September 29th, 2019
Saturday
Sunny

Morning

When they woke up, Starlight and Trixie brought Rainbow Dash into their room so they could talk about their operation thus far privately. Naturally Rainbow Dash noticed how sheer Starlight’s nightgown was, but she didn’t comment on it, which Starlight appreciated. She still spent the entire meeting using her arms to cover her breasts though.

“And that’s what’s been going on so far,” Trixie finished. Unlike Starlight, Trixie was perfectly comfortable sitting before Rainbow Dash, wearing nothing but her blue and black lingerie. How she did that, Starlight had no idea. But she was secretly enjoying the sight.

“You really think that Elysium is the source of the Nightmare Epidemic?” Rainbow Dash asked, wearing a baggy red and white t-shirt and white panties for sleepwear. Like Trixie, completely undeterred by her lack of clothing at the moment.

“That’s at least the idea we’re going by for now,” Starlight chimed in, “One of the reasons we were looking for more Persona Users was to get higher up in Elysium, since the Shadows there are stronger.”

“Instead we’re stuck in Pinkie Pie’s Dungeon,” Rainbow Dash sighed, “And she’s running out of time. Sorry this is slowing you two down.”

“No need to apologize,” Trixie waved it off, “Pinkie Pie’s life is more important right now. Also,” she folded her arms thoughtfully, “There’s a possibility that she’ll awaken to a Persona after this too.”

“Hold on a second,” Rainbow Dash turned to Trixie and frowned, “You’re not thinking about getting Pinkie Pie involved in this too, are you?”

“She’s going to find out about this at some point either way,” Trixie said, “If it’s anything like what Starlight did for me, we’re going to have to reveal the truth to her before we can rescue her, remember? She’s more than likely going to want to help us.”

Rainbow Dash sat back on Trixie’s bed and sighed, “I hate that you’re right, but that is the kind of person Pinkie Pie is. She’s not the type to want to sit by and watch when she can do something. I just don’t want her getting hurt anymore than she already is, you know?”

“We won’t force her to join,” Starlight said, “We’ll let it be her decision if she helps us ultimately. It would be nice to have a team of four going in instead of just a team of three.”

“Speaking of, where is Pinkie Pie?” Trixie asked.

“Still sleeping,” Rainbow Dash said, “She usually does sleep in on the weekends, but still…”

“Mmm, maybe we should have stayed in a bit longer then,” Trixie said biting her thumb nervously. Before anyone could say anything, they heard Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash’s door open. Immediately, the three of them stepped outside to see if Pinkie Pie was okay.

play song

“Hey, Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash called out to Pinkie Pie, who was still wearing her pink and white nightgown (that wasn’t sheer like Starlight’s) but had this almost dazed look on her face. She slowly turned to Rainbow Dash and the others, looking at them almost like she wasn’t really there.

“Rainbow Dash…” Pinkie Pie said softly.

“Hey, how’d you sleep?” Rainbow Dash asked walking over to Pinkie Pie, who flinched slightly when Rainbow Dash’s hand touched her arm.

“Fine,” Pinkie Pie said pulling away, “I need to get ready for Fleur. She’s coming to pick me up.”

“Pick you up?” Trixie asked folding her arms under her bosom, “What does that mean?” oddly, Pinkie Pie didn’t answer her. She just turned and began walking toward the bathroom, “Pinkie Pie!”

Starlight ran over to Pinkie Pie and took her hand, mostly to get her attention, but was immediately hit with a powerful emotion.

AHH!!! LET ME GO!!!

At the same time, Pinkie Pie pulled away from Starlight and looked at her almost fearfully. Starlight was wide eyed by this display. It seemed like Pinkie Pie was genuinely afraid of her.

After a second, the daze took hold again, and Pinkie Pie began trudging back toward the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Starlight’s heart was racing for some reason. It looked like something happened to Pinkie Pie in her Dungeon after they left.

“Something is seriously wrong with her,” Trixie said. Rainbow Dash said nothing. She just growled to herself and then stormed off into her room, slamming the door behind her.

“I’ll use the shower on the third floor,” Starlight said, “Once we’re dressed, let’s consult Ms. Tia about this.”

“Agreed,” Trixie said. They needed to get Pinkie Pie out of there fast. With a reaction like that, she was definitely running out of time.

Daytime

“This is quite troubling, indeed,” Celestia said once Starlight, Trixie, and Rainbow Dash filled her in on what happened in the dining room.

“Is there any way of telling what Fleur did to her in there?” Rainbow Dash asked Celestia, who shook her head gravely.

“I’m afraid not. Not without getting into the castle first,” Celestia said, “Twilight and I had time to analyze Trixie’s Dungeon and learn the layout by the time Starlight joined us. For Pinkie Pie, we’re going in more or less blindly.”

“Damn it!” Rainbow Dash shot up and leaned against a wall, “Pinkie Pie’s running out of time here! What do we need in order to rescue her?”

“We need something that can help us figure out where the Nightmare Epidemic started with Pinkie Pie,” Starlight explained, “A clue that Twilight can use to analyze her Akashic Records and find the last volume there.”

“And then we can tell her what’s going on and rescue her?” Rainbow Dash asked, Starlight nodding in response, “Okay, good. Then tonight we’re going to get that one way or another.”

“We don’t know what that clue’s going to be though,” Trixie said, “For me, it wasn’t anything to do with Blueblood’s abuse. It was connected to my father.”

“I know you want to rescue Pinkie Pie as soon as possible,” Celestia said, “I do too. However, rushing is only going to result in you getting yourself killed in there.”

Rainbow Dash sighed in frustration. Honestly, Starlight was right there with her. This was far more stressful than trying to rescue Trixie, simply because they’d been at it much longer. Nothing was standing out to Starlight though. The book was the only thing really, and they probably weren’t going to find anything else from there.

They needed to get inside of that castle.

end song

After she finished breakfast, Starlight went outside into the living room, where she saw Pinkie Pie sitting on the couch, fully dressed and glued to her phone like before. She was still wearing the clothes she wore yesterday, but oddly she didn’t seem like she was dazed anymore.

That was a bit more concerning.

“Pinkie Pie,” Starlight called out, startling Pinkie Pie.

“Starlight, hey,” Pinkie Pie said, averting her eyes somberly.

“Are you okay, Pinkie Pie?” Starlight asked sitting beside Pinkie Pie, “You seemed out of it this morning, and the way you looked at me earlier…”

“Oh that, I was still partially asleep,” Pinkie Pie said waving it off, “I’m fine, Starlight.”

“With all due respect, I don’t believe that at all,” Starlight said, “The way you’re dressing, the way you were acting at school, it’s like you’re a completely different person from who I met in the beginning of September.”

Pinkie Pie put her phone down and lowered her head, causing her bangs to cover her eyes completely. Starlight needed to test something. She needed to know how she’d react.

“Pinkie Pie, you’re not suffering the Nightmare Epidemic, are you?” Starlight asked Pinkie Pie. Like she suspected, she sucked in a breath and started trembling, “Pinkie Pie, talk to me. I want to help yo-”

play song

“You can’t help me,” Pinkie Pie said, her tone low and defeated, “No one can. You’re a great friend, Starlight, but this isn’t just about my nightmares. Fleur’s coming here to-” she oddly stopped herself, and her eyes widened a bit.

“Pinkie Pie?” Starlight asked, worried as Pinkie Pie brought a hand up to her throat, a look of sheer horror on her face, “What’s wrong? What’s Fleur coming here to do?”

Pinkie Pie turned to Starlight with a look of pure desperation, but like in the nightmare wasn’t saying anything. Starlight then remembered Trixie’s Dungeon, and how after she was whipped that one time, the same marks appeared on Trixie’s back.

This wasn’t the same thing, was it? Was the nightmare… starting to affect her reality.

The doorbell caught their attention. Starlight put her hand on Pinkie Pie’s shoulder, silently telling her to stay there, and then rose up to answer it herself, just in case it was who she thought it would be.

She wasn’t disappointed.

“Ah, you are Pinkamena’s roommate,” Fleur said, pushing her glasses up with her typical snooty expression, “Is she up yet?”

Starlight nodded, narrowing her eyes a bit, “She’s not feeling well right now though.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. However, I’m sure I can take it from here. If you would please step aside,” Fleur asked nicely, but also narrowing her eyes at Starlight, who briefly saw her Shadow in place of the real Fleur.

Reste à l’écart, sorcière! The Princesse comes with me!

Starlight had to stop herself from saying “fuck you” right to Fleur’s face, but felt a comforting hand touch her shoulder.

“Ms. De Lis, it’s nice to see you again,” Celestia said as pleasantly as possible, “I assume you’re here to take Pinkie Pie for the weekend.”

“Ah, Mademoiselle Tia, I was hoping I could speak to you personally,” she reached into her purse and pulled out a paper, “I believe this will make my purpose clear.”

Celestia took the paper and read it closely, becoming more tense by the second. When she looked up at Fleur, she didn’t even try to hide the venom in her gaze.

“You can’t be serious,” Celestia said.

“Oh, quite serious, in fact,” Fleur said, “Pinkamena’s birthday is coming up, and with this, I have official permission to take her for the rest of the week.”

“Damn it, Cinch…!” Celestia seethed. Starlight asked Celestia what was on the paper, “According to this, Fleur has requested that Pinkie Pie spend the week of her birthday with her instead of here at the dorm.”

“What?!” Starlight asked, suddenly turning to Pinkie Pie, who held her arm biting her lip, “Pinkie Pie… did you…?”

“What’s going on?” Rainbow Dash asked, she and Trixie stepping out of the dining room. Starlight filled them in on what was going on. Needless to say, Rainbow Dash saw red, “Absolutely not.”

“Oh? I’d like to see you try to stop me,” Fleur said, pushing Celestia aside and walking into the dorm toward Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash immediately got in her way and held her arms out, “Out of my way, enfant.”

“Bite me,” Rainbow Dash said immediately. Fleur’s eyes actually widened briefly, and she flexed her hand in an attempt to control herself.

“It’s children like you that I strive to keep Pinkamena away from, lest you become a poor influence on her,” Fleur said, tone low and dangerous.

“Say what you want, but I’m not letting you touch Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash said, her voice so calm it was terrifying, “She’s spending her birthday here, with her friends,” Rainbow Dash was stopped though, by Pinkie Pie, who placed a hand on her shoulder, “P-Pinkie Pie…?”

Pinkie Pie shook her head sadly, and then walked over to Fleur, “I’m ready to go, Fleur,” she said, her tone somewhat odd like before. Almost like she was under some weird spell.

“Excellent. Good to know these people haven’t poisoned you too much,” before Fleur could leave, Celestia stood in front of her, narrowing her eyes dangerously, “Do we have a problem, Mademoiselle Tia.”

“Keep talking to my children like that, and we will,” Celestia said, “Have your week with Pinkie Pie, but afterward, I don’t ever want to see you here again.”

“Trust me, that won’t be an issue,” Fleur said pushing her glasses up, “Come, Pinkamena.”

“Yes, Fleur,” Pinkie Pie said.

“Pinkie Pie, please!” Rainbow Dash called out stopping them, “I know you’re worried, but if you leave like this, I can’t protect-”

“I don’t need you protecting me anymore,” Pinkie Pie said, her voice low and almost angry, “I can protect myself from now on.”

With that, Pinkie Pie walked over to the front desk to sign herself out, and she and Fleur left the dorm together.

“What just happened…?” Trixie asked.

“It was Fleur’s Shadow Self,” Starlight said, “I saw her for a split second when I was talking to Fleur. She even spoke to me. It was right before you showed up, Ms. Tia.”

“Yes, I felt it too,” Celestia sighed, “She’s being influence by her Shadow to get Pinkie Pie away from us.”

“Yeah, but Pinkie Pie is letting her do it,” Trixie sighed.

“This isn’t Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash defended, “It’s just Fleur speaking though Pinkie Pie! She’s manipulating her!”

“No Dash, that’s not true,” Trixie folded her arms seriously, “Yes, Fleur is partially to blame for this, but Pinkie Pie is still the one who’s giving Fleur all of this power over her.”

“What are you saying, Lulamoon?” Rainbow Dash asked, walking over to Trixie, “Choose your words carefully.”

“I’m saying that what’s happening here is both Fleur and Pinkie Pie’s fault,” Trixie said, “She’s the one who’s giving up here.”

“Pinkie Pie isn’t that weak!” Rainbow Dash seethed gripping Trixie by her jacket.

“You don’t know anything about what she’s going through right now!” Trixie shot back angrily.

“Like you do?!”

“Unlike some people here, I had a Dungeon!”

“Pinkie isn’t you, Lulamoon!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Exactly what I-”

“KNOCK IT OFF!” Starlight shouted, stopping both of them, “Getting upset at each other isn’t going to do anything for Pinkie Pie! Also, did you stop to think that maybe this is what Fleur’s Shadow wants?! For us to fight each other instead of her?!”

Both Rainbow Dash and Trixie turned away from each other scowling. Starlight breathed out in in relief before continuing.

play song

“We’re all concerned about Pinkie Pie here, but the fact remains we don’t know much about how Dungeons work. On one hand, it’s not fair to just blame Pinkie Pie for being weak. Like you said, Trixie, you know better than any of us what she’s going through.”

Trixie looked down somberly.

“However, that also means we need to take into consideration her side of things,” Starlight said right to Rainbow Dash, “Chances are, this is something that Pinkie Pie is allowing on some level, and getting upset at Trixie isn’t going to change any of that.”

“Damn it…” Rainbow Dash swore, narrowing her eyes in frustration.

“Pinkie Pie needs us right now, and now we have to work even harder inside of her Dungeon. Tonight, let’s go back in and break into the castle. In the meantime, both of you apologize to each other,” Starlight folded her arms glaring at both of them.

“I’m… sorry, Trixie,” Rainbow Dash said, “I shouldn’t have attacked you like that.”

“I’m sorry too,” Trixie said, “I know I’m critical of Pinkie Pie. That’s because, I’m ashamed of my weakness,” she turned away and rubbed her arm, “I let Blueblood’s Shadow into my nightmare, and let him turn it into a Dungeon. I guess I’m just, projecting my anger toward myself onto Pinkie Pie. I know it’s not fair, but…”

“Your still that messed up over it, huh?” Rainbow Dash asked finally looking up at Trixie, who just turned away from everyone and lowered her hat over her eyes, “Damn it. Now I really feel like a bitch…”

“This is why the three of you need each other,” Celestia said, finally speaking up, “All three of you gained the power of Persona differently; Starlight is the Trickster, Trixie awakened from within her own Dungeon, and you, Rainbow Dash, awoke through sheer willpower. All three are valid methods, but all three also give you a different perspective on the situation. You need to work together, but also support one another. Isn’t that what a witch’s coven does?”

Rainbow Dash nodded to herself and then turned to Trixie, “Listen, you don’t just have Starlight now, okay? I know I’m not the most sensitive person in the world, but… I’m there for you too, okay? So, if you need anything at all, well… you know.”

“Well, think next time you see Blueblood, you could kick him in the nuts for me?” Trixie asked with a slight smile. Rainbow Dash turned to Celestia, silently asking her if she could. To her credit, Celestia turned away and covered her ears.

“I hear nothing,” Celestia said with a slightly impish smile on her face. Starlight couldn’t help but giggle at that.

“Well, I guess if I run into him off school grounds, sure,” Rainbow Dash smiled. Starlight sighed in relief and walked over to her friends, “Starlight, thanks for taking charge there.”

“Yeah, I’m really happy you’re the one calling the shots here,” Trixie said.

“I just don’t want us fighting each other,” Starlight said, “Save that for Fleur’s Shadow.”

Starlight pulled both of them into a group hug, feeling much closer to them as a whole. She felt like their bond as a coven got significantly stronger.

“I need to spend some time meditating on this issue,” Celestia said walking toward the stairs, “The three of you should take it easy today, since you’re going back in so soon.”

“Why don’t we hit up the arcade then?” Rainbow Dash requested, “Maybe teach Lulamoon a thing or two about the joys of video games.”

“You’re not going to give up until I’m a gamer too, are you?” Trixie asked Rainbow Dash.

“Not on your life, sister,” Rainbow Dash said with a huge grin.

“Well, I suppose watching you two play will be fun,” Trixie sighed, “Alright, let’s go.”

Starlight, Trixie, and Rainbow Dash signed themselves out, and wished Celestia a good meditation before stepping out to enjoy themselves. Starlight was truly beginning to feel like they were less of a team and more of a family.

Despite the arguments, it felt nice.

play song

Once alone, Celestia went up to the roof of the dorm. It was here she preferred to do her meditation, as she could feel the sun quite well on her body from up here. She hated not being able to do more herself, but one such as her couldn’t gain the power of Persona. At first she was fine with that, but as time went on, her current position seemed to limit her more and more.

“It’s not fair that they have to shoulder this burden themselves, but alas, all I can offer them is guidance,” Celestia said, leaning against the banister and looking out at the city she called her sanctuary, “I do have faith in them, but still,” she laughed ruefully looking up at the sky, “What’s to be done when not even God has the answers?”

The Phase

play song

The following night, the girls began making their way through the village toward the castle. Dodging most of the villagers, it didn’t take long to reach it, but Starlight timed it in her head. They wouldn’t have made it in time last time they were here.

“Well, here’s the place,” Trixie said once they reached the castle. It was even gaudier up close. The bricks were solid gold, and they even shimmered despite the constant night in the village.

“This must be Pinkie Pie’s equivalent of the tent in your Dungeon,” Twilight stated, “Like then, I’m detecting a lot of Shadows in there, one of which is Fleur.”

“What’s that bitch doing to Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash asked gripping her sword, “When I get my hands on her, I swear I’ll-”

“Shh!” Starlight shushed, prompting everyone to listen.

“I think I heard something from over here.”

“Hide!” Starlight commanded, guiding her team behind a few trees. A few seconds later, two Shadows wearing odd armor walked over to where they were initially.

“It was probably just the wind,” one of the Shadows said.

“It’s never the wind,” his partner said, “We need to be on high alert. The Empress ordered us to assassinate those witches on sight.”

The two guards walked back to their post, but Starlight and her team didn’t step back out, instead turning to each other.

“Shoot! Those guys look tough,” Rainbow Dash said.

“I couldn’t tell the kind of Shadow they were, but I could confirm that they were stronger than the ones we’ve faced before.”

“That must have been the help Fleur was talking about last time we were here,” Trixie said, “Damn it! Getting to Pinkie Pie was hard enough as is!”

“We need to find a way inside,” Rainbow Dash said poking her head back out, “Taking the front door is definitely out.”

Starlight frowned looking at the castle, searching for any means of getting inside. The only thing she saw was a cluster of vines near one of the windows. Could that work?

“See something?” Trixie asked Starlight, who pointed to the vines, “Hey, that’s a pretty good idea.”

“Only issue is the guards. If they walk by they’ll definitely see you,” Twilight said.

“Only solution then is to take them out,” Rainbow Dash said drawing her sword.

“You’ll have to get up there fast afterward, though. I’m sure they’ll call in reinforcements.”

“They definitely seem to be patrolling the entire perimeter now,” Trixie said, “Let’s try to get the jump on them first.”

Starlight nodded and braced herself, waiting for them to walk back into view. It took a few minutes, but after a while they walked back around. Starlight rushed out toward them as fast as she could and jumped on their shoulders when they were close.

“Show me your true form!” she shouted, ripping both of their masks off and forcing them into their true forms. One turned into a Nue, the same kind of Shadow they faced with Rainbow Dash the first time. The other one turned into what looked like a long canine spirit made of paper.

play song

“The new one’s ID is Makami!” Twilight said, “They’re strong ones, so be careful!”

“Persona!” Trixie shouted, summoning Elenora. She immediately cast Sukukaja on Rainbow Dash, who immediately rushed at Makami and traded blows with her sword. Starlight had an idea, and thought about one of her new Personas.

“SHIKI-OUJI!” she shouted, switching to the new Persona. She then cast a new spell, Tarukaja on Rainbow Dash. The impression she got from it was that it raised her attack power.

“Sweet!” Rainbow Dash said, now swinging her blade with a bit more force. Meanwhile, Trixie began throwing her cards at the Nue present.

“Both of these enemies seem immune to ice spells,” Twilight said to Starlight.

“That’s fine! I have an idea anyway,” Starlight said, now casting Tarukaja on Trixie. Her cards seemed to do a bit more damage after that, but the Shadow slashed her away and began casting a spell. Suddenly, black tendrils came out of the ground and lashed out at all three witches, knocking them back.

Makami followed up by also casting a spell, hitting all three of them with an odd green explosion. One that actually knocked Rainbow Dash off her feet.

“Augh!” she cried, “What the hell?!”

“Shoot! Are you weak to nuclear spells?!” Twilight asked frantically.

“I think so,” Rainbow Dash said trying to force herself to her feet, “That’s the impression I got at least. Was that one?”

“Yes it was! Please, be careful when you see it charging up!” Twilight urged.

Both Shadows rushed at the girls, Nue focusing on both Starlight and Trixie, while Makami assaulted Rainbow Dash. These two were definitely stronger than the usual Shadows, as they were clearly starting to overwhelm the girls.

Starlight used an opening to jump away and switch Personas, “YAKSINI!” she shouted, shifting to the topless Persona with the large breasts. She then willed Yaksini to attack both Shadows with a spin slash, knocking them back. In response, both Trixie and Rainbow Dash held up their Channeling Rings.

“Light ‘em up, Elenora!” Trixie commanded, casting Agi on Nue, knocking him down.

“Awaken, my inner self!” Rainbow Dash shouted, having Eclair cast Zio on Makami, also knocking him to the ground, “Hey Leader. What are we doing with them?”

“All Out Attack!” Starlight commanded, “No prisoners!”

“Just what I wanted to hear!” Rainbow Dash said, readying her sword as Trixie and Starlight got their weapons ready. The three witches then proceeded to do their All Out Attack, which while doing a lot of damage, didn’t actually kill them this time.

“We need to end this fast!” Trixie cried, “I don’t want another repeat of our first assault on this Dungeon!”

“Leave it to me then,” Starlight said running forward and summoning Yaksini again, “OUT OF MY SIGHT!” she shouted as Yaksini did her spin slash again, this time killing the Shadows.

play song

“Hurry! Before someone comes out to check on things!” Twilight urged. The three of them ran over to the vine and climbed up to the window as fast as they could, Starlight going last to A) make sure her team got up first and B) because she was the only one on the team wearing a dress.

Just because they were all girls did not mean she wanted her team seeing her panties. At least not right now.

The window lead into a hallway, which showed them just how extravagant the interior was. The walls were so bright it was kind of hurting Starlight’s eyes.

“What in the world…?” Rainbow Dash asked looking around, “Pinkie Pie would never live in a place this gaudy.”

“No, but I bet it’s perfect for someone like Fleur,” Twilight said, “Remember, she took Pinkie Pie back with her, so this probably represents Fleur’s place. Or wherever they stay when they’re together.”

“Pinkie Pie is here somewhere,” Starlight said, “Let’s be on the lookout for her and anything that could help identify where this nightmare began.”

The group began running through the castle, still being careful not to get seen by any guards. The interior didn’t make any sense though. It was almost like a maze, it was so confusing.

They stopped in front of a red door, one marked “Pinkie Pie’s room”.

“Let’s see what we can find inside here,” Trixie said. Starlight nodded and pushed the door open, but then something odd happened. There was a white flash, and the four of them found themselves not inside a bedroom, but in the dining room.

“Whoa whoa whoa! What happened just now?!” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Try heading back the way you came,” Twilight suggested. Starlight turned back to the door and opened it, but saw it lead to a different hallway entirely.

“Okay, what the actual fuck is going on here?” Trixie asked folding her arms.

“Let’s try searching for another door,” Starlight said, leading her team deeper inside of the castle. Eventually, they found the door out of the dining room, but when they went through it, there was another bright flash, and they were in the throne room.

“Ugh! This is impossible to explore!” Twilight fussed, “Every time you go through a door, it sends you in another part of the castle!”

“There must be some sort of spell placed on the castle,” Starlight said looking around, “Meant to confuse intruders.”

“Well, it’s working,” Trixie said, “There’s now way of knowing what door actually leads to Pinkie Pie’s room. As far as we know, it changes every time.”

“I’m willing to bet none of the doors lead to Pinkie Pie’s bedroom,” Rainbow Dash said, “Assuming that’s where she is right now.”

“That makes too much sense, sadly,” Twilight said, “Unless we do something about this spell, I don’t think we’ll get to Pinkie Pie.”

“What do we do then?” Trixie asked leaning against a pillar, “Pinkie Pie’s running out of time, and like this we can’t even navigate enough to find anything that’ll help us figure out what started this whole mess.”

“Well, we are in the throne room,” Rainbow Dash said, “Maybe we’ll find something like that here.”

“Like what?” Trixie asked, “Not like we’re going to find any secret documents here.”

“Maybe not, but search anyway,” Starlight said, “Fleur’s arrogant, so she might have left something out in the open.”

Trixie shrugged and joined everyone in searching around the throne room. Even Twilight’s wisp was flying around searching. It looked almost like a chapel’s sanctuary, and being in there gave Starlight a really odd feeling.

“Hey, I think I found something,” Twilight said, catching everyone’s attention, “The wall behind the throne is false. I think there’s something behind here.”

“Told ya,” Rainbow Dash said with a shit-eating grin. Trixie sighed rolling her eyes.

Starlight put her hand on the wall, and with a bit of effort managed to push through. Inside they saw a hidden library filled with old books and scrolls. The interior wasn’t nearly as nice as the rest of the castle, meaning not a lot of people knew about this place.

play song

“This is…” Trixie breathed out as they looked around.

“Someone really doesn’t want this information getting out,” Rainbow Dash said. They walked around, carefully checking every book and scroll for anything that stood out. Starlight’s eyes eventually stopped on what appeared to be a promo for a food place, with Pinkie Pie’s picture on it. Something like that didn’t belong inside of this dream.

“Did Pinkie Pie ever do commercials?” Starlight asked.

“Not that I know of,” Rainbow Dash said turning to Starlight, “She’s fine with modeling, but she doesn’t like the idea of selling products.”

“Well, I found this,” Starlight showed Rainbow Dash the promo.

“What the fuck…?” Rainbow Dash frowned looking at it, “Bob’s Burgers…?”

“Wait, I think I remember that,” Trixie said, “It was last year, and the commercial was only up for a few days, but I think I remember seeing Pinkie Pie’s image used in that commercial. It was around the time the Forgotten Princess first hit theaters.”

“It must have been pulled shortly after airing,” Twilight said, “This object doesn’t fit in this nightmare, so I imagine it has a strong connection to Pinkie Pie’s psyche.”

“Think this could get you what you need?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I think so, actually. There should be a checkpoint in the throne room, so take that back to the Akashic Records. I’ll begin searching for the keywords.”

Starlight nodded to Twilight, and the witches left out through the nearest checkpoint. Hopefully this was the lead they needed.

play song

Once they got back to the Akashic Records, Twilight sent them back toward Pinkie Pie’s records to search for a particular book. It didn’t take long for them to find the one book that was glowing on the shelf. The title of the book read “Bad Decisions”.

“Bad decisions?” Trixie asked, “That… doesn’t sound pleasant.”

“It might explain why Pinkie Pie lets Fleur do all of the thinking for her, though,” Starlight said, putting the book into a nearby mail box, as there were a lot of those scattered around apparently.

“So what do we do now?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Now, you let me do my part,” Twilight said, “This might take a while to go over, so I say get some rest.”

“So, we just rest now? That… feels kind of weird, honestly,” Rainbow Dash said folding her arms frowning.

“Well how do you think I feel being the only one here not fighting?” Twilight shot back, “You guys have the actual important job here.”

“Your job is just as important as ours, Twilight,” Starlight said. This time, she could have sworn she heard Twilight groan before she answered.

“Yeah. Right,” Twilight said, “I’m logging off. I’ll let you all know when I find something.”

With that, Twilight’s wisp vanished, leaving Starlight and her friends confused.

“So… does she like, not like you or something?” Rainbow Dash asked Starlight, “She seems to really have an issue with you.”

“Yeah… I’ve noticed,” Starlight said looking down. She didn’t understand why it was Twilight seemed to hate her so much. Especially since Starlight tried to be nice to her constantly.

“Don’t sweat it,” Trixie shrugged, “Twi-Twi is fussy, but I’m sure we’ll all be friends soon. I mean, how could she not want to be friends with moi?”

“Gee, I wonder.” Rainbow Dash asked deadpanned. Starlight tuned the rest of their playful bickering out though, as her thoughts went to their navigator. The anger she got from her was weird. It almost seemed like she took Starlight’s presence personally.

What had Starlight done to make Twilight dislike her so much?

Author's Note

Fool – Seekers of Light: 4/10 Level Up!
Magician – Trixie Lulamoon: 5/10
Priestess – Diamond Tiara: 4/10
The Empress – Ms. Tia: 3/10
Chariot – Rainbow Dash: 2/10
The Devil – Silver Spoon: 2/10

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