The Velvet Room...

"Whoa, dude, we had a battle tonight and you didn't tell us?" Rainbow asks as soon as we all gather.

I shrug. "I didn't know."

Zecora fades into view, walking toward us with her hands clasped behind her back. "My apologies for not informing you," she says. "I was not certain our guest would see this trial through." She smiles. "Nevertheless, you walked the path of Strength to its end. Now, let us test the resolve of your dependable friend."

She gestures to her right, and a golden-framed door begins to rise from the ground...

A red pulse of light washes over the Velvet Room, accompanied by a deep thrum which reverberates through my bones. It only lasts for a moment, but I can tell everyone felt it. Zecora looks around in alarm, her eyes wide.

The frame of the door turns black. It's much larger than the other doors we've seen so far—in fact, it's a double door. On the left is the Strength Arcana. On the right, the Fortune Arcana.

They're reversed.

"What the heck was that?" Rainbow wonders.

"Uhh...guys?" Twilight says. "Something's really—"

The door starts to rattle, purple arcs of static electricity rippling across its frame.

Zecora stares at the door. "What is this? Something is amiss. This is not what was meant to be. Please do not touch that door, I beg of thee!"

"No argument there," I say. "There's no way I'm touching that door."

"Is...is this Red Flag?" Fluttershy wonders. She has her phone out and is tapping and swiping furiously. "Is he interfering?"

"That is not possible," Zecora says. "The Devil holds no sway in the Velvet Room. I do not understand—"

The double doors burst open. Applejack and Apple Bloom walk out. Their faces are dark and sinister, their eyes gold on black.

"YOU AIN'T ME!" Applejack screams before either Shadow can say a word. "Whutever bullshit you're gonna say about th' farm, or mah family, or mah friends, or apples, or whutever else, Ah don't wanna hear it! Ah know who Ah am, Ah know whut Ah am, Ah don't got nothin' t' hide from nobody no more, an' Ah don't wanna hear a buncha filthy lies outta your fake mouth! YOU! AIN'T! ME!"

Shadow Applejack smirks. In a low, rough voice, devoid of Applejack's usual accent, she says, You're right. I'm not. She claps her hands together; the sound rings out like a gunshot. Blue arcs of electricity dance up her arms, coursing up and down her body, which slowly transforms.

When the electric light show is finished, Applejack's Shadow stands before us, her face reduced to a featureless silhouette. Her hair is loosely braided, and her clothes have changed: a black uniform, heavy boots, white gloves, and a blood red longcoat.

Beside her, Apple Bloom's Shadow claps her hands together. Purple lightning swallows her body, which comes unravelled, shreds of flesh peeling away and burning to ash. A glowing blue circle forms in the middle of the floor, and a massive equine suit of steel armor rises out of the ground. A crest of spikes runs down its length from forehead to rump, and a giant pink bow tops the helmet. A blue-grey saddle blanket covers its flanks, and white light shines from its eyes.

We all slowly turn to Applejack and stare at her. She stares at the two Shadows, then back at us.

"Seriously?" Rainbow cries, waving a hand at the Shadows.

Applejack rubs the back of her head nervously. "Okay, so me an' Apple Bloom been watchin' Fullmetal Alchemist a lot lately..."

I scratch my head. "Why is your sister a horse?"

"Well, y'know...Apple Bloom likes drawin' people she knows as cartoon horses..."

"That doesn't explain anything!" Fluttershy yells.

"Aren't these things usually giant creepy monsters?" Pinkie asks.

"Sweetie Belle's wasn't," Rarity says.

You're gonna wish we WERE giant creepy monsters when we're through with you!

Alchemy

Fullmetal Applejack claps her hands together and slams her palms onto the floor. With a bright blue flash, a fissure extends from her hands, shaking the ground. A massive stone fist erupts from the floor beneath Rainbow Dash, sending her flying into the air.

"RAINBOW!"

Rainbow lands on her back and bounces twice. She sits up, rubbing the back of her head. "Yeah," she grunts, "this is gonna suck."

"This battle must not occur!" Zecora shouts. "This is not your inner self, it is a real monster!"

Oh, I'm her inner self alright, Fullmetal Applejack says. Her inner evil self. I don't have her morals. I don't love or care about anybody. The farm can go to hell for all I care. And I'm not letting any of you leave here alive. She claps her hands together and slaps the floor. In a blue flash, a cell made of stone bars erupts from the ground beneath Zecora, trapping her. The bars snap with purple lightning.

"Zecora!" Twilight shouts.

Zecora closes her eyes and stomps the floor once. The bars shatter and crumble to dust. She opens her eyes, and they're blazing with unholy white fury.

YOU DO NOT BELONG IN THIS PLACE! HOW DARE YOU ENTER HERE, WEARING A GUEST'S FACE?

We all stare at her.

"...whoa," Rainbow says, eyes wide.

"Hold up now," Applejack says, clenching her fists. "Look, Miss Zecora...Ah don't know whut's goin' on here, an' Ah can tell you're pretty mad, but..." She takes a step forward. "Ah ain't about t' let this thing talk shit about me, mah friends, mah family, an' mah farm an' use mah mouth t' do it." She taps Black Butterfly, suiting up for battle. "If'n you'd be so kind as t' git outta th' way," she adds, cracking her knuckles, "Ah'd like t' have a talk with mah evil twin."

Zecora's eyes fade to normal. She glances at Applejack, then the rest of us. "This is not the battle you were summoned to fight," she says. "To subject you to this danger would not be right."

"These kids having to fight and die over and over again for no reason isn't right," Cadance counters. "Yet that's all they've been doing for months now." She summons Eros. //Get ready, everyone. I'm scanning the enemy!//

We all gear up for battle. Zecora frowns, but steps back. "If this becomes too dangerous, I will expel these impostors who have raised such a fuss," she informs us. "In the meantime, I will attempt to discover the source of this unexpected change of course."

//Umm...okay, guys? Something's REALLY wrong with these readings. Applejack and Apple Bloom...these ARE their Shadows, but...//

"But what?" Fluttershy asks.

//There's something else inside them. Something I can't identify. It doesn't feel like anything I've ever encountered either here or in Zodiac. I'm sorry, kids, but I don't know what these things are. Whatever you do, be careful!//

"Okay guys, let's do this like always," I say. "I've got a couple new Personas I'm itching to try out!"

"A couple?" Rainbow cries. "Dude, how?"

"This surprises you? Really? After all this time?" Fluttershy asks, shaking her head. "Anyway...ECHO!"

Tetrakarn

Fluttershy's Persona appears, creating a reflective barrier between us and the enemy.

Sorry, not having that!

Deathbound

Fullmetal Applejack claps her hands and slams them onto the ground. Jagged stone blades jut out of the ground, smashing into the barrier. The force of the attack rebounds on her, but she raises a stone shield that shatters from the impact, leaping away.

"Oh crap," Sonata says.

Strike Attack

Applephonse charges toward us, leaping into the air and smashing into Fluttershy with a highly improbable kick. Fluttershy screams as she's thrown across the Velvet Room.

"Oh no you don't!" Rainbow yells.

Slash Attack

She plunges her knives into the flexible joints between Applephonse's armor plates, then spins around and hammer-throws her into the other Shadow.

"Applejack, give us some speed!" Twilight cries.

"You got it, pardner!" Applejack readies her phone. She pauses briefly, then shakes her head. "Huh."

"What's wrong?" Twilight asks. Then she slaps her forehead. "That's right. Your Persona is sealed right now, isn't it?"

"Naw, it ain't that," Applejack says. "It's, well..." She sighs, then taps the screen. "PERSONA!"

Everybody stares up at the massive tree...volcano...waterfall...I just don't know how to describe what Applejack's Persona has turned into. Whatever it is, it's enormous.

"You too?" Fluttershy asks as she limps back up to us, rubbing her side.

"Okay, umm...I just...I got nothin'," Rainbow says.

Sonata giggles. "It's Granny Groot!"

"Ah don't think Ah can do speed anymore, sorry," Applejack says. "Got somethin' new up mah sleeve, though. Want me t' give 'er a go?"

"Knock yourself out," I say.

"Alright...let 'er rip, Gaia!" Applejack cries.

Gaia's Wrath

Gaia lets out a roar that shakes the Velvet Room. The ground beneath the Shadows twists and snarls, becoming jagged and uneven. They try to jump clear, but are ensnared by thick tree roots which slam them repeatedly into the ground as plumes of lava, massive chunks of ice, and jagged bolts of lightning erupt all around them. Finally, she tosses them disdainfully to the ground before fading away.

"Holy shit!" Pinkie exclaims, her hair frizzing out as her jaw drops. "That totally freaked my frizz!"

"Whoo," Applejack says, fanning herself with her hat. "That's a big'un."

"My turn! PERSONA!"

Virus Wave

Leviathan surges into view, unleashing a virulent wave of tainted seawater. The Shadows roll to the side; Fullmetal Applejack creates a stone barrier around them, against which the wave crashes harmlessly. Sonata whines and stamps her foot as Leviathan disappears.

"Alright, my turn." I slide the Strength Arcana onto my phone. "ULTRAMAN!"

A silver aura surrounds me, which grows up...and up...and up...

"Seriously, what's with you and all these giant Neighponese things?"

"Shut up, Rainbow!"

Maziodyne

Ultraman crosses his hands in front of him in an X shape. Lightning arcs between his outstretched fingertips. He spins once, then thrusts his arms forward. Lightning arcs out, ensnaring both Shadows. Showers of sparks explode into the air as both are sent flying. Applephonse falls to the ground, a twitching mess; arcs of electricity course over her armor, sending sparks and smoke into the air.

//Looks like that one's weak to electricity!//

"Good! While she's down, let's see what I can do to the other one!"

Specium Ray

Ultraman sets his feet and raises his right arm, bent ninety degrees at the elbow, the edge of his right hand facing the Shadows. He crosses his left arm across his right, perpendicular to the raised hand. A shower of bright white sparks pours forth from the edge of his right hand, engulfing Fullmetal Applejack. White flames surround her body, exploding outward in a cloud of smoke, flame, and chunks of earth. Ultraman turns his back to her and fades away.

Fullmetal Applejack stands, her coat and clothes ripped and stained, her hair unbound and singed.

//I think that attack weakened her! She seems to be slower and her defenses are down!//

Rarity heals Rainbow and Fluttershy, while Pinkie boosts our attack. Twilight calls down a damaging lightning storm. As Athena fades, Cadance gasps.

//Guys, I...I'm sensing...!//

Zecora snaps her head around. "No," she says. "How has that entered this place?"

Fluttershy frowns. "I feel it too," she says, dread in her voice.

Faintly, I hear the sound of chains rattling...

"Oh, COME ON!" Rainbow yells. "On top of everything else, that thing's here?"

"This is getting really bad, you guys!" Pinkie moans.

There's nothing we can do but watch in horror as the Reaper floats into the Velvet Room, its menacingly empty stare sweeping over us as its chains rattle.

"It's okay," Twilight says. "We're stronger now. Whatever it does, we can...we can handle it..."

The Reaper stares at her, then turns away dismissively, facing the two Shadows. Its chains lash out, stabbing through them. Black flames surround their bodies as they're lifted into the air.

The Reaper raises its pistols and fires a single shot into each Shadow. As the ethereal bullets tear through them, a pulsating black mass is ripped out of each Shadow's body. Arcs of red electricity ripple across their surfaces. Misshapen, baleful red eyes open like wounds all over each shapeless mass, glaring at everything.

We stare at the ugly shapes.

"The fuck?" Rainbow breathes.

"Those...those aren't Shadows," Fluttershy says.

The Reaper's chains ensnare the things. With a rattling moan, it drags them off into the fog...

Everyone stares awkwardly.

"Umm...what just happened?" Pinkie asks.

"Child...I have no clue," Zecora says. "But it seems these Shadows are no longer interested in fighting you."

We turn back to the two Shadows, who have returned to normal—they're no longer weird copies of the Elric Brothers. Applejack's Shadow has a sheepish grin on her face.

Shoot, Ah don't even know whut t' say, y'all. That weren't us fightin' y'all.

She looks right at Applejack.

You're right, y'know? You ain't got a thing t' hide from th' world. With you—with me—whut y'see is whut y'get.

Apple Bloom steps forward.

Me too. Ah'm jes' a simple country girl, jes' like mah big sis. Ah got mah friends, Ah got whut's left of mah family. Yeah, things ain't been so great lately, but that don't mean Ah gotta change who Ah am. Heck, Ah don't even really know who Ah am yet. An' Ah'm okay with that.

The two Shadows join hands.

We ain't gonna fight y'all. Ain't no need.

Applejack grins at her Shadow. "Sure ain't, sugarcube."

The Shadows fade away, leaving behind the Fortune and Strength cards.

A shining apple-shaped jewel appears in front of Applejack, who cups it in her hands, clutching it to her chest. Her phone beeps twice...

Applejack's battle costume transforms into the same Fullmetal Alchemist cosplay outfit her Shadow was wearing.

Rainbow facepalms. "AUGH!"

Twilight shakes her head. Pinkie and Sonata giggle. Applejack looks herself over. "Ah'm never livin' this down, am Ah?"

"I think it suits you," I say.

"I agree," Rarity chimes in. She frowns. "I am a bit...confused as to what transpired here."

"You're not the only one," Fluttershy says. She turns to Zecora. "Just what the hell's going on here?"

Zecora shakes her head. "I am as clueless as you," she says. "I know not what those monsters were. I know not how they entered this space. I especially do not know how the avatar of Death appeared in the Velvet Room, or why."

"It seemed like the Reaper was only interested in those...things," Twilight says. "I mean, it ignored us entirely."

"What was that freaky red light?" Rainbow wonders. "Before things went all crazy in here, I felt like my bones were about to pop."

"I wasn't able to sense anything," Cadance says.

"I must confer with the other Residents," Zecora says distracted. "We will...we will meet again once I am certain the Velvet Room is secure from further intrusions..." She walks away, fading from view.

"Man, she must be freaked out if she stopped rhyming," Pinkie says. She looks at me. "Hey, you said you had two new Personas..."

"Yeah," I say, shrugging. "Guess I'll save the other one for next time..."

The Velvet Room and everyone in it fades into a dreamy haze...