Shining Armor looks around, eyes wide with panic and terror, as the world turns red and black and all the sounds of the park disappear. "Wh-what...?"

I sigh. "Well, I guess it was too much to hope..."

"Wh-what's going on here?" Shining Armor asks, his head whipping around. "What are those—"

"Don't read the texts," we all say in a bored, resigned tone.

"Shining Armor," Twilight says, "this is Zodiac. This is what we've been telling you about since January." She glares at Sunset Shimmer. "This is what she's put every last one of us through."

Sunset, for her part, looks confused and shaken. "I didn't," she says. "Not this time. I didn't. Not this time. I didn't—"

Rainbow slaps her across the face. "SHUT UP!"

Cadance moves to stand protectively beside her husband, taking his hand. "Shiny, stay calm. The kids will protect you. I'll protect you."

"Hoooooly crab," Pinkie moans, pointing a trembling finger behind us. We all turn around...

In the center of the park, a giant crab with long, spindly, barbed black legs and wickedly serrated purple claws towers over us. Its metallic golden shell is covered in barnacles, starfish, and random spikes that look like coral. The astrological sigil of Cancer is engraved into its left claw. Its claws, legs, and shell are full of hoses, gears, and vents, giving it a biomechanical appearance. Its eyes glow a poisonous, sinister green.

"THAT'S what you've been fighting?!" Shining Armor yelps.

Twilight runs up to Sunset and grabs her by the collar, shaking her violently. "BITCH! YOU LIED TO US!"

"Ah KNEW that whole 'Ah'm y'all's friend now' act was a load!" Applejack snarls, glaring angrily at Sunset.

Sunset's face is pale, and her eyes are wide with disbelief and confusion. "It-it wasn't me! I didn't—" She shakes her head, sweat beading on her brow. "I didn't send Cancer after your brother! You have to believe me!"

"BELIEVE you?" Twilight roars, throwing Sunset on the ground. "Why would anyone believe anything you say?!"

THE ZODIAC ANSWER TO NO ONE.

That voice...!

All of us turn around and start searching for the source of the echoing, bestial snarl which drips with menace and malice.

FOOLISH HUMANS...YOU HUNT US...YOU MURDER US...NINE OF MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS SLAIN...

Cancer is studying us with its sinister burning eyes, its spindly crab-face-bits twitching and its claws clacking ominously.

Pinkie gasps loudly. "Holy crap, it's a talking crab!"

Applejack frowns, scratching her head. "So uhh...since when do these things talk?"

YOU MUST DIE...IT IS THE ONLY WAY...

Cancer turns to face Sunset.

YOU...YOU MUST LIVE...YOU ARE THE KEY...SO LONG AS YOU LIVE, THE ZODIAC WILL REVIVE...THE CIRCLE MUST NOT BREAK...

We all turn to stare at Sunset. She takes a step back. "What?"

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS LIVE ON...INSIDE YOU...YOU WILL BIRTH THE ZODIAC ANEW...

"Something you want to tell us?" I ask Sunset.

She shakes her head, her face green and sickly-looking. "I have no idea what's going on!"

"Focus on the mission, everyone," Cadance says. "We can deal with the little tramp later."

We all pull out our phones and gear up, readying our weapons. "Let's crack this crab," Rainbow says grimly.

Cadance steps in front of Shining Armor and pulls out her phone. "PERSONA!" Eros appears; Shining Armor gawks in awe. //I'm scanning multiple Shadows...look out!//

Cancer raises its claws above its head and begins clacking them rhythmically. Several whirlpools of shadow boil up out of the ground, taking on humanoid forms.

For the most part, they all look the same: about the height of an average man, with grasshopper-like faces with V-shaped crests above the huge, luminous eyes, and scarves trailing behind them in a nonexistent wind. Each one has a Shadow mask affixed to the front of its waist like a belt buckle, with the Roman numeral "VIII" stamped on it.

Five of them, the ones in front, are all greenish-black in color, with glowing red eyes and white scarves. The back row of five consists of two different types: three of them are red and gold, with stag beetle horns instead of the V-crests, yellow eyes, and black scarves. The last two are pure white, with black eyes, rhinoceros beetle horns, and silver scarves.

"Bullshit," Rainbow says.

"This is gonna suck, isn't it?" Pinkie moans.

"Yeah, this is gonna suck," Sonata agrees.

"Wh-what can I do to help?" Shining Armor asks shakily. "I...I can't just let you all—"

"You can and you will," Twilight insists. "Besides, we need you to warn us in case Sunset Shimmer tries to pull something."

"HEY! How many times do I have to tell you I don't have anything to do with this?"

"Nobody here believes you, so do us all a favor and shut your cockhole!" Fluttershy snarls. She hurriedly does something on her phone; a wicked-looking curved, serrated dagger appears in her hand. She flips over to Shining Armor and offers it to him hilt-first. "If that little bitch even tries to touch her phone, kill her."

Shining Armor fumbles the knife, his hands and face sweating. "K-kill...?"

"Just grow a pair and do it!" Fluttershy snaps, flipping back over to us.

"Yeah that's not happening," Sunset says, blowing on her hair. "But hey, if it makes you feel better, you go right ahead and hold a knife on me."

ZODIAC RIDERS, KILL THESE INTERLOPERS!

"PERSONA!" Rainbow yells, slapping her phone.

Masukukaja

Nike soars into view, shedding a pale light over all of us that makes me feel lighter and more agile; everyone seems to blur a little around the edges.

"ECHO!"

Tetrakarn

Fluttershy summons her Persona, who erects a reflective barrier around us.

Matarukaja

One of the red and gold Shadows strikes a pose, and swirling yellow light gathers around the feet of each Shadow, spinning up into a column that slowly ebbs into them.

Power Charge

The other two strike different poses; their eyes glow brightly and their scarves flutter and flap as red auras surround them, crackling with energy.

Swift Strike

One of the green Shadows charges forward, unleashing a flurry of strikes as it rushes past us. Every strike rebounds off Fluttershy's barrier; as the last blow rebounds, the Shadow explodes into a sparking black cloud of smoke and vanishes.

Swift Strike

The next two sweep in, running the same attack pattern; by the time they're finished, the only two of us who have managed not to get hit at all are Rainbow and Pinkie.

//Careful! These things are fast and strong!//

Power Charge

The last two of the green Shadows strike poses and begin glowing with the same crackling red aura.

"Got any new Personas to show off?" Rainbow asks.

"Well, I do have one I haven't used at all yet, but—" I glance at Sunset Shimmer. "I'm not so sure I want to pull out anything she hasn't seen yet."

Sunset raises her hands defensively. "Hey, I already told you, I quit! Just do whatever you have to do to get us all out of here alive!"

"Whatever you're going to do, do it quickly," Rarity says.

I turn back to face the Shadows, then sigh. "Fine." I swipe the Fortune Arcana onto my phone.

"SEPHIROTH!"

A pale man with long silver hair, dressed all in black, slowly descends from above. A ridiculously long, curved sword hangs at his hip, and the tails of his longcoat billow around him. As he approaches, he throws back his head; one massive, feathery black wing bursts from his right shoulderblade.

"Okay, that's awesome," Rainbow says, looking up at the hovering dark form.

"I think I'm in love," Sonata coos.

Sephiroth completes his descent, becoming ethereal as his form envelops me. Ghostly images of stars and planets begin swooping past in a slow, grandiose panorama.

Everyone watches, tense and expectant.

"So, uhh...you gonna actually do somethin'?" Applejack asks.

When I answer, my voice has an echoing, unreal quality, not unlike Cadance's when she's connected to Eros. //Yes, but the power I'm about to use is different. This attack isn't instantaneous. Can you all buy me some time?//

"Oh, it's one of those kinds of spells?" Sonata asks. "What's the charge time?"

//Just cover me until I'm ready!//

"Can do!" Pinkie Pie says. Stepping in front of me, she summons forth her blue jewel.

"ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER!"

Laughter fills the air. A cool blue light surrounds us, even as waves of debilitating force press down on the Shadows.

"LEVIATHAN!"

Tidal Wave

Sonata's Persona rises up; crashing waves slam down on the Shadows.

"PERSONA!"

Mabufudyne

Wadjet-Bast appears, and the entire battlefield freezes over with a loud, snapping crack; with hundreds of thunderous shattering sounds, the ice explodes, evaporating as crystalline shards fly away from the Shadows.

"ATHENA LOGIA!"

Maziodyne

Twilight's Persona rises into the air, gathering lightning around the tip of her spear; dozens of thunderbolts lance out, striking all the Shadows. Cancer roars in pain as it twitches and thrashes.

//It looks like Cancer's weak to electricity!// Cadance says.

"Yeah, but I'd better make sure we can take whatever it dishes out next," Twilight says.

Mediarahan

Athena turns around and sheds a bright healing light over us.

"W-wow," Shining Armor says hoarsely. "Twiley, that...big angel version of you..."

"Keep it in your pants, Coach," Rainbow says. "You can creep us all out with your sister complex later."

Masukukaja

One of the white Shadows spreads its arms wide; all the Shadows shake off the slowing effects of Pinkie's Element.

Mediarama

Another one forms a hand seal, and healing light surrounds the entire Shadow horde.

"Okay, let's find out whut this fancy new thing Ah got does," Applejack says.

"ELEMENT OF HONESTY!"

A pale orange glow surrounds Applejack, overlaid by a ghostly image of a giant, ripe apple. The ghostly apple shrinks in on itself, fading into Applejack's skin.

//Looks like your Element protects you from status ailments!// Cadance says. //It seems like it only works for you, though.//

"Huh," Applejack says.

Revolution

Cancer begins scuttling from side to side, clacking its claws. Its eyes glow, and a golden light washes over the entire battlefield, infusing both our group and the Shadows.

//Be careful!//

"I'll show you careful!" Rainbow shouts. "PERSONA!"

Magarudyne

Nike appears and unleashes a violent windstorm which buffets the Shadows.

"PERSONA!"

Tetrakarn

Fluttershy's Persona appears again, erecting another reflective barrier.

Twin Shot

One of the red Shadows leaps into the air and points a hand at Fluttershy, firing off two large bursts of energy, both of which bounce off her shield, rebounding on the Shadow. The other two red Shadows leap even higher into the air, burning auras surrounding them.

//LOOK OUT!//

Rider Kick

One suddenly shoots forward in a steeply angled diving kick, slamming into Fluttershy's head. She screams as she goes down. Before any of us can react, the second Shadow fires off the same diving kick, hitting the downed Fluttershy right in the chest. A massive explosion erupts from the point of contact; the Shadow does a backward somersault away as sparks and smoke fill the air above Fluttershy's mangled body.

"NO!" Shining Armor cries out.

"Shit!" Rainbow snarls.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her!" Pinkie promises. "Just...just keep them from doing that to Flash until he finishes doing whatever he's doing!"

Swift Strike

One of the green Shadows does that running attack thing again; it rebounds off Echo's reflective shield, destroying the Shadow.

Power Charge

The only green Shadow that hasn't really done anything yet strikes a pose and begins to glow red like its brothers.

Swift Strike

One of the glowing green Shadows runs in and attacks; its attacks hit Applejack, Sonata, Rarity, and Twilight. The strikes that hit Applejack rebound, damaging the Shadow; the others cry out in pain.

Rider Kick

The last glowing green Shadow swoops down on me with a blazing diving kick. I can't move while I'm focusing on channeling Sephiroth's power, and Pinkie is too late to block the kick. I'm just barely able to brace myself and hold my ground.

It hurts like a motherfucker.

"FLASH! Are you okay?"

"One of you...better heal me," I ground out. "I'm...READY!"

Supernova

Sephiroth rises into the air as a spinning starfield spreads out away from me, becoming a glowing white circle that surrounds the Shadows. With a loud, ringing chime, a solid white column of light erupts from the circle, slamming into every Shadow. When the light fades, the glowing circle remains, pulsing with stellar energy. I sink to my knees, exhausted, as Sephiroth ascends and fades away.

"So...that didn't, uhh...kill anything," Rainbow said.

//No, but it did a lot of damage,// Cadance informs us. //And I still sense its power.//

"And it took a lot out of me," I grunt. "Pinkie, do something about Fluttershy."

"Right!" Pinkie taps her phone. "EUPHORIA!"

Samarecarm

Euphoria appears, hovering over Fluttershy's body, and sprinkles glowing rainbow liquid on her. The liquid suffuses into her, healing her wounds and resurrecting her; with a groan, Fluttershy sits up and rubs her head as Euphoria fades away.

"Motherfucker," Fluttershy spits as she stands up. "Can somebody please kill a few of these cocksuckers?"

"I'll try to thin the herd!" Sonata says. "PERSONA!"

Mamudoon

Leviathan rises up, and a cold, jet black wave washes over the Shadows. When the inky black waters recede, two of the green Shadows and one of the red Shadows are gone.

"WADJET-BAST!"

Diarahan

Rarity's Persona wraps her bolt of cloth around me; everywhere the silky etheral cloth touches me, the pain from the Shadows' attacks ebbs away, leaving me feeling physically fine, though still exhausted from the strain of using Sephiroth's power.

"So the big crab hates lightning, right?" Twilight asks. "Well then...PERSONA!"

Maziodyne

Athena once again rains lightning down on the Shadows. As Cancer collapses into a twitching heap, Athena strikes again.

//Good job! Cancer is stunned! Keep it up!//

Mediarama

Strike Attack

One of the white Shadows heals the horde; the other charges at me and tries to punch me in the gut, but I twist out of the way.

"GAIA!"

Matarukaja

Pillars of light surround all of us; I feel new strength flood into my body.

Cancer twitches on the ground, struggling to stand. The white circle pulses, and a fresh flare of light engulfs the Shadows.

"Alright, time to go on the attack! PERSONA!"

Sonic Rainboom

Nike dives to the ground in front of Rainbow, shredding on her guitar; the prismatic shockwave that rips through the enemy annihilates the final green Shadow and knocks a red Shadow and a white Shadow down.

"ECHO!"

Tetrakarn

Fluttershy erects yet another reflective barrier, wincing as she does so.

"Are you alright?" Twilight asks.

"Those barriers...just take a lot out of me," Fluttershy admits. "But all they've been doing is using physical attacks, so..."

Strike Attack

As if to illustrate her point, the red Shadow that's still standing runs forward and tries to axe-kick Rainbow. The barrier flares, and the Shadow is repelled, smoking and sparking.

Power Charge

The other red Shadow stands up and poses, a red aura suffusing it.

"You know, I've had just about enough of these kicking assholes," I say. I swipe the Tower Arcana onto my phone. "GOJIRA!"

Spiral Death Ray

The ground shakes violently as Gojira stomps into view with an earsplitting roar. I can dimly hear Shining Armor gasp out "What the fuck?!" as Gojira opens his mouth wide and unleashes a torrential blast of crackling red-white flame at the Shadows. The two red Shadows are melted into nothingness by the blast; the white Shadows are sparking and smoking, white-hot arcs of electricity snapping across their blackened bodies.

"PERSONA!"

Orgy of Death

Euphoria appears and spins into the remaining Shadows, slamming them with her hips, butt, elbows, and knees. Cancer lets out a screech as the last of its allies fall to the ground, spraying a storm of sparks into the air.

INSOLENT HUMANS...! YOU WILL NOT LEAVE HERE ALIVE...! WITNESS THE TRUE TERROR OF THE ZODIAC...!

Terrorize

With the grinding of gears and the whirring of hidden machines, Cancer flips into the air and begins to twist, bend, shift, and fold, its shell splitting and its legs bending, twisting, folding, and retracting, replaced by new, more humanoid limbs. We all stare in horror as what was, moments ago, a giant biomechanical crab becomes a towering, two-legged red monster with muscular arms, a face right out of a monster movie, and most of a giant metal crab folded up on its back. A massive three-barreled minigun falls into its right hand, and it lets out a terrifying screech.

"...that's new," Sunset Shimmer remarks.

Pools of shadow form all around Cancer, and our horror turns to dismay and dread as a fresh batch of grasshopper-men and beetle-men rise up out of the ground, ready to fight. The heavily damaged white Shadows stand, still sparking and smoking.

"Oh you have got to fucking be kidding me!" Pinkie Pie screeches.

"We have to go through all of that again?!" Twilight cries.

Cancer laughs at us.

TASTE MY FURY!!

Rampage

And with that, the barrels on Cancer's gun spin as it spews out waves of white-hot death. Fluttershy's barrier shatters; Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Fluttershy all fall to the ground screaming.

"TWILIGHT!" Shining Armor yells, trying to run forward. Sunset grabs hold of his shoulder and yanks him back. He struggles, but her grip is firm. I rush to Twilight's side and kneel down.

"LEVIATHAN!"

Virus Wave

Sonata summons her Persona, who calls forth an evil purple wave that crashes down over the Shadows; the two white Shadows crumple inward, the arcs of energy crossing their body taking on a purple tinge.

Mediarahan

Rarity taps her phone silently; Wadjet-Bast appears and heals our entire group.

Twilight stands up, a grim expression on her face. "Persona," she hisses.

Maziodyne

Athena appears, a furious snarl marring her beautiful face as she unloads two violent thunderstorms upon the enemies. Cancer screams and crumples to the ground.

"Nice one, Twilight!" Sonata yells, pumping a fist.

Mediarama

Rider Kick

One of the white Shadows heals the horde. The other one flings itself at Pinkie Pie, doing a diving corkscrew kick at her head.

"PINKIE!" Twilight yells.

"Dale, dale, dale, no pierdas el tino," Pinkie slurs dizzily.

//She's stunned, but I don't think she's hurt too badly.//

"Yeah, well th' jackass that did that's about t' hurt REAL bad! GAIA!"

Gaia's Wrath

Gaia appears, roaring as the ground beneath the Shadows rumbles and explodes upward. Fire, ice, wind, and lightning buffet the Shadows as the entire battlefield shakes violently, nearly throwing us all off our feet. By the time it's over, only Cancer and one of the red Shadows have avoided being hit. As Gaia fades away, the white circle flares again, its column of light bursting upward to engulf the horde.

Twilight turns to Sunset, anger on her face. "You say you're not behind this? Prove it! Get in here and help us!"

"Are you INSANE?" Fluttershy yells as she and Rainbow Dash stand up. "The LAST goddamn thing we need is this bitch and her Persona joining forces with Cancer!"

"I wouldn't!" Sunset protests. "I swear, I'm not behind this! How many times do I have to say it? Do I have to bend over and let every last one of you fuck me in the ass before you'll believe me?!"

"Like that'd prove anything," Fluttershy retorts.

"If you wanna prove you're on our side, then do something!" Rainbow demands.

"Alright, fine!" Sunset snaps, pulling out her phone. "PERSONA!"

She taps her phone. It emits a loud buzzing sound.

"...Persona!"

Again, her phone buzzes, the screen flashing angrily red.

"...Persona?"

Cancer lets out a rumbling laugh.

YOUR POWER IS SEALED...YOU CANNOT RESIST ME.

//I don't know how or when he did it, but Sunset Shimmer's Persona is sealed! She's as defenseless as Shiny!//

"H-hey!" Shining Armor protests.

"Great," Rainbow mutters. "The one time the bitch could do something useful." Shaking her head, she summons Nike, renewing our increased speed and blurriness. Fluttershy follows suit with yet another reflective barrier.

Matarukaja

One of the red Shadows poses, and golden light spreads out, suffusing the entire Shadow horde.

Heat Wave

The next red Shadow leaps high into the air and pulls out a metal staff which glows with heat and flame; he spins it over his head and swings it at us, sending a scorching pressure wave crashing against Echo's barrier. It rebounds, striking the Shadow as he descends and annihilating him. Even as he explodes in a tremendous fireball, the third red Shadow repeats the same pressure wave attack, only this time there's nothing to protect us from it...and it hurts.

While I'm trying to recover from that attack, the green Shadows all jump high into the air and, one right after the other, come flying at me in those impossibly fast diving kicks.

Rider Kick

Rider Kick

Rider Kick

Rider Kick

Rider Kick

One, two, three, four, five and I'm starting to black out, spots dancing on the edge of my vision and blood pouring out of my mouth. My ribs are shattered and my entire body is burning.

"FLASH!" Twilight screams. I can barely hear her...

Spiral Death Ray

A rage washes over me, and I summon Gojira again. His roar sounds like it's coming through a tunnel, and the heat of his attack barely registers as I'm starting to feel numb. I barely hear Sonata summon her Persona, and then, just as I'm about to black out, I feel the comforting embrace of silk, and just like that, all my wounds are erased.

As my senses return and I can breathe again, Twilight flings herself at me, wrapping her arms around me. "Oh god, Flash," she moans.

"Shh, I'm okay," I say, stroking her head. I look around; all five of those little green bastards are gone.

Good.

Twilight whips around, fury in her eyes. "ATHENA LOGIA!"

Maziodyne

Once again, Athena ascends, raining lightning over the remaining Shadows. Cancer twitches and screams; Athena unloads again. The rest of the Shadows—except Cancer—explode violently.

Terrorize

Cancer screeches and transforms back into a crab.

Ten more of those annoyingly persistent Shadows appear.

"FUCK!" Rainbow yells.

"OH god, WHY?" Pinkie moans.

"This is bullshit," Applejack grunts.

//Guys, stay strong! You have to!//

The white circle pulses one more time, and the newest batch of Shadows are engulfed in its light.

Sonic Rainboom

Rainbow summons Nike, whose prismatic shockwave burns through the Shadows again, knocking several of them down.

Tetrakarn

Fluttershy, her hands trembling, erects another barrier.

"Fluttershy, you can't keep using that barrier!" Sunset yells. "You'll burn yourself out! You know how much that takes out of you!"

"I don't need advice from you!" Fluttershy snarls, but it's obvious she's trembling and in pain.

Strike Attack

One of the red Shadows charges Fluttershy and tries to kick her, but the attack rebounds, knocking him back.

Power Charge

Strike Attack

The other two red Shadows stand up; one begins to charge up power, glowing with a red aura, while the other comes at me with a flurry of punches, meeting the same fate as the one who went after Fluttershy.

Power Charge

Power Charge

Strike Attack

Strike Attack

Strike Attack

Two of the green Shadows also start storing up power, while the other three rush at us and attack. One tries to hit Rainbow and eats his own fist; the other two manage to hit me and Fluttershy, but the attack barely hurts me, and Fluttershy just grunts and shifts her stance.

My head is beginning to throb after using Gojira's power so much, but I want this battle over, so I swipe the Sun Arcana onto my phone. "ASURA!"

Six Paths

Asura rains down six punishing elemental blows, four of which stagger four different green Shadows. My skull nearly splits open from the strain as Asura's attack finishes and Asura fades away.

This battle has to end soon, or else...

"EUPHORIA!"

Orgy of Death

Once again, Pinkie's Persona glides into the enemy horde, unleashing a series of devastating (and devastatingly sexy) strikes.

"LEVIATHAN!"

Virus Wave

A purple wave crashes down over the enemy; all five of the green Shadows turn purple and double over, their bodies crackling and flashing with purple sparks.

"PERSONA!"

Mabufudyne

Wadjet-Bast appears, and another flash freeze sweeps across the battlefield, the ice crackling and snapping sharply as it encases the Shadows before exploding away.

"ATHENA LOGIA!"

Maziodyne

Once again, Athena rains lightning down on the enemy; Cancer reels as the five green Shadows explode violently. Athena's lightning storm crashes down again, and Cancer flips over on its back, its legs twitching.

//Keep it going, guys! You can do this!//

Mediarama

The two white Shadows stand up and heal themselves, the red Shadows, and Cancer.

"GAIA!"

Gaia's Wrath

Once again, the ground explodes with Gaia's rage; the violent, hellish explosion of elements and earthquakes manages to kill the red Shadows. As Gaia fades away, the white circle pulses one last time, engulfing Cancer and the remaining Shadows in searing white light. The circle fades away, leaving all of Zodiac much darker.

"Keep pushing!" Rainbow yells. "PERSONA!"

Vorpal Blade

Nike swoops high into the air, her guitar transforming into a giant sword; she glides down and slashes through Cancer and the white Shadows.

"PERSONA!"

Magarula

Echo releases flurries of cutting wind blades at the Shadows.

I slide the Empress Arcana onto my phone. "HIPPOLYTA!"

Myriad Arrows

Hippolyta appears, bow drawn, and fires dozens of arrows down upon the enemy.

"PERSONA!"

Orgy of Death

Euphoria tumbles into the fray, kicking and hip-checking Cancer and the staggering, sparking, smoking white Shadows.

"PERSONA!"

Tidal Wave

Leviathan's signature tidal wave slams down over the enemy. Rarity and Twilight each follow up with ice and lightning attacks; Twilight's lightning proves to be the fatal strike for the white Shadows, which explode spectacularly, showering sparks everywhere. Cancer is twitching more violently, smoke and sparks raining from its mechanical shell.

"We got 'im on the ropes now!" Applejack yells joyfully. "PERSONA!"

God's Hand

Gaia appears and slams a massive fist into Cancer, flipping him over and cracking his shell.

IMPOSSIBLE...! HOW CAN MERE HUMANS POSSESS SUCH POWER?!

Terrorize

With a roar and a lot of sparks and grinding, Cancer transforms into its humanoid form again; I can only watch in dull, weary dismay as a fresh wave of Shadows springs up out of the ground. Some of the damage we've done to Cancer repairs itself, and it stops sparking and smoking.

Pinkie starts to cry.

//Keep it together and hang in there, it's still taken a lot of damage!//

Rainbow Dash boosts our strength while Fluttershy heals us. One of the new red Shadows boosts the enemies' strength. A second red Shadow fires off a lightning-fast diving kick at Twilight, who screams out and falls to the ground. I rush over to her and kneel down to check on her as the Shadow that hurt her flips back to its cohorts and begins charging up power. A second later, the third red Shadow uses its scorching pressure wave attack. I shield Twilight as best I can, but she's already down; the next hit leaves her stunned. Shining Armor runs over, heedless of the danger to himself.

"Oh god, Twilight..."

//She's stunned, but other than that she's fine,// Cadance reports.

I glance at Shining Armor. "Get BACK!" I snarl. "This is all for nothing if you get killed!"

He shakily nods and stumbles back, retreating to stand by Cadance and Sunset Shimmer, who is furiously tapping away at her phone and swearing under her breath.

Meanwhile, two of the newest green Shadows have started charging up power, and the other three are flying around, doing those GODDAMNED diving kicks I'm getting so sick of. Two of them cross-kick Rainbow, while the third goes after Rarity.

"Really!" Rarity complains as she staggers. "How dare you kick a lady, you brute!"

"I am SO FUCKING SICK OF THIS!" I bellow, slamming my hand down on my phone. "PERSONA!"

Myriad Arrows

Hippolyta appears, raining down a storm of arrows. Cancer staggers and takes a knee as arcs of electricity crackle and snap over his arrow wounds. I quickly slide the Death Arcana onto my phone.

"ALICE!"

Spirit Drain

Alice skips into view, giggling as she holds out her hands. A ball of dark mist gathers in her palms; tendrils of energy flow out of the Shadows, gathering in the mist and turning it a pale, shining blue. She then turns around and gently blows the ball of blue mist at me. It sinks into my skin, and I feel my mind start to clear as renewed vigor floods my being.

Even as Alice fades away, Euphoria dances into the Shadow horde, her hips and feet and elbows and even her hair flying around, colliding with the enemy and scattering them like bowling pins. As Euphoria fades, Leviathan rises, drawing in energy from the Shadows just as Alice did and transferring it into Sonata. Rarity summons Wadjet-Bast and heals us all.

Twilight woozily rises to her knees, leaning on me for support. "I..." she coughs. "Need a minute."

One of the white Shadows heals the enemy horde; the other starts charging up power. Applejack summons Gaia, whose massive earthquake and elemental barrage puts several Shadows on the ground. Gaia then drives a fist into Cancer, sending him skidding back.

Cancer snarls and aims his minigun at Applejack, a huge ball of swirling white energy forming at the meeting of the three barrels. At the last second, he turns his attention to me and, before I can react, fires.

Primal Force

A white-hot laser pierces through me, expanding as it fills me. I feel my organs burning and boiling inside me and let out a strangled scream.

"FLASH!" Twilight cries.

I take a knee, bracing myself on my axe. "I...urgh..." I pause to vomit; it's foamy and reddish-pink. "Be alright...minute..."

"GODDAMMIT!" Rainbow snarls, summoning Nike, whose prismatic shockwave tears through the Shadows. The green ones explode.

"ECHO!" Fluttershy's Persona appears above me, shedding healing light which eases my pain enough for me to stand...

...just in time to be cross-kicked by two of the red Shadows. My vision blacks out as I fall to the ground in sheer agony.

"OH MY GOD, FLASH!" Twilight screams. Her scream turns to one of pain as a scorching pressure wave tears through us.

With nerveless, trembling fingers, I start fumbling with my phone. I can barely see; the blurry shape of the Lovers Arcana greys out in my field of vision. "P-Persona," I whisper.

Salvation

Serenity descends from above, her wings spread wide and her blond hair stirring as the crystal she holds sheds brilliant silver light over all of us. Instantly, all my horrible wounds are healed; I slowly stand up, looking around at the others, catching the relief on Twilight's face.

"We need to put an end to this," I whisper hoarsely as Serenity fades away. Twilight nods, tears streaming down her face.

Euphoria appears again; her entire demeanor has changed, as has Pinkie's. Pinkie's hair has gone limp and there is no trace of a smile on her face, no light in her eyes. Euphoria is no longer dancing through the enemy. She is moving among them like a ruthless, efficient killer, fists and feet striking the remaining Shadows.

Sonata, Rarity, and Twilight form up and unleash their attacks in tandem. Leviathan's tidal wave, Wadjet-Bast's ice storm, and Athena's lightning rip through the Shadows, obliterating the red ones and leaving Cancer lying flat on the ground, twitching and sparking and smoking. One of the white Shadows uses its healing ability, while the other one flies at Twilight, wreathed in a burning red aura, and drops a blazingly fast diving kick on her. Twilight crumples to the ground with a whimper, and I run over to her to shield her as I check her over.

Applejack roars in rage and frustration and summons Gaia again; the earth underneath the remaining Shadows explodes, plumes of magma consuming them and partially melting Cancer, who manages to stand up and screeches hideously at us.

Gaia hasn't even finished fading away before Rainbow Dash summons Nike, whose guitar-sword slices apart the white Shadows, which explode violently. Fluttershy heals Twilight, while I slide the Fortune Arcana back onto my phone.

"SEPHIROTH!"

Hassou Tobi

Sephiroth descends again, slowly drawing his enormous sword. In a black blur, he flies toward Cancer; his sword flashes out eight times, showers of sparks rising from Cancer's limbs and torso with each strike.

As Sephiroth fades away, Euphoria lunges forward again, grabbing Cancer and suplexing him. Leviathan rises up, and a virulent purple wave crashes over Cancer, whose body crackles with purple sparks as Leviathan fades away.

//You're almost done! Just a little more and he'll be finished!//

Wadjet-Bast and Athena Logia appear. A column of ice engulfs Cancer, only to be blown violently apart by a thick, stabbing thunderbolt. Gaia appears again, driving a solid fist into the sparking, smoking, twitching body of Cancer.

NO...! I...I WILL NOT FALL TO YOU WRETCHED HUMANS!

Myriad Arrows

His entire body visibly shaking, gears grinding with every jerking motion, Cancer aims his minigun into the air and fires straight up. A hailstorm of needle-thin plasma blasts rains down on us. After everything we've suffered up to this point, it's little more than an annoyance.

The purple sparks snapping across Cancer's frame grow in intensity, and Cancer screeches, falling to the ground.

//NOW! DO IT NOW!//

"CHAAAAAAAARGE!" Rainbow yells, her knives at the ready as she rushes Cancer. The rest of us fall in behind her, and soon we're hacking, stabbing, smacking, kicking, and shooting away at the most annoying, persistent pain in the ass we've had the misfortune of dealing with yet.

N-NO...I MUST SURVIVE...! I MUST LIVE...!

We're all thrown back as Cancer, shuddering and smoking, flips over and transforms into something that's halfway between a mechanical crab and a tank. He scatters us with a plasma blast from his cannon, then takes off for the murky, smoky horizon, the haze of battle hanging over the transformed park obscuring him.

"Oh no you don't," I growl, sliding the Emperor Arcana onto my phone. "PERSONA!"

With the mighty rumble of a powerful engine, Optimus Prime drives into view. I waste no time in jumping into the cab; Fluttershy, Twilight, and Pinkie jump on and hang onto the sides, while everybody else stays behind to guard Shining Armor and Cadance. Prime's tires roar and kick up clods of grass and dirt as we race off in pursuit of Cancer.

As badly damaged as Cancer is, it doesn't take long to catch up. The girls jump free as I throw myself out of the cab, and Prime transforms into a giant robot, unlimbering a massive ion rifle, which he trains on the sparking, listing crab tank. A bolt of plasma explodes from the barrel, slamming into Cancer and flipping him over.

LEO...WILL AVENGE ME...AND I WILL RETURN...ALONG WITH MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS...

Prime takes three steps forward, his eyes blazing as he takes aim again.

He pulls the trigger a second time.

The next blast of his ion rifle rips Cancer apart. We watch as fragments of biomechanical transforming crab fly in every direction.

Prime salutes me and fades from view. All around us, Zodiac melts into an inky wireframe, which fuzzes out and is replaced by the bright sunshine, blue sky, and summer breeze of the park.