Ponysona 4, the Campaign.

Shiro's smile seems to fade slightly as he looks at Melody. "Just noticed, you okay Melody?" Part of the tickle in the back of her mind fade, Shiro moving his hooves slightly as another spider joins the one on the web. "I was trying to help you..."
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George and Icing can find their way to the, mostly broken, door of the velvet room rather easily, quickly able to enter it and see the two messages left for Arcana, somehow under a shimmering blue force field. Marie is in the corner, picking up a few broken pieces of the door as she sees the two males walk in. "Ah, Welcome... Well, without Master here it's nothing more than a realm of in-between than anything. Thank you both for coming. You brought the book?"
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Spoiler:

Up on top, unknown to the party, Mars trots back and forth across the center ring, excersizing, as a couple shadows fire through the floor, the persona staring as the pegasus and two unicorns appear a few minutes later in the doorway. "... Those were some heavenly kicks, Tilt-san."

"Definately. Who knew exercising your legs was good for more than just running?" Alice's horn and persona card were both glowing, remnants of a close encounter with a shadow that had just been bucked away with a single hoof during casual conversation.

"Alice, that was rude. Apologize."

The filly sighed, nuzzling Tilt's side gently. "Sorry Tilt-nee-chan."

The firey unicorn-like persona coughed slightly, bowing down to the ground in front of tilt, before going back up with a calm smile. "Fu-Senshu. Good to see that I am doing well. Alice-imouto. Dai-Senshu." He bows slightly to the two others and casually tosses a light ball at a target on the wall normally reserved for dunk tanks. "You have questions about something, me? As for you two, myself was correct. 'Alice' and 'Daisoujo' are attempting to return to their true states, though it will be difficult unless you face yourselves, sadly. Speaking of, I apologize for acting in such a manner, Fu-senshu."
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"Oh you are good at this!" Discord presses his claws against his cheeks in delight. "But that's why I'm here! I'm here to teach you about the magic of friendship!" he presses a talon against Wraith's nose.

Zeela sighs at seeing Discord's actions here, but at least feels it shows the Mad God of Chaos as the best shot she's got at this moment for answers. "You know what? Discord, could you please, explain who the buck this is? And whatever his relationship with Soul Spinner be?" Then she looks to her back and adds. "Also... Wings... Please return them..."

"My mind felt like...Nnngh...Were you doing that?" Melody looked at Shiro and the second spider, blinking. "It felt strange...That's all...I suppose there's little else to say about it. what were you doing?" She was curious now, blinking. Was that why he brought them up as being two sides of the same coin?

Wraith recoils from the noseboop and gapes at Zeela in utter surprise. How could she be taking HIS side? "I-you were acting crazy! And he's done it to far more than I have! I once had to fight a legion of ponies he was using as puppets! He uses minds like clay!" He can't focus on the object of his ire while talking to Zeela, so he turns back. "It doesn't matter who I am! What could a monster like you ever know about friendship?!"

Zeela is aghast at that statement, then quickly realizes, it was true. "I-ah... Your right... I was overreacting to everything..." So she looks down on the ground... Kicks into the dirt....  "I'm... Sorry... Whoever and whatever you are..."

Tilt nickers back, to the foal on her back. "It's okay, imoto-chan." she reassures, before looking back to her persona with a grin. "And thank you. I try."

"Besides, I was just as much at fault, Fu-Shōgun. But our fight was necessary - it would be a rare pony indeed that could go without fighting themselves and still understand." She smiles and walks up placing her hoof over her other half's heart, feeling the powerful engine thump just under his skin.

"But I do have a question, one I can't answer myself... What does a shadow want, truly? Before we accepted one another, what did you want? What was your wish? What did Arachne, or Harpy want?"

"Indeed I have, and the owner of it too, in case you need help translating any of it into common pony." Icing smiles to Maria, but takes a measure of the room. Clearly it did not do well against something.

Discord lets out a quiet chuckle, snapping his fingers as television appears and turns on, a familiar tv show appearing on it as he pulls out a bucket of popcorn and proceeds to eat the kernels only, leaving the popped pieces in the bucket. "Ah, this is my favorite episode. They didn't show that I was there for a couple days, but Fluttershy did teach me how a friend felt. Wait til the end if you want to see why I'm here only to spread the magic of friendship!" Discord grins and a pendant appears around Wraith's neck of a red curved feather and Zeela's forehead has a circlet of a purple potion attached to it... before the Draconequs takes off her circlet and bites down on it. "Mmm, grape. Delicious. Oh, and it's too long of a story to explain. Just watch."
---
Marie smiles over to Icing, walking over and dusting a few bits of dust off of the floor. "Seems like somepony had made their own door. Not really complaining. I left a few things in here while Master wandered off. Thank you for coming Mister Redcross." The mare flips her bang from her face and takes her place on one of the chairs, moving a table in front of herself for the book.

Zeela sighs, just wathcing the odd show about who she quickly realized had to have been the Elements of Harmony... A look of confusion and shock appears on her face.

Wraith tries to escape the show, but finds himself inexplicably glued to a...giant jelly-donut couch? (Cherry, if you must know. Yes, Wraith tasted it. If there was one thing Discord never did, it was poison his "subjects.") When he tries to turn his head away, there's just another teevee where he looks. And behind his eyes. And pair of earbuds appear when he shuts his ears to the noise. And where did his mouth go? He was just about to interrupt that obnoxious blue one!

Wraith eventually settles down to watch, submitting to his...fate? It's not that bad, really, but definitely nothing Discord's imagination could cook up. All the ponies seem normal enough. When it finally ends, Wraith has significantly calmed down, although he's still simmering under the lid. His mouth reappears and he takes a second to form his words.

"The ending was a bit rushed. Not very believable if you ask me," he says with  a glare. "And that's the current Celestia? Nice flanks, she must not have been in office long."

"Um.... This... Is mostly right... I think... Those are what the element bearers look like... And that is Princess Celestia..." Zeela comments. "She's been the ruler for as far as I can recall..."

"Each shadow has two sides. The form of the pony who created them, the aspects that arise from the true portion of the pony, and the exaggerated features that came from Kuro's magic. In my own case, I wanted to succeed, to win, to thrive against the adversities in my path, crashing through them like the carriage that almost... Made my time run out."

The persona sat down in the center ring, laying casually though his face turned to the dirt in embarrassment remembering what he had done.

"For Arachne, in the beginning, she simply wanted. She wanted things, she was selfish. But as time went on, and Shiro avoided her, Arachne began to want ponies to save her, ponies to in the end flock to her web so that they could free her from the threads even if they got tied in it." He shook his mane out, looking at Tilt more curiously

For Siren, that would be better asked of her. From what I could tell during our brief time with her, she wanted  pain caused to those who deserve it. She wanted to be told what to do, but in a way that she wanted. Many things about Siren, however, were part of Kuro's magic. The sensuality, the fullest extent of her sadism, and the nature of her submissive tendencies. I only know myself, for certian."

Alice and Dai mumbled quietly to one another as Tilt spoke to Mars, their own to personae summoned above them and Mars smiling over to the two. "Ah, I wish I could use your true names."

"You know what they are meant to be?"

"Yes, they've told me."
---
Shiro frowned, fidgeting in his seat. "I sort of was... 'seeing' if I could try and help make sure you know, I'm not hurt." The earth pony fidgets up out of the covers, dropping the spiders and web onto his sidetable. "I'm not hurt, I'm not anything more than a little bit more hopeful right now, but the feeling I lost when I passed out is still there." Shiro laid back against the pillow looking up.

Tilt trots over and kicks her other half in the side. "Do I have to reject you to get you learning what you taught me about myself?" she asks, deliberately using the divisive language to provoke her persona. "I'm certain I didn't rub my face into the sand when it last happened. It might have been because we were busy bleeding out then, but I'm certain you were the strength that came from that."

The unicorn backs off from her true self, and grimaces, setting aside the comments about Alice and Daisoujou. So far, no new information... Well, what was good for the goose, was good for the gander.

"And you've said how we felt, and how the others felt. But that doesn't really answer the question - what did you want when you chose to fight? What did you want when you were attacking me? What did you stand to gain by destroying the rest of yourself?"

Melody blinked in surprise. "I see...I'm...I'm glad you're okay, really..." She sighed with relief...If he had been permanently hurt from her...Well, best not to think about that. She smiled a bit, but thought. "I...Don't think a feeling like that is all bad...It gives you motivation to press on, after all. You said it yourself, hope, desperation, they're connected to each other...Without one, you won't be able to appreciate the other...Right? I figure they're kind of like light and darkness in that way." That was how ponies worked, right? Even having spent as long mimicing them as she had, some of the finer points were hard to figure out.

"What did I stand to gain?" Mars looked at Tilt, frowning softly as he rubbed at his foreleg, closing his eyes as he tried to remember. "I believe... Recognition was the strongest thing in my mind, matching what it is I wanted to go through before the end. But there was something else."

A.) Guess ( Can roll 1d20+Understanding If you want a hint. Can get an Int boost.)
B.) Press further (Persuasion. Can get a Courage or a Understanding Boost.)
C.) Other.
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Marie looked at George questionably. "I did not mean a book on hearts, I meant the book of Personae, however if you have one of both, may I?"

A.) Give Marie the Heart Book (Can get an Understanding or Diligence boost)
B.) Give Marie the Personae Book (Can get an Expression or Intelligence boost)
C.) Give Marie Both Books. (can get a Diligence boost + ??)
D.) Don't Give Marie Either. (Courage rank 2 needed. Can get an Expression boost.)

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Shiro nodded a couple of times. "Right! Ara- I mean, my spider friends told me that was something to keep in mind. Opposites don't have to be against one another. It's what's up with that other shadow in the Dungeon. But yeah." Shiro grins. "If you're desperate for something, you'll appreciate it when the hope comes around and it is only when you're really hopeful that you're desperate. It's... Oh!" Shiro nuzzled Melody once. "It's like Happiness and Sorrow!" Shiro pulled away, a couple tears in his eyes. "You can really only know just how happy somepony makes you when there's somepony that's made you sad before."

A.) HUG THE COLT (Expression boost possible+ ???
B.) NUZZLE THE COLT (Expression boost possible+???
C.) Ignore the crying colt (Courage rank 3 needed.)
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"Oh I know this isn't that believeable, believe me I had time believing in this even though I was there?" Discord snaps an orange windbreaker onto his midsection, grinning a little. "Believe it!" He snaps again, the windbreaker turning into oranges Tangerines and splattering on the ground. "But if you don't believe me when I say I'm here to bring the joy and magic of friendship to you.... You're right my little ponies." Discord leaned down and tapped Wraith on the head a couple times as his voice sounds in the ghost-pegasus's ears. "Look, Celly's got a bit of that Chaos Compass I had way back when, and she was glaring all the while she tried to find out what was going on. I think I'm on thinner ice than when that orchard was frozen solid, so..."

A.) ATTACK ON DRACONEQUS (Sie sind das Essen und wir sind die Discord!)
B.) Believe the Draconequs (Understanding Boost + ???)
C.) Other.

LoganAura wrote:"Oh I know this isn't that believeable, believe me I had time believing in this even though I was there?" Discord snaps an orange windbreaker onto his midsection, grinning a little. "Believe it!" He snaps again, the windbreaker turning into oranges Tangerines and splattering on the ground. "But if you don't believe me when I say I'm here to bring the joy and magic of friendship to you.... You're right my little ponies." Discord leaned down and tapped Wraith on the head a couple times as his voice sounds in the ghost-pegasus's ears. "Look, Celly's got a bit of that Chaos Compass I had way back when, and she was glaring all the while she tried to find out what was going on. I think I'm on thinner ice than when that orchard was frozen solid, so..."

A.) ATTACK ON DRACONEQUS (Sie sind das Essen und wir sind die Discord!)
B.) Believe the Draconequs (Understanding Boost + ???)
C.) Other.

"I'm... Able and willing to believe that one of the greatest evils of Equatria's history is trying to turn over a new leaf..." Zeela states. "After all this song and dance... I'd feel like a total jerk to this point to try and give some hope to the Mad God of Chaos that random nopony can believe him..." Then she looks to Wraith. "So... Then... I bet Discord just asked something of you? Anything I can do help?"

Melody looked at Shiro for a moment, surprised at the nuzzling, then at him crying...Was he going crazy, or what? Plus, what he'd said...It made a little sense, but, it honestly wasn't all true...She couldn't be his friend and be willing to feed of him at the same time, even if he had said it was okay...It'd just be cruel...But perhaps that was something to mull over another time. She pulled Shiro into a hug, trying to calm him down. "Hay, relax, okay? It'll be fine...We're here for you, George, Zeela, I'm sure even Icing...And I'm here too, okay? You...Don't have to keep it all bottled up..." More than anything, right now she wanted Shiro to know she was there for him as a friend...

Wraith scowls and backs away once all the knickknackery has vanished, pinning his ears down at the voice in his head. "I hate you. I hate all that you have done to my friends and I, and I hate everything that you stand for."

He tries to flap his wings, but looks back to see that still have not returned. The stallion instead sits down and sighs wearily. "I may never forgive you for the crimes you have committed, but that does me no good, does it? And if you've taught me anything, 'teacher,' it's that evreypo-body can change. I suppose that would be more true for you than for anything else in this universe. I believe you. For now. What do you want, and what does the current  ruler of Equestria have to do with it?"

Tilt searches her self, and thinks. For what would she... kill? She tries to ignore her stomach turning over at the thought, and trots over beside Mars, his head still level with hers in spite of his sitting position. She looks back over her shoulder at him.

"You keep telling yourself that. If the greatest thing you'd wanted was recognition, you wouldn't have said what you did when we were facing ourselves. Perhaps Kuro's magic had something to do with it, perhaps it twisted your words so that it didn't come out properly."

She circles around her shadow's hindquarters and back up beside him, standing head to head and looking forwards the direction he's looking. "He offered you freedom. If you succeeded, you could be free. Free to put everything behind yourself, all the chains of our mortal flaws, and pursue the gold you know you deserve."

"Free to realise your destiny, without being held down by the rest of yourself."

She looks at Daisoujou, still standing where he was.

"Of course, that's why Alice and Daikon didn't get to work with you. What Kuro wanted wasn't to give you freedom. He wanted to strengthen Arcana's soldiers, so that he could claim some measure of victory from destroying a foal. If you'd been allowed to work with them, Alice would have told you that. And the lies would come crashing down."

"If you'd won, you wouldn't have gotten to step into my shoes. Nopony ever wins by committing suicide. You'd have gone the way of Blanco and Ecrue. Have you ever wondered what happened to them?"

History:

At Melody's hug, Shiro's eyes widen before he wraps his arms around the changeling and sobs quietly into her mane.

Spoiler:

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Discord grins and wraps himself around Wraith in a snakelike hug, grinning. "Ah wonderful! Now, simply put, Celly in Equestria more or less threatened me to tone down on the pony-effecting chaos or else I become a lawn ornament in Fluttershy's yard to care for. So, more or less, I need to be a good little boy and teach you-" Discord tickles Wraith's nose with his tail, the ghost sneezing out blue ectoplasm. "-Friendship as a counter to the chaos you've caused. As much as it pains me to admit..."

Spoiler:

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Mars stares at Tilt, eyes wide as he lays down, and his jaw slowly becomes more and more agape, coughing and unable to respond.

"She was accurate, wasn't she?" Daisoujo tilted his head, looking at the persona.

"Er. Y-yes, as far as I could tell... At least in regards to myself. With Blanco and Cleo and Ecrue and Marc the shadows that were lured in by Arachne's webs did succeed with her help, but in the end..." Mars shakes his head and frown down at Tilt, leaning to softly boop the athlete in the nose with his own. "Nopony can say we aren't observant though."

Alice frowned. "Kuro wants to strengthen Arcana's forces, Arcana wants to destroy Kuro's.... It's weird."

Spoiler:

Melody was quiet for the moment, just hugging the colt and letting him get it out...She had a feeling this had been building for a long time, and that he needed a good cry...There was nothing more to say for now, she rubbed his back gently to comfort him, letting him get it out of his system, smiling gently.

LoganAura wrote:
Marie looked at George questionably. "I did not mean a book on hearts, I meant the book of Personae, however if you have one of both, may I?"
A.) Give Marie the Heart Book (Can get an Understanding or Diligence boost)
B.) Give Marie the Personae Book (Can get an Expression or Intelligence boost)
C.) Give Marie Both Books. (can get a Diligence boost + ??)
D.) Don't Give Marie Either. (Courage rank 2 needed. Can get an Expression boost.)

...I get the feeling this book of Personae is quite valuable, not to mention I can in theory always by another book on hearts, but if I can't get another copy of the heart book then...bah I'm overthinking this...
"Well if you don't want the heart book I'll have it back, besides I believe the Persona book is still at my home, I didn't think to bring it with me.
George was lying and he knew it, he had been tired enough last night that he had fallen asleep on his sofa without doing anything so logically the Persona book would still be in his first-aid bag, underneath all of his equipment. Although Marie didn't realize that, did she?
"Besides I'm now quite curious as to what's in it myself now, I'm sorry I'll drop by with it at a later date."

Spoiler:

"I saw a shadow lose, once. I hope I never have to see it again." Tilt nods, and nudges Red Hare's nose back, then looks up to Alice still on her back. "So why doesn't Kuro like Shiro, Imoto-chan?" she asks, "I don't believe I've heard that story before."

Icing shrugs, but he'll back the one with scarier claws. "Sorry to have misunderstood the request, my fault. By the by, though, why is the place so... broken?" He asks, looking around.