September 16^th, 2019
Sunday
Sunny

Daytime

play song

Diamond Tiara told Starlight she’d meet her in the park in South Street, so at around 11 noon Starlight made her way there. She expected to have to wait a bit, but when she got there she was surprised to see Diamond Tiara already sitting on a bench looking at her phone.

When she saw Starlight, Diamond Tiara beamed and ran over to her.

“Hey Starlight!” she cheered hugging Starlight.

“Hey, you got here early,” Starlight said returning the hug, “I wasn’t expecting you till sometime around 12.”

“I know, but something came up so I chose to come by early,” Diamond Tiara said with a hint of somberness. Was she disappointed about something? “Hey, wanna see my favorite shop here?” Diamond Tiara asked. The mischievous smirk she gave worried Starlight a bit, but she figured she’d open up to her easier if Starlight followed along. Honestly, she felt like she and Diamond Tiara would really click today.

When she focused within, she felt like Silky was hovering around her.

“I’d love that,” Starlight said with a smile. Diamond Tiara jumped up and down excitedly clapping her hands.

“Perfect! Let’s go!” she said, taking Starlight’s hand and pulling her into town. It seemed like she was pushing herself somewhat. Since they were holding hands, Starlight opened herself and felt out her friend’s emotions.

Screw him! I’ll go where I want thank you very much!

Starlight frowned a bit. Despite how jovial she seemed right now, Diamond Tiara was really upset about something. It didn’t feel as dark as Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash, but still. This was concerning. For another time though. She was here on a mission.

play song

One that took Starlight to a place called “Lady Love”. All of the clothes here were super provocative, like the kind one would wear to a strip club.

“Well, what do you think?” Diamond Tiara asked expectantly. Honestly, this was not the sort of place Starlight would buy clothes, but she didn’t want to make Diamond Tiara feel bad.

“It’s… surprising to say the least,” Starlight said. Diamond Tiara gave her high pitched “rich girl” laugh.

“Right~? Daddy doesn’t know it, but I have quite a few outfits from this shop. He’d be so upset if he knew!” she said, a little too happy honestly. Was she actually trying to anger her father?

The two girls entered the shop, Starlight feeling really awkward walking through. Still, she kind of got the feeling wearing something from this shop would make her more popular in school. She was no where near bold enough to do that though.

Diamond Tiara on the other hand…

“Well? What do you think?” Diamond Tiara said stepping out of the dressing room. She was currently wearing a skimpy red top that showed off an almost indecent amount of cleavage, black jacket, black mini skirt, fishnet stockings, and black high heeled boots.

“Honestly, you look like a stripper,” Starlight said honestly. Just as she thought, Diamond Tiara started laughing.

“I know! This outfit just screams slut, doesn’t it?” she walked over to a nearby window and gave a sexy pose, “It’s like I’m saying “throw me onto a table and fuck me, please”!”

She gave another arrogant laugh. Starlight was really wondering what went on in her head.

“Hey, why don’t you try on something?” Diamond Tiara suggested, giggling when she saw how terrified Starlight was, “Don’t worry. I won’t take pictures of you or anything. But you like, really need to get in touch with your sexual side. You’re a cheerleader now, remember?”

Well, she did have a point, and she already knew how short the cheerleader uniform skirts were. Starlight sighed and reluctantly let Diamond Tiara pick out something.

She immediately regretted her life choices afterward.

Said outfit consisted of a black top that was way too provocative by itself, a fishnet shirt that went over top that made it a bit better, red flannel mini skirt, and black ankle boots with a golden heel. Starlight felt practically naked while wearing it.

She wasn’t sure she ever wanted Ms. Tia to see her wearing this.

Starlight stepped out to present it to Diamond Tiara, who gasped when she saw it.

“OMG, you look so hot in that!” Diamond Tiara cheered.

“I feel so exposed right now…” Starlight said, holding an arm over her breasts and looking away embarrassed.

“That’s the whole point, Starlight. A woman’s power is in her sexuality. Oh my God, if everyone could see you like this at school you’d easily become the most popular girl in school! Like, even more popular than the Student Body President!”

Really? Starlight wasn’t too sure about that herself, but she at the very least felt wearing this in a controlled setting would really boost her courage.

“Let’s get it,” Diamond Tiara said suddenly, scaring Starlight immensely, “Don’t worry, it’s on me. Besides, don’t you want to look sexy for Trixie?” she wagged her eyebrows knowingly.

“Does the whole school know now?” Starlight groaned, her face feeling like it was on fire.

“I don’t know if the whole school knows, but with how you two are all over each other, anyone who sees you can tell,” she walked over to Starlight and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, “On the plus side, they do ship you two.”

“I’m… not sure if that comforts me too much,” Starlight admitted, earning another laugh from Diamond Tiara.

“You are so precious! Please, never lose that honesty of yours. It adds to your charm,” she averted her eyes somberly, “And I really need more friends like you in my life.”

Despite everything, Starlight did feel like she understood a bit more about what sort of person Diamond Tiara was. She felt like their bond increased significantly.

play song

After paying for their outfits (and changing back into their typical attire THANK GOD) Starlight and Diamond Tiara stepped out of the shop. Right when Starlight was about to ask Diamond Tiara about Fleur, they bumped into another girl around their age. Based on how Diamond Tiara’s eyes lit up, she knew this girl.

“Silver Spoon!” Diamond Tiara cried happily, hugging the new girl. Said girl had long silver hair that was partially braided on one side but still flowing freely, blue square framed glasses, wore a silver and white dress that was expensive looking but more conservative than Diamond Tiara’s attire, black shoes, and dark pink lipstick.

“Oh Diamond, it’s been a while,” Silver Spoon said returning the hug.

“Tell me about it. I didn’t know you were back in town,” Diamond Tiara said.

“I was going to call you tonight actually and tell you,” Silver Spoon noticed Starlight and looked her up and down, almost like how Fleur did earlier, “Who’s this? Your new pet or something?”

Well screw you too, Starlight thought frowning.

“Come on Spoony, don’t be like that. This is my new friend Starlight Glimmer. Starlight, this is my childhood friend Silver Spoon.”

“Ah, I see. My apologies. Diamond is the one who typically associates with the common folk,” Silver Spoon elegantly held out her hand, trying to be polite, but clearly forcing herself, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Starlight Glimmer.”

“Yeah, likewise,” Starlight said, shaking Silver Spoon’s hand.

Ugh! Who does this skank think she is! Diamond is MINE!

Whoa! It almost felt like she was being attacked by her emotions. That, was new.

“Hey, why don’t we all hang out together?” Diamond Tiara requested, “I’d love it if my oldest friend could meet my newest.”

“That sounds lovely, Diamond!” Silver Spoon said before Starlight could speak up, “You don’t mind, do you Starlight?” Silver Spoon looked at Starlight with an expression that Starlight couldn’t read.

“Not at all,” Starlight said, a bit unnerved with how Silver Spoon smirked.

“Great! Let’s go get something to eat then. I think Starlight wanted to ask me something anyway, so we can talk there.”

Starlight nodded and followed Diamond Tiara, all the while feeling Silver Spoon’s gaze on her.

“Fleur de Lis?” Diamond Tiara asked. She’d taken them to a pizza place called "The Mushroom Kingdom", which was owned by two Italian men who dressed more like plumbers than owners of a Pizza Parlor. Diamond Tiara had ordered a large pepperoni pizza which sat in the middle of their table.

“You know Pinkie Pie? My dorm mate with the pink hair?” Starlight asked.

“She’s the celebrity, right? The one who stared in The Forgotten Princess,” Diamond Tiara asked.

Starlight nodded, “That’s her agent apparently. She came by yesterday to take Pinkie Pie to a photo shoot, but I’ll be honest, I didn’t like the vibe she gave off. I was wondering if you knew anything about her.”

“Hm… not much, sorry,” Diamond Tiara said, “I’ve seen her a few times, though, so I get what you mean by not liking the vibe she gives,” Starlight tilted her head confused, “Well, she came by last year at one point, while Pinkie Pie was working on the movie. She was super possessive of her. It was like, so creepy.”

Starlight did pick up on that. The way she kept calling Pinkie Pie “her” Pinkamena did raise a few red flags.

“Hey Spoony, your father was on the set for one of her movies, so you saw Fleur, right?” Diamond Tiara asked, turning to her friend who of course was eating her pizza with a knife and fork instead of using her hands like a normal teenager.

“Hm? Oh, yes. I met Fleur. She’s nothing but a money grubbing bitch who’s angry she didn’t make the cut,” Silver Spoon answered simply.

“What do you mean?” Starlight asked taking a bite out of her slice. Silver Spoon gave her a look before she answered.

“In the world of show business, there are two kinds of people. The one’s who have talent, and the ones who don’t. She was the latter.”

Why did Starlight get the feeling she wasn’t just talking about Fleur?

“She was a thing for a hot minute,” she continued, elegantly cutting another piece of her slice, “Problem with being a model though, unless you have “the look”, no one will hire you,” she ate the piece she cut off, which finished her current slice, before grabbing another one, “Since she didn’t have any other talents to fall back on, she faded. Now her much prettier and more talented goddaughter is the star, and she’s nothing more than the star’s servant. Exactly where all the no talented hacks should be.”

The way she narrowed her eyes at Starlight this time said it all. She was trying to make her uncomfortable so she’d leave. Starlight knew exactly how to fix her.

“Thank you Silver Spoon, that really helped,” Starlight said, adding a bit of venom to her tone, but feeling a good deal more poised gracefully. And based on how Silver Spoon scowl became slightly more pronounced, she got the memo.

I’m not going anywhere, bitch.

“Hey, I need to step away for a second,” Diamond Tiara said rising, “Don’t eat all the pizza without me.”

“Don’t worry, Diamond, I’m sure there will be a couple of slices left when you get back,” Silver Spoon said in her overly perky tone she used around Diamond Tiara.

As Diamond Tiara sashayed toward the restrooms, Starlight could feel the air around her get colder.

play song

“Well, now it’s just you and me,” Silver Spoon said, not even trying to hide her scowl anymore.

“I get the feeling you don’t like me very much,” Starlight pointed out. Silver Spoon gave an exaggerated gasp.

“Really? Whatever gave you that idea!” she narrowed her eyes, “I’m going to make this simple for you, okay? You’re nowhere near our level. Honestly, you don’t deserve to lick the souls of Diamond Tiara’s shoes.”

Starlight narrowed her eyes at Silver Spoon. Normally she tried to be nice, but this girl was making that really hard. Not even Trixie was this much of a bitch when they met.

“So, how are we going to make this work?” Starlight asked, resting her head on her hand in a way that showed her Channeling Ring. She knew Silver Spoon didn’t know what it was, but she felt more dangerous showing it openly.

“Oh that’s simple, you just vanish from Diamond’s life and never speak to her again,” Silver Spoon said, leaning forward and resting her chin on both hands with a phony smile.

“That’s not going to happen.”

“Oh really?”

“Diamond Tiara is my friend too, so you can either get used to having me around, or you can disappear.”

“And that’s really not going to happen,” Silver Spoon said, narrowing her eyes still smiling, “See, I’ve always been Diamond’s guardian against peasants. She’s always being nice to unfortunate souls like you, and they always start thinking that they’re good enough to be her friend. That’s until I put them in their place.”

“In other words, you’re the only one who’s good enough to be her friend,” Starlight stated, “That’s really fucked up, you know that?”

“Oh you misunderstand. It’s not that I’m the only one who’s good enough, just that they weren’t. I’m not going to let anyone take advantage of my best friend, especially not some creepy goth bitch.”

“Well I’m not going to let anyone take advantage of her either, least of all some phony rich slut,” She said, feeling Morgana take over from within. She felt a lot more courageous speaking up like that.

Silver Spoon’s smile slowly faded back into a sinister scowl, but Diamond Tiara came back before she could say anything.

“Sorry I took so long~” Diamond Tiara said sitting back down, “Decided to retouch my make-up while I was in the ladies room,” she looked between Starlight and Silver Spoon, “Is everything okay?”

“Oh yeah, we’re perfectly fine,” Starlight said giving Silver Spoon a slight glare, “Right Silver Spoon?”

“That’s right, everything is perfectly fine,” Silver Spoon said, putting on her fake smile but still glaring at Starlight. Despite the tension surrounding them, Starlight could feel a faint bond forming between herself and Silver Spoon.

play song

Wait… seriously? This bitch was one of her Social Links? But Starlight didn’t like her! At all! How the hell was she supposed to work on a bond with someone who hated her guts?! Why was she expected to form a bond with someone like her?!

This had to be a sick joke.

Realizing that now she had to at least try to be friendly with Silver Spoon, at least around Diamond Tiara, she resumed the hang out session. Despite Silver Spoon making it clear she did not want her around, she was still able to enjoy herself.

The three of them spent the rest of the day together until it was time to return to the dorms.

end song

When Starlight returned to the dorm, she was exhausted. She thankfully got the information she needed, but the idea that it came from that bitch Silver Spoon didn’t sit well with her. Also, now she was expected to form a friendship with her?

What the hell was this?

“Welcome home, Starlight.”

play song

Starlight looked ahead and saw Celestia sitting on the couch, as usual drinking tea.

“Hi Ms. Tia,” Starlight said going to sign her name, “I have information on Fleur.”

“Excellent, what did you discover?” she asked.

Starlight sat down next to Celestia on the couch and relayed what Silver Spoon told her. Turned out, Trixie had already made it back and given her some information as well.

“This is perfect,” Celestia said thoughtfully, “Hopefully with this we can find Pinkie Pie’s Dungeon swiftly.”

“Yeah… hopefully,” Starlight sighed. Before she could get up and leave, Celestia placed a hand on her leg.

“Are you okay, dear? I sense that you’re upset about something,” Celestia said. Good God, she was like a mother. She could feel that something was wrong without Starlight needing to say anything.

Starlight found herself confiding in Celestia what happened when she hung out with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and how Silver Spoon was now one of her Social Links.

“Ah, I see,” Celestia nodded in understanding, “Yes, I could see how someone like that would trigger you.”

“Ms. Tia, if she’s one of my Social Links, do I have to be nice to her?” Starlight asked, genuinely confused. Normally she just stayed away from people who she didn’t like. Leave me alone, and I’ll leave you alone.

“That’s… a difficult question, honestly,” Celestia admitted, “I can see why you would want to stay away from her, and normally that would be best. At the same time though, you are Diamond Tiara’s friend.”

“I think she really needs someone like me as a friend. Especially if she has someone like that close to her,” Starlight said, trying to keep the venom in her voice to a minimum.

“And there’s your answer on what to do for now. Be Diamond Tiara’s friend. This Silver Spoon sounds like she wants to bully you into leaving Diamond Tiara. Diamond Tiara values you as a friend, so you should stay by her side. However, I wouldn’t judge Silver Spoon so harshly either.”

She wouldn’t? Well of course she wouldn’t. Starlight asked her why, however.

“There’s no telling what’s going on in her head right now, but no one is truly malicious without a reason. From what you told me, she seems to genuinely see Diamond Tiara as a friend, so she’s not inherently bad. I’m not saying to tolerate how she treats you, and if she does do something harmful, you should take proper action, but if she is a Social Link, that means there’s something the two of you are meant to learn from one another. For now, I would just focus on being there for your friend. If she DOES cause you too much trouble, there’s no shame in letting either myself or one of your other friends know.”

“Should I tell Diamond Tiara?”

“Not yet,” Celestia shook her head, “She’s known Silver Spoon longer. Play it by ear for now, but also trust in Diamond Tiara. She’s a good kid, and I know she won’t let Silver Spoon bully you but so much.”

Actually, that was probably right. It seemed like Silver Spoon was content acting like a nice person when Diamond Tiara was around. She’d see what happens there for now, and see how that Social Link developed. Starlight thanked Celestia, who responded by pulling her into a maternal embrace.

“You’re very welcome. I’m glad I could help you,” Celestia said gently. Starlight felt a bit closer to Celestia from that exchange.

After relaxing in her arms, Starlight went upstairs to her and Trixie’s room to rest and check on her roommate. She wondered if she’d still be up. When she entered the room, she saw Trixie lying on her bed relaxing. Her jacket and hat were both off, and her shirt was unbuttoned halfway, revealing her dark blue bra underneath.

Okay, seeing that makes me feel a good deal better.

play song

“Hey Starlight,” Trixie said sitting up, seemingly exhausted, “You look like you had a rough day.”

“You too,” Starlight said closing the door and sitting down on her bed, “What happened on your end?”

“Rainbow Dash was mostly just being distant and evasive,” Trixie sighed, “At one point I had to pin her to a wall and yell at her, reminding her that I’m her friend and I want to help.”

“She’s really being affected by all of this,” Starlight said.

“Yeah, and I think I’m kind of figuring out why. Apparently Pinkie Pie’s been crying in her sleep since the beginning of the school year.”

Starlight’s eyes were wide. Was she suffering the Nightmare Epidemic all this time too and they didn’t realize it? Who else did she know that was suffering from it?

“Pinkie Pie normally seems so jovial and positive though. The idea that she was suffering the whole time…” Starlight said, more to herself than Trixie.

“I don’t think she consciously remembers the nightmares,” Trixie stated, “At least, they’re not clear to her yet.”

“How do you figure that?” Starlight asked.

“Rainbow Dash told me that she tried asking her about her nightmare once, and Pinkie Pie said that it had mostly faded by that time,” Trixie explained, “So whatever is happening to her in there, it’s not vivid enough for her to consciously recall it yet.”

“Pinkie Pie’s supposed to be coming back later tonight,” Starlight checked her phone, which showed 7:20 at the moment, “Want to stay up and see how she is?”

Trixie nodded, “I think if we can see the state she’s in after the photo shoot, it’ll tell us a lot. Also, I don’t know if it’s painful or anything when you do this, but try to get a hold of her and use your empathy. Maybe if we know her full emotional state, we can figure out a keyword that will guide us directly to Pinkie Pie’s Dungeon.”

Starlight nodded in agreement. She didn’t like knowing how long she was suffering the Nightmare Epidemic. However, she’d made physical contact with Pinkie Pie a bunch of times and hadn’t felt anything. Starlight wondered why that was.

“So that’s my day, what about yours?” Trixie asked, leaning close to Starlight with a frown, “I may not be an empath, but I can tell when my friend is upset about something.”

Starlight sighed, “I ran into one of Diamond Tiara’s friends today, her name is Silver Spoon.”

“Oooooh, I know exactly who she is,” Trixie winced, “She and I had the same homeroom last year. I did not like her at all. She was kind of a bitch to everyone, throwing the fact she’s wealthy at everyone.”

“Sounds about right,” Starlight fell back onto her bed, “She basically told me to my face I’m not rich enough to be Diamond Tiara’s friend.”

“Is that right?” Trixie asked with a raised eyebrow, “Well, Diamond Tiara doesn’t seem to mind us being her friends.”

“I’m really starting to like Diamond Tiara, and I can tell she’s got a lot of issues that I want to try and help her through. At least be there to support her. But I get the feeling Silver Spoon is going to be hovering around her now.”

“Well, I don’t think she can sabotage you against Diamond Tiara. No offense Starlight, but you already have a bit of a reputation in school.”

Oh fuck, Trixie was right. Silver Spoon didn’t know that she tried to kill herself yet. What would happen when she found out?

“How do I stop her from using that against me?” Starlight asked sitting up suddenly, “Trixie, this is a huge deal! She doesn’t have any leverage on me yet, but when she finds out I tried to kill myself, I’m screwed!”

“Oh shit, I hadn’t thought about that,” Trixie said looking to the side, “Um… um… okay, don’t panic. Listen, I’m going to think of something, okay?”

“You will?” Starlight asked hopefully.

“Relax, I’ve got you, Starlight. You saved my life, in more ways than one. Ensuring some rich bitch can’t ruin your life is the least I can do.”

Starlight actually moved to sit next to Trixie and hugged her, “Thank you.”

“That’s what sisters are for,” Trixie said, secretly eyeing her Channeling Ring.

play song

At around dinner time, the doorbell rang. Rainbow Dash immediately rushed out of the dining room to answer the door.

“Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash cried, hugging the pink haired teen.

“H-hey Dashie…” Pinkie Pie said, her voice a bit more quiet than usual, “How was your weekend?”

“You weren’t here, so I was pretty much bored all weekend,” Rainbow Dash said. Starlight, Trixie, and Celestia all entered the living room/main auditorium too.

“Oh Pinkie Pie, it’s wonderful to see you!” Celestia said lovingly. Pinkie Pie actually ran into Celestia’s arms hugging her, “Pinkie Pie, is everything okay?”

“Y-yeah. I just missed you, Ms. Tia. That’s all.”

“Hey, don’t we get hugs too?” Trixie asked jovially.

"Well duh! Hugs for everyone!” Pinkie Pie said, now hugging both Trixie and Starlight at the same time.

I’m… sorry everyone…! I didn’t know what that photo shoot was…!

Starlight frowned looking at Pinkie Pie as she released them. What sort of photo shoot did she have to do…?

“Hey, I’m going to head upstairs and rest up,” Pinkie Pie said, clearly trying to hide how upset she was.

“You don’t want to join us for dinner?” Celestia asked. Pinkie Pie shook her head.

“I already ate, and I’m really tired. I kind of want to head right to sleep,” Pinkie Pie said.

“Well, alright. Get some rest, sweetie,” Celestia said gently before kissing Pinkie Pie on the forehead.

“Good night Ms. Tia. Night everyone,” Pinkie Pie said jovially. She then turned to Rainbow Dash, and oddly enough averted her eyes sadly before running upstairs to her room.

“Pinkie Pie…” Rainbow Dash said to herself. She then walked back into the dining room to finish her dinner, and more than likely to ponder her own personal thoughts on the situation.

“Well? Did you feel anything?” Trixie asked Starlight. Starlight told her and Celestia exactly what she felt from Pinkie Pie, “She’s… upset about the photo shoot?”

“I wish I knew what magazine she was modeling for,” Celestia said looking upstairs, “I get the feeling something happened concerning it.”

“Well, news travels fast in Canterlot High, and I’m sure that if it’s something like Cosmopolitan, someone in school is going to get it, for better and for worse,” Trixie suggested, “Let’s just wait for that to happen.”

Starlight didn’t like waiting for that, but she didn’t see an alternative this time around. The most she could do was keep gathering information to give to Twilight and be on the lookout for any news of Pinkie Pie’s photo shoot.

Starlight really hoped none of this took too long.

Fool Arcana: 2/10
Magician Arcana: 2/10
Priestess Arcana: 3/10 Level Up!
Empress Arcana: 3/10 Level Up!
Devil Arcana: 1/10 Established!