Ponysona 4, the Campaign.

Due to the split focus of the Shadow's telekinetic grip on the knives, the party can easily tear a few away from him. The shadow and the star, in sync- Star full of sadness and the shadow angrily. "You don't understand. I CAN'T be caught with these pills. Mother and Father... I can't let them down, no matter how much it hurts me. The pills'll only make me crack sooner or later, but I can't stop-"
"I'm too weak." normal star says.
"They'll hate me." The shadow says, scoffing. "Serves me right, eh?"
"I..."

Spoiler:

Nerve:

George, despite wanting to hide at that point, pulled himself up.
"Have to try. Your body is good condition despite the amount have used, you can easily give them up and develop your magic."

"Star Power. You're Star Power, right?" Tilt continues to pull away knives before they can be thrown, "You're at the top of the magic classes. I've seen you on the lists. And if there's anything I've learned on the top, it's this: No pill can make you the best unless you can be the best."

She tries to be reassuring, considering the circumstances, but it's obvious her heart's not in it - it's all she can do to fight back revulsion and avoid looking down on Star Power. Every fibre of her being screamed at him, silently tearing away every accolade ever afforded to him. Every part forcing its way against her moral compass, telling her that this pony deserved what he got, that he'd compromised everything high achievement stood for.

"It's you! Not the real world!" she continues, fighting a second war against herself, "It's just telling you what you're scared of!"

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Roll (Persuasion)

Roll:

"Have you tried since you started? You can't assume you'll be perfect immediately."

Star looks down and the Shadow glares at Tilt. "Oh, you don't mean that. I know lies."
"I... I can't. I cant stop the pills. My magic-"
"Is SHOT. I tried stopping the pills, but like I said I couldn't even lift a fork, let alone cast magic." Star looked down. as his shadow floated one last knife to his horn.

"I shouldn't even be a unicorn."

Brash sort of slowly had been sidling up to Star Power this whole time and put his hoof on Star's shoulder, "What's important here is that you face the truth straight on. You're stronger than you know and you have us to help you out so there's nothing you can't overcome."

---

Element of Loyalty!

Also... Brash has now filled the Saturday morning cartoon cheesy moral story speech role. =P

"Sticks and stones. They're the lies you tell yourself." adds Tilt, ignoring the shadow. "They say the same thing about me. I shouldn't be 'a unicorn'. And I'm not. I'm me. You're you. Not just 'a unicorn'."

Yes, she was hiding her feelings. The revelation had marred Star Power all but irrevocably in her eyes, she couldn't just look past that. But there was a life at stake, and him being a discredit to the entire school was not nearly enough reason to not try her best. She swallows her anger, calmed by Brash's words.

"It's a piece of you, taken by this place and made to hate you. Because it knows you can't fight yourself. But the other you, he's also part of you, he can't fight you either. Not unless you cast him out. Don't let him go, because even though this place wants him to kill you, in his heart he just wants to be part of you again. Invite that part of you back, and this place will have no choice but to set you free."

Spoiler:

EDIT: Added persuade aid another

Melody listened to the others, nodding as they spoke..."They're right. You can't just close your eyes and pretend this part of you doesn't exist...You've gotta face this of you, or it's just gonna keep making you suffer...We...We all gotta part of ourselves we wish wasn't there, but you can't just toss it away like garbage, no matter how much you wanna...Come on, Star...We're here for you, okay?" She looked at him, hoping he would accept it, she was trying to think things through as well...Still trying to figure it out...Besides, she could understand at least the 'shouldn't be a unicorn' bit...

Spoiler:

Icing nods along with what everypony was saying. Both sides had merits to their arguments, and he was not one for conflict, at least beyond the occasional purely fantasy fulfillment. There might be a small shot of getting through this without needing to put down another shadow. Trust your instincts, though. This was a rough ice cream parlor, but every standard tenant was there: The regulars, the owner, the drunken buddy spilling the sober buddy's secrets, the one eating frozen yoghurt and insisting it was healthier and just as good. Every player was there, and in that sense, it made it pretty easy to predict the en result of this discourse.

The others had it well in hoof. "Tilt there actually has a really good grasp of how things work in here. Her tongue may be a silver pointy blade, but her heart is in the right place. It is funny that only in a carnival of lies does the truth ring, and now that it is out, you see? Everypony still believes you have reason to live, reason to continue existing, to strive. If you are concerned, I can void this from my memory, it is not about other ponies. It is about you and yourself, because everypony else already accepts your need to exist. And that is honest bare truth."

[Using Utility Twitchy Tail: Answer yes or no: Is there a reasonably non-obtuse path around fighting against this shadow (including any shadows it may transform into) in combat?]

Brash can see that Star's eyes, which before were a little cloudy, clear up as he staggers a bit, knocking the knife away. "I-I... I can't believe that." Stare glares at his shadow. . "Yes I think that, yes my magic's atrophied without the pills, and yes sometimes being an Earth Pony would be better due to the stress. But..." Star goes to his shadow and with a burst of light pushes him. . "I shouldn't beat myself up over this. The drugs were wrong in the first place, and they've always been wrong. I just... I tried them once and couldn't stop." Star lightly punches his shadow face. . "I've lied to myself enough. You're me, and you're going to help me. I want to break from the stupid drugs. Deal?"
"...deal."

Star's shadow fades and... nothing else. A tarot card appears, but no persona.

"Well, I guess.... now we get the two of you back to your families?" Brash asked, not entirely sure and rather surprised this ended without a fight.

"...ok... Am I the only one out of us shocked to see this end without some big fight?" Zeela asked.

"Yeah...Gonna be blunt, I kind of thought things would go bad...But hay! It worked out in the end...And yeah, we should probably get out of here...We need to get them home..." She sighs softly, relieved that it had ended so well...It was odd that a persona hadn't appeared, but...Well, maybe it just wasn't a thing for some ponies...

Tilt blinks. "Huh. I guess you can only see your own inner self." she muses, reasoning that it wasn't out of the question that something so personal was as invisible to others as it was in real life.

"Well, I'm glad we managed to save you all the same. Who else is in here?

George exhales, remembering to breathe.
"With Star Power safe that's everypony we know about."

Tilt allows herself a sigh of relief, walking in circles to slow down so she didn't cramp up. Once she's properly unwound, she fixes the others with a smile. "I'd like to invite you all," She sweeps a hoof across the group, notably including Star as well, "to come and join my family for dinner tonight - we're going to the Gold Pebble. It's the least I can do for saving my life." It wasn't exactly a cheap restaurant, and it was still new, but what good was being the brightest new athletic star with a great big sponsorship if you couldn't treat ponies now and again?

"I insist, my treat."

"Sounds like a plan... Once we get out of here, but I don't think that'll be hard, right?" Zeela said and looked to Shiro.

"Hurray!" Brash says enthusiastically and then ponders aloud, "I haven't actually gotten to try a lot of the native cultural food here. Wonder what it'll be like...."

George waves a claw vaguely.
"I'll have to pass. I doubt they cater to my dietary requirements, not mention that I need to take a look at Star to make sure there wont be any lasting damage, you too but I guess that will wait until tomorrow, write up my notes about this, make sure the rest of us will be alright, sort out documents and so on."

"Any time I do not need to hoof the bill is fine by me." Icing nods assent. "Let us leave this place, then. I have work tomorrow, but if one of you could report to Arcana, I am sure he would be happy to meet Full Tilt."

"Ah, sure thing, I'll introduce Tilt to Arcana, that's easy enough..." Melody smiled, nodding and grinning happily. "And the place sounds great...Heh, I bet you're starved if you've been stuck in here for as long as I think...Let's go!" With that, she turned to leave, figuring it would be easy enough to retrace their steps out...

"I think I'll join you... I've got some questions for Arcana that he might be able to answer." Zeela said.

While you speak you notice Star pulling out the tarot card and slapping it with a hoof, breaking it into black shards but still not summoning a persona. Star grumbles softly and walks off to the large door that opened. The party can exit the carnival, finding their way to the entrance, where Arcana leans against the door to the Velvet room, as it seems, staring at you all.

"Oh hello, Arcana..." Zeela said not sure what to think seeing him here seemingly waiting for them.