The Triangle Waltz: Hope, Harmony, Despair - Daily Life 3
Morning came at last. I quickly got out of bed and grabbed my potion, excited to get to the Cafeteria.
Applejack, Nurse Redheart and Pinkie Pie were already inside when I arrived. Redheart sat across from Applejack, asking her in the nicest manner possible to refrain from working so hard in the gardens, and that she was always available to talk to if she needed. Just like I'd suspected, Applejack simply smiled and nodded until Redheart got up and left to get herself breakfast. Her facade quickly dropped and she began her morning ritual of staring sadly at her coffee once more.
Then Rarity entered the room, levitating her freshly-sewn gardening gear by her side. She explained to Applejack that if she was so insistent on gardening then she should at least wear protective clothing, and gently floated the clothing onto her to make sure everything fit perfectly. Then I explained the potion I had brewed that would help keep her stamina up and relax her mood. While she had happily accepted Rarity's gift, it took a little convincing before she accepted the potion. Sighing, she uncorked it and drank it in one long gulp. There was an almost immediate change in the dullness of her eyes, which made me smile in relief. Pinkie then said she had a special surprise for everypony this evening, although the surprise was mostly for Applejack.
"Heh... you gonna make sure nopony's poisoned yer ingredients this time?" Applejack chuckled darkly.
"...That's not funny," Pinkie frowned, her half-curled mane threatening to straighten out again.
"No, it wasn't... sorry," Applejack sighed. "Thanks, girls... ah know yer all just tryin' to help. It might not seem like it sometimes, but ah appreciate everythin' yer doin'. Ah look forward to yer surprise later, Pinkie," she said as she strained to form a smile.
"Good!" Pinkie burst into a wide grin. The others arrived while we all put together our plates; for the first time in what felt like a long while, I enjoyed eating breakfast together, with all my friends.
...Well... all my friends that are still alive, that is...
~
Pinkie insisted that she could handle the food prep and cooking herself, so I had nothing to do for the day. I wandered the school for a while, eventually finding Flam in the Scrollwork Room.
"Ah, Twilight! How are you today?" he asked, jovially as ever.
"I'm alright... what are you up to?" I replied.
"Well, I have the basic inner workings for my hayburger device all finished... now it is time to apply the necessary enchantments!"
"Oh, right," I said, remembering the wooden mechanical parts in the Wood Shop he had been creating the other day. "You're using scrolls to do it, though?"
"No, no... you know that if you enchant an object with too many spells, you'll burn out the magic within a couple uses, correct?"
"Ah, of course..." I lightly smacked my forehead. "Yes, the more spells you wish to bestow on the object, exponentially more mana is required to charge it. Too many, and the object will lose its charge after only one or two uses, and then you'd have to recharge it again."
"And that is why I am here," Flam nodded as he pulled a few books from the shelves in his magic. "I thought that perhaps some of these scrollwork and rune books would give me a few ideas on how to consolidate multiple spells into one."
"I see! Can I help?" I asked, many ideas already floating around in my head.
"Of course, dear! The more the merrier!"
~~~
Flam and I worked together as we studied scroll enchantments and runes. After some trial and error, I think we've stumbled upon a new breakthrough in enchanting magic!
~~~
"Ah... Twilight, may I ask you something?" Flam spoke up while we tested our theories on some parchment origami.
"Sure, what is it?"
"Well, forgive me if it's a little too personal... does Miss Applejack even like stallions?"
"Eh?" I blinked. That was not a question I was expecting. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, you know how I thought it'd be a good idea to ask her out on a picnic lunch date? So I floated the idea to her the other day..."
"And... I'm guessing she said no?"
"She said... that even if we had no prior history, I'm just not her type."
"I see... well, that doesn't necessarily mean-"
"Me! Flam, of the World-Famous FlimFlam Brothers! Now, I don't like to boast, but I like to think that I'm rather quite charming! Suave! Above-average in the looks department! The mares are always looking my way, and even a few stallions, too!"
Don't like to boast, huh...?
"Right... well, I did say that I don't think I've ever seen AJ show interest in any stallion before... Maybe you're on to something," I shrugged - having recently learned that Applejack had apparently had feelings for Rainbow Dash that she never got to tell her, I wasn't entirely sure whether I wanted to tell Flam that his flirting was most likely pointless.
"Come now, Twilight. You know Applejack better than anypony here. What do you think?"
But Flam seemed intent on finding out the truth. Honesty seemed like the only answer he would accept. After getting him to promise that he would never tell Applejack that I told him, I let him know about her hidden feelings. As I finished, Flam's confident expression melted into one of disappointment.
"I see... so she doesn't like stallions, it seems..." he sighed. "...Drat."
"That would be my guess, yea."
"And on top of that, she already had a suitor in mind... what a shame." Flam pulled his hat from his head and held it over his chest. "Poor dear... and here I was, acting and thinking like a little colt with his first crush."
"Hey, you didn't know," I comforted. "I didn't even know myself until a short time ago."
"True... well, though I have been called by many names before, 'nice guy' shan't be one of them," Flam huffed as he put his hat back on. "I know when to back off... just as well, it's always nice having options open to you," he grinned.
"Right..."
"Besides, simply being on her good side is well enough for me. I do still intend to keep my promise of assisting her in replanting that orchard. Perhaps we can still be friends in the future?"
"Yea, I think that's definitely doable!" I agreed.
I'm surprised... I had no idea Flam was really such a decent pony at heart... Did the magic of Friendship do this...?
~
After spending time with Flam, I wondered how Applejack was doing now that she had gardening gear and my potion keeping her healthy, so I walked to the gardens. When I arrived, I was honestly surprised there was anything left for her to do - most of the plants had been picked bare by Pinkie earlier, no doubt currently preparing her surprise feast for us all. Again, Coloratura was keeping an eye on her from the bench, seeming less worried about her today.
"Hi, Rara. How's AJ been today?" I asked, sitting down beside her.
"Oh, Twilight! The clothes Rarity made and that potion you gave her, Jackie almost looks back to her old self again," Coloratura smiled.
"That's good," I nodded.
"Still, though... I hope she doesn't think this means she's invincible now," she added warily. "If she works herself harder than ever, then even gardening clothes and a potion might not keep her safe."
"I brewed that potion to be as strong as I could possibly make it," I reassured, "and Rarity's work is always impeccable, I don't think even Bulk could pull apart the stitching on her gear."
"Oh... well, if you guys say so," she shrugged.
~~~
Coloratura and I kept an eye on Applejack, making sure she wasn't overworking herself. Just like I'd said, though, thanks to my potion and Rarity's gardening gear, Applejack seemed to be making quick progress in the garden without any signs of fatigue.
~~~
After spending some time in silence, I glanced over to Coloratura. She was staring at Applejack with a... hungry look in her eyes.
"Uh... what'cha thinking about, Rara?" I asked, not sure if I really wanted to know the answer. Coloratura blinked and gasped as if startled out of a daydream.
"O-Oh, nothing! I, uh..."
"Still got your crush, huh?" I smirked teasingly.
"I... well... yes," she grumbled, her cheeks bright pink.
"Hehehe... hey, if it works out, I think you two would be cute together."
"You think so?" Coloratura smiled dreamily. "I think so, too. I can already see it now..."
"Huh?"
"Once we're out of this horrible place... I'll take a break from touring and my Las Pegasus residency for a while. I'll come to Ponyville and visit her at Sweet Apple Acres, and we'll hang out, just the two of us. We'll do all the things together we always talked about when we were fillies!"
"Aww, that sounds nice!"
"Then once I know for sure she likes me back, I'll ask if she wants to be marefriends... I... I could handle putting my career on the backburner for a while, I've made enough money. We'll travel the world, see all kinds of beautiful places, eat the finest apple cuisine... and I'll plan the greatest proposal Equestria has ever seen!"
"...Proposal? Wait-"
"It'll have apples, of course. The box will be a rosewood carved apple, although I'll let her pick the ring. And then we'll hide from the paparazzi together as we arrange the wedding, cuddling and canoodling the whole time... we'll have it in Sweet Apple Acres, I'm sure, I can't think of a more perfect venue! I'll have the finest dress hoofmade by Ponatella Ventasso herself, and I'm sure Rarity will create something equally stunning for Jackie! We'll have one of those big, fancy geode cakes made with real diamonds, and I'll of course invite all my best musician friends and collaborators to perform and DJ, and-"
"Er, Rara... don't you think you're jumping the gun a little?" I coughed nervously. "You don't even know if she likes you that way yet."
"Ah, yes, of course," Coloratura giggled. "I've just always been kind of a hopeless romantic, I guess. I've been thinking about my wedding since I was little! Lots of fillies do!"
"I see..." I hummed, trying to think if I had ever imagined my own wedding. Nothing particularly came to mind, however, since I had been obsessed with magic and studying to become even better at it since I was a filly myself.
"But when I look at Jackie... I dunno, it feels like it's just so... possible! It feels like it was meant to be! Being separated for so many years and now reuniting and growing close again under threat of a murder game? I know in my heart that Jackie would never kill anypony, and neither would I; If it isn't our destiny to escape from here, find that we've come to love each other and have a happy life together, I don't know what is!"
Noting the slightly-crazed look in Coloratura's eyes, I cleared my throat. "Um... studies have shown that romantic relationships that form because of a traumatic event don't tend to last very long after the event has ended..."
"Bah, studies, schmudies," Coloratura waved a hoof. "Our love will be the purest, most strongest there ever was!"
...Oooookaaaaay...
"I see. Well... I'm sure you two will be happy..." I giggled nervously, at a loss of what to say.
She sure has her mind made up... I wonder if I should warn AJ or let her handle it...
~
The time for Pinkie's feast drew near. Applejack was actually rather receptive to joining us for dinner; I could hear her stomach growling as we approached the Cafeteria. The most wonderful aromas filled the air and only grew stronger the closer we got to the Kitchen.
As we sat down, the thought of the dinner party at the beginning of this ordeal intruded on my mind. The memories of Princess Celestia's last moments clutched at my throat and shortened my breath. But this was different, I thought to myself. This was simply a large banquet designed by Pinkie to get Applejack to finally eat a decent meal. Shaking my head until the memories were cast aside, I got back up from my seat and trotted into the kitchen to see if Pinkie needed any last-minute help.
"Nope, I'm done! But I could use some help getting all of these out!" Pinkie chirped as she set the last of the pots into the sink to soak. Scattered all over the kitchen were large platters of fruits and vegetables, decorated with herbs, spices, berries and flowers, and one huge soup tureen the size and shape of a giant pumpkin... in fact, the tureen was carved out of an actual giant pumpkin. "And I taste-tested everything, and I'm not dead yet! So no worries about any pesky poisons!"
Inwardly sighing in relief, I nodded. "Great! So, which ones should we bring out first?"
"Pssshaw..." Pinkie scoffed, "...all of them!" I simply shrugged indifferently and levitated every platter in my magic, floating them gently out of the room. In the meantime, the others had gathered for supper as well.
"I was wondering where all the crops in the garden went!" Coloratura gasped as soon as she saw me.
"Well, now! What's the occasion?" Flam asked, pleasantly surprised to see so much food.
"Uh... the crops in the gardens were all nice and ripe, so Pinkie thought it'd be a waste not to use them," I white-lied, setting the platters down on the table. I purposefully set one covered in spiced apples poached in vegetable broth right in front of Applejack, hiding a smirk as I watched her deeply inhale the steam and grin.
"Don't worry - I Pinkie Promise that there is absolutely no poison in this food! I taste-tested everything myself... everything," Pinkie emphasized.
"I see... a capital idea!" he smiled, accepting the story.
"Sounds good to me," Lightning Dust agreed, rubbing her hooves together. "Been a while since I had a meal like this!"
"YEAAAAAH! A BIG MEAL LIKE THIS IS PERFECT AFTER A GOOD WORKOUT," nodded Bulk Biceps.
"Smells positively divine!" added Rarity. "Pinkie, darling, you've truly outdone yourself this time!"
"Aw, shucks, it was nothing," Pinkie giggled, rubbing the back of her head as her mane finally fully regained its curly bounciness. Everypony then dug in, soon losing themselves in the various complex flavors and aromas. I watched intently as Applejack put together a plate with a little of everything, still stubbornly trying to deny she was hungry yet not wanting to be rude, and silently cheered when she finally took a bite, paused, then feverishly began stuffing her face.
In the end, Applejack probably ate at least half of the food herself. Fire-roasted corn, roasted root vegetables in olive oil, various salads, roasted and grilled and poached fruits, the spiced, poached apples pierced with rosemary and cloves, shish-kabobs loaded with grilled vegetables and quick-pickled carrots and cucumbers, all marinated, herbed and spiced to perfection. The pumpkin tureen held a rich vegetable soup including all of the leftover bits and pieces Pinkie hadn't used in the main dishes, and was easily my favorite part of the meal.
Finally, after a light dessert of honeycrisp apple sorbet, Applejack let out a deep sigh of contentment. "Thanks, Pinkie... Ah didn't realize how hungry ah really was. That fine meal was just whut ah needed."
"Anything for a friend!" Pinkie beamed.
"We were just so worried about your health, darling, so we each came up with a plan to get you feeling better," said Rarity.
"You were running yourself ragged... we don't want you to overwork yourself and get sick or hurt," I explained further. Applejack frowned, then sighed sadly.
"Ah see... oh, you girls are right. Ah've just been tryin' to cope with all this killin' and dyin'... ah didn't see that it was makin' y'all worry so bad." She looked up at us, her eyes misty.
"It's alright," I reassured. "We're all just trying our best to survive in here. But we can't escape unless we all work together and keep our minds clear."
"We'll get out of here, AJ... we have to, for everypony's sake," Rarity nodded.
"Pinkie Promise!" added Pinkie.
"Yea... we will," Applejack smiled. "Thanks to you girls, ah think my appetite's finally returnin' to me. And, well, there ain't no more weeds in the gardens... maybe ah'll take it easy tomorrow."
That statement alone was cause enough for celebration. We spent the rest of the evening together just like old times, talking and laughing over leftovers and a board game. When Nighttime finally arrived and we said our goodnights, I finally felt a sense of inner peace I had been sorely lacking lately. Hoping for a full day of hanging out together, I had my evening shower, tucked myself into bed and quickly fell asleep.
~
Morning arrived. Yawning, I stretched out my limbs and hopped out of bed, making my way to the Cafeteria as usual. Redheart, Pinkie and Bulk were already there and eating, so I fixed myself a plate and sat down. Soon afterwards came Rarity, Flam, Lightning and Coloratura.
"Coloratura, are you alright?" Redheart suddenly asked.
"Huh?"
"You're limping a little," she explained further.
"Oh! No, I'm fine... I think I just slept on my leg funny," Coloratura shrugged, stretching out her left foreleg.
"WANT ME TO MASSAGE IT FOR YOU? I'M A MASSEUSE AT A DAY SPA, SO I KNOW HOW," Bulk offered. A few seats down, I could hear Lightning quietly snickering to herself.
"Ah, that'd be great! Thank you," she smiled. After gathering a plate for herself, Coloratura sat down beside Bulk, who rubbed her foreleg while slurping down a protein shake. The wincing faces she made... didn't really make me feel all that confident about Bulk's massage abilities.
"Hey, where's AJ?" Pinkie asked. "I thought she said she'd finally regained her appetite!" I gasped inwardly, realizing that she was right: Applejack hadn't come to breakfast. Even at her lowest, she had always made the effort to at least have a sip of coffee.
"She ate enough food for a week last night, I wouldn't be surprised if the poor dear is in the middle of a food coma right now," said Rarity. "I'm sure she'll come for her cup of coffee any minute, though." Pinkie shivered, probably at the choice of words used, but quickly shrugged and nodded in agreement. I smiled and continued to eat my breakfast.
But as we ate, I stared at the entrance, hoping Applejack would finally join us. Time passed, and my mood slowly grew more and more despondent. Soon enough, we had finished eating and put our dishes away, and Applejack still hadn't arrived.
"AHH... TIME FOR A GOOD, LONG WORKOUT!" Bulk cheered. "ANYPONY WANNA COME SPOT ME?"
"You're on, big guy!" Lightning grinned. "...You don't really need spotting, though. You can probably lift the entire fuckin' building by yourself." Chuckling amongst themselves, Bulk and Lightning left for the Weight Room.
"Ow... I thought he knew what he was doing," Coloratura whined, rubbing her left foreleg. "...I think I'll go soak in the Spa for a while." She left, limping a bit more than she had been before. Redheart and Flam left as well, leaving myself, Pinkie and Rarity.
"...She must've reeeeeally passed right out after last night!" Pinkie commented after a few moments. "She still hasn't come for her coffee!"
"Yes, I suppose so..." Rarity pursed her lips, a worried look on her face. "...I'm not so sure I like this, girls."
"What do you mean?" I asked as normally as I could, though after reading Rarity's expression I could feel my heart begin to race. I feared that if I spoke again, I'd start stuttering.
"Well... these past few days she's always had her coffee before going into the gardens all day long, and yesterday we gave her things to help her do just that. Is she feeling alright? Perhaps she's finally gone and overworked herself."
"Ohhh... maybe she's so tired and sore, she can't even get out of bed!" Pinkie gasped. "We should get to her room and wake her up!"
My heart calmed down a bit. Applejack had been working unusually hard lately... maybe she really was simply too tired to get up. She did say she might just take it easy today... "Yea, let's put some breakfast together for her and bring it to her room," I suggested.
"But if she's suuuper tired, what if she can't unlock the door for us?" asked Pinkie.
"Yes... I doubt Monokuma would be so kind as to unlock her door for what he'd surely find a 'trivial' matter-"
Screams suddenly echoed from the distance. My heart dropped into my stomach.
"...Uh... what was that...?" Pinkie gulped.
And then the chime I had come to dread rang out. My blood ran ice cold as the music traveled through my ears and settled into my brain.
*ding dong bong bing!*
"A body has been discovered!" The monitors in the Cafeteria flashed to life, revealing Monokuma downing his wine glass in one gulp and leering drunkenly into the camera. "Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the class trial will begin! Everyone, please gather in the Weight Room!"
The monitors hadn't even shut themselves off before we scrambled for the Weight Room. Every second felt like an eternity as my hooves pounded on the floors. Beside me, I could see tears already forming in Rarity's eyes and Pinkie's mane already beginning to unravel. I wished, I prayed, I begged within my heart for the announcement to have been made by accident. I hoped to Celestia the victim wasn't who I thought it might be.
Finally we arrived just outside the weight room. The door was open, and I could see Bulk and Lightning staring in transfixed horror to the right. Lightning was pale, and Bulk was trying his hardest not to vomit.
"Oh man... this is bad... this is so fuckin' bad..." Lightning breathed.
Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself for the reveal. I stepped inside the Weight Room and turned to my right... and I deeply regretted it.
Applejack was lying on her back in a massive pool of blood on the mats below the mirrors on the right side of the room. More dried, coagulated blood ran in gnarled streams from a rip in her chest. There had been an attempt to clean the scene, as a few towels had been left behind to soak in the blood. Bloody hoofprints led back and forth from the laundry area behind me; I quickly lifted my hooves to ensure I hadn't stepped in any, gagging all the same.
I had to stumble away to a bench and sit down, the smell of so much blood was overpowering. I heard Redheart, Flam and Coloratura arrive, and their subsequent screams and cries of shock and disgust.
But I couldn't move, I couldn't go to them. I could only stare at the body... the body of yet another of my best friends.
No matter how badly I wished it were a lie, there was no turning away from the truth.
Applejack, the Ultimate Farmer... was dead.
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10476953
welp, enjoy your bragging rights for picking up the phone. Also its kind of obvious whos the blackened now is.
Is that pedobear?
As an overused line in Johnny Test would say: "Whoa didn't see that coming."
Oh. I was thinking Flam was gonna be the victim. I didn't see that coming.
And damn it, my favorite character died. I was hoping she'd be a survivor.
Huzzah! Aj is dead, i had place bets and i won.
I know that someone else already said something similar, but I REALLY hope that this turns out to be like a dream or something.
As much as I love the Danganronpa series, I love FiM a bit more, and the idea of the dead ponies being gone forever (especially poor Dash) just doesn't sit right with me.
Okay, 3 Elements are dead. Only 3 left remaining. This has gotten a bit serious knowing that this killing game is reaching it's climax so far. I'm hopig that Twilight will be able to figure out who is secretly behind Monokuma and the rest if this Killing game. I might have reason to suspect a few ponies behind the victim's death. Coloratura, Flam, and quite possibly Bulk BIceps, I feel as though Red Heart might play a major role in this story as I find her to be the most suspicious out of all of the group.
"Sorry, Ficta."
YOU WILL BE!
Anyway, this one seems to have been a really violent, bloody murder. And if all that was intentional... (And did the killer make themselves a bit too obvious at breakfast, or was that just a red herring? HMMMMMMMMMM...
)
As for this chapter... well, there are only two real possibilities at the moment:
Coloratura or Bulk.
I was right Applejack was going to die next and the question is how did she die and who is the killer
time to cry for my favorite is dead
Aaaaaand I was dead wrong lmao. And I'm definitely doubting that Coloratura was the culprit too. Maybe Flam, then.
Okay. Obvious suspects are Flam and Coloratura, but my suspicions are... cherchez la femme. I mean, that possessiveness was a touch creepy. Not to mention the stiff leg.
Though I'm willing to admit I'm wrong if things don't turn out that way.