I rubbed my eyes, half expecting to gaze upon my old, drab apartment. Instead, I was greeted by my plain but pleasant room of the dome hotel. The events of the last few days came flooding back, the image of Shetland’s twitching body followed by his lifeless, brainless corpse jolting me upright. Then I remembered the rest of it, that we had all decided to rest after the trial. After my shower I had laid down on my bed and eventually fallen asleep.

But there was something else, I pondered, clutching at remnants of a strange dream. There was a foal – a colt – who went to school, read books and talked with his parents. I could remember something about wolves, something about a being named Sol, a sister, and a scene where the colt was bullied harshly. But above all I remembered the colt’s name.

Patience.

It was all so clear yet hazy and surreal at the same time. It felt less like I was living in a dream-world and more like I was having a story read to me, my visions merely an interpretation of those words. Dreams would often be abstract and make little sense but this one was concise and well put together. The voice from my dream – a soft, wholesome voice that was not my own – explained things in such a remarkable way that I doubted it could have come from my own subconscious. It wasn’t as if the story was familiar to me or I could remember dreaming something similar in the past, and it was completely unrelated to the events of the days gone by. But being a dream, I didn’t think there was much point in looking into it any further.

There was a knock at the door. “Greyscale?” came the familiar voice of a stallion. “Are you in there? Can you come to the door?”

“Hang on,” I said wearily, tossing back my duvet. Glancing at the digital clock on my desk I could see it was approaching half three in the afternoon. I walked to the door and peered through the peephole. Outside, I could see a blue-coated unicorn standing expectantly and a white-coated mare just behind him, quivering anxiously. Seeing no signs of imminent danger, I drew the door open halfway.

“Oh,” Sanscript said, looking surprised. He scratched at his greyish mane with a guilty expression. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were asleep.”

I reached up to my own mane and realized it was in tatters. “Don’t worry, it’s fine,” I said. I glanced at Dr. Scalpel, who was evidently in a bad way. “What’s going on? Is everything alright?”

“Depends on what you mean by that,” Sanscript said, laughing meekly. “I can’t exactly say our situation is any better at this point. The Doctor and I merely wanted to thank you for your efforts in the previous trial. I doubted you several times and yet your logic won out. Not only am I impressed, I am also in your debt.” Sanscript smiled and cleared his throat. “If it wasn’t for you, we might all be dead, and Shet–” Sanscript glanced at Scalpel and stopped himself. “W-well, let’s just say that despite what happened, this is for the best. So thank you.”

“I just did what I could,” I answered awkwardly, avoiding their gaze. “Mesmer had it pretty much solved anyway.”

“I suppose,” Sanscript replied, rubbing his chin and frowning, “but I feel he was acting a little too holier than thou. Not to mention, he didn’t know about the razor blades. To be honest, he strikes me as a worrisome case. I can’t say I trust him all that much.”

“Now Sanscript,” Scalpel interjected, shooting him a faint glare. “We spoke about this.”

“Right, yes.” Sanscript waved a hoof. “The idea – as the two of us have discussed – is that all of us learn to have a degree of trust with each other. If we are to work together we must become a singular unit. If we spend every moment looking over our shoulders and acting paranoid, it’ll only make this more difficult.”

I raised an eyebrow. “But… what happened with–”

“We know,” Scalpel said. She sounded confident but was still visibly shaken. “Shetland killed Pinkie Pie. It is a terrible fact but one we must accept. In the end he did so with the belief that he was right, that he could save more lives by doing so. While I was – and still am – horrified by his actions, I don’t think it is my place to judge him.

“I know what you’re thinking, Greyscale. One murder has already occurred, so what is to stop another from happening? Why should we trust in each other if we’ve already seen what can happen? And the truth is, what will grant us a greater chance of survival? Only by learning to trust each other can we get anywhere. We are forced to live with each other, after all.”

“That’s not to say,” Sanscript butted in, “that we shouldn’t take precautions. Some of us have been discussing what we should do about access to weapons, times we can be left alone, methods of keeping tabs on each other, and so forth. If you think about it, the same approach would be necessary if it were an extended family who were brought here. It’s all about keeping everyone safe and moderating the use of dangerous objects. Once the system is in place and we’re working towards a common goal it should be easy.”

“I see your point,” I said, deciding not to voice my true opinions. This idea made everything seem so simple, so straightforward and without issues. Shetland had come to his decision because he could find no way out, and Monobunny was evidently much more of a threat than any of us had initially assumed. As I saw it, unless there was some massive oversight in the dome’s design or Monobunny’s surveillance systems – which seemed unlikely – I couldn’t see much chance of us ever making it out. If that meant living here for the rest of my life, I would be perfectly happy. But that wouldn’t be the case for anyone else here.

“You seem a little unsure,” Sanscript said, pulling me from my reverie. “But that is understandable. I think it will take time for everyone. The important thing to remember is that we are all in this together.” He puffed out his chest and smiled. “We’re holding a meeting at six in the dining room and hope to see everyone there.”

“Okay,” I said, shrugging.

“Good. Now we’ll be off. We still have a couple left to pass on the message to.”

“If I may,” Scalpel said, “I’d like to speak to Greyscale in private for a moment.”

“Oh.” Sanscript looked puzzled. “In that case, I’ll be waiting by the stairwell.” He gave a short bow and began walking away. “I bid you adieu.”

Scalpel kept her eyes on Sanscript until he turned the corner and then brought her focus back to me. “Could we speak inside?”

I was a little hesitant as I opened the door and allowed Scalpel into my room. Not because I thought she was a threat, but because I’d never had anyone come into my living space before. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Scalpel walked straight to my bed and sat down, motioning for me to sit beside her. I did so and was immediately wrapped into a hug, Scalpel’s frail body trembling against mine, tears streaming down her cheeks. I was too shocked to move and simply stared at her – mouth agape – as she clutched to my chest.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped out between sobs. “I’ve been trying to act brave but it’s all too much.”

I tried to respond but faltered. The sensation was all too new, all too overwhelming. I could feel every breath, every quiver in her motion. I could feel her warm tears seeping through my fur. I could feel my own heartbeat pounding like a drum, Scalpel’s left ear to my chest. She can hear my heart, I realized, and the thought was somehow profound and meaningless all at once. Slowly, I brought my forelegs down upon her and returned the embrace. So much in my life that I had missed out on, and now I could finally experience it all – the good, the bad, and everything in between. From trust, to friendship, to affection, anger, jealousy and horror… Not in my wildest dreams could I have ever conceived such a thing. I saw then that no matter what happened, I didn’t want to leave. This place was my home.

Scalpel straightened herself and took a deep breath. “I didn’t expect to do that,” she said, chuckling nervously. “I just wanted to speak with you about Shetland.”

“Oh,” I replied dumbly.

“You’re probably wondering why I was so… affected by this turn of events. Not that I don’t think everyone else has suffered horribly, yourself included.”

I had to bite my tongue. “Yeah. I’m still wrapping my head around it.”

“I feel so pathetic having become so weak, especially given my profession. I’ve seen dead bodies before a number of times. Surgeons aren’t miracle workers. Even with scientific progress and magical knowledge, there is only so much that can be done. When we found Pinkie’s body, I barely even flinched. It wasn’t until Shetland…” Scalpel frowned, avoiding my gaze. “I believed in him wholeheartedly, you know.

“We spoke for a while on our first night. I realize now it was only yesterday, but it feels so long ago. I was immediately drawn to his sense of authority. I remember thinking, ‘we’ll be fine so long as he’s with us. We’ll be certain to find a way out.’ He was calm, strong, sensible, and voiced his respect to me for my profession. I don’t want you to misunderstand, of course. I didn’t fall for him like a lovestruck teenager. I felt an unspoken connection, an understanding between us that meant we could work together. We struck a chord so easily, so effortlessly, not something I’m at all used to. I’m seen by my colleagues as an ice queen, all seriousness and precision with no joy or humor. I suppose they’re right to some extent. So when Shetland and I spoke and became fast friends, it was like a revelation.

“He reminded me a lot of my father – strict, but also fair and considerate. He showed genuine interest in me and my life, explaining how he felt we were two sides of the same coin. ‘We both save lives’ he said. ‘Ours is the greatest contribution to society. You have my utmost respect.’ Even now I believe he was being honest. More was said between us, but I don’t want to ramble. Let’s just say we learned a great deal about each other.

“I got to the dining hall at around half seven and Shetland was already there. We talked for a while until the others began to arrive and he assured me that he had a plan to keep everything under control. Thanks to him I wasn’t worried in the slightest. He said he wanted my help as a kind of second in command to keep the order. It filled me with a newfound confidence, and I was determined to meet his standards.

“When you accused him during the trial I kind of… snapped. I’d been impressed with you so far for bringing certain information to light, but the moment you said Shetland was guilty I grew furious. I wanted to scold you, to berate you, to insult your intelligence for daring to speak ill of our leader. I have to be honest with you, Greyscale. I thought some terrible things about you. But in the end, you were right, and I was the brainwashed fool. Shetland murdered Pinkie Pie, someone so innocent and well-meaning. It wasn’t the fact that he killed her that destroyed me inside, however. It was the fact that, had he accomplished his goal, the rest of us would have died too. I would have died. He denied your claims so strongly during the trial that even as the evidence piled up there was a part of me that still clung to a last ray of hope. I didn’t want to believe that he could let all of us die, that everything we spoke of was all an act. The only thing I believe he was truly honest about was his dedication to saving others.”

Scalpel sighed deeply, curling her hooves around her chest. “Greyscale, I want you to be completely honest. Do you think we did the right thing? What if he really could have stopped the mastermind? What if that was his only chance? We all voted against him because we didn’t want to die, but should we have sacrificed ourselves for the greater good?”

I thought for a moment. I realized now that if I said the wrong thing it could lead Scalpel down a spiral of despair. Now that Shetland was gone, she looked to others – to me – as a source of hope. I had to be careful. “He was wrong, Doctor,” I finally said. “No matter how great a police officer he was, his plan had no guarantee. He was overconfident. I think even he realized that his plan was a shambles. I believe he was full of regret, not just because his plan failed but because of what he had done. He wanted desperately to apologize to Pinkie in his final moments, and for his actions he paid the ultimate price. I for one hold nothing against him.”

Scalpel smiled, a fresh set of tears pouring down her face. “Lancet.”

“Huh?”

“You can call me Lancet,” she said. “I may be a Doctor, but that title means nothing in this place. I shouldn’t receive any extra respect for my profession.”

I stared back blankly. “Lancet.”

Lancet nodded. “There you go. I feel more comfortable being on a first name basis. I think you’re right, by the way. I too hold nothing against him.” She slowly got up from the bed and straightened her mane. “Thank you for that. Really. I needed it more than you know.”

“M-my pleasure,” I stammered, grinning.

“I’d better get back to Sanscript. He might get the wrong idea otherwise.”

*DING DONG DONG DING*

I jolted upright as I heard that familiar jingle. It can’t be, I thought, staring into Lancet’s fear-stricken eyes. Someone can’t have been killed already?

“Hello, everyone! Monobunny here! Could you all please make your way to the dining area. I have an important announcement to make!”

Lancet sighed sharply. “Thank goodness it’s not a body discovery announcement. But where is his voice even coming from?”

“And I heard that, Copper. So what if I can make the announcement without gathering you together if you can all hear me? I want to make this announcement in person in the dining hall! I have some good news, and I have some bad news. Make your way there on the double or you could be in for punishment!”

Monobunny’s voice dissipated. Lancet had a point. How could we hear him so clearly? There didn’t appear to be any kind of speaker system. But if that’s the case, I wondered, maybe the voice I heard from my dreams was actually just Monobunny.

“We should go,” Lancet said.

We left my room and soon met up with Copper in the corridor. She was ruffling her wings in distress and didn’t appear well rested in the slightest. “You hear him call me out, too?” she asked. Lancet and I both nodded. “I so much as mutter something under my breath and the freaky rabbit can hear me. I’m starting to doubt just about everything in this place.” Then her eyes sprang open. “Wait a second. Greyscale, did you just have her in your room?”

“Nothing like that,” Lancet interjected as I blushed in silence. “We were just talking about things, that’s all.”

“Right.” Copper shook her head and chuckled. “Of course. I was just teasing, you know.”

The three of us made our way to the dining hall and took our seats as others filed in. Monobunny was already present, standing by the kitchen door. “Howdy! Take a seat!” As expected, everyone did their best to sit as far from him as possible, with the far corner table being completely empty. Lancet, Copper, Sanscript and I sat together. While there was an air of anxiousness and worry among most, Copper had her head buried into her forelegs as she rested on the table, looking deflated.

“Are you okay?” I whispered.

“Not really,” she mumbled back, her eyes shut tightly. “I’m just exhausted. I don’t know how any of you managed to sleep soundly last night. You must be tougher than you look – you seem pretty perky and upbeat as it happens.”

“I don’t know about that,” I replied.

“Oh-ho, maybe you did get a special examination from the doctor, then.” Copper smiled wryly.

“No,” I snapped back in a hushed voice. “Nothing happened, okay? I don’t want you starting rumors.”

“It was just a joke,” Copper said dreamily. “Right now, I’d give anything to have something to laugh about." She frowned. “If only Pinkie were still here.”

Within a minute or so, Maribelle, Button, Inky, Elsie, Dish Panner and Reph had arrived. Dopple and Mesmer came in together soon after, Mesmer blanking everyone and sitting opposite Monobunny, avoiding anyone else’s stares and simply focusing on the monochrome rabbit. Dopple stopped for a moment and gave a quick glance in my direction, smiled, and joined Mesmer with a concerned expression on her face. She whispered something in Mesmer’s ear and he shook his head.

“Just putting out another announcement, could everyone please make their way to the dining hall. This is urgent, and failing to abide by this request may result in punishment!” Monobunny tapped his foot on the floor with annoyance. “Okay, it looks like Yoko isn’t coming.”

“How do you know?” Maribelle asked. She was cradling Button, who looked as peacefully content as a teenager could possibly be while still awake.

“How do I know? Miss Gelding, have you not noticed the cameras all over this place? Nothing can hide from me in the dome! And right now, Yoko is in the gym refusing to do as I say. Under normal circumstances I might dole out some serious punishment for such behavior, but in this case, Yoko probably isn’t in the best state to fully understand the situation. Now what to do, what to do?” Monobunny began to pace back and forth. “Okay, I’ll allow a group of you to go and retrieve him from the gym. I would suggest that a unicorn with magical abilities strong enough to lift something heavy tags along. If you’re unable to coax him into coming downstairs you may ask me for permission to momentarily ban the levitation of other participants specifically on Yoko and to bring him here safe and sound. I hate altering the rules like this, but I don’t want to kill him needlessly, and if I drag him down here myself I could end up injuring him. So… who wants to do it?”

“I should go,” Lancet spoke up. “I’ve had experience in moving obese patients before.”

“We’ll go too,” Mesmer said, stepping from his seat and walking out the door. Dopple followed after him, looking somewhat anxious. Wait a minute, I thought. Since when were those two so close? Why is Dopple tagging along with a creep like him!? And why is he ordering her around!?

“Oh, okay,” Lancet said, getting to her hooves.

“And remember, don’t start lifting him unless you get permission from me first!”

Lancet nodded. “We’ll be back soon.”

“Okay, honey,” Copper whispered as the trio left the room, shooting me a mischievous grin. “Come back and give me another cuddle soon.”

I turned to Copper in shock. “How do you know she cuddled me!?”

Copper’s eyes flew open and she snorted with laughter, holding her chest tightly to contain herself. “I think you said that a bit too loud.”

Sure enough, the entire room had heard my outburst. “Way to go!” Inky said, winking flirtatiously. Sanscript, on the other hoof, was staring blankly at me with his jaw hanging.

“It’s not what you think!” I cried.

“Eh, I’m not impressed,” Button said nonchalantly. “I’ve gotten tons of cuddles from Maribelle already.”

“I don’t even like her in that way!” I proclaimed, blood rushing to my cheeks as I noticed everyone was looking at me. “You’d better not say anything to her!”

“Oh, will you all shut up!” Monobunny boomed, pounding on the kitchen door. “What is this? Schoolyard drama? You should probably be much more concerned about your good pal Yoko!”

It wasn’t long before we understood what Monobunny meant. Several minutes later, Yoko crashed through the double doors and came stumbling into the dining hall, bleary-eyed, vomit plastering his chest in brownish blotches. He stumbled to the corner table and collapsed onto the seats, breathing heavily and clutching at his head. Mesmer, Dopple and Lancet were in tow, Lancet quickly taking the seat beside me while the other two stood in the doorway, obviously not wanting to share space with the drunken behemoth they had just collected.

“Yoko, remember what I said,” Dopple instructed, looking concerned.

“We found him talking to himself,” Mesmer stated dryly. “He was surrounded by spirit bottles, at least three of them empty and others drunk partially. I’d say he almost drank himself to death, but with his incredible body mass I have no idea what it would take.”

“What a mess!” Monobunny exclaimed. “Well, I hope he remembers this because I don’t like repeating myself.”

Yoko’s appearance was bewildering. I’d rarely seen anyone who was visibly drunk, much less someone who was over three times my size. He was swaying back and forth and kept gripping the table, clenching his eyelids in place of blinking and taking sharp, irregular breaths. My biggest shock, however, was that the last trial had taken such a toll on him. Ever since we’d arrived in the dome it didn’t seem as if he’d liked Shetland in the slightest. And just as I was pondering if there had been something underlying between them, something that would make him react in this way, I realized I was forgetting something – or more accurately, someone. I had almost completely forgotten about Pinkie Pie. I bit my lip, cursing myself.

“Now then, since we’re all here together, I have a few announcements to make. Some of which I wasn’t originally planning to talk about, but thanks to a certain someone here, I think it’s best to address them now. Button Mash!”

Button jumped in fear and clutched onto Maribelle. “What!? What did I do!?”

“I heard the crazed ramblings you were spouting earlier,” Monobunny said with an accusatory paw. “In fact, it should be obvious by now that I can hear everything you lot say. So, Button, thanks to you I get to announce some good news, and that is that every single one of your theories was completely wrong.

“First up, Button considered that perhaps the mastermind of this whole operation is among you. That, I can confirm, is totally incorrect.”

“S-so who is the mastermind?” Reph piped up.

“You think I’m going to tell you that!?” Monobunny balked. “Just shut up and listen to me!”

“Oh, uh… sorry.” Reph sank back into his chair.

“Hmph. At least you’re willing to accept that I’m being honest. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Your next theory, Button, was that you’re all trapped in some kind of virtual reality simulation or state of magical hypnosis, that what’s happening to you is all just an illusion. I can confirm that this theory is false. Everything that happens here is totally real, one hundred percent! I guess you could argue that’s either good news or bad news depending on your own opinion. The fact is, setting up a virtual world like this for you all to inhabit without bugs or glitches would be far more difficult than just building the dome, the hotel, and all of the surveillance equipment. And honestly, what a terribly dull twist that would be if it turned out that this world was just fake? I for one would be completely underwhelmed by it!

“Your other theory was that everyone here has been implanted with false memories, that maybe you all just think you are who you are. I can confirm that absolutely none of this is true. Not a single one of the participants, either living or dead, have been implanted with false memories or fake personalities. What an awful twist that would be, too! I would hate it! So, I guess that’s good news.”

False memories? I wondered. I hadn’t even thought of that. But…

“Monobunny?” I said, raising a hoof. “You said we’ve not been given false memories, but I had this weird dream, and I kept hearing this voice.”

“Huh?” Monobunny tilted his head.

“It was like the voice was telling me a story about the life of a young colt. They definitely weren’t memories of my own past.”

Monobunny shrugged. “Whatever it was, I don’t know anything about it. Just sounds like a regular dream to me! Now, onto my next point.”

Maybe it was just some weird dream, I said inwardly. At this stage I felt no reason to distrust Monobunny. His obsession with the truth was his defining personality trait, and he made it clear that he considered the truest despair is that which is born from truth. To go back on those words would be a rather pathetic turn for a villain, and something told me that would be the biggest failure Monobunny could conceive in his role as game master.

“As I’ve said, the mastermind of this killing game is not among you. However, unfortunately for all of you, I can confirm that someone among you has more knowledge about this killing game than they are letting on. That is to say, one of you is a spy!”

“Wait, what!?” Sanscript exclaimed. “What do you mean a spy?”

“It’s just how it sounds,” Monobunny said with a chuckle. “One of you is actually helping out with this killing game. In fact, they’ve met the mastermind personally!”

My heart caught in my throat. I scanned the room. Yoko. Mesmer. Dopple. Sanscript. Lancet. Copper. Maribelle. Button Mash. Dish Panner. Elsie. Reph. Inky. One of them was a spy. One of them was on Monobunny’s side.

One of them could not be trusted.

“But that’s ridiculous!” Elsie spat, adjusting her glasses. “Why would you need a spy when you’ve got cameras all over this place? You can track whatever we do!”

“Ah, yes, but that’s not the purpose of the spy, you see. We needed someone on the inside to manipulate the outcome in this killing game somewhat. As entertaining as it is to watch you try and kill each other, as you can imagine, this game can result in some pretty messy scenarios. It makes sense to have someone here to nudge the group in the right direction, to ensure that the viewers get to watch shocking murders and gripping trials! After all–”

“Say what you will!” Lancet bellowed, jolting upright. Her face was tensed into a piercing glare. “This changes nothing! Even if there is one amongst us who is working for you, that doesn’t matter! This place would still be dangerous, and we would still have reason to worry about our company. We can still work together, still learn to trust in one another and still prevent any more murders from occurring!”

“Oh, s-shut it,” Yoko mumbled, his eyes open halfway. He pointed a shaky hoof a Lancet. “You’re talkin’ shit, Doctor.” He laughed sardonically. “It’s all a fuckin’ joke. We got dead ponies, crooked c-cops and now a fuckin’ spy. Trust in each ‘n’ other y’say? You crazy bitch.” He flopped onto the table with an almighty thud. “You c-c-could be the spy for all w-we know. Just go ahead an’ kill me, yeah? Get it over with.”

“Yoko!” Lancet yelled back, on the verge of hyperventilating. “Don’t speak in such a way!”

“Ignore him,” Copper said, putting a hoof on Lancet’s shoulder. “He’s drunk out of his mind right now.”

“But he does make a good point,” Dish Panner commented. “Wouldn’t the spy want to preach all about trust and togetherness so they can stab us in the back?”

“Now see here!” Sanscript interjected, rising to his hooves. “You can’t throw around such accusations!”

“The handsome stallion is right!” Inky piped up excitedly. “We must come together!”

“Precisely,” Sanscript said with a somber nod. Then his eyes darted upwards in confusion. “Wait, what?”

“It could be any one of us,” Reph mused.

“Gah!” Button clung tightly to Maribelle. “It’s not you, is it, Maribelle? Please tell me it’s not true!”

“Of course not,” Maribelle said, stroking Button’s mane. “But this is quite the predicament.”

“Everyone, stop,” Dopple commanded. Her expression was as calm and collected as always. “Turning this into a witch hunt won’t help anyone. Let’s look at this logically. One of us is working for Monobunny. But why? They’re in the same situation as us. Who would willingly throw themselves into this killing game if they knew the risks? It is obvious to me that whoever the spy is, they are being threatened. You said it yourself, Monobunny, that the spy has met with the mastermind of this game? In that case the spy is surely just another victim who has been forced into this position by the mastermind. In that way, they are on our side as well.

“May I ask, Monobunny, is there anything to prevent the spy from being killed by other participants? You would not step in and prevent such an event?”

“My, my, how strong, logical and inquisitive you are. Your father would be so proud.”

Dopple flinched at Monobunny’s words. “That was not my question.”

“Oh, touched a nerve, did I?” Monobunny erupted with laughter. “But fine, I’ll answer it. As much as I would love the spy to serve me for as long as possible while the killing game takes place, should someone try to kill the spy, I won’t interfere. Otherwise, it’d reveal the spy’s identity, and that would be lame! You could hold a knife to the spy’s throat, ready to slice their neck open and spray claret across the floor, and I wouldn’t lift a paw to save them.”

“Good.” Dopple turned to the rest of us. “The existence of a spy isn’t as much of a threat as we considered. I do believe Doctor Scalpel’s ideals can still be put to use.”

“Thank you,” Lancet replied, bowing her head. “Your words give me hope.”

Dopple smiled back. I had to marvel at her sheer confidence shining brightly from such a gentle form. In that moment I felt as if I were looking upon an angel.

“How very touching,” Monobunny said, clapping sarcastically. “But you might not feel the same way when I reveal the next piece of information.”

“How so?” Dopple asked, unfazed.

“You see, now that I have revealed the existence of the spy, I must update you all on a new rule! Should the spy commit a murder they will be absolved of all punishment.”

“Wait,” Copper said, her eyes wide. “You don’t mean…”

“That’s right! If the spy is found guilty of murder during the trial, rather than suffer death by execution, they shall be allowed to go free and leave the dome! Even if they murdered one of you right here, right now, for all to see, blood and guts all over the floor, they would get away with it scot free! That enough of a threat for you?”

The room erupted with gasps and exclamations of shock and confusion. The sudden reaction from all around hit me before Monobunny’s words had begun to sink in, and by that time I had slumped forward mechanically, my mouth agape, my mind racing. I felt a new kind of terror. At the same time I felt a new kind of exhilaration from deep within me, waves of excitement lapping at my growing fear. If the spy were to kill at random, I said to myself, I would more than likely survive.

“That’s totally unfair!” Inky cried. “You’ve changed the rules! We didn’t know about any of this in the beginning!”

“So you might say, but don’t you remember I told you all that new rules could be added whenever I saw fit?”

“But then anything could become a rule!” Inky protested. “For all we know you could put a rule in place that punishes us for sleeping!”

“No!” Button screamed. “I love my bed! I love my sleep!”

“I don’t think I’d do that,” Monobunny said, shaking his head. “Having a bunch of restless participants would likely result in sloppy murders! If I’m to add a new rule it’ll probably be in the interest of making the killing game more exciting, to spice things up!”

“But the spy could strike at any time without punishment,” Sanscript said worriedly. “What are we supposed to do?”

“Simple!” Elsie spoke up. “If anyone commits murder out in the open we punish them ourselves!”

“Bad idea,” Dopple said. “If anyone were to kill the spy, the following trial would be set to determine the spy’s killer, meaning you’d be up for execution yourself.”

Elsie snorted in annoyance. “Well then we’d just beat the living hell out of them! Just enough so that they barely survive.”

“That is quite harsh,” Maribelle said, sighing. “We should not be so aggressive in this environment – it is what the rabbit wants. And if Dopple is right, the spy is a victim here too.”

The room erupted into a cacophony of arguments, outcries, suggestions, refusals and emotional outbursts. Button had begun sobbing into Maribelle’s coat repeating “I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die.” Reph had become unusually agitated, getting down from his seat and pacing back and forth, doing his best not to get too close to anyone else. Dopple was standing her ground, cutting through comments being blasted at her. Yoko was watching the chaos unfold, chuckling to himself and shaking his head.

All the while, Mesmer sat in silence, observing his surroundings. His gaze fell upon Monobunny, the maniacal rabbit leaning nonchalantly against the wall, clearly loving every second of it. Then in a flash Mesmer turned to me, his eyes glassy and stern. I jolted backwards on instinct, suddenly afraid but unable to look away. We kept eye contact for another few seconds, Mesmer’s expression completely blank and unchanging. I felt as if he were on the cusp of accusing me of being the spy, of outing me in front of everyone and calling upon some crazed but convincing logic that would turn everyone against me! But instead, he slowly got to his hooves, turned away from me and walked slowly and deliberately into the kitchen area, the door creaking as he swung it open.

“Wait, what’s he doing?” Copper said, shifting away from the kitchen-side end of the dining hall and sidling up against me. “Don’t tell me he hid a knife in there!”

“I don’t…” I gasped, the surrounding noise being drowned out by my subconscious as I became one with Copper’s terror.

The door opened once more and Mesmer stepped inside, his horn glowing. Telekinesis, I thought. The easiest way to handle a knife. His suspicious actions became obvious to the rest of the group almost immediately. “What are you doing!?” Dish Panner cried.

Mesmer’s face flashed with anger and he raised his weapon and sent it pelting into the floor right beside Monobunny with almighty smash that silenced the group. Only once the small, white, ceramic pieces had stopped tinkling across the floor tiles did I realize what had happened. Mesmer stomped on the remains of the bowl and turned to everyone.

“That is quite enough!” he roared. “Can’t you see this is exactly what Monobunny wants!? Are we to simply sit here and writhe like startled rats!?” He exhaled sharply. “Yes, our situation is a difficult one, but losing our heads will only make matters worse. So, there is a spy. So, this spy has a set of advantageous rules that apply only to them. Can you not see what this news has done? Rather than the spy being the dangerous one it is everyone else who has become a danger! If we focus on the spy we are forgetting the predicament we are already in. We risk becoming deranged by paranoia to the point where we all become more likely to commit murder! That is the purpose of Monobunny’s announcement. After all…” He turned to Monobunny and glowered down. “You’re just here to make this interesting for the sick bastards who are watching this, correct?”

“I wouldn’t say they’re all sick bastards,” Monobunny replied with a shrug.

“Then who is watching us?” Mesmer questioned. “Last night you admitted that Pinkie’s friend Applejack was watching, but she can’t be the only one, can she? Who else is there?”

“It’s kind of sad.” Monobunny shook his head and tutted. “Finding out who’s watching you really isn’t going to be much help to any of you. If you want to survive you should start focusing on committing the perfect murder!”

“You’re dodging the question,” Mesmer said, standing his ground. “I want to know how many are watching us.”

“Fine, fine.” Monobunny sighed. “Not that it’ll help any of you. If you must know, you’re being watched by thousands!”

Reph gulped loudly. “Th-thousands!?”

“What a travesty!” Elsie exclaimed. “We are filmed even in our private rooms, and you tell us there are thousands watching us!?”

I instinctively looked to one of the wall-mounted cameras on the other side of the room. I couldn’t quite fathom the thought of being under the watch of so many. Thousands, I repeated to myself. Given the scale of the killing game it could very well have taken thousands to carry everything out from kidnapping to construction, but I couldn’t quite believe that a group so large could all come together for such a common goal. A cult might be able to accumulate such power, but the nature of the killing game felt completely detached from what I knew of historical cult behavior. However, if most of those watching were merely innocent onlookers, it brought on a whole new slew of questions. How was this being broadcast? For what reason? And how was Monobunny so sure that finding out our viewers wouldn’t help us when he previously deliberated so hard on whether to reveal Applejack’s identity? There were too many mysteries to count.

“I see,” Mesmer said softly. For whatever reason he seemed content with Monobunny’s ambiguous answer.

“I’ve just thought of something,” Inky said, tapping her chin. “Didn’t Pinkie already know there was a spy? Shetland told us, didn’t he, that her Pinkie sense had acted up, and that’s why she sought his help? She was worried that someone here was dangerous.”

“I don’t think we can take her word for it,” Dish Panner said worriedly. “She did end up getting murdered by someone she trusted.”

“Hey!” Inky cried, angrily prodding a hoof into Dish Panner’s chest. “Even he believed her in the end! And I still believe in her! Isn’t it a bit of a coincidence that we only now find out about a spy?”

“This is ridiculous,” Elsie muttered. “Super senses and whatnot.”

“Wait a minute,” Button said. “Shetland said there were two of us she was worried about. If one’s the spy, who’s the other?”

“That’s right.” Inky leapt from her seat and began pacing back and forth, forcefully pushing Reph aside in the process. “If I remember rightly, one of us is willing to do whatever it takes to get out of here, even if everyone else dies. They’d already decided that would happen even yesterday.”

“That’s… surely the spy, right?” Reph asked shakily.

“I think so,” Inky replied, still pacing. “But that’s strange, isn’t it? Shetland made it sound like Pinkie was more worried about someone else, someone dangerous who she couldn’t quite figure out.”

“Then that’s the spy,” Button said. “Whoever the other one is must just be evil. The spy’s gotta be the most dangerous one, right?”

“Maybe? I don’t know,” Inky said with a sigh.

“B-but that seems kind of strange,” Reph said anxiously, raising a hoof. “If Pinkie was able to detect someone’s innermost intentions, the spy’s would be the obvious one. The spy would’ve already been planning their escape, and they’d be confident about it! That is, assuming they knew about this rule change.”

“If only Pinkie were here to–”

“Oh, this is nonsense!” Elsie cried, pouting. “We’ll learn nothing by taking advice from some crazy mare who had such amazing psychic powers that she invited her own murderer to a private meeting. It’s pointless even thinking about it! One of us is dangerous? I could’ve told you that from the moment we set hoof in this place! It’s all pretty obvious who we need to be afraid of.” Elsie folded her forelegs and glared in Yoko’s direction. “Getting drunk and barreling about the place? We worry about the weapons in the MonoMart but here we have a walking boulder who could squash us flat at a moment’s notice! If you ask me, I hope he drinks himself to death.”

“Elsie!” Maribelle gasped. “What a horrible thing to say! Can’t you see he is suffering?”

“So am I!” Elsie shot back, thumping down on the table in front of her, knocking her glasses askew. “The difference is, he’s a liability.”

“That’s not fair!”

The room fell silent. I looked around, my pulse quickening as everyone’s eyes turned to me. It took me a few seconds to fully understand that I was the one who had made the outburst. Throughout Elsie’s beratement all I could think of was Yoko’s cheery grin and boisterous attitude followed by his swift descent into despair towards the end of the trial. I gulped, realizing that I was expected to back up my point.

“I… I mean, we’re all potentially dangerous, right?” I stammered. “Just because Yoko is bigger and stronger doesn’t mean he’s the biggest threat. A-and we all saw how upset he was over Pinkie’s death and Shetland’s confession, so, I think maybe him getting drunk is his way of dealing with it.”

“You’re correct,” Mesmer cut in with, promptly taking away the attention from myself. “Everyone here is capable of murder; that’s always been true. It’s also rather ironic that a unicorn should speak of dangerous individuals, as if magic doesn’t hold a vital and deadly advantage, even if levitation is the only skill we are allowed in this place. Surely the only option we have is to saw off our horns. That is, assuming you want to deal with ‘dangerous liabilities.’ Though I hear the pain of losing a horn is beyond excruciating and can result in lasting psychological trauma.”

Elsie shrank in her seat, her face glowing bright red.

“In the end, that’s the point I want to make,” Mesmer continued. “The only way for us to truly prevent a murder from occurring would be to quite literally cripple each and every one of us.” Mesmer’s expression turned grave. “If everyone here wants that, we’ll do it. I will personally be the first to have my horn removed and my ligaments torn. I should think Doctor Scalpel would have sufficient knowledge to perform such a procedure.”

Lancet squirmed in her seat. “I would refuse to do something so barbaric. It would be horrific.”

“It’d help prevent murder,” Mesmer stated matter-of-factly. “Of course, it would also prevent us from making an escape. And if we want to do that, we need to work together, live together and be vigilant without allowing ourselves to be overcome with paranoia. Dish Panner, you mentioned yesterday that you wanted a knife for cooking.”

The tan-coated mare nodded hesitantly. “Yes, but if it’s too danger–”

“We’ll sort something out,” Mesmer said, cutting her off. “A single kitchen knife should suffice, I assume?”

“Wait a minute,” Copper said. “Are you sure about this? I have to be honest, this is all too suspicious.”

“You’re entitled to that opinion,” Mesmer replied. “You might think that perhaps I am the spy, and that this is all a ruse to introduce an extra element of danger into the hotel. Untrue, of course, but even if I were the spy, it wouldn’t detract from my argument. While we need rules in place, we can’t allow ourselves to be deprived of certain things. Even trust.”

“I really don’t know,” Dish Panner said. “I’m just worried about the spy being able to do anything they want without consequence.”

“From what I can discern,” Mesmer said, “the spy is here to oversee the proceedings of this killing game, or more accurately, manipulate it. They cannot simply do anything they want as they are under the control of Monobunny, the mastermind, or someone else on their side. They are here to produce certain results, likely so that the viewers have – and it makes me sick to consider this – a more interesting viewing experience. For them to simply murder at a moment’s notice would not only put them in danger, it would end the killing game in an instant, and in an anticlimactic fashion. At least, I would imagine that to be the case.”

“Ah, so very astute with your deductions,” Monobunny said, clapping mockingly. “But have you considered you’re making too many assumptions?”

Mesmer smirked. “First of all, you let your tongue slip earlier on.”

“What? How so?”

“I can at least tell that there are multiple individuals involved in the running of this game. You clearly said we needed someone on the inside, not I.”

“Oh, you’ve been listening well!” Monobunny chuckled.

I glanced at Dopple, remembering our revelation during our first trip to the MonoMart. We’d figured out then that there had to be more than one Monobunny. I considered speaking my mind but felt too pressured to interrupt Mesmer and Monobunny as they quarreled.

“Also, the fact that you are perpetually honest means the way you phrase your speech can be called into question. There are ways to suggest one truth while actually speaking another. And as such, certain deductions can indeed be made.” Mesmer cleared his throat. “Given the points I have laid out to you all, I think it is highly illogical to bog ourselves down with trying to figure out the identity of the spy. Our efforts are best spent elsewhere.”

“I have to admit,” Sanscript said, furrowing his brow, “Mesmer does make a lot of sense. We mustn’t let ourselves to descend into chaos.”

“Well alright,” Inky said, smiling. “If the headmaster who’s well-endowed with wisdom is up for it, I guess I can step up to the desk.”

“I’m a playwright, Miss Slinger, not a headmaster. Also, the correct phrase is… wait, what?”

“Then my initial proposal is still valid?” Lancet said with a pleased sigh. “I thought it was done for.”

“That’s right,” Maribelle said cheerfully. “I believe in this way of thinking also. I am glad we can rally together like this.”

“Yeah!” Inky chimed in. “So much for trying to break us apart, MonoLoser!”

Monobunny sighed deeply and looked to the floor. “You seem so very hopeful,” he said sadly.He began to plod towards the exit, his feet crunching over the broken ceramic. “Even when faced with news of a spy and stuck in a killing game, you display such levels of hope.” He stopped in place just before the double doors, his back facing us. After a moment’s silence he erupted into fits of high-pitched laughter, banging his paws against the floor and struggling for air as he doubled over, cackling maniacally. The hairs on my spine began to stand on end.

“What’s so funny!?” Inky blasted.

Monobunny’s laughter died down into a faint titter and he wiped at his forehead. “So much hope. So much hope! My master…” Monobunny opened the doors and peeked back at us through the glass. “… will be ever so pleased!”

With that, he scurried out of the room, chuckling down the hallway, leaving the rest of us stunned into silence. It felt as if a sizable amount of that hope had been snuffed out in an instant.

Author's Note

Thanks ever so much for making it this far. But we still have a ways to go!

I guess you could start taking notes? Vital information is being hinted at from here on out. Time will tell if your suspicions ring true... Pu-hu-hu-hu!