Voyager

Iota

Twilight opened her eyes as soon as she could. She stood up in the middle of a clearing and looked around until her eyes fell on the blue alicorn that was next to her.

There were tears in her eyes. The demon was crying.

"Where are we?", Twilight asked, with as much anger as she could muster.

The blue demon didn't turn her head to look at her. "In a place your friend is too scared to go to", she replied. "She knows we're here, but she doesn't want to believe it." The demon lifted her head and looked far into the sky. "Poor soul."

"Why do you keep being so harsh to her?", Twilight asked, trying to stay firm.

"She is being selfish... I could let her stay here and be happy, but that would hurt a lot of ponies, you included." Luna returned her gaze to the floor.

Twilight stood next to the demon and suddenly saw what she was staring at. And it wasn't just a rectangular stone tablet.

R.I.P.

SWEETIE BELLE

Twilight quickly closed her eyes and backed a step or two. The vision lingered in her mind.

The demon finally shifted to look at her. "This place will always exist in her subconscious. She has tried to delete it, to deny its existence several times, but failed. She has come here because she thinks that she can believe that this place never existed... but it's all a lie well told."

Twilight slowly opened her eyes. The stone tablet was still there, though. She didn't understand what was carved on it. Why was she scared of it out of a sudden, then?

"Her mind has been affecting you too", the demon said. "I wasn't expecting that. I thought that your will was stronger."

Twilight was still. She couldn't move. She just wanted to go.

"Please", she mustered. "Let me go with Rarity... She must be sad..."

The demon shook her head. "She is here just and only for not being sad. She won't be truly sad until she leaves. What she feels is fear. She knows I want to take her out of this place to bring her back to reality, and she doesn't want it. She wants to stay here, to live the lie. She'll keep denying the truth until we bring her back to her senses. Are you going to help me to help your friend, or are you going to return to reality? It's your choice."

Twilight couldn't understand a word of what she had said. She saw the demon and loathed her existence, but she knew that she just couldn't left her friend alone with the demon's prescense.

"Fine", she said, nodding. "I will help you. Even if I don't understand what you are saying, I can tell that this is for the sake of Rarity. Just tell me what to do, and I will" -stop you from killing her- "do it."

The blue demon eyed her suspiciously at first, but she eventually gave up. "Alright", she said. "First, I want you to ask her where her sister is."

"That'd be stupid", Twilight tried to suggest. "Rarity doesn't have a sister."

The demon looked at her in the eye. "Don't ask, just do it. I will stay close. If I see a trace of  disobedience in you, you're out to reality. Do you understand?"

Twilight felt intimidated. "Yes", she said, in what she thought was a neutral tone.

"Alright. Let's find her."