//------------------------------// // Chapter One: Forgotten Dreams on the Ocean Breeze Part 2 // Story: Danganronpa: In Harmony's Wake // by Dewdrops on the Grass //------------------------------// Chapter One: Forgotten Dreams On The Ocean Breeze Daily Life Part 2 With the silent terror of Monoponi’s chilling motive ringing in our minds, everyone left the bridge deck, one by one. Some of us headed back to the food court, probably to finish their breakfasts. I decided I needed a few minutes by myself, so I sat on the bridge deck, letting the anguish flush its way out of my system. Damn it. Damn it all. Thankfully, once I’d had a few minutes to myself, I’d managed to bury most of it back inside, summoning up the courage to put a brave face on again. I needed a distraction. Something. Anything. And here it came. With a swagger in her step and a bounce to her hips, Adagio Dazzle sauntered towards me and bent over, holding out a hand. “If you don’t mind, Sunset, I’d like to have that conversation now,” she said sweetly, taking my arm and running a finger down the length of it, making me shiver. Then she hefted me roughly to my feet, not bothering to catch me as I almost fell over again before I got my footing. God, what is with you and the mixed messages, jeez, I thought to myself. “Okay. Um, in my cabin then.” “Lead the way,” Adagio said, wrapping one arm around mine to hold me as we walked. “Uh, what’re you doing?” I asked, trying to fight off the blush that was rising on my face. She’s got to be messing with me, right? She’s doing this on purpose! She has to be, right? “Just making sure you don’t try to sneak away. This is important.” “Okay…” We made our way to my cabin, finding Twilight waiting for us. “Oh, there you are, Sunset. I was waiting for you. What took you...” She trailed off, blinking in confusion when she saw Adagio clinging to me, her eyes looking back between us, then the door to my room. “Uh… what, why is Adagio--” “Don’t you worry,” Adagio interrupted, speaking in a low, husky voice. “We’ll just be a few minutes.” Okay, now I know she’s doing this on purpose. Poor Twilight. “O-o-okay. I’ll wait right here. Leave the door unlocked, please,” Twilight stammered, furiously blinking and trying to hide the growing blush on her cheeks. I glared at Adagio with an exasperated expression. “Sure. C’mon, you.” I opened up the door and we went in. Once inside I pulled out the chair from the desk and offered it to Adagio, while I took a seat on the bed. “So, what’s this about?” Adagio paused before answering, collecting her thoughts. Then she blurted, “You’re a pony, aren’t you?” Alarm bells rang in my head in a furious clatter. The sudden, abrupt nature of the question took me completely off guard. This was not what I was expecting to hear! “Uh, what? I uh, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “Don’t lie to me,” Adagio hissed, her teeth bared in a vicious snarl as her hands started curling up into something more resembling claws. “You’re a pony. From Equestria. You were telling us about it last night, fool! How else would you know about it if you weren’t from there?!” Who is this chick? I thought, panic welling up within me. “Even if I was, and I’m not saying I am,” I slowly said as I shifted away from her and closer to the door. “What’s it to you?” Adagio let out a frustrated hiss that sounded more like a lizard of some kind than a human being, her eyes flashing briefly with crimson almost just like Monoponi’s. Then she sat back, her hands relaxing. “Because it’d mean I’m not the only one here who wasn’t born human,” she admitted. Wait, what? I… that… oh…. The panic left me in a heartbeat as I relaxed. Okay. That would explain a few things. A lot of things, actually. But wow, that’s some serious trust she’s showing in me, telling me that. She doesn’t even know me! Still, if she’s going to trust me, then I’d better meet her halfway. “Alright, fine. Yes. I was born a pony. Unicorn, from Canterlot. I had a life there once, but, well, I left. Several years ago. It was… a one way trip.” I’m not about to tell her everything, after all. Some things are probably best left unsaid. Adagio uncrossed her legs so she could scoot closer, her face bearing a wide sneer of triumph. “I knew it. I’d suspected something strange about you right from the moment we met. You... smelled different.” “Smell?” I asked, my face screwing up in confusion. Sure, in my pony body I could distinguish people by scent, but... “But we’re in human bodies. How could you even tell? What, were you a dragon in Equestria or something?” “A dragon? No. Not a dragon. Though you’re thinking along the right lines.” The gaze she cast upon me smoldered with predatory intent, and what was left of my pony instincts after all this time as a human flared right back up into full fervor, screaming at me to run, run away and hide somewhere she couldn’t find me. Then she relaxed the gaze, recrossed her legs, and crossed her arms to boot. “Oh relax, Sunset. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not stupid.” She flashed me a cheeky grin. “Though really, you shouldn’t show fear to a predator. I’d think you’d have learned that in one of your pony schools, or whatever.” “Rrright, okay,” I said, forcing myself to quit trembling. I am Sunset Shimmer, damn it, not a weakling! “So why’d you bring this up anyway?” She inclined an eyebrow, her smile fading fast. “Shouldn’t that be obvious? Given the situation we’re in, this… what should we call it--” “Killing game,” I interjected. “Yes. Killing game. It’s dangerous. Deadly. I’m sure you’d like us all to be optimistic little friends living in perfect harmony, but this isn’t Equestria. This is the human world, and humans are violent when they’re scared.” Her look turned calculating. “In a situation like this, it’s better to have someone able to watch my back. And as a fellow non-human, I thought you might be the best fit. Or was I wrong?” It was a good idea. Having someone I knew I could count on to watch my back would help quite a bit with my chances of survival. I wasn’t naive. I knew no matter how many speeches I made, how many times I tried to convince these people not to do something stupid, someone would eventually crack. Especially if someone kept speaking up every time I tried to inspire people just so they could throw a bucket of cold water all over me, metaphorically speaking. Whoever was running this show was an expert at pulling people’s strings. So having an ally I could count on was an excellent idea. So long as this wasn’t a ruse to turn me into her victim instead. But somehow, as I stared back at her cool, calculating eyes, I could tell that wasn’t the case. Adagio might be a bit of a jerk, but she wasn’t stupid. She’d let other people make the first moves at the very least, and if she did eventually decide to murder to escape, she’d wait until a few people had already tried. And even then, she probably wouldn’t pick me to be her victim. I hoped. So I held out my hand to her, ready to shake. “Agreed. I’ll watch your back. You watch mine.” With a low chuckle like a rumbling car engine she took my hand and shook it firmly. “Good. See that you do.” With that, she stood, made her way for the door, and departed, flashing Twilight a simpering smile on her way out. Twilight favored me with a cautious look as I left my cabin, locking the door behind me. “So, what was that about, anyhow?” she asked. I shrugged. “Just agreed to watch out for each other. No biggie.” “I see.” Twilight adjusted her glasses. I swear she was doing that all the time. Maybe she needed a new pair. “Just so long as you weren’t planning a murder together or something like that.” I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be stupid. You read the rules. You know there’s no point to having an accomplice. Even if you helped someone, only the one who actually kills someone gets to be ‘rescued.’ ” I held up my fingers to do air quotes as I said the word rescued. “An accomplice would just be executed along with the rest of us. It’s pointless.” “She’s right you know!” burst out the voice of Monoponi as the irritating thing flashed into existence with a loud pop of displaced air. “Gaah!” I almost hit my head backing up in surprise from his sudden appearance. Whoa, he can teleport too?! Twilight wasn’t so lucky as she slammed the back of her skull on the wall, right into a corner of metal hanging down from overhead, leaving it dented and with a splash of pink. “Oww…” Twilight moaned, holding a hand to the back of her head. When she brought it forward, it was stained bright pink with blood. “Oh no...” “Upupu, did I startle you?” he sneered, holding a hoof to his mouth. “You should pay more attention!” “Shut up!” I ordered as I moved to look over Twilight’s wound. “Okay, this doesn’t look too bad. It’ll bleed a lot, but we can get this bandaged. Are you feeling dizzy? Faint? How many fingers am I holding up?” I held up three fingers. “Um, no, no, three.” Twilight moaned, squeezing her eyes shut. “Wow that hurts. Um, my name is Twilight Sparkle, my birthday is March 30th, 1996. Today is… Tuesday.” Oh. Right. Standard concussion questions. “Okay, so you’ll probably be fine. We should get this cleaned up. Twilight, why don’t you go wash it out in your room. I’ll go grab a first aid kit from the pharmacy or something. I’m sure they have something we can use.” “Sure, right…” Twilight fumbled with her keys and slipped into her room, leaving the door ajar. As I turned to leave, a squeaky voice harrumphed at me. “What?” I growled, whirling on the annoyance. “Your Captain shows up to answer a question for you and you don’t even acknowledge him!” Monoponi screamed, flapping his wings in frustration. “Bad form! Terrible manners!” “I wasn’t even asking you! I was telling her!” I shouted back, hands on my hips. I threw them up in the air in disgust. “Ugh, I don’t have time for this.” Monoponi dropped to the floor, head hung low. “Oh I see… you don’t even like your poor Captain… oh what a world it is, when passengers won’t be grateful to their hardworking Captain, who works his hooves to the bone to make sure everything is comfortable and safe for them…” With a snort of disgust I scooted my way past him and down to the promenade. I passed by several people still eating in the food court as I reached the shops. Adagio was just emerging from the pharmacy, carrying a massive first aid kit case in her hands, covered in logos bearing Monoponi’s face. “Sunset? Is something wrong? Already?” “Yeah, Twilight hit the back of her head. Do you mind if I borrow that? She’s bleeding a lot.” Adagio grunted, but complied, handing it over. “Fine. Just bring it back to me. I’ll be in the outdoor lounge.” “Thanks!” I grabbed it and raced back to the cabins, finding Twilight bent over, her head under the bathtub faucet, a steady stream of lukewarm water running through her hair. “Hey Twi, I’m back. I’ve got a first aid kit.” Twilight grunted, reaching up with her hand to switch the faucet off. I handed her a towel so she could pat the area dry. It came away still spotted with pink. “Ugh, why do head wounds have to bleed so much?” she moaned. “Gotta have plenty for that big brain of yours I guess,” I shrugged as I popped open the case. To my surprise it was loaded with supplies, far more than I’d usually see in a typical first aid kit. Apart from the usual selection of bandages, antibacterial and burn ointments, and pain relievers, there were all kinds of other drugs available, a lot in bottles labeled with generic names like zolpidem and bupropion, things I didn’t recognize. There was even a large vial of morphine and matching syringe. And if that wasn’t enough, there was also a small kit of surgical equipment bagged up in plastic, with medical scissors, scalpel, and even suturing supplies. Twilight’s eyebrows shot up as she lifted her head to see it. “Wow. Huh. Wonder why so much stuff is in it.” “Who knows?” I shrugged as I pulled out some gauze and medical tape, along with a packet of antibacterial ointment. “Okay, hold still while I bandage this.” I set the ointment on the wound and wrapped the gauze carefully around her head a few times, then taped it gently with the tape. “There. How’s that?” Twilight tested the bandage by touching it, then nodded with a sigh. “That’s good, thanks. Is there any aspirin in that kit?” “Um… yeah, here,” I answered, handing over a packet. I then shut the kit and latched it. “Thanks.” Twilight popped open the packet, tossed the pills in her mouth, then washed it down with a bottle of water she had sitting nearby. Then she put her glasses back on, adjusting them slightly to fit around the gauze. “Thank you, Sunset,” she repeated, standing up after bracing herself on the tub wall. “Sure thing,” I smiled, patting her on the shoulder. “Just watch out next time. Last thing you need is to seriously hurt yourself.” Or worse. “Definitely.” With that we left Twilight’s room. I took the kit over to the outdoor lounge, to return it to Adagio. She was nestled in a chair, a drink sitting on her table, watching the ocean as the ship plowed through the waves. “Oh good, you’re back,” she said. “Just put it on the table.” “Alright.” I set the big kit down, and she pulled it over close to her. “Thanks. Now you can leave please. I wish to be alone.” At my questioning look, she added, “I just need some time to think further about our talk.” Fair enough. I shrugged. “Okay.” With a glance to Twilight to follow me, I passed through the passageway to the bridge deck/pool area, and decided to go sit down on one of the loungers. The ship's engines thrummed below us as it pushed us through the sea. The weather outside was picture perfect, all blue skies without a cloud to be seen, sun shining forth. No birds, though, not even a lone seagull. Just the ocean, the smell of salt in the air, and the ship. We weren’t sitting there for long before Flash Sentry wandered over, carrying a few bottles of soda in a plastic bag. “Hey, mind if I sit down with you?” he asked. “Yeah, grab a seat,” I grinned, patting down the chair on the opposite side of Twilight. “Great.” He laid down, got comfortable, then pulled the sodas out of his bag. “Want one?” “Sure!” We both took a soda, and for a few minutes we sat there in silence, just enjoying the ocean breeze. I was busy running things through my head from that morning, thinking about what I’d seen Monoponi do. He’s used magic several times now, including teleportation, so whoever was behind him must’ve had some impressive power. I still didn’t understand how they could use magic on this side of the portal though. When I first came through, I lost everything, all my magic. The only thing I had left was my money, and I didn’t exactly have a lot in bits. But solid gold was pretty valuable on this side of the portal, so between that and the gems I had a lot more money than I knew at first. But this pony, or whoever they were behind Monoponi, they were acting like the portal meant nothing to them. I almost wondered if they really were Monoponi, just in some kind of shape changed form, because he sure was a bit too animated to be a robot. Then again it could just be some kind of fake, or projection of some kind--there was magic in Equestria that would let you do that, dark magic to control golems or other creations. The kind of thing that made the timberwolves in the Everfree, for instance. “Hey Sunset, you there?” I sat up, almost spilling soda from my open bottle. “Huh?” Flash looked at me with an amused grin. “You kinda zoned out there.” I let out a sheepish laugh. “Sorry, just thinking. Did you say something?” “Yeah, I was just wondering where we are in the world,” Flash said, gesturing out to the ocean. “I mean it’s just open water out there. No landmarks or anything.” Twilight interjected, “Actually, I have a pretty good guess. I was able to see some of the stars last night, and they didn’t look anything like the northern hemisphere constellations. I’ve studied a lot of astronomy, and although I haven’t spent as much time with the south as the north when studying, I’m certain we must be somewhere in the southern hemisphere, possibly the south Pacific.” “That far, huh?” Flash wondered, setting his soda down so he could scratch his chin. “How d’you think he even got us here to begin with?” Magic, duh, I thought. Aloud, I said, “I dunno if we should speculate right now. We don’t have enough information.” “I’ll bet you’re just saying that because you don’t want Twi here to get mad at you saying magic, huh?” Flash said with a chuckle. Twilight frowned at him. “As I’ve said before, magic doesn’t exist.” Flash shrugged and took a swig of his soda. “Eh, I dunno. We saw some weird shit last night on the deck, and I heard someone say Monoponi just appeared from out of nowhere in front of ‘em.” “He did that to us too,” Twilight grumbled, rubbing at her head. “Startled the heck out of me. But it wasn’t magic. He probably just used a burst of light to disguise himself running in.” “Oh, is that why you’ve got that big bandage on your head? I didn’t want to be rude and ask,” Flash said with a sympathetic smile. I resisted the urge to correct her obvious misassumption. “Does it really matter? I mean, magic or no magic, it ends up being the same either way, right?” “I guess…” Twilight stared down at her soda, her frown deepening. “I just don’t want to assume something supernatural is occurring when it could just as easily be explained by natural phenomena. I’m a scientist, you see.” “Oh yeah?” I asked, intrigued. I figured she had to be some kind of researcher, since Monoponi literally labeled her Ultimate Researcher in her profile. “What’re you studying?” “Right now I’m starting up a second bachelor’s, this one in mathematics. My first one was in chemistry. I’m looking at pursuing a postgraduate program for both.” “Wow,” Flash said, eyes widening. “You’re pretty smart, huh? I can’t imagine going to school for that long. I loved college, but I could only take so much, you know?” Twilight giggled, a pleasant little laugh that reminded me of chiming bells. “I understand. It’s not for everyone. But I enjoy the life of an academic. It’s rewarding for me, and, well, it means I only need to interact with so many people.” Her face turned a bright pink and she looked away. “I-I mean not that it’s bad to talk to you! I-I just, I’m bad with… with social things!” “S’okay, I get it,” Flash grinned. “Just means you’re introverted. Not a bad thing.” Twilight blushed deeper and tried to bury her face into her chest. “Sorry!” “Hey, you guys!” We looked up to see Scootaloo running our way, stopping to lean over and hold her knees as she panted heavily, trying to catch her breath. “You guys,” she repeated, “Everyone’s gathering in the food court. Pinkie says she’s got something she wants to say to everyone.” “Huh, I wonder what this is about,” I commented as we all got up to follow Scootaloo back to the promenade. Poor girl must’ve been running all over the place because as soon as she got the chance she broke off to grab a bottle of water from the convenience store. I also saw Timber Spruce emerge from the sporting goods store wearing a large black fabric backpack as we walked by. That reminds me: get a backpack of my own asap. I don’t want to tear a hole in my jacket thanks to this stupid Monopad. “Hey hey,” Timber said in greeting, joining us in approaching the growing crowd. “What’s all the commotion about, huh?” Then he caught sight of Twilight and his face twisted in surprise. “Whoa, what happened to you?” Twilight glared at him over her glasses. “I just hit my head on a wall. I’m fine.” “Oh okay. For a minute there I thought Sunset clubbed you or something, hahaaha!” Timber clapped us both on our shoulders. I shrugged off the touch, shot him a withering glare, and made my way to the front of the crowd. Pinkie was standing up high on a box she’d gotten from somewhere placed on the table, waving her hands and arms. “Hey, everyone, hey, is everybody here? Are we missing anyone?” she asked. “We’re all here, Pinkie,” Scootaloo announced. “What is this about, anyhow?” Trixie spoke up, striking her usual crossed arm pose. “Trixie was busy with important matters!” Adagio snickered. “Like trying to figure out how to speak like a normal person?” “Do not start that with Trixie again!” “Hey, hush you two!” Pinkie cried out. “I’ve got something to say!” Once they quieted down, she dramatically cleared her throat, then announced, “We’re all feeling pretty unhappy right now, huh? That Monoponi guy sure is a big ol’ meanie, trying to make us kill each other! Well I say no! What we need right now, more than anything, is something to cheer ourselves up! And the best way I know how to do that? A party!” “A party? Are you serious?” Wallflower interrupted, a look of disbelief etched on her face. “Are you as stupid as Sunset? We’re stuck in this, uh--” “Killing game,” Adagio provided, winking in my direction. “Yeah, this killing game, and you want to throw a party? Are you nuts?” Pinkie seemed to pause as if to actually consider that statement. “Well I mean, I like nuts. Are we talking pistachios? Macadamias? Oooh, maybe walnuts! No, no, wait! I know! Cashews!” Wallflower slapped a hand to her face with a groan. “You know what? Nevermind. Just count me out. I’m not going to a party.” She trudged away, shoving her way past Adagio and Trixie without bothering to apologize, causing both to glare at her departing back. “But, but, everyone’s supposed to coooome!” Pinkie whined, stamping her feet like a little kid, her lip hanging out in an exaggerated display of sorrow. “Oh, fine then. Who needs her? The rest of us’ll do! Whaddya say everyone?” Timber held up a fist. “Hell yeah! I think a party’s just what we need! Gotta get some spirit back in us!” “Well, I suppose a soiree would do our morale some good,” Rarity considered, hand on her chin. “Oh, but what kind? Where? Who would set up for it?” “Oh I can take care of any planning easy peasy,” Pinkie said with a giggle. “If you want to help set up though, I’d love the help! I could always use people to make decorations, streamers… maybe party hats if they don’t have any in the stores…” “Oooh, oooh!” Sweetie bounced up and down, waving her hand. “I want to help too! I like helping!” “And she says she aint a kid no more, huh?” Apple Bloom chuckled, elbowing her sister in the side, Applejack chuckling with her. Flash raised his own hand. “Hey, if you want music at the party, I’m so down to play something. I can DJ, if nothin’ else.” For some reason, him saying the word DJ made me think, very briefly, of someone with white skin, electric blue hair and purple sunglasses, before the image faded. Who was that? I wondered, before dismissing the thought. “Trixie would love the chance to show off some of her amazing illusions and fantastic skills,” Trixie mused, with a growing grin on her face. “Not to diss your magic or anything, but maybe you should save that for another time?” Rainbow Dash suggested. “If we’re thinking party, I’m thinking pool party, because why not? We got that olympic size pool all ready to go!” Trixie pouted, her face screwing up in a frankly adorable gesture of disappointment. “Trixie supposes you might be right.” Then she drew herself up and smiled again. “Besides, that just gives Trixie more time to practice and assemble the right supplies for a proper show!” “That’s the spirit!” Pinkie cheered, waving her arms as if she were holding pom poms. “And Rainbow, I like your style! A pool party sounds great! But you know what would be even better? If we held it at night!” “Wait, why at night?” Twilight interjected with a raised hand. “That seems like it might be more dangerous, especially with the pool.” “Psssh, naaaw, no way!” Pinkie dismissed. “Did you see how well the bridge deck was lit? We’ll be able to see no problem. Besides, if we hold it at night, then everyone can sleep off any hangovers!” “We get to drink at this party?!” Scootaloo cried. “Sweet! I’m soo in!” “Whoa, hold it there a minute,” Flash interrupted. “We’re all at least twenty-one, right? No one under?” I brought out my Monopad and flipped through the profiles real quick. “Yeah, we’re all good.” “Alright then. Maybe a couple of us should avoid the alcohol, just in case.” Twilight cleared her throat. “I-I agree with him. I’m not much of one for booze anyway. We could use a couple of chaperones just to watch out for everyone, make sure no one gets hurt in the pool. We’re all adults, but, well....” “Very well! Trixie is an excellent swimmer! She can be a perfect lifeguard for the party!” Trixie cheered, pumping her fist in the air. “I’ll be the other lifeguard, then,” Flash said, nodding. “I’m a pretty good swimmer too.” “And I’ll chaperone the food and drinks so nobody spills anything,” Twilight said. Under her breath, she added, “Or poisons anything…” “Haha, yeah! This is gonna be so awesome!” Rainbow Dash cheered, bouncing in place. “I suppose it’ll be a good diversion, if nothing else,” Adagio said, giving me a look that said We’d better be careful. I nodded back with my own look. We will. “Yeah, I think it’ll be fun.” “So when are we holdin’ this shindig, then?” Applejack asked with a big smile on her face. “Hmmm....” Pinkie Pie pointedly placed her fingers on her chin, tapping her shoes in an exaggerated thinking pose. “How about… tomorrow night! That gives us plenty of time to get things together, to set up, and so on!” “If you don’t mind, Pinkie darling, I’d love to contribute. I can sew some beautiful streamers from some of the fabrics in the stores here!” Rarity said, eyes sparkling. “Great!” Pinkie replied. “I’ll be counting on you, Rarity! Everyone else, come speak to me when you get a chance to see what you can do to help! I’ve got some invitations to make!” With that she hopped off the table and sped off before Timber could say, “Wait, why are you making invitations when we already know when it is?” “Who knows,” Rainbow shrugged. “And who cares? This is gonna rock!” I wasn’t so sure. This seemed pretty dangerous to me. After all, while a party might be fun, it also makes a lot of noise. Like one big distraction. Someone could easily sneak away during the party to do something… bad. So even though I didn’t speak up directly to volunteer as a chaperone, I decided to keep an eye out during the party anyway. Maybe between Adagio and I, and Twilight and Flash for that matter, we can all avoid the worst case scenario. I sure hoped so, anyway.