An Anon-a-Miss Persona

by Arcanum -Phantasy

Ch.9 Factions

"Damn you, Viper," Rarity gasped, collapsing into one of the Lounge's armchairs.

Fluttershy did the same, the girl's pink tank top and khaki shorts covered with soot and a couple small burn marks. A similar scorch mark dotted the end of the shy teen's ponytail, a fact that only Rarity seemed to notice for the moment. Rarity scowled tiredly down at herself, her blue blouse and gray jeans equally scuffed by Viper's flames. Too tired to yell, the stylish teen beaconed for a homunculus to come to her with a finger.

Once one approached her, she wearily asked, "Could you be a dear and bring my friend and myself some water?"

It nodded, then walked towards the Lounge's bar. As it walked off, a faint glint on her wrist caught her attention. She stared at the bracelet on her right wrist with a worried frown. Two new charms in particular held her focus, each of them glowing with a faint blue light. These were an obsidian goat skull with a small star carved into its forehead and a pink heart wrapped in chains.

Two weeks had passed sense she was summoned to the Velvet Room, yet she was no closer to understanding Igor's words than she had been when she was sent back to her room. The only proof that the whole event hadn't been a dream in the first place where the two aforementioned charms. She wasn't given much time to ponder them before Viper decided to amp up her training routine. For three hours straight, the hostess pushed her to her absolute limits before helping her drag herself to the Healing Springs.

Unpleasant, but an evil she was willing to accept if it meant not having a repeat of the witness incident. It also wasn't anything she hadn't come to expect from Viper on some level. The same went for Fluttershy doting on her after said training sessions. The extent of said doting was something that actively threw her for a loop.

While it was more on a normal level in the start, as Fluttershy regained more and more of her strength, she became more focused on Rarity's wellbeing. So much so that it bordered on overbearingly obsessive on several occasions. One incident in particular put a shiver down her spine.

***

Rarity had no idea how things turned out like this. One moment, she had flopped gracelessly onto her bed, the next, she was laid back in a recliner in the Lounge with five homunculi giving her a mani-pedi and shoulder massage. That alone was jarring, but seeing a smiling Fluttershy observe the proceedings a few feet away only added to the awkwardness of the situation. The fact that she was lightly bouncing bouncing a rolling pin in her free hand like she was about to start swinging did not improve matters.

"Um.....Fluttershy?" she asked, a smile gracing her lips that matched her nervous tone. "Wh...What's going on?"

"It's a spa session," Fluttershy beamed, gesturing towards the homunculi with the rolling pin. "I know we can't go to a real spa, but Viper said that this was 'close enough'."

That...does seem like something that Viper would do, she allowed.

"And the rolling pin?" she asked, pointing at it with her eyes.

"One of them tried to run," she sweetly stated.

Rarity blinked, then noticed that one of the homunculi did appear to have a dent near the top of its head.

"J-Just kidding," she sheepishly said with a shy giggle, then softly added, "Mostly."

"What?" she gawked.

A second later, another five homunculi entered the room, each bearing a different burden. One pushed in a loaded food trolly while the another held a portable massage table tucked under its arm. Another held two large oak trunks while the its neighbor held a violin case. The last member of the group walked into the center of the room and went to work setting up an ornate incense burner on a five-foot-tall metal pole.

Fluttershy watched them set up their stations with a critical eye, a hint of fire hiding behind her gentle aura. Meanwhile, Rarity was gradually growing more unnerved the longer she watched her friend work. She knew that her friend had an assertive side that crept past her shell on occasion. That alone would not have put the stylish teen so far on edge, under normal circumstances. Seeing her act like this now made her wonder if there were still some lingering affects from her poisoning. The only thing keeping her from running out the of the room screaming was the nervous tremble she saw slip past the girl's aggressive front.

With a satisfied nod, she turned towards her friend and proudly stated, "After this, you will be given a full body massage and aromatherapy treatment."

"I....see," Rarity nodded, watching one of the homunculi take several vials of what appeared to be massage oils out of one of the trunks. "Um.....Fluttershy?"

"Yes?"

"Isn't this all a tad....excessive?"

"Is it?" Fluttershy blinked, genuinely confused.

She nodded, an awkward smile gracing her lips.

"Not that I don't appreciate the effort, darling," she hastily added. "It's just....this is a bit....overwhelming."

"Oh, okay," Fluttershy nodded, sporting a small smile. "I understand."

Her smile dropped a second later, a cold glare taking its place as she shifted her attention towards the homunculi working on her friend.

"Finish what you are doing and then go back to work," she demanded, voice soft, yet firm.

The constructs paused just long enough to nod, before they went back to pampering their guest. Rarity watched with wide eyes as her friend approached the other homunculi, her grip on her rolling pin tightening.

"All of you accept for the cook and the violinist are to pick up your things and leave."

This group of homunculi were a little less receptive to the girl's demands, trading looks with each other with exasperated body language. When they looked at her again, they and Rarity all flinched. A faint green aura surrounded the teen, the barest sound of a snake's hiss filling the room like a passing breeze. The homunculi quickly gathered their things and ran out of the room, save for the two Fluttershy had ordered to stay. Rarity could see the way the two constructs stared longingly at the slammed door, before miming a gulp the second they turned their heads towards Fluttershy.

"Please continue," she sweetly ordered, her grip on her rolling pin loosening slightly.

Both of them nodded, the chef moving to a collection of covered serving trays to add a few last second settings while the violinist started tuning his instrument. Nodding in satisfaction, Fluttershy walked to Rarity's side and took a seat. While the normally shy teen was still smiling, the aggressive aura still lingered around her. Rarity felt and saw the homunculi working on her flinch the second her friend's gaze fell in their general direction.

While it lacked the hollow void it held when Rarity found her in that warehouse, she could no ignore the subtle ferocity she saw in her friend's smile. Like she had done on that day, she hid her concern behind a smile. It was clear that they were going to have to have a talk about a few things later. For now, she had a small spa session that she desperately needed to get through.

***

Not long after that incident, Viper deemed Fluttershy well enough to begin training with her. While this reduced Fluttershy's doting, it also doubled Viper's intensity during their sessions. Most of said intensity was aimed at Rarity in particular. The hostess rained almost literal hellfire down on her, while Fluttershy was almost ignored throughout most of their sparing sessions. If it wasn't for Fluttershy's healing abilities, the fashionable teen would've accused the older woman of favoritism. If anything, said abilities gave her an excuse to turn Rarity into a one-girl bonfire. The fact that she did this with a smile practically cemented that assessment.

"Damn sadistic lunatic," Rarity muttered, accepting her requested glass of ice water from a homunculus.

"She......She's just trying.....to .....help," Fluttershy panted, doing the same.

"I know that, darling," she sighed, then greedily gulped down half of her glass. "I still don't like it."

Fluttershy reluctantly nodded, taking small sips from her own glass.

"Also, you can't' deny that she's enjoying this on some level," she frowned.

Again, Fluttershy nodded, a small grimace marring her lips.

"While we are on the subject," Rarity continued. "Has Viper let you pick a weapon yet?"

"No," she sighed. "Every time I ask her to, she tells me that I don't need to."

"I see," Rarity frowned. "You don't think she means..."

Fluttershy shuddered.

Rarity frowned into her glass.

One of the first things Viper did when the two girls arrived at the hotel was confiscate Angel. While both girls were more than happy to be rid of the cleaver, Rarity could not deny that her friend had a knack with it on the battlefield. At the same time, if Viper deemed the cleaver to be a suitable weapon, why hadn't she returned it yet?

"Do....Do you think the others are safe?" Fluttershy asked, snapping her friend out of her musings.

Rarity opened her mouth to say, "Of course," but the words refused to form on her tongue. She wanted to believe that their friends were safe, but she knew that the odds of that were unlikely. As tough as Applejack and Rainbow Dash were, there was only so much they could do if a pack of Jurors went after them. Their odds dropped considerably if any of the higher level Shadows decided to enter the scene. Maybe if Pinkie Pie was with either of them, then they had a chance, but even that wasn't a sure thing.

Her thoughts instantly jumped to the possible fate of her sister, but she quickly shoved them to the back of her mind. Her friend was already worried, the last thing she needed was for her to heap more things onto the pile.

"I....have hope," Rarity managed to force out, a feeble smile gracing her lips.

"....Right," Fluttershy mumbled, setting her glass aside to hug her knees to her chest.

Rarity let out a dejected sigh, staring blankly into the fire.

"I know it is hard, but we must be patient," she frowned, her grip on her glass tight with barely contained contention.

Fluttershy let out a small whimper, frustration saturating her features.

As she continued to stare into the fire, she offered a lone desperate prayer to whatever gods resided in this realm.

Please...PLEASE let them be safe.

***

Darkness. That was all Scootaloo knew. A numbing darkness, free of gravity, sound, or any other feelings both inside or out. It was peaceful, but memories at the edge of her mind kept her from fully appreciating it. They were foggy, but enough of made it past the haze to put a shiver down her spine. There was pain, maddened screaming, and a noxiously acidic taste sitting on her tongue. She tried to force back the shattered memories, to resume her drifting through the void. Instead, a small trickle of confusing sensations started to take their place.

Slowly, she felt warmth envelop her from all sides, soft sheets easing her back into the world. There was a faint, dusty smell in the air, but it was a welcomed change from the reek of rot she had been forced to endure until now. Taking a rattling breath, she sluggishly peeked her eyes open. She let out a pained grunt as she slammed them back shut, the dim light filling the room seemingly as bright as the sun to her eyes. Bracing herself a little bit better, she tried to open her eyes again.

It still hurt, but was now bearable enough to allow her to take in her surroundings.

As she had suspected, the room was completely different from the accommodations she had grown accustomed to. The room was large, roughly two-hundred by two-hundred with a high vaulted ceiling, The walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of dark brown wood, all of them showing the slight were of aging. The furnishings were made of the same material and were just the bear essentials. The dresser, vanity, wardrobe, and bed frame were all artfully crafted, yet just as aged as the room itself with a thin layer of dust covering them. Looking up, she saw a loose cluster of glowing blue orbs floating near the ceiling, filling the room with a gentle light.

Where....am I?

Letting out a tired groan, she tried to push her thick covers off. She let out a weak huff when she found her body unwilling to cooperate. Scowling, she stared blankly up at the ceiling, trying to think remember how she got here in the first place.

Let's see...we were looking for food in one of the houses and everything suddenly got really quiet. Then that monster showed up and tried to kill us. We fought it and it brought out-

She flinched when she remembered how the monster summoned her Persona.

.....yeah. Then....what happened after that?

She wracked her brain, trying to remember what happened, but nothing came back to her. Almost nothing, at least. While no specific memories came to her, she knew that something bad had happened. A creeping dread crawled up her spine and an oily burn slithered across her skin. Deciding not to press the subject, she pushed the mystery to the back of her mind as she continued to watch the floating orbs.

After a few more minutes of mind-numbing boredom, a soft click from the door caught her attention. A purplish-pink teen girl walked into the room, smiling and humming as she closed the door behind herself. Her hair was a rich purple mass of curls with white swirls running through it that reached the middle of her back. Set on top of her head was a yellow and green propeller hat. A yellow shirt and grayish-green jeans framed her toned build and modest bust. Her soft purple sneakers announced her presence as she made her way towards Scootaloo's bed. As odd as the girl's appearance was, what really held Scootaloo's attention was the girl's eyes. Instead of having the normal black iris in the middle, the girl's purple eyes had a lighter purple spiral moving out from the middle of her pupils to just short of their edges.

The girl stopped at the right side of Scootaloo's bed, her smile shifting into a surprised gasp.

"You're awake!" she cheered, her tone high and bubbly. "Good, good, good! You had us all really worried!"

"W-Why?" Scootaloo croaked. "W-Where am I? Who.... are you?"

"Oh, right," the girl chuckled. "Well, first off, I guess you can call me Nurse Screwball for the next few days."

After she said that, she pointed at herself with a thumb and winked at her. "As for why, you took enough of a hit from the Hunter to knock you out for a whole week!"

"A....*cough* A week?!" she gawked, tone coming out as a strangled cry.

"Yup," Screwball sighed, then went back to smiling as she added, "As for where you and your friends are now? Well, welcome to Asphodel Manor!"

"Asphodel....Manor?" she croaked.

"Oh, right, you're probably feeling pretty crappy right now," she awkwardly chuckled, reaching into her pocket.

When she pulled her hand free, her fingers were wrapped around a small corked vial of glowing blue liquid.

"This should help," she smiled, pulling out the cork. "Bottoms up!"

As she said that, she leaned over and tilted the vial's contents towards Scootaloo's lips. Scootaloo panicked, but her body was too tired for her to do more than twitch in response. The second the glowing liquid touched her tongue, all of her worry melted away. Slowly, she felt her magic reserves start to replenish themselves, the strain on her body dimming by an equal increment. She was still tired, hungry, and desperately thirsty, but now she didn't feel as if the air itself was trying to pin her to the bed.

When Screwball pulled away the now empty vial, she smiled down at the shocked girl.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. "Better?"

"Better," Scootaloo croaked, shakily sitting up.

"That's good," she giggled. "The Hunter did a real number on your's and your friends' Personas. Heck, it took four Spirit Bottles to get Sweetie's Persona to stabilize enough to heal itself."

"Is she okay?!" Scootaloo pressed, a desperate shine in her eyes.

"It'll be a while before she can summon her Persona again, but other than that, she's fine," Screwball chuckled.

Scootaloo let out a relieved sigh, slumping back into the headboard of her bed.

"That's good."

Screwball sighed, kneeling down to Scootaloo's level as she said, "The three of you got really lucky. My teammates and and I are specially trained to take on the Hunter and we still have a hell of a time doing it. Heck, I think she even gives the boss lady a hard time."

"The boss lady?" Scootaloo blinked. "Wait, there's a whole team of monster fighters?"

"They're called shadows and yep," she smirked. "There aren't a lot of us, but we're here."

"Are you guy's strong?" the sporty teen asked, hope shining in her eyes.

"I said we can hold off the Hunter, didn't eye?" Screwball replied, a roguish smile gracing her lips.

Scootaloo met the older teen's gaze for a long moment, her frazzled brain struggling to accept what was told to her. When it finally did, a shaky smile spread across her face as tears ran down her cheeks. Screwball's smile was replaced by a concerned frown as she watched her patient slump bonelessly against her bed's headboard. A sound like a cross between a chuckle and a choked cough fell out of her along with more tears. With each drop taken, a bit of the tension that she had been holding in sense she came to this twisted world was taken away.

With desperate joy, she put her strangled thoughts into the closest things to words that her dry throat could manage.

"We're safe. We're finally safe."

"Yeah," Screwball sighed. "For now, at least."

Scootaloo aimed a confused look at the older teen.

"You'll see," she snorted, standing up. "Anyway, it's almost time for dinner and I bet you're more than a little peckish."

Scootaloo was about to deny that, but a loud roar from her stomach beat her to the punch.

"M-Maybe a little," she allowed, looking away with a blushing pout.

"Thought so," she snickered. "Welp, let's do something about it!"

As she said that, she casually plucked Scootaloo out of her bed and gently slung her over her shoulder.

"Hey! Put me down!" she demanded, weakly struggling against the older girl's grip.

"Nope! Not happening!" Screwball huffed, making her way towards the door. "I've been patching you up for days and I don't want to screw all of that up by falling down the stairs or something."

"I'll be fine!" she protested, continuing to struggle.

Screwball stopped in front of the door, then coldly asked, "Can you stand up on your own?"

Scootaloo froze, logic and ego fighting for control in her mind. Eventually, she had to admit that Screwball had a point. Grumbling under her breath, she went limp in the girl's grip and shook her head.

"Thought so," Screwball frowned. "Now, let's get some grub."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes as the girl opened the door.

Instead of immediately stepping out of the room, Screwball said something with enough cold venom to chill Scootaloo's soul.

"By the way, if you and your friends do get to stay here, don't get between me and the Hunter. She's all mine and I do not like to share.

While she could not see it, Scootaloo could hear the cruel smile in Screwball's tone as they finally left the room.

Comments

[PearlyDoesStuff]

So Flutters has gone psychotic and obsessive protective over Rarity.

The kids are fine, much to Sunset's (probable) chagrin, and RD, Pinkie and AJ are god knows where.

The hunter can't be RD or AJ barring serious mind control fuckery, because I doubt those two know who's actually behind the chaos and they wouldn't hurt their family/adoptive sister.

[Hexan Tronic]

Well, this has been interesting. I wonder how long it'll be before those two get back in the field. And the trio are safe. Though I don't know they deserve it.