//------------------------------// // Chapter Two: What Lurks In The Depths Part 7 // Story: Danganronpa: In Harmony's Wake // by Dewdrops on the Grass //------------------------------// Chapter Two: What Lurks in the Depths Trial Part Two Apple Bloom’s trial… so far, we hadn’t worked out as much as I would’ve hoped. We’d confirmed how she died and the method used, but we spent more time arguing over whether she did it to herself than determining who was actually responsible. Unlike with Wallflower’s case, I still had no suspects. Pinkie had a point earlier during the scrum debate: with the right books and opportunity, anyone could’ve done this. And there was plenty of opportunity. The Monopad map glitch was still in the back of my mind. I knew it had to have some connection with the case. Indeed, if we could figure out why that happened, it could be the biggest clue we’d have to solving it. That, and their motive. I was their original target, but why? I still didn’t understand. And until we figured that out, we might not be able to figure out anything else. “So what do we do now?” Scootaloo asked. “I dunno where we should go from here.” Thank you, Scootaloo. “I think the key here is that I was the target. If we can figure out why someone would target me,” I said, trying to inject a measure of confidence into my voice, “then we can figure out the rest.” “But how’re we supposed to do that, darling?” Rarity asked, raising a hand questioningly. “I certainly can’t imagine a reason why anyone would want to see you dead.” “Monoponi’s motive,” I said simply. “I know he said that we can’t reveal the secrets--” “That’s right!” Monoponi interrupted, bursting up out of his chair just to wave his forehooves menacingly. “No telling!” “But,” I said with a glare his way, “he did say we can try to figure out what they are. Right, Monoponi?” Monoponi settled back down, folding up his limbs. “Ahem. Yes. That you can do.” “But why do you think the secret’s even involved?” Sweetie Belle asked, raising an eyebrow. I took in a deep breath, and steeled my nerves. “Because I can only think of three possible secrets I could have, judging by the kind of secrets Monoponi was handing out. And of those, two of them would make me look… pretty bad, given our situation.” I saw Adagio’s eyes widen considerably as she shot me a warning look, very subtly shaking her head. “No,” she breathed. “Don’t.” “What do you mean, bad?” Rainbow Dash asked, holding up her hands in confusion. “What, does it have to do with that Eque-whatever place you talked about back on the first night?” Adagio’s hands gripped into fists, hard enough that her fingernails punctured her own skin. “There is no such place,” she suddenly spat. “Sunset was making it up.” “She was?” Fluttershy replied, disbelief etched across her face. “But, why would she lie?” “Because that’s what she does!” Tiara interrupted, slamming a fist on her podium. “Sunset’s been suspicious from day one, remember? Monoponi knew who she was. She knew what this killing game was before it got started. She anticipated the motives, the Monoponi files, the trials… Why do any of us trust her at all? She might be the traitor! It would explain a lot!” “Tiara, I explained that, remember?” I answered, resisting the urge to slap a hand to my head. I am so sick of her, I swear to Celestia. “I told you all about Danganronpa. It’s a video game series. That’s how I knew. This Monoponi guy, or whoever’s behind him? They’re just ripping those games off.” “Yeah for real, Tiara,” Flash added, frowning at the rich elitist. “Just because Sunset knew what the killing game was doesn’t mean she’s the traitor. Frankly I still don’t buy that there is a traitor. I think Monoponi made that up.” “Me? Lie? I would never!” Monoponi gasped, holding a hoof to his mouth. “Why, the very idea that your Captain would ever choose to deceive you is simply incomprehensible! I can assure you all! There is a traitor amongst you. There always has been.” “Okay, soooo, if there is a traitor, what’s that got to do with Sunset?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking around at the group. “‘Cause I dunno about you guys, but Sunset’s been pretty chill. We’ve been real jerks to her left and right, but she just keeps standing up for us anyway.” “Don’t you remember what Wallflower said though?” Scootaloo pointed out, glaring my way. “She said that’s exactly what the traitor would do. They’d be nice, and friendly with everyone, just to stab them in the back.” “Hmm…” Pinkie scratched her chin. “That seems pretty sneaky though. Is Sunset really that sneaky?” Rarity snorted. “This is beginning to sound like a witch hunt! Damned if you do, damned if you don’t, is that it? If she drowns she’s innocent, if she floats she’s guilty?” Applejack slapped a palm lightly on her podium. “Ah gotta agree with Rarity. Ah’ve been tellin’ y’all, Ah got a sense for honesty, and Sunset’s been nothin’ but honest.” She pursed her lips. "Well. Mostly.” “Hold on a second,” Twilight interrupted. She raised a finger and pointed it at Adagio. “Adagio, you said Sunset made Equestria up, right?” Her eyes narrowed into slits. “How do you know that?” Adagio crossed her arms, glaring at the floor. “Because I do.” “No. That’s not an acceptable answer,” Twilight retorted. “You need to explain your reasoning. Now.” “I don’t have to do a damned thing you say, Sparkle!” Adagio roared, leaning down at her podium like she was preparing to pounce on Twilight and rip out her throat. “So back off, or else you’ll regret it.” Twilight arched one eyebrow, her lips curling into a sneer. Then she reached into her backpack, pulled out a notebook, and scribbled something down on it. “I see. Well, you just became number one on my suspect list for the traitor, then.” “Seriously, Twi? Come on,” I said, holding out my hands in a placating gesture. “Adagio’s not the traitor, okay? Trust me. She can’t be the traitor.” Turning her gaze on me, as full of suspicion as it had been the very first time we met, Twilight said cooly, “And why is that? Are you admitting guilt?” “No, I’m not the traitor either!” Now I really did slap a hand to my head. “Look, just trust me, okay? It’s not possible for either of us to be the traitor.” “Sunset… you trust Adagio?” Trixie asked, her eyes sparkling with the glint of unshed tears. And hurt. “Why?” “Because she’s my friend, Trixie, just like you are,” I said, holding out a hand to take Trixie’s. I noticed Adagio’s eye twitch at this sign of affection, but she could get over it. “I know she’s been mean to you. I’ve been trying to get her to stop. Right, Adagio?” Adagio ground her teeth together. “Yes,” she murmured. “See?” A friendly smile spread across my face. “I told you.” Trixie curled up one side of her mouth in an unconvinced frown. “Trixie supposes…” “Wait, since when did you and Adagio become friends?” Rainbow Dash interjected, casting her eyes at Adagio, then me, then back again like she was watching a tennis match. “What, are you two sleeping together or something?” Flash nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’m wondering that too. Didn’t Adagio just threaten you yesterday?” My face practically glowed with pink. “What? No! No way, we’re just friends. We just talk, that’s all,” I replied with sheepish laughter. Real smooth there, Sunset. She’s totally going to buy that. Yup. Adagio looked just as flustered, wringing her hands together like she was going to throttle the athlete. Rainbow Dash glanced between us a bit more, then burst out into a gut-busting laugh. “Bwahahaha! You are! No wonder Adagio wanted that book! Ahahaha!” “Oh my,” Rarity said, rapidly fanning herself with her hand. “I didn’t expect that. Though I suppose that explains that glow you had earlier today…” “Guess there’s no accounting for taste,” Tiara snorted, shaking her head. Pinkie pranced in place, seeming happier than she had all day. “Oooh, we should come up with a name for you two! Maybe Adashimmer? Sundazzle? Wait, no! Sunsagio!” Adagio stilled, her face taking on the cold malice of the darkest of winter nights. In a low, ominous tone, she said, “Say any of those names again and you won’t live to regret it.” “Aww…” Applejack tore her hat off her head and thumped it down on her podium. “Oh for pete’s sake, y’all, we’re in the middle of a trial here! Can we please get back on topic?” “I dunno,” Twilight said, amusement sparkling in her eyes, a smirk growing on her face. “I’m kind of savoring the schadenfreude right now.” Flash snickered. “A little bit of payback?” “You could say that.” “Applejack’s right,” I interjected, throwing out one arm, my face still burning with the ferocity of my blush. “Whatever Adagio and I are to each other isn’t what’s important. We’re supposed to be discussing secrets.” “Weren’t we, though?” Sweetie Belle chuckled. “I mean we can cross one secret off the list, right?” “No--well, maybe--but that’s not what I meant!” I groaned in frustration. “ No, listen, please. When I was talking about a secret that would make me look bad, I was talking about Equestria.” That finally got everyone’s attention. The laughter and merriment vanished, shifting back to the tension and undercurrent of fear that the trials usually brought. “But, but, didn’t Adagio just say you were making that up?” Scootaloo asked. “Because she is,” Adagio insisted, now unleashing that cold fury on me. “Equestria is just a fantasy.” “Adagio, you know that isn’t true,” I replied simply, refusing to waver under her gaze. “I know you’re trying to protect me. It’s okay. This wasn’t even something I was originally intending to keep secret anyway. I was going to tell everyone the first night, and I only didn’t because I was interrupted.” My siren friend poured a powerful message into the stoney silence she sent my way next. I was trying to protect myself too, you idiot. A brief apologetic smile formed on my face. I know, Adagio. I’m sorry. But we have to. She closed her eyes, and let out a quiet sigh, then held up one hand to say Go ahead then. She then looked down at her podium and gripped the sides of it, as if steeling herself. “Listen, guys. Equestria is a real place. It’s just like I told you on the first night. It’s a world parallel to this one, full of magic. And instead of just humans, like on Earth, there are all kinds of species living there. Ponies, griffons, yaks, diamond dogs, hippogriffs, changelings, dragons... “ I took a deep breath before saying the next word. “...Sirens. And so many more. It’s a wonderful world, full of sunshine and rainbows, where friendship is magic.” “Sounds like a little girl’s cartoon,” Rainbow Dash snorted, rolling her eyes. “That’s why I didn’t believe you the first time, you know.” “I know, I know, I’m overselling it,” I grumbled. “But it’s where ponies like Monoponi come from. Right, Monoponi?” Monoponi sat there in silence, not responding, just tapping a hoof impatiently on the arm of his throne. “What? Did you say something, Sunset?” he suddenly burst out after a moment, looking my way as if I’d startled him. Rolling my eyes, I hissed, “Nevermind,” through my teeth. “After everythin’ we’ve been seein’ this past week, and what we’ve been goin’ through, Ah think Ah believe you this time,” Applejack said, giving me a nod. “Ah’ve been convinced that magic is real.” “I dunno, it still seems kinda weird to me,” Sweetie Belle objected. “Weird? Try ridiculous!” Tiara insisted with a scoff. “Even if this place is real, Sunset, how do you know about it?” Twilight adjusted her glasses, all traces of amusement gone. “I want to know too. You never did answer that question properly.” “This… this is where it’s going to make me look bad, guys,” I said. Anxiety flooded my system, filling me with adrenalin. I wasn’t sure I wanted to own up to this any more. But I had to. If we were going to figure out who killed Apple Bloom, I had to. So I took another deep breath, squeezed my palms against my podium to steel myself, then looked up and said, “I know because I’m from there. I wasn’t born human. I was born a pony.” “What?!” “Huh?!” “Oh… my…” “Oh my dear heavens!” “What the heck?!” Everyone except for Adagio broke out into expressions of outrage, surprise, and in a couple of cases, fear. Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle both seemed terrified of my revelation. Rarity had fainted onto her podium, though I wasn’t sure how much of that was for drama and how much was real. Rainbow Dash was downright furious, as if I’d betrayed her belief in me by admitting to this. Even Applejack was stunned. Flash Sentry bit his thumb, like he didn’t know what to say. Scootaloo was likewise confused. Pinkie Pie screeched long and loud, her eyes bugged out of her sockets as she gripped the sides of her head. Trixie seemed… sad, and disheartened. As if I should’ve told her before now. It tore at my heart. Twilight, though… her reaction scared me. Her gaze turned even colder, more detached, looking at me like I was a laboratory specimen. She adjusted her glasses, which twinkled in the courtroom lights. “I see,” she said, her voice just as cold and detached as her demeanor. “So even though you appear human, you’re actually just like Monoponi.” “Uh, no, not just like Monoponi,” I replied, waving my hands as panic filled my being. “He’s an alicorn. I was just a unicorn. Not the same kind of pony at all.” “But you’re still not human,” Twilight reiterated, her tone taking on an edge of anger. “And if you’re not human, and Monoponi isn’t human either… the conclusion is obvious.” “Sure seems like it,” Sweetie Belle agreed, glowering at me with naked hostility. Trixie burst into tears, and moved as far away from me as she possibly could while still standing at her podium, hunched over with her face in her hands. Rarity moved over to gently stroke her on her back, while shooting me a furious glare. “I thought we could trust you, Sunset,” Rainbow Dash said, squeezing her eyes shut and balling up a fist. “I guess I was wrong after all.” “No, no, no!” I fired back, the panic shifting to cold terror. “No, you don’t get it! I’m not like Monoponi, okay? He’s nothing like most ponies! He’s a monster! We’re not like that at all!” “Uh huh. Sure. I totally buy that,” Diamond Tiara snorted. “Not!” Applejack doffed her hat and placed it down gently. She fixed her gaze upon me, like twin emerald drills burrowing into my brain, searching for secrets. “Sunset. Be honest with me now. Tell me to mah face. Are you the traitor? Did you set this game up with Monoponi?” “No!” I cried out. “No, Applejack. I didn’t, okay? I’m innocent.” Please. Please believe me, Applejack. I’m telling you the truth. Applejack continued to stare for several long, slow moments. “Is that so?” she muttered. “Hmm.” Then she nodded. “Alright then. Ah believe her, y’all. She’s tellin’ the truth.” “She is?” Sweetie Belle blurted, whirling to face the farmer. “But, but, she said she was a pony!” “Ah know that,” Applejack replied calmly. “And she’s right. She ain’t human. Not entirely. Ah’ve been thinkin’ she was keepin’ somethin’ from us, but it never seemed like it was somethin’ bad. This must’ve been it.” Tears of relief streamed down my face. “Thank you, Applejack,” I whispered. “Thank you.” “So, wait, now I’m confused again,” Rainbow Dash said. “Should we or should we not be mad at Sunset?” “Um, I think… not?” Fluttershy asked, her head cocked to the side. Trixie sniffled, wiping dripping snot from her face. “Trixie is very unhappy with Sunset for keeping this secret from her.” She shifted back closer towards me and reached out a hand, setting it on my shoulder. “Sunset, please don’t keep any more secrets from me, okay? I’m your friend. I want to be able to trust you.” Rainbow Dash leaned over to Fluttershy and stage whispered, “Did Trixie just speak in first person?” “Hush, Dashie,” Fluttershy scolded. I slipped Trixie’s hand off my shoulder and took it in mine instead. “I’m sorry, Trixie. I’m really sorry. I just… I didn’t want to tell anyone because I was afraid of exactly what’s happening right now. And I didn’t say anything about Adagio because, well… she didn’t want me to. I promise, no more secrets, okay?” Trixie nodded, blinking away her remaining tears. Her frown slowly shifted into a small, if still sad, smile. “I get it, Sunset. I do. And, well… okay. I’ll trust you. Just don’t do this again. Please.” She withdrew her hand from mine and held it close to her breast. “My heart can’t take it.” “You got it, Trixie,” I said, smiling back. “Okay, okay, blah blah blah no one gives a crap about your friendship drama!” Diamond Tiara interjected, stamping all over the somber mood. “That doesn’t change the fact that Sunset’s a freaking pony!” “But Applejack said we could trust her, and I trust Applejack, sooo... “ Scootaloo shrugged. “I guess it’s fine?” Flash nodded, though he still looked more than a little uncertain. “Yeah… I’ve been giving you the benefit of the doubt so far, Sunset. I’m still not happy with the way you acted earlier… but if Applejack can trust you, I can trust you. I guess.” “Well, I do trust Applejack’s judgement,” Rarity admitted, pressing her knuckles to her lips. “But Sunset, I am not happy with you right now. I hope you know that.” “Yeah, I get it. Look, I’m sorry, everyone. But do you see why I brought this up?” I blew out a sigh through my teeth. “The way you all reacted proves what I was saying. This had to have been my secret. This is why the culprit tried to kill me. Because they made the exact same wrong assumptions you all did: they thought I was the traitor.” “I still think you are,” Tiara murmured under her breath, crossing her arms. “It would be a logical reaction,” Twilight said, still acting as cold and unfeeling as she had ever since my reveal. Maybe it was a defense mechanism for her. “Because someone might think that, if they killed the traitor, the game would end. We’d all be freed.” “Upupupu… ahahahahah eyahahahahahahahahahahaha!” Monoponi let loose a flurry of laughter, rolling off his throne to land on the floor with a squishy thump. “Oh, that’s so hilarious! Ahahahaha! Like I’d end the game just because you killed the traitor! Ahahaha!” Tears streamed forth from his pony eyes. He wriggled his limbs all over as he laughed. Then he abruptly ceased, hopping back onto his throne and clearing his throat. “Ahem. No. That wouldn’t happen. The traitor isn’t running the game. I am. If you kill the traitor, well… “ he shrugged. “No skin off my muzzle.” “Good to know,” Twilight muttered as she scribbled something down on her notepad. Then she placed it back in her backpack and steepled her hands on her podium. “Okay. So we know why Sunset was targeted now. Where does that lead us?” “Well, it’s not like we can just ask who had Sunset’s secret, right?” Rainbow Dash said, holding up a hand to her chin. “No, we can’t,” Tiara grumbled, rolling her eyes. “Monoponi only said that like a million times. Jeez.” “Oooh, I have an idea!” Pinkie blurted. She’d been oddly quiet, apart from her initial screech at the reveal of my secret. I had no idea what the girl was thinking. She’d been so vocal in the last trial, but ever since, she’d only spoken up every so often. Like she was just letting out little bits of personality only when she had to. It was weird. But then again, maybe, like Twilight, it was some sort of defense mechanism. “What is it, Pinkie?” Scootaloo asked. “Maybe we oughta figure out what caused the Monopad glitch! Remember? Last night the Monopads went all funky and the map blinked out. We talked about it this morning but we never figured out what caused it.” “Of course,” Twilight said, holding a hand to her forehead. “I’m an idiot. I completely forgot about that.” “What Monopad glitch?” Sweetie asked, raising both eyebrows. “I don’t remember anything about a Monopad glitch.” “Sweetie, darling, we were just talking about it this morning, like Pinkie said,” Rarity chided with a tsk tsk tsk noise under her breath, waggling one finger at her sister. “Please pay more attention.” Sweetie fired off a nasty glare in her sister’s direction, but Rarity paid it no heed. “It happened at about 10:30 PM,” I said, “Right around the time the spear was purchased. We need to discuss where we were all at during that time.” “We do have a record of some people’s locations,” Twilight stated, tapping on her Monopad. Fact #12: Movements Tracked: “At 10:30 PM, just before the map glitched, the following people were outside of their cabins: Twilight Sparkle, Apple Bloom -- Library Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo -- Bridge Deck Adagio Dazzle -- Theater Diamond Tiara -- Game Corner At 1:00 AM, all fourteen passengers were in their cabins.” “Specifically, myself, Apple Bloom, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Adagio, and Diamond Tiara.” “We already addressed mah sister, Tiara, and yerself, Twilight,” Applejack added. She scooped up her hat and placed it back on her head. “So that just leaves the other three.” “It couldn’t have been me,” Rainbow Dash immediately, raising up her hands. “Scootaloo and I were playing a game last night.” “Yeah, I bought a soccer ball from the store and we were kicking it around,” Scootaloo agreed. “We were soooo tired. I walked back to my cabin with Rainbow Dash right after 10:30.” “I can confirm that,” Fluttershy spoke up, raising her hand. “I met with Rainbow Dash right afterwards. We had tea in my cabin.” “Tea, you say?” Rarity hopped to attention, her focus squarely on Fluttershy. “Where did you get it?” Fluttershy let out a little “eep” noise before managing to summon up the courage to answer. “Um, the convenience store has a lot of varieties of tea, in k-cups. And there’s a k-cup machine in our cabins, so, um… yeah.” “Oh, of course. I hadn’t even considered that. I should really get some after the trial is over,” Rarity replied, smiling at the timid woman. “I haven’t had a good cup of tea since we got here.” “Hang on,” Tiara interrupted. She stared at her Monopad. “Heeey… this says Adagio was at the theater at 10:30!” All eyes turned to the siren. She hadn’t said a word since early on in my reveal, and from the way she was working her jaw, her face pink with rage, I was kind of glad she hadn’t. She burned like an overloaded steam engine ready to blow. “What about it?” she snarled. “Adagio,” I started, only to shrink back as she whirled in my direction, shaking so much with fury I was afraid she’d lift off into space. “Adagio, please calm down,” I said more quietly. “I’m not accusing you of making the trap.” “Good,” Adagio hissed. “Because I wouldn’t.” “I know you wouldn’t,” I answered. “We just need to clear up this issue first. Why were you at the theater?” “More importantly, did you see anything?” Twilight asked. Adagio let out a loud grunt, and managed to stop her shaking. “I… I was just looking for Sunset. She wasn’t there, so I left.” Immediately, I knew. I knew that was a lie. Adagio, what’re you doing? If you lie like that… I’d better back her up. She’ll never admit her real reason, whatever it was. “Oh, so that’s why you came to my cabin afterwards!” I said, trying to act like I’d had a sudden realization. “Hmmm....” Applejack held a hand to her chin, her expression full of doubt. She narrowed her eyes, muttering as she looked back and forth between us, before settling on me. As subtle as I could, I flashed her a quick thumbs up. Applejack rolled her eyes, but she didn’t say a word, dropping her hand to her side. “What is it, AJ?” Rainbow asked, arching an eyebrow. “Nothin’,” Applejack muttered, looking away immediately, her mouth curling up into some kind of embarrassed pout. I couldn’t help but wince. Ugh, Applejack, you are not a good liar, are you? Still, Rainbow seemed to buy it, because she shrugged. “Okay. Anyway, Adagio, like Twi said: Did you see anybody on your way back?” “No, I didn’t,” Adagio answered bluntly, sweeping a hand through her hair and spitting out a few that had strayed into her mouth. “I just went straight back via the restaurants.” “Great. That’s a big help,” Dash muttered, throwing up her arms and clapping them back down to her sides. “Everyone else was in their cabins at 10:30,” Twilight stated, looking back down at her Monopad. “So that means whoever it was, they left their cabin after 10:30, then returned before 1:00 AM, when the map switched back on and it showed everyone in their cabins.” “Then that means they knew the glitch was going to happen!” Scootaloo said, pounding a fist into her open palm. “Like they caused it, or something.” “But how was someone supposed to do that?” Sweetie asked, holding up a hand and screwing up her face with confusion. “It’s not like you could just hack a Monopad or something.” She glanced Twilight’s way. “Right?” “No. If there is a way, I haven’t found one yet,” Twilight answered with a frown. “I think I know how,” I spoke up. “It was the motive. Specifically, the second part of the motive.” ~*~ “I have a puzzle for you all to solve! The first person to answer my puzzle will get a fabulous prize! What is the puzzle? What is the prize? Well you’ll just have to speak to me privately to find out! Maybe it’ll be useful. Who knows? You won’t, till you try! Just keep in mind, it’s first come, first served!” He dropped the pose. “If you want to speak to me, just call out for me. But only when you’re alone! I won’t appear if there’s even a chance someone else might overhear!” ~*~ “I meant to check with Monoponi about it during the investigation, but… well, I never did.” I shrugged sheepishly. “Wait, are you suggesting the prize was the Monopad glitch itself?” Twilight asked. “But, why would that be a prize? It’s not like any of us mentioned we were keeping an eye on the map before.” “No, silly, it makes perfect sense!” Pinkie retorted. “After all, if anyone’s gonna try and sneak around, it’d be better to be sure no one can watch you do it, right?” “I guess…” “Wait, but how’re we gonna find out now?” Flash asked, holding up both hands palm upwards. “It’s not like one of us can leave the trial. “ “Why don’t we just ask him?” Scootaloo suggested. She turned around to face the alicorn. “Hey, Monoponi! What’s your puzzle?” Monoponi held up a hoof to his mouth. “Upupu, I won’t tell you! You’re not alone!” “Oh come on,” Scootaloo whined, throwing out a hand. “You gotta tell us. This is for the trial!” “Please, Monoponi?” Pinkie added, pulling her hands together into a prayer-like gesture and giving him puppy-dog eyes. “Pretty please with sugar on top?” Monoponi’s grin vanished, replaced by a dangerous looking grimace. “Ugh, fine! But your Captain is not happy about this! Such laziness amongst my crew would never be tolerated! Seriously, not one of you asked me during the investigation. Pathetic!” With a few beats of his wings Monoponi took the air, hovering high above the courtroom. He spread out all four legs till he looked like a floating demon with six limbs. “The puzzle, you ask? It is very, very simple. A single question that you must answer. And I think you’ll all be able to answer it now. The question is this! What is Sunset Shimmer’s true nature?” I was right. My secret was the key. The only ones who could’ve answered this question before the trial was myself, Adagio… and the culprit. Aloud, I called out, “I’m from Equestria, born a pony!” “Correct!” Monoponi designed until he was hovering directly before me, his horn pointed dangerously at my face. “Of course, you’re too late. I told you before. It’s first come, first served! You don’t get a prize! But. But but but. Since it’s for the trial, and you complete incompetant morons would be stuck without it… I’ll tell you what the prize was.” He beat his wings, sending a burst of wind into my face and ruffling my hair as he returned to his throne. “The prize was twofold. A single purchase of your choice from my lovely prize counter, free of charge--to you---and a one time use, on demand Monoponi brand Map Scrambler! The scrambler, naturally, rendered everyone’s maps useless! Except the culprit’s, that is, upupupu!” “Then I was right! The culprit did fake Apple Bloom’s name on the tickets!” Rainbow Dash cried, pumping her fist in the air. “Yeah! Who called it? I did!” “And the map glitch was key. Of course by this point that was obvious,” Twilight stated, rolling her eyes. “But it’s nice to have the confirmation.” Didn’t you just doubt that the map scrambling would be a prize? I wondered, but I chose not to call her on it. She was pissed enough at me as it was. “So then we’ve got a lot of things we can use to narrow down the culprit,” I stated. Holding out a hand, I counted off on my fingers. “We know they used Apple Bloom’s ticket to buy the spear. We also know they did that ten minutes after they activated the map glitch and left their cabin. They had to take the long path from their cabin to the game corner, via the bridge deck and the shops quarter, so they could avoid everyone else coming via the restaurant quarter, and they had to sneak past Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash in the process, though with their map still working, that’d be pretty easy.” “So it had to be somebody fast,” Scootaloo said, nodding. “Or small. Somebody who could sneak around pretty easily.” “And they had to be smarteroonies!” Pinkie added. “They had to come up with the trap and build it all in a couple of hours!” “Don’t forget the library log,” Adagio pointed out, hissing through her teeth. “They had to grab those books and fake Apple Bloom’s signature so well we couldn’t tell the difference.” “So it had to be someone who was good with their hands and had the dexterity and good eye to copy signatures,” Twilight said. “Also, they had to dislike Sunset,” Trixie stated, raising a finger. “Trixie believes that has to be true, or else the culprit would’ve just talked to Sunset instead of planning her death.” Trixie makes a damned fine point. A lot of these people would’ve talked to me first. I know Flash definitely would have. Fluttershy too. Rarity especially. So who could it be? Diamond Tiara, maybe? I took a moment to look Tiara over, who recoiled from my gaze as if I were a cockatrice about to petrify her. No. Even though she was in the game corner, I don’t think she could’ve done everything. Maybe she could’ve copied Apple Bloom’s signature. But the trap? No way. She’s not smart enough. Knowing her, she probably would’ve accidentally killed herself if she tried to set something like that up. I guess Pinkie Pie could’ve made the trap. She was smart enough for it. And that girl can sneak around anywhere. But she’s been nothing but nice to me. And she hated the first trial. Why would she cause another one? My gaze fell upon Twilight Sparkle, who glared back as if daring me to accuse her. Twilight was sure acting guilty. Yeah, she cried a lot for Wallflower too, but she was inconsolable over Apple Bloom, just like I’d expect from someone who killed the wrong person instead of their target. But the thing is, despite being in place in the library and smart enough to make the trap… until the trial, she had no reason to dislike me. Even now I think she’s probably more angry that I kept it secret than anything else. It just doesn’t track. I moved on, until I stopped upon Adagio, who just arched an eyebrow at me, as if to say “really?” Yeah. No. No way. Maybe if we hadn’t talked after the whole Trixie thing, but no. Forget it. I didn’t even bother looking at Apple Bloom’s portrait, nor Applejack. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo had alibis, as did Fluttershy. Rarity… I already dismissed her. And Flash. But who did that leave? That was practically everybody, right? Everybody… save one. And when my gaze fell upon her, when I saw the look of surprise, fear, and, most importantly, regret reflecting in her eyes. I knew. I still wasn’t sure how to prove it, but I knew. I raised my finger and leveled it right at her. “Sweetie Belle! You’re the only one!” Cold hatred flared to life in Sweetie’s eyes even as she drew herself up in shock. “M-me?! What? Why?” “Sunset Shimmer!” Rarity thundered, slamming a fist on her podium so hard I heard one of her nails crack. “How dare you accuse my sister?! What in heaven’s name is the matter with you?!” “Yeah, I dunno about this, Sunset…” Rainbow Dash muttered as she scratched the back of her head, sharing a doubtful look with Fluttershy. “I mean, Sweetie Belle? Really?” Even Adagio seemed disappointed. “Sunset, I thought you were smarter than this,” she said plainly. Twilight’s face went blank. “I… that wasn’t what I expected you to say.” “Yeah, I mean, come on,” Scootaloo said. “I kinda figured if anyone it’d be Diamond Tiara.” She gestured Tiara’s way with both hands for emphasis. “What?!” Tiara screeched, reeling back in shock. “Well, you do kinda hate Sunset’s guts,” Flash admitted. “And you’ve always insisted she was guilty of, like, everything.” “So what?” Tiara scoffed, thumbing her nose at Flash. “Idiot. Just because I don’t like someone doesn’t mean I’d kill them.” In a whisper that I only discerned because I read her lips, she added, “I’d make someone else do it.” Trixie looked back and forth between me and Sweetie Belle, her face screwing up worse and worse with confusion by the second. “Trixie doesn’t understand. She thought you would say Tiara too. Didn’t Tiara have the opportunity to learn all about Trixie’s show? When could Sweetie have done anything?” “Um, yeah, even I don’t get this one, Sunny,” Pinkie said. Applejack was the only one who didn’t seem to doubt my words. Instead of speaking up, she held up her fist to her chin and stared at Sweetie, lost in thought. “Yeah. Yeah!” Sweetie, brimming with confidence, stood her ground, pointing right back at me. “I don’t know where you get off accusing me, but it’s not funny! Stop wasting our time!” But despite the doubt everyone had expressed within me, my certainty of Sweetie’s guilt grew all the stronger. I’m right. I know I’m right. I just don’t know how to prove it yet! Better start on the easier things first. She was familiar with the library, right? “Sweetie, you could’ve easily built the trap. All you needed was a little ingenuity and books with the right information. And you’ve been spending a lot of time in the library since it opened up!” “So what?” Sweetie’s face twisted into an exasperated grimace. “That’s your proof? Really? Because I like to read?” “Honestly, Sunset, please tell me this is some sort of joke!” Rarity added, still glaring at me with the fury of a sister scorned. Come on, Sunset. Think, think! ...wait a minute. ~*~ “And they’ve got the latest manga from Neighpon!” Sweetie squeaked, even higher pitched than her sister. She held up a graphic novel, featuring some anime heroine looking particularly dashing as she swung a Qilin style spear at some sort of monster. “I didn’t even think this series was translated!” ~*~ Wait. The manga. There’s an angle I can use. One side of my lip twisted into a mocking half-grin. “There’s nothing wrong with reading, Sweetie. It’s just, I find it interesting that all you ever checked out was manga. And your manga heroine uses a spear. A qiang spear, no less. Exactly the kind used in the trap.” “I suppose that is an odd coincidence,” Fluttershy said, though the uncertainty etched all over her face spoke of her continuing doubt. “S-so?” Sweetie retorted, sweat beading up on her brow. “That doesn’t prove anything!” My half-grin switched to a full out smirk. “No, not by itself. But other than Twilight, you’ve spent more time in the library than anyone else. I should know. I’ve been watching everybody’s positions on my Monopad.” ~*~ Turning on the map, I noted that most people had opted to head to their rooms. Trixie and Apple Bloom were in the prop shop. Adagio, though, was on the first floor of the library, along with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Interesting. Twilight was there too, poking around the third floor, with Flash. Sweetie Belle was also on the third floor of the library, on the other side from Twilight and Flash. Rarity was in the fabric store. And finally Scootaloo was in the game corner. I wrote that all down, noted the time--3:45 PM--and then moved on. I’d try to check at least every half hour or so, and keep notes. ~*~ Before we left, I turned on my Monopad and jotted down everyone’s new locations. Most hadn’t shifted, though Rainbow had left the game corner and was meandering through the cabins, while Adagio was now on the second floor of the library. Sweetie Belle was pursuing books on the third. And Tiara, she was in the game corner, oddly enough. ~*~ “11:00 AM,” I muttered to myself as I wrote down. Apple Bloom, Trixie, myself in the theater, Rainbow, Scootaloo, and Applejack in the game corner, Twilight and Flash in the library naturally, and Sweetie Belle was in the bakery kitchen. ~*~ “The only time you weren’t there was after the trap was already set up. It wouldn’t have been hard for you to plan out the murder, not with all that knowledge on hand. There was plenty of reference material for you to study from. Even for faking Apple Bloom’s signature!” ~*~ “Yup. It seems like this library is entirely non-fiction, at least on this floor,” Twilight answered. “I’ve seen subjects ranging from carpentry, to industrial manufacturing, electrical engineering, physics, astronomy, archeology, anatomy and physiology, even the practice of handwriting… it’s practically a university all to itself!” Twilight grinned wildly, sighing in delight. “Ah, isn’t it wonderful?” ~*~ “Remember, Twilight?” I looked to the researcher, who’d recovered from her stupor. “You told me yourself.” “I guess I did, didn’t I?” Twilight admitted, comprehension slowly dawning on her face. “T-this is ridiculous! You’re not proving anything!” Sweetie cried out, anger overtaking her sense of propriety. “All you have is circumstantial evidence!” “I also have your own words, Sweetie. Remember this morning?” ~*~ “Me too,” Sweetie Belle added from her own seat next to Rarity. “I love magic shows! They always end with a bang! I can’t wait to see how yours ends!” ~*~ My smirk grew wider. “Maybe that seemed innocent at the time, but looking back, that sounds less like someone interested in Trixie’s show and more like someone who was eager to see if their trap worked!” “I have heard enough of this, Sunset!” Rarity shouted, once again slamming a fist on her podium. “Stop this! Now!” I shook my head. “Sorry, Rarity, but I can’t. If I did, I’d be letting the culprit get away.” “But I’m not the culprit!” Sweetie cried, squeezing both fists and holding them at her sides as she leaned forward to shout louder. “I would never kill Apple Bloom! She was my friend too!” I shook my head slowly. “Sweetie, you weren’t trying to kill Apple Bloom. You were trying to kill me. And Trixie was right. The culprit was someone who hated me. And you’ve been nothing but against me this whole trial! Every time I suggested something, you questioned it. You kept trying to direct us towards suspecting Apple Bloom, even. ~*~ “Then it makes sense,” Sweetie Belle said sadly. “Those books. They look like they’d be useful for the trap.” ~*~ “But it makes sense!” Sweetie Belle said, responding to some point I hadn’t heard during my reverie. “Apple Bloom was smart enough to come up with the trap. She had the opportunity to build it! She was in the prop shop all the time. She had access to the materials, to the tools.” ~*~ Sweetie Belle led the charge, “Apple Bloom built the trap! There’s no one else who could’ve done it!” ~*~ “Not to mention you’ve been playing dumb about everything else too,” I pointed out. “Every time we figured something out, you either doubted it, or acted like you were too dumb to figure it out. Just like Timber Spruce did in the last trial.” Sweetie’s expression blanked out. She didn’t say a word to that. Rarity settled down, her expression shifting between outrage and worry. “Sweetie…” she said quietly. “Sweetie, darling, she’s starting to sound convincing. Please, say something!” “And if that’s not enough?” I added, now on a roll, “Trixie made a great point earlier when she said the culprit would have to be someone who didn’t like me very much. And I can’t help but remember how every time I’ve been suspicious or suspected, whether it was in this trial or the previous one, you’ve jumped on the bandwagon. Maybe you haven’t been as vitriolic as Tiara, but you’ve never been a fan of me either.” Sweetie remained silent, no expression on her face at all. Like she’d just checked out of reality altogether. Rarity reached out a hand, as far as she could stretch, in Sweetie’s direction. “Sweetie Belle! Say something!” “Haa…” I stopped, nonplussed. Sweetie Belle had started laughing. “Haha...hahahaha....hahahahahahahaha!” Sweetie Belle doubled over, shaking with mirth as she let out belly laugh after belly laugh. “Hahahahahaha! Wow!” She stood back up, wiping tears from her eyes. “Sunset, you’re a real laugh riot, you know that?” She smiled at me, a happy-go-lucky smile, without a trace of worry. “You even had me wondering there for a minute.” “Excuse me?” I said, arching both eyebrows. “What--” Sweetie held up a hand. “It’s okay. I get it! You were just confused. But you can stop now. I didn’t do it. I’m not the culprit.” “Uh… you’re not? Are you sure?” Flash asked, his hand on his chin. “Cause I think Sunset was on to something there.” “Yeah, you do seem a bit fishy,” Pinkie said with a frown. Sweetie shrugged. “Eh. I know. But it’s a killing game. You could do nothing but breathe and you’d still be fishy.” “Oh.” Pinkie blinked owlishly. “I never thought of it like that. Guess you’re right!” Trixie turned to face me. “Sunset, are you sure Sweetie Belle is the culprit? Trixie doesn’t know what to think anymore.” “Of course I’m not, Trixie,” Sweetie said, giggling. “There’s no proof. And it doesn’t make much sense anyway. I mean me, really? I’ve never built a thing in my life. You think I know how to use power tools?” “It’s not like they’re hard to use,” Adagio replied. “Even someone like you could figure it out.” “Maybe,” Sweetie shrugged again. “But that doesn't explain the electrical wiring. You can't just rig something like that without knowing how wiring works. You think I could figure out something like that just from a book?" "Of course you could," Twilight said. "During the investigation, I checked a copy of that book. There were examples of rewiring laid out all over the schematics, near the end, sufficient enough you'd be able to figure out the rest. It would be tricky, but not impossible." Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll admit that. But I’m not the one who hates Sunset. That’s Diamond Tiara. And she had a thing against Applejack too, remember? Applejack threatened her, back when Monoponi told us to explore the ship. She probably rigged the trap and didn’t care if it killed Sunset or Apple Bloom. She’d be getting revenge either way.” “No I wouldn’t be!” Tiara fired back, holding up a hand like she was ready to slap Sweetie silly. “I wouldn’t kill someone just because I didn’t like them. I already said that!” “Oh.” Sweetie considered that, then nodded. “Okay then. Guess it must’ve been Apple Bloom who built the trap after all. Not like anyone else could.” “You’re lyin’.” Everyone turned to face Applejack, who was holding up a finger, pointed Sweetie Belle’s way. Her face was twisted into an ugly, hateful glare, her whole body quivering from rage. “You low-down, dirty, rotten little piece of trash. You’re just lyin’ to try and save your skin! But Ah can see right through it! Ah know now! Sunset was right! You… you killed mah sister!” She slammed her other hand down on her podium so hard she cracked the wood. “You. Killed. Mah. Sister!” “No, I didn’t, Applejack,” Sweetie replied without a hint of fear. An eerie calm had descended upon her. “I didn’t kill Apple Bloom. She was my friend. I wouldn’t have killed her.” “Stop lyin’ already!” Applejack roared, spittle flying across the courtroom. “Just fess up and admit it already! Ya killed Apple Bloom and now you’re tryin’ to kill the rest of us! Even your own sister!” “I’m not going to admit to something I didn’t do,” Sweetie said. Damn it. This isn’t getting us anywhere. Even with Applejack’s support, we still don’t have solid proof! There’s got to be something I’m overlooking in the evidence. “But it had to be you!” Applejack was screaming now, full-throated at maximum volume, so loud it was hurting my ears. “It’s like Sunset said! You’re the one who spent all her time in the library!” “And? Like I said, Applejack, I just like to read.” “But the spear was just like the one in your Neighponese comic!” Sweetie arched an eyebrow. “Now we’re just going in circles again. That’s just a coincidence.” Damn it, Sunset, you’ve got to think! I scrolled through each bit of evidence on the Monopad, searching desperately for some hidden clue, something I’d missed. “But you’re fast enough and small enough to sneak past Rainbow and me!” Scootaloo said, intervening on Applejack’s side. Sweetie shook her head. “So’s Diamond Tiara. And she was in the game corner, remember? She didn’t even have to sneak past anyone to get there.” “Now you’re blaming Tiara again?” Rainbow Dash said, slapping her forehead in disgust. “Which is it, Sweetie? Was it Apple Bloom or Tiara? Get your story straight, jeez.” Rarity slapped an open palm on her podium for attention. “Now, now, stop that, Rainbow Dash! She’s just pointing out the facts.” Where is it? I started pulling at my hair in frustration, going over every clue. We’ve addressed everything! The drill, the ladder, the chain, the bag of tools, the spear, the tickets… there’s nothing here! We’ve addressed everything! What am I going to do? “Aren’t you really smart, though?” Twilight said, glaring at Sweetie over her glasses. “You’re a college student at a university. You’ve got to be at least a little bit creative.” “What’s that got to do with anything?” Sweetie asked, spreading out her hands. “I’d be willing to bet any of us could come up with this trap. It wasn’t that complicated. And really, what’s more likely? That I figured out how to do this stuff just from reading books? Or someone who already knew how this stuff worked made the trap instead?” “Stop tryin’ to save your hide already!” Applejack screamed. “Just fess up!” Oh my god! This is so infuriating! We’ve got her right here but if I can’t prove unequivocally that she did it, it’s all meaningless! There’s nothing we have that can do that though! Not even the… wait. My eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. Wait, wait, wait! I quickly scanned through the Monopad again and focused on one particular piece of evidence. Is that it? Is it really that simple? I backed out of the evidence, and checked one final thing, and let out a gasp. It really is! Ha ha! Why didn’t I see this before?! I knew something didn’t seem right about this! Sweetie Belle laughed in Applejack’s face. “Stop wasting your time Applejack. I won’t admit to something I didn’t do. And there’s nothing that could ever prove I did it!” “YOU’VE GOT THAT WRONG!” I roared, cuing up the evidence that would spell Sweetie’s doom. Fact #1: Monoponi File II: “The victim is Apple Bloom, the Ultimate Builder. Time of death is 7:45 PM. Cause of death was blood loss due to a massive stab wound through the torso.” Sweetie Belle barked a quick, disbelieving laugh. “What? What the heck does that have to do with… any… thing....” A hand suddenly shot to her mouth as she gasped. “Oh no…” “When I first read the Monoponi File,” I said, the presence of my words dominating the room into complete silence, “Something struck me as odd. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but something just didn’t feel right. But you know exactly what I’m talking about. Don’t you, Sweetie Belle?” “N-no! No I don’t!” Sweetie babbled, her confidence shattered like glass, replaced with the cold hearted grip of naked fear. “I d-don’t know anything!” “What is it, Sunset?” Pinkie blurted. “What? What?” “Everyone, look at the first line of the file. Right there. What does it say?” Rainbow Dash picked up her own Monopad. “It says ‘The victim is Apple Bloom, the Ultimate Builder.’ What about it? It’s just Monoponi’s stupid Ultimate title. Who even cares?” Scootaloo’s eyes bulged as she yelped in shock. “Oh my god! Sunset! I see it now!” “Of course you do, Scootaloo,” I said, a mirthless smile coming to my face. “You’re the only one who still has the problem.” “Wait, please, I’m completely lost,” Twilight admitted, her cheeks flushing pink. “What are you talking about, Sunset?” I closed my eyes, my smile growing into one of triumph. “It’s okay. I’m not surprised most of you don’t remember. It was back when we all first got our Monopads. You see…” ~*~ “Wait, why does this list us as having a talent?” I asked. Everyone else started looking at their profiles while Monoponi explained, “Oh, I thought that would add to the experience. You know, spice things up! Everyone knows you gotta have Ultimates for something like this, right? Even if you’re not really Ultimates.” Adagio’s face curled into a quiet sneer as she whispered, “Songstress. Please.” “Trixie appreciates that you chose Illusionist rather than simply Magician,” Trixie commented, grinning. “Rich Kid? Rich Kid?!” Diamond Tiara shouted, stamping her foot. “What is that supposed to mean?! I’m not a kid. I’m twenty-one years old!” Flash’s cheeks bloomed a brilliant pink. “Why is mine… Boytoy?” he groaned. “I mean, really? I play music, man. I drive a cool car. I do other things. Why?” “Hey look, mine’s just spinning like a slot machine!” Apple Bloom said, holding up her pad. “Mine too!” Sweetie Belle said. “And mine! Wonder what it means,” Scootaloo added. ~*~ “We all got Ultimate titles, except for those three. Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo. Their titles weren’t set. It was like Apple Bloom said .They spun like a slot machine.” I quickly blitzed through screens on my Monopad, and pulled up Scootaloo’s profile. “And look. You can see it in the profiles. Scootaloo’s is still spinning.” “But, Apple Bloom’s isn’t! Her title is set!” Rarity said, staring wide-eyed at her Monopad, shaking from fear. “What does that mean?” “It means, Rarity,” I answered, “that their Ultimate title stops spinning when they die… or when they commit murder. And if you pull up Sweetie’s profile, well…” I deliberately keyed up the Monopad to show Sweetie’s profile to everyone. And there it was. Instead of spinning endlessly, Sweetie too had a set title. “Look. She’s the Ultimate Sapper. And a sapper, as you should know, is another word for combat engineer. They build fortifications, they lay demolitions… and they build traps. Lethal traps. Like the one that killed Apple Bloom.” “No...no! No!” Rarity shrieked, throwing down her Monopad and tearing at her hair, ripping out several large chunks. “No! I won’t believe it! I can’t believe it! I refuse to believe Sweetie Belle is a… is a… is a…” Rarity collapsed onto her rear and burst into tears. I’d seen Rarity cry before, in melodramatic fashion, but this was nothing like that. This was pure, raw emotion, a release of sorrow, of woe. It tore at my heart like almost nothing else… because as bad as she was feeling now, she’d soon feel so much worse. Because of what would have to happen. Sweetie Belle was the culprit. And if the culprit is caught… they’re executed. “I… I…” Sweetie Belle stammered, no longer able to defend herself. “That… it doesn’t… I didn’t… I didn’t… didn’t… mean to…” “Sunset!” Applejack turned to face me, and held up a finger to her head. “Ah’ve had enough of all of this. Finish it! Lay out the case, and make it clear, once and for all!” “Right.” I took several deep breaths to gather my thoughts. “This is how it all went down!” “This started with the second motive Monoponi presented to us: our deepest darkest secrets. But we didn’t get our own. We received the secrets of another. With Monoponi’s rule forbidding us from discussing them, we couldn’t reveal who had whose. But we could deduce what they were. The culprit received mine, the proof that I wasn’t born human. For the culprit, this suggested only one thing: that I was the traitor. So the culprit called up Monoponi the first chance they got, to answer his puzzle. With my secret, they solved his puzzle, which cemented their belief. So they hatched a plan to kill me at the climax of Trixie’s show. “First, they’d need to figure out how to lay the trap. They wanted the murder to happen live, in front of everyone, so they’d appear to be innocent. They didn’t want to make Timber’s mistake and single themself out. Thanks to solving Monoponi’s puzzle, they already had a guaranteed weapon. So, taking inspiration from their own favorite manga, the culprit chose a qiang spear. Thus decided, the culprit spent as much time as possible researching the plan in the library. During dinner that evening, they also learned about the markings, the x’s of duct tape, that Trixie was setting on the stage for me, which guaranteed they’d be able to place the trap exactly where I’d be. “Once their plan was ready, they had to wait to enact it. They didn’t want to chance being seen on the Monopad map. So, at 10:30 PM, they used the second prize, the Map Scrambler. This glitched out our maps, keeping us from tracking anyone, everyone’s Monopad save for the culprit’s. Using their still working map, they left their cabin, sneaking past Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo on their way to the game corner. Then, using the tickets provided by Monoponi, they purchased the spear, leaving a record that implicated Apple Bloom. Next, they went to the library, and picked up two crucial reference books, taking the time to forge Apple Bloom’s signature as well. Their intent was for Apple Bloom to take the blame during the trial. “With the tools in hand, they went to the theater. Using the theater’s supplies, they assembled the spring and lever they needed for the trap, as well as the guide rails to ensure the spear wouldn’t miss. Then they gathered up as many tools as they could and stuffed them into a sack, tying it up with a length of chain. They used as much metal chain as they could, spray painting it all black so that it wouldn’t catch the light. Then they drilled a hole through the stage, right through the center of the largest x of duct tape. They then went under the stage, and placed the spring-loaded trap, using the light shining through the hole in the stage floor as a guide to position the spear. They cranked the lever to tense the spring, then left, to prepare the chain, stopping only to tape over the hole in the X so no one would notice it. “Using the ladder from the prop shop, the culprit first placed the chain on the stage light support beam, using rope to secure it in place. They strung the metal chain along over to the far wall, then down the wall all the way to another hole in the stage floor they’d drilled. Feeding the chain through the hole, they went back under the stage and finally carried the chain along the floor to the lever, tying it to the lever, carefully leaving enough slack that the lever didn’t get pulled by accident during setup. Once done, they returned to the stage light support beam, and attached the bag of tools via the quick release, and secured it with the rope. “Now came the most delicate part of their trap: the drill. Using instructions gleaned from their reference book, as well as their own smarts, the culprit rigged the drill’s power supply into a stage light, so that it would turn on when the stage light did. They then taped down the trigger, set the drill to its lowest setting, and attached to the beam, upside down, so it could chew through the rope, using the thickness of the rope as a timer. They’d already tested this, before starting their setup, so they knew they had the timing right. After that, their plan was set. All they had to do was return to their cabin, and wait. “The next day, Apple Bloom mentioned to me the missing drill. If we’d been more observant, we might’ve noticed what the culprit set up for the trap… but we didn’t. Everything proceeded on schedule, the culprit acting perfectly innocent the whole day. That night, at 7:00 PM, Trixie’s show began, with Apple Bloom waiting on stage just out of sight to assist with any technical problems. Flash Sentry turned on the stage lights, unwittingly setting the culprit’s trap in motion. Trixie and I performed her show, to thunderous applause, up to and including the origami trick. However, at the very end, as I was emerging from the box, Flash Sentry moved the spotlights around, to add extra drama to the reveal. Thanks to this light, Apple Bloom noticed a reflection. The culprit had painted the chain, but they hadn’t painted the drill, and that’s what Apple Bloom saw. But she was too late. The rope snapped, and the bag fell. Acting quickly to save our lives, Apple Bloom rushed Trixie and me, pushing us off the stage… but in so doing, she sealed her fate. The trap sprung, killing Apple Bloom with the spear, right in front of us all. Apple Bloom wasn’t the culprit’s intended victim. But she was the one who died, because of the culprit’s foolhardy plan. If it weren’t for Apple Bloom being the victim, we might never have noticed the crucial clue pointing to the culprit. Like Apple Bloom, the culprit was bestowed with an Ultimate title. She’s now known as the Ultimate Sapper. I’m sorry, Sweetie Belle, but it can only be you.” When I finished, I saw Applejack take off her hat and hold it to her breast. She whispered to herself, so quiet I couldn’t make out a thing, save for Apple Bloom’s name. Then she slipped her hat back on. “Thank you kindly, Sunset,” she muttered, her voice hitching as she held back a sob. Sweetie Belle, meanwhile, had gone catatonic and unresponsive, mumbling to herself, over and over, the same few words: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Then she abruptly burst into tears. “I’m so sorry, Apple Bloom! I didn’t mean to kill you! I’m so, so sorry!”