Chapter Four:
Passing in the Night
Daily Life Part 2

I checked my Monopad time. “10:30, okay.” I’d parted ways with the group so I could go construct that lock for Trixie’s door. I wanted to get it finished before Diamond Tiara held her usual post-exploration meeting, so we could seal Trixie in right afterwards. My mind churned with various thoughts as I worked, opting for a simple bolt and padlock design, with a custom tooled key. So many things had happened so fast I didn’t know what to focus on. Did I love Adagio? What did the photo mean? How mad am I at Trixie, really?

I needed advice. I needed to talk to someone. Since Rarity was already meeting up with me, I decided I’d try asking her. Maybe with her help I could put some of my thoughts in order. And while I was at it, I decided to make a spare key for myself. And just for good measure, I made a copy of my room key, to give to Adagio. She'd earned it.

Once I finished creating the lock, I went to attach it to Trixie’s door. The door opened inward rather than out into the hall, so I had to finagle the bolt in such a way as to attach it so when closed, the door couldn’t be opened from either side. The padlock on the outside completed the affair. I made sure to lock it in place, then pocketed the key. Right on cue as I finished, Tiara texted for us all to meet up at the food court.

I was there first, with Trixie filing in last, crawling in on her crutches like a prisoner condemned. Which she was, more or less. She sat apart from the rest of us, just like before.

“So!” Tiara called for attention once we were all here, “Let’s go over what we found.”

“Well, Monoponi wasn’t lying for once,” Rainbow Dash said, a happy smile still plastered on her face. “These new places rock! There’s this wind tunnel thing that’s like an indoor skydiving park. It’s not as good as the real thing, but it’s pretty sweet! It really feels like you’re flying!”

Scootaloo nodded enthusiastically, throwing out her arms in delight. “It’s the best thing ever! Now I want to go skydiving for real some day!”

“Yeah. it’s not bad,” Flash said, with a wistful shrug. The haunted expression hadn’t left his eyes. If anything, he seemed even more exhausted than earlier. “There was that picture we found, though.”

“Picture? What picture?” Applejack inquired, sitting forward. She’d deliberately sat as far away from myself and Adagio as she could without getting close to Trixie, and was avoiding looking our way. She was soaked with sweat too, her shirt practically dripping with it.

Applejack snatched it out of the air and stared at it, eyes agog. “Woah nelly,” she murmured.

Before she could ask, I went ahead and explained again about my dream and the counterparts in Equestria. “So this proves it,” I finished, pointing at the picture. “You can see the two Twilights right there. And no, I don’t remember knowing them.”

“Well, Ah appreciate you sharin’ this with us and not keepin’ it secret this time,” Applejack said as she handed it back over to Flash, who pocketed it.

“But what does it mean?” Rainbow asked, holding up a hand. “Do you think this has something to do with why I suddenly had magic yesterday?”

“It might,” I allowed with a brief nod. Then my face twisted up into a nasty scowl. "Only we can't do any research. Monoponi said we couldn't. Asshole."

“Anyway, the wind tunnel’s great,” Scootaloo said after a moment. “And it’s completely safe too. There’s safety harnesses even that hook to the ceiling, so even if the fans go out you won’t fall.”

“You have to scan your Monopad, right?” Applejack asked. “And you need special equipment.”

“Yeah but they provide all that. It’s just free,” Scootaloo answered. “No rental time or anything dumb like that. Though there is a limit to how long you can be in the wind tunnel.” She frowned, crossing her arms. “Twenty minutes isn’t long enough, darn it.”

Diamond Tiara jotted something down on her notepad. “Right, okay. What else did we find?”

“Skating rink,” Trixie spoke up, causing us all to whirl and glare at her. “I-ice skating rink,” she mumbled, bowing her head to stare at the floor.

“Ah don’t think anyone asked you, Trixie,” Applejack growled, cracking her knuckles. “But she’s right. There’s an ice skatin’ rink. It’s huge! Bigger than most roller skatin' rinks Ah’ve seen on land. It’s big enough for all of us combined.” She tossed a nasty glare Trixie’s way. “Well, all of us who have two legs to stand on.”

Rainbow Dash snorted, then burst into quiet, hoarse laughter. “Hah, nice one, AJ.”

“Anyhow, the rink’s also got a lot of equipment for sale,” Applejack continued. “They even got a lockup for hockey stuff, if you can believe it. Means if we ever wanted we could arrange a hockey game. Four on four’s not a bad matchup, right?”

“I dunno about that,” I said, frowning. I couldn’t help but keep glancing at Trixie, and despite the burning anger that still flamed in my heart, the sight was like sprinklers in a kitchen, dousing the fire into a disgusting, cold mess. “Isn’t a hockey team usually six on six?”

“Well, sure,” Rainbow said with a smile. Her smile dimmed more and more as she continued, “but there’s not that many of us left anymore.”

Rarity shot a dark glare Applejack’s way. “I’m not sure I’d be interested in playing such a rough game as hockey in any event. You can count me out.”

“Me too,” Tiara said, her mouth twisting in disgust. “Ugh, hockey. All you do in that game is hit each other with sticks and sometimes hit the puck. Booorrrring.”

“Okay, so, three on three then,” Flash said, rolling his eyes. “I-if you’d guys’d be up for it.”

I shared a look with Adagio, who shrugged. “Maybe? We can try that tomorrow, I guess,” I said.

“Nice!” Rainbow said, pumping her fists. “Flash and I’ll totally cream you and Adagio, Sunset. You can have AJ. You’ll need the help.”

“H-hey!” Scootaloo pouted. “You’re not saying I’m a liability, are you?”

Scootaloo crossed her arms, grumbling under her breath, “I’m twenty-one, dang it. I’m not a little kid.”

“Anyway,” Tiara said with a roll of her eyes, “was there anything else about the ice rink that was important?”

“Actually, yeah,” I replied, snapping my fingers. “It’s connected to the access corridor, like the fitness center. There’s a new stairwell that goes down an extra floor, and the door into the rink is all the way at the end. Comes out behind the desk of the equipment shop.”

“Greeaaaat,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “Because we really needed more ways for people to sneak around behind everyone’s backs.” She glanced at Tiara. “You sure you want to stop posting guards?”

The athlete scowled as she sat back in her chair, flipping Tiara off. “No, it didn’t.”

“There you go, then,” Tiara sneered, returning the gesture with one of her own. “Dumbass.”

Rarity cleared her throat, shooting Tiara a scathing look. “Um, Diamond, darling, perhaps you should tone the insults down, just a bit?”

Tiara whirled on her, frowned, raised a finger, and then deliberately pulled it back down with her other hand. “Right. Sorry.”

“There’s also a door in that corridor that connects to the third place that opened up,” I continued, trying to get things back on track. “It opens up into the far side of the go-kart track.”

“Go-kart track? Really?” Tiara sighed, shaking her head. “He wasn’t kidding, was he? Thrills and excitement, whoop-de-doo.”

“It’s so awesome,” Rainbow Dash squealed excitedly, her anger at Tiara forgotten. “We can have up to six people racing at once. I’m so ready to find out how fast those things can go!”

Adagio raised a hand. “We’ll have to be careful though. The track has its own rules. I don’t know if breaking them will earn us a punishment or not.”

I braced myself for the sudden appearance of Monoponi, but he was nowhere to be seen. “Phew,” I muttered, wiping my brow. “Adagio’s right about that. I think the rules said there was some kind of built in safety system to stop engines if there was a crash.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Rarity said, eyes sparkling. “I wouldn’t mind getting behind the wheel of one of those karts, if they’re that safe.”

Applejack grunted her grudging assent. “Useful too. Ah’d hate to imagine someone gettin’ run over by one of those things. Ah’ve seen what happens when cars run over people. Might be smaller but it’d still kill you.”

“Don’t worry about it, AJ,” Rainbow said, shaking a hand. “Someone’d have to be a complete idiot to run around on the track like that.”

“Uh, the karts can’t leave the track, can they?” Scootaloo said, a nervous grin spreading on her face. “Like, you can’t go driving one all the way down the promenade or something.”

I shook my head. “The only way onto the track is a small gate right behind the check-in stand, and it’s only big enough for one person at a time. Unless you had some bolt cutters and tore apart the fencing, you’re not getting a kart off the track.”

“Well that’s a relief,” Flash muttered, wiping his brow. “One less thing to worry about. I don’t remember seeing that door to the access corridor though.”

“Was there anything else, then?” Tiara asked, jotting more notes down. “No? Okay. We’re done here. Go get lunch, everybody. Except you, Trixie.”

Everyone else dispersed for the restaurants, leaving Tiara, Trixie, and myself there. “So, I got the lock done already,” I said to Tiara before she could ask. “It’s installed and ready to go.”

“Nice work,” Tiara said, nodding in approval. She pointed at Trixie with her pen. “Alright, you. Time to get moving. Sunset, you want to come with, just in case she tries something stupid?”

“I won’t fight you,” Trixie mumbled as she hoisted herself on her one remaining leg with her crutches for support. She began her slow walk towards her cabin. “I deserve this.”

“You’re damned right you do, you murdering little psychopath,” Tiara replied, eying Trixie like she was a wild beast readying to tear out our throats.

She all but frog-marched Trixie down to the cabins, poking her repeatedly in the shoulder with her pen. When we reached Trixie’s door, Tiara held out her hand expectantly. I gave her the key, and watched her open the lock and throw open the door. “Wait here,” she said. I watched, confused, as she entered Trixie’s cabin, then nodded in realization when I saw her emerge carrying a familiar looking box. The box with the Qilin dao swords, from Trixie’s magic show. She set the box to the side, and pointed into the cabin. “Get in, Trixie.

Trixie did as ordered, slowly trudging inside. Once in, she turned to face us, and looked right at me, as if pleading for mercy. I don’t know why, but as she stared, the fury in me reignited with an even larger blaze than before, like a raging bonfire. Before Tiara could close the door, I slammed it shut myself, and slapped the lock back on, going so far as to grab the key out of Tiara’s hand and use it to seal the lock shut. Then I tossed it at Tiara and stormed off to my own cabin, closing the door behind me in a hurry. I threw myself onto my bed and let out a long, loud string of angry and frustrated shouts, beating my pillows and mattress over and over with my fists like a tantruming child.

Once I’d beaten the stuffing out of every pillow in my cabin, I groaned, rolled over, and faced the ceiling, clutching a pillow to my chest. “What the hell am I doing?” I asked myself. “Why am I acting like this?”

I sighed, knowing no one was going to answer me if I didn’t do it myself. “Because this place won’t stop screwing with my head,” I muttered. “Screwing with all our heads. I just turned a cabin into a jail cell, for pete’s sake.”

Ugh. Now I’m holding a conversation with myself. Out loud. I haven’t done that in years, not since I was Celestia’s student.

I dropped the pillow on the bed and stood up, opting for the bathroom. I splashed some cold water on my face, shook it off, and took a couple of moments to brush out some tangles in my hair, trying to use it as a distraction. It didn’t really help. I still wanted to argue with myself over what I felt about Trixie.

And speaking of feelings, there was the other bombshell dropped, when Adagio said--

“No, no, damn it,” I said, cutting off my own thoughts. “I’m not going to sit here and spin around in circles.”

I tossed down my hairbrush and left my cabin. After grabbing some lunch from the promenade, I wandered out to the outdoor lounge, and picked a chair that hadn’t been soaked by the recent rainstorms. The humming of the ship’s engines and the sound of ocean waves crashing against the hull provided a comforting bit of white noise that drowned out the buzzing current of my ever present thoughts.

Before I knew it, it was almost 2:00 PM. Time for me to meet up with Rarity at the spa. I made my way there, slipping inside, the dimmer lighting and soothing music immediately putting me at ease. “Oh, there you are, Sunset,” Rarity said, waving to me from one of the foot massage chairs. “Do come join me, please.”

I hopped into the chair beside her, slipped off my shoes, and let the chair get to work. “How’re you doing, Rarity?” I said as I relaxed into the chair’s robotic touch.

She twisted her mouth into a half frown, half wan smile. “Better than I have been, though that’s not saying much.” She favored me with a warm look, warmer than I had any right to expect from her. “I still miss Sweetie Belle, of course. I always will. But I’m trying to follow her advice.”

“Indeed.” She sighed, her head drooping. “Of course,” she said, her voice turning nasty, “it’d be much easier if Applejack hadn’t decided she’d rather break my heart instead of support me, just because I decided to give Diamond Tiara a chance. Honestly, that woman will be the death of me, I swear.”

I considered what she said for a moment, then replied, “So… you and Applejack were rekindling your relationship, before the third trial.”

“More or less,” Rarity shrugged, a dark look of anger clouding her features.”Not that I knew that’s what we were doing. I just thought we were bonding over our mutual loss. Finding comfort in each other. Oh, I admit I was a bit intrigued by the thought of a romance with her, but we hadn't even said we love each other before that whole trial ruined everything.”

“I’m sorry,” I said immediately, holding up my hands in an apologetic gesture. “I shouldn’t have kept that picture--”

“Oh, no, darling, please,” Rarity interrupted, holding a hand up to ask for silence. “To be honest, after thinking about it overnight, I’m glad you did. You were right to keep it from us. If you’d shown it to me two or three days ago, I would’ve felt… uneasy. Uncertain of my own feelings. And given the motive Monoponi gave us, I might have felt obligated, in fact, to do something to ensure we escaped together.” She stared right at me, her gaze steady and resolute. “If you’d given that picture to me, I might’ve been the one executed yesterday.”

“Killing is wrong, yes, I’m well aware.” Rarity sat back in her chair and squeezed her eyes shut. “But Twilight had a point, with what she said to Pinkie Pie. Any of us could become a killer with the right motivation. Even me. Even you. That picture would’ve been mine. I know myself well enough to be certain of that. Although,” she sneered, “I would’ve had the courtesy not to inflict the sort of pain on my prospective victim that Trixie had.”

Trixie. Hearing her name sent my head whirling, my thoughts and emotions racing once more at blinding speed, threatening to careen into each other in a bloody mess of a crash at any second. “Yeah,” I groused, “Pinkie didn’t deserve what Trixie did.”

“No. She didn’t.” Rarity blew a sigh out through her teeth. “Oh what am I saying. I shouldn’t have brought her up. I can tell how much the subject bothers you. Forgive me, please.”

“No, it’s fine, I wanted to talk about this anyway,” I said. Rarity waited patiently for me to begin. “So, I’m not sure how I feel. It makes me so angry that she thought I’d be okay with her killing someone for me… but at the same time, she’s my friend. I care about her, Rarity. She matters to me. And you heard what Twilight said about Adagio’s secret. If I’m okay with the fact that my girlfriend has killed someone before, why can’t I be okay with Trixie?”

Rarity took a few moments to think, humming softly as she let her chair perform its magic. “Trixie betrayed our trust,” she said. “I considered her a friend. Perhaps not the closest friend I’ve ever had, but a friend nevertheless. Whatever Miss Dazzle may or may not have done in the past, it doesn’t affect us, whereas Trixie’s betrayal did.” Her eyes flashed with scorn. “Assuming we can take that wretched Monoponi at his word, if she’d succeeded, most of us would be dead now. I don’t take kindly to people trying to kill me, nor my loved ones.”

“That’s understandable,” I replied, laying back on my own chair. “But it feels like there’s more to it than that. Like, if it was just that, I’d be able to cope. I could talk with her, I could deal with it. But every time I try, I become furious all over again, and I keep wondering if it’s even worth it.”

“I’m not sure it is,” Rarity said. Her chair let out a soft beep, indicating it was finished, so she stood, stretching out her limbs. “Shall we move on to the tables?”

We took a couple moments to disrobe behind the privacy curtain. I tried not to stare at Rarity’s gorgeous body as we laid down on our respective tables, and let the machines go to work. “The issue with Trixie is, if we ever get out of here alive, she’ll be going straight to prison. Possibly for life. So is it really worth worrying about it anymore?”

“That’s a big if, though,” I said, grunting as the machine pressed its pistons into my shoulder muscles. “I’m half convinced Monoponi’s just going to kill us all in the end, no matter what we do.”

“Maybe he will,” Rarity sighed, let out quiet little moans as the massage worked its way down her back. “But I’d rather not lose hope.” She adjusted her posture so she could look a bit more in my direction. “Now you have me curious. What did Adagio do? If it’s not an imposition to ask, I mean.”

“Uuuh… it wasn’t really her fault,” I answered, trying not to give away Adagio’s secret to yet another person. Applejack knowing was bad enough. “She said something to someone who then got into a fight, and died in the fight. Monoponi just made it look worse with the way he worded the secret.”

“Of course. He does have a habit of doing that,” Rarity groused. Her eyes shot open as the massage table worked out a particular kink in her lower back, then fluttered closed again. “He gave me Fluttershy’s secret, and the way he phrased it completely slut shamed the poor dear.”

I let out a quiet bark of laughter at hearing Rarity use the phrase slut shame. I knew I liked her for a reason. “How did it do that?”

“I’ll show you when we’re done,” Rarity answered, turning away to let the machine work on her neck. “Actually, come to think of it, why haven’t we shared the secrets we all got as a group yet? Monoponi said one of them pointed out the traitor. We never did find out who really had that secret.”

“We could always share them as a group tonight, at the evening meeting,” I suggested. “It’ll probably be embarrassing, but it might help us trust each other more?”

“Goodness knows we could use some more trust around here,” Rarity said, flashing me a pointed look.

“Oh I’m just teasing you dear,” Rarity said with a laugh. “The truth is, I feel you’re the most trustworthy person here. You’ve saved our lives three times now, and despite a mistake or two, you always find the truth. I wish I had half your optimism, Sunset. I’d feel much better about life right now if I did.”

Optimism? Me? I don’t know about that. “Thanks, I think.” A thought occurred to me, so I added, “Rarity, do you mind if I ask for some advice? It’s about Adagio.”

“Oh!” Rarity’s eyes shot open and sparkled like twin sapphires. “By all means. Please, gossip away!”

I went over a few of the recent conversations I’d had with Adagio, deliberately leaving out any mention of her “siren diplomacy” with Applejack. “And I don’t know if she really meant she loved me, or… not.”

By now we’d finished with the tables, so Rarity has us leave them in favor of the mud bath. “Well, darling,” Rarity said as she carefully placed a couple of sliced cucumbers over her eyes, “in my professional opinion, as an expert in matters of love, I think Adagio is head over heels for you. And I can’t blame her! You’re quite the catch.”

“R-really? Are you sure?” I’d forgone the cucumbers, preferring to sit back and let the mud slosh all around me.

Rarity tittered, holding up one hand and letting it fall forward slowly. “I’m certain. You haven’t seen the way she looks at you, when you’re not watching. She can barely keep her eyes off you. And no, she’s not just staring at your derriere. Her expression teems with love, with adoration, with infatuation. I didn’t start noticing it till…”

She dropped her arms, slumping into the mud with wet splattering noises. Her voice drooped right along with the rest of her, solemn and glum. “Till after the second trial. Whenever I saw it, I kept wishing Applejack would look at me like that. Now I doubt she ever will.”

I reached out and patted her on the arm. “You still want to be with her, don’t you?”

“Yes. Damn that woman, but yes. More than ever, now that I know we were together once.” Rarity reached out and grabbed my hand in hers, holding it tight. “Monoponi stole our memories. He stole my sister from me. I won’t let him steal my life too. I want it back, Sunset. All of it, everything I had before all of… this.”

“Me too, Rarity,” I replied, feeling my heart sink with the prospect. It was already too late for so many of us. Even if we left now, with all our memories restored, our lives would be forever altered by what we’ve experienced. The trauma of surviving this alone, of the death we’ve witnessed, would haunt me to the end of my days. I’d be seventy years old and still waking up from nightmares over watching Timber or Sweetie or Twilight being executed.

But that didn’t mean I was going to give up. I refused to, damn it. I refused to let a sick monster like Monoponi win. If there was any justice in this world at all, we would make it out of here alive.

And we could ensure that by fostering trust amongst those of us who were left. So, with that in mind, I said, “If you want, I can try to talk to her. She might listen to me.”

Rarity blinked so hard the cucumbers popped off her face and fell into the mud with a plop. “Oh, would you, Sunset?” she said, a fresh twinkle coming to her eyes. “Please?”

Rarity threw out her arms, splattering mud everywhere as she embraced me in a wet, soggy hug. “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!”

A bit of mud splashed into my mouth, causing me to cough and spit it out over Rarity’s shoulder. “S-sure, Rarity, you bet.”

We followed up the mud bath with a table shower, then a mani and pedi, finally finishing up after 4:00 PM. The experience left me feeling more refreshed and energized than I had in a good solid week. I didn’t want to ruin it by going to exercise, so I opted for the library instead. A good book would keep me interested for a couple of hours.

It was only after I sat down with a science fiction novel by one of my favorite authors that I realized I’d never actually figured out with Rarity how I felt about Adagio. Dang it. At least she cleared up the mystery of whether Adagio meant what she said or not. Ugh, why do I have to deal with this drama on top of everything else?

I decided to try not to focus on that, and focused on my book instead. I ended up maybe reading all of thirty pages by the time of the evening meeting, thanks to my distracted mind.

Once we met up I straight away made my suggestion of sharing the secrets we received, to foster trust. “I know these might be embarrassing or concerning,” I said, “but I honestly think sharing them will help us trust each other more.”

“You sure about that, sugarcube?” Applejack inquired, one side of her mouth curling up. “Y’all haven’t seen what Monoponi sent me. This is a mite worse than just embarrassin’.”

“Hey, I’m all for it,” Scootaloo said, sitting up straighter in her chair. “I’m tired of this stupid killing game. If we can find a way to trust each other, let’s do it!”

“Let’s put it to a vote, then,” Tiara said, jotting down some notes on her pad. “All in favor?” Scootaloo, myself, Rarity, Flash, and Tiara, and Adagio raised their hands. After a moment, so did Rainbow Dash. “Guess you’re outvoted. Sorry, Applejack,” Tiara said, managing, somehow, to keep any smarm out of her voice.

“Fine, fine, Ah can accept that,” Applejack grumbled. “Alright, which one of y’all’s gonna go first with this secret sharin’?”

“I will, since I brought it up.” I took a moment to share with them Trixie’s secret, and mentioned that I’d spoken to Trixie about it.

Applejack pursed her lips as she considered that. “Hmm. Ah guess that might explain a bit of why she is the way she is. Doesn’t justify what she did though.”

“I don’t think anyone said it would,” Scootaloo pointed out. “Anyway, here’s the one I’ve got. It’s about you, Flash, but… I wanna make sure you’re okay with me sharing it first.”

Flash blinked, arching both eyebrows as he took the pad from her and glanced at it. “Aw, man,” he groaned, rubbing the back of his head as his cheeks flushed. “I was hoping he wouldn’t find out about that.”

Scootaloo cringed, holding her fists to her chest. “Sorry! I’m sorry if you didn’t want anyone to find out.”

“No, no, it’s cool,” Flash said with a hesitant shrug. “Go ahead. It’ll look way worse if you don’t share, right?”

“Okay…” Scootaloo said, pressing her lips together. “Long as you’re sure.”

Monoponi’s Secrets!

“When Flash Sentry was a kid, he liked to wear his mom’s makeup and clothes, and pretend to be her around the house! As an adult, he still wears dresses sometimes, in the comfort of his own home.”

“Oh!” I said, blinking. “Huh. Neat.” I looked up at him, frowning. “I don’t want to assume anything, but does this mean you’re some flavor of nonbinary? Sorry if that’s something I shouldn’t be prying into.”

“Uuuh…” Flash chuckled, looking away from me. “Maybe? I don’t know? I’m still pretty sure I’m a dude, if that’s what you mean. I don’t talk about it a lot, cause it’s mostly just… private.”

Rainbow Dash clapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, you do you, man. Whatever makes you happy.”

I glanced at Applejack, but the farmer just shrugged. “What? Ah’ve got at least four or five cousins who’re trans. Ah ain’t gonna look down on someone for tryin’ to figure out who they are.”

Rarity’s eyes lit up with sparkles. “If you’d like, Flash, I’d be more than happy to sew you a new dress.”

Flash’s whole face turned beet red as he stared at the floor. “...maybe later,” he muttered.

“Very well,” Rarity replied, smiling warmly at him. Then her smile dimmed substantially. “In any event, I will go next. Mine… concerns someone no longer with us. Fluttershy.”

Monoponi’s Secrets!

“Fluttershy is a pure, innocent soul, untouched by the world’s evils. Or is she? Turns out, that little slut’s done porn! That’s right, she’s appeared as a model in adult magazines! Can you believe she’d fall to such depths of moral depravity? What else is she capable of?”

“What the hell?!” Rainbow Dash cried, slamming a fist on the table. “First of all, that’s none of anyone’s business! Second of all, how’d he even know about it?”

“Jeez, Rarity, you weren’t kidding when you said it slut shamed her,” I said, grimacing in disgust at Monoponi’s wording. “Who even cares if she did adult magazines. That was her choice.”

“Exactly!” Rainbow said. Her face crumbled into a saddened frown as she collapsed into her hands. “Ugh, Fluttershy… damn it, she didn’t deserve to die…”

Flash wrapped an arm around Rainbow’s shoulder in a gentle reassuring squeeze. “We know, Dash, we know.”

She glanced up at him, a brief smile showing through the cracks in her hands. “Thanks, bud.” Blowing a sigh out through her teeth, she set her hands down and retrieved her Monopad. “Alright, alright, I’ll go next. Applejack, uh, heads up by the way. This one’s about you.”

Monoponi’s Secrets!

“Applejack Apple. Proud, strong, and honest to the core. Or is she? Turns out Applejack does lie from time to time. Like the time she fudges her family’s taxes so they’d get a full refund. Or the time she used her skills with rope to steal from a convenience store. Not so honest after all, no siree.”

“Uuuuuh,” Applejack’s eyes darted back and forth as her mouth twisted up into a strange sort of pout. “Ah dunno what he’s talkin’ about.”

“Tax fraud, huh?” Tiara snickered. “Well, guess that’s something our families have in common!”

Applejack glared daggers at the elitist. “Our families aren’t alike at all! Don’t you compare ‘em! My family works hard all the time to try and stay afloat. Not my fault if the government raised our taxes too much last year.”

“Oh, no, you’re right,” Tiara said, her amusement disappearing. “That was my mom’s. I’m sorry.”

“You… what?” Applejack’s jaw dropped. “You’re… you’re actually apologizin’? To me?”

“Well, yeah,” Tiara replied with a shrug. “I told you, Applejack, I’m trying to be a better person, okay? I know you don’t believe me, but it’s true!”

“Huh.” Applejack sat back in her chair, lost in thought, and didn’t say another word, not even when Rainbow asked her what the convenience store robbery was about.

“So I guess I’ll go next,” Flash said. His voice was still hoarse and rough, like a blender gargling chunks of gravel. He pulled out his Monopad slowly, wincing as he did so. “Rarity, this one’s about you.”

Rarity sat up straight in her chair. “Go ahead, darling. I’m ready for whatever slander he’s throwing my way.”

Monoponi’s Secrets!

“Rarity Belle, a generous soul, self-described as chic, unique, and magnifique! But beneath her crafted exterior beats the heart of a selfish savage. Why, she once beat a man half to death, just because he didn’t like the suit she crafted for him, and then sued him for all he was worth.”

“Ah. I thought he might’ve picked that incident,” Rarity sniffed, shaking her head in bemusement. “Of course, he’s completely misrepresenting it. That man didn’t just dislike the suit I made him, he assaulted me. If I hadn’t defended myself, he would’ve killed me. Or worse. I’ve dealt with many awful customers in my line of work, but he was truly the worst.”

“I figured,” Flash replied, setting his Monopad down. “Sorry you had to deal with that.”

Rarity chuckled, laying her elbow down on the table so she could support her head on her hand. “I’m not. That lawsuit paid for most of my mortgage on my shop. In the end, it worked out in my favor. Though I suppose I was lucky. I think the only reason I wasn’t given assault charges by the police was that I knew… someone.” She placed her other hand on her forehead. “I can’t remember who.”

That sparked something in my brain. I felt like I should know someone like that too, someone… for an instant, just the briefest of instances, I saw an image flash in my mind. Someone tall, white skin, blue hair. And then the image was gone, the world around me rushing back like a freight train plowing into my brain. I cried out as pain rippled its way through my head, and slipped out of my chair, nearly cracking my head on the table.

Adagio was on her feet in an instant, a hand at my shoulder. “Sunset, are you alright?”

“M’fine. Head hurts,” I muttered, reaching out and using their outstretched hands to climb to my feet. I stumbled as a spell of dizziness washed through me, then managed to find my way to my seat. “Don’t worry about me. I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?” Adagio asked, arching a doubtful eyebrow at me. “People don’t just fall out of their chairs like that.”

“I tried to remember something Monoponi erased,” I answered, massaging my temples. “Been happening ever since we woke up on this ship.”

“Seriously?” Scootaloo said, holding up a hand in confusion. “I get headaches if I try to remember something too hard, but it’s never knocked me out of my chair.”

I blinked owlishly. “Wait, this doesn’t happen to any of you? Just me?” Nods all around confirmed my suspicion. “Well that’s weird.”

“Anyhow,” Applejack said, abruptly rejoining the conversation, “Ah guess it’s my turn to share.” She slid her Monopad out for us all to see.

Monoponi’s Secrets!

“Diamond Tiara, the scion of the Rich family. A known coward and a liar, Diamond Tiara once tricked a fellow student at her high school into committing suicide, then used her daddy’s money to hush up his family so they wouldn’t talk. Better not trust her as far as you can throw her, because who knows what lies she’ll tell you?”

“Oh damn,” I breathed, gaping at Diamond Tiara. “This isn’t the secret you told me!”

“That…” Tiara’s mouth fell open, a haunted look in her eyes. “It wasn’t my fault. Daddy told me it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t trick him. We were making out at the scenic overlook, near the observatory on Mount Canter, and I tripped on my shoelaces. I fell, he tried to grab me, and went over the railing.” Tears filled her eyes. “He fell screaming until his body smashed apart on the rocks.”

“And my Daddy didn’t give his family ‘hush money,’” she continued, her tears flash boiling in her sudden fury, “he paid for the funeral and for the family to have enough to live comfortably for the rest of their lives, as an apology.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Tiara shouted, slamming her open palms on the table as she stood up. “You think I don’t know money doesn’t solve everything? Because I do! I do, god damn it!”

Rarity shot up out of her chair and put herself between Tiara and Applejack. “Now now, let’s try and calm down here. No one’s blaming you for making a mistake, Diamond.”

“And there you go again, defendin’ Diamond Tiara,” Applejack yelled as she too got to her feet, glaring at Rarity square in the eyes. “Just like rich folk to stick up for other rich folk, huh?”

“Would you stop making this about money?!” Rarity screeched, all sense of her usual demeanour forgotten. Her accent slipped a tad as she spoke, falling into something closer to a Whinneyweagan. “Diamond Tiara is a person, not a dollar sign! She just spilled her heart and soul to us, and all you can do is continue to take that damned Monoponi at his word!”

Applejack snorted, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “Well why shouldn’t Ah take him at his word? It ain’t like he’s wrong! Diamond Tiara’s been nothin’ but a low-down sneak ever since we woke up on this boat! She won’t stop lookin’ down on me just ‘cause Ah’m a farmer. Why should Ah stop lookin’ down on her for bein’ a rich bitch?”

Everything happened at once. Diamond Tiara let out a furious roar as she tackled Applejack, punching her across the face. Applejack in turn took barely a second to respond, shrugging off Tiara’s blows like they were nothing and flipping the woman off her and onto the table. The table collapsed, its legs breaking out from under it as Applejack descended upon Tiara, landing a solid punch to her jaw that sent at least one tooth flying. Rarity shrieked something that might’ve been Applejack’s name as she fell upon them, ripping Applejack off Tiara with one single pull of her arms and then hitting the farmer in the face with a palm strike, knocking her back to the ground.

Applejack held a hand up to her bleeding, broken nose, spat out a glob of blood, then leapt to her feet and charged at Rarity. Adagio, Rainbow and I leapt into action at this point, grabbing for Applejack together while Scootaloo and Flash tried to restrain Rarity, who fortunately cooperated without much of a fuss. Applejack, however, elbowed me in the gut, sending me reeling to the ground, filling my vision with stars. As I fell, I heard Adagio hiss like a madwoman, and Applejack scream in pain. I couldn’t process anything else as I fell unconscious for a moment or two.

When I came too, Applejack was bleeding not just from a broken nose, but from some sort of bite wound on her left arm, which hung loosely at her side as she clung to it with her other arm. She stood there heaving, staring wide eyed at Adagio, who was wiping blood off her mouth. “I warned you, Applejack,” Adagio growled, the blood spatter on her mouth plus her visible fangs giving off the impression I was looking at a vampire. “Don’t you ever lay a hand on Sunset again.”

Applejack worked her jaw, glancing between us and Tiara, who was being tended to by Rarity and Scootaloo. “B-but she started it!” she shouted, pointing at the prone Tiara.

“And I finished it,” Adagio shot back as she reached into her pocket and brought out her knife, holding it upside down by the hilt like she was preparing to stab the farmer in the heart. “Final warning.”

Snorting in disgust and then coughing due to the blood that splattered as a result, Applejack spun on her heels and stomped off the promenade, heading for her cabin. As soon as she turned to leave Adagio stuffed the knife in her pocket and was on her knees, checking on me. “Sunset, how bad is it?”

“Not so bad now,” I moaned, using Adagio’s shoulder as support to stand. “Just knocked the wind out of me. I’ll be okay.” I rubbed at my aching stomach, reminding myself to go pop some pain pills as soon as I got a chance. “How’s Tiara and Rarity?”

“I’m perfectly fine, darling,” Rarity growled, her accent firmly back in place. “As for Tiara, she’s… not. I suspect the poor dear could benefit from a visit to a dentist. Or the emergency room.”

I glance down to see Tiara holding a hand to her jaw, spitting out blood every so often into a cup Scootaloo had grabbed for her. She looked up at me, and as she spoke, I saw she was missing at least a couple of teeth. “Wash my fault. I shouldn’t have--”

“No, Diamond, it was not your fault,” Rarity cut her off, fierce anger burning in her eyes. “It was Applejack, once again making a complete ass of herself. We should get you cleaned up. Can you stand? I can escort you to the bathroom.”

“I’ll help,” Scootaloo said, offering a hand out. Between the two of them, they managed to get Tiara to her feet, and carefully carried to the promenade bathroom.

Rainbow Dash watched them leave, then looked at me. “So, uh, I guess the meeting’s over now?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I’d say so. Jeez, guys, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

“Hey, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Dash shrugged. “Something like that was bound to happen. Applejack and Tiara hate each other’s guts so much, I wouldn’t be surprised if either of them tried to kill the other.”

“Oh god I hope not,” Flash groaned, falling back into his chair. Despite his lack of involvement he looked exhausted by the whole affair, the bags under his eyes having tripled. “I don’t have the energy to put up with this anymore.”

“Are you alright, Flash?” I asked. “You look like a raccoon, you’re so tired.”

“I feel like one too. Like garbage,” he chuckled. “I’m just tired though. I think I’m gonna get some sleep. Dash, you wanna meet up in the morning, go race some karts?”

“You better believe it, buddy!” Dash replied, flashing him a double thumbs up. “Take it easy.”

He waved, then walked off towards his cabin. After a moment of dithering Rainbow Dash made a beeline towards the game corner, leaving Adagio and me by ourselves. I turned to her straight away, and said, “You didn’t hurt your teeth biting her, did you?”

“No,” Adagio groused, wiping the last of the blood from her chin. “I shouldn’t’ve done that, but when she hit you, I… reacted.”

“Hey, it’s okay, I’m not mad,” I said, reaching out to invite her into a hug. After a moment, she accepted it, melding into my embrace. “You were just trying to stop the fight.”

I withdrew just enough so I could look her in the eye. “Let’s go back to my cabin, okay?” I didn’t wait for an answer, walking off while holding onto her hand. Fortunately she didn’t make me drag her.

We reached my cabin in a hurry, and I closed and locked the door, then sat down with her on the bed. Adagio leaned into me straight away, nuzzling into my shoulder like a cat. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she murmured.

“Me too,” I said with a quiet laugh. I stroked her cheek lovingly with my hand, and this time she didn’t recoil. She murmured under her breath and nuzzled into me further. “It’s nice to know I’ve got someone so ready to defend me. Makes me feel… loved.”

Adagio’s eyes shot open as she sat up, looking at me with uncertainty all over her face. She bit at her lower lip, her hands clenching and unclenching. “Don’t be stupid,” she said, though her heart wasn’t her harsh words.

I set a hand on her shoulder and patted her gently. “Adagio, I asked Rarity for advice earlier. She told me that she’s seen the way you look at me. It’s okay. If you feel it, you can say it. I won’t mind.”

Adagio looked away, one fist lashing out to beat the mattress. “This isn’t easy,” she groused. “I’m a siren, damn it. I’ve never felt this way before, about anyone. I don’t know how to handle it.”

“Well, the easiest way, I find,” I said, reaching up to set a hand on her chin, gently turning her head to face me. “Is to just say it, and see what happens.”

“Grgh,” Adagio muttered, closing her eyes. She took several deep breaths, then opened them. “Alright. Sunset, I… I love you. There. I said it, okay?”

It had been one thing to hear her say it by accident. It had been one thing to hear it second-hand, from the observations of a third party. In both cases, I wasn’t sure how I felt. I was left confused, adrift, uncertain.

But now? Now that I heard it straight from the siren’s mouth? My emotions were one hundred percent crystal clear.

I leaned forward to kiss her, planting my lips on hers for several long, slow moments. “I love you too, Adagio.”

Danganronpa: In Harmony's Wake

by Dewdrops on the Grass

Chapter Four: Passing in the Night Part 2