November 7^th, 2019
Wednesday
Raining

Morning

School Days - Persona

As Starlight walked to school, she heard some girls gossiping in front of her. Her mind was elsewhere, so she was trying to tune them out, but once the subject of Rarity came up, she couldn’t not listen.

“I know, right? Miss President’s been so strange lately. Like she’s an emotional roller coaster,” the girl on the left said.

“A friend of mine said she spotted her talking to the leader of that gang, and get this, it looked like she was familiar with him.”

"You mean the Diamond Dogs? Ooooh, I haven't heard too many good things about them..."

Starlight’s eyes widened. Someone saw Rarity with Rover? How did that happen? Rarity was normally more careful.

“Um, excuse me,” Starlight called out, walking up to the girls, “Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear that last bit.”

“That’s alright,” the girl on the right said, “What’s up?”

“When was this?” Starlight asked, “When Rarity was seen with the Diamond Dog leader?”

“My friend said it was around the 5^th, but late,” she answered, “Like, after school.”

That was when Rarity had that fight with Applejack. She was being reckless. If she wasn’t careful, student would find out she used to be a Diamond Dog.

“Everything’s okay, right?” her friend asked, “Miss President’s not in any trouble, is she?”

Starlight didn’t want to lie to them, but she also didn’t want them to worry either. Ultimately, she just let them know that Rarity was going through some personal issues, but that she’d be alright in a bit. Thankfully, they seemed to both buy that excuse.

“Okay,” the girl on the right nodded, “Thanks, Starlight. Give her our best, alright?”

Starlight nodded, and thanked the girls before heading off to class. She definitely planned to confront Rarity later about this.

Daytime

Specialist - Persona 4

Apparently here, Midterm results were handed out in each class’s Homeroom. Starlight was admittedly a bit nervous about her results, as Midterms fell on a hectic time for all of them. Thankfully when Celestia called her up to her desk, she was smiling.

“Good job,” Celestia smiled, handing Starlight her test, “With everything going on, I’m proud you kept your studies up.”

Starlight looked at her test and smiled. It wasn’t a perfect score, but looking at it, she was at least in B range. Going back to her seat, she saw Trixie and Pinkie Pie looking over theirs. Trixie looked relatively pleased with her results, but it looked like Pinkie Pie was a bit bummed out.

Well, considering everything she went through during Midterms, it wasn’t surprising that her scores suffered. Still, Starlight decided to spend some time with her soon to lift her spirits a bit.

end song

Lunch Time

As it was still raining, and Starlight wanted to use this time to talk more freely about things, Celestia gave them permission to eat in her classroom so long as they didn’t make too much of a mess. Starlight really appreciated this, as she didn’t like being in the cafeteria. Too noisy for her taste.

“Try not to be too down,” Rainbow Dash said to Pinkie Pie, rubbing her back, “Not your fault that you didn’t’ do good on the tests.”

“I know,” Pinkie Pie sighed, “That kinda makes it worse though. I know I could have done better, but I was so stressed from being trapped in the Dungeon, I couldn’t focus,” she closed her eyes, “Cinch isn’t going to like this…”

“Oh, fuck that bitch,” Rainbow Dash spat, “It’s her fault you didn’t do good.”

“Good luck telling her that,” Trixie pointed out, “Cinch doesn’t know what her Shadow’s doing, and it’s not like we can tell her about the existential horror we deal with pretty much nightly.”

“True, but what if we can do what we did to Fleur again?” Starlight suggested.

“You mean, change her heart?” Trixie asked.

“It’s a long shot, I know,” Starlight said, “But, even if we save Rarity in her Dungeon, once the 9^th hits, she’s still screwed.”

“But if we can change Cinch’s heart in the process, we can get her to let go of the charges and we get a nicer Principal in the process,” Rainbow Dash grinned, “Alright, how do we do it?”

“That’s, a good question actually,” Starlight muttered, “Fleur’s heart changed when we saved Pinkie Pie, and you threatened her Shadow afterward. Maybe we just, need to do something similar?”

“Well, it’s worth a shot,” Trixie agreed, “Speaking of Rarity though, has anyone seen her today?”

“I saw her briefly on the way here,” Rainbow Dash said, “She kinda had an odd look in her eyes though.”

“How so?” Starlight asked.

“Kinda hard to say,” Rainbow Dash said, “Like, on the one hand she was really upset, but on the other, she was oddly relaxed.”

Starlight frowned, folding her arms, “That’s concerning…”

“You ain’t thinking that she’s seriously considering…” Rainbow Dash asked slowly.

Starlight sighed and nodded gravely, “It was the same when I was considering suicide. I felt both immense pain and despair, but at the same time, I felt almost liberated by the realization it was about to end.”

“But, we still don’t have concrete proof beyond what she said in her Dungeon,” Trixie said, “Which yeah, is raising all kinds of red flags, but…”

“I know,” Starlight got up, “Which is why I need to find her and ask her something.”

“What do you need to ask her?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Apparently, someone saw her with Rover a few days ago,” Starlight answered, “She’s normally more careful about her past being exposed, but if she’s suddenly decided she has nothing to lose…”

“Yeah, that’d be bad,” Trixie nodded, “Know where she’d be?”

“Sadly, I don’t,” Starlight shook her head, “But I imagine someone in the Student Council might.”

With that, Starlight took her lunch and ran out of the classroom, searching for either Rarity or someone who’d know. Her heart was racing, and she prayed she wasn’t too late, and that Rarity hadn’t already done something drastic.

She didn’t want to be right, but she knew the signs. She’d been where Rarity was before.

Right as she turned a corner, she heard a familiar whistle, almost as if it were trying to catch her attention.

In the Devastated Town - Devil Survivor 2

“Lookin’ for someone?” Apple Bloom asked. Starlight turned to see the young girl leaning against a locker, looking right at her. Like last time, she was holding a pretzel stick like a cigarette, and something about the air she gave off was both kind, but off putting as well.

“Apple Bloom, right?” Starlight asked. The youngest Scarlet pushed off the locker and walked over to Starlight smiling.

“Maybe I can help ya,” she offered, “Yer lookin’ for Rarity, right?”

“How, do you know that?” Starlight asked, her heart leaping out of her chest. Apple Bloom laughed.

“Well for one, ya jus’ confirmed it for me. But also, Rarity talks a lot about ya. Says yer nice, almost to a fault, an’ that ya seem almost obsessed with helpin’ people,” Apple Bloom leaned into Starlight’s ear and whispered, “She also mentioned ya know ‘bout her past with that gang.”

Starlight tensed a bit. Something told her that Apple Bloom was the only one in the family to know this about Rarity's current situation. How much about Rarity did this girl know?

“You, sound like someone Rarity talks to a lot,” Starlight said, “She must trust you.”

“She an’ I have somethin’ worked out, guess you could say,” Apple Bloom confirmed, “I cover for her whenever she needs to, handle herself, if ya get my meanin’.”

“You know about her nymphomania…” Starlight said softly.

“I’m the only one in the family who does,” Apple Bloom shrugged, “An’ as such, when it gets too bad, I’m the one who comes up with an excuse for her to leave the house an’ deal with it.”

“Then, there’s something I’d like to ask you about her,” Starlight looked around, “Along with knowing where she is right now.”

Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes subtly, “That so?”

“I promise, I’m not trying to take advantage of-”

“I know ya ain’t,” Apple Bloom looked Starlight up and down, “You’re too much of a paragon for that. It’s jus’ that you’ve been snoopin’ around, gatherin’ info on her, an’ now here ya are comin’ to little ol’ me.”

Honestly, had she realized this girl knew this much, she’d have turned to her sooner. Still, something told her that this information wasn’t going to be cheap.

“Whatever I have to pay, I’ll do it,” Starlight said softly, “But, I’m really worried about her, and I need to confirm something.”

Apple Bloom looked to the side for a bit, “We’ll talk price, after you ask your question,” Starlight sighed in relief and asked Apple Bloom how Rarity was at home lately, if her behavior went through any sudden changes, “Kinda sorta. She’s been stayin’ out a lot later, an’ when she’s at home, she keeps to herself mostly. Jus’ comin’ out of her room to help with chores an’ stuff.”

“And, how’s her mood?” Starlight asked.

“Well, she’s always been kinda moody, but these days she seems sad ‘bout somethin’,” Apple Bloom frowned, “Though, this mornin’…” Starlight tilted her head, “She did somethin’ that she never does.”

“That being?” Starlight asked.

“She, hugged my brother,” Apple Bloom answered.

“That’s, odd?” Starlight asked confused.

“For her to jus’ say it, yeah,” Apple Bloom nodded, “Like, we know she cares ‘bout us, but she ain’t really the type to jus’ come out an’ say that she cares ‘bout someone. Really only one she's like that with is AJ, an' lately they've got this weird energy 'tween 'em."

So for her to suddenly show open affection like that… Starlight took a deep breath, “Fuck.”

“Be honest with me, alright,” Apple Bloom leaned in close, “Yer thinkin’ she’s gonna do somethin’ drastic, aren’t ya?” Starlight nodded subtly, making Apple Bloom avert her eyes seriously, “Yer gonna help her?”

“I am,” Starlight said, “But she can’t know that I asked about her, alright? This conversation never happened.”

Apple Bloom nodded, and pointed to the stairs, “When it rains, she eats in the Student Council Office. Any other time, she eats lunch on the school roof.”

“Thank you,” Starlight nodded, walking to the stairs but stopped, “Oh, about payment…”

Apple Bloom waved it off, “Let’s jus’ say ya owe me a favor, alright?”

That was almost more terrifying actually, as she still wasn’t sure what to make of this girl. Still, she didn’t seem like a bad person.

Maya's Theme - Persona 3 FES

Starlight thanked Apple Bloom and continued to the Student Council office. Before going inside, she peaked inside to see if Rarity was in. Sure enough, she saw her, trying to eat her lunch but it seemed like she was struggling with it. Her sandwich only had a few bites in it, and Starlight saw her pick it up, hesitate, and then just put it down.

She stepped in and knocked on the door, catching her attention, “Hey Rarity.”

“Hello,” Rarity said somewhat curtly, “Did you have fun with Rover?”

“I haven’t gone to see him yet,” Starlight said, stepping in to close the door. She noticed Rarity’s tie was undone, and her top unbuttoned a bit, “I see you’re being more natural today.”

Rarity shrugged, “Not like it’ll matter in a few days. I’m dead either way.”

“Rarity…”

“Do you need something?” Rarity asked sharply.

“I was just, coming to see how you were doing,” Starlight said, “I, overheard someone mention that, you were seen with Rover, and I was just worried. Normally you’re more careful about that, aren’t you?”

Rarity closed her eyes and took a breath, “I’m past the point of caring now. In two days, my life’s ruined no matter what I do, and that’s assuming I don’t just die from this killer nightmare,” she wiped away a tear, “So if someone sees me with the Dogs, fine. If Blueblood wants to report that I fucked Rover, fine. I don’t care what happens to me anymore.”

“But I care,” Starlight walked over to Rarity, “I’m your friend, Rarity,” Rarity shied back and looked at Starlight with a suspicious glare, “What’s it going to take to get you to trust me?”

Rarity averted her eyes, “I, want to be alone.”

Starlight thought about her next move carefully. She had every reason to believe Rarity was planning to kill herself, but none of that she could open up about till Twilight identified what caused the Nightmare to begin with. She wanted to be left alone, but from experience, Starlight knew that right now, showing these signs, she did not need to be alone right now.

“Rarity, I’m not leaving this time,” Starlight said firmly, but softly, causing Rarity to growl, “Say what you want, growl all you want, but I’m not letting you push me away. You’re suffering, and if all I can do is be a presence, then I want to do that. Please just let me do that much.”

“I don’t want or need your pity!” Rarity snapped, shooting up and glaring at Starlight tearfully.

“It’s not pity!” Starlight cried, not even holding back her tears.

“Then what is it?!”

“ I care about you!”

“Why do you care so much about me?!”

“Why do I need a reason to care?!”

“Because everyone has a reason!” Rarity shouted, “No one in this world is as nice as you! No one in this world gives a damn about strays like me, not without expecting something in return!” she broke down, “Even Applejack showed her true colors! She still sees that filthy dog from the street her Grandmother picked up! And I bet, for all this “we’re friends” bullshit, once you saw what sort of person I really am, you considered giving up on me too! So just go away! Leave me alone with my misery, and let me die in peace!”

Rarity fell to her knees and cried, just as hard as she did the one time Starlight managed to hug her, on the day she learned about what Cinch was planning on November 9^th.

Starlight in response, knelt beside Rarity and wrapped her arms around her. As Rarity cried, she held onto Starlight tightly, and her emotions flooded into Starlight before she could stop them.

No matter what I do, my life is over!

Everything I worked to build up is going to be destroyed!

All because I couldn’t control myself! Because I’m just a filthy animal!

That’s all I’ll ever be!

It’s not fair! IT’S NOT FAIR!

Starlight took those emotions in and cried right there with Rarity. It wasn’t fair. Not at all. What Cinch was doing to Rarity was unforgivable, backing her in a corner like this. One way or another, she was saving Rarity from this Nightmare.

But if she couldn't change her heart, the only way to possibly save her might be to...

end song

Evening

Starlight didn’t feel like hanging out with anyone after school. After spending the rest of lunch with Rarity, she didn’t really say much. Feeling Rarity’s emotions like that did a number on her, but she had no idea who to turn to for help with this.

Thankfully, it seemed fate had an idea, as Celestia wrapped her arms around Starlight from behind as she sat on the living room couch.

Xion's Theme - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

“Miss Tia?” Starlight asked softly.

“I’m here, my child,” Celestia said softly, nuzzling her, “Something happened, didn’t it?”

Starlight held onto Celestia’s arm, “I, faced Rarity’s emotions today. She’s, falling into despair, and I'm worried she might try to kill herself.”

Celestia tensed hearing that, and then quickly moved to sit beside Starlight, taking her hand, “Tell me everything.” Starlight opened up to Celestia, letting her know what she said, and how her emotions felt. She also told her all of the signs she’d seen, including what Apple Bloom told her, “Oh dear…”

“Miss Tia, I’m worried,” Starlight said, “We’re cutting this really close, and if we can’t find a way to stop Cinch from sending that report on the 9^th, it won’t matter if we save her from her Dungeon. She’s not a bad person. Yes, she’s done some bad things in the past, but she doesn’t deserve this.”

“No, she doesn’t,” Celestia agreed, hugging Starlight, “I wish I could do more to help. Unfortunately, the information we have, we can’t prove, and Cinch…”

“I hate that woman, so much,” Starlight said softly, “I hate her as much as I hate Blueblood.”

“I, truly wished that Cinch wasn’t as vile of a woman as she appeared,” Celestia said sadly, “I had always hoped that, deep down she was still a good person. Now though…”

“If we, can’t change her heart like we did Fleur’s, what do you want me to do?” Starlight looked Celestia in the eyes. The way she looked back at Starlight told her everything. She understood where her head was.

And she didn’t like it anymore than Starlight did.

“For now, let’s wait until we hear what Twilight has to say about that last entry,” Celestia said, “We’ll reserve judgment for when we know the whole story.”

“That, might be a while sadly,” Trixie sighed stepping downstairs, “I just spoke to Twilight. It’s not looking good.”

“What do you mean?” Starlight asked carefully, getting up to walk over to Trixie.

“Apparently, that last entry is a mess to get through,” Trixie explained, “She’s trying to compile all of the necessary info, but she’s doesn’t think she’ll be done with it tonight.”

“But, the deadline is 2 days away!” Starlight exclaimed, eyes wide in horror, “We have to confront Rarity about her Dungeon tomorrow or else-”

“I know, and she does too,” Trixie said, going over to Starlight and hugging her, “She’s going to work overtime to get it done by the morning.”

“We’re not failing this mission,” Starlight said firmly, “If we have to take drastic measures to ensure Rarity lives, we do so.”

“You mean, if we can’t change her heart, then…”

“I don’t like it,” Starlight admitted, “But at this point, I’m not seeing another option.”

“Don’t see another option than what?” Rainbow Dash asked, she and Pinkie Pie stepping out of the kitchen.

“Twilight needs more time to compile the information,” Trixie said, “But if we’re going to do this right, we need tomorrow to confront Rarity, which means we need that info.”

“What happens if we can’t get the information in time?” Pinkie Pie asked fearfully.

“Then, the only way to ensure Rarity’s safety,” Starlight said carefully, “Would be to kill Cinch’s Shadow.”

“Not, just her Shadow,” Celestia said, turning to face the girls, “Remember, Rarity’s Dungeon has two Dungeon Masters, so if one vanishes, the other now has full control over the Dungeon. I don’t want you to kill either of them, but if you kill one and not the other…”

“Shit…” Rainbow Dash muttered, “This doesn’t look good. Like, at all.”

“Ooooh, I don’t want to kill anyone,” Pinkie Pie looked down, “Even if Cinch is a terrible person.”

“And now that we know what Rover’s motivation is, the thought of killing him just feels...” Trixie pulled her hat over her eyes, “Girls, did we bite off more than we could chew with this one?”

The air was heavy with that question asked. This was much worse than Trixie or Pinkie Pie’s Dungeons. Blueblood was vile, but he didn’t have any real power ultimately. Fleur had a lot of power over Pinkie Pie, but ultimately she wasn’t a bad person. Just misguided, and her good intentions were corrupted by jealousy.

But Cinch, was vile, and she did have power. And making it worse, if they didn’t solve this, Applejack and her family could be in a lot of trouble over this.

“I don’t feel comfortable finalizing this decision yet,” Starlight decided, “Not without giving Twilight a chance. We’ll see what happens tomorrow morning, and worry about what we’ll do in the morning, once we hear from Twilight.”

Everyone nodded in agreement to that. It was close. Very close. But at this point, all they could do was trust in Twilight.

Twilight was glued to her monitor, working furiously on making sense of this entry. Rarity's thoughts were all over the place, but she knew this was the last entry of her Akashic Records. But none of that mattered if she couldn't give them the necessary information to rescue Rarity.

Twilight sat back and rubbed her eyes, "I don't care if it takes me till the morning. I have to translate this. Everyone's counting on me." She took a deep breath and got back to work. She wasn't obsolete yet, and she was going to prove that by rescuing Rarity here and now.

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

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