Danganronpa: In Harmony's Wake

by Dewdrops on the Grass

Chapter Five: Whistle for the Wind Part 9

As the votes concluded, I stood proud at my podium, still thrilled over Sunset’s survival. I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, had kept her alive, despite Monoponi’s best efforts. It felt incredible, but I knew the feeling wouldn’t last.

After all, we still had the finale. The final moments of my life were ticking down, and rapidly at that.

I watched as the holographic display lit up in the center, showcasing the voting tallies. All for me, exactly the way they should be. Monoponi didn’t even bother with his usual speechifying before firing off a light from his horn, causing the display to shift to a picture of my face, with fireworks exploding over it reading “GUILTY!”

“Congratulations, you idiots,” he said, every word full of bitterness. “You successfully determined the culprit. Again. The killer of Adagio Dazzle, the Ultimate Songstress, was none other than Trixie Lulamoon, the Ultimate Illusionist, blah blah blah.”

“What’s the matter, Monoponi?” I spoke up, feeling a courage take hold of my heart. “Upset that Trixie beat you at your own game?”

It was stupid. I knew if I taunted him it’d just make my death more painful. But he was going to torture me anyway. And if I was honest with myself? I deserved it. I deserved at least some pain. I still stole an innocent life, after all. In a way, I hoped there was an afterlife, not because I thought I deserved paradise, but because I wanted the chance to apologize to Pinkie Pie, personally. Would she forgive me? Would she refuse? I hoped I’d get the chance to find out, before I was inevitably cast down into perdition.

Then again maybe heaven and hell were bullcrap and the real afterlife was something entirely different. Who knows?

Monoponi faced me, but to my surprise, he didn’t start screaming at me. Instead, he spoke softly, “You think you’ve won? You think that just because Sunset survived this time that she’s going to escape? Don’t be a fool. I know that’s hard for you, Trixie, because a fool is the role you’ve chosen for yourself in life.”

“Maybe it is,” I said, my confidence wavering not even an inch. “But it’s one Trixie plays well. Trixie enjoyed her life. She’s not the one who threw an elaborate death game just for the sake of revenge.”

Monoponi calmly hopped off his throne and trotted over and around my podium so he could look up at me. His toothy jaws opened, but I refused to let that get to me. “Revenge? That’s what you think this is? That’s why you all think I did this? It’s more than that. Much more. But you see, Trixie, you won’t get to see what that is. You don’t get to find out. You get to die. And I get to kill you. I’m going to enjoy it.”

“Trixie is sure you will,” I said with a chuckle. “But when Trixie is gone, the brief little bit of pleasure you got from snuffing out her life will fade, and leave you right back where you are. Bitter. Hateful. Evil. And alone. Trixie might not get to know why this all happened, but she’s proud of the life she’s led, despite the mistakes she’s made. She’s made friends, and loves them. Do you have friends, Monoponi?”

“Friends.” Monoponi spat the word out like it was the worst profanity imaginable. “Friends? Me? No. No, I don’t have friends. I don’t need friends. I… ohohoho.” His mouth rose in a grin as he floated up into the air and popped a hoof next to his mouth. “Upupu, look at you. You almost got to little old Monoponi. Nice try. But it’s still too soon for the big reveal.”

He rose back up and onto his throne. “So, you know what? I’m going to be generous. I’m going to give you, mmm, let’s say ten minutes to wrap up whatever insipid little goodbyes you need to give this excuse for a person. Then I’ll end her miserable life.”

“What, you’re not gonna bother to show us some security footage or nothin’?” Applejack said, arching her eyebrows. “Ah thought you always did that after the vote.”

“What for?” Monoponi scoffed. “What is there to show? It’s not like Trixie got any details wrong. She’s the one who did it! What, you want to see Adagio’s life snuffed out before your eyes? Are you that bloodthirsty that you need to see it for yourself? Well if you are, why didn’t you kill anyone? I gave you every reason to off that drama-loving marshmallow and you never took it!”

“What, you mean Rarity?” Applejack snorted. “Ah don’t know what you mean by marshmallow, but Ah can’t imagine ever killin’ her. Maybe we don’t get along. Maybe when we do escape from this ship, we’ll get a divorce. Ah… Ah…” She sighed, then scowled at him. “Ah’m not gonna bare mah heart to you.”

“W-what about when you met with Trixie?” Tiara asked, her voice quavering as she spoke. “A-aren’t you going to show that at least?”

He turned to face her. “There’s no reason to show that either! It’s a big waste of my time. There’s nothing you’d learn from it. Like I said, Trixie did it! She told you everything! Maybe she didn’t give a word by word teleplay, but really, who needs to see that?”

“No one,” Scootaloo said, casting Tiara a curious look. “We just want to keep Trixie alive as long as possible.”

“Oh you do? Well, now I want to take back what I said about giving you time.” Monoponi raised a hoof and waggled it like I would a finger. “But I won’t do that. I’m feeling extra charitable. I’ve got something I’m about to thoroughly enjoy. I can wait for it.” He lowered his hoof. “No more delays. Get to it. Clock’s ticking!” His horn lit and summoned up an hourglass out of nowhere, placing it down upon the central display, and turned it over. Bluish white sand fell at an extremely rapid pace, making my heart quicken.

Rarity stepped away from her podium, around Sunset, and over to me, wrapping me in a hug so tight I could barely breathe. “Like I said, darling, I’m grateful,” she said as she held me. “I’m going to miss you so much. We really needed to have more lovely chats.”

“Hehehe,” I laughed as I patted her on her back. “Trixie would’ve loved that. She hopes you won’t miss her too much though.” I pulled back from her and gave her a wink, then gestured with my thumb to Sunset. “You have someone to win over.”

“I suppose so,” Rarity said as she withdrew, giving me a sad smile. “Assuming I get the chance.”

“Hey, hey, we agreed to talk about that after the trial,” Sunset growled, glaring at the seamstress.

Rarity raised her hands. “Sorry.” Then she faced me. "I do have a question though, if I may."

"Sure," I shrugged. "What is it?"

"Did you deliberately set the murder up as a series of practical jokes? Or was that mere coincidence?"

I pressed my lips together and looked away for a moment, my heart seizing up in my chest. Then I faced her again, with a few tears in my eyes. "It was on purpose. Trixie... I wanted to make up for my past mistakes, and honor Pinkie's memory. I think she would've appreciated the homage."

Rarity snorted even as her own eyes filled with moisture. "I think you're right, darling." She rushed forward to hold me, this time gripping me so hard I gasped for air. "You are a far better person than most of us, Trixie. I wish you didn't have to go."

"Me too," I replied, my cheeks running wet. "Me too."

Rarity gave me one final squeeze, smiled at me, then stepped away.

Applejack made her way over to me next, and fixed me with a stern look. “Ah want you to know somethin’ before you go, Trixie. Ah never liked you that much. You had too big an ego, always talkin’ in third person like you were some bigshot. Ah don’t care for people that put on airs.”

“If it helps you feel better about it,” I said with a half smile, “Trixie doesn’t do it just for the ego boost.”

“Oh Ah figured that out mahself, thank you,” she replied. She adjusted her hat and crossed her arms over her chest. “But Ah’ve been thinkin’ lately, about how Ah’ve been judgin’ many of the people Ah got to know here the wrong way.” She glanced briefly at Diamond Tiara before returning her gaze to me. “And Ah think you were one of those people Ah misjudged. Ah wanted to hate you, you know, because Apple Bloom only died ‘cause of your show. But Ah didn’t, because Ah knew mah sister wouldn’t have appreciated it. So Ah tried to tolerate you. Then you killed Pinkie and Ah was livid. Ah hated you somethin’ fierce. You were a liar, a killer, and everythin’ bad Ah thought about you was justified.”

Okay, is she going somewhere with this, or is she just ranting at me because she won’t have another chance? “But you don’t think that now, Trixie hopes.”

“No. Ah don’t. Ah still dunno if Ah like you, but Ah do respect you. Ah respect your choices, and you lookin’ out for me and everyone else, ‘specially Sunset.” She managed a small smile and held out a hand, and when I took it, she gave me a strong shake that just avoided crushing my bones into powder. “Ah’m glad Ah got to know you, Trixie. Ah’ll be sure to remember you.”

“T-thanks,” I groaned, smiling despite the pain in my hand. “Trixie’s glad to hear it.” She released my hand and stepped away. Immediately I shook it, blowing on it, trying to ease the ache. “Oooowww…”

Tiara snickered as she took Applejack’s place, then coughed and covered her mouth a moment before reshaping her smile into something more pleasant. “You know what I thought when I first met you, Trixie? I thought you were a freaking idiot. Like a sideshow clown or something. You were annoying, and stupid, and I hated your stupid face.”

“Gee, thanks,” I said flatly. “Trixie’s never been so complimented.”

Her eyes flashed momentarily with irritation before she took a deep breath and let it out. “But I was wrong. About all of that. You might not’ve realized it, but you helped me become a better person, just like Sunset. It was through hating you even more when you killed Pinkie, but you still helped! And then you had to go and prove me wrong. You know how much I hate being wrong? A lot! I’m Diamond Tiara, damn it. My daddy’s Filthy Rich. I’m wealthier than all of you combined, and I was taught to be proud of myself. And to be a big jerk.”

“But you’re not a jerk now,” I said. Then I frowned, and held up my thumb and finger, less than an inch apart. “Well, mostly.”

“Hah! You got that right,” Tiara laughed. She jerked a thumb towards Sunset. “Mostly because of her. So thanks again for keeping us all alive. And for wiping out that siren. I know Sunset loved her, but wow. She made me look like a saint!”

Tiara flashed me a final thumbs up, then stepped away, letting Scootaloo in. The younger woman peered at me for a moment. “Hey, so, uh, I’m not that great with words. You guys know that. And you and me, we didn’t talk a lot.”

“No, we didn’t,” I said, shaking my head. “Trixie wishes she’d changed that. She thinks you’re a nice person.”

“I mean, I try to be,” Scootaloo said with a shrug. “I like to look out for people, you know? It’s what my Aunts taught me. But I also learned stuff since getting here. Sunset and Rainbow Dash? They both taught me how to be brave, how to stand up for myself, in their own ways. I wouldn’t have stood up to Monoponi in the trial like I did without their example.”

“And you did it flawlessly,” I said with a smile. “Trixie thought you were very brave indeed.”

A dark frown momentarily graced her face before it slipped away. “Part of me hated you for Rainbow’s death, you know. Because Adagio had a point, in the trial before this one. Rainbow might not’ve died if it wasn’t for Fluttershy and Pinkie’s deaths. Or if she did, it would’ve happened differently. But you know what I realized? Fuck what she thought. You’re a good person. You made a stupid mistake, when it came to Pinkie, but your heart was always in the right place. And you made up for it, big time.” She raised a hand to try and clap me on the shoulder, but she ended up hitting my elbow instead, due to being so short when compared to moi. “I hope Monoponi makes it quick. You don’t deserve to suffer.”

“He won’t, but thank you anyway,” I said, my smile fading. I reached out to place my hand on her shoulder. “Don’t ever stop being you, Scootaloo.”

“Oh I won’t,” she said. She patted my hand, then brushed it off and stepped away.

So once again I found myself facing Sunset, who at least wasn’t crying thing time. “I’m not sure what else I want to say that I haven’t already said,” she said. So she reached out and gave me a one armed hug, carefully holding her broken elbow away from me. “I don’t want you to go, Trixie.”

“I know that, Sunset,” I said as I returned the hug. “Believe you me, there’s a lot I’d love to say if we still had time. Things I’d want to talk about, to do. Want to know a secret?”

“Uh, sure?” she replied with a confused grin.

“Trixie was gonna ask you to be her assistant for her traveling shows,” I said with a sage nod. “You were the perfect assistant on stage, after all.”

Sunset broke into sad laughter, wincing as the intakes of breath hurt her damaged ribs. “I dunno if I would’ve said yes, but I wish I had the chance to.”

“That’s okay. Even if you said no, Trixie still would’ve given you a lifetime supply of free tickets,” I said, laughing right along with her.

“Bzzzt!” Monoponi blurted, right as the last bit of sand reached the bottom of the hourglass. He zapped it with his horn, causing it to vanish. “Times up! I hope you’re ready to face the music, Trixie, because this one’s gonna be big!”

Everyone moved away, giving me space as a set of chains fell down from the ceiling, wrapping a steel collar around my neck. Everyone that is, save for Sunset. She reached out to me and took my hand. “Please. Don’t go.”

“Now then, I’ve prepared a very special punishment for Trixie Lulamoon, the Ultimate Illusionist!”

“Sorry, Sunset, but it’s time for the curtain call,” I said, giving her hand a squeeze before letting it go. “Stage puns aside? I love you, my friend.”

She sniffled, and gave me a sad smile. “Love you too, Trixie.”

“Let’s give it everything we’ve got! Iiiiiiiit’s punishment time!”

A big red button rose up before Monoponi and he slapped down on it with one forehoof.

The chains abruptly yanked me towards the ceiling at breakneck speeds, leaving the blood rushing to my head. I had just long enough to see the walls light up with the usual display before I flew up into a tunnel.

I whisked along so fast I could barely see any details passing me by, but I felt every bump. Protrusions sticking out of the walls poked and prodded me, each one taking away a small amount of what was left of my breath. My vision swam, going grey at the edges, then began to fade into blackness.

And then just as suddenly I was released onto a stage. A stage in the round, wood atop metal, sitting aboard the deck of the ship. The noonday sun streamed down through gaps in the clouds, the smell of sea salt air filling my nostrils as I gasped, taking in heaping lungfuls of air. I fell onto my one knee on the wood, feeling the grain press against my skin, surprisingly rough for a stage.

I looked up from where I laid to see, all around me, a selection of fireworks. Everything from little firecrackers to six inch thick shells stacked up in racks. Beyond that was a crowd of holographic Monoponis, waving signs at me reading things like “you suck!” and “go screw yourself!” Charming as always.

I had enough time to get a good look at the sea as well, the waves rising and falling as the ship cut its path through, before two long metal rods shot up out of little covers in the stage. Each one bore a handcuff that latched onto my wrist and hauled me up to stand on my one leg. All around the ship a great blackness filled the sky, cutting off the sun, and letting in little sparkles that resembled stars in the night. The cuffs held me in place as the fireworks show began.

At first, it was the little ones. They flew at me before popping, scattering bits of ash at me while hurting my eyes and ears. Then they began to pepper me, hurtled at me by the magic aura of Monoponi before bursting on my skin, leaving painful burns. Each one had me gritting my teeth, refusing to cry out before finally I gave in when a particularly large sparkler blazed its way into my stomach.

Then my cloak and hat were ripped away from me, leaving me feeling exposed. More fireworks went off, larger ones, shooting up above my head to explode far too close in ear-shattering booms of noise. After each one went off, I felt a trickle of magic heal up my eardrums, forcing me to hear the next and then the next. Bits of burning paper and tubes fell on my head and arms, leaving more ashy residue and, in a few of the larger cases, bruises. At one point my hair caught fire before it was extinguished by a crimson aura.

But it wasn’t a mercy. I screamed as the pressure waves from the explosions rippled through me, tearing away at my breath each time, the pain beyond excruciating. I never knew sound could hurt as much as this did.

Then they stopped. The crowd of fake ponies booed as one at the cessation of the display, and hurled their signs at me, then switched to rotten fruit, and then rocks. As each one peppered me, I cried out, unable to withstand the pain. I felt several of my ribs break, then my arms and leg, tears raining down my cheeks. White hot pain poured up my leg like molten steel running its way through my veins as the cuffs forced me to keep standing on despite desperately wishing I could collapse against the stage.

“M-make it stop!” I begged. “Please, just end it already!”

But he refused. The crowd dove off the ship until just one Monoponi was left, the real one. He pointed his hoof at the huge fireworks, letting one go up and explode so loud I thought I’d be torn apart by the sound itself. Then the next, and the next. Each display of color and light appeared cheerful in contrast to the amount of pain it caused.

Then the firing ceased. The few fireworks left were moved away from the stage, and a new one emerged from a hidden platform. The biggest one by far, it was a monster of a shell, thicker around than I was, shaped like a fifties sci-fi rocket, complete with little fins, and with the name "The Manticore" emblazoned upon it in a sickly red. My hat was slapped onto the top of it before it blasted off into the sky. This one didn’t just explode. It erupted into a massive Monoponi face, slavering jaws and all, stretching across the entirety of the sky. Unlike the other fireworks, this one didn’t fade. This one opened up his mouth and waited, like an avatar of death itself.

Then Monoponi brought out a cannon. It was long, colored in blue and pink, just like the party cannon Pinkie Pie had once described to me, except this one was big enough to stuff me in. And that’s exactly what he did. He lifted me up into it and stuffed me into the barrel, head first, letting me get a good eye view of the wadding already inside. He left me in there for just long enough to make me panic, afraid of the explosion about to occur in my face. I thought it would blow me to bits.

But no. I wasn’t that lucky. Instead, I heard him shout instructions, telling someone to ready, to aim, and then the sound of a burning flame making its way down a wick before the cannon boomed and fired me up towards the Monoponi in the sky. I screamed the whole way up, flailing like crazy as I flew towards his gaping maw. I was able to look back just long enough to see there was an actual throat behind the mouth before my body went inside. His jaws slammed shut on my

As the monstrous Monoponi devoured Trixie’s body, her head fell back to the stage and landed, neck first, on one last tube of fireworks, her expression frozen in fear. Then it exploded, blowing her head into meaty chunks.

Sorrow filled my breast as the screens winked off, overwhelming me with fresh tears. God damn it, Trixie, I thought as the salt streamed down my face. My chest hurt like hell as I sobbed, my lungs still feeling like they were wrapped in razor wire.

I felt a set of arms wrap around me, alabaster skin coming into view as curls of purple hair brushed against my shoulder. Rarity wept with me as she held me, carefully placing her arms so she didn’t hurt my rib cage or my broken elbow. The warmth of her skin was soothing, and I soaked it in as we let our tears run dry.

“Ooooooh yeah!” Monoponi whooped, bouncing up and down on his throne. “Ahaha! Eat that, you magic chick! How’s that for an execution, huh? Exciting, wasn’t it? Extreme! Thrilling! Everything she deserved and so much more!”

Rarity raised her head over mine. “You monster!” she roared. “You sick, horrid little creature! Trixie didn’t deserve any of that!”

“At least it wasn’t as bad as Flash’s,” Tiara muttered under her breath.

“If Ah went deaf for the rest of mah life Ah’d still hear those fireworks,” Applejack said, her face full of terror.

Scootaloo held both hands firmly on her ears, her eyes wide in shock, her chest fluttering with shallow breaths. “Fucking fireworks,” she groaned. “I hate fireworks.”

For my part, I didn’t waste my breath cursing Monoponi. I knew by now he’d love it. He’d take every word we said and slather it all over himself like it was lotion or soap, bathing in it, letting it soak into his skin. He enjoyed our pain, and I wasn’t going to give him more. Not now.

Not when I wanted to save my thoughts for Trixie. I’d thought about her a lot, while trapped in the archive room. How I feared Monoponi might kill her, in the group execution he’d hold for when Adagio won. I never pictured this though. In a way it was just like the dream I had. Fireworks in the sky, except with much messier and more deadly results.

And yet, a part of me was glad Trixie got a fitting send off. Dramatic, exciting, and big. Just like her. Larger than life.

But I still wanted her back. I wanted her standing next to me, hugging me just like Rarity was. And Adagio for that matter. Yes, I still wanted her here. I don’t know why. I was so mixed up inside over her. One part of me, the pony part of me, utterly loathed her, crowing about how right my instincts were all along. About how this is what Adagio deserved, as a siren. As a predator. As a monster.

The rest of me, the human part of me, wanted her back so bad it almost hurt more than my wounds. She’d changed, for a while. She really had.

But maybe, in the end, I wasn’t actually in love with her. Maybe I was in love with the idea of her, the idea of Adagio I had in my brain, that she was just like me, a person who’d led a bad life who wanted nothing but redemption, to make friends, to be better. But that was never what she was really about. Adagio only ever wanted one thing.

She wanted to survive. She came to me, allied herself to me, only because I was from Equestria. She came to me after the first trial because I was the only one she dared show any weakness too, because she knew as a pony I lacked the killer instinct to take advantage of it. She could show weakness because she wasn’t afraid. She knew she could kill me at any time.

The warning signs were there from the start. Her treatment of Trixie in general.The morning after our first night of love-making. The knife she pulled on me before the magic show. The way she delighted in tormenting Trixie at the end of the third trial. Her threatening Applejack’s life right in front of me. And, of course, the way she reacted to my guitar.

I would never know if she truly loved me, or if what she felt for me was something more like a possessive greed. She certainly acted possessive, becoming furious whenever her bond with me was remotely threatened, whether it was by Trixie or Rarity or anyone else. Every time we had sex she was rough, hitting me, biting me, bruising me. I mean, I liked it, but it was never, ever gentle. Not even once.

Maybe I should’ve listened to my own advice, when I talked to Trixie about love. I told her, love without friendship doesn’t end well. And that’s exactly what happened here. Adagio and I never really became friends. We got along. We were allies. But how often did we hang out? How often did we do fun things together, things that weren’t sex? Not often. I could think of only a couple of cases off the top of my head. One of them was the wind tunnel, the other swimming in the fitness center pool. She treated one as boring, a waste of time, and the other as a competition, a way to beat me.

Oh. I guess there was the go-karts races too. That was fun while it lasted.

Yet at the same time, who was it I made friends with? Actual friends, that is, not just what I thought was friendship. It was Trixie. Rarity. Twilight, for a little while. Flash. Apple Bloom. Rainbow Dash. Diamond Tiara, though I still suspected she might be the traitor. A whole lot of people who I liked spending time with. Who I missed, because all had died, save for Rarity and Tiara.

Huh. Maybe there could be something to me and Rarity after all. She and I got along for more reasons than just physical attraction and convenience. I mean sure, she was drop-dead gorgeous, even after losing a lot of her hair, but that wasn’t what made us friends. I was friends with her because I had fun talking to her. She cared about me me, not just me as a concept. How many hours did we spend talking while she made me clothes, or sitting in the spa together? Plenty, and more besides. The few hours I spent with her and Trixie in Trixie’s room were some of the best hours I’d spent on this ship.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to get with her just yet though. Apart from the fact that I was still dealing with losing one lover, I’d rather take something like that slow. And, well… I was still hoping that maybe, somehow, we’d all get our memories back. And if that happened, maybe she and Applejack would get back together. They seemed like such a happy couple in that picture. And Applejack seemed lesser without Rarity. She was just that little bit sadder, that little bit less enthusiastic. I at least hoped that they’d be able to stay friends, if nothing else.

Adagio was like… well, like a firework. Pretty to look at, but dangerous, explosive, and deadly if you weren’t careful. She was fun, sure. Strong. Sexy as all get out. But… she wasn’t a good person. And in the end, she proved that. She had every chance to learn from all the time she’d spent with me, on how to be a better person, and she threw it all away. Maybe Rarity was right to intervene after all, when I tried to apologize to her. Maybe she really was going to stab me with that knife, right then and there.

Fuck. I went to her to apologize, when if anyone should’ve been apologizing then, it was her. She was the one who’d injured me. She was the one who’d destroyed something precious of mine, who’d wrecked my room. Looking back, I don’t know why I didn’t just give up on her then. What kind of person does that to someone they claim to love? But no, I was stupid. Blind. I thought I could turn her around, that maybe she just needed to act out a bit and then she’d be able to get her anger out.

So stupid, in the end. I really should’ve rekeyed my lock. But…. but if I had, we’d probably have lost someone else. Rarity, maybe. Or Applejack. Or Scootaloo. Adagio still would’ve killed, and she’d still be dead now, executed just like Trixie was.

God damn it, Trixie. I hope you’re able to rest easy now. And for goodness’s sake, Pinkie Pie, I hope you can forgive her. She deserves to be forgiven. She really did redeem herself.

If only it hadn’t taken Adagio’s death and her own to do it.

Rarity pulled away from me, though her hand moved down my arm to grip mine, keeping a firm hold. I let her do it. It was a bit presumptuous in a way, but it was still something I’d do for a friend, so it was okay. “So what?” she said, responding to something I hadn’t heard. “That doesn’t make it right!”

“Oh blah blah blah, you people really are a one-trick act, you know that?” Monoponi groaned, shaking his head at us. “Every time it’s always the same. I could set a clock by you morons! Oh no, it’s one o’clock, guess it’s time for the ranting about how evil I am!” He held both forehooves to his mouth as he hovered there, flapping his wings every once in a while. “Upupu, I do love it though. Maybe that’s why I haven’t killed you yet. You’re too much fun to torment!”

“Shut up, you big jerk,” Scootaloo grunted, flipping him off.

“No you,” he reacted like a four year-old, before breaking out into laughter. “Ahahaha! Well that’s enough wasting time for this trial. Get out of my courtroom! Shoo, shoo!”

The elevator opened back up, inviting us in. With a reassuring squeeze of my hand, I pulled Rarity with me towards it. I couldn’t wait till I got back to my cabin, so I could lay down and sleep. Though maybe I should take a shower first. And drink about two gallons of water.

Fuck it, I’d just open my mouth under the showerhead and start gulping. Or I would if anyone would let me get away with it. Probably a stupid idea though.

Maybe I should have someone with me, just to be sure I don’t actually do that.

The others filed onto the elevator with me, though it was still hauntingly oversized for the number of us left. As the doors closed and it began to rise, I quickly observed my fellow remaining passengers.

Applejack held herself tense, shifting her weight from one leg to the other every few seconds, her muscles taut, like she was raring to punch or kick something. She kept glancing my way, at my hand holding Rarity’s, and letting out quiet little sighs.

Scootaloo had relaxed from her panic attack. Why she was scared of fireworks, I had no idea, but I didn’t blame her for it either. She was still upset though, judging by her puffy eyes, bloodshot from her own shed tears. She stood away from most of us, closest to Diamond Tiara.

Who, for that matter, kept looking Scootalo’s way every so often. It was adorable the way she’d reacted to Scootaloo’s teasing in the trial. They’d make a cute couple too, if Tiara went for it. But I watched her carefully, searching for something in her expression that’d give away to my suspicions. Like I said, I still thought she was the traitor. I hadn’t said anything to anyone about it since speaking to Adagio, but I was still worried. She’d caused a lot of tension right before Flash murdered Rainbow, and though she hadn’t seemed to provoke anything since, she was my top suspect. The only other one from her that I even considered could be the traitor was Scootaloo, and that was only because Scootaloo hadn’t bothered to become close to anyone, instead hovering around us in the background.

Then there was Rarity, who clung to me like a lifeline, her face a complete mess of ruined makeup and tear stains. In her own way she was filthier than I was, which was pretty impressive seeing as how I’d spent almost two days locked up and tied up in the dark, pissing myself, while she still had access to showers. On occasion she’d glance down at me and sniff, then her lips would curl up, but that was fine. I reeked, and I knew it.

The elevator dumped us out onto the food court, where we all stood together as a group for a couple moments, uncertain of what to do. “So uh… Ah’m thinkin’ Ah want to go get some rest. Ah dunno about y’all but Ah’m pooped,” Applejack said after a moment.

“Eh, I’m more hungry than tired,” Tiara muttered, casting a wistful glance at the restaurants before sighing. Then she snapped her fingers. “Oh damn it. I should’ve asked Monoponi if I could take Trixie’s pad and use her Monocoins.”

“Tiara!” Scootaloo cried, her face twisting up in shock. “What the hell?”

“What?” Tiara said. “They’re going to waste! That’s all I’m saying.”

I snickered, chuckled, then broke into outright laughter. “They are, aren’t they?” I said, my chest shaking with stabbing pains as I laughed.

Everyone else looked at me with wide, confused eyes. “You okay there, Sunset?” Scootaloo asked.

“No. No I’m not,” I said after my laughs faded, leaving me feeling even emptier than before. “I feel like shit.”

“You kinda smell like it too,” Tiara groaned, holding her nose.

I blushed, and scratched the back of my head. “Well, you know, when you’re tied up for almost two days--”

“Aaaaand Ah’m out,” Applejack said, throwing up her hands before letting them clap at her sides. “Y’all have a good day now.” She all but ran towards the cabins.

“So, uh, I’m gonna split too,” Scootaloo said, looking up at me. “But before I go, Sunset? Make sure you get plenty of water. And some salt! Actually, hold on a sec.” She ran off like a bullet for the convenience store, and returned barely moments later, carting a small baggie with a few sports drinks. “This stuff’s usually not that good for you, but in your condition? You need it, and bad. Try to drink this before you have any more water.”

I took the baggie, holding it along with my own. “Thanks, but you didn’t have to spend your Monocoins on that.”

“Yes I did,” Scootaloo said firmly. “You needed it.” She nodded to me and clapped me once on my good arm before walking away.

“So… like I said, I’m hungry,” Tiara said, looking away from me. “I think I’m going to go eat. Something. Yeah.”

She started to leave, but before she could get far, I called out, “Hey, Tiara?”

She looked back over her shoulder. “Yeah?”

If you’re not the traitor, you’re a damned good actor, I thought. Aloud, I said, with a smile I didn’t entirely feel, “You’re my friend too. Thanks for that.”

A wide grin spread on her face. “You’re welcome.”

As she walked away, Rarity let out a heavy sigh and looked at me. “Well. I suppose it’s just us now.”

“Yeah,” I said, my smile slipping. “I… I need to get cleaned up. Can you come with? I want someone to watch me. In case I slip, or something.”

She looked down at my broken elbow, and then at my ribs, before nodding. “Of course. If you’re certain that’s alright.”

“Hey, it’s not like you haven’t seen a naked woman before,” I said, shrugging. “Tits are tits, whether they’re yours or mine.”

Her eyes widened as she let out a snort of laughter. “True enough,” she said.

So we walked, hand in hand, back to my cabin. I excused myself to use the toilet before getting into the shower, and then let her in once I was done. “So, uh, I’m probably going to have to stand under this water for a good long time.”

She shook her head. “No, darling, you’d better sit down. I can help bathe you.” She knelt down and searched in the cupboards, pulling out a couple of the only untouched bottles of soap and shampoo, along with a loofah.

“Uuuh, when I asked you to help, I didn’t mean you needed to give me a sponge bath,” I said, feeling both amused and a bit uncomfortable at the same time.

Her eyes narrowed into a stern glare. “It’s better than risking you falling and hurting yourself. Especially when you have only one good arm.” Her glare softened. “I’m not offering to do this just because I’m interested in you. Honestly, what sort of horndog do you take me for?”

That joke eased my tension substantially. “Fair enough. Let me get the water going.”

I drew up a partial bath, enough to sit in without it going too high. The bathtub was huge, with plenty of room, but I also wanted the shower to run down on me, and I didn’t want to risk the tub overflowing. Rarity rolled up a couple of towels for herself to kneel on, then stopped and stared at my broken arm. "Sunset, are you going to be alright without that arm in a sling?"

I'd been holding it at an awkward angle, like it was still in the sling, but she had a fair point. "...can you get me the first aid kit?"

"Of course, darling," she said as she went to fetch it. She returned shortly and broke out a fresh, proper sling, and tied it around my arm. "There, much better. Although..." She looked down at her shirt, made a face, then without warning shucked it.

"Uuuh," I stammered, trying not to let my eyes pan down to her breasts swimming in her bra, and failing miserably.

Her lips thinned as she glared at me, pointed at me, then up at her face. "I'm just keeping it from getting wet, nothing more."

Blushing profusely and feeling like a total pervert, I muttered a brief, "Sorry," and looked away.

I saw her looking at me out the corner of my eye, then caught her holding a hand to her mouth and snickering. "Honestly, Sunset, don't worry about it. What was it you said earlier? Tits are tits?"

This time I couldn't help but break out in laughter, despite the pain rolling through my rib cage. "Okay, you got me there," I admitted.

"Now then, try to relax please." Kneeling down on the towels, she reached over and turned on the faucet, adjusting the showerhead so it was a light spray, then popped open the bottle of soap and squirted it on the loofah. She dunked the loofah into the water so it was nice and wet, then began rubbing in on my face, cleaning off the grime. “Goodness, you’re filthy,” she muttered as she wiped down one side of my face, then the other, every so often redunking the loofah to get it wet again. “This is worse than when I had to bathe Sweetie Belle when she was young.”

“Sorry,” I muttered. “Kinda hard to stay clean when--”

“Oh don’t apologize,” she interrupted with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I’m not complaining. Not really. More… reminiscing.”

“That’s understandable.”

The spray of water relaxed me, as did the sponging, though every once in a while Rarity was a bit rougher than I would’ve liked, especially once she got to my neck. “C-Careful,” I said as she brushed my throat too hard.

“Oh, yes, sorry dear,” she said, her hand shaking a bit. “I must be more tired than I thought.”

“S’okay.”

Splash. Rinse. Splash. Rinse.

“So, Sunset,” Rarity said as she carefully moved the loofah down the shoulder of my injured arm, “About that… talk we intended.”

Uh oh. Now I’m at her mercy. Can’t get away from it. And yet somehow, I didn’t feel scared at all. I felt comfortable. Cared for. Not… not like how I felt when I was in similar positions with Adagio. With her there’d always been that extra edge of fear underlying our every interaction, usually so deep I didn’t consciously notice it. But it had never, not once, gone away.

But there was nothing like that here. Not with Rarity. She was just as physically strong, just as skilled, just as capable of killing me as Adagio, and yet, I wasn’t afraid. Not even a little.

“I guess this is as good a time as any,” I said, adjusting my position in the bath. “So, you’ve got feelings for me.”

“...well, yes, I do,” Rarity answered after a moment. She pulled the loofah out of the water, squirted some more soap on, then got back to cleaning, moving to my other shoulder. “I’m not sure when they started. During the trial, when… when we didn’t know if you were still alive, it came out.”

“I heard,” I replied. I raised up my arms so she could get the underside. “Trixie mentioned it to me briefly when she gave me the low-down.”

Rarity paused, then glared at me. “Is that how you knew?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I’d started wondering well before that, buuuut our little hug session the other day in the corridor kinda confirmed my suspicions.”

She tittered, but it was in embarrassment, her cheeks flushing. She returned to cleaning my arm. “Oh dear. I suppose I must’ve looked foolish.”

“Not really,” I answered, giving her a reassuring smile, which twitched briefly when she scrubbed at my armpit. “Like I said in the trial, Rarity, it makes sense. I get it.” My smile turned into a teasing smirk. “All the ladies love me.”

“Oh stop it,” she laughed, splashing me a bit with the water.

I let my smirk hang a bit before I dropped it. “So, we need to figure this out then.”

“Yes, we do,” Rarity admitted with a nod. She let out a sigh. “I don’t suppose there’s a chance you’re interested.”

“Actually, I am,” I admitted. I looked up at her, right in the eye. “I’ll be honest. You’re gorgeous. You’re fun to be with. I feel comfortable around you. I could see us together.”

Rarity’s eyes sparkled with sudden hope. She set the loofah down so she could focus on talking. “So… does that mean…”

“Does it mean I want to start dating you?” I supplied. At her nod, I continued, “Well… not, not yet. For a bunch of reasons.”

She let out another sigh, this one sadder, the hope fading from her eyes. “I should’ve expected that answer. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Hey,” I said, reaching out to take her hand before she could grab the loofah again. “I didn’t say no. I said not yet. There’s a difference.”

She glanced down at my hand, then back up at me. “Which means?”

“Well,” I replied, taking a moment to sort out my words. “I know things are complicated with you and Applejack. I don’t want to mess anything up there.” She started to speak but I shook my head. “Please, let me finish. There’s a chance, a slim chance maybe, but a chance we might get our memories back. If we do… you might change your mind. I don’t want to risk you losing something good there.”

“Oh.” Rarity wrapped her fingers around mine, holding on tight. “I hadn’t thought of that. Whenever I think of her now, the thought makes me furious. She was so… well, I don’t need to work myself up. You could be right.”

“It’s not just that though,” I said. “I don’t want to take advantage of you. Or vice versa. We don’t need to be rebounds for each other. I’ve been a rebound before. Usually doesn’t work out very well.”

She nodded, closing her eyes a moment and sighing. “True. I’ve had that experience as well. You’re right. It doesn’t work well. Usually.”

“Especially since I just found out today that my lover is dead,” I said flatly. “Okay, so she tried to kill me, but you know how it is.”

Rarity snorted in amusement. “I do. Probably the only other one here who does. You remember the secret Monoponi assigned me. Though in my case I hadn’t actually dated that man before he tried to hurt me. Which is just as well. He was such a nasty fellow. What was his name? Blue something?”

Blinking, I looked up at her and said, “Blueblood?”

“Yes, that was it,” she nodded. “Blueblood. Apparently he was descended from a line of Prench royalty. Or so he claimed. I barely paid any attention.”

“Huh. Small world,” I muttered. At her questioning look, I added, “Nevermind. Anyway, like I said, Rarity, I’m interested. We just need to wait first. Be sure it’s something we both want. Then we can maybe see where it goes from there. For now, I want to be friends.”

“Friends is a good start,” Rarity said, smiling at me. “I prefer making friends with someone before I date them anyway. The relationship just doesn’t work without it.”

“Right?” I laughed, gave her hand one final squeeze, then let it go. “Glad you understand that. So many people don’t.”

“Those people are silly,” Rarity said sagely. She reached down for the loofah and returned to bathing me. “We’d better finish this up before the water turns cold.”

“I’m not sure that’s possible on this ship, buuut we probably shouldn’t risk it,” I said.

We finished up the bath in comfortable silence, as I enjoyed being given attention I desperately needed, and Rarity hummed away while she worked. I spent the time thinking wistfully about the past couple of weeks. So many things had happened so fast.

We’d lost a lot of people. Only five of us were left. And given how much Monoponi’d been sticking to the Danganronpa formula… we were in for one hell of a ride before this was all over. We’d just had our fifth trial after all.

Which meant he might throw us into an investigation tomorrow, then a trial right after. If he stuck to the formula. There was no guarantee. Maybe he’d just keep trying to make us play the killing game. There was that rule about only two people being left. I’d been ignoring it, figuring it was just a holdover, a reuse of the same rule from the third game, but… it worried me, just a little, even so.

Then there was what Trixie said. About him seeking revenge. He confirmed it more or less with the way he responded. Which meant Princess Twilight was on our side. She was out there, probably trying to find us. And if she showed up, he’d… what would he do? That’s what I still didn’t get. In order for her to show up, she’d have to figure out how to use magic like he does. She wouldn’t be able to find us otherwise. But if she could do that, what would stop her from overpowering him?

I still, after all this time, did not understand his goal. Why was he doing this? Who was he? I’d gotten some brief bit of insight from that dream, but whatever images I’d seen were already gone, scattered to the winds. No amount of reflection had brought them back.

Maybe I’d get my answer tomorrow. Maybe not. But I was tired of worrying about it. I wanted to sleep. Properly sleep for once, not passing out while tied up.

As soon as I dried off from the bath, I wanted to throw myself into the bed. But Rarity refused, insisting on changing the sheets first. “I want you to have a clean bed to sleep in,” she said.

So I sat down in the desk chair and waited, rather impatiently, drinking every so often from the bottle of sports drink, until she finished. Only then did she let me lay down. “Sunset, would you like me to stay with you again? Or would you prefer to be alone?”

No. Not alone. Anything but alone. “Please stay,” I said, tearing up a bit. “I don’t want to be alone right now.”

Her face fell, her mouth curling up into a sad, understanding frown as she nodded. “Yes, of course. I… I just need to shower myself first. I won’t take but a couple moments.”

“Okay.”

True to her word, she was back almost before I knew it, curling up in bed next to me. Unlike me she wasn’t nude, choosing to still wear her bra and underwear. Which was a good idea. Me being nude was pushing it as it was, but I had no energy for putting on fresh clothes. Not that I had any.

“I’ll do some laundry for you later,” Rarity said once she’d settled in. “So you can have something clean to wear. And I do still intend to make you some more clothes in general.”

“Heh, you’ve been doing so much for me, Rarity,” I said, snuggling into my pillow. “I wish I could do something for you in return.”

“No need, darling,” she replied, a smile in her voice. “You’re my friend. It’s the least I can do.”

“Well, thanks then.” I laid there quietly for a moment, then, in a sadder tone, said, “Can… Can you hold me? Please?”

She giggled good-naturedly. “Yes, of course. Here.” She shifted in bed and gently laid her arms around me, just like she had in the courtroom, carefully avoiding my ribs. “How’s that?”

“Good,” I murmured into my pillow. “Thanks.”

“You’re quite welcome. Do try to sleep well.”

“Mm.”

Soon enough, sleep claimed me, and when I dreamed, it was of peace.

A peace that, all too soon, I’d wish I could’ve held onto for longer.