Chapter 1: A Flame That Flickers in the Dark
Chapter 1: A Flame that Flickers in the Dark
I shouldn't be here.
That's what it feels like at this school. My entire life I was expecting to follow in my mother's hoof-steps. Become a chandler, continue the family business... but she wanted a better life for me, I think. It wasn't exactly a fulfilling career if her tired face had anything to say about it.
I never expected to be accepted into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. It was a dream come true, the kind of opportunity that unicorns like me could only hope for. But now that I'm here, I'm struggling to keep up. I'm surrounded by ponies with amazing talents, while I feel like I'm barely scraping by. It's hard not to feel like an imposter, like I don't really belong here. Classes, which seem so simple for everypony, I find myself struggling with. Yesterday we were assigned the task of learning the Emberglow spell, a simple yet helpful evocation to provide us some reading light during the evening.
Yet here I stand, straining, with a horn pointed at an unlit candle. Ironic that I can't escape from them even now. Maybe that's where I belong, with unlit, normal candles...
RING
Well, at least there was something always consistent in my life. The ringing of that damned bell... letting me know that I was out of time with trying to grasp this spell. I closed the book that I had been studying: a textbook written by Papyrus Blaze. Apparently he was quite the evocationist some decades back. Maybe I could ask one of the professors of Spiritual Communication to contact the stallion, ask him how in Celestia I am supposed to cast the thing. But I didn't have time to deliberate on the idea of such an idea, and with book in tow, I headed out of my dorm and towards the botanical gardens that connected the building to the school.
I walked into the classroom, a few moments after the final bell had rung. I hoped that Mr. Ignis was wrapped up in one of his monologues, and that I could sneak to my seat without being spotted. Instead I was greeted with something I was not exactly needing today, especially after my difficulty with learning the most basic spell I had ever seen. Standing, in the flesh, was Princess Celestia. It was then that it dawned on me, as I had completely forgot that today was her first scheduled visit to see the progress of all the first-years. So focused was I on Emberspark... that I was late for potentially the most important day of my life... great.
"Ahem? Miss Blaze? Are you alright?"
I suddenly shook myself from my stupor, looking towards the voice that called my name. There, stood the princess still; a look of mild concern on her face. I could feel the eyes of all the other students boring into me as they all anxiously awaited my answer. Quickly, I dipped my head in respect to the princess, not wanting to appear rude to her, and the others... my social situation was already not exactly the best.
"H-hello Princess Celestia, I apologize for my tardiness, I promise it isn't a common problem!" I stammered out, wishing that I had just decided to stay in my room. Maybe then I could've at least learned the spell, and not been embarrassed in front of the most important mare in Equestria.
"It is quite alright Miss Blaze," Spoke Celestia, a motherly tone coming from her voice that seemed to relax my anxiety riddled body just a little bit. "If you are alright enough for class, please go to your seat. Professor Ignis was just explaining to me the details of your classes studies." she finished, giving me a kind smile. I was just glad I hadn't kept the class waiting with my absence. If there was anything good about being unremarkable at this school, it was that you were practically invisible to the staff and student body. Hopefully this little incident didn't ruin that little pro for me.
I climbed up the stairs to my seat, second from the back in the far left row. I sat down, and levitated out my textbook, quill and ink pot. If I had any good luck to spend from this, maybe I could study the spell a little more before having to present to the class. After all it wasn't like I was going to be any more of a distraction from back here with a princess in the class.
"I believe that is all of the distractions out of the way? Then perhaps we can start the lecture again now that Miss Blaze has decided to join us. Wouldn't want any pony to fall behind after all." Mr. Ignis spoke, a hint of faked consideration in his voice. He was an easy enough pony to learn from, but I had figured out awhile ago that he despised being interrupted in class. I could almost predict from his tone that I was going to be hearing from him after class.
"Welcome to my class on Evocation, young unicorns. Today, we will be discussing one of the most historically significant spells in all of Equestria, the Emberglow spell. This spell was invented centuries ago by a gifted unicorn named Papyrus Blaze. This unicorn, sought to harness the power of fire for more than just destruction. With Emberglow, unicorns can create a controlled flame that can be used for a variety of practical purposes, from lighting candles to heating homes. Its invention marked a turning point in unicorn magic, and it's a testament to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of our kind." He spoke, trotting out from behind his desk to the center of the room, levitating a candle off from one of the nearby wall sconces. "Today, you will all be demonstrating to Princess Celestia your capacity to perform such the spell. Now, to review the somantics. To cast the Emberglow spell, you must first focus your magic into the tip of your horn. Visualize the flame you wish to create, and feel the heat of it in your mind's eye. Then, with a quick flick of your horn, release your magic and ignite the spark." With no effort, He raised his horn and with a flick, a small flame appears above it.
Show off.
Professor Ignis cleared his throat and addressed the class. "Alright, let's show Princess Celestia what you've learned. Can I have a few volunteers come to the front and demonstrate the Emberglow spell?"
Several unicorns shuffled nervously in their seats before two of them stepped forward. One pony, had a pale cream coat with a shiny, silvery mane and tail that seemed to shimmer in the light, and she wore a confident, almost smug expression on her face. Beside the mare, strode a stallion with a confident look on their face. He had a bright orange coat and a fiery red mane and tail, and wore the flashiest, most blinding cloak I had ever seen. red and gold cloak with a flame design on the back. A bit much, if you asked me...
Professor Ignis gave them an encouraging nod before turning to the princess. "Your highness, allow me to introduce to you our top students in evocation magic, Ivory Charm and Flare Spark."
The two unicorns took a deep breath before performing the spell, their horns glowing as they conjured the small flame. The princess watched with interest as they controlled the flame with precision.
"Excellent work," Celestia said, offering a smile of approval. "It is clear that you have been working hard in your studies. Keep up the good work."
The two beamed with pride at the princess's words, grateful for the opportunity to show their skills. At least those two were having a rather good day.
"Now, for our next demonstration, I need a volunteer to come forward and cast the Emberglow spell. Anyone?"
I tried to shrink in my seat, hoping to avoid the professor's gaze. But he must have noticed my reluctance, because he pointed right at me and said, "Ah, Miss Blaze, you haven't been paying attention, have you? Come up here and show us what you've learned."
I felt my heart sink as I made my way up to the front of the class. Princess Celestia was standing to my back, watching with interest. I could feel her eyes on me as I stood before the class, making a silent prayer that this wouldn't completely end my social life. Well, more-so than it already was.
"Now, Miss Blaze, show us how it's done," said Professor Ignis, a hint of impatience in his voice.
I took a deep breath and tried to remember the incantation. My horn began to glow as I channeled my magic, and I concentrated on forming a small, controlled flame. But as I opened my eyes to check my progress, I saw that something had gone horribly wrong. Instead of a gentle glow, there was a burst of flame that set the curtains on fire.
I yelped in surprise and tried to extinguish the flames with a counter-spell, but it would seem that my horn was back to not being able to produce even a glimmer of magic. Now the whole classroom was on fire, and I could feel the magic radiate off of the Princesses horn as she began to quell the situation. With a simple incantation, the spell was snuffed out, and order returned to the classroom.
Celestia looked at me and said, "Phoenix, while I am impressed by your ambition and determination, you must always remember to prioritize safety when practicing magic. It's fortunate that I was here to put out the fire before it got out of control."
I couldn't help but hang my head, even at her kind words. Now I had embarrassed my self, and caused a rather large incident. I felt a hoof on my shoulder, and I looked up for a moment, seeing Professor Ignis "Don't worry, Phoenix. Making mistakes is a part of the learning process. What's important is that you take this experience as a lesson and apply it to your future endeavors."
As I trotted back to my seat, just wishing for this day to be over. As I made the trot of shame, I overheard Ivory Charm snicker to Flare Spark. "Oh, did you see that, Flare? The little unicorn can't even control her own spell. Maybe she should stick to reading books instead of trying to be a real unicorn."
"Ha! Yeah, she's nothing compared to us, Ivory. We're the best evocation students in this school, and we're not afraid to show it." The stallion spoke, the cockiness only hidden by the whisper they had used in their tone.
Ivory chuckled at that in agreement, "You know, Princess Celestia always says that magic should be used to help others, not just to show off. Maybe Phoenix should take that to heart." They spoke, a little louder. It was only then that I realized that she had turned her gaze to look at me.
Flare laughed at that, enough to get the attention of everypony in the class. "Oh Ivory, you forgot! Phoenix doesn't have anypony that could want her help. I don't think she even has any friends!" The familiar feeling of at least a dozen sets of eyes on me returned.
There went my invisibility... and the small amount of comfort that it gave me. Now the curtain that had hidden me from embarrassment was strangling, suffocating... I could feel the tears begin to well up into my eyes at their words. They were right, I didn't belong here... I had no friends, no family... no one. I could swear I could hear snickers coming from the surrounding ponies as my heart shifted into my stomach.
Before I could stop myself, I bolted out of the classroom, needing to escape the gaze of all the unicorns. I could feel myself start to cry as I galloped down the hallway, heading out of the building, across the garden, and back to my dorm. I just needed this day to be over...
I didn't really pay attention to time for the day, as I sat huddled in my knees on bed. The tears had stopped awhile ago and had left me a husk of a tired, empty pony. My mother always told me that crying was good, and that it would make me feel better... but I didn't feel better. I just felt exhausted after today's events. Maybe a little bit of sleep would help me feel better. It would at least make me feel less tired.
Oh how wrong I was.
I found myself collapsed on the floor of my dorm room, a pain ringing in my head as I looked around. Everything had this... faint red sheen to it. Like it was covered in some sort of plastic covering. I put a hoof to my head, trying to reel in the headache that I had. I must've rolled out of bed, and hit my head. I stood up, and trotted over to the window. I had no idea what time it was... better find out now before I showed up to class late again. As I opened the curtains with my magic, my eyes widened. The sky was lit aflame with a deep, crimson color. I let out a shriek, as I began to panic. Everything certainty looked like Canterlot... but off, in a rather horrific fashion.
The main school's architecture had changed, and now bent in seemingly impossible angles. Bits of turf from the garden had been ripped out from the ground, and floated around the Dorm. I watched as one floated closer to the window, expecting to see roses or other flowers growing from the buds. Instead, the center of the flowers had been replaced with intense, yellowish eyes. Their iris was a deep crimson color, and seemed to stare at me with malicious intent. I let out another scream of terror, and flailed wildly across my floor. Something was wrong, very wrong in Canterlot. Pulling my curtains shut with a quick invocation, I attempted to gather myself. I didn't know how, or when, but I did know one thing.
I had to get out of here.
Quickly, I swung open the door of my dorm, and galloped down the hallway. At the end, there were two sets of stairs. The one on the left, I typically took when I was heading into town for errands or when my mother came to visit me. On the right, were the stairs that led towards the gardens, and beyond, the school. Left it was, since I was definitely not heading into the creepy eye-bushes.
However, once I got to the end of the stairs, there was a pile of rubble blocking the exit. I felt my heart race faster, panic entering my body. This left me with very few options, as I felt the need for escape claw it's way deeper into my body. Reluctantly I headed back up the stairs and took the opposite set. I would need to get through the cursed botanical gardens, and exit through the school. Hopefully whatever was waiting for me down there, wasn't immediately hostile.
This set of stairs was clear thankfully, so I wasn't trapped. As I trotted into the green, the familiar bristle of grass managed to ground me a little bit. Although the air wasn't great here, it was better than the suffocating feeling the dorm had given me. "Alright Phoenix. You can do this... deep breaths." I told myself, as I trotted through the gardens, not wanting to try and draw too much attention to myself. Thankfully, with my time as the unremarkable unicorn of the hour, I was halfway decent at it. Something odd however, is that typically there were students out in the gardens. Sometimes they were studying for herbology, and other times relaxing with their friends. I swore I could hear them talking... but I saw absolutely nopony.
With curiosity getting the better of me, even in this dire situation, I strained my ears to listen. Maybe these ponies had found a way out of here after-all! Straining my ears a bit, I started to be able to make out the conversation.
"I heard Phoenix was trying to cast a really advanced spell and it backfired on her!"
"No way, I heard she was messing around with dark magic and it got out of control."
"Rumor has it that she was experimenting with a new type of magic and it went haywire. I hope she learned her lesson!"
Suddenly, I heard a snapping of a branch behind me. I whipped my head around, before seeing something that shook me to my core. A shambling mess of different unicorns began to shift it's way over to me, the voices growing louder and louder.
That familiar, sinking feeling began to tighten in my stomach again. I felt the panic start to take over once more and suddenly my hooves began to move on their own, my eyes clenched tightly as tears began to fall down my face. I didn't stop running until I was certain that the voices had faded away. I was safe... for now, at least. What in Celestia was that thing? I had never seen anything like it in any bestiary... Now wasn't the time to figure that out though, I still needed to get out of here.
I entered the school, only to see the previously pristine and beautiful marble and tile structure to be an utter mess. Standing in various places, were hazy replicas of ponies, all walking and talking in the school. Maybe these ones were less... dangerous than the ones outside.
With a gulp I approached one, and gave my best smile despite the circumstances. "H-hello? Where are we?" I asked one of the shadow ponies, only to find my words falling on deaf ears. A fear took over me, as I waved my hooves in the front of their face. "Hello?! Anypony?! I am talking to you!" I screamed, desperate for any sort of answer. The shadow looked at me, a smile growing on their face.
I let loose a sigh of relief, grateful that at least one of them had noticed me. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. "Oh thank Celestia. Look, we need to get out of here. There is some sort of weird, tree monster thing outsi-" I suddenly felt the breath I had just taken get knocked out of my lungs, the shadowy mare walking through me and paying me no mind as they met up with a friend.
I felt a ripple of terror shake through me, a fear gripping my head and making it start to throb with pain again. No... I couldn't be alone... there had to be somepony here that knew me. Somepony that would recognize me.
That's when I had a really, really stupid idea. The need to feel seen had completely overtaken me. I knew that Professor Ignis was here, he always was. He couldn't have forgotten about me, since I almost burnt down his classroom earlier. With a wind in my hoof, I galloped up the stairs, past a number of the shadowy ponies who seemed to have their own schedules to attend to, despite the evil apocalyptic surroundings.
I skirted down the hallway, only to see the doors past his engulfed in flame. I suddenly realized that this, probably, was no longer the best of ideas. I turned to head back down the stairs, only for flame to be blocking me on that end as well. And the flames were starting to move in.
With little other options, I galloped to the classroom, using my magic to open the door. With speed, I entered the room and slammed the door shut behind me as I felt the end of my tail get singed by the inferno. I was relieved when I looked towards the professor's desk, being greeted by the sight of a mare about my size. It wasn't the professor, but at least their body didn't look as shadowy.
In fact, the mysterious mare looked a little familiar to me. Where had I seen that red and yellow mane before? I trotted forward a bit, pleading that this mare at least knew me. "Hello? I'm not sure what is going on, but we need to get out of here." I spoke, putting a hoof on the mare's shoulder and turning her around. I wasn't expecting that.
I was looking at myself, but not myself. No, this mare had a smug, cocky look on her muzzle. One I know I could never have in the same way. When we locked eyes for a moment, I could tell the gaze was one filled with malice. "W-What? Who are you?"
"You never were too bright Phoenix, always asking questions that you already know the answers to..." It spoke, a strange reverberation in it's voice. It then gestured towards the seating area with a hoof, keeping it's gaze fixated on me. "Look at you... cowering and sniveling... unable to look at the cost of your errors."
I glanced at the seating area to my left, horror stricken as I did so. Sitting in the seats of the classroom, were the same flaming ponies, all lit aflame. They seemed to all be laughing, pointing hooves at me as they did so; but no sound was made. Only the crackling of the flames accompanied me and this... other me. "No... they were fine, it was an accident." I spoke, my voice quivering a bit at the sight. I was suddenly not so sure about the situation myself.
This other version of me seemed unconvinced, their smirk staying glued to me. "You're such a failure, you can't even preform the most basic, foal level spell... what kind of unicorn are you?" It spat, when a sudden chill rang in the air. "But don't worry, I'll take care of us. Somepony has to." It spoke, as out of the shadows a sickly looking bird appeared. It's feathers were as black as ink, with two smokey gray eyes that seemed to fixate on me with murderous intent. With a flash, the bird extended it's wing towards me, unleashing an icy torrent of water. Thankfully, I managed to dodge the blast, ducking behind one of the desks.
I let out a few heavy breaths, watching as an ice spike stabbed through the desk right by my head. I could hear the mare give out a cry in murderous anger. It would seem that they were upset that I was resisting this, which I couldn't blame them. I would be upset with me to, always being a disappointment. "You're going to fail. Again. Just like you always do." They cried out, trotting towards the desk I had cornered myself behind.
Right when I was on the verge of breaking down and submitting, everything seemed to almost slow to a crawl. I looked around, not entirely sure what was happening... before hearing a familiar voice.
It was Celestia.
"Miss Blaze, I know you're scared and feeling lost, but I believe in you. You have a power inside of you that you haven't even begun to tap into yet. You are not alone, and I am here to guide you. It's time to awaken to your true potential." The Princess called out from seemingly nowhere. That was the moment I realized that she was right. I was never alone, I had my family and friends back home, and they would never think I was a disappointment.
Then the headache came back tenfold, as a wracked my hooves in pain, a voice seemingly speaking in my head. "Phoenix Blaze, you have the power within you to overcome your fears and doubts. I am here to help you realize your full potential and unlock your true strength. Do not be afraid, for together we can conquer any challenge that lies ahead. Awaken to your power and let us soar higher than ever before!"
I then felt a word leave my lips that I hadn't even recognized yet, almost as if it was purely instinctual.
"PERSONA"
I raised my hoof up to the ceiling, and felt the pain that had been squeezing my brain immediately disperse throughout my body and through my hoof. Flames begin to gather around it. The flames began to grow brighter and hotter until they began to coalesce into the form of a majestic bird. The creature spreads its wings, revealing feathers that glow like molten gold, and lets out a deafening cry that echoes through the classroom. It's cry seemed to embolden me however, throwing the desk back towards the nightmarish version of me. I felt a rush of confidence flow through me that I hadn't experienced in a long time.
The creature then looked down at me, and with a voice that sounded like crackling flames, cawed "Phoenix Blaze, you have awoken me from my slumber. Together, we shall face any challenge that comes our way. With my power, you will soar to new heights and burn away any obstacle that stands in your path. Are you ready to embrace your destiny?"
I gave a nod to them, before noticing something floating next to me, seemingly by my innate magic. It was a rapier of elegant design red blade with gold accents, with a hilt shaped like wild flames. The cross guard was gold and shaped like wings, adorned with pommel featuring a red gemstone. I smirked at the blade, moving it expertly through the air before turning my gaze back towards my nightmare. "How ironic, the only way to beat my worst nightmare is to become one myself. But don't worry, I'll wake up soon enough and put an end to this madness! Let's go Firebird!"
The frost bird summoned by my Nightmare self took to the air, its wings spreading wide as it let out an icy shriek.
I summoned a blaze of fire from my horn, directing it towards my opponent. The frost bird countered with a blast of icy wind, extinguishing the flames and sending me staggering back from it's power.
I gritted my teeth and focused on my opponent, Firebird could handle my nightmare's persona. The Nightmare variant of me sneered and taunted me forward, but I refused to let it get to me.
"Why do you even bother? You should just give up now and save yourself the humiliation."
The control they had over me had disappeared. I lunged forward, striking with my rapier, only to have my attack parried by the Nightmare's own weapon. A hunting knife of all things.
Meanwhile, Firebird continued to battle the Frost bird in a fiery dance, their wings beating against each other. I could feel the heat and the cold emanating from our personas, even as I fought my own battle. But I knew that if I faltered, if I let I guard down for even a moment, it would mean the end of everything. The two birds clashed in mid-air, their powers locked in a fierce struggle. I could feel the heat of Firebird's flames against my skin, the intensity of the battle almost overwhelming.
But I knew I couldn't give up. I focused all my energy on Firebird, willing it to be victorious. With one final burst of flames, Firebird emerged triumphant, engulfing the frost bird in a fiery inferno.
The Nightmare variant laughed cruelly, mocking my attempts to defeat it. But I refused to give up. I summoned all of my strength and focused it into a powerful strike, the words of Celestia ringing in my ears as my rapier shown with the red and orange light of my persona. With a fierce cry, I lunged forward and struck true, piercing the Nightmare's heart.
The Nightmare let out a loud scream of pain and panic as the flame from Firebird ripped into it's form, lighting it fully aflame. With it's last breaths, it let out a pained warning. "You think you're so strong, but you're just a weak little pony. You'll never be able to overcome your fears and insecurities..."
I trotted towards the dying form of me, a smile on my lips as I watched them start to fade away. " "Oh, I know I'm not perfect. But I've got something you'll never have – the courage to face my fears and the willpower to overcome them. And that's what makes me strong."
With a final look of seething hatred, the Nightmare finally dissipated into the floor. I gave a sigh of exertion, finding the world starting to collapse around me. But somehow, I knew everything would be alright in the end. I was safe... I had saved myself.
I awoke the next day, feeling absolutely exhausted. That was some weird dream last night... but at least it had a happy ending. I was actually excited for class for once, and felt back in control of my situation. Who knows, maybe I would even make some new friends at lunch.
As I opened the door, ready for a new day, I was greeted by the golden armor of a royal guard. Not exactly how I expected to start my day of all things.
"Come with me, Princess Celestia has requested a private audience with you." The guard spoke, turning around and walking down the hallway. I guess I was going to be late to class. Again. Hopefully this time with a royal pardon rather than royal pity.
I had been in the castle only one other time, during a tour field trip with other unicorns in my year when I first started to attend the academy. It had hardly been a very comprehensive tour, but it had done the job well enough... something that still struck me was how absolutely gorgeous the place always was. Crystal chandeliers, marble walkways... I could get used to living in a place like this if I was a princess.
It wasn't long before I was in the throne room, via escort of armed guard. If it wasn't for the fact I was a teenage mare who looked like she had just rolled out of bed, I might look important. Or dangerous. Or both. Regardless of how unkempt I was, I bowed before the Princess. At least I could make up from my appearance a little that way. "Princess Celestia." I greeted in a respectful tone. It had just dawned on me that I still didn't know why I was being brought here... did it have to do with last night at all? No... that was just a dream... right?
Thankfully, given her tone, she didn't seem to be hostile towards me. "Ah, if it isn't the mare of the hour!" She spoke in a very friendly tone, walking down off her throne as she approaching me. "Come, I'm sure you had a busy night. If you would like, I would enjoy having a cup of coffee with you."
I was stunned, Princess Celestia wanted to have a cup of coffee, with me of all ponies? With her remarks, it all but confirmed my suspicions that this definitely had something to do with last night. "I- yes, I would love to!" I spoke, looking a little bit embarrassed as I joined her at the side. It was here that I finally understood exactly how large she was compared to me- is that how immortality works? You just... get bigger?
"Wonderful, I know a quiet little cafe on Saddle Row that we can visit. There, we can have a chat... as I have a potential proposal for you, as well as answers." She spoke, mentioning the last part in a very deliberate whisper. It would seem that I was privy to a royal equestrian secret.
We walked down Mane Street before coming across saddle row and getting ourselves situated. It would seem, that the princess was a regular here. Must be good for business to be the cafe of choice for somepony like her. As we sat there, sipping on our coffee I found myself working waking up quite a bit quicker than I typically do with coffee. No wonder she wanted to come here.
"So, I suppose you have a few questions about what happened last night? What exactly do you want to know?" She asked, taking a sip from her coffee and looking down at me.
Straight to opening the floodgates are we?
"Yes well... What exactly happened last night? Was it... some sort of dream?" I asked, realizing that if it wasn't for the fact of how crazy the dream was, I would sound insane right now. "And... what in Equestria is a Persona?" I asked the last bit a little hesitantly, not sure if it was okay to talk about too loud.
"It was a Nightmare, Miss Blaze. One caused by your fears of isolation and embarrassment at my academy, no doubt." She spoke, giving a sad sigh of regret. "Thankfully, however, it would seem you had a strong enough heart to overcome it. Not all ponies do... it's what awakened you to your Persona, Flamebird. It's a manifestation of your inner self given form, and might I say, I was not expecting one so bright and fierce from somepony like you... but I see it now. Your heart is a beautiful thing." She smiled kindly, taking another sip of her coffee.
I was stunned, I know I wasn't that great of a student, but I had never heard of something called a Persona. I think I would've read about it in a book somewhere... why was this the first time I was hearing about it. "I see... well, in that case, why haven't I heard of any Persona magic? I feel like this is something we would've covered in school." I spoke, confusion plain in my voice.
"Well, until I found you in your nightmare and realized you had the potential, I thought they had all but gone extinct. They were dream warriors from a bygone era...." She stated, setting her mug down on the table and tilting her head at me. "Which makes the fact you can summon one, and such a powerful one, a very concerning thing indeed."
I suddenly realized what being in my situation meant. I was somehow in control, or at least able to wield, a powerful magic that hadn't been seen in millennia. Celestia didn't seem to be threatening me right now, but I definitely didn't feel as confident in my position at this meeting. "Well, I don't plan on going into any dreams and attacking anypony, if that's what you're worried about."
She gave me a small laugh, waving a hoof dismissively as she looked down at her coffee. "Oh I figured not, but I do need your help with something, if you are interested at all." She spoke, taking another sip from her mug before setting the empty cup on the coaster beside her. "Allow me to explain the situation to you. Ever since my sister was banished to the moon by the elements of harmony, nightmares of unrivaled power have begun to spread throughout Equestria like a disease. These are starting to make a few even go crazy under their influence... it's even driven a stallion in Las Pegasus to suicide. and I need to find a way to stop this." She closed her eyes, her face taking on a far more serious expression. "I cannot summon a persona, and can only be of very limited help in the Dreamscape. You however, might be the key to solving this... nightmare plague. Would you be interested in becoming my Nightmare Hunter?"
As she explained this all to me, I felt a fire rush forth in my chest. A sudden need to do something... I had been where those ponies were before with these nightmares and it was awful. After a few moments of deliberation on the idea I gave a firm nod in agreement. "Absolutely, I could never leave another Pony to suffer like I had... It wouldn't sit well with me."
She let go of a breath she must've been holding onto for a while, before giving me a reassuring look. "Thank you, Phoenix Blaze. Together, we can figure out what this is, and put a stop to it before anymore ponies are lost. I will be your mentor in this, and teach you how to navigate and survive in the Dreamscape. Come to the palace after midnight when all the ponies are asleep, and we can begin your training."
I suddenly felt a burning sensation in my chest, not a painful one, but a feeling of shared resolve with Celestia, and her motives for keeping Equestria safe.
You have forged a bond that cannot be broken with The Sun Persona. From this day forth, I am thou, and thou art I. Together, we will journey through the trials and tribulations of life, supporting and strengthening each other.
Wise Counsel: Phoenix gains access to Celestia's knowledge and wisdom, gaining a bonus to her next academic or intellectual endeavor.