his head and relaxed. "Maybe it's not over yet and we WILL get to fight a god!"

"Let's hope that ain't the case," Applejack muttered.

The group stopped talking and watched as the battle continued. Just as it seemed all hope was lost for the Persona-users, their leader summoned a new Persona that they had never seen and managed to knock her down. The screen went dark again.

"Okay, so we're done now, right?" Rainbow asked. "Or do you have another dozen fights to show us?"

"No," Igor said. "Only six."

Rainbow groaned. "Fine, whatever. Might as well stick around if it's only a few more."

"Then we can't just sit around! Let's beat the Queen before those card soldiers show up again!"

"Such annoying pests...very well. I will crush you all myself!" The Shadow lifted one hand up, shaking with rage. "I won't let you have this! Not even if our king demands it!"

"Hey, it's Shadow Rarity!" Rainbow exclaimed.

Rarity glared at Rainbow and smacked her upside the head with a rolled-up magazine. "Now that is uncalled for, Rainbow Dash! My Shadow was certainly bad, but it was nothing like this stereotypical, avaricious FIEND!" She paused. "...Well, perhaps it was SOMETHING like this stereotypical, avaricious fiend...but that's still no reason to make such offensive comments."

Rainbow rubbed the back of her head. "Uhh...yeah, you're right. Sorry."

"All is forgiven. Just don't--"

"Who are you!? Who do you think you are!? I am the Queen! The QUEEN! MY REIGN IS ABSOLUUUUUTE!"

Rarity's eyes widened, and she blinked twice. "...On second thought, you were right, Rainbow. It is alarmingly like my own Shadow."

"Time to say your vows..."

"A priest?"

"Time to say your vows! In sickness? Splendid! In health? MAAAAAAAGNIFICENT!"

"Ah kinda like this'n," Applejack said.

"It's hardly politically correct," Rarity said, looking at the screen with disdain. "Though...I suppose it is slightly humorous if you look past that."

"Little sheep who flout God! I'll MAKE you take your vows!" the Shadow yelled.

"It's a little confusing," Spike said. "Why is it using the word 'god' as a name?...Is that even what it's doing?"

"Just vow to me all manner'a thiiings!"

"...He talks a lot," Rainbow said.

"Why couldn't we fight THIS one?" Applejack asked. "Ah know it's a Shadow, but Ah really like it! It almost reminds me of home!"

"Rein it in a bit, AJ," Spike said.

Where all the Shadows before it had ranted about their hidden feelings or their modus operandi, this Shadow only let out roars of primal rage. It took a few menacing steps forward, closing in on the downed Persona-users. It rapidly stamped its feet, stomping on its enemies. The ponies visibly flinched as they witnessed the attack's brutality.

"Y-you know, this actually puts things in perspective..." Fluttershy smiled weakly. "After seeing this...I see that I could have a much worse bunny than Angel."

No one responded at first. However, it wasn't long before stifled laughter could be heard. Pinkie suddenly started giggling like a mare possessed, falling out of her seat.

"Whoa! You all right down there?" Spike asked.

Pinkie couldn't respond--she was laughing too hard.

Fluttershy looked at Pinkie with a mixture of concern and disdain. "...I wasn't joking..."

That only seemed to make Pinkie laugh harder.

"I am Chronos...I was born from man, and accompany man on his journey. You wander an ephemeral dream...Your transience affords uncompromising power. What is your life...? What is your death...?"

"Man, they are just DESTROYING this one," Rainbow said. "And it's a god! How many gods are these guys planning on beating up?"

"This is the last trial that these people have faced," Twilight pointed out. "So...three, if you don't count the Sagiri."

"Well, Igor's purpose here has certainly been accomplished," Rarity said. "After seeing all of this, it would be difficult to not be inspired. Wouldn't you all agree?"

"Oh, for sure," Spike said. "These guys have the same power we do, and they've done the impossible. What's stopping us from doing the same thing?"

"That's the same thing I said earlier, Spike," Twilight replied.

"...It's...it still applies!"

"I hope we don't have to fight a god ourselves...but if we do, it's okay," Fluttershy said. "We'll be able to handle it. Right?"

"Darn tootin'!" Applejack exclaimed. "If a god wants to do to Ponyville what these ones are tryin' to do to their world, they're gonna have to get past us!"

"And if we do end up fighting one, we'll be able to have a HUGE party once we beat it!" Pinkie exclaimed. "What better reason is there to celebrate than that?"

The screen dimmed as the battle finally drew to a close. The spotlights on either side of the screen lit up again, illuminating Igor and Margaret.

"You all are a terrible audience," Margaret said. "Not one enemy went by without one of you making some comment on it."

"Sorry," Twilight replied, "but we did take everything in. You don't have to worry about that."

"And that is all we have to show you," Igor said. "Thank you for bearing with us for this long. You're all free to go now."

The group got up from their seats and left the theater, once again talking amongst themselves. Igor and Margaret remained in the room, still and silent until they were alone in the theater.

"...I suppose I can let Theo out of the projector room now," Margaret said. She lifted a small remote, and the sound of a door unlocking met her ears.

A door opened on the other side of the room, and a man fell onto his face just beyond the door frame. He looked much like Margaret, but his hair was short, and his outfit resembled a tuxedo. He lifted his head so that he was facing Margaret. "It's IMPOSSIBLE to breathe in that room! I thought I was going to suffocate!"

"If you have time to complain, you have time to get us some drinks," Margaret said sternly.

Theo looked as if he was about to protest, but Margaret glared at him with death in her eyes. He slumped pitifully, somehow managing to get even closer to the ground. "...Very well..."

Chapter 32: Lesson Learned

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A few days passed. It seemed jarring and very strange for things to go back to normal so suddenly after what had happened, but it wasn't much different from how things usually worked out after the group's operations--even if it was on a larger scale. No progress could be made in the case until Bright Side's guilt was confirmed, and so far, he hadn't woken up from his comatose state yet. The general consensus was that this was for the best, as it would give them some time to relax before they had to wrap everything up.

Spike woke up suddenly, flailing around in his basket. Eventually, he fell out and rolled a short length across the floor, stopping just short of the stairwell. Twilight looked over her shoulder from her book, her eyes half-lidded. "Morning, sleepyhead," she said.

Spike lifted his head, then lowered it again, pressing his face flat against the floor. "Ugh...why didn't you wake me up?"

"I figured you needed your rest. You were up pretty late last night trying to clean up that spot on the floor."

"But what about my morning chores?"

"Owlowiscious did them for you."

As if on cue, Owlowiscious lifted Spike from the ground and put him down on his feet, then flew over to his perch beside Twilight's desk. Spike smiled at him. "Thanks, man. I guess I owe you double now."

Owlowiscious blinked. "Hoo?"

"...Yeah, I'm not gonna start that this morning."

A spark of mirth flashed in Owlowiscious's eye, but it was gone as soon as it had come.

"Don't worry about owing him anything. At least not today." Twilight smiled. "You just take the day off and relax. Okay?"

Spike raised an eyebrow. "...Are you sure about that? Last time you gave me the day off...well, we both know how that turned out."

"Oh, be reasonable. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Are you not remembering the Timberwolves, Twi? Because there were Timberwolves."

"Spike, if I see you so much as lift the duster, so help me Celestia, I'm going to chain you to your basket."

Spike's eyes widened, and he took a step back. "Okay, okay! Geez!" He relaxed, and a smile spread across his face. "So does that mean I can go to Rarity's place?"

"As long as you stay out of trouble, you can go wherever you want. Just be back before sundown."

Spike managed to put a lid on his excitement and jokingly bowed to Twilight. "As you wish, madam." He turned around and ran down the stairs. However, he was only gone for a moment before he came back up the stairs. "Cheerilee's at the door."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Really? Did she say what she wanted?"

"No, just that she wanted to talk to you."

After considering it for a moment, Twilight stood up. "Well, okay. It seems a bit weird that she's here on a school day, though..."

Spike ran back down the stairs, and this time, Twilight wasn't far behind. In spite of her confusion, she smiled warmly as she saw Cheerilee standing just beyond the threshold. "Come on in, Miss Cheerilee," she said.

Cheerilee snapped to attention. "Oh, um...sorry, but..." She cleared her throat. "I came here to ask if you could drop by the schoolhouse."

"Huh?"

"Well...the students are really in an uproar today. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle have been telling everypony that you and your friends saved their lives!" A smile spread across Cheerilee's face. "So I called their sisters down to confirm it, and they said that it was all true...I can't deny that it happened after that. Between this and how quickly the children grew to like you as a substitute teacher, I was hoping that you could...talk to them, maybe."

Twilight couldn't stop her left eye from twitching. "They...uh...told you about that?"

"Well, yes. It was just what the class needed to brighten up this dreary Monday, too!"

Twilight wasn't sure how to respond to this. She had thought about the group's little secret getting out, of course, but never that someone close would spill the beans. She exchanged glances with Spike, and he appeared to be concerned. Maybe that was a good idea.

"Twilight?"

Twilight cleared her throat. "Oh, I would love to talk to the girls," she said. "I have a few choice words for them..."

The second the door of the schoolhouse opened, silence immediately fell over the fillies and colts who had been so animatedly talking to one another up to this point. Though not even one of them showed it, their anticipation was palpable. Cheerilee poked her head in first, looking around at the little ones as a few of them deflated slightly.

"Goodness, you all have really been looking forward to this," Cheerilee said.

"She isn't here, is she?" someone asked.

"Well, now, I never said that."

Cheerilee stepped aside, and Twilight walked into the room, Spike on her back. They were instantly bombarded with cheers. Twilight flinched, both out of surprise and a sheer need to cover her ears; Spike, meanwhile, smiled brightly and took a bow.

"Settle down, now!" Cheerilee exclaimed, stomping her hoof a few times to get the students' fickle attention. "I'm sure you all have a great deal of questions, but you've all been taught manners, and I expect you to exercise them."

"Oh, I'll answer questions," Twilight said. She shot Apple Bloom a look. "I just have to talk to you three first."

The entire class turned towards the Crusaders. Twilight's expression must have been darker than she had intended, because the three fillies exchanged worried glances. Sweetie Belle spoke up after a moment of awkward silence. "Uhh, sure," she said. "We can talk outside."

Twilight put Spike on the ground beside Cheerilee. "Go ahead and get things started, Spike. I won't be long."

"You got it!" Spike replied.

Twilight waited for the Crusaders to exit the schoolhouse before stepping outside, shutting the door behind her. The Crusaders all wore nearly identical sheepish grins.

"We can totally explain," Scootaloo said.

Twilight raised her hoof. "No, none of that." She took a deep breath and softened her expression, which in turn seemed to relax the girls somewhat. "I just need you to answer one question for me. How much did you tell them?"

"Oh, we didn't say anything to give your big secret away," Sweetie Belle said.

Apple Bloom shot up her hoof, smiling. "Yeah! We told 'em that we wandered into the Everfree Forest again, and y'all ended up savin' us from a dragon."

"A...dragon?" Twilight asked.

The girls nodded.

"But why? Why did you tell them anything at all?"

"Elementary, my dear Twilight!" Scootaloo exclaimed, suddenly taking on a much more confident posture. "We gave it a lot of thought yesterday...about how this is all supposed to be kept under wraps."

"And you've done way more for the town than the guards ever could!" Sweetie Belle chimed in.

"So...while we probably won't get ya the recognition ya deserve in the end...we thought we'd at least make some ponies appreciate ya," Apple Bloom said.

"Of course, we wanted to get you all in on it," Scootaloo said. "But, well, the others gave you more credit, and you've subbed here already."

"Cheerilee told me about that part," Twilight replied. "But...that's really the whole reason?"

The Crusaders nodded. Their expressions sang with joy and anticipation as they awaited Twilight's response.

"...I...don't really know what to say..."

"Then just leave it to us!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

"This is your moment, Twi," Scootaloo said reassuringly. "You've earned some respect, I'd say."

"It ain't just about us, either! Y'all saved everypony!" Apple Bloom added.

Twilight was still uncertain about the whole thing, but there was no undoing what the girls had done. She smiled. "All right, then. I suppose that talking to your class for an hour or two isn't going to hurt anything."

Time slowed to a standstill as the sound of shattering glass reverberated in Twilight's mind. A Fool tarot card appeared in her mind's eye, obscuring the image of the beaming Crusaders in front of her. "You have created a bond that cannot be broken...these everlasting bonds shall be your eyes to see the truth. We bestow upon you the ability to harness the power of the Fool Arcana."

After this image faded, everything resumed, and Twilight found herself being slowly pushed towards the schoolhouse door. She rolled her eyes facetiously and opened the door with her magic.

"For the millionth time, his name is BAHAMUT!" Spike exclaimed. "Not Baja--"

Spike stopped himself suddenly as he saw Twilight and the Crusaders reenter the room. Awkward silence hung in the air as some of the students stared at him and others stared at the newcomers. Eventually, Spike laughed sheepishly and took a few steps back.

Twilight cleared her throat. "I'd just like to preface this by clearing something up." She smiled slyly at Spike for a brief moment before speaking again. "His name was totally Baja Blast."

"I KNEW it!" Silver Spoon yelled. Spike smacked himself on the forehead.

After the foals finally left the schoolhouse that day, Twilight took Cheerilee's offer to walk back to the library with her and Spike. The sun was beginning to lower beneath the mountains and the treetops, painting part of the sky a lovely shade of pink. If one paid enough attention, they would see Rainbow Dash and a few other weather ponies positioning wispy cirrus clouds in one corner of the sky, casting shadows beyond the retreating sunlight and spreading columns of light across the vast emptiness above.

"That really dragged on longer than I planned for it to," Cheerilee said, noticing Twilight's upward gaze. "I'm very sorry if I derailed your plans for the day..."

Twilight tore her eyes away from the picturesque sunset to smile at the other pony. "It's no problem. The past few days have actually been kind of boring for me. It was a nice change of pace."

"Speak for yourself," Spike muttered. "I would've just stayed home if I knew they were just gonna badger me with--"

Twilight smacked Spike on the back of the head, bending one of his spines. He straightened it out and glared at her, but he stopped talking anyway. "Sorry," Twilight said. "The whole 'Bahamut' thing is a sensitive subject for him."

Cheerilee didn't respond. The trip resumed without conversation for a few minutes. Twilight's ears twitched when she heard Cheerilee's hoofsteps slowing down. She turned around, and Spike did as well after noticing that both of them had stopped.

"Is everything okay?" Twilight asked.

"Um...well, yes..." Cheerilee smiled. "I'm just...trying to figure out how best to thank you, see."

Spike shrugged. "Well, we did sorta give you a day off, but that's not really that big of a deal, is it?"

"No, it's not that..." The schoolteacher cleared her throat and averted her eyes. "Today just...reminded me of an old lesson. Something that I had forgotten."

Twilight titled her head. "And what's that?"

Cheerilee's eyes glossed over slightly. Twilight could practically see the memories flashing through her mind. "Back when I was a young filly, I had a close friend. He was old enough to be my grandfather, but he still made plenty of time to teach me everything he knew...about teaching other ponies, ironically." A smirk flashed across her features. "It seemed as if he was a bottomless pit of little nuggets of wisdom. He always told me how important it was that there were always teachers around, come Tartarus or high water. That there was always somepony around capable of being a leader and a guide, without the corruption of a politician or the cynicism of a general..." Her eyes suddenly looked just a bit heavier. "When I visited my mother in Fillydelphia, I found out that he...passed...a few years after I left."

"I'm...sorry for your loss," Twilight said.

"Don't be...I've come to terms with it." Cheerilee's smile grew brighter. "Today, I was reminded of his last lesson to me..." She cleared her throat and tried to make herself look imposing, as if taking on the image of her mentor. "'Cheerilee, the only way you'll ever be a good teacher is if you're comfortable with the way you lead your troops! Always lead them at your own pace, in your own way, or the only place you'll be leading them to is confusion.'" Her posture returned to its normal state. "I...forgot that for a while. I let my fears that I wasn't good enough consume me, and I lost sight of why I became a teacher in the first place...and I have you to thank for showing me the light. From this point on, I'm not going to second-guess myself. If I need to teach the foals a different way, then that's something we'll work out as a class, but for now, I'm going to continue giving them the smiles and joy that they so deserve!"

Twilight couldn't help but smile, but she felt that nothing more needed to be said. For the second time that day, time stopped around her, and the image of the Temperance card appeared before her.

"You have created a bond that cannot be broken...these everlasting bonds shall be your eyes to see the truth. We bestow upon you the ability to harness the power of the Temperance Arcana."

Time resumed after that, and Cheerilee trotted up to Twilight's side again. "Sorry I rambled on like that...it's getting late. Let's go, shall we?"

"Yeah...I think I've had enough fun for one day," Twilight replied.

As the two mares started walking again, Spike hopped onto Twilight's back. "Yeah, same here! I'm beat."

"Don't fall asleep before we eat dinner, Spike!"

The three talked about different things as they walked, slowly but surely whittling away at the time and distance to the library.

Personas of Harmony

by EricStarstorm

Chapter 1: The Velvet Room

Chapter 2: Hidden Meaning

Chapter 3: The Change

Chapter 4: Other Side

Chapter 5: Investigation

Chapter 6: Adrenaline Rush

Chapter 7: Progress

Chapter 8: The Lovestruck

Chapter 9: Time Off

Chapter 10: Hidden Curriculum

Chapter 11: The Arena

Chapter 12: Missing Evidence

Chapter 13: Field Trip

Chapter 14: A Reason to Stay

Chapter 15: Collapse

Chapter 16: Metamorphosis

Chapter 17: The Tower

Chapter 18: Fear Factor

Chapter 19: Think of the Pink

Chapter 20: Diminishing Returns

Chapter 21: Parallel

Chapter 22: Pride

Chapter 23: Chance Encounter

Chapter 24: A Plus

Chapter 25: Uncertainty

Chapter 26: Youth of the Nation

Chapter 27: The Culprit

Bonus: Blooper Reel

Chapter 28: Limbo

Chapter 29: Holiday

Chapter 30: Lonely Mountain

Chapter 31: Grand Finale

Bonus: Reactions to Other Bosses

Chapter 32: Lesson Learned