October 30^th, 2019
Tuesday
Cloudy

Morning

As soon as they woke up, Starlight and Trixie shot out of bed and ran over to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash’s room, meeting Celestia and Twilight along the way. Celestia knocked on the door, “Dash, Pinkie Pie, we’re coming in,” she said before opening the door.

Inside they saw Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, both awake. Rainbow Dash had her arms wrapped around Pinkie Pie, who was trembling in her embrace and crying softly. She looked up at them with the saddest, most terrified look Starlight had seen on her.

Living with Determination - Persona 3

“Miss Tia…!” she sobbed. Immediately Celestia ran over to Pinkie Pie and held her.

“I’m sorry, my child…” Celestia said softly, tearing up herself, “I’m so sorry…”

“She’ll, be alright, won’t she?” Trixie asked carefully, “She woke up safely, so… when she goes into the Phase again, then she’ll just be with us, right?”

Twilight sighed and shook her head, “No, I’m afraid. Pinkie Pie’s become a prisoner in Rarity’s Dungeon now. Every time she goes to sleep, whether she’s wearing her Channeling Ring or not, she’ll be there, being tortured by the Shadows.”

“So… it’s just like when I had my Dungeon before…” Pinkie Pie said softly.

Rainbow Dash got up and walked over to their window, rubbing her face. Starlight walked over to Rainbow Dash and hugged her from behind.

I, I failed her…

“Rainbow Dash…” Starlight said softly. The pain in her heart was immense, to the point where she started crying.

“I, promised I’d keep her safe,” Rainbow Dash said, trembling as she began crying herself, “I promised that, what happened to her in her Dungeon, wasn’t going to happen again…”

“None of us knew this was going to happen,” Starlight said, “This isn’t anyone’s fault.”

“No one here, that is,” Trixie growled, leaning against a wall with her arms folded, “Cinch on the other hand…”

“I, still can’t believe that, she’s such a cruel and hateful person deep down,” Celestia said, “I, tried time and time again, to believe that somewhere inside of Abacus, she was a good person. Just, under immense stress, but still cared about the students,” she held Pinkie Pie tighter, breathing in and out heavily, “The way her Shadow spoke, though…”

“When you guys told me how bad Cinch was, I’ll admit, part of me was still skeptical,” Twilight sighed, “I, am so sorry you all have someone like that as your Principal.”

“What she was doing to Rarity, In her Dungeon,” Pinkie Pie asked softly, “The real Cinch is, doing the same things, to her here right?”

Twilight nodded, “That’s, the basic gist of it, yeah. I doubt it’s exactly the same, but her Shadow is definitely showing how Cinch actually feels about Rarity, and I can guarantee you that some of what she’s doing to her in her Dungeon, Rarity gets to experience while she’s awake.”

Pinkie Pie took a deep breath, “Then, this can work.”

“What can work?” Rainbow Dash asked sternly, she and Starlight turning to her.

“This, isn’t exactly how we wanted to do this,” Pinkie Pie said, a sad smile on her as she held Celestia, “And it’s going right into the trope Twilight said we weren’t going with, but… you have someone on the inside now, right?”

“Wait, are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Trixie asked, “Cause to me, it’s sounding like you’re offering to be an inside spy for us.”

Pinkie Pie nodded, “Cinch and Rarity don’t know what’s actually going on. They don’t know that the Dungeon is a real place. So, they’re not going to change their behaviors but so much. And, if I can get Rarity to trust me in the Dungeon, maybe I’ll open her heart in the real world, too.”

“Pinkie Pie… I…” Rainbow Dash bit her lip and groaned softly.

“If I keep my Channeling Ring on, I’ll be safe from the full effects of the Dungeon, right?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Theoretically,” Twilight said, “You’ll still be trapped though, and I don’t know if you’ll be able to wake up the usual way. You might be, bound to that place until Rarity wakes up.”

“Well, not like I’m not used to this kind of treatment,” Pinkie Pie said softly, looking at her Ring, “This time though, I’ll have Serenity with me. Just, promise me you, won’t take, too long,” she closed her eyes tightly, “B-because I’m, terrified of that place, and what, Cinch, and her Shadows, will do to me…!”

“I promise,” Starlight said immediately, “We won’t keep you waiting for too long. We’ll rescue you, and Rarity.”

Pinkie Pie nodded, breaking down again. Starlight hated seeing her like this. They just rescued her, only for her to end up being trapped now in someone else’s Dungeon. Needless to say, breakfast and the walk to school were both filled with a dark, heavy atmosphere.

end song

Daytime

All of the students could tell something was wrong today. Celestia wasn’t her usual sunny self, being somewhat somber and distant, like she was mentally and emotionally somewhere else. She didn’t let it bleed over to her students, though, as she tried her best to be just as attentive and understanding, even helping someone with a question they had concerning the homework.

She really was an amazing woman.

Unfortunately, their troubles had only just begun, as the loud speaker came on right at the end of Homeroom.

“Attention Students of Canterlot High,” Rarity’s voice spoke, sounding utterly exhausted and just, done, “I am afraid I have unfortunate news. Due to the concerns surrounding the Diamond Dogs, the Nightmare Epidemic, and wanting the students to focus solely on Midterms,” Rarity took a deep breath, “Principal Cinch has decided it be best, for this year’s Halloween Party to be, canceled.”

“What?!” one student shouted, “You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

“That was the one thing I had too look forward to this month outside of midterms!” another groaned.

“That’s such bullshit, wanting the students to “focus on their studies”,” Lyra grumbled, “Cinch is just using this as an excuse to get rid of something we like, that's all.”

Starlight blinked at the general reaction to this, and then leaned into Trixie, “Is this Halloween Party, a huge deal?”

Trixie sighed and nodded, “Every year, the students essentially take over the school on Halloween Night. They dress up in costumes, role play, have drinks and snacks. It’s the one time we feel like this place is ours, you know?”

Starlight nodded and sighed. She’d been so caught up with Rarity’s Dungeon that she hadn’t even thought about a Halloween party. She had a costume, but it wasn’t entirely creative. Just a more overt and sexy witch’s costume she’d put together. Still, it was annoying that Cinch was trying to interfere with that.

Might have been related to her finding them in her Dungeon. Her attempting to exert more control over the school.

Celestia sighed as the announcement came to an end, “Damn it, Cinch…”

I'll Face Myself: Another Version - Persona 4

Pinkie Pie looked down thoughtfully, and then perked up, “You know what? No. I say we don’t stand for this,” she got up, catching everyone’s attention, “She wants to take away something that’s vital to this school because she doesn’t like it, right? Well, as per her own rules, we can dress however we want here in school.”

“What are you saying?” a boy from the front asked, “That we just, come to school in our costumes anyway?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Pinkie Pie nodded, “And not just tomorrow. We do this, for all of midterms.”

Starlight nodded and got up, “I agree. And afterward, we have our own party on Friday, this time in the town.”

“Cinch wants to take the school, then fine. She can have it,” Trixie said, rising up as well, “But she can’t take our spirits, no matter how much she may want to.”

Slowly, all of the student nodded in agreement to this.

“Yeah! We don’t have to take this!” one student said.

“Let’s spread the word as much as we can!” Bon Bon said, “See if we can get the whole school on board with this!”

“This is alright, right Miss Tia?” Lyra asked.

Celestia smiled and nodded, “Absolutely. I’ll talk to the staff about this, see if I can get them to participate in this as well.”

And just like that, the whole homeroom was cheering. Starlight turned to Pinkie Pie and smiled. Pinkie Pie giggled and twirled her hair around her finger, showing off her Channeling Ring. Now Starlight wondered if that was less Pinkie Pie, and more Serenity in that moment.

Either way, it was good she hadn’t lost her spirit from this.

After School

Memories of the City - Persona 3

By lunch time, everyone was talking about this plan to stick it to Cinch. Apparently Rainbow Dash had a similar idea, and was already rallying the students in her Homeroom to take a stand against this. It felt almost like this was her coven fighting against Cinch in the real world, which in a way, that’s exactly what this was.

It was a good distraction from the reality of the situation.

Starlight ended up going to Pep Squad, despite initially thinking she’d skip it. In truth, she needed this today. Thankfully Diamond confirmed that the school held Pep Squad pretty much all year around, they’d just be for different teams once football season was over. She was worried about Pinkie Pie, but Starlight assured Diamond that she’d be fine.

Whether she meant that or was just convincing herself, she didn’t know.

It took a while, but eventually Starlight was able to get into the proper head space. She felt significantly more graceful afterward. She was now a lot more elegant than she was when she first started out.

Disquiet - Persona 5

After Pep Squad ended, Starlight planned to just head right back to the dorm. For one, so she could get to studying for Midterms, and two, so she could come up with a battle plan for when they’d be going back inside the Dungeon. She walked down the hallway past the principal’s office, which was partially open. On instinct, she peaked inside and saw Rarity standing in front of Cinch’s desk, the woman in question eyeing her intently.

“I already said I’m doin' the best I can,” Rarity growled, her voice more gruff and lacking her usual elegance. That was Dirty Diamond in there.

“Really? Because it seems as though the Diamond Dogs are still roaming about,” Cinch said imposingly.

“Well, what are you expecting me to do? In case you forgot, Canterlot is their home to-” there was the sound of something slapping the desk, which made Rarity flinch back and yelp in surprise.

“You and I know damn well those mutts belong in the slammer! The second they got out of jail, they went right back to causing trouble in town! Why, just the other day a man claimed he was assaulted by those beasts!” Cinch fussed, “You said you could remove them, and yet they’re still walking the streets like they own the place. Am I going to have to go ahead and-”

“No!” Rarity cried desperately, “Please no! The Scarlets would be in trouble too if that came out!”

“The Scarlets, would be in trouble too…?” Starlight repeated to herself. What did Applejack’s family have to do with this…?

“They should have thought about that before they let an untamed stray into their home and into my school,” Cinch said darkly, “I’m giving you until November 9^th to convince those dogs to find new territory, otherwise I’ll intervene, and I assure you that with the evidence I have on you, Miss Stark, you’ll be joining them in the pound. Now, get out of my sight.”

Rarity groaned. Starlight stepped away from the door just in time as it swung open, Rarity storming out and walking off down the hall. She hadn’t seen Starlight yet, so she waited until the door to Cinch’s office closed before she ran after her.

She found Rarity leaning against her locker, burying her face in her hands as she sobbed intensely. None of the strength and poise she usually had was present, nor was the gruff and ferociousness she sometimes displayed when she “let her hair down”.

Maya's Theme - Persona 3

All Starlight saw, was a girl in despair.

Starlight carefully approached her, “Rarity?” she asked. Immediately, Rarity looked over at Starlight and glared at her.

“What do you want?” she asked harshly, not even bothering with the mask. Really, Starlight was happy about that.

“I, wanted to see what was wrong,” she said, “I’ve never seen you cry like this before.”

“It’s nothing,” Rarity dismissed, turning to open her locker and grab her books.

“Rarity, the last time someone said “it’s nothing” after crying like that, she was being abused by her boyfriend!” Starlight insisted.

“Oh, so now you’re going to come in and rescue me, is that it?!” Rarity slammed her locker shut and walked over to Starlight, “What, am I your latest pet project?! The latest “damsel in distress” you want to rescue?!”

“You’re someone I care about!”

“I didn’t ask you to care about me!” Rarity screamed, tearing up.

“You’re right, but I do! I want to help you, and maybe I can help you, but you have to give me a chance to try!”

“I don’t have to do anything!” Rarity slammed her fist on a nearby locker, glaring hotly at Starlight, “I’m not, some weak, defenseless pup! I can take care of myself! I don’t need you or anyone getting involved with me! So do both of us a favor and butt out! Before I start getting violent!”

“You keep saying that you don’t need help, and that you’re not weak,” Starlight said, “But even right now, you’re crying! Why, Rarity? Why do you do this?! Why do you push away the people who are trying to help you?! Why can’t you just open up and admit that you need help, or at least confide in someone?!”

“Because it’s my problem, and no one else’s!” Rarity cried, “You wanna know why I’m pushing you away?! Why I won’t talk to Applejack or anyone about what’s going on?! I’m trying to protect you and everyone!”

Living with Determination - Persona 3

Starlight’s eyes widened. She was, trying to protect them…?

“Anyone, who gets too close to me and my situation, they end up getting hurt,” Rarity continued, trembling as if fighting the urge to break down, “It doesn’t matter who it is, or what they’re trying to do. Unless they’re my old gang, if they get too close, they suffer, and I have to sit there and watch!” the dam was breaking, “Wanna know something? I have it. The Nightmare Epidemic.”

“R-Rarity…!” Starlight teared up. She didn’t expect Rarity to admit that she had the Nightmare so soon. It spoke to just how deep into despair Rarity was in.

“Recently, you appeared in my dreams,” Rarity closed her eyes, “Trixie, Rainbow Dash, and, Pinkie Pie was there too. Seeing you there, fighting for me just like you are now, I actually began to have faith. Like, maybe it was going to be okay. And then, right at the end, I saw, I, s-saw…!”

“What did you see?” and why did Starlight’s heart feel funny.

“I saw, Pinkie Pie…” she sobbed, “She got captured too…! She was thrown in the Cell across from mine…!” she glared at Starlight, tears streaming down her cheeks, “Because that’s how it is! I’m a lost cause! Anyone who tries to help me, they end up paying the price for it!

Starlight was frozen in shock. Not only was she surprised that Rarity remembered so much detail, but also, she was horrified. Instead of giving Rarity hope, they drove her deeper into the pits of despair.

Rarity pushed past Starlight, stopping beside her, “Look, I don’t hate you, Starlight. In another life, I bet we could have been great friends. But, I’m too dangerous to get close to. Just do yourself a favor, and forget about me. I’m gonna die soon anyway, right? So just, let me die in peace, and take all of this misery with me.”

Wait, what? She wasn’t planning on… Did she just want to succumb to the Nightmare, and remove herself from the equation entirely?!

Rarity began walking away, but Starlight quickly turned around and grabbed her arm.

Damn it, Starlight I’m not worth it…! Just, let it go, please…!

“You’re worth it, to me!” Starlight insisted, surprising Rarity a bit, “I don’t care what I have to fight through, or what happens to me along the way, I’m not abandoning someone in need! Not when they’re suffering right in front of me!” she began crying now, “So, bark all you want. Scream at me, threaten me, shove me into a wall, I don’t care! Because, when I look at you, suffering on your own like this, I see myself, moments before I tried to end my life! No one was there for me, not until the last minute, but you have someone right here who’s willing to be a shoulder to cry on! I don’t know how much I can help you in the long run, but I can at the very least be there for you right now in this moment! SO please, Rarity, don’t push me away! Even if all I can do is hold you, then let me do that!”

“Why… do you give a damn…?” Rarity asked weakly, “I can’t give you anything… Outside of, this, I’m no one…”

“You’re someone to me,” Starlight hugged Rarity from behind, feeling both of them enter their dream attire, or in Rarity’s case, lack there of, “I don’t want anything in return. I just want you to be alright, even if only for a bit. Please, Rarity.”

Rarity slowly reached up to hold onto Starlight’s arms, and leaned into the hug. After a second, Rarity finally broke down, releasing emotions that she probably had been holding back for ages.

I’m, so tired of fighting like this!

It’s too hard, doing this alone!

Starlight tightened the embrace, nuzzling Rarity affectionately as she cried, “No more, honey. No more going at it alone. I’m here, and so is everyone else.”

“Everyone, else…?”

“My friends at the dorm, Miss Tia, and Applejack. We’re right there with you, so you can lean on us.”

“I, I can’t,” Rarity said softly.

“Rarity…”

“I know, you want to help, Starlight, and I appreciate it so much,” Rarity pulled out of the embrace, “But this, is bigger than Blueblood abusing Trixie. I, I have until November 9^th to fix this, otherwise…”

“Otherwise…?”

“Otherwise, Applejack and her family will be in a lot of trouble,” Rarity answered, “Legal trouble.”

Starlight sucked in a breath. That, was definitely a big issue.

“Get it now?” Rarity asked, “It’s bad enough that Applejack and her family are involved with me. Last thing I need is for you getting in trouble. Please, just leave me alone,” and with that, she walked off, leaving Starlight alone and stunned. Now she really wondered how Applejack’s family was involved in this.

It was seriously beginning to sound like Rarity was in a huge heap of trouble. And what was worse, Starlight trying to help, seemed to just be making the situation worse. Was there, really no way out of this? Was this one issue, she couldn’t solve with her magic…? And if she couldn’t use her magic to help, then…

What good was she…?

Evening

Riku's Theme - Kingdom Hearts 2

Starlight came back into the Dorm, seeing Twilight already up and sitting on the couch as if waiting for her. She wasn’t used to seeing her up like this. Starlight signed herself in and then walked over to Twilight to ask why she was up so soon.

“Couldn’t sleep, really,” Twilight sighed, “Both because I’m worried about Pinkie Pie, and I heard Rainbow Dash and Miss Tia arguing.”

Starlight didn’t like that, “What about?” she asked with a frown.

“What do you think?” Twilight rubbed her eyes and groaned, “Rainbow Dash wants to rush right in to rescue Pinkie Pie, but Miss Tia insists that you wait till after midterms to go back inside.”

Starlight was about to protest, but she then remembered how the Phase worked. They weren’t going to get any rest if they went inside the Dungeon now, and Cinch knew about their presence now. She was most definitely going to be upping security now.

“Pinkie Pie is with Rainbow Dash right now trying to talk her down,” Twilight continued, “Miss Tia is in the kitchen with Trixie.”

“I’d have thought you’d want to be beside Miss Tia,” Starlight pointed out. She knew they were close after all.

“Trust me, I do, but I need to give you this information first,” Twilight turned to Starlight, “Trixie managed to get me a vial of that potion they were giving to Rarity and the other prisoners.”

“Did any of the keywords get us closer to Rarity’s last entry?” Starlight asked. Her heart sank as Twilight shook her head.

“Afraid not, sorry. But the keywords I found were telling.”

“What were they?” Starlight asked. Rather than say what it was, Twilight handed her a list, prompting her to read it herself.

Blue Lotus, Damiana, Cannabis, Psilocybe azurescens, Epimedium, Clavo Huasca, Catuaba, Maca, and Ginseng? What, were these? These weren’t the only ones on this list, either. There were a bunch of names on this list, some she knew, and some she had no idea about. And the ones she knew were odd choices, such as various nuts and even cocoa.

“What, am I reading?” Starlight asked after a bit.

“Those, Starlight, are various aphrodisiacs,” Twilight said, “Aka, things you take to get get horny.”

Starlight’s eyes widened at that, “All of these…?”

“Yep. And the fact all of them were found as keywords in that chemical compound, I can only surmise that potion was supposed to contain all of them at once. By the way, some of those are things that are either imported from other countries, or are illegal in the United States.”

Starlight slowly sucked in a breath. It did seem like Rarity was into some really shady business, and this just added to that. Maybe she was in legal trouble.

“That looks says you know something about this,” Twilight noted. Starlight told her a bit about what she learned about Rarity’s situation, and how the Scarlets might be looking at legal issues if they didn’t solve this Dungeon by November 9^th, “Wait, seriously?”

“That’s what she said,” Starlight confirmed, “She wouldn’t tell me what it was that happened, but I can guess that something’s going on behind the scenes here, and Applejack’s family is directly intertwined in this.”

“We need to track down that apparition of Applejack and interrogate her,” Twilight said, confusing Starlight a bit, “She may be an illusion, but she’s an illusion made by Rarity’s subconscious, meant to act like an actual person. She can give us information about Rarity’s psyche that we can use to get more keywords.”

“But none of that’s going to happen until after…” Starlight trailed off.

Twilight sighed, “I really hate the timing of this. Unfortunately, Miss Tia does need you all to at least not fail your classes in order to keep moving around as freely as she does.”

“Meaning that if we let this affect our grades…”

“Miss Tia will get in a lot of trouble,” Twilight confirmed, “She’s got a lot of things here in the dorm that aren’t up to school code. That computer upstairs was brought in secretly, and I’m not a student at Canterlot High, so me staying here is under special conditions. If you girls fail your classes and Miss Tia is investigated, our whole operation could be canned.”

Starlight closed her eyes pained, “Okay yeah. We, we should probably sit tight. If nothing else, for you and Miss Tia’s sake.”

Traumerei - Persona 4

“Thank you,” Twilight got up and walked to the kitchen, but stopped, “You’re, doing pretty good as leader, Starlight.”

“You, think so?” Starlight asked, a bit surprised by how, nice Twilight sounded.

“Yeah. I hate it, but the whole Trickster thing, you really are special.” Twilight said. Starlight didn’t need her empathic touch to tell just how sad Twilight was.

“I, really don’t think I’m all that special,” Starlight admitted, “Besides, my actions are only making Rarity’s Dungeon worse, and now that Pinkie Pie’s captured…”

“Making her Dungeon worse? What do you mean?” Twilight turned back to Starlight a bit.

“Rarity, mentioned that anyone who tries to help her, they get in trouble too,” Starlight said in a low voice, her heart feeling heavy, similar to how she felt moments before she decided to end her life, “Pinkie Pie being caught, it matched her feelings. She saw Pinkie Pie in her dream captured, and, now she’s thinking that…”

“That this is proof, that she’s better off just… dying,” Twilight finished for Starlight, who closed her eyes tightly and trembled, “You’re, really taking this hard, aren’t you…?”

“I told her, I’d help her no matter what…!” Starlight held her arms tightly, hyperventilating a bit, “But, I don’t know, what I can do…! The only thing I can do to help right now is use my Magic, but it’s not working…! If I can’t save Rarity, then I can’t get the White Wolf, and Igor said I’ll need that in order to put an end to the Nightmare Epidemic, and I still have no idea what that even means and I don’t even know if I can rescue Rarity now, and I just-”

“Starlight!”

Starlight stopped, opening her eyes. Twilight was right in front of her now.

“First, breathe,” Twilight insisted. Starlight took a few deep breaths to calm down, “Look, I’m not as warm as Miss Tia, I know that. But, I also know that this is, a lot to deal with. Especially with you being, well…”

Starlight closed her eyes sadly, “How much, do you know about my suicide attempt?”

“Only that you tried to kill yourself. Miss Tia didn’t tell me the details, and honestly, I think that’s something better heard from the one who attempted it, when she’s ready. One of things I had to study on back in the Kirijo Group was psychology, so I see where this is going. Tell me something, why did you decide to live? Just, be honest with me.”

“I, I wanted to live, so I could use my magic, to help people,” Starlight answered, “So I could, be the Light, to someone else’s darkness.”

Twilight nodded, “Okay. Good. You have the right attitude, but what does that mean for you? Are you actually okay, or are you just using this to not face how you really feel?”

“I… I don’t know how to answer that…”

Twilight sighed, “I see. Well, at least you’re honest.”

“I, want to say that I’m okay, but the thought of not being able to do anything with my power scares me. I sought out Rarity’s Dungeon myself, made it a personal goal to rescue her. Yet, all I seem to do is drive her away and make her situation feel even worse. What’s worse, now I put Pinkie Pie in danger, and she just got free from her Dungeon. You said I’m doing a good job as leader, but I’m not, Twilight. I’m a terrible leader, and I’m not the Trickster that you and Miss Tia think I am. I, landed in the Velvet Room by accident, and Igor just, gave me the contract to sign. I’m not who anyone thinks I am.”

“Tell that to Trixie,” Twilight said, “Tell that to Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Pinkie Pie.”

“Pinkie Pie is-”

“She’s a Persona User,” Twilight pressed, “She has power now. Is her situation ideal? No, not at all. But so long as she keeps her Channeling Ring on, Serenity will keep her safe. You saving Diamond Tiara not only gave her power, but you stopped Silver Spoon from getting a Dungeon herself.” Twilight turned away and rubbed her arm sadly, “And, it frustrates me to no end, but you, were able to do the one thing I couldn’t. You saved Trixie. Miss Tia and I watched her Dungeon for months, and tried multiple things to save her, but you succeeded in a little over a week. I, don’t know what you mean by landing in the Velvet Room by accident. I didn’t even know that was a thing, honestly, but…”

“I, can explain what I mean, if that’d help,” Starlight offered, Twilight nodded, “When I, you know, I think I did die partially. But, instead of ending up wherever souls go when they die, I ended up sitting across from Igor in the Velvet Room. Even he was surprised by it, and said that no one had ever entered the Velvet Room like that.”

Twilight frowned, “Huh. Okay, I can see why you’d think that, but let me offer a counterpoint. What if, the reason you ended up there was because, some part of you knew you had to live?”

“Like, my Shadow…?” Starlight asked.

“Yeah, actually. Normally the Shadow is the side of you that’s secretly longing for death, but if you consciously wanted to die, maybe your subconscious disagreed with that. So that part of you, trying desperately to live, sought asylum in the one place it knew you’d be able to stop and rethink your decision.”

“But, would that make me the Trickster?” Starlight asked, turning away from Twilight, “What if, someone else was supposed to land there, and I just ended up getting there first?”

Twilight folded her arms and thought before speaking, “The Velvet Room, doesn’t make mistakes. If you landed in there, for whatever reason, then you were supposed to be there at that moment. As for whether or not that makes you the Trickster, the better question I think is, do you want to be the Trickster?”

“I… I want-”

“Don’t. Not yet,” Twilight insisted, “For right now, take this time to just, be a student. Finish your midterms, try to have fun on Halloween, spend some time with your friends, and figure out what you actually want to do. Friday night, give me your answer.”

“I, will. And um, thank you, Twilight,” Starlight smiled a bit.

“I’m, just trying to-” she stopped and sighed, “You’re, welcome, Starlight.”

With that, Twilight went back into the kitchen. A bit later, Trixie stepped out, looking a bit tired.

“Hey Starlight,” Trixie said, “How are you holding up?”

“Being perfectly honest, not well,” Starlight admitted, “Think after studying a bit tonight, we could just…”

“Relax and cuddle?” Trixie asked, “I, was going to ask for that myself. If we’re going to be taking a break until after midterms, I’d like to actually use this time to, actually recover, you know?”

Starlight nodded, feeling like she was going to cry again. Without prompting, Trixie walked over to hug Starlight, rubbing her back as she cried softly in her arms. She’d tell Trixie about what was going on later, but for right now, she just needed this closeness.

She was tired of being everyone’s light right now. So for the time being, she’d let Trixie be hers.

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
The Lovers - Pinkamena Diane Pie: 2/10
Chariot – Rainbow Dash: 3/10
Strength - Tokugawa Fluttershy: 2/5
Hermit – Sunburst: 2/10
The Devil – Silver Spoon: 5/10
The Sun - Sweetie Belle: 2/10
Transformation - Ms. Luna: 1/10

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