October 27^th, 2019
Saturday
Sunny

Morning

Living with Determination: Iwatodai Dorm Arrangement - Persona 3

That morning, Starlight woke up with a sore jaw. It took a second to remember that she got punched in the face by “Guard Applejack” in Rarity’s Dungeon, and that any damage they sustained there passed into the real world. It really showed them just how real all of this was.

Since all of them went to bed significantly early, they ended up waking up early enough where Twilight was eating dinner, which to them was just breakfast. Due to this, they were able to discuss a bit about what they saw in Rarity’s Dungeon while eating together. Something about this moment felt right to Starlight.

“I did some searching while everyone rested,” Twilight said, “Turns out, Rarity’s Dungeon is huge.”

“How big are we talking?” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight took a bite of her sausage before continuing.

“The best comparison I can give, about the size of Canterlot City,” Twilight explained, “At the very least, about a third of it.”

“Meaning it’d at least encompass South Street and the school,” Starlight said, “That’s, going to take a long time to explore.”

“But why is it so large?” Trixie asked, sipping her orange juice, “Mine and Pinkie Pie’s weren’t so big, were they?”

“Pinkie Pie’s came close, but there was still a simplistic design to the layout,” Twilight said, “Really, the worst part was the castle, and even then what made that a challenge was the spell that made exploration impossible. Rarity’s though? It’s a detailed layout of Canterlot, with the school being replaced by the prison.” she frowned, looking down at her plate, “That’s not even the scariest part.”

“Well, don’t keep us in suspense over here,” Rainbow Dash said as Pinkie Pie returned to sit next to her with more eggs. Yes, this was her third helping, they were that good.

“There were Shadows, in the city,” Twilight explained.

“Is that weird?” Pinkie Pie asked, “I mean, Dungeons are made with the Shadows in mind, so…”

“Mmmm, while that’s true, Shadows crowd around the areas where the prisoner is being held,” Twilight explained, “That or the Dungeon Master. For Trixie, the whole Dungeon was infested since it was a carnival with her as the main attraction. But for yours, the Shadows would only really flock to places where you and Fleur’s Shadow were, and mainly they seemed to stay close to her, unless she sent them out to do something.”

“Think that’s what the Warden is doing?” Starlight asked, “Sending the Shadows out into the city?”

“To do what?” Twilight asked, “Rarity’s inside the Prison now, and she’s the one all of the Shadows want. There’s no reason to send anyone out there.”

“I don’t like this,” Celestia said, leaning back against the counter and sipping a cup of coffee, “Especially with one of the other witches saying Rarity was a lost cause.”

“She was just being a bitch,” Rainbow Dash decided, taking a huge bite of her bacon before continuing, “What does she know, anyway?”

“Unfortunately, a lot more than we do,” Celestia pointed out, “The sad truth is, we arrived late. For all we know, Adagio and her Coven have been going into Rarity’s Dungeon for days, possibly weeks before us. Also, much of what we know about Dungeons is guess work, or things we’ve inferred since you girls began exploring.”

“The Kirijo Group didn’t find anything before us?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Celestia shook her head gravely, “Sadly, we weren’t. There were experiments done to remedy this, chief among them being Project Dream Catcher.”

“What was that?” Trixie asked, finishing up her second plate of Celestia’s breakfast.

“An experiment done to make a Persona User capable of going into the Phase,” Celestia explained, “Mitsuru had figured out that the Shadows were the cause of the Nightmare Epidemic, and wanted to begin stopping them immediately,” she closed her eyes sadly, “Unfortunately though, the project ended up being discontinued, once it became apparent that we couldn’t make a Persona User artificially that could enter the Dream World. Not without serious consequences.”

Twilight averted her eyes with a somewhat darkened expression. Starlight took note, but kept it to herself. Was she connected to that project somehow?

“Because of this, we have no way of knowing just how much damage has been done to Rarity’s mind,” Celestia walked over to Twilight and rubbed her shoulders as she spoke, “The Shadows being in an area she’s not in at the moment doesn’t bode well for her mental state, nor does seeing an apparition of Applejack working with the Shadows.”

“That’s what has me worried,” Trixie said looking up, “If Applejack was going to appear in her Nightmare, why isn’t she there trying to help Rarity, or at least as a prisoner right beside Rarity?”

Pinkie Pie looked down frowning, “I think we need to know a bit more about their relationship.”

“You mean Applejack and Rarity’s?” Twilight asked Pinkie Pie, who nodded, “Yes. That’d be helpful. We don’t know much about Rarity, but we can easily conclude that she holds Applejack in super high regard.”

“Seemed to me like she thought of Applejack as just another jailer to me,” Rainbow Dash shrugged.

“Not necessarily,” Twilight said, sitting back as she finished her food, “Seeing Applejack have an actual representative figure in her dream suggests that she holds a significant spot in Rarity’s heart, and her being a guard there means Rarity sees her as a figure of authority. None of this is necessarily bad, just currently warped, as seen in the Dungeon itself.”

“I, did notice something kind of odd,” Starlight said, catching everyone’s attention, “Blueblood, and even us, she seemed antagonistic to. When Applejack showed up, though, she became extremely subservient.”

“That’s, true actually,” Twilight frowned, “I noticed that. For us, she seem more cautious at best, but the way she screamed when Applejack was tying her up…”

Starlight nodded, “Rarity’s mind really does work like an animal’s, so if we look at her behavior that way, doesn’t it kind of seem like she was begging her owner to not hurt her?”

“Whoa, hang on a second,” Trixie said, “We were saying before that her behavior was canine like, yeah, but are you saying that, Rarity legit thinks she’s a dog?”

“More so that her behavior is like one, but I guess,” Starlight said, “It seems everyone in her old gang was like that to some degree, but she and Rover seem to take it to an extreme. If that’s true, then from a canine perspective, what we saw between Rarity and Applejack could be a warped and twisted version of how they actually are,” she remembered one time they were together in the Student Council office. Rarity was nuzzling Applejack, who was rubbing her side a lot like one would pet an extremely large dog.

She wasn’t reading too much into that, was she? But did that mean that, Rarity was Applejack’s pet? This was getting weirder and weirder.

“Now that it’s the weekend, if you give me some time, I can try and learn the layout of the Dungeon,” Twilight offered, “I’ll need to be in the Remote Viewing System to really make a detailed map, so don’t expect much, but I can at least give us an idea of what we’re working with here.”

“Alright,” Starlight nodded, “Also, see what you can find out about those other Shadows. I’m not giving up on Rarity, no matter what that other witch says.”

Twilight nodded, “Will do. By Monday, I should have at least something.”

“I don’t know how late I can stay up, but I can keep you company a bit while you work,” Pinkie Pie offered, “I kind of want to learn as much as I can about what you do out here to help us.”

“I mean, it’s not very interesting, but if you want…” Pinkie Pie ran up to Twilight and hugged her, “Gah!”

“Yay! Thank you, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie cheered, making Twilight sigh.

“I thought you were doing this for my benefit. Why are you thanking me…?” she asked, her question going unanswered. Starlight was just happy that there was so much cohesion among them now. It seemed even Twilight wasn’t being as bitchy as before.

She wondered what changed between them.

Daytime

Memories of the City - Persona 3

After talking with her friends for a bit and seeing Twilight off to bed, Starlight went into the city to run a few errands. Among just some minor shopping, she paid a visit to the Velvet Room, this time to fuse some new Personas. Through trial and error, she managed to get a number of new ones, but she only held onto one of the new ones. That being Setana, her first ever Emperor Arcana Persona. Fusing into it put her in the mind of Spike for some reason.

Along with him, she also fused into High Pixie, Chotho, and Principality, Personas of the Fool, Fortune, and Justice Arcana respectively. All of these she ended up Harvesting to Morgana though, who by the end of it had learned two strong healing spells. Diarama and Mediarama. She’d leave the healing to Pinkie Pie for the most part, as these seemed to use a lot of spirit power, but she could at least help support Pinkie Pie’s healing efforts.

After she left the Velvet Room though, she saw Fluttershy walking up the path. She had been hoping to catch up with her again soon, so maybe this was a good time. Starlight smiled and waved to Fluttershy, who returned the gesture with a bow, now walking up to her.

“Konnichiwa, Starlight-san,” Fluttershy said sweetly.

“Konnichiwa, Tokugawa-san,” Starlight said, her heart lifting at knowing someone with such a cool last name and was dressed like a Japanese Samurai almost, “You’re here to train?”

“Hai,” Fluttershy nodded, “Saturday, personal training day. You, come to park, often?”

Starlight nodded, “It’s, actually one of my favorite places, for a number of reasons, actually. What about you? I know you come here a lot to train, but besides that, do you come here?”

Fluttershy waved her hand with an awkward expression, “Err… hard to explain. Training time, enjoy park. Other time… eh…”

Seemed she had a very complicated relationship with this place. This time, she was sensitive enough to pick up on the subtle cues.

“You, don’t have to go into it if you don’t want to,” Starlight began, “But, if you ever want to talk, I hear I’m a good listener.”

Fluttershy smiled softly in appreciation, “Arigato, Starlight-san. You, leave now, or, watch train?”

“Could I, sit in on your training?” Starlight asked, “I’m doing something pretty active, and I might learn a thing or two watching you. Also,” Starlight blushed in embarrassment, “You’re really cool, and I just want to be close to you.”

Fluttershy giggled and nodded, “Hai hai. I not mind. Starlight-san is friend, and I enjoy company.”

Starlight smiled, her heart fluttering for some reason. Was this how anime characters felt when their Senpai noticed them? All of a sudden, she wanted to call her “Senpai”, but that might have been a bit much.

Kairi theme - Kingdom Hearts 2

Starlight followed Fluttershy deeper into the park. After warming up a bit (yes Starlight stretched alongside her), Fluttershy began going through her drills and various moves. She clearly was not an amateur at this at all.

A few times, Starlight noticed her vision get a bit funny watching her though. It would suddenly look like she was wearing a deep red kimono with chain like designs on it, doing the same motions, and with the same ferocious expression on her face.

Why did Starlight’s heart race seeing that? And was there something golden around her wrists…?

Eventually, Fluttershy dropped to one knee panting heavily. Starlight ran over with her water bottle, handing it to her.

“Are you okay, Tokugawa-san?” Starlight asked.

Fluttershy nodded as she grabbed the water bottle, “Hai. Training, always like this.”

Starlight’s eyes widened, “You always train, so hard?” she asked, “You must be really passionate about it.”

For the briefest of moments, Fluttershy looked truly sad, but she quickly perked up and smiled, “Hai. Passionate.”

For some reason, Starlight didn’t fully believe her. There was more to it than that.

“Um, what is, Starlight-san, passionate, about?” she asked slowly, probably due to trying to piece together words she knew would get her point across. The fact she had so much trouble with English despite going to an American High School was so odd to Starlight.

“Me? Well I guess if anything, my passion would be witchcraft,” Starlight looked down at her channeling ring, “I never stopped believing in magic, and I always wanted to be a witch.” she blushed and laughed awkwardly, “I, must sound like a total dork…”

Fluttershy giggled, but shook her head, “Magic real, I believe.”

“You, believe in magic?” Starlight blinked. She honestly didn’t take Fluttershy as the type.

Fluttershy nodded, “Hai. I see magic with own eyes,” she reached into her gi top, and pulled out a red card with an odd symbol in it. It looked like a hat along with a mask, but the side of the mask was flaming, “This proof of magic.”

“This, red card?” Starlight looked at it curiously.

“That calling card,” Fluttershy explained, “Of Phantom Thieves of Hearts.”

Starlight’s eyes widened a bit. She remembered Twilight and Celestia mentioning the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

“They were, magical thieves?” Starlight asked, turning to Fluttershy and handing the card back.

“Hai hai!” she nodded, eyes lighting up with an innocence Starlight hadn’t expected from her, “Phantom Thieves, steal hearts of bad people! Give calling card, bad people become good, and then confess!”

Right, just like what they did with Fleur… “That, sounds so cool!” Starlight beamed, “If you have this, then you must have seen them do it!”

Fluttershy nodded excitedly, “I go to museum once, see famous artist get calling card, accuse of, um…” she frowned, “What is word for, copying, other’s art…?”

“A famous artist… so…” Starlight’s eyes widened, “Plagiarism…? He was, plagiarizing his work?!”

Fluttershy nodded pointing to Starlight, “Hai! That word! Plagiarizing, he do that to students work! He confess to all of it, even murder!”

Starlight couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She’d heard of these Phantom Thieves, and knew that they were Persona Users. Heck, she and her friends accidentally pulled this off with Fleur, so she knew that it was true. She just didn’t think that they were so public about it.

Fluttershy gave an impish giggle, “Artist even cry! Seeing evil man expose himself, satisfying to watch it was!” she looked back at the card, “This, calling card I pick up in Osaka, during last year in Japan. Got to hear Phantom Thieves’ voice, got to see expose evil man who make phone app that hurt everyone. Phantom Thieves, heroes,” she hugged the card to her chest, “Meet Phantom Thieves, I wish.”

Ooooooh, she knew that she had connections to them technically. Maybe not direct connections, but Starlight did know someone who could probably get her in touch with the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. Sadly, that had to remain confidential.

But, what happened to Pinkie Pie…

“I, don’t know if it was the Phantom Thieves,” Starlight said, “But you know my friend Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy nodded, “Well, her manager went through something similar at the beginning of the month.”

“Pinkie Pie Manager, have change of heart?” Fluttershy asked. Starlight was careful not to put all of Pinkie Pie’s business out there, nor tell Fluttershy anything about the Dungeons, but she did make sure she told her about the change of heart, and how Fleur was completely different afterward. The way Fluttershy’s eyes lit up told her that she understood before she said anything, “Magic…”

Starlight nodded, “There, wasn’t a calling card like this, hence why I don’t think it was the Phantom Thieves, but something magical did happen that day.”

Fluttershy nodded smiling, “Hai. Magic exist, even here,” she looked up at the sky, “Arigato, Starlight-san,” Starlight turned to Fluttershy and tilted her head, “Hard to, keep faith in magic. You, renew faith.”

Starlight smiled, and scooted a bit closer to Fluttershy, also looking up at the sky, “You’re welcome, Tokugawa-san.”

Seemed that despite being somewhat intimidating, Fluttershy was in fact, just another teenager like herself. Sitting beside her like this, Starlight felt significantly closer to Fluttershy.

As the two girls sat together, Starlight noticed Fluttershy’s hand inch closer to hers every few seconds, until she was gently holding it. It was a simple gesture, yet somehow to Starlight, felt incredibly intimate.

October 28^th, 2019
Sunday
Sunny

Morning

Aria of the Soul - Persona series

After getting dressed and eating breakfast, Starlight phone rang once she returned to the main lobby of the dorm to sign herself out for the day. She looked at the number, and saw a bunch of odd characters like when Diamond called from the Akashic Records. She shrugged and answered it.

“Hello?” she asked.

“Hello, Miss Glimmer. This is Victor. I'm calling you from the Velvet Room.”

Starlight’s heart leaped out of her chest. He was calling her? Ignoring the question of how he knew her number, he knew her number~!

“How can I help you?” Starlight asked, letting a bit of her witch sensuality enter her voice.

“Do you remember when I asked for your assistance earlier?” Victor asked, “I may have found a section worth exploring. Would it be alright if we met up by the Velvet Room door tonight?”

“Sure,” Starlight smiled, “I’ll be there.”

“Excellent,” Victor was clearly smiling, as she heard a familiar growl of hunger, “See you soon, Miss Glimmer.”

With that, the two hung up. Seemed she had something to look forward to tonight at least.

Daytime

Memories of the City - Persona 3

After buying back Icubus from Victor, and sharing a brief look with him, Starlight went into town to Sugar Cube Corner, where she had hoped to run into Silver Spoon. She had wanted to catch up with her for a while, but life sort of got in the way.

She and Silver Spoon weren’t exactly the best of friends, so this interaction would be interesting. She didn’t think she’d hold onto Incubus, since she knew this Persona made Trixie uncomfortable, but maybe it could help mitigate things with Silver Spoon somewhat, as they were both Devil Arcana.

Sure enough, she saw Silver Spoon sitting by herself at one of the outdoor seats, frowning at her phone. Feeling a bit impish all of a sudden, Starlight sat down in front of her and just waited a bit.

Didn’t take long for Silver Spoon to look up, where she jumped in surprise holding her chest, “Geez, coming out of nowhere like that…”

Starlight smirked darkly, “It was worth it, seeing you jump like that.”

Silver Spoon gave her a slight scowl, “Glad you had fun, Witch,” she then looked down at her phone again, “The characters are different again…” Starlight frowned tilting her head, “Oh, something odd on Friday is all. Got a weird call on my phone, but the characters keep changing.”

Starlight blinked and looked at Silver’s phone. Those looked like the same characters she got when Diamond and Victor called her from the Dream World. Sure enough, when she blinked, it looked slightly different.

“Do you know anything about this, Witch?” Silver Spoon asked Starlight.

“Well, it very well could be magic related,” Starlight nodded, “Actually no, I’m certain it is. Since every time you look away from it even briefly it changes. My guess, possibly contact from the realm of magic.”

Silver sucked in a breath, “The fact I can tell you’re serious…” she muttered, “Okay, so… now that you’re here, I wanted to ask a few questions.”

“Ask away,” Starlight smiled, sitting back and crossing her legs, a bit like how she sat in the Velvet Room when entering from the dream world.

“So, this,” she waved her hand at Starlight, “This change in attitude, is this how you really are or something?”

“You could say that,” Starlight said. This was too much fun, Silver knowing that she was a witch.

“Why hide behind such a mild mannered persona?” Silver asked, “Why pretend to be, well, a normie?”

“Well for one, who’d believe me if I started spouting that I was a real live witch?” Starlight asked, “If I had told you that I had real magic powers before the whole thing with Diamond, would you have believed me?”

“Being perfectly honest, not at all,” Silver sipped her coffee before continuing (Oh God she even did the pinky thing, how pretentious was this bitch?!), “Before, I just thought you were some crazy goth.”

“Worried I’d corrupt your bestie?” Starlight asked, her eyes becoming lidded as she spoke.

“Yes, actually,” Silver answered pursing her lips, “Nothing personal, but I took one look at you and got scared you were going to drag her into a freaky cult or something.”

Starlight laughed shaking her head, “Oh Silver, you and I both know it's personal, but I don’t hold grudges.”

“Like you don’t hold a grudge against what’s his face? Blueblood?” Silver asked, her eyes becoming lidded as well.

“He’s different,” Starlight’s smile dropped as her tone hardened slightly.

“Is he now?”

“You’re just a bitch. He’s a monster.”

Silver’s eyebrows rose, but she then nodded, “You don’t back down. I’ll admit that I, might, have been wrong about you.”

“So I’m not just some crazy, suicidal goth bitch?” Starlight asked Silver, who blinked and leaned back.

“How did you know I-” Starlight’s smile widened, and her heart leaped at the sight of Silver’s slight fear, “Oh shit. You’re able to read minds, aren’t you…?”

“More like I can read emotions,” Starlight said, reaching over to caress Silver’s hand, “The stronger emotions sometimes do come with intentions.”

“And knowing how I felt about you, you still were nice to me…?” Silver asked with a confused frown.

“Like I said, at your worse, you’re just a bitch,” Starlight looked into Silver’s eyes honestly, “Besides, I promised someone close to me that I’d use my magic to help people. You needed help, so that’s what I did.”

Silver relaxed a bit looking at Starlight, “Well, you may be a bit off putting, but I don’t think you’re a bad person, either. You did save Diamond after all,” her gaze went down to Starlight’s ring, “That’s it, right? The source of your power?”

“My Ring? It is,” Starlight confirmed, “It’s called a Channeling Ring. I got it the day I became a witch.”

“How did you become a witch?” Silver asked, “Was there like, a ritual or something you had to do?”

Starlight nodded, “If you’re planning to do it yourself, I wouldn’t recommend it,” she pulled her hand away and looked at her Ring sadly, “The price for power is, steep.”

Silver sat up frowning a bit, “So what, you had to give up something to get power?”

“The ritual I cast, said that I’d have to give up that which I loved the most for power,” Starlight explained, tearing up a bit, “I guess, even with all the fighting, I loved my Mother more than I thought…”

Silver’s eyes widened in horror, “Oh God. So, when you did the ritual, your Mom…”

“She was in a car accident the second the ritual ended,” Starlight said in a quiet voice, “I lost, everything that day. Yeah I, became the witch I always wanted, but considering what I lost in the process…”

“That, was why you tried to kill yourself, wasn’t it?” Silver asked softly, “The pain of, losing her.”

“I killed her…” Starlight closed her eyes and shed a few tears, “She’s dead, because of me…”

Silver took a breath and looked away, “I, don’t know what to say to this. I guess I’ll just settle for, I’m sorry for your loss. Tell me though, the magic you gained from that ritual, that was the magic you used to save Diamond, right?”

“It, was yeah,” Starlight confirmed.

“Okay. So then, focus on that I suppose,” Silver rubbed her arm, “Yeah, it sucks that your Mom, y-you know, but, you’re doing the right thing with your power. You’re saving people’s lives.”

“I, want to believe that, but right now, there’s someone else I’m trying to help and, I’m not sure if my magic will be enough,” Starlight admitted, thinking about Rarity now.

“You’re more than enough,” Silver said suddenly, surprising Starlight, “Come on, don’t you see it? You comforted a bitch like me, despite knowing how much I hated you. You were able to reach out to help Beatrix get away from Blueblood, something not even Saintly Miss Tia could do. And most of all, whereas most would see powers like this as a curse, you Starlight, turned it into a blessing. You didn’t become some selfish person over your loss, you didn’t close your heart off, you… you chose to care. So, whoever this person is you’re trying to save, if your magic isn’t enough just, let your heart take care of the rest.”

Starlight smiled, wiping her tears gently, “Thank you, Silver Spoon.”

Silver Spoon nodded, giving a small smile herself. Somehow, Starlight felt significantly closer to Silver Spoon.

Maybe, being friends with her wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

Late Night

Qualia - Blue Reflection

Starlight wasted no time getting ready for bed. She had to fight the urge to put on make up and perfume, as that’d be weird to do before going to sleep. All of that she could just imagine on her when she arrived in the Akashic Records.

Which she did. This was the first time she and Victor were going to be alone together in the Akashic Records, so she had to look nice for him.

When she arrived, she sauntered over to him, one hand on her hip and a sultry smile. She loved the way this place made her feel. So powerful and sexy, like she wanted to be in real life.

“Hello Miss Glimmer,” Victor said, setting his book down and rising to greet her, “Lovely to see you again.”

“Likewise,” Starlight held her hand out to him, which he gently took and kissed, “Hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long~”

“Not at all,” Victor said, “I just arrived here myself to await you. The section I wanted to examine is down this path. Shall we?” he held an arm out to escort Starlight, who nodded and walked onward. Victor was right beside her, his hand gently on her back. She noticed as they got further away from the room though, the further down his hand went.

Her heart was racing, and though part of her wasn’t sure she should let him continue, part of her wanted him to continue.

“Ah, here we are,” he said, pulling his hand away. Damn it, just a bit lower…

Starlight sighed internally and looked up at the books in question. She’d never really paid much attention to the books in this section of the library. Each one seemed to pertain to something concerning the path of humanity itself.

“This section…” Starlight said softly, her heart feeling heavy for some reason.

“Here, we can find the stories of humanity’s destiny,” Victor said, running his hands on one of the books, “The Master is intrigued by humans. He watches over them, and aids them, in the hopes of learning more about himself. We attendants of the Velvet Room, are much the same.”

“You’re, not human either, are you?” Starlight asked, following Victor down the isle of books.

“That, is complicated,” Victor explained, “By the physical definition, no I am not. But were one to consider the human condition, I find that my siblings and I, are human to a tragic degree.”

To be "tragically human". That was so poetic sounding, and yet made Victor sound incredibly sad. She asked him what he meant by that.

“If one were to ask you, why you were born, why you exist, would you be able to answer?” Victor asked Starlight. She tried to give him an answer that would satisfy him only to realize, she couldn’t. Sure she knew what she was meant to do with her magic; stop the Nightmare Epidemic and save people from their despair. But even that was something she was choosing to do, and it sounded like other witches were using their powers for other means.

In terms of her birth, she knew that her parents wanted a child, and after many desperate attempts and even a miscarriage or two, Starlight was born. But, why her? Why not her older siblings? Or, would those have still been her? If so, why was she born now? Did it tie into her saving people from the Nightmare Epidemic? Had she been born a few years sooner, or perhaps not at all, would Trixie have gotten free of Blueblood’s abuse…?

“The frown on your face tells me you understand,” Victor said, turning to Starlight, “I and my siblings, are much the same way. We come into the world, as if we were always a part of it. We have full knowledge of our powers, we know our names, we know our duties are to assist the Master, and that whoever our Trickster is, we are intrinsically connected to them, bound by a thread of fate. But through all of this, there’s one question that we, can never truly find an answer to.”

“Why…”

“Precisely,” Victor nodded, “Why do we exist? Why do we find ourselves bound to our Tricksters,” he walked over to Starlight, backing her into a bookcase and looming over her, leaning in close, “From the moment I laid eyes on you, I felt something. Something pulling me toward you. It wasn’t until I saw this, you at your most honest, that a new feeling sprang up from within me.”

“That, feeling is…?” Starlight asked, breathing heavily at how intense he was.

“That, I cannot say,” Victor admitted, “Or I guess it’d be better to say, I do not have the words for it. I know that I desire you, and that I find you to be the most beautiful woman in the world. I know that seeing you happy, lifts my spirits in a way nothing else has in all my life, and that when I see you sad, or upset in anyway, my heart aches.”

“Victor…” she said breathlessly. Could she, take his hand and find out his true feelings? Should she? Would she be able to handle them? They weren’t even touching and she felt crushed by the intensity of his emotions. It hurt, but at the same time, she loved the pain of it.

“I want to understand this, aspect of myself,” Victor said, “I wish to know if this is the same reason Elizabeth and Theodore abandoned their duties, once their Tricksters completed their journeys. It is for this reason, I’ve come here,” he gently caressed Starlight’s cheek, “In the process, I seek to understand what this is between us.”

On instinct, Starlight grabbed a book, holding onto it at she nuzzled his hand, “Well, maybe this could be a start?” she asked, holding the book up to Victor, who looked it over.

“Dream Catcher…?” Victor asked curiously, gently taking the book and looking it over, “Intriguing. It appears that this speaks of a project designed to artificially create the Wild Card.”

Dream Catcher…? Wasn’t that the name of the project the Kirijo Group scrapped? They wanted to recreate the Wild Card?

“This book makes mention of one known as Subject 416,” he continued, “Why are there books pertaining to this in the section for humanity’s destiny…?”

“Maybe this project, is important to humanity’s ultimate destiny, whatever that is,” Starlight suggested.

“Perhaps,” Victor muttered, looking to Starlight, “It appears asking you to assist me was the right choice indeed. I admit there was a selfish part of me that simply wished to have you all to myself, and this was the perfect excuse.”

Starlight giggled, “That’s alright. Me being able to assist you for real just means we have an excuse to do this again.”

“Indeed,” Victor smirked, gazing hungrily at Starlight, who met his gaze in kind. Before this journey was over, she was going to kiss this man. She knew it. She felt significantly closer to Victor.

The two of them stayed together for a good while, reading over various subjects together and occasionally flirting with one another before Starlight left the Library.

Fool – Seekers of Light: 5/10
Magician – Trixie Lulamoon: 8/10
Priestess – Diamond Tiara: 10/10 Thrall
The Empress – Ms. Tia: 4/10
Hierophant - Victor: 2/10 LEVEL UP!!!!
The Lovers - Pinkamena Diane Pie: 2/10
Chariot – Rainbow Dash: 3/10
Strength - Tokugawa Fluttershy: 2/5 LEVEL UP!!!!
Hermit – Sunburst: 2/10
The Devil – Silver Spoon: 5/10 LEVEL UP!!!!
The Sun - Sweetie Belle: 2/10
Transformation - Ms. Luna: 1/10

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