An Anon-a-Miss Persona

by Arcanum -Phantasy

Ch.6 Detox

After everything she had gone through the previous day, Rarity was sure that Viper's hotel would've seemed even more heavenly than it already was. While mostly true, that didn't mean that yesterday's issues hadn't carried over to the present. One unfortunate aspect of her new powers was that she felt any damage that her Persona received. As a result, thanks to the Witness's fire attacks, her whole body felt like it was covered with a horrible sun burn. On top of that, she nearly threw up her breakfast this morning, a wave of nausea hitting her the second she took a bite. Needless to say, Rarity was not having a good start to her day.

Did the Witness poison me? No; Viper would have examined me if that was a possibility. Did I, perhaps, catch some kind of bug. Perhaps, but this feels different from a common flu.

Forcing down her stomach, she dragged herself out of bed and staggered towards her closet. As appealing as staying in bed felt, she needed to see how her friend was adjusting to her new surroundings. While the hotel was marvelous to behold, navigating the building was an extremely daunting task. Besides, after everything she had been forced to endure up to this point, she was sure a shared soak in the Healing Springs would do the shy girl some good.

It isn't the spa, but it should be more than enough, she thought, smiling softly while she sorted through her provided wardrobe.

After getting herself decent, she sat herself down at her vanity to work on her hair. While she passed the brush through her violet locks, her thoughts wandered towards last night's battle. If she wanted to find and save her friends, then it was clear that she was going to need to get stronger. If not that, then at least find a way to get around her Persona's fire weakness.

"I will need to ask Viper for advice on that," she mused, frowning at her reflection. "I doubt I will be anywhere near as lucky in the future."

It was then that her thoughts, again, drifted towards Fluttershy.

Much like her, there was no way Fluttershy was going to leave their friends to suffer out there. If anything, the shy teen would be even more motivated than she was. Rarity had only sampled a small taste of what the Abyss was capable of, while Fluttershy had been forced to endure a full course meal.

She is going to need to rest first. After that, Viper will have to put her through the same kind of training I went through. Though, I suppose she won't need to choose a weapon, given her skills with that.....cleaver.

She shivered at that, memories of how her friend had been when she found her jumping unbidden to the front of her mind. Forcing them back, she set her brush down and examined herself in the mirror. Satisfied, she nodded at her reflection with a smile, then rose to her feet. A smile that died a painful death when a wave of nausea suddenly washed over her.

What the devil is wrong with me? she thought, hand over her mouth while the other held her steady against her vanity.

After a few minutes, her stomach settled enough to let her regain her footing, but only just enough to manage even that. Grimacing in both discomfort and concern, she took advantage of the lull in her symptoms and made her way towards her door. When she opened it, she jumped back with a startled yelp. Standing just past the door was one of Viper's Homunculi, the well-dressed creature holding a covered serving tray with the tips of its fingers on its left hand.

Rarity let out a soothing sigh, forcing a shaky smile past her churning stomach.

"My apologies, darling, but I'm afraid I cannot eat rig-"

The homunculus cut her off with a halting hand gesture, then fished a small slip of folded paper out of its coat pocket. As Rarity took it, the construct walked past her to set the serving tray down on her bedside table. Raising a brow, she unfolded the message and started to read.

Dear Rarity

If you are reading this, then you have just attempted to reject the food my servant has brought to your room. I want to let you know that this is the only warning you are going to get. You will eat what the homunculus has served you and you will let what happens after happen. If you try to go against this, the homunculus is ordered to force the food down your throat by any means necessary.

Sincerely, Viper Lily

Rarity blinked, reread the note, then read it again just to make sure she hadn't misread anything. Slowly, she turned her head to give the homunculus a nervous smile. It stood at attention at the center of the room facing her general direction and while it lacked a face, she could feel it giving her a challenging glare. With a gulp, Rarity closed the door, pocketed the letter, then took a seat on her bed.

Once she did, the homunculus lifted the cover off of the tray.

The rich smell of chicken broth was the first clue she was given when she looked down at her offering. Set before her was a sterling silver bowl of chicken noodle soup. At least, that was the closest thing she could think to compare it to. Unlike the canned version she was used to, this looked closer to a bowl of expensive ramen. She could see finely diced carrots, well chopped celery, and expertly portions pieces of chicken floating in a heavenly scented golden broth. When she forced herself to pick up the dish's offered spoon, she found the thin noodles sitting on the bottom, all of them thin enough to move, yet firm enough to keep their shape when disturbed.

While her mouth watered at what was set before her, her stomach tied itself into a brutal knot. Her eyes shot wide, one of her hands quickly covering her mouth with a pained squeak. She wanted to eat, but just the thought of sampling the soup made her feel like she was going to be sick. She was about to decline the offering, but a quick glance at her guest reminded her that she did not have that option. With a shaky hand, she took the spoon and dropped her other hand away from her mouth. Then, she quickly scooped up a small spoonful of the soup and shoved it into her mouth.

For a full five seconds, the soup took her off on a pleasant culinary journey. A journey that ended just as quickly when her stomach decided it didn't want her to keep that spoonful. With a hand clamped firmly over her mouth, she ran to the small wastebasket by her vanity table and retched. It was quick, no more than a mouthful, but it was still an experience she did not want to repeat if she could help it. She was about to voice that decision, consequences be damned, when she came to sudden realization; she was not sick anymore.

What in the world? she mused, confusion clear on her face.

A bit of movement from within the bin pulled her out of her thoughts. What she saw both fascinated and chilled her on two completely different levels. Sitting about a foot and a half from her face was a small black mass, roughly the size and shape of an apricot pit. Feeller-like tentacles wriggled all across it like living hairs while a single beady eye at its center stared up at her.

With a shriek, she ran to her bed then reached under it for her rapier. Before she could draw her weapon, the homunculus plucked the odd creature out of the bin. She flinched when it crushed the creature, black slime oozing past its gloved fingers onto the floor. With numbed fascination, she watched the construct's hands glow a dull green, destroying the creature's remains in a literal flash. She was frozen in place as it waved its glowing hand over the black stains in the carpet and they also faded away. Seemingly satisfied, the homunculus straightened its posture, turned towards her, bowed, then let itself out.

Silence filled the room, its sole occupant still locked in the act of arming herself. Little by little, her brain managed to pull together everything that had happened up until that point, before it failed and she was forced to try again. When she eventually managed to regain her wits, she slid her weapon back under the bed, stood up straight, then completely shattered the silence with a single question.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL JUST HAPPENED?!"

Suddenly full of energy, she began to pace the room, arms wrapped tight around herself in a shaky embrace.

"Was that what was making me sick? W-Where did that repulsive creature come from? How did it get inside of me? When did it get inside of me?!"

Panic started to swirl her vision, terrified breaths coming in and out of her in ragged pants. It was just when it looked like she was about to faint, that her eyes landed on her meal. In her state, she had just enough sanity left to piece together one key fact; whatever that creature was, the food was able to repel it. Latching onto that, she staggered back to her abandoned offering, took a seat on the bed, and ate. Even if she was wrong about the soup, it was still a rather nice distraction and she was still quite famished

***

In the relatively short time she had spent in The Abyss, Fluttershy was sure she had experienced every horrible thing the realm had to offer. She was sure that being attacked by monsters and having her sanity shattered was something that could never be topped. With a simple sip of juice, she was instantly proven wrong in the most savage way yet. She was currently kneeling in her room's bathroom with her face hovering over the toilet bowl. Tears rolled down her face as her stomach continued to writhe, black slime leaking past her lips into the toilet in thick oily drops. Not even a second after she flushed did she feel another painful purge start. She let out a pained wail before she refilled the bowl with another mouthful of oily black sludge.

When she had awakened that morning, it took her a few minutes to accept that she was not still dreaming. It had taken her even longer to accept that she wasn't delusional either. After spending a week sleeping on a rotting spring mattress, her new bed was a silken paradise. The dark oak walls and floor was a welcome trade from the cold concrete and rusted metal of her old shelter. The white silk pajamas she was offered the night before molded to her lithe form so well, she would've thought they had been custom made for her. For the first time in days, she finally felt at peace; that she was safe.

A familiar, yet unbelievably heavenly scent caught her attention and pulled it towards a wall off to her left. Set at the room's vanity table was a freshly made plate of pancakes with a tall glass of orange juice on the side. Happy tears slid down her cheeks and a wide smile spread across her lips as she dragged herself out of bed. When she approached the meal, she felt an odd lurch in the pit of her stomach, like the organ had pushed itself away from the food. Blinking down at her belly, she put a hand over it worriedly before looking back up at the food. The knot in her stomach continued to grow, doubling her over in pain where she stood.

Thinking that some juice would help settle her stomach, she took the glass and downed a small mouthful. Even now, she had no idea how she managed to get to the bathroom without dropping the glass. After ten minutes of purging the ebon sludge, she laid boneless on the floor. Black stains covered her mouth and chin while tears decorated her cheeks. It was finally over, but she was far too weak to celebrate. The pain in her gut was gone and she felt her apatite rapidly return, but she ignored it. All she wanted to do was curl into a tight ball and sleep off what had just happened to her.

On the edge of her consciousness, she could feel a presence slowly closing in on her. Sluggishly, she peeked open an eye. Viper stood over her, a look of worry clear on her face.

"Can you hear me?" Viper asked, her tone soft, almost motherly in nature.

She weakly nodded.

"Good," she smiled. "Here, let me help you up."

Again, fluttershy nodded, then slowly raised a shaky hand towards the woman. Bracing herself, Viper grabbed it, then gently helped the teen to her feet. A wave of vertigo almost knocked her off of her feet again, but the older woman caught her at the last second.

"Easy honey, easy," she softly cooed. "Try to catch your breath. Can you do that?"

"Y.....Yes," Fluttershy croaked out.

The butter yellow teen took slow, steadying breaths, her dizziness gradually fading with each one taken. Seeing the girl's condition start to improve, Viper gently guided her out of the bathroom towards her bed. Once she had her settled, the hostess went to fetch the girl's food. A mix of relief and indignation settled in Fluttershy's chest as she watched the woman. Not even a full day had passed and she was already letting someone fuss over her. Didn't she already decide that she didn't want that anymore?

She scowled at her hands on her lap, her frustration tightening them into trembling fists.

Am I really that helpless?

Before her thoughts could get any darker, some weight at her right grabbed her attention. Viper had settled down next to her, already cutting the pancakes into bite-sized bits. Just when she was going to protest, the older woman stabbed into a small stack of pieces and began serving it to her.

"Open up," she smiled, her tone an odd mix of playful and motherly.

"I-I can feed myself," Fluttershy pouted.

Viper giggled at that.

"Right, honey's a big girl, right?"

Fluttershy's glare sharpened.

Viper's smile grew a bit in response.

"You look like a little kitten when you do that," she said, nudging the forkful of food towards her. "Now, say 'ah'."

Gritting her teeth, the teen attempted to yank the fork out of Viper's hand. Much to her growing annoyance, she found that she barely had enough strength to rase her hand, let alone do anything else. With great reluctance, Fluttershy gave in to her host's request.

The second the syrup touched her tongue, she was on cloud nine. From just that one bite, she almost forgot all of the horrors she had been forced to endure up to this point. It was the best bite of pancake she had ever had; not because of the skill involved in its creation, but the fact that it reminded her of home. That, combined with her stomach's demands, she put up no further resistance to Viper's pampering. After downing the last of her orange juice, she let out a contented sigh and was laid down onto her bed on her back.

As she laid there, she stared up at her ceiling in a daze. In spite of what had happened earlier, she felt so light, like a great burden she didn't know about had been lifted off of her shoulders. She tried to think back to a time that she had felt like this before, but only foggy memories came to her.

A sharp stinging sensation on her back made her flinch, a small, pained hiss slipping past her lips. Viper noticed, and with soft smile, she cupped the girl's hand in her own.

"It's going to be okay, honey. After you get your strength back, I'll help you get to the Healing Spring and you'll feel all better."

"O....kay," Fluttershy mumbled. "That sounds.....nice."

As she said that, her eyes started to droop closed. A few seconds later, soft snores filled the room. Viper watched the girl sleep for a little bit longer, then settled the teen's hand down onto its owner's chest and stood to take her leave. Just before she could fully cross the threshold, she stopped to look over her shoulder at her guest. As she did, her soft smile turned into a pained frown. She knew that there was a reason that someone like Fluttershy was here. She knew that justice needed to be met. She knew just what kind of form justice tended to take in The Abyss. That didn't mean she liked any part of this.

Taking a breath, she looked forward and stepped out into the hall. While she gently closed the door behind herself, a pair of pained questions echoed through her mind.

Did you need to drag her into this too, Sunset? Are you really that far gone?

***

Rarity let out a contented sigh, the warm waters of the Healing Spring enveloping her up to her neck. The second she settled herself into it, a tingling sensation pulled the burning out of her skin. At the same time, the mild fatigue that had been plaguing her after the incident in her room also started to fade. Combine that with the soft violin music provided by a Homunculus in a far corner of the chamber, it was almost enough to make Rarity forget all of her troubles.

The key word being almost.

When she had tried to bring Fluttershy to the spring, she was blocked at the door by a pair of homunculi. Miffed, she tracked down Viper and demanded answers. Apparently, Fluttershy had been forced to endure a similar fate as she had, but to a much more intense degree. Naturally, she asked the hostess if she could check on her friend, but was very sternly denied. While the worst of it was behind her, the poor girl was still in a very delicate state at the time.

She grimaced at the memories of how her own morning had been. When she had found Viper, she was too worried about her friend to ask the hostess about the thing she threw up. Just the knowledge that such a thing had been inside of her put a chill through her. Taking a mental note to ask her about the creature, she pushed the memories to the back of her mind.

Instead, she let her mind wander to how she was going to help her friends.

The Abyss was a lot more dangerous than she thought, even with her new powers and Viper's training. If she wanted to make any progress in rescuing her friends, she needed to know more about her new twisted environment. While she did notice a lot of similarities between The City of Punishment and Canterlot City, that didn't give her much in terms of strategy. She also had a sinking suspicion that there were more areas beyond the city or the giant tower at its heart. If anything, The City of Punishment felt like an entry-level zone of sorts to her. As if the world created it to teach new comers what to expect, but not outright kill them if they made a mistake. When she stopped to consider how the Witness operated, that was a small blessing that she decided to be very greatful for. If a monster like that had been the first Shadow she had encountered, she was certain her fate would not've been a pleasant one.

"Just another set of things I need to ask Viper later," she sighed, letting herself sink down to her neck.

A few more minutes passed before a pair of footsteps broke the silence. Lazily, Rarity peeked open an eye, only for both to pop wide-open a second later. Viper and Fluttershy were standing on the edge of the spring, the former giving the later an encouraging smile while said girl sported a burning blush. She was not the only one and it had little to do with the spring's heating. While Rarity was mostly used to Viper's taste in risqué swimwear, seeing Fluttershy dawn a similar style of clothing was almost too much for her to take.

She knew that Fluttershy had a great body, something that frustrated her on more occasions than she was willing to admit. If she were to compare her to her other friends, she would say that she sat in between Applejack's and Rainbow Dash's builds. She had the curves of their farmer friend, but held the lean muscles of the prismatic speedster. At the same time, Fluttershy carried herself with a soft kind of grace unique only to her. There was no better way to remind Rarity of these facts than to put her shy friend into a cream-colored two-piece bikini.

"You're almost there," Viper smiled, gently pulling the shy teen towards the water. "Just a couple more steps."

Fluttershy nodded, gnawing on her lower lip as she took a dainty step forward. Viper's smile lit up a bit at that, a fact that only added to her charge's blush. Rarity continued to watch the exchange with keen interest, the lower-half of her head under the water blowing small bubbles under the surface. When Fluttershy eventually managed to get hip-deep into the water, she noticed just how much attention she was getting from her friend. Before she could back out, Viper gently guided the shy teen's face away from Rarity towards herself.

"Stay with me honey. Don't let her bother you. You know why you are here."

Fluttershy nodded nervously, audibly gulping at the hostess's words.

Viper nodded back, then said, "Are you ready?"

"Y-Yes," she said, a hint of resolve creeping past the nerves in her voice.

"On three then. One......Two.......Three."

At the end of the count, they slowly kneeled down into the water together. As she sank, pained whimpers slipped past Fluttershy's lips, earning some soothing hushes from the older woman. They stopped when the water reached their necks and it was then that Rarity noticed something that broke her shock.

The water behind Fluttershy slowly took on a rusty red color.

Rarity quickly waded her way closer to the pair to investigate, but a pointed look from Viper stopped her at the five foot mark. Not sure what else she could do, or what was even happening, she stayed put and watched. The odd substance gradually became thicker in the water, eventually becoming as visually dense as tar. However, it never spread out more than three feet from Fluttershy's back. Instead, the mass slowly started to fade away, the rate increasing by the second right before her eyes. At the same time, Fluttershy's discomfort was also dwindling away. In time, all of the filth had vanished from the water and a look of absolute relief graced the girl's angelic face.

With a satisfied nod, Viper scooted away from Fluttershy and asked, "How do you feel, honey?'

"So much better," Fluttershy sighed, a dreamy lilt shaking her tone.

"Good to hear," she winked.

Rarity stared back and forth between the two girls, then sputtered, "What the devil just happened?"

Fluttershy flinched out of her bliss, turning to face her friend with a red face and hands covering herself as best as she could from where she knelt. Viper rolled her eyes at that, dawning her trademark smirk as she turned to face Rarity.

"While Jurors don't have magic or any other special powers, their claws do contain a really nasty poison. Get cut enough times, and you'll go nuttier than a squirrel's shit. It makes it easier for them to deal with their prey."

"I see...." Rarity frowned, briefly glancing at where the poison had floated not too long ago. "Any particular reason you did not warn me of that particular fact?"

"Didn't really need to to tell you," she shrugged. "Persona users have a near immunity to the stuff."

"Fair enough," she reluctantly allowed. "Now then, care to explain to me why I vomited up a monster earlier?"

One of Fluttershy's hands flew to her mouth, her face turning a slight shade of green.

Both girl's gave her a concerned look, but Viper was the first to bring her attention back to the question.

"That was because you ate Shadow meat."

"I did what?!" Rarity squawked, taking a step back.

Viper sighed, noticing the way Fluttershy's face paled at that particular reveal before continuing.

"Like with the poison, I didn't tell you this because I didn't think I needed to. There are a few things out in The Abyss that you should not eat or drink. Normal food from a can or box is fine; same goes for anything in a bottle or from a faucet, but anything else is something that you should avoid. Shadow meat, Dread fruit, or Ebon wine are massively poisonous to humans and will cause complete insanity if a normal person consumes them. Sure, you two could do it to get a power boost, but I would really not recommend it."

"Then," Rarity gulped, "that creature was-"

"A piece of Shadow meat trying to latch onto you." Viper sighed with a nod. "Luckily, the food served here can counter the effects, but the experience is really not fun."

A deep shudder from Fluttershy was the only confirmation Rarity needed on that front.

If my experience was so horrible, how bad was it for Fluttershy? Should I even ask?

Shelving that line of thought for later, she gave Viper her full attention.

"These are not the only facts you have neglected to give me," she frowned. "If I am going to save my friends, I can't be left in the dark about how this world works."

"You have a point," Viper frowned, standing to meet the girl's line of sight. "Can't have anymore 'surprises' in the future, right?"

"My thoughts exactly," Rarity nodded.

Viper stared Rarity down, her gaze sharp over her crossed arms. The younger girl met her glare with one of her own, refusing to back down from the intensity of the Hostess's stare. Slowly, a small smile crept onto the older woman's face.

"Alright," she chuckled, uncrossing her arms enough to do a finger-snap. "What do you want to know, sugar?"

"Everything, darling," Rarity smiled, the intensity falling out of her poise. "And I mean, everything."

"Thought so," Viper chuckled, taking an offered glass of red wine from a summoned homunculus. "Both of you better listen up then, cuz what I'm about to tell you might just save your lives out there."

Comments

[Hexan Tronic]

Great to see more of this!

[Dr Mysterious Shade]

I figured eating those things couldn't possibly be good for them. I mean I get why they did but still...
Can't wait to see the next rescue/rescuee.

[Dr Mysterious Shade]

She knew that there was a reason that someone like Fluttershy was here. She knew that justice needed to be met. She knew just what kind of form justice tended to take in The Abyss.

Did you need to drag her into this too, Sunset? Are you really that far gone?

Sounds to me like Viper Lily already knows the answer to her own question.