September 21^st, 2019
Friday
Sunny

Morning

play song

Celestia knocked on Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash’s door, “Pinkie Pie honey, please come out.”

“No! I’m not leaving!” Pinkie Pie screamed, “I don’t care what Cinch says, I’m not going back to that place!”

Celestia sighed, “Alright. I won’t force you, but at least eat breakfast, alright? I’m heading to school now, but I’ll check on you later, sweetie.”

Celestia turned to Starlight, Trixie, and Rainbow Dash behind her shaking and shook her head.

“I’m not surprised,” Trixie groaned, “Yesterday was terrible.”

“Ms. Tia, please let me stay with Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash begged, “I’m worried she might hurt herself if she’s alone.”

“Mmm, I don’t know, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia said looking back at the door, “I do think having someone stay behind with her is a good idea, but…”

“I have to protect her,” Rainbow Dash stated, “Ms. Tia, I’m begging you.”

Celestia looked at Rainbow Dash intently for a few seconds to a minute before sighing in resignation, “Cinch is going to have my head for this... Alright Rainbow Dash, you can stay here and watch over Pinkie Pie. Everyone else has to go to class though, understood?”

“Yes Ms. Tia,” Starlight and Trixie said in unison.

“Thanks, Ms. Tia,” Rainbow Dash sighed. Celestia pulled Rainbow Dash into a loving embrace.

“I could never separate a knight from her princess,” she said affectionately, “Take care of her, alright?”

“I will, promise,” Rainbow Dash released Celestia turning to Starlight and Trixie, “Think you could do damage control?” Starlight nodded saying she was okay with that, “Thanks. You guys are the best,” Rainbow Dash turned back to the door and knocked on it, “Pinkie Pie, it’s me. I’m coming in, okay?”

Rainbow Dash walked into the room shutting the door behind her. Starlight, Trixie, and Celestia went off to school without a word, this time just taking Celestia’s car since they were all together.

Daytime

“Hey um, Starlight! Wait up!”

Starlight stopped right before walking into her science class and turned around to see Applejack running up to her.

“How is she?” Applejack asked, visibly worried. Starlight explained to Applejack how Pinkie Pie was in the morning, causing the blond teen to close her eyes in frustration, “Yeah. I expected as much. Rares hated doin’ that yesterday, but Cinch had our hands tied.”

“I’m not blaming you or Rarity, neither is the dorm,” Starlight said. Applejack sighed relaxing.

“Good. Didn’t want y’all thinkin’ that was me. Um, think Ms. Tia would mind if I stopped by the dorm to check on my little cousin after school?”

“I doubt she’d mind,” Starlight said.

“Thanks Starlight. Glad someone in this school ain’t thinkin’ I’m the devil or somethin’,” Applejack turned to walk off, but stopped, “Never did like Fleur managin’ Pinkie Pie.”

Wait, Applejack knew Fleur? That’s right! She would know her!

“Applejack, hang on!” Starlight called out stopping her, “What sort of relationship does Pinkie Pie have with her agent?”

“Ya met Fleur, huh? She’s Pinkie Pie’s godmother. She was friends with Pinkie Pie’s Ma, so when she died of cancer Fleur offered ta take care of her an’ help with her career.”

“So Fleur raises Pinkie Pie?” Starlight asked.

“’Raise’ ain’t what I’d call it,” Applejack spat, continuing with Starlight tilted her head confused, “Now, I’m a tad biased ‘cause Pinkie Pie’s family, but if ya ask me she acts like she owns Pinkie Pie. Almost like she were a possession of some sort.”

So she didn’t imagine that. Fleur was treating Pinkie Pie like a possession.

“Why the sudden interest?” Applejack asked, walking over to Starlight and narrowing her eyes, “You ain’t plannin’ on goin’ after Fleur, are ya?”

Starlight shook her head vehemently, “I just wanted to understand Pinkie Pie’s situation, that’s all. She’s my friend, and I’m worried.”

Applejack backed away and nodded in acceptance, “That’s fair. Sorry, jus’ on edge lately. It ain’t just Pinkie Pie. I’m-” she caught herself rubbing her eyes, “It’s nothin’. Look, jus’ look out for my cousin, alright?”

Applejack walked off, leaving Starlight with the impression she was really stressed about something. Was there something else that had her upset?

For another time. Starlight knew she had enough information now. With this, they’d be able to get into Pinkie Pie’s Dungeon, hopefully tonight. She decided to head right to the dorm after school.

Late night

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Starlight and Trixie stayed up to wait for Twilight. Starlight wasted no time telling Twilight what Applejack told her about Fleur’s relationship with Pinkie Pie.

“If that’s true, I think that might be just what I need,” Twilight said, “Give me a second,” she turned to her terminal and got to work. Starlight had no idea what the numbers on the screen meant, but apparently Twilight did, as her eyes were glued to the screen, “Bingo!”

“You have it?” Celestia asked.

“Pinkie Pie’s Dungeon is located on the third floor, section D-79!” Twilight said, “It’s hidden in a back section away from the other books, and on the completely other side of the library where we usually enter from.”

“Brilliant work, my student!” Celestia said hugging Twilight from behind, “I knew you could do it!”

“Of course I could. I am a genius,” she held onto Celestia’s arms returning the embrace, “Still, the praise helps my ego immensely.”

Trixie turned to Starlight, “Did you understand, any of what she said?” Starlight shook her head, “Okay good. It’s not just me then.”

“I don't like sending you in unprepared like this, but we can't afford to wait,” Celestia said turning to Starlight and Trixie, “For now, just focus on tracking Pinkie Pie down in her Dungeon and keeping her safe.”

“It’s about time!” Trixie said, “Finally, we get to do our part!”

“I have some ice chamomile tea in my mini fridge,” Twilight said rising from her chair, “Drink that before you go to sleep. It’ll help you drift off quickly and give you an edge in the Phase.”

“Thanks Twilight,” Starlight said. Twilight just nodded and rushed to her room.

“Please be careful, my students,” Celestia urged, “This is new territory, so there’s no telling what will happen in there.”

“We will,” Starlight said. She and Trixie ran downstairs to get ready to head out.

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It didn’t take them long to drift off to sleep, so within minutes they were in the Akashic Records. Twilight’s wisp guided them through the library, taking them deeper than they’d ever been and eventually into a small open area hidden away behind the bookshelves. It was a real cozy section, and would have been great for reading in if not for the black and red door in the middle of the space.

“Yeah, there was no way we were going to find this on our own,” Trixie said looking around.

“From what I’m reading, this Dungeon is significantly bigger than yours, Trixie,” Twilight said, “There’s no way we’re clearing this place in one night.”

According to Igor, they weren’t clearing this place period without finding that chariot. She sincerely hoped they found that on their way. They could rescue Pinkie Pie in her Dungeon all they wanted, but without that, they had no way of actually getting her to safety.

“Are you ready for this, Trixie?” Starlight asked her partner, “This is your first official Dungeon.”

“I was going to ask you the same question,” Trixie asked, “Technically we’re all inexperienced here.”

“Hopefully that won’t hinder us too badly,” Twilight said, “I really wish we knew what we were up against here though. I had at least seen the inside of Trixie’s Dungeon beforehand. This time, we’re going in blind, and I really don’t like that.”

“Neither do I, honestly,” Trixie said folding her arms, “Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Lead the way, Starlight.”

Starlight nodded and slowly approached the Dungeon. This was the moment she was waiting for. She was terrified, but at least she wasn’t going in alone. Hopefully just having Trixie fighting beside her was enough to keep her safe.

Starlight took a deep breath, and opened the door, leading her team inside the unknown Dungeon.

end song

They emerged in what appeared to be a dark forest, like with Trixie’s Dungeon. The sky was black and ominous, not a star in the sky, and it was unnaturally quiet. The moon was shining brightly in the sky, offering the only source of light in the black forest.

“Is this how my Dungeon felt?” Trixie asked, probably referring to the sense of pure wrongness in the air, along with the feeling of being watched.

“Yeah, more or less,” Starlight said, she and Trixie looking around.

“Hold on, there’s a structure up ahead,” Twilight said. Starlight and Trixie looked to see a black fortress in the distance. From there it looked like there were torches lit, suggesting that people were over there.

People, or Shadows.

“That’s our first stop,” Starlight said, “Let’s go!”

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Starlight and Trixie carefully moved through the trees, keeping an eye out just in case anyone tried to jump out and assault them. It didn’t take long to reach the fortress, which at the moment had the gates wide open. As they approached the gate, Starlight though she heard something. It sounded like crying.

“What is it?” Trixie asked. Starlight held a finger to her lips and listened carefully.

“Stop, please! Don’t- AHH!”

“Shut up, Princess! Your knight can’t come to your rescue this time!”

“That’s Pinkie Pie!” Twilight cried, “We need to get in there! I think she’s in trouble!”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Trixie seethed pulling out a card, “Starlight, remember in Elysium when I said I don’t mind being bossed around? That applies here too. I’m following your lead in this.”

Starlight readied her scythe and nodded. For now, they’d try to stay hidden as they made their way through the Fortress.

It always took forever to find this place again since she always ended up in a different spot. Not all of the dreams took place here in the fortress, but enough did where she realized it was a reoccurring theme. She always found it eventually though, so it didn’t take long to get there. She didn’t expect to run into anyone else though, and those two looked familiar.

“Why are Starlight and Trixie here?” Rainbow Dash asked stepping out from behind the tree, “And… why were they dressed like witches…?”

They had a few close calls, but thankfully no one had seen them yet. This wasn’t like in Elysium, where they could afford to be out in the open. Here, the Shadows had an agenda, and Starlight did not want to find out what would happen if they got caught.

The inside of the fortress was brightly lit with torches all around, giving this place a very old fashioned feel. Starlight felt like she was moving through a fantasy world, like a fairy tale almost. Eventually they reached a path where they wouldn’t be able to get through without a fight.

“We can take him,” Trixie said, noting that there was another one close by walking around, “Rip of that guy’s mask, and I’ll cover you.”

Starlight nodded and carefully moved into position. Once the enemy was within range, Starlight jumped out onto his back, “Show me your true form!” she shouted, ripping the mask off. The enemy she ripped the mask off turned into a cute, tiny old man looking spirit with a gray beard in Japanese robes holding a leaf like an umbrella. His partner turned into a tiny white snowman wearing a blue jester’s hat and a huge smile.

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“I have their ID! One is called Koropokkuru, and the other one is Jack Frost!” Twilight said, “Careful! They’re small, but they’re stronger than what we’ve faced so far.”

“Take care of Jack Frost!” Starlight shouted, “I’ll fight the other one!”

“Got it!” Trixie said readying her cards. Immediately she threw a few at Jack Frost knocking him onto his back, and summoned her Persona, “Come Elenora!”

Elenora began throwing fireballs at Jack Frost, who gave an animated scream and started running around the field dodging the attacks.

“Hey! Come back here!” Trixie fussed racing after him.

Starlight wasn’t having much more luck herself, as her opponent was also quite agile. She spun around swinging her scythe in wide arcs, eventually slamming her scythe right in front of Koropokkuru.

“SUCCUBUS!” Starlight shouted, switching to Succubus and casting Agi on the stunned enemy, knocking it onto it’s back. Since he wasn’t going to be getting up anytime soon, she switched back to Morgana, who rushed over to Jack Frost and slammed her claws in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

“Thanks! Persona!” Trixie shouted, once again summoning Elenora, who once again threw Agi at Jack Frost, this time hitting her mark and knocking him to his feet, “How do you want to end this?”

“All Out Attack!” Starlight commanded, none of these resonated with her heart yet, so they needed to disappear before they called reinforcements. Starlight threw Koropokkuru into Jack Frost, and both she and Trixie unleashed their All Out Attack, as always coordinating their attacks perfectly. The enemies dispersed immediately from that assault.

“You were all a wonderful audience~” Trixie tipped her hat to the fallen enemies.

“Great job. Now, let’s keep moving!” Twilight urged. Starlight nodded and lead Trixie and Twilight deeper into the fortress.

end song

Rainbow Dash hid behind a wall, eyes wide as she tried to process what she just witnessed. They weren’t just dressed as witches. They were witches!

“What… did they do to those things…?” Rainbow Dash breathed out, “I can’t even touch them, and they just… what the hell is going on here…?!”

After searching around a bit more, they began hearing Pinkie Pie’s helpless sobs. It hurt listening to that, but Starlight did manage to follow that all the way to where Pinkie Pie was being held. When they found her, she was in what appeared to be the barracks, surrounded by Shadows shaped like knights in black armor. There had to be at least thirty of them.

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Pinkie Pie herself was chained to the back wall, sobbing helplessly. She was dressed like the Princess Starlight kept seeing, but the front of her gown was completely torn, as was her bra leaving her completely exposed save for her bangs _barely_ covering her nipples. She looked up at the knights pleadingly.

“No more…! Please no more…!” Pinkie Pie sobbed.

“You haven’t finished pleasing the rest of us though,” one of the guards sneered grabbing Pinkie Pie by the cheeks, “You still have twenty more to go.”

“This is…” Trixie breathed out in horror.

“This is easily worse than it was in Trixie’s Dungeon…” Twilight said, sounding just as aghast as everyone else, “If we don't do something, who knows what Pinkie Pie's psyche will be like tomorrow?”

Starlight looked around at the number of guards there. There was no way they’d be able to take on that many guards, but like Twilight said, they needed to do something.

“We don’t have a choice,” Trixie said getting a card ready, “I’ll cast Agi on the one in front, and lead them away. While that’s done, you get Pinkie Pie out of there.”

“Hold on a second!” Starlight cried grabbing Trixie’s arm, “You’ll get caught for sure!”

“I don’t see another option here,” Trixie said, “It’ll be alright, Starlight. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Trixie, don’t!” Twilight cried, but it was too late. Trixie rushed in summoning her Persona.

“Elenora, Agi!” she shouted, firing right at the guard that was about to touch Pinkie Pie.

“Argh! What the?!” he and the rest of the guards turned to Trixie, who arrogantly wagged her fingers.

“Come and get me~” she taunted running out of the room.

“After her!” the Shadow shouted, he and all of the men running out of the room after Trixie, thankfully not spotting Starlight. Starlight swore to herself but ran over to Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie Pie, are you okay?!” Starlight asked frantically. Pinkie Pie looked up at Starlight, eyes widening in surprise.

“Wait… Starlight? Why are you…?” she asked.

“No time to explain!” Starlight looked around frantically for the key.

“Starlight, we have a problem!” Twilight cried suddenly, “Trixie’s getting overwhelmed!”

“No!” Starlight cried looking around frantically. She couldn’t leave Pinkie Pie here, but if she didn’t get to Trixie…

“Go!”

Starlight turned to Pinkie Pie in shock. She she seriously want her to just leave?

“You stopped them, that’s enough! Please, help Trixie! I…” Pinkie Pie turned away shedding a few tears, “I already know I’m not leaving this place…”

Starlight hated this, especially after hearing that. Still, she needed to get to Trixie, and fast. She thanked Pinkie Pie and rushed out of the room, stopping at the door briefly.

“We’re going to get you out of here, Pinkie Pie! One way or another, I promise!” she stormed down the hall with her scythe out, praying to God that Trixie was okay.

Eventually she made it back to the clearing, where she saw Trixie surrounded by Shadows, alternating with throwing cards at them, having Elenora kick them away, or casting Agi at them. Since they hadn’t taken off their masks though, she didn’t know if any of these attacks were having any effect on them though.

“Damn it…! At this rate, I’ll…!” she tried to cast Agi again, but she was getting way too tired, and eventually fell to her knees, “Starlight… I’m sorry…!”

Before the knights could swing their swords at Trixie, Starlight rushed in and blocked the attack, pushing all of them back.

“Are you okay?” Starlight asked.

“Sorry Starlight. I guess I really was too reckless,” Trixie said forcing herself to her feet.

“This was an impossible situation. Still though, try not to make that a habit please,” Starlight joked despite the situation.

“I’ll think about it,” Trixie said, getting her cards ready again. The two of them tried fighting off the Shadows as best as they could, trying to push past them and find a Checkpoint, but they were easily overwhelmed. Before Starlight knew it, one Shadow broke through her defense and struck her before she had a chance to summon Morgana.

And her entire world went dark.

end song

“Shit!” Rainbow Dash swore, watching the Shadows carry her friends off, “I need to rescue Pinkie Pie, but if those two are here like me, that means…” Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth, wracking her brain for what to do. Right now, Pinkie Pie wasn’t guarded at all, so Rainbow Dash might have been able to get Pinkie Pie out.

But what about Starlight and Trixie? Would they get out? Or would they be stuck here too?

When Starlight came to, she was in what looked like a small cell. She sat up from the floor and looked around for a way out. Nothing. Standing up, she walked over to the bars and tested them. Once she saw that was futile, she tried summoning Morgana and having her slash at the bars, only to hit a force field guarding them.

“I already tried that,” Trixie sighed, her voice coming from the cell to her left.

“Trixie, are you okay?” Starlight asked.

“Physically, yeah. Emotionally…” she sat with her back pressed against the wall and hugged her legs close, “I feel terrible. I messed up, big time…”

“Yeah, that was reckless,” Starlight sat down leaning against the wall herself, “But what you did wasn’t wrong. That’s what I did for you, remember?”

“Yeah, but you didn’t drag anyone else down with you,” Trixie pouted, “I just… I wanted to help her. I had to help her…”

“You’re really taking this personally,” Starlight reasoned, “Is it because she has a Dungeon like you did?”

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“That’s part of it…” Trixie closed her eyes tightly, letting her tears flow freely, “But also… I couldn’t just watch that…! It made me think about… about… him!”

Starlight looked down hearing that. She knew exactly what Trixie was talking about.

“I know it was stupid, but I couldn’t stand seeing Pinkie Pie like that! You didn’t leave me, so I couldn’t just do nothing!” she buried her face in her hands, “But all I managed to do was get us both stuck in the Dungeon!”

“Trixie, listen. This whole mission was messed up from the start,” Starlight explained, “Twilight didn’t have time to learn the layout, we don’t have the chariot yet, I hate to say it, but this mission was doomed from the start. If anyone’s to blame here, it’s me.”

“You…? How can you say that?”

“I’m the Trickster, so I should have used my head some more too. I was so ready to take action that I didn’t stop to think that I might have been leading you into someplace dangerous,” Starlight sighed sadly, “Some witch I turned out to be…”

end song

“Oh boo hoo! Now, are you done feeling sorry for yourselves, or should we wait to bust you out of there?"

“Twilight?” Starlight asked looking around, “Where are you?”

“I lost the signal after you two got caught, so I had to disconnect the Remote Viewing system to track you down. Thankfully I had some help.”

Before either of them could question what she meant, Starlight saw the last person she expected to see in the Dungeon holding a set of keys.

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“Yo,” Rainbow Dash said waving to Starlight.

“Rainbow Dash?!” Trixie cried, she and Starlight shooting to their feet, “But… how?!”

“I dunno myself,” Rainbow Dash said shrugging, “I just know that I’ve been having this dream for the last few weeks. Your friend the voice told me that she needed help rescuing you though, so here I am.”

“Wait… you’ve been entering Pinkie Pie’s Dungeon the entire time?” Starlight asked as Rainbow Dash fiddled with the lock to Trixie’s cell.

“I… guess so?” Rainbow Dash said, “I don’t know what you mean by a Dungeon, but like I said, I’ve been having this same dream every night. I’m either here, in the village down the east, or somewhere in the forest connecting the two. I’ve been trying to keep Pinkie Pie safe all this time,” she finally got Trixie’s cell opened, “This is the first time I saw anyone else here that wasn’t one of those black things, at least here to help Pinkie Pie.”

Starlight looked at Rainbow Dash wide eyed. It was the same as her with Trixie. She thought it was because of her Channeling Ring, but Rainbow Dash didn’t have one. Did that mean… did she have the potential?!

“So… either you guys left a serious impression on me this week, or you’re really here,” Rainbow Dash said fiddling with the lock to Starlight’s cell now, “And since none of us can wake up right now, I’m assuming it’s the latter.”

Starlight looked at Trixie, silently asking her what to do.

“I… think we should tell her,” Trixie said, “I don’t know why but, I feel like she’d believe us.”

Starlight nodded, “You’re right Rainbow Dash. This isn’t just a dream. It is a dream, but it’s also an actual place. Trixie and I are really here, and we’re here to try and rescue Pinkie Pie.”

“So… this place isn’t a dream, but it is?” Rainbow Dash asked, “That’s confusing. But my take away from that is we’re really stuck here, so we need to get out, right?”

“That’s the basic gist of it,” Starlight said as Rainbow Dash got her cell open, “Trixie had a Dungeon like Pinkie Pie, but I managed to rescue her. We became witches in the process.”

Starlight held up her ring for Rainbow Dash to examine, “Get out… Wait a second,” she turned to Trixie, “So when Blueblood was abusing you…”

“Y-yeah,” Trixie rubbed her arm looking away, “If you’re wondering why I was such a bitch to everyone, that’s why.”

“Fuck…” Rainbow Dash breathed out, “Okay, I get the idea now. So, how do we get Pinkie Pie out of here?”

“Right now, we don’t,” Twilight chimed in, “Sadly we can’t take her through the exit until we know exactly what caused the Dungeon to manifest.”

“Also, unless Pinkie Pie believes she can leave this place, I don’t know if it’ll work,” Starlight admitted, “I had to instill hope into Trixie’s heart before I could rescue her, and that had to be done the day I went to save her.”

Rainbow Dash swore silently to herself, “Alright, fine. So first we need to get out of here. You said there’s an exit?”

“It’s back through the forest. Starlight and I could take a Checkpoint to leave, but since you don’t have a Persona, you wouldn’t be able to see it, I don’t think,” Trixie explained.

“Persona? You mean those flaming ghost looking things you keep summoning?” Rainbow Dash asked, “Huh. So that’s how you damage the guys in black.”

“Hey, I think the guard’s coming. Can we go? Like, NOW?”

Starlight nodded, “Rainbow Dash, we’re going to get you to the exit, so stay behind us, alright? Let us do the fighting.”

Rainbow Dash sighed but nodded, “Fine. I hate it, but I know when I’m outclassed. Wish I had one of those Persona things though.”

“Who knows, maybe one day,” Trixie said getting a card ready, “Now, let’s get out of here.”

Now with Rainbow Dash closely behind them, Starlight and Trixie started slowly making their way through the lower corridors to make their way back to the surface. Right when they hit the staircase leading to the surface however, they saw three Shadows standing guard.

“How are you feeling?” Starlight asked Trixie, “Can you fight?”

“Yeah, I think I’m recovered enough to fight,” Trixie answered, go for it.

Starlight rushed , landing on one of the guards back and grabbing his mask, “Show your face!” she shouted, ripping it off and jumping away, forcing the Shadow to shift into what appeared to be a dark green voodoo doll carrying an orange boomerang. His partner transformed into a tiny fairy with blond hair, red skin, translucent butterfly wings, wearing a fancy white and gold Japanese looking shirt and golden shoes.

play song

“The one Starlight exposed it called Mokoi, and the other one is Hua Po!” Twilight said as the two witches got into position, “Rainbow Dash, stay behind the corner as to not get in the way.”

“R-right,” Rainbow Dash said, poking her head out to get a good view of the action.

Mokoi threw his boomerang at Starlight and Trixie, but both witches rolled out of the way of the attack.

Trixie started rapidly throwing cards at Mokoi keeping him from retaliating while Starlight rushed toward Hua Po and began swinging her scythe at the tiny fairy. Hua Po kicked Starlight back a bit and then charged up a spell, casting Agi on Starlight. She blocked the attack with her scythe and continued her assault.

Trixie on the other hand was having a long ranged battle of attrition with Mokoi, who seemed to keep dodging her attacks perfectly, “I’m sick of you! Persona!” Trixie shouted, summoning Elenora and casting Sukukaja on herself. She then quickly rolled to the side and had Elenora fly over to Mokoi with an elegant flaming spin kick, killing it instantly.

Starlight finally landed a hit on Hua Po, knocking her out of the sky. She then summoned Morgana, “Get out of my way!” she shouted, casting Bufu on the fiery fairy and knocking her unconscious.

Instead of calling out an All Out Attack, however, Starlight used her empathy through Morgana, communicating with Hua Po. Feeling out it’s emotions, she got the impression of someone who was stuck between two extremes, unable to choose either. She kind of felt bad for the tiny creature after that.

After sharing their emotions, Hua Po flew around happily before bursting into flames and flying into Starlight’s Channeling Ring. Since she had run out of space, she let go of Jack-O-Lantern to make room for the new friend she made.

end song

“Hang on, what was that?” Rainbow Dash asked running up to them, “Did you just capture that thing in your ring?”

“Starlight here is what’s called the Trickster, which is a special Persona User who can use multiple Personas,” Trixie said, wrapping an arm around Starlight beaming.

“Wait, so you turned that Shadow thing into a Persona? How does that work?” Rainbow Dash asked. Starlight wanted to answer, but honestly she wasn’t sure what the connection to that was, “Ah, whatever. All I know is that it looked awesome, and just confirms what Pinkie Pie said about you being an anime protagonist.”

“Please don’t call me that,” Starlight said, bashfully pulling her hat over her eyes, “Right now, I just want to focus on getting us out of here safely.”

“Yes, please let’s NOT fangirl over the oh so powerful Trickster,” Twilight urged.

“I sense some bad blood between you two,” Rainbow Dash said folding her arms, “Or is that just me?”

“All things that can wait for AFTER you’re not in immediate danger,” Twilight pressed. Rainbow Dash shrugged.

“Fair enough. Lead the way, Trickster,” Rainbow Dash smirked. Starlight groaned inwardly, but now she was really curious. This confirmed that Twilight actually did have some weird grudge against Starlight, and she wasn’t sure why that was.

Like she said though, all for later. Right now, they needed to get out of here.

When the three girls ran out to the clearing, they were surprised to see that it was empty.

“That’s odd,” Twilight said, “I’m not detecting any enemies in the immediate vicinity.”

“There should be a ton here like last time,” Trixie said, she and Starlight both looking around, “I don’t like this.”

play song

“So, these are the ones who broke into my forteresse.” a familiar but distorted voice spoke in a thick French accent. They looked ahead and saw Fleur, only like with Blueblood she looked off. Her skin was far more pale, she was wearing a fancy black and red gown like an evil queen, and her eyes were demonic yellow.

“Ms. Tia was right!” Trixie said getting a card ready, “It was Fleur’s Shadow!”

“Fleur’s Shadow…?” Rainbow Dash asked, “Wait a second. You mean that isn’t some weird mental apparition of Fleur?”

Starlight readied her scythe and shook her head, “No, that’s Fleur’s actual Shadow! Anything she’s doing to Pinkie Pie here the real Fleur is doing to Pinkie Pie in the real world in some shape of form!”

“So… I was right, then…” Rainbow Dash said gritting her teeth, “You are hurting Pinkie Pie!”

Shadow Fleur gave a chilling laugh, “I suppose there’s no point in hiding it. Oui, I am Fleur’s Shadow Self, the embodiment of her true emotions.”

“What the hell is this?!” Trixie asked, “What do you want with Pinkie Pie?!”

“Nice try. But I see no reason to share my desires with a weak child like you,” A Shadow knight in golden armor walked up to Shadow Fleur, pulling a chain with Pinkie Pie bound at the other end, “Ah, there you are, Princess. It appears your knight has gained compagnons.”

“Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash shouted, “Don’t worry! I know what’s really happening now, so I can save you!”

“Dashie…” Pinkie Pie looked at Rainbow Dash and shook her head sadly, “No… you need to run…!”

“What?! How can you say that?! I’m not going to leave you! I’ll keep coming back here until I get you out!”

“No… No…! No!” Pinkie Pie cried desperately, “Please stop Dashie! If you keep coming here, eventually you’ll-”

“SILENCE!” Shadow Fleur shouted, casting an odd spell on Pinkie Pie, who went completely silent. It looked like she was trying to speak, but nothing was coming out. Starlight frowned seeing that. Something about that seemed really wrong to her.

“Can’t have you ruining the story, now can we?” Shadow Fleur taunted, gently caressing Pinkie Pie’s cheek as she sobbed silently, “You, take care of these infidels! I’m going to take the Princess back to the my castle.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the golden armored Shadow said with a bow. He handed the chain to Shadow Fleur, who sauntered away into a black hole, pulling Pinkie Pie through with her.

“PINKIE PIE!” Rainbow Dash shouted, pushing past Starlight and Trixie toward the black void, but the armored Shadow held his sword in front of her.

“By orders of Her Majesty, Empress de Lis, the three of you are sentenced to death!” the Shadow shouted, raising his sword to strike Rainbow Dash, but Trixie pushed her out of the way just in time.

“What are you doing?!” Trixie fussed as Starlight clashed blades with the Shadow, “We told you to stay behind us!”

“But I…” Rainbow Dash stammered before gritting her teeth in frustration.

Trixie threw a card at the Shadow’s face knocking him back a bit, and ran to Starlight’s side, “Let’s hurry and take this guy out so we can get Rainbow Dash out of here!”

“No one is leaving here alive!” the Shadow shouted, shedding his form and turning into a monster with a yellow body reminiscent of a lion, the face of a monkey, and a sinister looking snake for a tail.

Starlight and Trixie both summoned their Personas and had them charge at the shadow as he raised his claws up to block their respective attacks.

play song

“This Shadow’s ID is Nue, and it’s a stronger variant!” Twilight said, “Both of you, exercise extreme caution!”

Starlight rushed over to join her Persona’s side, the two of them coordinating their attacks to overwhelm Hue as Trixie brought her Persona back to her side.

“Cast that spell to increase our speed! Me first, then yourself!” Starlight commanded.

“Got it!” Trixie said, casting Sukukaja on Starlight, who was then able to swing her scythe with much more speed behind it. Trixie then quickly cast the same spell on herself and ran to the side throwing cards at the large Shadow. Unfortunately it’s tail blocked all of the cards before they could hit the main Shadow, “What?!”

Starlight jumped back and charged a spell, casting Rakunda on Hue to lower his defense. She was about to summon Morgana again to cast Bufu, but Hue’s tail lunged at Starlight, hitting her hard and knocking her back.

“Starlight, hang on!” Trixie summoned Elenora and cast Dia on Starlight, healing her a bit, but that attack hurt a lot more than what she was used to.

Hue charged up his magic, this time sending a black wave out at both Starlight and Trixie, knocking both of them back into a wall.

“Shoot! They’re outmatched!” Twilight cried, “We need to retreat! I don’t think you can beat that thing!”

“We can’t, leave,” Trixie pushed herself to her feet, “The only way out of here is behind this overgrown ape, and I will go through it!”

“Even if we can’t save Pinkie Pie yet, we can at least get, Dash out of here!” Starlight and Trixie rushed at the Shadow again, continuing their increasingly futile assault on it.

play song

Looking at this, Rainbow Dash was beyond frustrated. Starlight and Trixie were clearly fighting a losing battle, and Pinkie Pie was who knew where in this living nightmare. And here she was, just sitting on the sidelines watching all of this.

“Damn it…! Damn it! DAMN IT!” Rainbow Dash slammed her fist on the ground, “Why is it always like this?! I couldn’t do anything for my Mom! I can’t do anything for Pinkie Pie! Now I can’t do anything for the people right in front of me?!”

Flashes of her Mom lying in a hospital bed smiling at her flashed before her eyes. Rainbow Dash remembered that day like it was yesterday. Seeing her Mom in her last moments, holding her hand urging her to hold on, only to see the flame of her life fade away.

She wasn’t even able to get her Dad to come and see her. That asshole didn’t even care! He had all of that money, so he could have easily done something to help her, but instead he just threw both Rainbow Dash and her mother aside.

Now she was about to lose the last few people she had left that she gave a damn about. Starlight and Trixie were going to die fighting that monster, and, Pinkie Pie…

“I’m tired of this…!” Rainbow Dash seethed, tears of frustration building in her eyes as she listened to her friends struggle, “I’m tired of being weak…! I’m tired of being protected…!” she screamed at the top of her lungs to the sky, “JUST THIS ONCE! PLEASE LET ME BE STRONG ENOUGH TO PROTECT MY FRIENDS!”

If you want to be strong, then stop calling yourself weak!

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened. A voice… in her head. Was that… her voice?

The only reason you keep getting left behind is because you deny your true strength!

Aren’t you her knight?

Aren’t you the one who swore to protect her?

“I am…!” Rainbow Dash said to the voice.

Then you know where you need to be right now!

Not sitting here crying over the illusion of weakness!

But over THERE, fighting beside your friends!

Pinkie Pie is the person who matters most to you in this world now!

She’s the only one you have left!

So she’s the one you need to protect no matter what! Even at the cost of your own life!

play song

“Even… at the cost of my own life…?” Rainbow Dash asked, feeling her temperature rise. Something about these words spoke to her.

How far would you got to protect your special someone?

Answer me truthfully, soldier!

“I’d… give anything…!” Rainbow Dash seethed, the heat now becoming almost unbearable.

Then pick up that sword, and show that monster who Pinkie Pie’s knight truly is!

Hold nothing back any longer!

CHARGE FORWARD, AND SLICE THROUGH THAT DEMON TO REACH YOUR PRINCESS!

Rainbow Dash looked ahead and saw a discarded sword lying on the ground. Without thinking, she ran over to it, picked it up, and charged at the Shadow screaming in rage.

“Whoa! Rainbow Dash?!” Trixie cried.

“Hang on! She isn’t about to awaken HER Persona, is she?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash swung the blade, actually damaging Hue and knocking off it’s feet.

“I… am Pinkie Pie’s knight…!” Rainbow Dash said, breathing heavily from the intense heat radiating off of her, “I swore to protect her… no matter what!” she held her sword ready, “I’ll fight you…! I’ll fight you and then get to your Empress…! I’LL RIP EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU MOTHER FUCKERS APART!”

With that, Rainbow Dash exploded in an intense blaze, forcing Starlight and Trixie to cover their eyes it was so bright.

Inside the flame, Rainbow Dash’s normal clothes burned away completely, soon to be replaced with a dark blue noble shirt with fancy red and gold shoulder pads, red cuffs on the sleeves, red fancy collar, and dark blue shorts with a short, frilly skirt flowing around them, almost making her look like a prince while still showing her femininity. On her feet were long red socks and elegant black shoes, and in her breast pocket sat a single red rose. She held the sword she grabbed above her, and the flames engulfed it, turning it into a fancier looking broad sword. Finally, the flames trailed down the blade onto the handle, and stopped around her finger forming her Channeling Ring.

The flames dispersed, revealing Rainbow Dash standing straight up proudly in her new form, holding her blade in front of her face. Behind her, the rest of the flames formed a terrifying looking Persona. This Persona looked like a fancy white and golden full suit of female knights armor with a long red cape, and glowing yellow eyes. Anywhere skin would have shown, the only thing that was visible was a constant stream of electricity, and it’s sword looked like a mix between a blade and a gun at the same time.

“Thou art I, and I am thou! You may call me Eclair Farron, lightning given form! Remember soldier, hold nothing back for her sake!”

“Yes, I hear you Eclair,” Rainbow Dash said, eyes closed in concentration, “Wait for me, Pinkie Pie,” she then swung her sword to the side and then got in a ready stance, “Out of my way! My Princess needs me!”

play song

Hue charged at Rainbow Dash, but once he was right in front of her, she slashed her blade so quickly that Starlight and Trixie could barely even see it. She then continued to slash it a few more time before dashing past the Shadow and slashing, creating a stream of electricity and then quickly sheathing her sword, which somehow caused an explosion of electricity around the Shadow, knocking it down. Rainbow Dash rose up and turned to Starlight and Trixie.

“Hey! Let’s hit it while it’s down!” Rainbow Dash shouted. Starlight shook herself out of her daze and nodded to Rainbow Dash. The three of them held their weapons ready, which for Dash meant holding her blade close to her head still pointing forward as if ready to charge, and the three of them charged at the Shadow using their now much stronger All Out Attack. For Rainbow Dash, it looked more like she teleported over to the Shadow, turning into a bolt of electricity and slashing the shadow with strikes that all seemed electrically charged.

When they finished, they jumped away as the Shadow slowly rose to his feet. He threw his tail out toward Rainbow Dash, but Starlight jumped in the way blocking with her scythe.

“I need to ask you an odd question,” Starlight asked Rainbow Dash, “What’s the Arcana of your Persona?”

“The Arcana?” Rainbow Dash looked inward, “It’s the Chariot. Why?”

Starlight couldn’t hold in her smile, “I’ll tell you later. Just know this mean you’re exactly who we were looking for.”

Rainbow Dash looked at her Channeling Ring, and then nodded to Starlight, “Then I’m in your hands!”

“Both of you, go all out!” Starlight commanded her team, “Hold nothing back on it!”

“Understood!” Trixie shouted summoning her Persona. Elenora charged at the Shadow with her flaming spin kick attack, knocking the Shadow to the side a good deal and onto the ground. Rainbow Dash ran up to the Shadow and held her sword up to her face, activating her Channeling Ring.

“I release my inner self!” she proclaimed, Eclair appearing behind her in the same position, “ZIO!”

Eclair held up her sword, and a sharp bolt of lightning came down on top of the Shadow, doing massive damage to it. While it was down, Starlight summoned Morgana to her side, and the two of them rushed at Hue slashing it together, ending their combo with Starlight slashing Hue into the air, and Morgana bending backwards to slash it with the blades from her torso.

As Hue came down, Trixie threw cards into the air, causing them to catch fire and rain down on top of the Shadow for massive damage, and Rainbow Dash finished their group combo by rushing at the Shadow and summoning her Persona, the two of them slashing continuously with their electrically charged blades. Unlike Starlight, it seemed Rainbow Dash’s persona moved in complete unison with Rainbow Dash.

Once again, the Shadow fell onto the ground weakened. Starlight wasted no time giving her team the command to use their All Out Attack, this time killing the Shadow almost instantly.

play song

Now that the threat was over, Rainbow Dash sheathed her sword and looked at her clothes, “This is… amazing!”

“Holy cow…” Trixie breathed out, “Okay, um, Rainbow Dash is broken as hell!”

“Her Persona’s power is off the charts,” Twilight said equally shocked, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Persona with such raw strength before! Not after just awakening!”

Starlight smiled and walked over to Rainbow Dash, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“So… this that power you were using, right? What did you call it? Persona?” Starlight nodded, and Rainbow Dash looked at her Channeling Ring. The gemstone’s color was hard to place, as it seemed to change color in the light as Rainbow Dash moved her finger, “Eclair Farron. My inner knight,” suddenly, Rainbow Dash fell to one knee holding her head.

“Whoa!” Trixie cried, both she and Starlight kneeling down next to her, “Easy there, Sparky.”

“I feel really light headed all of a sudden,” Rainbow Dash said.

“That’s a side effect of awakening your Persona. Expect to have a fever in the morning when you wake up,” Twilight explained.

“Is that why you both got sick?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yeah… turns out suddenly exploding is really hard on the body,” Trixie said, “Go figure, huh?”

Rainbow Dash laughed, “This is insane. Personas, Shadows, this dream world-” she gasped, “Shoot! What about Pinkie Pie?! Is she okay?!”

“Define okay,” Twilight said, “The bad news, she’s still in a lot of danger. The good news, we managed to at least buy her some time.”

“This isn’t going to solve itself in a day,” Starlight said, “But trust me, we will rescue Pinkie Pie.”

“Damn right we will,” Rainbow Dash said, “I’m joining you guys, no questions asked. I need to save Pinkie Pie.”

“That saves a lot of time,” Trixie said, “Come on, let’s get to the nearest Checkpoint and return to the Akashic Records.”

Starlight helped Rainbow Dash up, and carried her over her shoulder as they walked back to the Akashic Records. There would be time to fill Rainbow Dash in on things later. For now, their newest member needed to rest.

Now that they had the Chariot, they could focus on rescuing Pinkie Pie.

Yeah... I did NOT mean to make Rainbow Dash as broken as I did, but every video game has that one party member that's OP for no reason. Think of Rainbow Dash as the carry in the party.

Link to my Patreon!

Special thanks to William Smith, who just recently joined my Patreon, and again to Aero Dragon for his continued support. Thanks to you, production on my Death Star can begin really taking off.

Hrm, maybe I should expand to taking over the galaxy.