The Velvet Room...

There's more fog here than usual tonight. It's hard to see anything...

The gold frame of a door rises up from the fog. Zecora approaches, a perturbed frown on her face.

"Perhaps we should postpone this test," she says. "I sense conflict within my guest. I fear you are not at your best."

"I'm fine," I insist, activating Black Butterfly and summoning my axe. "Let's do this."

Zecora sighs. "You are responsible for your own deeds," she says. "I hope you know where your present course leads."

"It is me, or is it a lot foggier here than usual?" Rainbow wonders.

"It's not just you," Fluttershy says apprehensively. "I can't even make out what's on the door."

"It should be Chariot, right?" Twilight says absently.

"Rainbow Dash, you're up," I say.

Rainbow blinks. "Huh? Me?" She glances from me, to the door, then back. "So this one's—"

"Your Shadow," I say with a nod.

"Oh crap." Swallowing heavily, Rainbow walks up to the door and reaches out to touch it.

The door bursts open dramatically, knocking Rainbow on her ass. A swirling miasma of muted rainbow light pulses within the door. Rainbow's Shadow strides boldly forward.

I'm Rainbow Dash, the most awesome, coolest, most radical, most talented, most athletic girl around! Everybody loves me! Everybody worships me! Everybody wants to BE me!

She laughs.

That's what I always thought. Then I found out how people really feel about me. They think I'm a showoff, a braggart who thinks she's better at stuff than she really is.

She pauses.

And you know what? They're right.

She looks at our Rainbow with gold-on-black eyes.

What the HELL makes you think you're so cool? Don't you know anything?

She waves a hand angrily at Rainbow.

Rainbow Dash is a JOKE, and everybody knows it! I'm not good at anything! Soccer? My game's been off ever since my leg got fucked up! Baseball? I'm not even third best on the team! And then there's other things. My grades suck, and why should I care? Even if I studied hard, I'd never be as good at school as Twilight! My looks? Who cares about that! When you've got girls like Rarity and Fluttershy around, nobody even looks at me! Guitar? Yeah, right. Flash is the guitar god at CHS. I'm not even as good as Trixie!

She bows her head.

I'm not even good at anything here. The one place I've got something I can really brag about—kicking ass—and you guys are all so much better at it. I've been killed more times than all of you put together! What a joke!

Her clenched fists tremble at her sides.

Even if I ever do figure out if I'm straight or gay, does it matter? Who's gonna want a second-rate showoff?

"HEY!" Rainbow Dash yells at her Shadow. "I'm awesome at lots of things! It...it doesn't matter if I'm not the best at some stuff. It just means I've got somethin' to shoot for!"

Rainbow's Shadow laughs coldly.

Or maybe...I just need to get rid of the competition.

She looks around at all of us, a sneer on her face.

I am the Shadow, the True Self! If I get rid of all of you, then I'll be the best at everything!

"NO!" Rainbow yells, standing between us and her Shadow and waving her hands emphatically. "There's no way I'd ever think anything LIKE that!"

She turns to face her Shadow.

"YOU'RE NOT ME!"

Rainbow's Shadow cackles as she bursts into purple flames and grows to twice as large as life, rising into the air on a writhing pile of bodies as her appearance changes.

The Shadow herself has turned coal black; her clothes have changed to a pair of dirty old canvas sneakers, faded and ripped jeans, and a black denim longcoat with ripped-off sleeves over her otherwise bare torso. Her rainbow hair is longer and wilder than usual, frizzy and tangled. She has no eyes or nose; all that's left of her face is a broad, wicked grin. A black leather top hat with a concho belt tied around it sits atop her head. Strapped across her torso is an even more bizarre version of her Persona's guitar sword: the entire neck of the guitar is the sword's grip, while the body is a broad, thick-bladed buster sword. Beneath her feet, a pile of naked Rainbows—each one the same color as somebody else living in our dorm—writhes and fawns over the Shadow, orgasmic adoration on their faces.

We all turn to stare at our Rainbow, whose face is burning crimson. "What?" she says defensively.

"Oh, there is so much wrong with this scene I don't even know where to start," Fluttershy says, shaking her head.

"You said it, sugarcube," Applejack mutters.

I point at the weird naked mess and the monument to Rainbow's ego standing on top of it. "I've got news for you," I say. "You are definitely not Slash."

"Yeah, well...neither are you!"

"Nobody is. Except Slash."

"...got me there..."

If I KILL YOU ALL, I'll be the best at everything! Music, sports, books, looks, even sex!

//Be careful! I'm sensing a ton of bullshit!//

Applejack snickers. "Good one."

Rainbow groans. "Can you guys not be jerks about this? Please?"

"Let's just do this and go," I say. For some reason, ever since we set foot in the Velvet Room, I've felt uneasy...

Maybe it's because I haven't been in the same room as both Pinkie and Twilight for more than five minutes since I had sex with Trixie. Maybe it's because here, Twilight can kill me over and over again if she finds out. Maybe it's because I still don't even know why everything's gone to hell over the last few days.

Maybe it's because I can feel Pinkie's eyes on me and the weight of her disappointment, anger, and sadness is crushing me.

As the other girls ready themselves for battle and Rainbow, whose Persona is sealed, falls back to a safe distance, Rainbow Slash strums her guitar. Fireworks go off all around her, and towering neon-lit words rise up behind her:

20% Cooler

At the same time, a neon sign drops down from above us that says "20% Less Cool", spraying us with sparks and flames. I feel somehow smaller, and look up to see that Rainbow Slash and her groupies have grown larger...

//Guys? I don't know what she just did, but...uh...you all just...shrank by about—//

"Twenty percent?" Rarity suggests flatly. "We noticed, darling."

"This is gonna be a fun one, isn't it?"

"Hilarious," Fluttershy mutters, summoning her Persona and erecting a reflective barrier in front of us.

Tetrakarn

Sukunda

The yellow-skinned, pink-haired Rainbow Dash in the squirming mob shakes her ass at Fluttershy, and Fluttershy seems to slow down.

Pinkie cups her hands in front of her to summon her Element of Laughter, but it fails to appear. Frowning, she shakes her head and calls out her Persona. "EUPHORIA!"

Euphoria appears, but she looks...off. She isn't glowing, her smile is strained, her eyes aren't lit up with their brilliant rainbow shine. Everything about her seems flat, listless.

Matarukaja

Still, she scatters a misty spray of liquid over us, filling us with power.

Tarukaja

The groupie that looks like Pinkie lets out a loud cheer, waving a lighter over her head, and a golden light washes over Rainbow Slash.

"Let's get this over with before it gets stupid," I grunt, sliding the Tower Arcana onto my phone. "GOJIRA!"

The screen of my phone flashes red and buzzes. A red X appears over the Tower.

I stare at it. "What?"

"Uh, Flash? Are you...are you gonna do something?" Applejack asks.

Shaking my head, I slide the Hanged Man onto my phone. "MAGUS!"

Red flash. Buzz. Red X.

"Flash? Is something wrong?" Twilight asks.

Tarunda

The Rainbow Slash groupie that has my skin and hair color throws up her hands and shakes her body. A wave of pressure crashes down on me, making my muscles feel tired and sluggish.

I try to summon Sephiroth. Still nothing. "Uhh...you guys...you guys go ahead," I say. "Something's wrong."

The girls glance at me curiously. Sonata shrugs. "PERSONA!"

Tidal Wave

Leviathan rises up, sending a crashing wave of glowing sea water slamming down onto the Shadows.

Beer Bottle

The Sonata-colored Rainbow hurls a beer bottle at Sonata, but it bounces off Artemis' barrier and catches its thrower in the gut.

One by one, I'm going through all my best Personas, but none of them will appear...

"ATHENA LOGIA!"

Maziodyne

Sukunda

Athena rises high into the air, showering Rainbow Slash and her groupies with lightning. The groupies scream and thrash around; the one that looks like Twilight yells a whole bunch of insults at Twilight through a megaphone, and Twilight starts to look hesitant.

Tentarafoo

Sukunda

Rarity summons Wadjet-Bast; her attempt to make the Shadows panic fails. The Rarity wannabe in the Shadow swarm flips her hair at Rarity and smirks, but nothing seems to happen.

"This is gittin' plumb weird," Applejack mutters. "PERSONA!"

Marakukaja

Gaia kneels and presses a fist to the ground. A warm green circle of light spreads outward, engulfing all of us and fortifying us.

Rakukaja

The orange-skinned, blonde Rainbow tosses a glowing apple up to Rainbow Slash, who catches it and eats it, infusing her body with a warm green glow.

//Guys, her little flash mob...they're loaded with buffs and debuffs!//

"And they're all in the buff!" Sonata quips.

"Flash mob? More like trash mob," Fluttershy says testily. She glares at me. "Are you ever gonna do something?"

I glance down at my phone and sigh. "I've been trying to all this time," I retort. Shaking my head, I listlessly slide the Fool Arcana onto the phone and brush the screen with my fingernails. "Persona."

Agi

Chiron appears, rearing and drawing his bow, which is loaded with a flaming arrow. He glances disdainfully back at me, then snorts and looses his arrow at Rainbow Slash. It singes her coat, but that's about it.

Cheer

The trash mob all let out a great cheer, and Slash bows, grinning cheekily.

Twilight turns and frowns at me. "Flash? What's going on?"

"I don't know!" I snap. "My Personas are all fucked up! Get off my case, okay?"

Twilight scowls. "Excuse me for being worried about you!"

"HEY! Don't be a jerk to her!" Pinkie yells.

I sigh and bow my head. "Sorry," I mutter. "I don't know what's wrong. I just...I can't—"

Power Chord

A thunderous power chord rips through the air, shaking the ground. Rainbow Slash starts to glow with power, overlapping red and white auras blazing while the Rainbow Trash whip themselves into a headbanging frenzy.

"Deal with it later!" Fluttershy says. "ARTEMIS!"

Starlight Breaker

Artemis rises into the air, her giant magical girl bow forming in the open side of her screensphere. Dozens of magical girl arrows shoot forth, stabbing into Rainbow Slash and her groupies. Fluttershy's trash mob counterpart gives her the finger.

Tarunda

//Be careful! Every time they do something rude, they're messing with your attack or defense!//

"Then let's kill 'em all!" Pinkie snarls. "PERSONA!"

Mahamaon

Euphoria appears again, aiming one of her urns at the trash mob and unleashing a blast of blinding white light...which does absolutely nothing. Pinkie lets out a frustrated scream as Euphoria fades away.

Sukukaja

The pink Rainbow Trash throws a pair of panties up at Rainbow Slash, who cackles as she waves them around.

"Ah'm guessin' every time they fangirl at Rainbow Slash, they're buffin' 'er up," Applejack says.

//Yeah.//

Beer Bottle

The me-colored Trash throws a beer bottle at Pinkie, but it bounces off the barrier and hits her in the face.

"Where are they even getting the beer bottles from?" Pinkie cries. "Does that even make sense?"

"Oh!" Rarity scoffs. "This coming from you!"

"You guys, knock it off!" Sonata says. "PERSONA!"

Virus Wave

A virulent purple wave crashes over the Shadows. Rainbow Slash and four of her groupies are wreathed in bubbling purple flames. Another beer bottle comes flying at Sonata from her trash mob counterpart; this one shatters over her head. "Owie!"

Twilight summons Athena again, unleashing another thunderstorm. Her counterpart blows her a raspberry. Rarity summons Wadjet-Bast, whose ice storm nearly causes Rainbow Slash to topple off her pile; Wadjet-Bast then heals all the damage we've sustained so far, which thankfully isn't much. The Rarity-colored groupie throws another beer bottle at Rarity, which bounces off her barrier and hits its source in the boob.

"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. Applejack's counterpart bends over and farts in her direction.

I try to summon Chiron again, but Legion appears instead, bobbing around in the air and wriggling its grotesque appendages in a horrifyingly disgusting way.

Sexy Dance

Apart from making me want to crawl into a hole and die—or hurl—nothing else seems to happen.

Cheer

The trash mob cheers for their goddess again.

//That cheering...// Cadance pauses. //Guys, it's a group healing ability! All the groupies are contributing to a healing power that's regenerating all of them!//

"So we need to cut down the groupies?" Fluttershy asks. "Not a problem."

"Can you figure out what's wrong with Flash?" Twilight asks.

//I'm trying,// Cadance says, her voice full of doubt. //I don't sense any external force suppressing his Personas. Flash, are you sure you're okay?//

"Worry about it later!" I yell. "Everybody duck!"

Seven Nation Army

Rainbow Slash leaps off her pile of groupies, reversing her grip on her guitar as she strums out a bass riff. With each note she plucks, she swings her sword at one of us. The last of Artemis' reflective barriers collapse, rebounding the force of four slashes back at the Shadow; Pinkie, Sonata, and Rarity cry out as they're cut badly, bleeding heavily from diagonal slashes across their torsos. Laughing, Rainbow Slash lands back on her trash mob, slinging her sword back around into guitar position.

"ARTEMIS!" Fluttershy cries.

Mediarahan

Artemis appears, her screens lit up with medical diagnostics as a wave of healing green light washes over us.

Beer Bottle

As Artemis fades, Fluttershy's groupie counterpart flings a beer bottle at her which bounces off her shoulder.

Orgy of Death

Slam Dance

Beer Bottle

"PERSONA!" Pinkie summons Euphoria, who darts into action, delivering swift, brutal palm strikes and kicks to the Shadows. Rainbow Slash reels, struggling to keep her balance; Euphoria drops a vicious heel slam into my counterpart, who counters by throwing a beer bottle at Pinkie, while Pinkie's counterpart throws one at Twilight. The sound of glass shattering against both of them rips at my heart, as do their cries of pain...

Tidal Wave

Sukunda

Maziodyne

Leviathan appears, slamming another tidal wave down upon the Shadows. Sonata's counterpart throws what looks like a jar of piss with a turd in it at her. Twilight summons Athena; as the Shadows writhe under the onslaught of her lightning, the piss-flinging Sonata-colored Rainbow shrieks and explodes in a gory mess.

Beer Bottle

Twilight's counterpart hurls a beer bottle at Rarity which catches her right in the face. Rarity drops to the ground, her eyes unfocused.

//That hit stunned Rarity!//

Beer Bottle

God's Hand

Marakukaja

Another beer bottle goes flying at Applejack, but bounces off, flying back at the Rarity-colored Rainbow Trash that threw it. Applejack summons Gaia, who lands a vicious haymaker on Rainbow Slash, then renews our defensive buffs.

Beer Bottle

Applejack's trash mob counterpart catches me in the face with a beer bottle, and I go down, seeing stars. Dimly, I'm aware of the Shadow that just broke a glass bottle on my face being consumed by poisonous purple flames and disappearing with an agonized cry.

Cheer

There are only five of the groupies left, but they cheer Rainbow Slash on anyway...

//They're all seriously weakened! You can win this fight easily!//

Wanna bet?

Screaming Fans

With a grin, Rainbow Slash throws her hands up, shooting pyro out of her sleeves. Her groupies start shrieking uncontrollably. A tumultuous wave of white noise—literally, glowing white noise—spreads out from the mob, slamming painfully into us.

//Oh no! Pinkie, Twilight, and Rarity are all in a panic!//

"That means I'm our only healer unless Flash can get his ass in gear," Fluttershy says grimly as she summons Artemis to heal us. Her counterpart cheers for Rainbow Slash, imbuing her with strength.

Pinkie rushes forward and snaps her whip at her counterpart, dragging her out of the pile and brutally beating the shit out of her. The pink Rainbow drags herself away from Pinkie as she runs out of steam and prostrates herself before Rainbow Slash, sending a golden-green surge of energy through her. My counterpart gives me a thumbs-down, and I feel my own strength fading.

Leviathan does another tidal wave. Sometimes, it really seems like that's the only thing Sonata can even do...

Twilight attacks the purple Rainbow with her sword. The purple Rainbow counters by swinging a beer bottle at her head. Rarity unloads an entire clip of ammo into Rainbow Slash, and receives a catcall from her own counterpart.

"Let's put a stop t' this," Applejack grunts. "GAIA!"

Gaia's Wrath

As Gaia appears, the earth beneath the Shadows shudders violently and explodes upward, spraying lava, smoke, and chunks of flaming ice. A violent wind rips through the Shadows, and something unexpected happens: as the wind rips into two of the groupies, they glow a bright green, while the swirling blades of wind that hit Rainbow Slash bounce off and fly back at Applejack, tearing into her and leaving gashes in her costume.

//Wind isn't a good idea...//

"Oh, like Ah knew that was gonna happen," Applejack grunts, wiping blood from her lip. "Y'all know that there attack's random as Pinkie Pie on a full tank of sugar."

Meanwhile, I've finally found a Persona I can actually summon. I tap the Devil Arcana on my phone. "PERSONA!"

Maragion

Succubus glides into view, extending a hand at the Shadows. Bursts of flame erupt from her fingertips, engulfing Rainbow Slash and her groupies. It doesn't do a whole lot of damage, but at least it's something.

"Looks like you're back in business," Rainbow says from behind us.

I shake my head. "No...most of my Personas are still sealed. I'm not sure why that one wasn't."

"Gee, let me guess," Twilight mutters as a great cheer rises from the Rainbow Trash.

This is ridiculous...

I don't want to be here, doing this...

The way Twilight's looking at me, the way Pinkie's all worked up...

What's wrong with me? Why won't my Personas work right...?

My head feels like it's splitting in two...

A hot, stabbing lance of pain rips through my skull, driving me to my knees.

"Flash? Flash, are you alright?"

Suddenly, the Velvet Room seems a lot darker. The perpetual shroud of mist that fills the battlefield changes, becoming an inky black haze. A horrible groan rips through the endless space, shaking the ground.

"Wh-what was that?!"

"It's not...that thing, is it?"

//I'm not sensing Death, but...// Cadance gasps. //Something's coming!//

The ground lurches violently, and the floor next to Rainbow Slash and her trash mob explodes upward, spraying debris everywhere. A massive green shape thrusts upward from the hole in the floor.

"Oh...my...God," Fluttershy says in a disbelieving tone.

I can only stare in confusion and bewilderment.

A towering green...penis demon looms over us. It looks like some unholy cross between a tangled mass of thick green jungle vines and, well...a dick. It sits astride a nest of thick, muscular, veiny vines—tentacles?—and has a horrible, distorted, moaning face near the tip. If it has eyes, they're hidden by its crusty yellow dick head.

"What the dick?" Twilight cries in frustration.

"That's a really, really big dick," Pinkie says listlessly.

"HEY!" Rainbow cries from behind us. "Quit tryin' to upstage me, ya big dick!"

We all turn to stare at her.

"What?" she says defensively, crossing her arms. "This is my Shadow, isn't it? She doesn't need a...whatever that is hogging the spotlight!"

Rainbow Slash laughs.

Couldn't have said it better myself!

The penis demon roars, shaking the entire Velvet Room and nearly sending Rainbow Slash toppling off her trash mob.

FOOL. WITNESS THE INSTRUMENT OF YOUR SELF-DESTRUCTION.

Oh, you wanna go? Cuz I'll totally throw down with you, dickhead!

BE SILENT.

Maralagidyne

The demon's head erupts, spraying searing white flames; the girls all scream and roll around on the ground. Even through the defensive barrier of my Persona that repels the flames, I can feel the searing heat. A stream of white flames rebounds onto the demon, who harmlessly absorbs them.

Magarudyne

Rainbow Slash growls, then swings her sword in a wide arc, sending a cutting wave of glowing green wind sweeping through us. Succubus' power does nothing to prevent it from cutting into me; the girls' still-burning bodies are snuffed out like candles, and Fluttershy glows as she absorbs the wind, which heals her enough for her to stand up.

"Artemis," Fluttershy whispers.

Mediarahan

Artemis appears, her screens flashing green and blue as she frantically works to heal us all. With their burns healed, the girls all stand up, moaning and grimacing. Fluttershy's trash mob counterpart blows a raspberry at her.

Pinkie lunges forward and snaps her whip at Rainbow Slash, who reels from the unexpected attack; Pinkie then turns her whip once again on her own counterpart, leaving a wide, angry welt on her flesh. The pink Rainbow Trash responds by throwing a water balloon at Pinkie which bursts in her face, staggering her. Pinkie backpedals quickly away, sputtering and making disgusted sounds.

"I thought you'd enjoy a good water balloon fight," Sonata says.

"That wasn't water," Pinkie splutters, spitting and trying to wipe her face with her costume. "It was pee!"

"Ewwwww," the girls all chorus.

Beer Bottle

Tidal Wave

The me-colored Rainbow Trash throws a beer bottle at Sonata which catches her in the groin. She lets out a surprised yip, then summons Leviathan for yet another tidal wave.

Twilight charges toward the penis demon and starts hacking away at its vines with her sword, causing it to recoil; when she delivers a sharp, vicious slash to its...erm, girth, it slumps to the side, drooling acid on the floor. Twilight's counterpart raises her ass in the air and makes a rather suggestive series of gestures between Twilight, the penis demon, and her own crotch. Twilight recoils, disgusted.

Rarity opens fire on the penis demon, scoring multiple direct hits that do very little appreciable damage. Her counterpart flings a wadded-up lacy black bra at Applejack which gets tangled up on her face like a distressed bat.

"Dammit all!" Applejack thunders as she brushes the unusually active bra to the floor. "PERSONA!"

God's Hand

Marakukaja

Gaia delivers a powerful punch to Rainbow Slash's jaw, staggering her, then kneels down and presses her fist to the ground, encircling us all in that verdant field of defensive power again.

Masukukaja

My Persona app abruptly reverts to the Fool and activates itself, summoning Black Frost, who casts a spell that spreads a glowing blue-white magic circle around us; I feel lighter and more agile when its effects kick in.

"Nice to see you're finally being useful," Fluttershy says acidly as the Rainbow Trash cheer for their idol—and apparently for the penis demon, as the effects of their cheer seem to spread to it as well.

"Cadance, where the hell did this thing come from?" Twilight asks.

//I don't know! I'm trying to figure that out! All I can say for sure for now is that slash attacks work well against it!//

I cringe at that, reflexively covering my own groin...

The penis demon sluggishly uprights itself, but does nothing except watch us stonily.

Seven Nation Army

Rainbow Slash plucks that same seven-note bass groove on her guitar sword as she slashes away at us again; Twilight, Rarity, and I each take a hard hit, but none of the other strikes connect with a target.

Starlight Breaker

"PERSONA!" Artemis appears, firing off a multitude of arrows from her magical girl bow again. The yellow Rainbow Trash throws a beer bottle at Fluttershy, but she easily dodges.

Pinkie lashes out at my counterpart with her whip, coiling it around her neck and slamming her to the ground. The pink Trash flips me off, and I feel the effects of Black Frost's spell fade away. As soon as my counterpart is up again, she hurls a beer bottle at me, which hits me right in the face, dropping me.

Sonata's Persona does another tidal wave. Seriously, that really is about all she's good for...

Twilight viciously attacks the penis demon with her sword, leaving it listing to one side and drooling again. Her counterpart moons her, and she staggers as she returns to the formation, moving more slowly. Rarity fires another clip of bullets into Rainbow Slash. Her counterpart insults her outfit.

Gaia punches Rainbow Slash again, nearly knocking her to the ground, then weaves a golden magic circle that imbues us all with renewed strength. I stand up groggily, my head still throbbing from that last beer bottle.

The trash mob cheers again.

Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity all breathe sighs of relief as their phones beep to signal the readiness of their Personas.

Power Chord

As the dick monster uprights itself again, Rainbow Slash plays another earthshaking power chord, surrounding herself with a two-colored power aura. Fluttershy hastily erects a new reflective barrier. Her counterpart blows a kiss to Rainbow Slash just as Euphoria charges into the fray in a whirlwind of fists and feet that hit everything except Rainbow Slash. Pinkie's counterpart in the trash mob turns to Pinkie and makes a crude cock-sucking motion with her hand.

Beer Bottle

Spirit Drain

My counterpart throws a beer bottle at Sonata, which rebounds and hits her upside the head. Sonata summons Leviathan again, who sucks in a deep breath, drawing energy out of Rainbow Slash, compressing it into a tight, whirling blue ball, and swallowing it.

Twilight summons Athena, unleashing destructive lightning on the Shadows. Her counterpart throws something slimy at her which splats in her face. Rarity summons Wadjet-Bast, who freezes the Shadows in a powerful ice storm. Three of the Rainbow Trash—the Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy-colored ones—crack into tiny pieces and dissolve, while the penis demon bellows in pain. Rainbow Slash protects herself with her sword, avoiding being frozen.

//Ice is working! Keep it up!//

"With pleasure, darling." Rarity calls forth her ice attack again, which finishes off the last two Rainbow Trash even as Rainbow Slash freezes over. With one more icy blast, Rainbow Slash and the cock monster are both listless heaps on the ground.

//This is your chance for an all-out attack!//

The girls don't need to be told twice; they all charge forward, going wild on Rainbow Slash and the demon with their weapons while I struggle to get my bearings. The demon roars and flails its vines, sending the girls flying as it stands up again. Rainbow Slash rises slowly to her feet, looking ragged; her sword is dragging on the ground and her hat is missing.

//One more attack should finish off Rainbow's Shadow!//

"You got it!" Applejack says. "GAIA!"

God's Hand

Gaia lunges forward, driving a fist through Rainbow Slash's torso, snapping her guitar sword in half as she feebly tries to block with it. The Shadow screams as she's torn in half, bursting into black flames as she collapses to the ground and begins to shrink down to her original appearance.

I shake my head to clear it, leaning against my axe. "Well, that takes care of her, but what about...that?"

Pralaya

"That" roars and lashes out with its vines, which glow with white-hot force as they penetrate...

...the reflective barriers, which rebound the force of the attack back on the demon, who screams in agony and goes limp.

//Finish it now!//

Fluttershy smiles grimly. "Time for a sex change," she says. "PERSONA!"

Garudyne

Artemis appears, sending a single glowing buzzsaw of wind zipping toward the demon...neatly bisecting it.

I feel faint...