Once again, she heard that soft melody. The same song that always filled her both with hope and despair. This time however, she knew exactly where she was. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a very familiar setting.

“Welcome, to the Velvet Room,” Igor greeted, “I am quite pleased to see you’ve taken my words to heart, and unleashed the power that slept within,” he then chuckled, “And I must say, that dress looks very appealing on you, Miss Glimmer,” he turned to his assistant, “Wouldn’t you agree, Victor.”

“Yes, yes I would,” Victor said, looking at Starlight intently and if she was reading him right… hungrily. Suddenly, she was aware of just how much her new gown actually showed. While she didn’t have any issue with her body, this was the first time a man had shown visible interest in her.

Wait… come to think of it… did that mean she was still…?

Starlight looked up, shocked to see her witch’s hat. She then once again looked at herself, torn between terrified of her new appearance, and loving it. At the moment, the latter was starting to win.

“There’s a mirror over there,” Igor said, gesturing to the left hand side revealing a full body mirror (was that there before?), “Why don’t you take a look at yourself?”

Starlight got up from her chair and walked toward the mirror, noting how differently she was walking. With each step she subtly swayed her hips in a more confident manner. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she did a double take.

She couldn’t remember ever looking this sexy in her life.

The gown was definitely Victorian inspired, made of black and purple silk. Her bust was presented both elegantly and sexily, showing just enough to entice but not be distasteful, while the skirt came up so high in the front her legs were practically on full display, while nothing she didn’t want shown was visible. The fishnet stockings were held up by a black garter belt, as the bands of it were just visible, and her the high heels made her legs more defined. Finally, the hat itself was much fancier than Starlight thought it was, being both purple and black, but red around the rim. A lacy black scarf was wrapped around it, and fell behind her in two elegant pieces of fabric.

She could see why Victor was looking at her so lustfully now.

“I looked like a genuine witch,” Starlight said, turning around and fully examining herself.

“That’s because you are a genuine witch,” Igor replied, “By awakening to the power of Persona, you unleashed your inner power, and became the witch you always wanted to be.”

Persona? Right, Starlight remembered that. That’s the word that was almost forced out of her right before she caught fire and transformed into this witch form. As she sauntered back to her seat, she asked Igor what a Persona was.

“A Persona is the manifestation of your inner, darker emotions, tempered into a purified state,” Igor explained.

“My inner emotions?” Starlight said, feeling compelled to sit in a more dominating manner now, as such crossed her legs and sat back in her chair, knowing full well that Victor was eyeing her.

“Every person in the world has two sides to them. One side is who they themselves perceive. The other side is called “The Shadow”, which represents all of the darker emotions that they hide away, both from others and themselves. Most people choose to ignore this aspect of who they are, and so their Shadow grows, becoming harder and harder to ignore. Sadly, most people will go their entire lives and never even look at their inner selves to see how they really feel, and become ruled by their darker emotions.”

Starlight looked down, thinking about that. That meant those thoughts of hating Blueblood, of wanting to hurt him for hurting Beatrix, those thoughts were her thoughts. She wasn’t sure how she felt knowing that deep down she was such a hate filled person.

“However, there is an alternative,” Igor continued, catching Starlight’s attention, “If a person looks at their Shadow, and comes to understanding that those emotions are their true feelings, the result,” he motioned behind Starlight, prompting her to turn around. She saw her Persona, Morgana, floating behind her, surrounded by what appeared to be an ongoing flame.

Looking at her, Starlight could feel it. While it was speaking to her in the dream world, in a way she was just talking to herself. This entity… it was her.

Thou art I… and I am thou…

“This is a Persona, the Shadow tempered by one’s ego. Like this, your shadow will follow you, effectively making use of your darker emotions in a more positive light. Worry not, Miss Glimmer. Morgana here is your ally now. She will only do what you tell her to do.”

At Igor’s words, Starlight felt compelled to reach out and touch Morgana, despite the flame surrounding her. She felt… safe with her. In a way, it was like both making a new friend, and seeing an old friend she hadn’t seen in a long time.

It was okay. She was still herself.

Starlight smiled at Morgana, silently thanking her for coming to her aid. Morgana nodded in response, and then vanished from the room, returning to Starlight’s heart.

“A Persona User is someone who is capable of turning those darker emotions into power,” Igor said as Starlight turned back to face him, “The ring you wear on your finger is called a Channeling Ring. It not only allows you access into the dream realm, but it is your connection to your inner witch. That ring is your tool to channel your inner flame into either a weapon, or your Persona. You, however, are quite special in the case of Persona Users.”

Special? What did Igor mean by that? Was her Persona different than others?

“You, Miss Glimmer, possess the power of the Wild Card,” his tarot deck appeared, and he held up The Fool Arcana card, “It is like the number zero. Empty, yet filled with infinite potential.”

Igor handed Starlight the card, and she looked at it intently. She remembered this card from their first meeting. This was what she became when she came back to life. Someone who had nothing, but could become anything she wanted.

How was that going to affect her Persona though?

“Looking at you though,” Igor looked at Starlight closely, and then chuckled, “It seems your power is unique even among previous carriers of that power. I am quite curious to see how that manifests within you.”

Before Starlight could ask him what he meant, she heard the sound of an alarm. It took a second for her to realize that was her alarm clock.

“It appears we’re out of time for now,” Igor said, “Next time we talk, I will tell you the services Victor and I will provide for you. And I believe it’s about time you used that key I gave you. Tell next we meet.”

Like normal, everything became hazy, and Starlight felt herself return to the waking world.

---

September 4^th 2019
Tuesday
Sunny

Morning

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Starlight did not expect to wake up feeling like she did. But considering she literally caught fire in her dream, she could see how waking up the next morning might be a bit of an issue. Her friends, roommate, and Celestia were in the room with her, Celestia using a thermometer to check her temperature. When she took it and looked at the number, she frowned.

“Hm, sorry honey, but no school for you today,” Celestia said, “Your fever is too high.”

“How bad is it?” Pinkie Pie asked. Celestia showed her the thermometer, and her eyes went wide, “Whoa! Yeah Starlight, you should stay home and get some rest today.”

Starlight turned to look at Beatrix sitting on her bed, who quickly averted her eyes. Her expression was odd though. While her usual tension was present, Starlight saw confusion in her eyes as well. Did she remember the dream?

If so, Starlight couldn’t not be there. What if Blueblood…

“I’m fine…” Starlight said, trying to sit up, “I can… I can go to-”

Celestia held Starlight’s shoulders and slowly laid her back down in her bed.

“No, young lady. Not with a temperature of 138 degrees,” Celestia said, gently caressing her face, “The world isn’t going to end if you miss a day of school. Everything will be fine, okay?”

Starlight sighed, realizing she lost this fight. She relaxed in her bed and nodded.

“Beatrix,” Celestia said turning to her, “You’re in charge of making sure Starlight gets her assignments, so head right back to the dorm after school, alright?”

Beatrix was visibly shocked, but she quickly nodded, “Yes, Ms. Tia.”

“You sure your boyfriend isn’t going to miss you?” Rainbow Dash asked dismissively, folding her arms. She didn’t know all the details, so she understood. Still though, Starlight was beginning to make connections to Beatrix’s dream and real life.

She literally didn’t have a single ally.

Beatrix looked to the side and gritted her teeth, “I… think he’ll live without me for a bit. Not that anyone here cares.”

“I… care.”

Beatrix turned to Starlight suddenly, visibly shocked, “W-what…?”

“Thank you, Beatrix. I appreciate it,” Starlight smiled at Beatrix, both out of gratitude, and as a silent way of letting her know what she so wanted to say out loud.

I’m your ally, Beatrix.

Beatrix averted her eyes weakly, and then ran out of the room.

“Geez, what’s her problem?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Maybe she’s actually worried about Starlight,” Pinkie Pie reasoned, “Speaking of, I can give you a few more manga to read if you want. It might be boring otherwise.”

Starlight appreciated that, and thanked Pinkie Pie before relaxing a bit more. Celestia tucked her in with a maternal gaze, and then leaned in close to kiss her on the forehead, getting close to her ear.

“We’ll discuss your dream later,” she whispered.

Whoa, whoa, WHOA! Wait, what?! Did Celestia… did she know about the dreams?! Did she somehow see Starlight turn into a witch?! And if that’s true, then her asking Beatrix to being her assignments… was…

Starlight nodded subtly as to not give away something Celestia was clearly keeping hidden from the rest of the dorm. Celestia sat up, lightly patted Starlight on the leg, and rose from the bed.

“Okay, off to school with the rest of you,” she said jovially, “Starlight’s the only one here who’s sick, so she gets to miss class. Not you two though.”

“I dunno, Ms. Tia,” Rainbow Dash placed a hand on her forehead dramatically, “I think I feel the room spinning.”

“Nice try, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia said with a smirk, “But you’re not fooling this old spirit. Now, let’s let Starlight rest for now.”

“Ugh, fiiiiine,” Rainbow Dash groaned, “We’ll see ya after class, Starlight.”

“Feel better, okay?” Pinkie Pie asked, She and Rainbow Dash then left the room.

“Ms. Tia?” Starlight asked once they were alone, “About… Beatrix. I don’t know, but I think she’s…”

“Don’t worry about Beatrix right now,” Celestia said quickly, “You focus on getting better. You can’t help anyone in the state you’re in right now.”

She left the room before Starlight could say anything else, and closed the door. That confirmed it. She did know about the dream. Hopefully tonight, she could get some answers. For now though, she needed to rest. Seemed she was still a bit more tired than she thought. This time however, she took her ring off and placed it on her bed stand before closing her eyes and drifting off.

She needed actual rest this time.

end song

---

After School

Starlight had soup for breakfast (even Celestia’s chicken noodle soup was divine!), and she managed to at least head downstairs at around lunch to get something from the refrigerator. After that, she must have drifted off again, because at around 4:30 pm she woke up again, seeing a few books on her bed stand next to her ring and Igor’s key.

“Finally awake, huh?”

Starlight looked to the other side of the room and saw Beatrix laying on her bed. She pulled a pair of earphones out of her hears, showing she’d probably been listening to music while waiting for Starlight to wake up.

“Were you waiting for me?” Starlight asked, sitting up in her bed. Beatrix sat up in her bed giving her usual scowl.

“I just wanted to make sure we didn’t need to take you to a hospital or something,” Beatrix said turning away from Starlight and folding her arms. Her expression softened after a beat though, and her eyes shifted back to Starlight, “Are you okay now…?”

Starlight nodded and smiled. She thanked Beatrix, and asked her if she was okay?

“What does it matter?” Beatrix asked, “You’re the one who’s sick, so why are you worried about me?”

Starlight almost told her about the dream, but something told her that it wasn’t a good idea to let her know about that, at least not yet. Instead, she tried a different approach.

“I… noticed how you are with your boyfriend. Blueblood, isn’t it?” Starlight asked. Beatrix looked aghast for a split second, but then calmed down.

“Oh, I guess that probably would have raised a few red flags,” Beatrix got up and walked over to the window, “I take it you’ve heard the rumors, then?” Starlight nodded, letting Beatrix continue, “It’s fine. I know what the other kids are saying. They’re wrong though. Blueblood, he…”

“So he’s not rough with you?” Starlight pressed.

“No, he’s not,” Beatrix said a little too quickly, “I mean… I guess he’s rough, but only because I’m into that sort of thing. We’re a bit kinky, I suppose, but… but it’s not real or anything.”

It sure looked real to Starlight. She imagined that if it were just something kinky she did with her boyfriend, she wouldn’t look so broken all the time.

“I mean… sometimes he does things… and I’m not okay with it initially, but I always come around. He likes things a certain way, and well… it’s my job to make sure he gets that…”

That didn’t sound right at all. It was all well and good that he was having a good time, but what about Beatrix?

“So, you’re 100 percent okay with the way things are with Blueblood,” Starlight said folding her arms under her bosom, “Can you look me in the eyes right now and tell me that you’re happy with the way he treats you?”

Beatrix looked like she was wrestling with herself, but instead of saying anything, she looked down and started crying.

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That was all Starlight needed to see.

She got out of bed, and walked over to Beatrix, doing the one thing she knew Beatrix desperately needed. She wrapped her arms around Beatrix in a comforting embrace.

Beatrix gasped softly, eyes wide as she started trembling, “Y-you…”

“It’s okay,” Starlight said softly, tightening the embrace, “He’s not here right now. You can let it out.”

A few seconds later, the dam broke and Beatrix completely broke down. All the while, Starlight continued to hold her, both for comfort and support, saying absolutely nothing. She didn’t need to hear empty promises that things would be okay. She didn't need to hear advice from someone who'd never even been a relationship before.

Besides, if she was aware of her condition, deep down she probably knew she wasn’t going to be okay. So far, no one with the Nightmare Epidemic survived.

Beatrix calmed down after a few minutes of crying, “Don’t tell anyone, please.”

“Beatrix-”

“Promise me!” she turned to Starlight earnestly, “I don’t want this getting out! If too many people find out, then he might… Blueblood might…” she looked away, trembling so much that she looked terrified, “I can’t… lose him…! Please Starlight, just keep this between us…!”

Through Starlight’s eyes, Beatrix became the one in the dream for a split second. Based on her expression, she was also begging Starlight to keep this hidden. She was sure that Celestia knew, but if no one else did…

Starlight hated doing this, but she relented, telling Beatrix she promised not to tell. Beatrix relaxed hearing that and leaned into Starlight’s embrace.

“Thank you…” she said softly. Starlight lightly rubbed Beatrix’s back, choosing to stay with her for the rest of the night, at least until Celestia summoned her.

Right now, Beatrix desperately needed a friend.

end song

---

Late Night

After finishing their homework together, Starlight stayed with Beatrix until she fell asleep. As she caressed her roommate’s cheek gently, she prayed that she’d have good dreams tonight. Sadly though, that wasn’t the case, as a minute after she drifted off, her entire body went cold.

Starlight sighed, and carefully moved Beatrix onto her pillow and under the covers of her bed, once again kissing her on the forehead, silently praying that she’d be safe in there tonight. As she rose, she heard a light knock on the door before it opened.

“She’s asleep?” Celestia asked. Starlight nodded, still eyeing her homeroom teacher/dorm mistress oddly as she stepped into the bedroom. Celestia knelt down and placed a hand on Beatrix’s shoulder.

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“I hate seeing my children suffer so,” Celestia said somberly, “Still, from out here there is very little I can do,” she stood up and turned to Starlight, “I take it you rested throughout the day?” she asked, again Starlight just nodding as a silent response, “That’s good. You seem much better now. Last night had to have been trying for you,” she looked away pained, “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that. It was the only way to ensure that you’d awaken.”

Awaken? So she knew about Personas as well?

“Come,” Celestia said walking out of the room, “We’ll have to stay up for a bit, but there’s someone I want you to meet. The two of you are going to be working very closely, after all.”

Starlight followed after Celestia, who was completely silent for the entire walk. The dorm itself seemed almost like a different place at night, but she was happy no one else was awake. She hadn’t changed out of her nightgown, which was sheer in places she wasn’t sure she wanted her friends to see.

The fact that Celestia could see so much was embarrassing in of itself.

She led Starlight up two flights of stairs, going past the third floor bedrooms and up to the fourth floor, which had a single large door that she assumed was Celestia’s room. She wasn’t sure what to expect to see through that door.

When she was escorted inside, she was unsure how to process the room itself. It had a very comfortable looking couch, and a coffee table in front of it with tea and what Starlight could tell were cookies (from here, they looked like her favorite, oatmeal raisin), and a large window in the far end. What she did not see coming, however, was a large and complicated computer with multiple screens showing different maps, gauges, and other things that Starlight didn’t understand at all. In front of the computer was a black chair that looked really comfortable, and beneath the terminal was a headset that looked like something straight out of science fiction.

Actually, that counted for the entire computer.

“Please, make yourself comfortable,” Celestia requested. Starlight slowly walked over to the couch and sat down. Celestia sat down next to her and poured herself a cup of tea, “Would you like some tea? It’s chamomile, so it’ll help you relax.”

“T-thank you, Ms. Tia,” Starlight said. Celestia poured her a cup as well, and the two of them sat in silence for a few seconds. Starlight did try one of the cookies, unsurprised that it tasted so great. Naturally she took two more.

With the way Celestia giggled, she didn’t seem to mind all that much.

After a bit, Starlight felt the need to break the silence. Not because she felt uncomfortable around Celestia, in fact she was surprised by how comfortable she DID feel around the mysterious woman who clearly knew too much. She needed to just ask a few questions, and she had a feeling this time she’d get a straight answer.

“How much do you know about Beatrix’s situation?” Starlight asked outright, feeling herself get a tad more sensitive as a result.

“A lot more than she’d like, but a lot less than I’d like,” Celestia said sipping her tea, “I know that her boyfriend abuses her, and I know she’s been dealing with this for about 5 months now,” she set her cup onto the table and folded her arms under her hefty bosom, “I also know that she’s suffering what scientists have taken to calling the Nightmare Epidemic, and that she’s in the final stages of it,” she lowered her head and narrowed her eyes, her dark expression sending a slight chill down Starlight’s spine, “If it were up to me, I’d have that boy thrown out of this school. Alas, I have no physical proof, and Beatrix isn’t speaking up about it.

“What I don’t know is why she’s refusing to speak up, when she started suffering the Nightmare Epidemic, or even how bad the abuse is. Sadly we can’t just rely on cues from her Dungeon, because that’s based on her interpretation of the situation. It might be accurate, but it might be blown out of proportion from her perspective. A problem is only as big as the person who’s experiencing it believes it is.”

Starlight was taken aback by how candid Celestia was being about this. She was also surprised to see Celestia so serious. Normally she was bright and sunny, but right now she seemed downright grave. She had to do something.

Starlight scooted closer to Celestia and took her hand, gently squeezing it like she did for her to comfort her. That was also something her mother would do to let her know “it would be okay”. Based on how the older woman’s smile started to return, she seemed to get the message.

“Thank you, my child,” Celestia said sweetly. She and Starlight met eyes, and for a split second Starlight felt an odd connection with Celestia. In that moment, she felt almost like-

play song

The sound of footsteps caught their attention, “Ah, she’s finally ready,” the door opened, and Twilight walked into the room joining them, “Good morning, Twilight.”

“Good evening, Ms. Tia,” Twilight said with a stretch, “I’m surprised I got any sleep after the excitement last night,” she then looked at Starlight with a raised eyebrow, “Please don’t tell me you dress like that all the time.”

Starlight quickly covered her breasts with her arms, feeling incredibly flushed. She actually forgot that she was practically naked right now.

“Now now, Twilight, she was sick for most of the day after her Persona awakened, and she didn’t have much time to change clothes,” Celestia lightly scolded the other purple haired teen before turning to Starlight, “I apologize for my pupil. Due to her upbringing she lacks a few basic social skills, but she means well. You can relax, I assure you there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“I mean, you see how big Ms. Tia is, right?” Twilight shrugged, “Trust me, I’ve seen a lot more than I already care to see in my life. Besides, I’m completely straight.”

Hearing that, Starlight lowered her arms. She still felt embarrassed though. Thanks to this other girl however, Starlight was now wondering if Celestia was wearing a bra underneath that kimono.

Celestia rose and presented the other girl to Starlight, “Starlight, this is my personal protege, Twilight Sparkle. Twilight dear, this is Starlight Glimmer.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Starlight said, standing up and holding out her hand. Twilight looked at her hand oddly for a second, but then shook it with a sigh.

“Likewise. Happy to finally be speaking to you in person,” Twilight said. Starlight frowned a bit, eyes widening when she realized where she heard Twilight’s voice from.

“You’re the wisp that helped me last night!” she cried, “And the voice that guided me out of Beatrix’s nightmare the first time!”

“Oh, you remember me. Good,” Twilight smirked, “Glad to see you’re not as much of a space cadet as I thought.”

This girl was not going to be easy to open up to. Lacking in social skills indeed.

“Now that we’re all here, I believe it’s time we fill Starlight in on the situation,” Celestia said placing her hands on Starlight’s shoulders, “That is, if she’s going to be helping us.”

“Helping you?” Starlight asked, her heart racing a bit for some reason.

“Well, I suppose it would be more accurate to say we’ll be helping you, Starlight. You do want to rescue Beatrix, don’t you?” Celestia asked with an enigmatic smile.

Wait, were they saying that there was a cure for the Nightmare Epidemic? That there was a chance they could save Beatrix? She asked them if that was the case.

“If what Ms. Tia believes about you is right, then absolutely,” Twilight said taking a seat on the couch and grabbing a cookie, “But you’re going to need to know the whole situation first.”

Starlight and Celestia both returned to their spots on the couch, which placed Starlight right in the middle of the two of them. They were both such a contrast it was amazing to think that they probably knew each other for a while.

“So first, tell me,” Celestia asked taking another sip from her tea, “What do you remember about last night?”

Starlight recounted for them what she remembered happened last night, which was pretty much everything. She remembered smashing the container Beatrix was trapped in, being cornered by Blueblood’s men, and hearing a dark voice in her head right before she caught fire and changed into that witch form. She also told them both how powerful she felt in the dream, leaving out the part where she almost came from how wonderful the power felt.

“Wow. Your dream recollection is pretty impressive,” Twilight said, actually looking genuinely surprised, “From what I’ve researched, most Persona Users don’t remember their first awakening so vividly.”

Most Persona Users? How much did these two know about Personas?

“You seem surprised,” Celestia said, “We’re actually directly associated with an organization that researches Personas. You’ve heard of the Kirijo Corporation, haven’t you?”

Oh yeah she had. There were a lot of scary stories tied to that group, which was stationed in Japan. Also, she remembered one of the books she read about incidents surrounding the collective unconscious mentioned the Kirijo Corporation a lot.

“They’re the center of most Persona activities these days,” Twilight said, pouring herself a cup of tea, “The current head of the company searches for and recruits Persona Users, in the hopes of preventing another mass issue like the Fall in 2010.”

“The Fall…?” Starlight asked. She remembered reading a bit about that, but the author didn’t go into too much detail.

“Throughout the years, there have been many incidents surrounding Personas and the monsters you saw in Beatrix’s Dungeon called Shadows. One of those incidents centered around the Fall,” Celestia explained.

“Do you mean… the Dark Hour?” Starlight asked. Celestia’s eyes widened and she smiled proudly.

“You did your research. You really are a rare breed, Starlight.”

“Most don’t even take that story seriously anymore,” Twilight said, grabbing a cookie and biting into it, “Which is a shame because it’s actually the one closest to the Real World.”

“I didn’t quite take it seriously at first either,” Starlight admitted, “At least, I wasn’t sure how real it was, but I always wanted to be a witch, and I figured that the collective unconscious was the key, so I kept an open mind about it.”

“You actually wanted to be a witch?” Twilight asked, “I mean, more power to you, and you ended up getting what you wanted. I’m just surprised someone actually believes in magic anymore.”

“I take it… magic is what caused this Dark Hour?” Starlight asked.

“To a degree, yes,” Celestia began, “Ten years ago, man opened Pandora’s Box in a sense, unleashing Shadows onto the world. Their experiments created a phenomenon called the Dark Hour, which I’m sure you’re aware was a hidden hour between every day. During that hour, most humans turned into coffins not remembering the Dark Hour, and the shadows walked freely, preying on the unsuspecting humans.”

Starlight remembered vaguely hearing on the news about a strange mental illness called “Apathy Syndrome” that happened around that time. She was too young to understand what it meant back then, but now she wondered if it had something to do with this Dark Hour.

“One year later, a small town in Japan was targeted by the Shadows,” Celestia continued, “This place has been the subject of a lot of incidents over the years, but they’ve all been stopped by the same group of Persona Users, locals who live in the area. I’ve had the luxury of meeting with their leader. A quiet young man, but honorable. A lot like a knight in a sense.

“The final major incident to speak of happened a few years ago, but we can’t pin the date exactly. However, it took place in Tokyo Japan. During that time, people were suffering Mental Shutdowns at an alarming rate, and crime was on the rise. However, a group of teens who called themselves the Phantom Thieves of Hearts took action, not only forcing the criminals to repent for their crimes, but also combating the Mental Shutdowns.”

Twilight gave a wistful sigh, “They’re my favorite case, most of all because of their leader, Joker. He's so dark and enigmatic, almost like a bad boy, except really nice.”

Starlight suppressed a laugh. Seeing Twilight fangirl over this Joker person really ruined the stoic image she was going for. Apparently she realized that herself, because she caught herself and turned away from Starlight, a light blush on her cheeks.

Starlight then noticed something that had her both confused and a little worried, “Hang on though, all of those incidents took place in Japan though. What about the Nightmare Epidemic? You said that the monsters in Beatrix’s dream are Shadows, right?”

“I did,” Celestia said gravely, “Which is why the head of the Kirijo Corporation, Mitsuru, is so concerned with this latest incident.”

“Let me show you something,” Twilight said, getting up and walking over to the computer and sitting down in the chair. Starlight walked over to her side as Twilight pulled up what looked like a satellite image of the planet. The image was dotted red all over, so much that you’d think the image was just made to have a red tint to it.

play song

“What are we looking at?” Starlight asked.

“The red dots are locations where the Nightmare Epidemic was reported to have occurred,” Twilight explained. Starlight felt the color fade from her face as she looked at the map horrified. There were that many people affected by it?

“You’ve heard how there have been rising depression rates across the globe?” Celestia asked, Starlight nodding, “That’s not random. The Shadows are directly connected to the rising depression on this planet. At first everything was fine, and there was no sign of Shadow involvement, but one day six months ago, people began reporting having terrible nightmares filled with monsters similar to what we know Shadows sometimes look like.”

Six months ago. That was also around the time Starlight tried to commit suicide. She looked down gravely thinking about that time, and how Igor came to her rescue.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Celestia walked over to Starlight and wrapped her arms around her comfortingly, “But I promise you, what happened isn’t your fault. For all we know, you were targeted by the Shadows as well, and they pushed you to the point of suicide.”

Starlight wasn’t so sure, honestly. She wanted to believe Celestia, but deep down…

“Is there anything we can do about this?” Starlight asked, holding onto Celestia’s arm and looking down.

“As a matter of fact, there might be,” Celestia said tightening the embrace, “You see Starlight, only a Persona User can fight Shadows. The Kirijo Corporation has their hands full with other cases, so Mitsuru can’t investigate this like she wants to. However, I assured her that eventually, a new Trickster would awaken to guide us in our darkest hour, and I believe that Trickster, is you.”

play song

“Me…?” Starlight’s heart felt funny now. That word… Trickster…

“A Trickster is a special kind of Persona User with unusual abilities. This Persona User, can use multiple Personas at once.”

It’s like the number zero. Empty, yet filled with infinite potential.

That mirrored what Igor said to her. But… she wasn’t saying…

“You’ve met him,” Celestia asked, “The long nosed man, Igor?”

Starlight’s eyes widened. How… how did she know about Igor…?

“You have, haven’t you?” Celestia asked, once again tightening the embrace a bit, which did comfort Starlight, “All of the Tricksters before you report meeting with Igor sometime before their journeys truly started. He’d draw them into the Velvet Room to introduce himself, shortly afterward, they’d enter into a contract of sort, and from there they would find other Persona Users to join their cause. Mitsuru’s dear friend from high school, the knightly boy I mentioned to you, even the Phantom Thief Joker, all of them are Tricksters who have awakened to their full power, and all of them have changed the world. If Igor pulled you into the Velvet Room, that means you have more power than you could ever imagine.”

But he didn’t pull her there initially. She threw her life away, and just landed in the Velvet Room, possibly by accident. It sounded like Igor sought out the other Tricksters ahead of time. How did Celestia know that she was this Trickster she was waiting for?

Why would she want a Trickster that barely even valued her life…?

“What… what are you asking me to do?” Starlight asked slowly, on the verge of tears thinking about what she wanted. She wasn’t asking Starlight to…

“I’d like to think that’s obvious, sweetheart,” Celestia’s hand met Starlight’s and their fingers locked together, “I want you to light out darkest hour. If you are the Trickster, then you can gather other Persona Users. Together, I know you can become the light in the darkness.”

“But… I’m not…”

“Not what?” Celestia asked gently.

“I can’t be the Trickster you’re looking for… because the way I entered the Velvet Room… I… it wasn’t… Igor didn’t…”

“You want to help Beatrix, right?”

Starlight turned to Twilight, who had her eyes closed and her arms folded.

“She’s one of the people being affected by this right now. As we speak she’s being tortured by the Shadows,” Twilight picked up the headset and handed it to Starlight, “Put this on.”

Starlight put the headset on as Celestia released her, but she kept her hands on Starlight’s shoulders. Twilight pushed a few buttons, and Starlight felt herself fly through a vortex for a few seconds to a minute. When she was done, she found herself in what looked like the interior of a tent. Inside were terrifying animals all locked in cages.

But it was one cage in particular that caught Starlight’s eye.

Inside was Beatrix, wearing that same skimpy leotard she was forced to wear in the dream. Her wrists and ankles were in shackles, both chained to the floor of the cage, forcing her to lay on the floor like a defeated and captured princess. And she was crying, just like she did when Starlight held her a bit ago.

She wanted to wrap her arms around her, but when she reached for her, she saw a ghostly representation of her arm instead. She was in her witch attire, but she was little more than a phantom than anything else.

“She can’t see you,” Twilight said, “Nor can she hear you. She doesn’t even know you’re there watching her right now.”

“Why are you showing me this…?” Starlight asked, trembling as her heart started racing.

“Because we can’t afford to wait,” Twilight said, “As we speak, there are hundreds of people suffering just like her. People who are trapped in their nightmares, unable to wake themselves up or escape their circumstances.”

“Can’t… the other Tricksters…?”

“They already had their battles,” Celestia said sadly, “While yes, their powers are great, only a newly manifested Trickster has the power to truly end this. Something this bad, all they’d be able to do is put a band-aid on the issue at best.”

Starlight felt herself get pulled back out into the real world, and Twilight took off the headset, standing in front of Starlight glaring at her.

“If I could, Starlight, I’d be in there myself,” Twilight said sternly, “Unfortunately, I don’t have a Persona period. But you do. You have the power to be that girl’s savior, and right now you’re the only thing keeping her alive. Are you going to be the light in her darkness,” she narrowed her eyes leaning in close to Starlight, “Or are you going to run away again?”

Starlight had to fight the urge to slap Twilight for saying that, but she quickly realized something. She was right. Right now, she was being a coward. This issue was so big, too big for one person to handle.

But maybe… she could at least save Beatrix.

“Help me save her,” Starlight said, “After we save Beatrix, I’ll decide what to do next.”

Twilight sighed in relief, “That’s all I’m asking. I’ve had to watch that girl suffer for weeks now, so I’d like to save her at least.”

“For now, you should return to your room and get some more sleep,” Celestia suggested, “Don’t put your ring on. Now that you have a Persona you should be able to control where you go in the dream world now, but I don’t want to risk it. Besides, you need to get actual sleep every so often to keep your strength up.”

Starlight nodded. She felt so weak right now, like she was letting Celestia down. She said goodnight to both her and Twilight and began making her way back to her room. The walk was slow, quiet, and she felt heavy. What they were ultimately asking her to do was way too much for one person to handle alone.

Especially since she knew she wasn’t the Trickster they were looking for.

When she went back into the room, she sat down on the bed and looked at Beatrix as she slept. So far, she hadn’t been successful in saving her, even after she awakened to her Persona. Celestia clearly believed in her, but she wasn’t sure about Twilight. Still, she understood what they were saying.

Starlight looked closely at Beatrix, and noticed a single tear fall from her eyes as she slept.

Starlight turned away from Beatrix, fighting back tears of her own as she laid back in her bed. It didn’t seem fair to her that she got to sleep peacefully while her roommate was stuck in an eternal nightmare. Thanks to the tea she had in Celestia’s room though, sleep came to her after a few minutes.

---

“I really don’t know about her, Ms. Tia,” Twilight sighed sitting back on the couch, “She’s so fainthearted about this.”

“She’s afraid, Twilight,” Celestia said, sitting next to her student, “We’re asking her to save the entire planet. I’d think she were insane if she truly jumped at the chance to do something like this.”

“It’s just, you’ve told me stories about the Tricksters before her, and I’ll be honest, she doesn’t live up to the hype.”

“Even the mightiest Tricksters of all have moments of weakness. As powerful as they are, they have one weakness that is also their greatest strength,” Celestia poured herself another cup of tea and sipped it.

“Which is?” Twilight asked, taking one of the last cookies.

“In the end, they’re still human.”

Next Chapter: 9/5 Estimated time remaining: 26 Hours