Rosa

by awf

Chapter 67: Night Escapades and Secrets

Rosa was lying in her bed with a pleasantly full stomach and a very welcome warm glow of pride, which was making her smile. There had been plenty of stir fry for dinner and she hadn't eaten all of it! It was quite an achievement and gave her hope that she could control her overeating if she really tried. There had even been leftovers and Maribelle had put them in the fridge. She'd said Rosa could heat those up in the microwave for breakfast, which sounded both convenient and delicious.

The mare in question was sleeping on the other bed. She had decided to skip her studying and rather get some more rest. It was a bit of a shame because Rosa had wanted to talk to her a little more, but her roommate wanted to be well rested for her simulator trip which was a completely reasonable request. She would be going out of the facility! Rosa had to admit that was exciting. She wondered if they'd ever trust her enough to let her do the same.

She glanced over at the sleeping mare. Maribelle was lying on her belly, all four legs akimbo and her ears splayed as she dreamed whatever future train engineers dreamed. The hoof nearest Rosa was poking from under her blanket and she could see it twitch every now and then. Probably turning knobs and pulling levers in her sleep, Rosa assumed. It was cute. Rosa turned to her side so she was facing the wall. Maybe that way she could get some sleep. The rooms up on the third floor also had that annoying light on the ceiling, but it was turned down at night and easier to ignore, as long as Rosa was not staring directly at it.

There was a soft snort from Maribelle and she shuffled a little with a rustle of bedclothes. It was a very pleasant reminder that her friend was near, and Rosa closed her eyes.

---

She woke up some hours later, although with no clocks in the room Rosa didn't know how late, or early, it might have been. She yawned sleepily and wondered what had woken her up. It was not hunger, nor did she need to pee. Dr. Mason's warning to go before bed had sounded serious and Rosa made sure to strictly obey it. She would be fine until morning on that front. Maybe it was just one of those things. Sometimes she woke up from a dream and didn't really know why. She switched to her other side, heaved a sigh and closed her eyes again.

Then Rosa heard a distinct hoofstep and her eyes flew open.

It had sounded like it came from outside the room! That didn't make any sense since the ponies were locked in their bedrooms each night. One of the doctors came up every evening to make sure they were all in bed and to lock all the doors! No pony should have been outside in the middle of the night. It was impossible!

Rosa quietly slipped from her bed, both so that she didn't wake up Maribelle, but also to avoid alerting whoever was sneaking around outside. Tip-toeing - or was it 'tip-hoofing'? - Rosa made her quiet way to the door. It was a solid block of wood with no windows, which was a shame. She couldn't see through it, so she just pressed an ear against the surface and held her breath.

There was nothing for a while, but then she heard a faint clop again. Rosa stifled a small gasp. There was someone out there! A pony! Had someone broken in without getting caught? She considered calling out, but Rosa was a bit afraid of whoever it was. Also, she didn't want to wake up Maribelle before her important day tomorrow, so Rosa decided to just listen for a while. Now that she knew what to focus on she definitely heard a pony walking around there. The carpet muffled their hoofsteps, but she still heard the faint thuds as they walked.

Who could it be and what were they doing out there?! Rosa tried to guess where they were and what they might be looking at. The sounds got fainter as whoever it was walked to the big metal door to the corridor. Have they managed to break through that somehow? More importantly, why hadn't Rosa heard anything before now? If a muffled hoofstep had woken her up, somepony forcing the main door should have done the same, even more so!

There was a pause, and then the intruder pony sighed. "Hmm..." they said and Rosa covered her muzzle with her hoof. That was Starla's voice! Rosa was certain she had recognized it! Again she considered calling out, but she was curious to hear what the other mare might do. It was a real shame Rosa couldn't see past the door!

Starla didn't make any more noise, but Rosa heard four quiet beeps and then the electric buzz of the door lock. The hinges were silent, but Rosa imagined she could hear the swoosh of the metal gate opening. There was a louder hoofstep as Starla stepped on the tiles outside the room, Rosa tensed up, waiting for the next one, but the other pony had probably realized it and was now stepping much more lightly. The last thing Rosa heard was a faint click as the metal door closed again.

It was a lot to take in.

First of all, now she knew why Starla was so tired all the time! She was sneaking out at night to do God knows what. Was the mare some kind of a spy or something?! More than that, Starla had some way to walk around the facility at night, by herself. If Rosa could guess how, or make the mare tell her, she would have a much better chance of breaking out. She wondered if whatever Starla had could get into Sky Light's cell. It was unlikely, but Rosa decided she would still try. Finally, there was the question of whether she should tell the mare anything or not. That time Rosa had told her about the dream and the year-

Her brain nearly derailed itself as the gears clicked together. The number! It hadn't been a year, it was a code for one of those doors! Was it the code Rosa had just heard the mare use, for the ponies' dorm room? That was the best guess, unless the information Rosa got from a dream was something more sinister. She wondered if she could discreetly test the code tomorrow. It could be a big risk if any of the staff were standing in the corridor. Maybe it would be safer to ask Starla about it. After all, she had promised to tell Rosa all about it in a few days. Maybe Rosa could enlist her help, in exchange for getting her the code. If whatever Rosa had given her was valuable, Starla would owe her, after all.

All the suspicion and guessing was making Rosa's head spin and she felt like she was about to burst. This was huge. For a moment she looked at Maribelle and thought about waking her up. She could tell her all about the dream and Starla and the code. Maybe her old roommate could help her make heads or tails about the whole thing. Rosa hesitated, but then resolutely shook her head. She decided not to tell Maribelle anything. Whatever she said would just worry her friend and put her in trouble if Rosa or Starla were found out. She'd be safest if she knew nothing. Rosa would tell her about her plan once she was sure she could get out, and once she had Sky Light's help up in the dorm. Not before.

The new revelation about Starla was still a lot to take in and think over, so Rosa returned to her bed, climbed up, and lay down on top of the blanket. She suspected she wouldn't be able to sleep anytime soon anyway. The best she could do was think about what she'd seen and try to remember everything Starla had said and done over the past few days. Rosa needed more information. Mostly, she needed to know if she could trust the mare. Of course that happened to be one of the most difficult questions to answer about anyone.

Another thought popped up. Rosa shouldn't fall asleep again. Starla was sure to return to her room and maybe the next time the sounds she made would betray something more. The mare could give Rosa more inadvertent clues, or let something slip. She was sometimes prone to talking to herself. If nothing else, Rosa would know roughly how long she had been gone, which would tell her how far she had roamed the facility.

Rosa swore under her breath. She really wanted to know what Starla was doing! Tonight wasn't the first night, Rosa was willing to bet. The other mare had certainly gone out the previous night too. That was why she had nearly fallen over at lunch. Rosa was willing to bed Starla had sneaked around the place before that, too!

She needed to know if the code from her dream worked on the ponies' door! If Rosa knew that, she'd know whether Starla had left the dorm before yesterday. She had been very happy to hear about the number, after all. That was probably because she had been looking for it for a while. What did the number open!? Rosa groaned a little and covered her face with her forelegs. This was one confusing place! She wondered if she would ever get to the bottom of this particular mystery. If the choice came down between running away with her friends, or finding out what Starla was up to, Rosa would naturally choose the former, without hesitation.

That much was certain, even if the curiosity would plague her for the rest of her days.

---

It felt like it would be morning soon. Maribelle had started shuffling around a bit more, though she was still fast asleep. Rosa had checked a few times. Maybe another hour or so and the humans would come to wake them up. One of the attendings, most likely. Rosa wondered where Starla as and what was keeping her. She was cutting it quite close.

A new sound caught her ear and Rosa recognized it as the electrical buzz of the lock. Despite not knowing what the mare had been up to, Rosa breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever her intentions, Starla seemed like a good pony and Rosa didn't want her to be in trouble. She held her breath as she listened on. There was a faint sound of a hoof landing incautiously on the carpet. It was definitely Starla.

Quickly, before Rosa could miss anything, she slipped out of the bed and tip-hoofed her way to the door. She soon had an ear pressed against it and was holding her breath to hear better. She wanted to know how Starla could get out of her room and back in. Did she have a key or something? That still didn't sound possible, since the keyholes on the inside were bolted down with a metal plate.

There was absolutely nothing for a short while, then Rosa heard the faint squeak of a hinge. Starla was opening the door! Maybe she had left it open when she had gone out, although that would be risky if a human came to check in on the dorm in the night. Not that Rosa remembered it ever happening, but she might have slept through it, and besides she hadn't been up there all that long.

Starla's door shut closed - now Rosa was absolutely sure it had been her because the sound was definitely coming from the very next room. Speedy's dorm was on the other side of Rosa and Maribelle's. She almost pulled her ear away, but then she caught a faint click. That was probably the lock. It seemed Starla somehow had a key for her room and a way to unlock it from the inside. Maybe she had somehow pried the metal plate away and then stuck it back so it looked okay to the humans. It was the only explanation. Rosa would have to ask her and see if the key would also work on her own door.

"Rosa?"

Rosa let out a squeak and whirled around to see Maribelle staring at her blearily. Her sleepy roommate rubbed her eyes with her forelegs and yawned. "What are you doing up so early?"

Hoping like hell that Starla wasn't eavesdropping, Rosa walked over to the mare and spoke quietly: "Couldn't sleep. I need to use the toilet." It was not even completely a lie. Rosa did have to go, but it could wait another hour or so until the humans came and let them out.

"Sorry, you'll just have to wait. If you can't, I won't blame you if you wet the bed."

The very idea was enough to make Rosa blush and she couldn't quite meet Maribelle's eyes. "I'll hold it."

"Good. Come on, let's try and get some more sleep. What time is it?"

There were no clocks in the ponies' rooms, but Rosa still glanced at the walls out of sheer habit. She shrugged. "Dunno, another hour until morning, I guess?"

"That's nice. Come on." Maribelle was holding up her blanket for Rosa, who gratefully crawled into her embrace. It was incredibly warm and exactly as comfortable as Rosa remembered. Besides, now that Starla's nighttime adventure was over, Rosa no longer had to wait up, so she closed her eyes and relaxed. One more hour of sleep was better than none. She was out within minutes, nuzzling Maribelle's foreleg which was lightly draped around her withers.

---

There were more blood samples, another visit with the psychiatrist and another talk with Brad - Dr. Barton - to arrange a few more tests for Rosa's skills in Maths and English, all of which made the morning pass quickly. It was nearly eleven by the time Rosa made it back to the dorm and Maribelle was already gone. She hoped her friend was having fun with her train toy. Speedy was also out, getting tested on a treadmill, or so Rosa had understood the stallion's explanation the previous day. She didn't know why he had to do that regularly and she'd forgotten to ask him. There was presumably a complicated medical reason. Starla was still in her room, sleeping off her night escapade. It was really strange how she never had classes or tests in the morning.

Rosa looked at the kitchen door and considered getting a snack. Almost unconsciously her hoof went to her belly. She had skipped breakfast, but Dr. Mason had given her a big sandwich after taking her blood. Maybe it wouldn't be the greatest idea to stuff herself so soon after that.

That left just one thing to do. It would have been wiser to talk to Maribelle first, but she was not there and Rosa wanted answers. She strode toward Starla's room with determination. It was much like her and Maribelle's, with two beds and not much else in the way of furnishing. The mare herself was sprawled across one bed and the other seemed untouched. Rosa didn't want to mess it up, so she sat on her haunches right on the floor, near Starla's head.

"Ahem," she said, trying to wake her up.

There was less of a result than she had been expecting. Starla just went on sleeping like nothing had happened. She didn't even flick an ear!

"Wake up!"

Still nothing. Rosa rolled her eyes in annoyance and prodded the lazy nag with a hoof. That, at least, provoked a response, even if it wasn't the one she had been hoping for. Starla smacked her lips and turned away from her. A moment later she was once again breathing the heavy breaths of deep sleep. Rosa couldn't stop a growl deep in her throat. This time she stood up and put both hooves on the mare so she could turn Starla back to face her. "Sheesh, wake up already!"

Finally! Her eyes opened and the mare blinked a few times, failing to recognize Rosa. "Huh, Twi- uh?" She frowned a little bit before giving her a worried smile. "Rosa? Is, um, something wrong? Why did you wake-" she couldn't even finish the question because a huge yawn stopped her.

It was very infectious and Rosa opened her muzzle too. After all, she hadn't gotten much more sleep tonight than Starla. "We need to talk," she said firmly once she'd gotten herself under control again.

"Okay?" Rosa hadn't expected the other mare to volunteer anything, but she sounded even less helpful than she'd feared.

"I heard you sneaking around tonight. I think it's time you tell me what that number from my dream was all about. What are you doing, Starla?"

Starla studied her face for quite some time. Rosa was about to repeat her question when she finally sighed, closing her eyes. "Can I trust you?"

It was not a question Rosa had been expecting! It was more important whether she could trust Starla, not the other way around! Still, Rosa could kinda see the mare's point. Starla couldn't know that Rosa won't immediately run off to tell some human. She took a breath and tried to put it into words: "If I wanted to give you away, I would have done it already. I just want to know what you're up to. You promised you'd tell me!" Well, Starla hadn't exactly promised, but a tiny little white lie wouldn't hurt there.

Again there was that long pause, as if Starla was making up her mind what to tell and what to keep a secret. "You said your friend is in a prison cell in this place, right? Gray pegasus, orange mane, cutie mark is a four-leaf clover?"

"That's her! How do you know?!" Rosa was certain she hadn't told her friends what Sky Light looked like. She might have mentioned that Sky was a pegasus, but nothing beyond that. Certainly not her cutie mark. The only way Starla could have known was- "You've seen her!"

"Mhm. Last night, I went to check. We talked for a bit. She seemed trustworthy," Starla explained, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"How did you get to her?" Rosa would really like to know so maybe she could also visit her friend, unsupervised and for a longer period of time.

Unfortunately Starla was already shaking her head. "Sorry, I would advise against that. There's cameras and all sorts of stuff around her area. You'll just give yourself away and then the humans will figure out we have the code to the door."

"Was that the number my dream sent you?" Rosa demanded.

The other mare shook her head some more. "No. I've had that for a while now. Yours was- something else." It sounded as if she didn't quite trust her enough to say more.

Rosa wondered what kind of a terrible secret she had. It must have been way worse, since Rosa could easily land her in very nasty trouble just with what she'd already told. "So how do you get past the cameras and everything?"

Again, Starla simply watched her silently for a long time, then hear ears fell and she sighed. "I'm probably going to regret this. Sky Light did say you can be quite stupid sometimes. Promise you won't tell anypony. Not even your roommate, okay? Or any human, for that matter."

Rosa was already keeping secrets from Maribelle, would one more really be that significant? If she could advance her plans and find a way to escape, she would tell her everything. If not, it wouldn't really hurt Maribelle in any way.

"I promise."

"That song you sometimes hum, where did you hear it. Please try to remember."

Rosa didn't understand what that had to do with it, but she still searched her memory, despite having tried and failed so many times already. "I honestly don't know. I've just always known it, as long as I can remember. Maybe I heard it in the nursery, or the kindergarten. I don't remember most of that stuff..."

Starla pursed her lips, then held out her hoof. "Okay. Swear you won't tell anyone my secret. Pony lives depend on it! Swear on your mother."

Now it was Rosa's turn to lower her ears and look down. "I never knew my mother. They separate us at birth..."

They were both quiet for a very long time, then Starla let her leg fall and heaved a sigh. "Wait here," she said and slipped off the bed. Rosa watched her walk to the door of her room and look out. She spent a quiet minute listening, then she came back. It was strange that she hadn't closed the door, but then Rosa realized she'd be better able to hear humans entering this way. Smart mare. "Okay, first of all, Starla isn't my real name. I'm not a prisoner here," she explained, then paused and shook her head. "Actually, I am, but on purpose. I'm a spy."

This admission got Rosa's heart beating faster and she felt her legs start to tremble in excitement. If Starla - or whatever her real name was - was just collecting secrets from the humans, she must have a way out and possibly friends. "W-Who are you working w-with?" Rosa stammered.

"Does the name 'Cadence' mean anything to you?"

"N-No."

The mare gave her another long look, then explained: "It's a group of pony resistance here on Earth. We hide in the wilderness and keep moving. About six months ago we heard about this place and I got myself caught breaking in, just like you. Except I did it on purpose."

That was a small jab at her clumsiness, but Rosa didn't even mind at that point. It all sounded like some action-movie stuff! "Can y-you help me and Sky Light get out?!"

"Maybe... I do owe you one."

"Owe me one for what?"

The mare smiled for the first time since Rosa had woken her up. "You told me the code to- well, to something really important. I'd never have gotten it otherwise, so... thanks."

"You're, um, welcome?" Rosa quavered.

Starla put a comforting hoof on her younger friend's withers. "Of course, you had help, but still- thanks. Anyway, what do you want to know?"

The main thing Rosa wanted from Starla was a way out of the place for her, Sky Light and Maribelle, if she would come. Except now that Starla had dangled a taste of all this spy and resistance stuff before Rosa, there was no way she was going away until she knew more. "What's with the resistance? Why?"

Starla shrugged a little bit. "Does there have to be a reason other than ponies are in slavery? We're trying to free as many as we can and take them back home."

"B-Back home?"

"Equestria. Where ponies belong. Do you know anything about it?"

Rosa stared at the mare with her mouth open for a while. That was too much information all at once and she didn't know if she could even process it all. Overwhelmed, she focused on one thing at a time. The mare had asked her a question. "Not r-really. I thought it was gone, or destroyed or something. I thought we were refugees."

"Lies."

"Why would they lie?!"

Starla rolled her eyes a little. "So you're easier to control. You don't question. You don't long for a home if you think it no longer exists. There are probably other reasons."

Could she be right? Would the ponies on Earth revolt if they knew they had a homeland where they weren't subservient to humans? Where they could have jobs and houses and money, and live among equals? What about all the free ponies? Rosa didn't know what they had been told and she had never thought to ask. Maybe Velvet and Bluegrass and Butch all knew Equestria still existed, but they liked it better here on Earth? If they didn't, why hadn't the resistance gotten them home?

Rosa filed all that away to think about later. There was something else that had been hanging over her head for a long time and just maybe Starla would finally have an answer. "What about all this cutie mark stuff and the implants and the research they're doing here. Why go to all that trouble when there's thousands of ponies out there who have them?"

The mare took a moment to formulate her answer, then gave a little shrug. "I'm not too sure about most of that stuff. You really ought to ask Cadence about it. This place was the first I heard about these implants."

"Will I get to meet this 'Cadence'? Who is she?"

Starla had a short internal debate over what to tell her, then just answered simply: "She leads the resistance here on Earth. If anypony knows, it'll be her. Anyway, from what I understand, this place is a fluke. It doesn't exist, officially."

"What do you mean?"

The mare waved a hoof vaguely. "It was one crazy, paranoid politician who got elected on promises to control ponies. He managed to be annoying or convincing enough to get some money and then he put his crazy, fanatic friends in charge of this operation. I think I know why they're letting it continue, but I won't say until I'm sure."

That didn't answer anything much and just raised further questions. Rosa opened her mouth to ask them, but Starla forestalled her. "Look, just think of it this way: some humans got a lot of money from the budget to try and find a way to control cutie marks. Back when it all started there were a few... bad cases, so the public was all for it." She walked around Rosa and climbed up on her bed once again while she talked. "Interest has died down since, but if what I think is right, they don't dare shut this down, so the government - the current government - just keeps this place around because it's easier and cheaper than it would be to stop."

Well, Rosa had seen people act crazy, so it was not too far fetched. Mr. Boone had been a good example. She wondered if he was the politician whom Starla mentioned, but she didn't ask. It didn't really matter. It sucked to know that her entire life, the school, even the lives her friends were building here, were just part of some crazy experiment to breed cutie-mark-less ponies. It was not going to work, Rosa knew that now. "So who are you really?" she asked, changing the subject before she got too depressed.

"Well, obviously I'm in disguise, otherwise I'd be in some serious trouble."

Rosa was guessing mane-dye, though she couldn't imagine how Starla would keep getting it. Humans would be sure to get suspicious if she put hair-dye on the shopping list. It was a tiny relief that Starla wasn't really stuck with this horrible, clashing color, though. "So what's your real name?"

The mare looked around and turned an ear to the door, making sure that no one was around. Despite being certain that the two of them were alone, she still leaned closer and whispered: "Promise you won't tell? We'd both get thrown in prison or even killed if they found out."

The admonition made Rosa gulp, suddenly afraid that Starla was some sort of criminal or outlaw. It was clever of her to hide right under the humans' noses, but also risky beyond belief. Anyway, Rosa was committed, so she just gave a single nod.

"My real name is Starlight Glimmer."

Rosa almost laughed. She had made 'Starla' out of 'Starlight' and dropped the other part of her name. Surely if the humans were looking for her they wouldn't be so stupid as to fall for that. Starla - or Starlight - caught Rosa's look and gave her a crooked grin. "What? I'm bad at names, okay?"

It sounded like a very pony name. An Equestrian pony name, which would make sense if she was part of the rebellion, which, presumably, had come from there.

Equestria still existed. Ponies still lived there. Once again the thought blew Rosa's mind.

"Um, that's a- a- lovely name."

By now the mare was starting to fidget and her ear kept twitching toward the door. They'd been talking for a while and the chance that some human would walk in was growing by the minute. They both knew they should stop soon. Besides, Rosa really needed to go in her own room and think all of this over.

"Will you tell me how you get around this place at night?"

Starla shrugged, but then shook her head. "Sorry, it's too dangerous for you to know. Soon, okay? I have something really important to do tonight, then-" She froze and her eyes narrowed as she gave Rosa an appraising look. "Hmm, how strong are you? You're an earth pony, so I'd guess the answer is 'very', right?"

This was another unexpected question and it made Rosa open and close her mouth in surprise before she found the wits to answer. "Yeah, I guess? I mean, I'm a lot stronger than Sky Light if that's what you're asking."

"Maybe I could use your help. Listen, my work will be done soon. In a couple of days now that I have that code. If you help me- um, do what I need to do, I'll take you and Sky Light with me when I go. My friends will be coming for me." She gave Rosa a bright smile. "The resistance could use a couple of resourceful mares like you two. Or, failing that, we'll send you to Equestria."

It sounded like exactly what Rosa had been hoping for! Except for one thing. "Can we bring Maribelle?"

For a moment Starla had a pained expression on her face before she could wipe it away. It made Rosa's heart sink. "I'm not sure she-" the mare began, then sighed and folded her ears down. "Look, I'm sorry Rosa, but some ponies really buy into what the humans are selling here. I'm worried if you tell her any of this, she'll run right for a human to blab everything. I don't think we can bring her out, not yet. Not without her fighting us every step of the way."

Rosa was about to argue and plead, eyes already brimming with tears, but Starla silenced her with a hoof on her muzzle. "Tell you what. Our agents can track where Maribelle ends up. We'll find her once she's out of this place. It'll be a lot easier to get her away then, okay?"

It was not what Rosa wanted to hear. She didn't want to be parted from her friend yet again. She thought back on her own promise to herself - she would leave Maribelle here if she genuinely thought she'd be happier. The moment had come, but did Rosa have the strength to do it? She had to think about it.

"Promise you won't tell her anything!" Starla demanded.

This was one of the hardest things Rosa had ever had to do, but she did it anyway. It was for all their sakes. "I p-promise." She didn't say goodbye to the mare, just left her room as quickly as she could. Rosa ran to her bed and jumped up on it, then she pulled the cover over her head. Somehow, deep down, she'd always known she would have to leave one of her friends here. Maybe knowing that Maribelle was happy and doing what she loved would be enough.

Maybe, like Starla had said, they could approach her in a few years, once she had completed her training and had a fulfilling job, and tell her the truth then. Did Equestria have trains? Rosa had forgotten to ask. If it did, she could promise Maribelle that she'd continue doing what she was meant to do, except in a better place. A place for ponies.

It would just have to be enough, but she still couldn't stop herself from crying silently. Rosa hoped no human would find her like that. If they did, she would just tell them that she'd eaten something spoiled and wasn't feeling well. She was getting good at lying to her friends, after all, perhaps it was time to try out that particular talent on people who actually deserved it.

Comments

[BleuBlooms]

I am happy to know what's up finally. And, naturally we get the pay off of knowing about Eqaustria but, how should I say this? It kind of steal's the thunder? Like if...

A. Equastria is real then, I would like more something? Like? How and why? I suppose? What happened? Emotional. A bit lip or, misty eye? Something. More over, I wish you hadn't confirmed Equastria still exist's (maybe, until later aka drama?) it really steal's the stories momentum here.

B. I'm not sure I don't find Equastria being gone. etc. More interesting. I think it all depend's on how you execute it. For instance the idea Equastria being gone makes this for more exciting story...potentially. Well, Equastria being real...and easily accessed? Like do you hear that protag-kun? Your journey will be easy ounce you get to magic horse land and you'll meet your mom! Who is mysteriously alive and not in a good way...probably??

But...I don't know it kind of feel's harder to invest in knowing that Everything is going to be ok and like go back to the way it was...probably? You know what I mean? No consquences ( blargh) Like we go from dark insidous future slice of life drama...to ,ok, guy's everything is the same as the show ,so, no drama or consquences. But, as much as I am feeling inert and worried about this revelation I really could be wrong and I hope I am wrong.

[Mocha Star]

A ha,I have confirmed one of my guesses! I had a strong feeling about her! Now, by default, two more of my guesses will be happening because they were mentioned in this chapter.

Fantastic chapter!

I can't wait to find out what happens next!!!!!

Also, I have a very strong feeling of who her mommy is.

[JcPlaty022]

Humanity will prevail!! Crush the resistance! Long the live the empi-oop! Too far.