November 10^th, 2019
Saturday
Cloudy

Morning

Let's Girl Talk! - Blue Reflection: Second Light

Starlight stepped out of the bathroom after finishing her shower, and almost bumped into Twilight, who looked at her with a dry expression.

“You really need a robe,” Twilight said.

“I keep forgetting,” Starlight sighed, holding her towel closed and wishing she had a larger one.

“Why are you using the bathroom up here anyway? You’re on the second floor, and this is the third.”

“Because Rainbow Dash got in the second floor shower first, and I really wanted to get to the park as soon as possible to meet with Tokugawa-san,” Starlight explained.

“You’re still spending time with her?” Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow, “Even though she’s probably in line with Cinch?”

“That’s the thing, I don’t know if she is,” Starlight said, walking with Twilight downstairs, “Her Halloween Costume was inappropriate, but she seemed almost, shamed by me seeing it, along with what happened afterward.”

“Something happened afterward?” Twilight asked.

“At the party. I won’t go into detail, but she was engaging in some, kink play during it,” Starlight explained, “She thought that I wouldn’t want to be friends after seeing that.”

Twilight frowned, “That’s pretty telling,” Starlight tilted her head, “Right. You wouldn’t know being American. Japan holds public image to ridiculous heights. You’re expected to more or less strive to look impressive and be just as impressive to match. Because of this, being shamed is a big deal.”

“How big of a deal are we talking?” Starlight asked.

“Big enough where you knowing she engaged in public play could easily make her think you didn’t want to be friends with her anymore,” Twilight explained, “It could also just be a personal thing. Her last name is Tokugawa, right? That’s a really significant name in Japan.”

“One of the families that unified Japan, right?” Starlight asked. Twilight looked at her somewhat surprised.

“Well, glad you’re not a complete airhead,” Twilight snarked making Starlight grumble a bit, “But yes, so to her, showing any form of weakness, or not being put together in front of you could make her think that you don’t respect her anymore, which yes, to her would be a big deal.”

Starlight looked down thinking. She didn’t realize that Fluttershy valued her public image so much. She thought Fluttershy was just really cool, but she didn’t really know much about her culture.

“How do I, let her know that I still respect her?” Starlight asked, stopping by her bedroom door. Twilight took a breath before speaking.

“Well, you calling her by her last name and honorific is a good start. It shows you care about our culture. Beyond that, however you are with her, just, don’t change. Chances are, if she hasn’t considered you a nuisance yet, she likes you as you are, so don’t pull away, don’t alter your behavior, but most importantly, don’t push her to talk about it. I know you want to understand what happened, knowing you, you’re probably concerned she has a Dungeon or something.”

Honestly, that hadn’t crossed her mind till Twilight said something. But what if…

No, they needed to take a break after Rarity’s Dungeon. She promised her team, and she wasn’t going to go back on that promise.

“So, only talk about it if she brings it up,” Starlight said.

“Yes,” Twilight nodded, “And just, be yourself I guess. I’ll admit, you… impressed me with Rarity’s Dungeon. You really pulled your weight there.”

“Thanks,” Starlight smiled, “And, thanks for being there. I couldn’t have done that without you.”

“I didn’t do hardly anything,” Twilight shook her head, “Except watch.”

“No, you pushed Rarity to face herself,” Starlight said, “And got her to awaken to her Persona. Twilight, you saved my life.”

Twilight looked at Starlight intently, and then closed her eyes, “Well, fine. I’ll accept that much. Oh, before I forget, Mitsuru’s going to be bringing a few friends with her when she visits.”

“Members of her Persona Team?” Starlight asked, remembering that Mitsuru was a Persona User too.

“One of them. Her name’s Aigis. She’s my best friend, and she wanted to meet all of you. She might be a bit, shocking, when you first meet her, though.”

“Shocking?” Starlight asked, wondering internally why the name Aigis sounded familiar.

“Miss Tia told you about the Anti Shadow Weapons, right? Robots with the power of Persona? Aigis is one of them.”

Starlight sucked in a breath. She was going to be meeting an actual android. She asked Twilight what she was like.

“She’s really sweet. Kind of reckless and headstrong, but values life above all else. In many ways, she’s human to a terrifying degree, even if her mannerisms are still a bit mechanical,” Twilight explained, now looking up smiling, “I actually really admire her.”

“I can’t wait to meet her,” Starlight smiled, “Who’s the other person coming?”

“My Sister in Law, Cadence,” Twilight said, “She’s married to my brother, and works in the Kirijo Group as a Counselor. Miss Tia wants her to be here for us as a team therapist of sorts.”

So that’s who Celestia probably called to be Rarity’s therapist. But, Rarity’s issues were very much sex oriented. Cadence would be, okay talking about that sort of thing? Starlight asked Twilight.

“Yeah. Sex isn’t that big of a deal in Japan. Well, it is, but more in the sense that the Government really wants people having sex to fix the decreasing population. Girl school uniforms are getting shorter by the year, the prostitution, porn, and BDSM scenes are bustling, for as stiff and conservative as Japan seems, when it comes to sex they don’t really bat an eye. Also, Cadence is one of the kindest, most understanding people I know. She was suffering from the Nightmare at one point, but Miss Tia helped her recover, resulting in her getting a Persona. How do you think we knew about Channeling Rings, Dungeons, and how all of it worked?”

“That, does make sense, yeah,” Starlight nodded.

“Thing is, we got lucky with her,” Twilight continued, “She knew about the Nightmare Epidemic, so we could guide her out of her Dungeon. Her Persona isn’t a combat type though, hence the need for Project Dream Catcher.”

“Will she be joining us?” Starlight asked. Twilight averted her eyes.

“I’m, not sure,” Twilight said, “She, might want to sit in on things with us, though.”

“Well, if her Persona can’t fight, know that we’ll do our part to protect her,” Starlight smiled, rubbing Twilight’s shoulder, and getting hit with a sudden wave of anxiety.

This unit, is not being decommissioned…

Is she…?

“Thank you,” Twilight said, turning away from Starlight, “I’ll see you downstairs for breakfast.”

Starlight watched as Twilight went downstairs, and pondered what she just felt. She was worried about being, decommissioned? That couldn’t happen though. Twilight was indispensable to their team. Surely they weren’t sending someone from the Kirijo Group solely to replace her.

Right…?

Daytime

Kairi Theme - Kingdom Hearts 2

After eating breakfast, Starlight made her way to the park to see Fluttershy, who was in the middle of training when she arrived. As always, Starlight was struck by how serious she looked while training. It was almost like she was a real samurai, training for a battle for her own life.

She had her usual fury at first, but once she noticed Starlight watching, something in her changed. Starlight noticed she relaxed a bit, and her motions suddenly became more ferocious. Starlight wondered where that came from. Was it because she inspired Fluttershy, or was that her personal pride kicking in, wanting to look cool and strong before her underclassman?

Once she finished her current set of drills, she sheathed her sword, bowed, and then walked over to Starlight, “Konnichiwa, Starlight-san.”

“Hi Tokugawa-san,” Starlight smiled, bowing to her, “How are you?”

“I, alright,” Fluttershy looked away rubbing her arm, “Midterm grade, not happy with, but next time, I do better.”

“Why don’t we study together next time?” Starlight offered with a kind smile, “Studying together with my friends helped me do better than I’d normally do.”

“O-oh, um arigato, but…” Fluttershy shook her head, “Appreciate it, though.”

“Well, alright,” Starlight frowned, not liking this, but relenting. Something in how she turned that down just felt, odd to Starlight.

“Um, how is friend?” Fluttershy asked, now sitting on the grass, “One you, want help.”

“Oh, she’s doing, well, I think she’s doing better,” Starlight sat beside Fluttershy, as close as they normally sat to let her know she wasn’t ashamed to be close to her, “She still feels like she wants to die, but she’s at least opening up.”

Fluttershy looked down at her lap, “Starlight-san, good friend. Not, give up on friend, even when give up, on herself.”

“I don’t give up, or turn my back on my friends,” Starlight placed a hand on Fluttershy’s back, surprising her a bit, “For any reason.” Fluttershy looked at Starlight wide eyed, blushing a bit. Realizing she just touched her without permission, Starlight pulled away, “S-sorry. I uh, I didn’t mean to-”

Fluttershy shook her head, and took Starlight’s hand, “Uun. Starlight-san, not do anything wrong. Like, being close to Starlight-san.”

“Y-you do?” Starlight asked, now feeling a bit flushed herself. Taking a chance, she opened herself up to Fluttershy’s emotions.

Starlight-san, really is my friend.

I don’t care if it’s reckless, I want to be close to her.

“Afraid, after Halloween, not want to be friend anymore,” Fluttershy smiled warmly, “See now, Starlight-san genuine friend.”

Starlight smiled, “I am. You don’t have to worry about me ever being too embarrassed to be near you.”

The way Fluttershy smiled was too much for Starlight. She genuinely cared for her, and their friendship, but now something was concerning Starlight. She felt that being friends with Starlight was, reckless?

Did someone, not want them to be friends…?

“Also, if there’s anything wrong on your end, you can trust me,” Starlight threw out, “I’ll try to help in any way I can.”

Starlight felt the briefest tension, but it was overshadowed by immense joy coming from her Japanese friend, who nodded smiling, “Hai. I keep in mind,” Fluttershy said, holding Starlight’s hand a bit tighter as she scooted closer to her, “Arigato, Starlight-san.”

I wish you and I could see each other more, Starlight-san…

“You’re welcome, Tokugawa-san,” Starlight said, her heart racing a bit. She felt like she and Fluttershy became significantly closer, but…

Starlight was really beginning to worry about her friend’s home life.

Halcyon Days - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

While Starlight went out to meet up with Fluttershy, Celestia took another trip to Sweet Apple Acres. She’d given Granny Smith her number in case Rarity decided to take her up on her offer, but she honestly expected it to take a bit longer to come to a decision. She was both happy and somewhat concerned.

“Yer sure ‘bout this, Rarity?” Granny Smith asked, all of them gathered by Celestia’s car as Macintosh packed her things in the trunk.

“I, am,” Rarity looked down, “I want to stay with you, but this incident showed me that I need a lot more help, especially since this time, I almost brought dragged you down with me.”

“Now Rarity, I meant what I said,” Granny Smith said, cupping her cheeks motherly, “Ain’t no one here mad at ya for what happened.”

“Granny Smith’s right,” Macintosh closed the trunk, “I’m more upset at Cinch for blackmailin’ ya.”

“I, I know,” Rarity averted her eyes, “But I’m mad at myself. And I do need this. Miss Tia says she can help, and if you trust her, I’ll try to trust her as well.”

Granny Smith took a breath and smiled, “Well, alright. Jus’ know that yer always welcome here, Rarity,” she hugged the teen, “No matter what, yer family.”

Rarity whimpered, hugging her back as she cried softly, “Thank you, Granny Smith.”

“If those girls over in that dorm give ya a hard time, let me know,” Apple Bloom smirked, “I got connections, after all.”

Rarity laughed and hugged her, “Of course. I wouldn’t worry though,” she then leaned in and whispered, something to her, which made Apple Bloom smile more. She then turned to Macintosh and leaned toward him, hands on her hips and smirking, “You sure you don’t want me to suck you off before I leave? I’m not jailbait anymore~”

Macintosh rolled his eyes, “No, but yer still young for my tastes,” he then smiled and ruffled her hair, “Try to stay outta trouble, alright?”

“I'll try,” Rarity huffed, smiling despite herself. She then turned to Applejack, the two girls looking at each other intently. After a second, they hugged each other tightly.

“We’ll, still see each other in school,” Rarity said, trying not to cry, “And, after school.”

“Right,” Applejack nodded, also trying not to cry, “I’ll, be visitin’ the dorm a lot more too, so, it ain’t goodbye or nothin’.”

“Exactly,” Rarity smiled, nuzzling her dear friend, “I’ll see you at Student Council, because yes, I am getting you your job back.”

Applejack nuzzled back, “Alright. See ya there, my noble wolf.”

Celestia smiled softly seeing them work things out. She then turned to Macintosh and Granny Smith, “Don’t worry. She’s in good hands.”

“I ain’t concerned, Miss Tia,” Granny Smith said, “I know how much you take care of your kids.”

Celestia nodded, “I do. Rarity is another of my children in need of guidance, and I’ll do everything I can for her,” she turned to Macintosh, “I heard you were investigating Cinch personally. Have you had any luck?”

Macintosh shook his head, “I was plannin’ to bring her in for questionin’ yesterday, but she didn’t show up to school. My private Squad’s lookin’ into her whereabouts now,” he leaned into her, “They know ‘bout everythin’, an’ report to me first an’ foremost.”

Celestia nodded, “Keep me posted, then,” she took a breath and turned to Rarity, “Ready to go, honey?”

“Y-yes, I am,” Rarity nodded, “Let’s go.”

After another wave of goodbyes and hugs, Rarity and Celestia got into the latter’s car, and drove back into town. Rarity sat in the passenger’s seat beside Celestia, looking out the window. Now they could talk freely.

Xion Theme - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

“I’m sure you have questions,” Celestia said as they drove into town, “I’ll answer all of them honestly.”

“You’re not just a Teacher from Japan, are you?” Rarity asked.

“No, I’m not,” Celestia confirmed, “I'm a representative of the Kirijo Group, one of the most prolific companies in all of Japan, and the center of all Persona related actions.”

“Which answers my next question,” Rarity muttered, “Okay, so why are you here?”

“Because I want to save Humanity from eternal slumber,” Celestia answered, “Just so happens, the means of doing so, is here in America.”

“The means of doing so?”

“There have been a number of issues in Japan, centered around Shadows and Personas,” Celestia continued, “This Nightmare Epidemic, is just the latest, and by far most extreme. Each time, however, someone wielding unlimited potential appeared, with the perfect set of skills needed to oppose this threat.”

“Starlight,” Rarity turned to Celestia completely, “She’s the one, isn’t she?”

Celestia nodded, “She possesses the power of the Wild Card, which means she can change humanity’s fate. She’s already changed yours, hasn’t she?”

Rarity looked down, “I, suppose she has. I feel like, I was supposed to die, and Starlight, saved me.”

“I will not mince words, Rarity,” Celestia said as they stopped at a red light, “Your Persona, could be of great use to us.”

Rarity took a breath, “Here we go…”

“I’m not going to force you to do anything,” Celestia assured Rarity, “I meant what I said about wanting to help you. I already called a friend from Japan, and she’ll come to live with us later this month. However, I am saying that you should hear how bad this situation is, and see it for yourself. Then decide what you’ll do,” Celestia looked grave, “They need all the help they can get.”

Rarity looked at her in silence for a few seconds, and then sat back closing her eyes, “After I get settled in, I wanna know everything ‘bout this Nightmare Epidemic, and these Personas,” she held her hand up, looking at her Channeling Ring, “I’ll decide if I help afterward.”

“I can live with that,” Celestia nodded.

“If I do join, I ain’t doin’ it for you,” Rarity narrowed her eyes, “I’m doin’ it for her.”

Celestia smiled, “That’s perfectly fine. Really, my main goal is to help Starlight.”

“Cause she’s the one with this Wild Card thing, right?”

“Oh, she is much more to me than that,” Celestia said.

“Is that so?” Rarity asked skeptically.

“She’s my beloved child,” Celestia answered simply, “Same as you.”

Rarity frowned subtly at that. The rest of the drive was in silence, but Celestia could sense that Rarity was relaxing a bit more. Celestia knew she was suspicious, but she was nothing but upfront when it came to her children.

She loved them dearly, and would do everything within her power to help them.

end song

Evening

“Girls, I’m home~” Celestia said, stepping inside the dorm.

“Hey Miss Tia,” Trixie said, all of them gathered in the living room.

“Did you take care of everything you needed?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“I did,” Celestia smiled, “Oh, I picked up a stray on the way home. Hope you don't mind.”

Rainbow Dash frowned, “I, thought pets weren’t allowed in the dorm.”

Lloyd Theme - Tales of Symphonia

“Who the fuck you callin’ a pet?” Rarity asked, stepping inside, pulling a suitcase.

Starlight’s eyes widened, “Rarity…?”

Rarity took a breath and nodded, “Hope, you girl’s don’t mind me staying here for a bit,” she chuckled, “Don’t worry. I don’t have fleas or anything.”

Pinkie Pie jumped up and hugged Rarity, “I was hoping she was going to pick you up!”

Trixie and Rainbow Dash went over to her, the latter rubbing her back, “The more the merrier, ya know?”

“Twi-Twi’s gonna be shocked when she sees this,” Trixie chuckled, “The look on her face is going to be priceless~”

Starlight approached Rarity as the others pulled away from her. The two of them looked into each other’s eyes for a bit, and then Starlight hugged Rarity.

“Welcome home, Rarity,” Starlight said softly. Rarity hesitated, but then hugged Starlight back, somewhat tightly, as if afraid to let go.

“It’s, good to, be home.”

Riku Theme - Kingdom Hearts 2

Rarity’s room was right next to Twilight’s, across from Starlight and Trixie’s room. Normally her room would have been on the third floor as she was a Senior, but as the only Senior staying in the dorm currently it was agreed the second floor was fine. Besides, they weren’t expecting the dorm to be really full, as it was a bit away from the school. Naturally Twilight was surprised by the new dorm mate, but since she had met Rarity at the birthday party, it wasn’t too much of a surprise.

For Rarity, the rules were a tad different due to her being a Senior. Mostly the same as the other girls in terms of maintaining the place, but she had a much later curfew than the rest of them. Rarity actually volunteered to adhere to the same curfew as everyone else, but Celestia insisted on her having the same as any Senior, citing that it was a sign of trust, and a way to let her know they weren’t trying to limit her.

It seemed she was a bit uncomfortable with this amount of trust. Starlight would have to talk to her about that later.

After getting situated and eating dinner with everyone, they gathered in the living room to get Rarity up to speed on everything thus far.

“So, what do you know so far?” Celestia asked Rarity, who sat on the couch across from Celestia and Pinkie Pie, choosing to sit beside Starlight.

“I know about what the Nightmare Epidemic is, more or less,” Rarity began, “Effectively those monsters, Shadows you called them, they’re trapping people in their Nightmares. I also know that Trixie and Pinkie Pie were victims of this too, right?”

Trixie nodded, leaning over the couch at Starlight’s other side, “Starlight helped me escape mine first.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what did yours look like?” Rarity asked. Trixie took a breath and pursed her lips, “If it’s too personal, I-”

“No. No it’s fine. You should know. Mine was a twisted circus. All of the attractions were focused on my humiliation in some way, and I was the center of a lot of BDSM themed shows, mostly putting my life in jeopardy.”

Rarity’s eyes widened, “And Blueblood was your Dungeon Master…?”

“He was the Ring Leader of the circus,” Trixie confirmed, “And since I can see where this is going, yes, everything he did to me in the dream he did to me in real life in some capacity.”

“That rotten good for nothing…!” Rarity seethed, taking a deep breath before turning to Pinkie Pie, “Alright, what about you?”

“Well, you know Fleur was my Dungeon Master, right?” Rarity nodded, “Mine was, a fantasy world like a fairy tale. I was the Princess, and Fleur was my advisor.”

“Kinda like that movie you starred in?” Rarity frowned, “The Forgotten Princess?”

“It, was similar to it, yeah,” Pinkie Pie nodded, “In my case, Fleur had taken over the entire Kingdom, and pretty much had full control over me. She kept me imprisoned constantly, let the Shadows have their way with me to keep them happy, and by the end of it, I couldn’t even speak,” Pinkie Pie nursed her neck a bit, “If Starlight, Trixie, and Dashie hadn’t saved me when they did, I’d have lost full control over my body.”

Rainbow Dash wrapped an arm around Pinkie Pie, closing her eyes “The bitch is lucky she got a Change of Heart, and that Pinkie Pie saved her. I was ready to kill her myself.”

“Change of Heart? What’s that?” Rarity asked, “You all mentioned something concerning that with Cinch.”

“It’s when the person’s Shadow decides to repent for their sins and change their ways,” Twilight explained, “In Japan a few years ago, there were a number of these occurring in rapid succession. These were orchestrated by another team of Persona Users called the Phantom Thieves,” she looked up with a lovesick smile, “Their Leader’s codename is Joker, and he’s so badass and amazing~” she gushed holding her cheeks.

“A school girl crush, how adorable,” Rarity teased, making Twilight pout cutely.

“S-shut up, Fido!” Twilight cried, making Rarity laugh out loud, “Damn it, it’s Trixie all over again…”

“You know you love the attention, Twi-Twi~” Trixie purred, “Don’t deny it.”

Twilight turned her nose to the air in defiance, “I will not grace that with a response.”

“As you can see, we try to have fun here,” Starlight said to Rarity, who nodded still laughing a bit.

“That’s good. Glad it’s not all doom and gloom here,” Rarity smiled, but then frowned, “But hang on a second. Why didn’t Cinch have a Change of Heart? Pretty sure Rover did by the sound of it…”

“If I had to guess, it’s because Cinch didn’t truly value you as a person,” Celestia said gravely.

“That’s, important?” Rarity asked.

“See, in order to change the Shadow’s Heart, the thing the person pins their desires to has to be taken from them,” Twilight explained, “In the case of Joker’s team, they entered a space called a Palace, which is basically a Dungeon made by the Shadow.”

Rarity nodded, “Okay, so a reverse Dungeon. Following you so far.”

“In that case, the Palace was formed around an object that the person in the real world valued. Once that was taken from the Palace, the Shadow had nothing to pin their distorted desires to, so they let them go,” Twilight continued, “It’s the same logic here, only in this case, it’s not an object.”

“It’s the individual,” Rarity finished for Twilight, looking down, “So since Rover actually cares about me, once he realized he couldn’t keep me, he changed.”

“It’s what happened with Fleur,” Pinkie Pie confirmed, “I told her that I was leaving, and since I had my Persona, she couldn’t stop me from doing so, so she let me go.”

“But Cinch didn’t actually care about you as a person, sad as it is,” Celestia continued, “I think, all she wanted was to see you suffer. I’m truly sorry…”

“Why are you apologizin’?” Rarity looked away folding her arms, “Ain’t nothin’ I’m not used to already. Just the first time someone turned into a demon and tried to kill me.”

“The fact you’re not more fazed by this…” Trixie winced, as did Starlight. On the one hand, it was good she was stable. On the other hand though, it really spoke to how hard she had it growing up.

“Still, know that here, you’re safe,” Celestia assured Rarity, “We value you as a person, so please, make yourself at home.”

“Make, myself at home, huh?” Rarity asked, a bit uncertain if her expression was an indication.

“Yes. If you’d like to think of us as your pack, then feel free to do so,” Celestia confirmed.

“Yeah! So relax and be yourself, Rarity!” Pinkie Pie beamed, “Whatever that means, we’ll learn to adjust to it!”

“I’ll, keep that in mind,” Rarity nodded, “So, Elysium. I think I wanna see it for myself.”

“Miss Tia, can we take Rarity into the Phase?” Starlight asked Celestia.

“Absolutely,” Celestia nodded, “I don’t know what to expect going forward, so try not to stay too long in there.”

“So, what do I do? Just go to sleep wearing this?” Rarity asked, holding up the hand wearing her Channeling Ring.

“I know. Almost too easy, right?” Rainbow Dash said, “But yeah. Just make sure you got that on when you go to sleep, and you’ll end up appearing in the lobby of that huge Library.”

Rarity nodded, stretching a bit, “Good thing I’m actually a bit tired then. Alright. I’m gonna shower and get ready for bed. Meet you in there.”

“See you there,” Starlight smiled, rubbing Rarity’s back. Rarity smiled and got up, sauntering up to her room.

“Think we’ll be able to induct her into the Coven soon?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Maybe, but she still seems a bit guarded,” Trixie said, “She’s reaching out a bit though, so that’s good.”

“Gotta treat her like an actual stray,” Rainbow Dash said, “Just give her space, make sure she’s comfortable, and let her come to us. She’ll be sitting on our laps in no time.”

“Oh, is that what you want?” Twilight teased, “For Rarity to sit on your lap?”

“Gah! Not like that! That’s reserved for Pinkie Pie!”

Everyone had a good laugh from that. Starlight felt good about the way this was going, and hoped that soon, at least metaphorically, Rarity would be sitting in her lap.

Rarity leaned against the wall upstairs, still listening to them a bit. Yes, she knew she was being silly and paranoid, but old habits died hard. That said, she did like that they seemed to understand her mentality, and weren’t rushing into things with her.

“Well, you’re making a good case for yourselves at least,” she decided, continuing to her room and undressing on the way. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Late Night

Qualia - Blue Reflection

When Starlight arrived in the Library, she saw Rarity sitting on a desk reading one of the books there. It was so surreal still, seeing her usual prim and proper self in the real world, only to then see “Dirty Diamond” in the dream world. The way her tail flicked every so often put Starlight in the mind of a fluffy dog, and she wanted to just cuddle her.

“It’s like she’s a completely different person,” Trixie muttered to Starlight and the others.

“Even the way she’s sitting is different,” Rainbow Dash said softly. Unlike the more elegant manner she sat in the dorm, here she had one leg on the desk and another one dangling off of it. Might have been due to her wearing a skirt in the real world, whereas here she wore booty shorts, but still.

“You know I can hear you, right?” Rarity asked, now speaking without the elegant dialect.

“Wait, from all the way over there?” Rainbow Dash asked. Rarity pointed to her wolf ears.

“Wolf remember? Excellent hearing,” she got up from the desk and stretched, “In case you’re wonderin', this is how I naturally am. The classy bitch you guys see is just me puttin’ on a front.”

“Did you at least take the mask off when you were with the Scarlets?” Twilight asked.

“I loosened it when I was with them,” Rarity answered, putting a hand on her hip and looking away, “But I wanted to show them I could be a good girl, so…”

“Yeah, that stops now, okay?” Rainbow Dash said, surprising the wolf turned human, “First off, let’s be real here. You kinda suck at being a so called “good girl”.”

“Um, you really wanna antagonize the literal wolf in a human body with the motorcycle gun Persona?” Trixie asked Rainbow Dash wide eyed.

“No, no she’s right,” Rarity grumbled, closing her eyes, “I got into this mess because I tried to be like everyone else and denied my urges. Technically I didn’t even do that right, since I did sleep with shop owners to get under the table discounts, and I did abuse my power as President to, well, you know.”

Starlight went over to Rarity and rubbed her back to comfort her. She still had a lot of guilt about that, it seemed.

“Which leads into the second thing,” Rainbow walked over to Rarity, looking her dead in the eyes, “You’re not like everyone else. Not even going into the whole nymphomania deal, you’re more wolf than human, right? So stop trying to be a human girl, cause all that’s doing is making you miserable.”

“At least around us, Rarity,” Starlight urged, “We won’t judge you. It’ll take some getting used to, I’m sure, but we’ll manage.

“Seriously ain’t used to people bein’ so accepting of me…” Rarity muttered.

“Whether or not you’re in our Coven, you’re with friends now, okay?” Starlight smiled. Rarity met eyes with Starlight and smiled in return.

“Okay. So, where’s the way to Elysium?” Rarity asked.

“That’d be this way,” Twilight said, her wisp flying ahead, “Follow me.”

As they walked, Rarity looked around the Library, taking everything in.

“Pretty crazy, right?” Trixie asked Rarity.

“That’s, definitely the word for it,” Rarity nodded, “What, is this place, exactly? I know it’s the Phase, but…”

“Where is the Phase?” Twilight chimed in, “In terms of location, it’s hard to say. Best I can say is, you’re walking through the Collective Unconscious of humanity.”

“This is the Collective Unconscious…?” Rarity asked, picking up a random book off the shelf as they walked, “So what? All of the knowledge in the world is kept here or something?”

“Yes, actually,” Twilight confirmed, “In fact, as a Witch, you can learn literally anything here just by reading and/or taking one of the books with you when you wake up.”

“It can’t be that easy,” Rarity denied.

“Oh, it is,” Trixie nodded, “I learned the secret to my Father’s magic here. All those tricks you see me do in school? It’s thanks to that.”

“I can heal just by placing my hands on someone injured,” Pinkie Pie said, “Dashie sprained her ankle the other day, and I healed it instantly.”

“And I can fuck with machines using electrokinesis and a bit of technokinesis,” Rainbow Dash smirked, “You’re welcome, by the way.”

“So that explains what happened to Blueblood’s phone,” Rarity nodded, smirking right back, “Well, thanks. You did do me a solid there.”

Rainbow Dash rubbed her nose grinning, “We throwaway kids gotta stick together, ya know?”

“Yes, indeed,” Rarity said softly, now looking at Starlight, “What about you? You got anything?”

“Psychic Empathy,” Starlight said, “If I touch someone and open myself up to them, I can feel their inner emotions. Also, if their emotions are exceptionally strong, I’ll touch them, and feel something leap out at me even if I’m not prepared.”

“Ah,” Rarity nodded, “So, all those times when it seemed like you knew how I was feeling…”

“S-sorry,” Starlight winced, “I know it’s a bit invasive, and I try not to rely on it, but that’s how I knew you had a Dungeon. I promise, from now on I’ll only read your emotions with your permission first.”

Rarity smiled, and lightly hit Starlight’s arm, “Don’t worry about it. I ain’t the best at showin’ my emotions, and you did save my ass, so we’re good.”

Starlight sighed in relief. She was happy Rarity wasn’t mad at her for that.

“Starlight!” they heard up ahead. Starlight looked and saw Diamond Tiara waving to them.

Rarity’s eyes widened, “I’m sorry, what the actual fuck?” she asked as Diamond ran up to them.

“Hey Diamond,” Starlight met up with Diamond and hugged her, “Sorry I forgot to call you, but we’re planning to head into Elysium.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” Diamond smiled, “I was literally just wandering around aimlessly here, so this is perfect,” she then looked to Rarity and her eyes widened, “Miss President? Is that you?” Rarity groaned softly, looking away with a nervous expression, “It’s okay, Miss President. I, I don’t know everything, but I did know you had a Dungeon.”

“So, this is really you, Diamond Tiara?” Rarity asked, shying away a bit.

Diamond nodded, “Yep. I had a Dungeon too, sorta. Mine was weaker though, so saving me didn’t give me a Persona, but I did gain the ability to Lucid Dream and come here of my own free will.”

“So, how much do you know about me?” Rarity asked.

“Only that you had a Dungeon, and it had a BDSM Prison/Porno theme to it,” Diamond said.

“She was actually the one who found your Dungeon for us,” Trixie confirmed, “We were having a hard time tracking it down, and Diamond just sort of, stumbled on it.”

“So in that case, I guess I owe you, then,” Rarity smiled, “Thank y-” she stopped herself, as she sounded almost like “Miss President”, “Thanks, Diamond.”

Diamond nodded, “You’re welcome, Miss President. And um, just going to say, the white bangs are really hot.”

“You, think they’re hot?” Rarity blinked.

“The whole biker chick meets werewolf thing is badass and just looks, I dunno, more you? Like, something just looks right about this. You should totally let others see this side of you.”

Rarity looked at Diamond intently, and then nodded, “You, gave me a lot to think about. Thanks, Diamond,” she smiled.

“Anytime,” Diamond hugged her, and then turned to Starlight, “See you on the battlefield, Mistress~” and with that, she turned into a pink light and flew into Starlight’s Channeling Ring.

“Um, what did she…?”

“Oh that? She’s Starlight’s Thrall,” Pinkie Pie answered, “Essentially she’s a summon spirit who helps us in combat.”

“It’d be better for you to see it for yourself,” Twilight said, flying over to the door leading to Elysium, “Speaking of, we’re here now.”

They pushed through the door, revealing the dark, open field and the large golden, glowing tower shooting beyond the clouds into the heavens. Rarity looked up at it, her eyes widening.

“Jesus fucking Christ…” Rarity muttered, “This place, it looks almost… divine.”

“Wait till you see the interior,” Rainbow Dash said, “Lead the way, Leader.”

Starlight nodded, and led them to the tower, and ultimately to the Checkpoint.

Hod: Lvl 18

Untamed Heart - Klonoa Door to Phantomile

The group made their way to the topmost floor they could reach. Standing on the large platform floating in space, Rarity looked awestruck.

“Fuckin’ hell…” she said breathlessly.

“Beautiful, isn't it?/i]” Twilight said, her wisp right beside Rarity, “I wish I could be there with you in real time experiencing it personally. Just from my visor, it’s too beautiful for words.”

“We, sure it’s okay for us to be here?” Rarity asked the group, “Like, real talk? I’m feelin’ like we’re breakin’ into Heaven or some shit like that.”

“I doubt it’s like actual heaven,” Rainbow Dash said, “I mean, come on. This is a dream world, right?”

“Mmmm, not from what you guys were saying,” Rarity shook her head, “This is a real place, right? So that means this place just, looks like this.”

“The Kirijo Group’s scientists have theorized that the Collective Unconscious is where the afterlife is,” Twilight said, “So for all we know, this could lead to someplace divine in nature.”

“That said, if they’re the cause of the Nightmare Epidemic, then whatever is up there needs to be dealt with,” Trixie said.

Rarity sighed, “Well, not like I haven’t done shit like this before. Last time it was robbin’ a bank to save an orphanage,” she cracked her knuckles, “This time, it’s breakin’ into Heaven to save humanity.”

“Everything she does like this is so hot…” Pinkie Pie whispered to Starlight and Rainbow Dash, both of whom nodded in agreement.

Trixie meanwhile, walked over to the stairs, which still were blocked off by that golden barrier, “Bad news, everyone. We’re still barred from the next area.”

“That’s no good,” Starlight said, walking up to the barrier, “This can’t be the end of the line.”

“My sensors are still not seeing the next area,” Twilight said, groaning in frustration, “Ugh! This is so frustrating!”

“Move,” Rarity said, pushing past everyone and looking at the wall, “A wall of light, huh? I got just the thing for that,” she held her face with her hand, her Channeling Ring glowing as a blaze formed around her, “TO ME, RILEY!!!”

“Hang on, what?!” Trixie cried, Rarity’s terrifying motorcycle Persona appearing, “Um! What are you-”

“If you want to break down a wall of light, you need darkness!” Rarity said, her voice gravely and lacking her usual elegance, making her sound almost insane, “Lucky for you, I am darkness!”

The eyes of her Persona’s face plate glowed red, and Starlight could have sworn she heard a wolf’s howl. The wall was then assaulted by black tendrils, hitting it repeatedly and actually cracking it. Within a few seconds, the wall had shattered, leaving everyone dumbstruck.

Rarity got off her Persona as it vanished. She took a bit to catch her breath, “Twi-Twi, check it now. Can you see the next area?”

“Y-yes, actually,” Twilight muttered, “Doing that, unlocked the next area.”

“Good,” Rarity straightened her hair and turned to Starlight, “You’re the Alpha here, right? How do we proceed?”

Starlight blinked, snapping herself out of the daze she was in. Holy fuck that was sexy.

“Okay! So, normally we fight in groups of four. As the Leader, I need to be in the front lines, and I want you to gain combat experience here,” Starlight said to Rarity, who nodded in agreement.

“I’ll sit this one out then,” Rainbow Dash said, “You and Lulamoon have that combo move, and Pinkie Pie’s the White Mage. I’ll be in the back row offering support.”

“Alright, and if needed, I’ll switch you out with someone in the front lines,” Starlight nodded, turning to everyone else, “Is this okay with you?”

“I’m alright with it,” Trixie shrugged.

“Same,” Pinkie Pie nodded.

“Long as I get plenty of asses to kick, I don’ t give a fuck,” she said in a low voice, cracking her knuckles again. Starlight shuddered hearing that, and was getting really wet from it. Looking at her friends, she wasn’t the only one.

“Alright. Let’s get going,” Starlight said, escorting her team up the stairs to the next area.

Netzach – Lvl 1

KOSUICHINOKAKUSURANAKIKU.EXE - Blue Reflection

This area looked similar to the last area, but the lights were a bit brighter, and the walls had more white on them. In a few areas, Starlight and co. saw stained glass windows which seemed to depict a figure with long black hair in a black dress, curled up in a black orb as black energy shot out of her onto people below her. Said people were on their knees, seeming in agony of some sort.

Starlight’s heart felt heavy looking at this picture. She wondered what it meant.

As they ran through the maze of a hallway, they spotted a cluster of Shadows up ahead.

“I’m detecting four from that cluster,” Twilight said, “Be careful going forward.”

Starlight nodded, and rushed out to greet her opponent, slashing them with her scythe. Immediately the cluster formed into two Angels, an Oni, and a Fuu-Ki.

“That’s one fucked up looking Angel,” Rarity noted.

“For some reason, that’s how the collective unconscious views them,” Twilight shrugged.

Realizing Rainbow Dash was in the back row, Starlight knew she couldn’t rely on Electricity on Fuu-Ki. Also, she remembered Oni didn’t have a weakness. They needed to focus on them. She then had an idea, “Rarity, use darkness on all of them!”

“Got it!” Rarity said, summoning her Persona, “I’ll break you…! PERSONA!!!”

Riley appeared, and Rarity jumped on her, immediately casting Maeiga on everyone. She killed the Angels in one go, but the other too stood their ground.

“Come forth, my loyal servant!” Starlight cried, “Rise, High Priestess!”

The stage appeared, and Diamond Tiara strutted out, going right to the pole and grinding against it, “Hey big boys~ Wanna have some fun with me~?”

Rarity was speechless, looking at Diamond Tiara pole dance. She then looked at the two enemies and noticed how they were hyper focused on her, “Oh! I get it!”

Starlight nodded, “Yep. That’s how Diamond Tiara helps. She can’t use a Persona, but she can draw on my magic to hold their attention.”

Taking advantage of this, Pinkie Pie summoned Serenity and had her pummel Oni with a barrage of heavy punches.

“Go, Persona!” Trixie cried, summoning Elenora and hitting Oni with Agilao, killing him instantly. Fuu-Ki was still hyper focused on Diamond Tiara, who’d since removed her top and was shaking her breasts at him. He didn’t even notice his partner had been killed.

“Dash! Switch with Pinkie Pie!” Starlight commanded, “Use Zionga on Fuu-Ki!”

“Switching out!” Pinkie Pie jumped back, replaced by Rainbow Dash.

“Leave this to me!” Rainbow Dash held her sword up, “Come forth, my inner self!” she roared, summoning Eclair, who held her sword in the air, causing a bolt of lighting to hit Fuu-Ki and knock him to the ground.

Starlight tried to reach out to Fuu-Ki, only to be met with resistance. She shrugged, and gave the command for an All Out Attack. All of them brandished their weapons, which for Rarity just amounted to her cracking her knuckles, and the witches pummeled the enemy into the ground, killing him instantly.

Starlight waved to Diamond, thanking her for her help. In response, Diamond blew Starlight a kiss before vanishing in a pink light.

“Starting to really like how this team rolls,” Rarity grinned, “Might want Diamond to give me a private show one day.”

“Am I the only sane person here…?” Twilight asked.

“Give it time, and you’ll accept the crazy at some point,” Trixie said with a shrug.

“God forbid…” Twilight muttered. It didn’t take them long to find the stairs after that.

Netzach – Lvl 5

With Rarity’s help, and just having an extra fighter in general, moving through Elysium became a bit easier. If someone took too much damage, the could switch out and move to the back row, which normally now was occupied by Pinkie Pie. She didn’t mind, as she just focused on healing everyone after tough fights.

Concerning Rarity though, she was literally a beast in combat. She was the MVP of the night, doing the most damage to the Shadows opposing them. Starlight seriously hoped she joined their Coven, as she made combat a lot easier. Even if her love for fighting was a tad disturbing.

On the fifth floor of this section, they saw a large golden golem Shadow with a sharp, fancy looking body, wearing green and red robes that emphasized his muscular figure, and red and white shoes. Beyond that, the area was open.

“This is a checkpoint area,” Twilight said, “But that Shadow seems to be guarding it.”

“Seems someone doesn’t want us proceeding,” Trixie held up one of her cards.

“So chances are, whatever lives in this place knows we’re here now,” Starlight said, “Brace yourselves. Pinkie Pie, get ready in case we need you on the front lines.”

Pinkie Pie nodded, “Got it. I’ll be ready.”

DNF FW15C -ii- - Blue Reflection

“The Shadow’s ID is Kin-Ki!” Twilight said, “But I can’t find a weakness! The Terminal’s having too hard of a time locking onto the enemy!”

“Then we’ll just resort to my favorite tactic!” Rarity charged at it, rearing back her fist, “HITTING IT UNTIL IT DIES!”

She threw a punch, but it threw its fist out to meet hers. Rarity smirked, and the two of them traded rapid fire blows while Rainbow Dash held up her Channeling Ring.

“Come forth, my other self!” Rainbow Dash shouted, holding her sword up as Eclair appeared before her. She then cast Rebellion on Rarity, who then managed to punch through Kin-Ki’s defense, knocking him back.

Trixie and Starlight ran up beside Rarity, the latter holding her scythe forward into the ground while the other held out her arms. Trixie launched a barrage of cards at Kin-Ki while Starlight fired at him with her sniper rifle, but he held up his fists to block both attacks.

“Persona!” Rarity shouted, summoning Riley and jumping on her, driving around the Shadow in a circle and firing her missiles at him. He flinched back from her attacks, but then grabbed her once she got too close, causing her Persona to dispel.

“RARITY!” Starlight cried, holding up her Ring, “NUE!!!”

The giant yellow gorilla charged at Kin-Ki, tackling him into a wall and making him drop Rarity. The two traded blows until Kin-Ki threw a powerful punch into Nue’s stomach, causing him and Starlight to fall back. Kin-Ki then spun around hitting everyone around it with its fists, knocking all of them into walls.

“Gah!” Trixie screamed, she and Rainbow Dash landing near each other, “This guy can seriously throw a punch…!”

“Yeah, and he can take ‘em, too!” Rainbow Dash groaned, forcing herself to her feet, “Hey, how are you two holding up?”

“I, could do this all fuckin’ night,” Rarity said, rising up with Starlight’s arm over her shoulder, “Hey, you and Trixie got that double technique. I’ll work with Dash to make an openin’. Then you hit him hard.”

Starlight nodded to Rarity. She switched to Morgana and cast Mediarama on everyone before running over to Trixie. She didn’t get to Trixie though, as Kin-Ki slammed his fist down in front of her to block her path.

She looked up as he loomed over her, but before he could throw another punch, a barrage of missiles hit him in the face knocking him back.

“Don’t fucking think about it!” Rarity swore, “Dash, get your lumps in before I go to town on this fucker!”

Rainbow Dash nodded, summoning her Persona once more. This time, Eclair Farron charged with her sword and slammed it down onto Kin-Ki, forcing him to block. Rarity jumped onto Riley and tackled him into Eclair, who pinned him from behind with her sword before discharging electricity for more damage.

“Come on…! Fuck!" Twilight swore.

“Twilight, what’s wrong?!” Pinkie Pie asked, holding her scepter ready in case she got called in.

“Blank! Everything on my terminal is coming up blank for this Shadow!” Twilight fussed, a slamming noise heard from the real world, “Ugh! There has to be SOMETHING I can do!”

“Twi-Twi, relax!” Trixie shouted, readying her Channeling Ring, “We’ve got this! Elenora, Sukukaja!”

She cast her spell on Rainbow Dash, increasing her speed. Once Starlight reached her side, she felt her heart stir immediately. She and Trixie stood back to back holding their arms forward.

“COME FORTH, OUR PERSONAS!!!” they shouted at the same time, both Morgana and Elenora appearing at the same time and flying into Kin-Ki.

Morgana slashed Kin-Ki three times with her claws, followed by Elenora charging in with rapid kicks engulfed in flames. This was followed by Morgana drilling into Kin-Ki’s chest, pushing him back as Elenora threw large fire balls at him from a distance.

The two Personas held their arms out at their sides and charged up. With a single nod to each other, the two Personas flew into Kin-Ki with their X Strike, causing him to fall to one knee.

“All Out Attack!” Starlight ordered her team, who all got their weapons ready (Rarity as always just cracked her knuckles smirking), and wailed on the Shadow with everything they had.

Somehow, he managed to put up a fight, knocking all of them back soon after.

Starlight once again cast Mediarama on everyone, but realized she was taxing herself too hard.

Trixie summoned Elenora and cast Eiha on Kin-Ki, knocking him back a bit as Rarity summoned Riley to hit Kin-Ki with her missiles while riding around the field, “Damn it! Why’s he still standing?!”

Kin-Ki took a deep breath and then roared at the ceiling, an orange aura coming over him briefly.

“Hey! What was that attack?!” Rarity asked, still riding around the field.

“Tarukaja! It’ll give it higher attack for a few seconds to a minute!” Twilight explained, “Oooooh! Why isn’t it working…? Please please please give me something to work with here…!”

Kin-Ki spun around, once more hitting everyone at once and knocking them back. Starlight fell to the ground screaming, and noticed Trixie fall beside her. Starlight turned to her girlfriend and went pale.

She wasn’t breathing…!

“No…! TRIXIE!!!” Starlight screamed, “Pinkie Pie, switch with Rainbow Dash! Recarm, fast!”

Pinkie Pie jumped into the fray Serenity already summoned as a golden light engulfed Trixie, who quickly coughed as she sat up a bit, “S-Starlight…?”

Starlight wrapped her arms around Trixie tightly, her heart racing. Just now, she thought she’d lose someone else important to her.

Rarity looked at the two of them wide eyed, and then glared at Kin-Ki, “You, just fucked up BIG TIME!!!” she roared at Kin-Ki, rearing her fists back and punching the golden golem continuously, “YOU GODDAMN MOTHERFUCKING SON OF A BITCH!!! I’LL RIP YOUR FUCKING ARMS OUT OF THEIR SOCKETS AND FORCE THEM DOWN YOUR GODDAMN THROAT YOU GLORIFIED GOLDEN PIECE OF SHIT!!!”

Kin-Ki was clearly taking damage, but he also managed to block a number of her attacks. Scarily enough, it didn’t seem like Rarity noticed or really cared.

“This is bad! Someone needs to stop Rarity! She’s leaving herself wide open!”

“Pinkie Pie, heal! Trixie, cast Sukukaja on Rarity! I’ll step in to provide support!” Starlight commanded, forcing herself to pull herself together.

“Help is on the way!” Pinkie Pie cried, summoning Serenity and casting Mediarama on everyone. Trixie cast her speed spell on Rarity and then began her own assault from a distance while Starlight slashed Kin-Ki back with her scythe.

“Rarity! Calm down!” Starlight commanded, “Pinkie Pie healed Trixie just in time!”

“This fucker damn near killed your girlfriend! I’ll calm down once he’s-”

Kin-Ki threw a powerful punch at the two of them, but this time Starlight blocked with her scythe. She still took massive damage, but at least she was able to protect Rarity, who looked at this wide eyed.

“We, have to keep, a cool head here,” Starlight urged, “Otherwise, one wrong move, and…”

Rarity looked down seriously, and then nodded, “Right. I’ll, follow your commands then, from now on.”

Starlight took a breath. She could tell Rarity was berating herself for losing her cool, but now wasn’t the time for a pep talk, “Twilight, any idea how much more this guy’s got?”

“I don’t, I’m sorry!” Twilight sounded on the verge of tears herself, “I keep trying to get a lock on the Shadow, but you’re too far out of range for the system to track!”

Starlight swore to herself and then looked up at the Shadow, who was currently trading blows with Serenity, who despite not being an overtly combat type Persona was holding her own, fighting a bit like Chun-Li from Street Fighter it seemed, “Rarity, the anger you’re feeling right now? Channel that into your Ring and cast your strongest spell. Try to knock him down.”

Rarity took a breath and nodded, holding up her Channeling Ring, “Fear my power! PERSONA!!!”

Rarity jumped on Riley as she appeared, and cast Maeiga on Kin-Ki. The Shadow flinched back from that and then took an Agilao to the face, falling to one knee.

Starlight once more commanded her team to launch an All Out Attack. This time, Kin-Ki wasn’t able to keep standing, and quickly fell to the ground, where he faded away in a black mist.

Daydream - Blue Reflection: Second Light

Trixie fell to her knees, “IT’S DEAD! IT’S FUCKING DEAD!” she laughed/cried in relief.

Pinkie Pie ran up to her and hugged her, “That, was rough.”

“Yeah, I’ll say,” Rainbow Dash said walking forward, “They’re getting stronger, aren’t they? The Shadows?”

“Makes sense,” Starlight said, “We’re getting closer to where the leader is presumably.”

“So, they’re not usually that strong…” Rarity mused to herself.

“Rarity?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“If, I hadn’t been here, then…” Rarity trailed off, holding a hand to her head.

“We’d have lost,” Starlight finished for her, surprising the white wolf, “Badly.”

“But, earlier I almost-”

“Wasn’t too bad,” Starlight said, “We pulled you back before you got hurt,” she rubbed Rarity’s arm.

“Actually, it’s kinda touching, knowing you got so upset because I was hurt,” Trixie said, looking away and rubbing her arm and smiling, “And, hearing you scream profanity at the Shadow was hot.”

Rarity blinked, and then rubbed the back of her head, her ears twitching, “I seriously ain’t used to people liking this side of me…”

“Get used to it, Rarity,” Pinkie Pie scratched behind Rarity’s ears, making the wolf girl moan softly, “Whether or not you’re with us officially, I wanna see this side of you more.”

“Let’s head back to the Library to rest before waking up,” Starlight said as the Checkpoint opened, “Twilight, is the Checkpoint set up?”

“H-huh? Yeah, it is,” Twilight said, her voice soft, “I, could at least do that much.”

“Mission Control, you good?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Twilight said. From what Starlight could hear, it sounded like she was trying not to cry, “I’m logging off. I’ll see you girls when you, wake up I guess.”

“Twili-” Starlight called out, only to be met with a click as the Wisp vanished.

“Hey,” Trixie said, placing a hand on Starlight’s shoulder, “Let’s get out of here before reinforcements show up.”

Starlight nodded to Trixie, and walked through the door with her team. She was seriously worried about Twilight, though.

Riku Theme - Kingdom Hearts 2

After logging off from the system, Twilight went downstairs into the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of orange juice to try and calm down, but it wasn’t working. She couldn’t get over what just happened.

Her Terminal couldn’t lock onto the enemy at all. Even if it didn’t have a weakness, it was as if the system couldn’t recognize the Shadow as being there.

Did I, hit my limit…?

No, no there has to be a way to increase broadcasting range.

But even as she thought it, deep down she knew what was wrong. They were entering more abstract aspects of the Collective Unconscious. Soon, she’d be able to still talk to them, and she’d still be able to follow them through the Remote Viewing System, but that’d be it. She’d be an observer, and nothing else.

She’d become, obsolete…

“No. No no, I won’t be decommissioned. After all,” she sat up and laughed to herself, “Next time they go into a Dungeon, they’ll need someone to gather Keywords and compile the data. That’s something only I can do,” she held a hand to her head, “I’m not obsolete. I’m not. I’m not.”

Outside the kitchen, Celestia leaned against the wall listening to her child. She wanted to check on her and see how she was doing, but the way she sounded, it truly seemed like she might…

“Please no. Don’t let it be this…” Celestia held a hand to her chest, her fear gripping her very soul, “Of all the people to get the Nightmare…” she closed her eyes tightly, “What do I do…? How, do I save my child…?”

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: 3/5 LEVEL UP!!!
Hermit – Sunburst: 2/10
Hanged Man - Rarity Stark: 1/10
The Devil – Silver Spoon: 5/10
The Sun - Sweetie Belle: 4/10
Transformation - Ms. Luna: 1/10

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