Rarity knew that there was going to be a lot of things that she was going to have to know about the Abyss if she was going to save her friends. The scope of that knowledge was something she was nowhere near prepared for. Rarity Let out a yawn, rubbing her eyes from her room's desk. Set before her was a map of the Abyss along with a neat stack of thick, equally aged, tomes.
Just as she had suspected, the Abyss had a lot more to it than a tower and city. In total, the Abyss was made up of seven zones, each with their own levels of danger. The safest one was the City of Punishment, a zone that was mostly inhabited by Jurors and gave ample resources to those that could get into the houses.
Just below it was the Dread Orchard, an unpleasant forest made up of trees that produced Dread Fruit. That zone held Jurors, but was mostly dominated by Witnesses, a group of Shadows that liked to eat the fruit that grew there and often spent their time tending to the trees.
Next was the Academy Labyrinth, a zone that, as the name implied, was a massive maze made up of various school buildings and facilities. This was the domain of Defendants, especially durable Shadows that made a habit of cannibalizing their weaker kin on sight. When she asked Viper for a description of the monsters, her host told her that they looked like "walking coffins". She also told her that if she heard a group of girls screaming, then one of them knew she was there.
The fourth zone was a twisted mockery of a theme park called, the Crimson Carnival. According to Viper and the books she had been lent, the zone looked like a massive amusement park full of all of the attractions one would expect to see in such a place. The key difference was that all of the attractions were seemingly designed by a madman. It was the perfect home for the Prosecutors, violent and chaotic Shadows that were just as hard to predict as they were to describe. It was also the source of a toxic beverage called Ebon Wine, a drink that Prosecutors inhaled or brewed with great relish.
The fifth zone was known simply as the Tomb; a massive area occupied by twelve castles in a wide circle, surrounded by a thick cloud of gray fog. Only the Judge class of Shadows lived there, each the ruler of their own castles. According to Viper, the Judges never leave this zone and no other Shadows where foolish enough to enter. When Rarity had asked her what these Shadows looked like, she refused to elaborate beyond saying that they looked more "human-like" than the Jurors.
The sixth zone was called the Hunting Grounds and it housed the most dangerous enemy the Abyss had outside of the Tower of Judgment. The zone was a barren wasteland that surrounded the aforementioned tower from all sides. No trees, grass, or buildings occupied this open space. Not even Shadows dared enter this space. The only thing that dared to dwell in this red-sanded, dessert was a being that Viper called the Hunter. When asked about it, Viper had told her that the Hunter was a special kind of enemy. She said that the Hunter could sense the heartbeats of anyone within a hundred-foot range and could recover from almost any damage. She even said that the Hunter could use a Persona, but one that was twisted in a way that it was almost as much of a Shadow as its host. It was also thanks to the being's twisted aura that the Hunting Grounds was devoid of Shadows. As such, she warned both her and Fluttershy that if they should enter a zone that was devoid of Shadows, that they would need to "Get the flying hell out of there", especially if they heard rattling chains.
The final zone was one that was impossible to ignore, known simply as the Tower of Judgement. It sat in the center of the Abyss, the Hunting Grounds working as a border between it and the other five zones that surrounded it. It was unknown what kind of Shadows lived there or if there were any Shadows there to begin with. All that was known was that it was where people were taken when they were captured by the Shadows and that it was the home of the Abyss's rulers; the Greater Judges and High Judge respectively.
It was a lot for her to take in all at once, but not so much that she couldn't manage. At least, that was what she told herself. Keeping everything she had learned in mind, she took careful note of all of the major landmarks throughout each of the different zones and all of the different routs to get to them. A bulk of her attention was put into the Crimson Carnival and Academy Labyrinth in particular, given the nature of their construction. The Tomb, Hunting Grounds, and City of Punishment seemed pretty straightforward in comparison. While The Tower of Judgement was a complete unknown, the Dread Orchard was pushing her to the point of nearly ripping her hair out. That zone held no noteworthy landmarks and the Shadows that lived there were a great deal stronger than her. Then again, the same thing could be said about the Shadows from the other zones as well.
She leaned back in her seat with a frustrated groan, tired eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. For a long time she stayed like that, hair just as frazzled as her weary mind. As clever as she was, this was way more than she was mentally prepared to take on.
A grimace marred her face when Sunset's smiling one briefly flashed to the front of her mind.
Even with her conflicting thoughts on the girl, she could not deny that Sunset would've been able to handle this whole situation a million times better than her. On top of being brilliant, Sunset had a natural way about her that made her a leader. She was confidant and strong, yet held a kind warmth that only Fluttershy could rival. She shined so brightly that she was more of a rarity than Rarity was herself.
She could still remember their first date. It was supposed to be a simple ride around the city, dinner, then a night camping under the stars. Instead, Sunset's motorcycle broke down near the school, followed by a sudden downpour that forced them to take shelter under the bleachers. It was then, with frustrated tears running down her face, that Sunset told her what she had been planning to do for her. Touched, Rarity held the fiery girl close and waited for her to cry herself out. It took time, but Sunset did eventually manage to get a grip on herself. When she did, the two girls sat together to watch the rain, their warmth and presence the only things they needed to make the moment magical. Under the calming spell of the rain, they had their first kiss. Their true first kisses.
The bliss of that memory instantly turned into pain when another flashed to the front of her mind. A crying Sunset standing alone in the snow. The slam of a door. Her tears staining her pillow. The stinging of her palm.
Regret cut deep in Rarity's heart, her jaw clenched tight as tears ran down her face. Curling in on herself in her seat, her hands covered her damp eyes. As the stress and guilt weighed down on her, four words crawled past her lips. A broken sob that she wished the one she held so close to her heart could hear.
"Sunset.....I'm so sorry....."
***
Fluttershy still had no idea what to think about her situation. A few days ago, she was turning in for the night in her own bed with her pet rabbit, only to wake up alone in a rotted mockery of her own home. The next few days after that were a twisted montage of terror and blood-soaked insanity. Now she found herself in a warm hotel lounge, sitting in a soft leather chair before a crackling fireplace sipping a warm mug of cocoa.
Learning everything she had about the world she now resided in had done little to settle her. Purging the poisons from her system had helped her feel better on a physical level, but the rest of her felt so...fragile. She knew that it was a side-effect of her detoxing, that her body was currently on the mend. It frustrated her in a way that was new to her, the normally patient girl on the verge of throwing her mug out of anger over her situation. Her weakness and the fear of angering her host were the only things that kept her from acting on her urges, a weary glare the only thing to show her mood as she stared into the flames.
"How are you feeling, Honey?" Viper asked, taking a seat in a lounge chair to her left.
"Better," Fluttershy bitterly sighed.
"Are you sure about that?" she asked, lighting a cigarette.
Fluttershy aimed a raised brow at her as she fit it into her cigarette holder.
"Those are really bad for you."
"I'm a lady of vices," Viper shrugged, taking a long drag.
Fluttershy grimaced at that, leaning back a bit in her seat to put as much distance as she could from the woman. The only sign that Viper noticed was an annoyed eye-roll. Taking care to blow smoke out of the corner of her mouth away from her guest, she gave the girl a crooked smile before cutting back to the topic at hand.
"I'm sure you've got more on your mind than my bad habits, honey. Now, why don't you tell me what really has you wanting to tear my lounge up?"
Fluttershy lightly flinched at that, eyes drifting to the ground in shame. Viper took another drag, patiently waiting for the girl to find her nerve. The knowing look she was giving her brought Fluttershy back to Earth, reminding her of all of the times she sat in a similar situation with Sunset. After her friends accepted the former bully into their circle, she would sometimes sit Fluttershy down to and help her work through whatever was bothering her at the time. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, Sunset would just know that something was bothering her and always took time out of her day to help her.
Holding onto those memories, she stared into her mug, took a breath, and answered Viper's question.
"When I saved Rarity, I promised that I was never going to be weak again; that I was going to stop being the one everyone has to save all of the time. I thought Medusa would help me keep that promise, but look at me right now. It hasn't even been a day and I already need people to take care of me."
Her hands trembled around her mug with barely contained anger, a frustrated scowl cutting through her soft features like an ugly scar.
"I'm so pathetic!"
Before her thoughts could spiral further down, Viper placed a gentle hand onto her shoulder. When she looked up, she saw a kind, almost motherly, smile decorating the hostess's face. From the warmth and patience in that smile, Fluttershy felt her frustration dim to a more bearable level. Taking another deep breath to center herself, she rested her mug, kept her eyes locked with Viper's, and continued her rant.
"If I wasn't so weak then.....maybe I wouldn't have abandoned Sunset like I did."
As Fluttershy said that, Viper had taken a long drag from her smoke. An act that turned into a wild coughing fit when the words sank in a second later.
"A-Are you okay?" Fluttershy worriedly asked, reaching out to the older woman.
Viper nodded, hacking and pounding her chest in a feeble attempt to knock the smoke out of her lungs.
"Sucked down the wrong tube," she wheezed, slowly getting her breathing under control. "J-Just *cough* give me a minute."
Fluttershy nodded in understanding, worry still clear on her face as she sat back and waited. After a few minutes, Viper managed to shake off her episode, then leaned back in her seat with a relieved sigh.
"Damn smoke," she muttered, glaring at her half-finished cigarette. "Anyway," she continued, giving the girl an encouraging smile. "You were saying?"
Fluttershy blinked dumbly at her, then shook it off and fell back into the conversation at hand.
"W-Well....when my friends found out that Sunset was Anon-a-Miss, we all cut her out without a second thought. Well...they did anyway. Sunset was a good actress, but there was no way she could've faked how heartbroken she looked when we abandoned her. I wanted to help her; I really, really did, but the girls would keep pulling me away before I could get a chance. If I could've stood up to them, then maybe...."
Before she could continue, the young girl broke into soft sobs.
"I....I'm sorry," she hiccuped, her grip on her mug tightening .
"It's alright, take your time," Viper smiled, placing a comforting hand on Fluttershy's shoulder.
Fluttershy met Viper's gaze, guilt and gratitude at war on her face as she gently shook her hand off of her shoulder.
"S....Stop being nice to me," she sniffled. "I don't deserve it. Not for what I've done."
"What do you mean?" Viper frowned, tilting her head in confusion.
Before she could answer, a sudden wave of fatigue washed over Fluttershy. A bit of fear ran through her as her vision blurred and distorted as her eyelids grew heavier by the second. The last thing she heard was the wet thud of her mug hitting the ground before everything went black.
Viper let out a low growl as the same thing started to happen to her. Gritting her teeth and clutching her head with her free hand, she tried to fight off the grogginess. As she fought a losing battle against the tide enveloping her, she managed to hiss out one last thing before she passed out in her seat.
"D-Damn you, Igor. warn..... me..... next.....time....."
***
https://youtu.be/g7-iHYmEMbk
Rarity's mind was swimming in a fog, eyes shut as a familiar haunting aria rang through her ears. When she opened her eyes, she found herself seated in the middle of a blue rose garden. Before her stood a round oak table and in the seat opposite of her was the ever eerily smiling Igor. At his left side stood that same finely dressed woman as the last time she was here, the being far more interested in her book than the garden's guest.
The....Velvet Room? she thought, trying to blink past the fugue choking her mind. How did I.....was I not in my room?
"It seems like you have taken the first steps in your journey," Igor chuckled, dragging Rarity's focus to him. "I feel a celebration may be in order. Don't you think so, my dear?"
Rarity blinked, Igor's question snapping a bit of clarity into her mind.
Glowering at him, she leaned forward in her seat.
"Celebrate? CELEBRATE!? What the devil is there to celebrate?! My friends are running around in HELL right now!"
"All but one of them, my dear," Igor pointed out, his eery smile never leaving his face. "Is that not progress?"
Rarity held her glare for a minute, before she crossed her arms and looked away with a pout.
"I.....suppose you have a point," she allowed, still unable to meet his gaze. "I am still three short of anything worth celebrating, though."
"I feel the same way, my dear," he nodded, reaching under the table.
The movement perked Rarity's curiosity just enough for her to see him place a familiar stack of tarot cards onto the table.
"You have acquired quite a few new bonds since the last time we've met," he snickered, slowly placing the top card onto the table. "You started with The Wheel of Fortune."
As he said that, she saw the card he set was an exact replica of the one on her Persona Key.
"Then," he continued, drawing another card. "You met The Devil."
Sure enough, the next card be placed bared the same name.
"And finally," he added, his tone a touch softer than with the last two draws. "You found The Lovers."
Rarity looked down at the last card with a bittersweet smile before she gave Igor her full attention.
"The bonds you have forged with these two new cards are very powerful," he chuckled, a musing lilt coloring his tone. "Very powerful indeed...and just what you will need to save your friends."
Rarity raised a brow at that.
"With all do respect, I find it hard to believe that these simple strips of card stock could offer me any real help."
"Perhaps," he allowed, a knowing tone creeping into his voice. "Fortunately, these are not mere card stock, my dear."
As he said that, the Devil and Lovers cards both started to glow. Slowly, a small blue ball of light floated out of each of the cards. For a moment, the two orbs hovered over the table, before they suddenly darted towards Rarity. With a startled yelp, she put her hands up to defend herself, only for them to faze right through them into her chest. She gasped as a tingle ran through her body, like a cross between an electric shock and pins-and-needles. At the same time, she felt as if something inside of her had shifted; like a few parts of her that had been separated were finally put back together again. Before she could dwell on the feeling and what it could mean for her, a sudden wave of vertigo knocked her out of the moment and further back into her seat.
"Are you alright, my dear?" Igor asked.
"D-Dizzy," Rarity muttered, trying to blink the stars out of her eyes.
"I see," he sighed. "Well, I suppose there is nothing that be done about that. It will take time for your body to adapt to the new powers."
"Powers?" Rarity forced out, her head starting to fog over again. "W-What did....you...."
"You will know when the time is right," Igor chuckled. "Until we meet again, my dear. Please take care."
As he said that, Rarity's eyes drifted shut and the girl's body crumbled away into mist. A few minutes passed, the only sounds dominating the rose garden being the haunting aria and slow piano performed by an invisible duet. HIs smile wilting slightly, Igor pulled a pocket watch out of his coat's inner pocket, irritably clicking his tongue as he stared at its face.
"They should have been here by now. Was there something wrong with the summons?"
Just when he was starting to get worried, two clouds of mist started to form on the couch Rarity had once occupied. Putting the watch away, he watched as the two masses slowly shaped themselves into the slumbering forms of Fluttershy and Viper Lily. Both of them wore black dresses, with Viper's being the type that would fit in perfectly in a cocktail lounge while fluttershy's was much more modest.
With faint groans, the two women slowly roused themselves, blinking sleep out of their eyes. Igor patently waited for them to orient themselves, collecting the cards on the table and hiding them under it. When they finally regained their bearings, Fluttershy took in her new surroundings with cautious wonder while Viper gave him a pointed glare.
"This had better be good, Igor," she growled, crossing her arms. "Fluttershy and I were in the middle of a very important conversation."
"My apologies, Lady Viper, but I fear this is something that could not wait."
Viper reluctantly leaned back in her seat, gesturing for him to elaborate with a roll of her hand. Fluttershy froze the second she saw him, her curiosity and fear of the man's appearance locking her in place. Seeing that he had the duo's complete attention, he granted Viper's nonverbal request.
"Things are going to be moving forward in a very chaotic manner. As such, I have chosen to awaken Lady Rarity's powers further."
"Really?" Viper blinked. "I saw the bracelet, so I kind'a guessed that she had the potential, but doesn't the Fool usually become the Wildcard?"
"That is common, yes," Igor nodded. "But common does not mean absolute."
"You've got a point there," she shrugged. "I'm guessing this means that I'm gonna need to train her a bit harder from now on, right?"
"Indeed," he chuckled. "It will take time for her to get used to having more Spirit Power, but that is not the only thing she will need."
As he said that, he shifted his attention towards Fluttershy.
Fluttershy flinched back in her seat, but refused to break eye-contact with the odd man.
"You must be Fluttershy, correct?'
She nodded, nervously gnawing on her lower lip.
"A pleasure to meet you, my dear. I am Igor; the proprietor of this space. I have heard many things about you from my dear Papillon, here," he jovially stated, gesturing towards the woman at his side. "You seek strength, both of body and of spirit. Difficult to obtain, but something I could easily guide you towards."
"R-Really?' she asked, a cautious hope entering her features.
"Indeed," he nodded. "Of course, I do not intend to provide such a service for free."
"W-What do you...What do you want?" she asked, a familiar cold dread settling into her gut.
Igor let out a sad sigh, a suddenly serious aura dominating his already intense features.
"Lady Rarity is in a very delicate state at the moment. She knows the enormity of the path she has chosen to walk and I fear that the strain is too much for her to bear alone. Lady Viper should be able to help her become physically and mystically strong enough to do so, but all of that will be meaningless if her mind and spirit falls."
"He's got a point," Viper sighed. "I can whip her into shape, but I can only do so much on the mental side of things. Probably doesn't help that I look like a hotter version of her ex either."
"Indeed," Igor nodded. "Which leads to my proposition. In exchange for helping you achieve your goal, I ask that you help Lady Rarity retain her sanity. Listen to her troubles, give her what advice you can, whatever it takes to help her mind and spirit recover. If you can do that, then I will provide you with my services for as long as it is needed."
Fluttershy gaped at him. her mind running in all kinds of different directions to make sure she was understanding what Igor was telling her. This odd man was basically telling her that he was going to help her and all he asked in return was for her to be a better friend to Rarity? It seemed almost too good to be true. She would say easy too, but a quick reminder of how she treated Sunset made it clear that may not be the case for her.
"Now," he continued. "Do we have a deal?"
Fluttershy offered Viper a guiding look, still torn on whether or not this was a good idea. Her nerves settled when the older woman gave her a reassuring smile. With a small smile of her own, she turned towards Igor and nodded.
"Excellent," he chuckled. "I look forward to working with you from this point onward, my dear."