Chapter 5: Confrontation......Sorta.

Starlight & Trixie got up early despite the incident that night. After taking a quick shower Starlight used one of the healing potions she had bought at the convention to clear up her cut. Part of her wanted to let the wound stay, but she knew if she did that Gold Key would notice and panic before she could properly interogate him. Not long after she finished apllying the salve she heard Trixie come out of the restroom.

"You ready Trix?" Starlight asked her marefriend with a serious & confident look.

"You know it." Trixie replied with a sly grin.

Later down in the lobby the two unicorn mares set & waited in the dining area until the clock struck 8:30 A.M. and Gold Key came out of his office to greet the two.

"Good morning ladies." He greeted with a smile. "Glad to see you. After you decided to stay in your room for breakfast yesterday I was worried I had offended you somehow."

"Oh no, nothing of the sort Mr. Key, Trixie was just.....feeling a bit worn down is all." The showmare replied.

"Well i'm sorry to hear that. But I guess conventions do that to a pony. Too much fun in one sitting & what not." He chuckled pouring the two ponies a hot cup of coffee.

"Yeah, conventions can be pretty overbearing. But not nearly as exhausting as nightmares." Starlight chimed in.

Gold Key paused. "Come again?"

"Yes it's True." Trixie sighed as she posed dramatically. "Trixie has been plauged with visions of ghastly ghosts and macabe monsters in her sleep!" She sobbed.

"Well, ah, i'm a, i'm sorry to hear that Ms. Lulamoon." Gold Key replied.

"So ah, can I get you two anything for breakfa....." But before he could finish he heard Starlight utter a single word.

"Moonflower."

"Um, come again miss?" Gold Key replied.

"Moonflower. Wasn't that the name of the filly in your dreams Trix?" Starlight asked looking at her marefriend.

"Yes, and she was ever so adorable, but those mean old monsters were just as intent on eating her as they were me!" Trixie pouted.

Gold Key froze in place. A look of pure terror in his eyes.

"Got yea!" Starlight thought to herself, a smug sense of satisfaction slowly covering her face in the form of a knowing smile.

"I ah, I ah, I just remembered I have some business ah need to take care of at the bank today." He stammered sheepishly before running towards the exit.

"Well that didn't quite go as planned." Trixie huffed.

"True" Starlight replied. "But now he knows we know and he can't stay away from the hotel or avoid us forever. We'll get what we need from him eventually." She smirked. "Besides he's not the only pony we can talk to."

"Oh no, you don't mean....her!" Trixie meeped.

"Afraid so Trix. Afraid so." Starlight replied.

Starlight & Trixie walked down the left hall of the first floor until they finally found what they were looking for. A door that read STAFF LOUNGE: EMPLOYEES ONLY.

Trixie gulped. "How do we know she's even in there?"

"Well I did'nt see her upstairs this morning, so this would be a good of a place to look as any." Starlight replied.

"OK, if we must" Trixie sighed.

The two opened the door and sure enough there set the pigtailed pegasus mare sitting at a small circular table eating a bowl of oatmeal tapping her hooves along to whatever song was playing under the headphones she was wearing.

"Uh, M...Ms. Deadpan." Trixie Stuttered.

No reply.

"You're gonna have to try harder than that to get her attention Trix." Starlight chuckled. "Its pretty clear that she's lost in her own little world."

"Well, then I vote you do it Starlight." Trixie said slowly shoving her marefriend forward with her left hoof.

"Fine" Starlight replied as she rolled her eyes and walked towards the pegasus.

Starlight grabbed the headphones off from Deadpan's head and screamed "HEY NO SLACKING ON THE JOB!"

The poor grey pegasus was so startled by this she instinctivly tried to fly away but of course only ended up failing and falling flat on her back along with her chair. She looked up and saw Starlight & Trixie staring at her.

"That....was totally uncool!" Deadpan snapped at the two.

"Oh hey, an emotional reaction." Trixie chuckled. "I guess she's not a robot after all."

Deadpan picked herself up and wiped her uniform to make sure she had'nt gotten anything on it. "That's a stupid thing to say. Of course i'm not a robot. What do you even mean?" She huffed.

"Well the other day you were pretty ahh...." Starlight replied akwardly.

"Pretty what!?" The pegasus asked an angry look in her eye.

"Stoic. Monotone. Robotic." Trixie blurted out.

"Trixie!" Starlight exclaimed.

"What? She asked." Trixie snickered.

"So....it happened again huh?" Deadpan sighed.

"What happened?" Trixie asked a confused look on her face.

"Well, yea see..." Deadpan started out. "Sometimes I kind of maybe get influenced by the Spirits here and they make me act different and do things I don't usually do, or something like that." She replied as if it were no big deal.

"Wha, what!?" Trixie stammered with her mouth agape.

'Yea, like this place is super haunted by some dark force from beyond time. Its wicked awesome! Though that ghost mare can be super bossy. Do this, do that, make sure the blue one gets the Nightmare potion in her food!" No chill at all that ghost.

Trixie's face seethed with anger. "I knew it! I knew you poisioned me. Me the great & powerful Trixie! How dare you!" She yelled getting ready to strike. Though her effort to attack the mare was blocked by a single hoof Starlight held out in front of her.

"Hold your horses Trix. We still need more information from her." Starlight stated doing her best to hold Trixie back and prevent her from ripping the pegasus mare limb from limb.

"Now Deadpan, what in Equestria made you think it was ok to give Trixie a Nightmare potion!?" Starlight asked.

"I dunno, its like. The ghost gets in my head and she just whispers stuff, yea know. Like how ths potion would assure Trixie would have a bad dream and how it would make things easier."

"What do you mean easier?" Starlight asked.

"I dunno. I mean, the ghost has always liked scaring people, I mean that's what ghosts do yea know. But there's something about that marefriend of yours she really likes. Dunno what though." Deadpan replied.

"Well I don't like her!" Trixie huffed, tears now rolling down her eyes.

Starlight looked at her marefriend and gave her a hug.

"Do you know who the ghost is? Or who she used to be?" Starlight softly asked Deadpan a pleading look in her eye.

Deadpan felt a tinge of guilt building in her throat. "Sorry, but, I don't. I've only been at the hotel for about 3 years. Maid before me quit as soon as I got here and Gold Key never tells me anything. He just tells me not to worry about it and as long as I do my job everything will be ok." She replied.

The two mares just looked at each other, a growing sense of defeat building in their bellies.

"But ah, You know...." Deadpan stuttered. "I could, I could probably let you into his office. I mean I have the same set of keys he does." she said, holding up a keychain with an assortment of keys.

"Oh thank you!" Trixie squeeled with joy. "Trixie is pleased by this action and promises she will now be more leniant when she attempts to get revenge on you." she exclaimed with a smile hugging the Pegasus.

"Ah, thanks, I guess." Deadpan blushed. "Just don't tell the boss ok."

"Don't worry, we won't. Pinkie promise." Starlight replied placing her hoof on her eye.

Author's Note

Well, looks like our heroines luck may be turning around. But what will they find in Gold Key's office? And what kind of music was deadpan listening to anyway!?