Vote count as of 5/8/2018:
Don't tell Lemon- 0
Tell Lemon- 4
Test Lemon- 14
Lemon is probably like... the first friend we ever made, at least since we left home. The circumstances behind that are kinda screwy and if we'd known she wasn't totally under our spell that first day, things might've gone differently, but instead we wound up with someone we could just kind of talk to during the Snake-Lady incident. That's why it'd be nice if I could just call her and totally trust her with anything, but real people don't work like that, no matter what Applejack says.
I mean, I don't even 100% trust Adagio, my older sister that pretty much dedicated her life (and now, her undeath) to doing everything she can to make life better for the three of us. It's not because I think she'd trick me for the Hell of it, but because she's so damn scheme-y that it wouldn't be too out of character for her to keep a secret from Sonata and me. Usually to keep us from messing up some detail of her plans or, rarely, to surprise us with something fun. And Sonata, well, being Sonata, isn't above telling 'little fibs' either, especially to me.
She would do it for the Hell of it, but like, not really maliciously or anything. I think.
So, Lemon's gotta be under a little scrutiny too, right? She's probably feeling the exact same way about me, because between the two of us, I'm the one that used to be a full-fledged bad guy, so fair's fair. No matter what we might wanna think, it's possible that she slipped up, or even straight-up told someone for some reason. That wouldn't actually be all that bad, I think, just having people know that my dead sisters are a little less dead than I've been telling people, but-...
Wait, did I ever tell anyone they were dead? Like, those exact words? I don't think so, the Rainbooms and Moondancer are the ones that leaked to everybody. Maybe I can use that to my advantage later, somehow?
Probably not. Anyway, I dial Lemon again.
"Hi again! Something up?"
For a split second, I worry that question makes one of us sound guilty. "Nothing much, just wanted to ask... You mind if I drop by tomorrow?"
There's a tiny gasp of excitement. "You wanna come over and hang with us?! I mean, I've gotta do some stuff at the tea shop during the day, but-ooh, let me check if-"
I can feel her smiling so hard that it's contagious, but something caught my attention. "'Us'?"
"I hang out with some buddies when I have free-" She's cut off by the clatter of falling objects and many rustling papers. "...Ow. -when I have some free time, which should beeee... Around mid-afternoon tomorrow? That work for you?"
"Yea, I've got work until the afternoon too, so I'll hop a bus and see you then, 'kay?"
"You got a job?"
"Yup! I'll tell you about it tomorrow."
"Suspense! Hehe, okay, I'll seeya then, bye!"
Beep!
When I put away my phone, I'm again startled by how close my ethereal sisters have gotten, my reaction immediately making them back off.
"Sorry," Sonata answers preemptively, "but like, it's harder to hear if we don't get closer."
I kinda wonder if I should start putting it on speaker all the time, but it's probably safer to just let them zoom in.
...Just as long as they don't float into me!
---
The next day, I mull around the house for a bit and then head out to the mall to start my first official day as a...
A person who has to make up their own job title, apparently. Lullaby-masseuse? Throat-tranquilizer? Muscle-relief singer?
Whatever. "I work at the spa" is enough, right? Not that I'm in a big hurry to go spreading it around or anything, but I figure that being set in the local mall means my job won't stay secret for too long. Something to deal with when it happens. For now, first day on the job!
I get there, change into the uniform, feel sexy looking at myself in the mirror for a minute, grumble at Sonata when she makes fun of and/or hits on me, then spend a few hours sitting on the rim of a big, circular planter thing in the middle of the room. I sing to the customers as they get their normal treatments, some of whom watch me with sleepy-eyed, but unbroken attention.
It's been a long, long time since I sang for an audience, and the feeling of being watched like this is totally different from the stares I get in school. It's a little embarrassing to admit, but the adoring stares I haven't had on me in ages almost start to make me lose focus.
It's not like I was flustered or fidgeting or had to close my eyes to block out those faces or anything, I just did it to ramp up that 'beautiful, tender maiden' thing for extra effect; let them look at something as pretty as it sounds. It might even work too well, because in addition to telling me I did a good job at the end of the day, Aloe confesses that she was getting a little distracted herself just listening to me.
And I barely even used the gem!
Just little pulses, occasional notes with emphasis on certain words to make listeners forget pains, banish worries, etc. Maybe I could stand to hold back a little more.
I don't see Bulk at all, but I probably will tomorrow, so we'll get a test run for how easily I can put him under my spell then, but for now, it's off to Lemon's place in the city!
---
Turns out it's been long enough that I need directions once I get off the bus, but Lemon has me head to the mall we pulled our first snake-lady brainwashing in.
Nostalgic!
On the way there, Adagio has a suggestion.
"Lemon knows we're here, but can't see or hear us. If we're to test her, we should use that to our advantage."
I think I see what she's getting at. "You want me to play casual because if she notices me looking at her all staring-through-your-soul when we're talking, she's gonna know something's up, but since you guys can stare her in the face as long as you want...?" Adagio smiles like she's proud of me, which gets my insides all tingly.
"Precisely. Sonata and I can closely watch her facial expressions, scan constantly for any signs of guilt or deceit, keep a look out for any tells that she's broken her promise, and go from there."
I can almost hear Sonata's eyeroll. "It's not gonna matter, because she wouldn't do that."
Adagio's voice and smile are gentle as she touches Sonata's shoulder. "I'll be thrilled to be wrong, Sonata."
Sonata smiles back at her and the little sisterhood moment they share is so damn cute that it makes me want to stomp on something. Not that I want any of that myself, just, like, it's a good thing nobody else can see them, y'know? Some diabetic might get hurt or something.
When we get to the mall, I appreciate that me and my snazzy outfit are getting some looks (and not like the ones at CHS!) while I walk around in search of messy, green hair. Where did Lemon say kids her age hung out around here? We went to the spa last time, but I think she said something about the food court.
It takes my ghost siblings floating through a few floors to find the place without me wandering around for an hour. This place is huge!
When I get to Lemon, I see that she's seated with four other girls, none of whom I recognize at all. I walk up and wave at her.
"Hey."
She enthusiastically returns it. "Hey, Ria!" Scootching over to make room for me between her and a blueish-purple girl with two long, white pigtails and one short one going over the middle of her head, she starts introductions. "Guys, this is Aria Blaze, Aria, these are Indigo Zap, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, and Sugarcoat!"
Indigo is the first to say anything as I sit down. "Hi! So you're the one Lemon's been calling every night?"
"She's mentioned you and your sisters a few times," says a hesitant Sunny, looking at me like I have cancer or something. "...We're sorry for your loss."
Lemon's told them that Adagio and Sonata are dead, then. No problem, that part wasn't secret. My 'dead' sisters don't say anything about Lemon's face when Sunny says that, but I don't know whether they plan to say it as it happens or wait until I'm alone for an after-face-action report.
"Don't sweat it," I say casually, remembering at the last second that normal humans are apparently all grief-stricken for goddamn ever when family die, "I've done my mourning."
I get some slightly uncomfortable looks, but when the others glance at Lemon, she smiles a little and shrugs back, then things carry on normally.
"Hmm..."
Other than Adagio being ominous about stuff. I'll ask later.
"So," Sunny says with a smile, "Lemon tells us she met you girls when you were living around here, but why the move back out to the old part of town?"
I'm just a little bit startled by the sheer levels of bright, peppy joy that comes out of the yellow girl with a raspberry-and-green-stripe ponytail, especially when contrasted with what she actually says.
"Oh, gee, it couldn't have to do with a recent tragedy in her life or anything, could it?" Her smiley demeanor vanishing in a heartbeat, Sour Sweet (I get it now) grumbles like she's got a mouthful of rocks. "Way to go for the jugular right away, Sunny."
"That, th-that wasn't what I meant," sputters Sunny, aghast, "I was only asking why they'd go to that kind of trouble, especially since the city is much nicer than-"
I cut her off with a raised hand. "You guys remember the Friendship Games?"
It only takes a few minutes to explain the relation between me, the magic that went on then, and that the three of us were at it again over here and decided to regroup closer to CHS when my idea with a magic book didn't work out like we hoped. I don't say what we specifically did even when directly asked, and that they ask at all is something I take to mean that Lemon hasn't told anyone about our time as the snake-woman, either. Possibly because she was there when we were burying and/or scrubbing memories.
"It doesn't really matter anymore," I say with a dismissive handwave, "because we took one last shot at it last week and, well..."
They really must be smarter over here, because every single one visibly connects the dots on what I'm implying. I should use this to cover my tracks at CHS, too; 'You think I'm up to no good with magic again? Why would I bother after it got my sisters killed?'
A total lie, but it's not like I've never done that before. Anyway, the Shadowbolts definitely know that I met Lemon through a magical incident.
"Hey," says Indigo as she stands up, "we met up to do stuff today, right? Let's have at it!" She glances around as the rest of us join her. "B'sides, I feel like we're bein' watched here..."
My sisters don't let up in their scrutiny for the entire time we hang out, but that's the only time anyone says anything. Coincidence, maybe?
---
The first thing we do is indoor rock-climbing, which is a thing they have here. Somehow.
While we're all putting the necessary gear on, Sour Sweet turns to me. "Don't forget to secure your rope before starting up, Twilight."
I blink in surprise and a little offense before she realizes, looking at me with an abashed smile.
"Hahaha, sorry, you two look similar and I just-" Indigo's sudden snickering earns a glare out of her. "Something funny?"
Not answering the question as she reigns in her giggles, she turns to me to explain. "Wouldja believe there's two purple girls with purple, striped hair that used to do magic and sometimes visit us from CHS? 'Cuz that's kinda where we're at."
Twilight interacts with these girls. I don't know how often, but apparently they're still in contact. That's something I kinda would have liked to know earlier, but before I can ask Lemon why she never thought to share that tid-bit, I see that she's already scaling the synthetic mountain at a steady pace.
Welp, I'm not here to gawk at people's butts and legs from below, so I might as well get climbing.
Indigo is the first to the top, barely making it before an equally competitive Sour Sweet as the two ascend like frantic spider-monkeys. Sugarcoat and Sunny Flare take a really casual pace as they talk fashion, so I'm kind of on my own for this activity.
---
I didn't ask questions about rock-climbing because it sounded sorta fun by itself (and it was!), but with what I've heard about the random crap they competed in for the Friendship Games, I have to ask. "Are you guys expected to be good at bowling too? Just in case it gets picked out of a hat or something?"
Sitting next to me in the weird, curved sofa-things they've got here, Sugarcoat answers with a straight face. "Yes."
We watch as Lemon, with surprising focus for someone like her, rolls the ball in a perfectly straight line toward the front-most pin. The ball rolls a little slower than the ones in other lanes, leading her to groan with dismay as she ends up with a 7-10 split.
"We should probably thank you for the change in Lemon Zest."
I turn my head back toward Sugarcoat, eyebrow raised.
"The five of us are among the best and most talented at Crystal Prep, and as such are regularly placed within the same teams in cooperative events. This would make things difficult for us if we could not work with one another, and so we took to doing things like this out of practicality to build an understanding of mutual strengths and weaknesses." She smiles a little as she adjusts her glasses. "Following the Friendship Games, this reason is technically a formality, but that is not the point. Lemon Zest was previously difficult to work with, because while talented in select areas, her sense of teamwork was virtually non-existent due to her terrible focus and borderline addiction to loud music. However, she has more recently shown a capacity for serious dedication, applying herself in full."
We watch as Lemon, winding up the ball with a dangerous spin, steps forward and shoots the ball toward one of the two remaining pins, one leg stretched backward and one arm out like she's a ballerina of bowling as her ball nails the pin from the side, sending it flying into the other one to knock it down. I can't help giggling a little as she jumps up and down with glee, joined by Indigo.
"This tendency," continues Sugarcoat, "began at approximately the same time in which she became involved with the Hebi No Onna Herbal Beverages shop." She wears this soft, tender little smile as I look back at her. "As such: Thank you. I believe meeting the three of you has changed the course of her life, almost objectively for the better."
Smiling a little myself, I raise an eyebrow again. "Almost?"
She shrugs. "Some would say that being a carefree slacker in danger of being disowned one day is the easier, 'purer' life, but Lemon seems happy as she is."
It's just when I'm feeling all warm and tingly about this that I catch sight of Adagio out of the corner of my eye. I try not to look directly at her and I don't see her face, but I get this feeling like she's trying to figure out whether it was me or Sonata that left crumbs all over the coffee table again.
...It was obviously always Sonata, because I don't eat like a slob!
---
Air hockey is a game I played with some of my coworkers in the back room when I had a job. Or, I mean, the lousy retail job I never did officially give any kind of notice for leaving. Maybe if it ever comes up again, I can vaguely use my Dead Sisters excuse?
Anyway, I let slip that I got pretty good at it, and when we get to the arcade, Indigo is itching to play with me. Not one to back down, I accept her challenge and the game is on!
...It's not like she's way above my level or anything, but I really do have to move fast and stay focused to keep her from scoring against me.
It's just a game, Indigo! Calm down already!!
There are a few moments where I actually manage to get her on the defensive, but this just psyches her up even more and she's sliding the little knob-thingy faster and faster to hit the puck. Just when I think I'm about to get the first point, she twists her arm to hit the thing at a weird angle, which gives it enough lift to fly upwards a little, straight at my hand.
"OWW!!"
The impact stings bad enough to make me let go and pull back, holding that hand in my other, but washing over the pain is this surge of worry and even bubbling outrage. The weird thing is, I don't really feel those things all that much, but it's like I just got a bucket of feelings dumped over my head. While I'm trying to work out exactly what's going on, Indigo's scared, apologetic face gets my attention.
"-orryI'msorryit'llbeokayisitbleedingletmesee!" She quickly seizes my right wrist, which is the hand she hit. "Canyoustillfeelallyourfingersanddidithitabone?! Isanythingbrokenor-"
I wrench my hand free as I take a step back. "Calm down, willya?!" I take a quick second to look at the damage myself and while I'm not bleeding, it still hurts a little to flex my fingers. When I show her (and the others, who apparently gathered around without me noticing) that my hand isn't broken and probably won't even bruise all that much, Indigo doesn't seem convinced.
"J-just, don't cry or anything, okay?! I'll get you some ice or something, j-just don't-"
The assertion that I'd start blubbering over this hurts worse than my hand! "What the Hell makes you think I'd cry over that?!"
She and the rest of the Shadowbolts blink in surprise. "Uh... I-Iunno, like, the way it usually goes, the prettier girls are usually total wimps."
"What."
She shrugs, folding her arms. "Don't ask me, it's science or something. So...?"
I flex my hand again, ignoring the little spikes of pain that come with doing so. "Doesn't even hurt that bad anymore."
"Maybe not," Sugarcoat says to Indigo, "but you did still injure the other player."
"Oh my," Sour Sweet cheerfully adds with a hint of a smirk, "I guess that's a foul point, isn't it?"
Indigo looks like she's about to eat a bug, but I answer first.
"Take your pity points and stuff 'em, I'm still in this."
The only one who doesn't look at me in shock is Lemon, who grins with delight.
"Well alright," Indigo says with a little of her original zeal, "round two!"
Before we get back to our positions, I steal a glance at my spectral sisters, finding the two of them smiling at me with relief.
---
We play left-handed just to make sure it's fair, but Indigo still ends up winning. That's probably for the best, because otherwise I'd have wondered if she was taking pity on me and then I'd be annoyed about it all day.
Anyway, we stop in some snazzy-looking restaurant for something between late lunch and early dinner. It's not like a tuxedos-and-wine-bottles kinda place, but it looks nicer than anything I've seen out in Old Canterlot (is the name they apparently call CHS's area around here). Sunny Flare is the only one not talking to someone else while I'm munching big, wavy fries, so she starts with me.
"So, what's it like in your part of town? Are there really rats everywhere?"
"Uuff..." I take a second to swallow my food before answering. "No, don't think so." I remember some of my classmates. "Or like, not the hairy, diseased ones, at least."
She snorts with amusement. "Right. I thought about transferring once, like Twilight did, but I just don't know if the quality of life out there is on par. Granted, not everywhere in the Downtown area is pristine and up to code, but we have nicer malls, housing, streets, parks, you name it. There's even more cultural diversity, with places like Lemon's tea shop all over town."
"She has competition in the Japanese Tea Place market?"
"Oh, I didn't mean that, just that there are similar places all over the city. Italian diners, a Mexican party supply shop, a Dutch bar if you're old enough, and Lemon's family was running sushi and Teppanyaki places long before the tea shop, to say nothing of their borderline naval-force fishing business."
"Teppa-whuh...?"
She smiles. "Food prepared in front of the customers, like showmanship-based bartending, but with Japanese dishes."
"Huh. Didn't know her family already had options when we left her with the place."
Sunny nods. "It's one more-..." She blinks. "Wait. What?"
I blink back at her. "What?"
"You said... You said you, you and your sisters, 'left her with' the tea shop? I thought it was a joint deal between Lemon's family and a major construction company."
"Uhh-"
"Tell her Lemon happened to be settling in there when we left."
I take Adagio's advice right away. "Well, when our magic shenanigans were over and it was time to go back to Old Canterlot, she was just settling into the place. It was around the same time as the deal, y'know?"
"Oh!" She giggles. "M-my mistake, for a second there I thought you were, I don't know, involved with someone that could get development cleared in the middle of the park, and it'd be strange if you lived out by CHS if that were-" She shakes her head. "Nevermind."
Did having our mind-slaves call some people in suits out to the house specifically so they could be brain-washed count as 'involved'? Because if so, yes, we were involved with such people.
I mostly stick to small-talk and listen in as the others talk about how their performance in the stuff we did today, but with the dark look Adagio is giving Sugarcoat, I think I'm gonna need to talk to Lemon in private.
---
Lucky for me, Lemon wanted that too, if only in an innocent let's-hang-out-as-normal-friends kind of way, because she invites me back to her house (which happens to be part of a skyscraper) when the others head home. I see a big sign on the way in that says "Hitsuyō-sei Zaibatsu," and with the way it's positioned to loom over the lobby, I assume that's the company name.
It takes us about five minutes to get from the entrance, to the elevator, to the general area where Lemon usually stays. It's a high-end place; soft carpets, dark metal and glass tables and shelves, soft-leather chairs and couches, but I'm a little surprised that the only Japanese stuff I see is some possibly-ancient crud hanging on walls and sitting on shelves.
"Not gonna lie, I was expecting it to look like our house in the park did; slidy-doors, those rectangle-pattern floors, all that stuff."
"It's like that on the higher floors, right down to a little dojo-lookin' house on the tippy-top."
"Seriously?"
"Totes!"
She sits me down on a leathery couch in front of a big, wide-screen TV in what I'm guessing is her living room, explaining that it's her job as the host to fetch snacks and all that from the kitchen, which happens to be part of the same, big room. She talks to me while I wait.
"So, how're Dagi and Nata doing? Have they been with us the whole time?"
Sonata beams. "Hiiiiiiiiiiiii, Lemon!"
Adagio smiles a little too, but I answer with "They say hi."
Lemon giggles. "I say hi back!" She comes back and sits down with two glasses of bubbly, purple liquid, complete with bendy-straws, handing one to me. "Sorry about leaving you two out that whole time, but it'd be sorta hard to explain who I was talking to."
"Not that hard, I think..."
I don't repeat Adagio's cryptic whisper because I don't know what she means by it. She probably wants me to try to get Lemon to slip up if she's hiding something from us, say something in a way that she'd have to answer in a way that told me something, and I think I've got an idea. "I mentioned a new job, right? I work at the spa now."
"Wouldn't'a been my first guess. How is it?"
I shrug. "Only been there a day, but so far, at least it's not stressful."
"Haha, I'll bet!"
Here we go! "You said your job was a pretty relaxed place, right? Do you just kinda sit around talking with guests when nobody's ordering, or what?"
"Sometimes! I've been trying to replace the folktales-and-poetry-corner thing 'Hebi-Sama' used to do, and, uhh..." She looks upward, smiling with a hint of self-effacement. "You're a hard act to follow, Dagi."
Wary of Lemon as Adagio apparently is right now, she still smiles a little and rolls her eyes, only getting gigglier when Sonata playfully tickles her ribs and she has to spend the next minute pushing her away.
I smile at Lemon. "She says thanks. Any-"
I'm cut off by the door swinging open, Lemon and I turning our heads to see a tall, bulky-looking old guy in dull-grey, Japanese robes with dark-green trims and patterns that kind of look like tigers all over the chest and sleeves. I don't know what color his hair was before it went grey, but what he has left is short and spiky in all directions, from the top of his skull, down the sides of his face, to the tip of his chin in a thick, but short beard. His wrinkled, dark-reddish skin looks rough and leathery, and something tells me it's not just age that did that to him. Lemon, jumping to her feet, helpfully identifies him as he takes a few steps toward us.
"G-Granddad?!"
"Good day, Lemon."
"Woah," I hear Sonata say as I stand up too, just in case it's super disrespectful not to or something, "he sounds like one of those guys in samurai movies! Do ya think that's how her family got rich?"
I hear Adagio shush her before 'Granddad' addresses Lemon. "Your sister is busy with preparations for her media appearance in the lobby. Do you think you could help her?"
He really does have this deep, I Swear On My Honor voice, which I distantly worry makes me racist somehow when Lemon glances back and forth between him and me. "Uh-"
He holds up a hand, still totally relaxed. "I will stand in as the host and entertain your friend until you return, you need not worry."
Looking at me again, I can see that she is worried, but muttering an affirmative, isn't about to defy his wishes. She has suggested that this guy is kinda scary and not one to be disobeyed. I can sympathize: Adagio used to be way bossier than she is now, especially after we set out.
"Sorry," Lemon whispers to me, "back in a bit, 'kay?"
And off she goes, leaving me with her grandpa. I open communications with a tiny wave. "Hi."
"Hello, Aria Blaze." He gestures to the couch I was sitting on as he moves to a chair next to it. "Please, sit."
I do, though it occurs to me that if something goes wrong here, I'm pretty sure there's no one else around and no one will know if he suddenly decides to do whatever I say. Not that I wanna make things weird with Lemon by just doing that with half a reason, but still. Options.
"I am Sharkskin Lacquer," he begins in a gentle, but serious tone, "and I have heard about you and your sisters from my youngest granddaughter." To my surprise, he bows his head. "That is why I wish to extend my deepest sympathy and condolences."
There's an awkward pause when he doesn't look up right away, so I force myself to say something. "Don't sweat it?"
"Your composure at their passing is commendable," he says as we regain eye-contact, "but even so, I must insist. When I have spoken with her classmates, three have informed me that your family was a vital catalyst in her choice to face responsibility as an adult. The connection of her growth, and your loss, is not lost on me: I am pleased, and relieved, to see this change in her, but never would I have knowingly traded the quality of her life for the absence of another's."
I kind of stare back at him for a moment, because I'm trying to work out exactly what he's getting at without having to ask. Lucky for me, Sonata feels it out first.
"I think he means, in like a universal balance kinda way, that he thinks us getting iced was a trade for Lemon getting all serious at work somehow, and if that's it, wants you to know that he wouldn't have agreed to that if he knew it'd happen."
So he feels guilty, huh? He shouldn't, but like, he doesn't know that it was just a matter of timing. How bad do I want a rich guy to not feel sorry for me? "I don't know how long you spent wishing she'd get her act together, but whatever else happens in the world, you've got it. For what it's worth, I'm happy for her."
I was going for 'noncommittal,' but he looks at me like I've sprouted feathery wings and a halo. "She is blessed to have you for a friend."
Okay, now I feel guilty!
"She has told tales of your elder sister," he continues, "of the grace and beauty exemplified by 'Hebi-Sama,' but I confess that I did not believe it extended to all three."
I grin somewhat haughtily. "We all had our moments."
He looks at me in surprise, which makes me think I might have offended him somehow. Instead, he laughs, which helps wipe away some of this heavy atmosphere we've had going.
"I see. Well, whether gracefully or not, please continue to take care of Lemon Zest."
More guilty!
"I'll try."
We sit there a while longer, me sipping my drink and him sitting there looking peaceful until Lemon comes back.
"Speakers, mic, and the blinky light thingy on the dimmer switch are a-go!"
Grandpa Sharkskin stands up and moves for the door. "Well done, Lemon. Perhaps Trixar will consider my offer in earnest with the proper presentation."
She smiles a little. "Here's hopin'."
He leaves, Lemon sits with me again, and takes a long, well-earned sip of her drink, capping it off with an "Ahh~!"
I chuckle. "He didn't seem that bad."
She looks relieved. "Y-you really think so? 'Cuz like, I've had friends that never wanna come over again after just walking past him in a hall, and like-"
I wave a hand. "Magical monster from another world, remember? Don't worry, I've seen some shit."
"I kinda feel like I shouldn't be happy about that, but for my purposes, I am!"
"Great!"
We laugh like idiots for a minute, simmer down, and take another sip before Adagio makes a suggestion.
"See how she responds when talking about Sugarcoat."
I guess Adagio suspects her. I'm not sure how to work her name into conversation right away, but I think I can angle my way there. I clear my throat.
"So, what we were talkin' about before; any interesting chats while you're at work, or is it mostly just waiting out your shift?"
"Uh... No?"
That wasn't a 'yes or no' question. I push harder. "Not even with your friends?"
Her facial expression shifts from cheerful, to unsure, to panicked, to nervous, to smiling just a little too hard all in the span of about two seconds. "W-what do you mean?"
...Well.
My first thought is that whatever Adagio and Sonata might have picked up by watching us today was probably unnecessary, because Lemon is way too easy to read. That thought dulls the little ache I get from pretty much confirming that Lemon told somebody something she shouldn't, which makes it easier than I'd have ever dreamed to make a Not Mad, Disappointed kind of face as I calmly ask. "Who'd you tell?"
She cracks instantly, fear and regret all over her face. "Iswearitwasn'tmyfaultItriedtokeepalidonitIjust-"
"Woah, woah," I say while putting a hand on her shoulder, "chill! It wasn't the Rainbooms or Twilight, right?" She shakes her head. "Okay, then I can handle it. So, who was it?"
"S-Sugarcoat."
"Lemon had been stealing glances at her any time she was near you and she was the only one who didn't react to your mourning comment," says Adagio, "to say nothing of how much she knew about the shop."
Sonata sounds much less analytical about this. "Zesty... how could you?"
Lemon already looks like she feels pretty bad about this, so I just go for the facts in a gentle voice. "How'd it happen?"
"I swear I didn't mean to, I'm not good at keeping secrets and she's got this thing for when people are lying! She asked some questions about how I started not just working there, but helping run the place, she picked me apart for details, and I blabbed, but I begged her not to tell anyone else and she promised not to, which I know is what I said too, but she's smarter with this stuff than I am!" Lemon takes a deep breath. "...So, how'd you figure it out?"
For a second, I'm sorely tempted to make something up or blow off the question, but there's no reason to make less trust between us right now. "Because I wanted to know if I could trust you with something even bigger and had to see if you kept your word on this first. And, well..."
Frowning, she looks down in shame. "I get it."
"...I've gotta deal with her now, Lemon."
It hurts a little when she looks up at me, afraid. "P-please don't hurt her! It was my fault she even found out, sh-she didn't even mean any-"
"I didn't say I'd hurt her, just that I can't ignore this!" All it would take was a quick tune...
"Oh..." She tentatively touches the tips of her index fingers together. "W-which means...?"
"Sugarcoat has already proven that she's not much better at keeping secrets," Adagio says in a cold tone, "and probably didn't even realize the clue she was dropping. If we let her go, it's only a matter of time before Twilight Sparkle hears just what she needs to to make the same connections."
"But," pleads Sonata, "this is one of Lemon's friends, and she's one of our friends! Even if the worst happens, so what if people know we're still around? How bad would that really be?"
"...Honestly? I don't know. I would like to think that when it inevitably reaches the Rainbooms' ears, they'll be sympathetic enough to Aria to not raise a fuss over it, but with all that's happened? They may just as soon decide that Aria not telling them was proof of conspiracy against them, that withholding any information about something magical was an attack on their sovereignty over the area. Is that a chance you want to take?"
"Or we might get some support! And what if Lemon hates us for brainwashing Sugarcoat?!"
Adagio frowns. "No one said we were brainwashing her. Although-"
"No!"
"Then what do you propose?"
"Uh... T-trust our friends?"
"One who already gave us away and one who's only a mutual acquaintance?"
"She's learned her lesson, she won't do it again! And, Sugarcoat promised!" Hands clasped, she looks hopefully at me. "Right?!"
Lemon, who apparently noticed me glancing back and forth for the last minute, whispers. "What are they saying?"
I look back and forth between her and my sisters, settling on Lemon. "...Can we get a minute alone, please?"
Lemon doesn't look thrilled, but she nods, getting up and slipping her headphones over her ears. "I'll... I'll be out in the hall. Come tap my shoulder or something when you're ready, okay?"
When the door closes, Adagio crosses her arms. "On the off-chance she or anyone else listens in anyway, Aria, bear in mind that they would only hear you."
Over the sound of Sonata's incredulous huff, I nod. "So... we don't know this girl, and I'm thinkin' the quickest path between two points is a straight line."
"Waitwaitwait," Sonata insists, "weren't you guys saying how we couldn't just use magic because somebody might notice? That it'd like, leave clues that it happened that somebody might see later?"
Adagio's eyes widen. "She's right; odd behavior all the way over here was what brought the Rainbooms to us last time, wasn't it? If Sugarcoat isn't hypnotized just so, given just the right orders-"
"Like, 'I command you to never, ever tell anyone my secrets, and if it ever comes up in a way you can't deflect, divulge one of your own embarrassing secrets instead as a cover'?"
I feel a swell of pride as Adagio smiles at me in surprise. "That's... Not too bad, actually. I don't know if it's air-tight, but-"
"It still might get us busted," Sonata interrupts, "'cuz like, Twilight's the smartest girl from their school, right? What if she notices and finds a way around it?"
Adagio sighs. "I suppose, as talking has generally worked thusfar, we could go talk to her or ask Lemon to call her here, let her know that we know, but play nice; tell her how grateful we are that she's helping keep things under wraps and how we and Lemon really appreciate it, appeal to her conscience and all that." She shrugs. "If she's one of Lemon's friends, I'd have to assume she has one, though I wouldn't know its magnitude. It has to be more effective in motivating her to keep her mouth shut than a threat, which might make you look like a monster that needs to be slain to set poor Lemon free."
...It kinda sounds like any of these could go badly for me somehow.
I could just trust Lemon's taste in friends and hope for the best, but Lemon herself has already slipped up. I might need to decide what to do about that after I'm done with Sugarcoat, actually.
If I could get her alone, I could enchant the girl and rest easy knowing that she won't be blabbing any time soon. How often does Twilight visit these girls, and, would she notice if one of them just didn't want to talk about a particular subject? Of course, Lemon would inevitably find out I'd bewitched her if I did that, so I'd definitely need to confront her about my gem right after.
Or, like, there's always appealing to someone's better nature and trusting them to help you out. If I threw in some details, maybe painted a nice, sympathetic picture for why I don't want my ghosts getting out, maybe that'd be enough.
The only thing at stake here is knowledge of my sisters' spirits hanging around me, nobody else knows I can bewitch again, so... how far should I go to keep this covered up?