Ding Dong, Bing Bong!

“Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beautiful day!”

'Ugh. It's just going to be the same thing every day, isn't it?'

I groaned in annoyance at Monokuma's morning announcement. While it was thankfully short, the sound of his shrill voice always made my skin crawl. Not to mention I was particularly tired this morning. The previous day had taken a lot out of me. After the monitor turned off, I turned over and fell back asleep almost instantly.

Ding Dong!

"Huh?" I stirred briefly at the sound, but was so weary that I couldn't place its source. And so, I once again faded into slumber.

Ding Dong! Ding Dong! Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding Dong!

My eyes shot open, that incessant ringing echoing in my head. The doorbell. That's what it was. Someone was ringing my doorbell. And they wouldn't stop. I slowly got out of bed and shambled to the door. "I'm coming, I'm coming." Not that whoever was on the other side could hear me through the soundproof room. I opened the door, revealing my awful bedhead to whoever was behind that infernal racket.

"Sunset!" Rarity practically shouted at me as she lunged forward, wrapping me in a tight embrace. "Oh thank goodness, you're alright!"

"R-Rarity...can't breathe!" The fashionista was stronger than she looked.

Finally realizing she was squeezing the life out of me, Rarity let go. "Sorry, I got a little carried away." After a brief bout of embarrassment, her expression suddenly shifted to a stern frown. She crossed her arms and gave me a paralyzing glare. "Sunset Shimmer! Do you have any idea what time it is?" I blinked in response, still in the process of fully waking up. Before giving me a chance to answer, she simply continued. "It is eight-o-clock in the morning. The morning meeting was supposed to start an hour ago!"

I widened my eyes as I remembered going back to sleep after the morning announcement. "Oh. Right. Sorry, I guess I slept in."

"Don't act so casual about this! You had us all worried sick! We waited for twenty minutes before dispersing. I tried to ring the doorbell earlier just in case you were still in your room. But since there was no response, I assumed you weren't." Did she do that? I did vaguely remember being woken up by a sound before falling back asleep. That must have been it. "After everything that happened yesterday, we assumed the worst and began searching everywhere for you." I could hear the worry in her voice as it cracked with emotion. Despite her clear anger, there were tears forming in the corners of her eyes. The more she said, the worse I felt. "I only came back here in a bout of desperation, and it's a good thing I did! If I hadn't, who knows how long you would have made us think you were...you were-" She choked down a sob, unable to articulate what she was trying to say. But it was obvious what she meant. They all thought I had been murdered.

"Rarity...I'm so sorry. I don't even know what to say." I averted my gaze, unable to look her in the eye.

"You don't need to say anything." She sniffled a little as she began to regain her composure. "I'm just happy you're alright. But please don't do this again."

"I won't. I promise." I fully intended to keep that promise. Which meant that I'd need to try and be a morning person for a change. That wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Good. You'd better keep that promise. Now, onto a change of subject. May I come in for a moment?" I shrugged and nodded my head, letting her step through the door's threshold and closing it behind her. "Thank you. Now, I don't mean to be rude, but you've got one of the most unruly cases of bedhead that I've ever seen. I simply can't allow you to go out in public like that."

"Oh. Gee. Thanks." I deadpanned as she dressed me down. I didn't think she was trying to be condescending or anything, but it didn't exactly feel great to be told my hair was a mess.

Rarity seemed to miss it, leading me towards my bathroom. "If you'd indulge me, I'd be happy to help you clean up a little. Not that I doubt your abilities or anything. You do normally sport an exceptionally beautiful mane of hair. I simply wish to make things go faster so the others won't have to keep worrying."

I stifled a chuckle at her use of the word "mane." If only she knew. "Sure. I guess I don't mind if you do that. Thanks." I got the feeling that while she was telling the truth, she no doubt also just wanted an excuse to mess with my hair. Not that I really minded too much.

"Splendid! Then let's get started!" And so, after waiting for me to clean up a little bit and change clothes, Rarity did my hair. I had to admit, she did make it go slightly faster than if I did it on my own. Soon enough, she was finished. "There! I would have liked to play with it a bit more, but alas, there isn't time right now. What do you think?"

I looked in the mirror and was pleasantly surprised. "Huh...it looks great!" She'd perfectly copied my usual style. Perhaps her talents as the Ultimate Fashionista carried over to hair as well? Under better circumstances, I'd be interested to see what she could pull off.

"Oh, I'm so glad you approve! Well then, shall we be going? We all agreed to convene in the lobby periodically until we found you." After I nodded my agreement, she opened the door and led the way as we left my room.

After we left my room, Rarity ushered me to the lobby without delay. Once we arrived, a chorus of gasps and shouts greeted us.

"Sunset! You're okay!" Cozy Glow rushed over and nearly tackled me to the ground with a hug. I was glad to see she wasn't locking herself in her room anymore.

"Well I'll be." Trouble Shoes nodded solemnly.

"It's about time." Aria scoffed, turning to look away from the displays of relief and affection.

Zephyr Breeze crossed his arms and let out a hearty laugh. "Haha! I knew she was fine all along. No way a girl like that was gonna let dying get between her and The Breeze."

"No you didn't." Moondancer scowled at him. "You were whining about how she was, and I quote, 'definitely and totally dead.' Also, don't say things like that. It's gross." He let out a nervous laugh as she scolded him. Without giving him a second glance, she adjusted her glasses and turned her attention back to a book she must have brought from the library.

"I'm sorry guys, I-"

"Hey now!" Iron Will stepped up and placed one massive hand on my shoulder, seemingly unaware he just interrupted me. "Iron Will appreciates a dramatically late entrance, but slow your roll! You need to work up to that kind of thing. Hell, you don't even have entrance music!" Before I could ask what the hell he meant by that, we were rudely interrupted.

"Entrance music!?"

Much to our dread, Monokuma appeared, accompanied by his own bizarre music coming from the speakers. "Did you say entrance music?"

"Oh no...not him again..." Scootaloo groaned, slumping into her chair.

"You want entrance music? Out of the question!" He pointed one of his sharpened claws out at us and proceeded to wave it in a disapproving manner. "Do you have any idea how much I'd need to spend on the licensing fees? And I'm pretty sure I'd need to spend it every single time I played each track! I'm not made of cash, you know!"

"You actually care about copyright law? Color me surprised." Capper looked at the bear skeptically.

"Of course I care!" His demeanor suddenly shifted as he put his paws to his face. "Puhuhuhu. Think about it. When the copyright lawyers come knocking, that's when beloved fan projects get the axe! And that, my dear guests, creates such delicious despair!"

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance. "Okay, what's your point? If you just came here to mess with us, then go away."

"Oh. Okay then. I know when I'm not wanted." Monokuma bowed his head in apparent sadness. "Not even invited to your stupid party tonight. Well fine then, have fun without me!" With that, he slowly began walking away. A somber tune began playing on the speakers as he made his way out of the lobby. He looked back a few times to make sure we were watching before finally taking his leave and stopping the music.

Now that Monokuma was gone, everyone's attention turned back towards me. Apple Bloom was the first to speak up. "So, Sunset. Where were you? We were worried about you!"

My cheeks flushed as I remembered why we were all here in the lobby. "Oh...I may have sort of...slept in?"

"Slept in?" Limestone stepped up, arms crossed and looking at me like I had two heads or something. "Slept in?! How the hell were you able to sleep through that stupid announcement and your doorbell ringing?"

"Well, I think I might have briefly woken up, but I was so tired that I fell right back asleep. I'm sorry for causing everyone so much trouble." I averted my gaze from Limestone as I said that, too embarrassed to look her in the eye.

She stared me down for what seemed like minutes but must have really been only a few seconds. With a sigh, she shook her head is resignation. "It's fine. Just don't scare us like that again, got it?" Without waiting for an answer, Limestone began walking away. Everyone else began following Limestone's lead, breaking off into little groups or going off on their own.

My first instinct was to go check on Cozy Glow. After what we talked about last night, I was worried about her. However, she'd run off with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Thanks to Monokuma's antics, I hadn't even noticed she'd put some distance between us after making sure I was okay. I saw the trio leaving the lobby in the direction of the lounge. From what I could see, it appeared that Cozy was acting the same as she normally did.

'I shouldn't be surprised that she wants to avoid me right now. She's got some intense baggage to deal with. I'll give her time, but I want to help her.'

Soon, the only people left in the lobby were Rarity and me. Standing beside the large Christmas Tree, it was strikingly similar to how our conversation started the other day. Except this time, she was frowning as she stared at me. Something seemed to be troubling her.

"Rarity, is everything okay?" As I stepped forward, she tensed up a little bit, causing me to retract my steps. "Rarity?"

She blinked her eyes a few times and seemed to snap out of it. "Oh! I'm terribly sorry, darling. I seem to have spaced out for a moment there. How very unladylike of me. I assure you everything is fine. I must be tired. I certainly hate to cut our time together short, but I believe I should go rest for a short while." She cleared her throat and began to step towards the exit hallway leading to our rooms. "If I don't see you beforehand, we'll reconvene at the party tonight!"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess that's fine. Oh, hold on!" She stopped and turned around, giving me a curious look. "Um...thanks. For coming to get me. I'm sorry I worried you."

The fashionista flashed a brilliant smile, showing no signs of her earlier unease. "Think nothing of it! I'm merely looking out for a friend. Tata!"

With those last words, Rarity left me alone in the lobby. Now that she was gone, I tried to think of what could possibly have given her that strange reaction. It looked as if she was deep in thought about something. And when I tried to approach, she got tense. Something was going through her mind. No doubt that was why she truly wanted to be alone. Unable to come up with anything, I let out a defeated sigh and wandered off in a random direction.

Before long, I ended up in the library. It was as fitting a place as any to kill time before the party later. While not nearly as impressive as Princess Celestia's, it was still a sizable collection. I roamed around its first floor, keeping a lookout for anything that might grab my attention. Soon enough, something indeed caught my eye. Taking up an entire row of a shelf by themselves were a collection of books from the "Daring Do" series. While I couldn't remember the details thanks to my muddied memory, I was suddenly aware that at least two friends had recommended the series to me before. And there was...something about a movie?

"Do you need assistance?"

I yelped and practically jumped out of my skin as Moondancer seemed to just appear next to me. She simply frowned at my outburst.

"Not so loud. This is a library, you know." She glared at me as she adjusted her glasses.

"S-sorry!" I lowered my voice to a more acceptable volume. "You just startled me is all. I didn't even notice you walking up to me.

A smug smile crossed Moondancer's face. "Of course you didn't. We librarians can be quite sneaky. Silence comes with the territory." Her expression became more neutral once again. "Now, did you need help finding anything?"

"I don't think so. I was sort of just browsing when these caught my eye." It was then that what she'd said truly registered with me. "Wait, hold on a minute! How would you be able to help me find anything? We've only been here three days. There's no way you've memorized everything here!"

"Not perfectly memorized, no. But I have catalogued every section and have a general idea of the kinds of books here." Oh, that was far more reasonable. Nobody would be crazy enough to try and catalogue every single book in such a short time, right? She eyed the shelf. "Are you a fan of 'Daring Do?'"

"Oh, not really. I've never read any of them." She seemed mildly disappointed at that. "I just remembered that a friend of mine recommended them to me once. Since we're stuck here until we figure out how to deal with Monokuma, I thought I might as well get some reading done." She perked up a little at that and seemed to be in thought.

"A friend recommended them to you, did they? I see. I'm sorry to say, they're not all here." The librarian curtly replied. "This isn't even half of them. 'Daring Do and the Ring of Destiny,' 'Fallen Idol,' 'Eternal Flower,' 'Curse of the Basaltic Caves,' and 'Quest for the Sapphire Stone' are all missing, to name but a few. And unfortunately for you, the first book in the series is among the missing."

"Oh. Well that sucks." I wasn't terribly broken up about it, but I couldn't help but be mildly disappointed. They seemed like fun adventure romps. "In that case, do you have any suggestions?"

"Hmm..." She seemed to be considering something before suddenly turning on her heel and walking away. "Follow me. You may find this interesting."

I followed behind her as she brought us to the second floor of the library. Against the back wall and near a metal-covered window was a shelf filled with thick books of many different colors. It seemed utterly ordinary at first, but then I saw the plaque embedded into the wood labeling the section: "Equestrian Literature."

'What's that doing here?! Why does she think I'd be interested in it? Does she know? There's no way for her to know!'

Without turning around, Moondancer spoke once more. "I know what you're thinking. And the answer is no."

'No? What? Is she reading my-'

She kept going before I could finish my thought. "It may say 'Equestrian Literature,' but it has nothing to do with caring for horses, equestrian sports, or horse-centric classics such as 'Black Beauty.'" I let out a breath I wasn't even aware I was holding when she said that. Of course that's what she meant, she had no way of knowing my origins. She turned back towards me just in time for me to have pulled myself together. Though I must have still had a look on my face. "I see that you're confused. That's no surprise, I was too."

I followed her to stand in front of the bookcase. "Why did you think I'd find this interesting?"

"Simple. You seemed interested in the 'Daring Do' series. And this entire shelf seems to be made up tomes detailing an entire fictional world centered around sentient horses, magic, dragons, and the like. Based on what little I've gleaned, I imagine someone interested in adventure stories would potentially be interested." She stopped to adjust her glasses and turned to look at me. "While I'm a bit perturbed that I've never heard of this written universe, especially considering it's made up of many different authors writing for the setting, it's quite the feat to be able to fill an entire shelf with one series."

I began to look closer at the books lining the shelves. Immediately I recognized many of the titles, all of whom I hadn't read in ages: "The Founding of Equestria," "Mistmane and the Mystery of the Castle," "A Hearth's Warming Tale," "History of the Crystal Empire," "Gusty the Great," "The Chaotic Age of Equestria," "Rockhoof and the Mighty Helm," "The Great Heroes of Equestria," "Beginner's Guide to Buckball," and so many more! However, there were three books that caught my attention more than the others: "The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide, 2nd Edition," "Predictions and Prophecies," and "Canterlot Castle: A History, vol. II."

Without really thinking about it, I pulled each of the three books out one by one. The first two were extremely old and rare books, though it seemed that "The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide" had gotten reprinted with potentially new information. The third book...that was the book where I learned about the mirror. The final catalyst for my betrayal of my mentor. Perhaps that's why I wanted it. In a strange way, it connected me back to the life I used to know.

"Really? Straight to volume II? Do you not want to read volume I first?" Moondancer raised an eyebrow at me.

"Huh? Oh!" I realized how it must look to her and quickly grabbed "Canterlot Castle: A History, vol. I" as well so as not to look suspicious. "I guess I just wasn't paying attention! You were right though, I find the idea behind all of this to be fascinating. I'll read through some things in my spare time and let you know later what I think."

"I see." She held a suspicious gaze upon me for a while longer before thankfully dropping it. "In that case, I look forward to hearing what you think. I'd read them myself, but I have other matters I've already devoted myself to. Take care, Sunset Shimmer." Without another word, Moondancer moved to the other side of the second floor and began to organize books. Taking that as my cue to leave, I descended the stairs and exited the library.

'She's a bit abrasive, but there's no denying her passion for literature. I could see myself becoming friends with her.'

Got Friendship Fragment! Moondancer: 1/5

I returned to my room after spending some time with Moondancer. I placed the books on the table, laid out next to one another. One of the last things I expected to find here was books from back home. Then again, I shouldn't have been too surprised. Considering the array of statues scattered throughout the hotel, it was clear that Monokuma was intimately familiar with not only Equestria, but me as well. First the statue of my demonic form, and now a copy of "Canterlot Castle: A History, vol. II."

"He's obviously taunting me, but why?"

The longer I stared at the tomes, the more prevalent the pit forming in my stomach became. The demon statue was a painful reminder of what I once was, sure, but this book...this book elicited a different type of pain. How long had it been since I'd been to Canterlot Castle? Since I'd been home? No, that wasn't home anymore. I betrayed Princess Celestia's trust and ran away. After all I've done, there was no way I could ever call that place home again. This book was a reminder of that broken trust. I learned of the mirror in this book. And instead of heeding my teacher's warnings, I ran to what I thought was my destiny, my right, to ascend as an alicorn princess. I laughed bitterly at the thought.

'I can't believe how arrogant and stupid I was. I was never going to be a princess. That destiny belonged to her.'

My heart ached as I admitted that to myself. I'd long since come to terms with the fact, but it still hurt. Perhaps the presence of the book and the statue made me feel worse about it than I usually would? Or it could be the fact that I still couldn't remember the name and face of the Princess of Friendship and the rest of my friends who saved me from myself. I couldn't even imagine their voices. Before I realized it, tears had begun running down my cheeks, only noticed as a drop fell onto the cover of the book.

'I miss them. I don't even remember them, but I still miss them so much.'

I wiped away my tears and stood up, feeling resolute. If I ever wanted to see them again, I needed to get out of here. And to do that, I needed information. And so, I began formulating a plan of action in my mind as I paced back and forth through my room.

'I'll leave the library up to Moondancer. I'm sure if she finds anything out of the ordinary, she'll speak up about it. That reminds me, I should ask her to keep a lookout for secret passages behind bookcases. She might make fun of me for suggesting it, but it's worth a try.' I paused and looked briefly towards the security camera in the corner of my room. 'I'll need to investigate as discreetly as possible. I can't just go hugging the walls for secret passages. What can I do in the meantime?' It was then that my eyes landed on the book titled "The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide, 2nd Edition." I recalled that one of the stated uses of said elements was to stop the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony by turning him into stone. And that's when it hit me. The statues!

The Changeling statue had been alive, of that I was certain. My powers may be diminished without my geode, but I was able to sense its hatred simply by touching it. How many of these other statues were alive? Could I get anything beyond a base emotional read? I wasn't sure if it would help at all, but it was a better than sitting here doing nothing.

I changed into some warmer clothes, picked up "Predictions and Prophecies," and left the room. My first stop was the lounge, and the Starlight Glimmer statue. Trixie, Lemon Zest, Limestone, and Snips were all in the room preparing it for the party tonight. I made a show of looking around and discreetly touched the statue. Nothing, much to my relief. I left the room after exchanging pleasantries and went to the pharmacy under the pretense of grabbing a bottled water. Upon brushing against the Tantabus statue, there was once again nothing. I stepped into the lobby next and touched the Midnight statue under the pretense of trying once again to decipher the second half of her name. Nothing.

Skipping my own statue, I went out into the courtyard. I brushed against the Hydia, Gloriosa Daisy, and Wallflower Blush statues without any reaction. I then stood hesitantly in front of the statue of King Sombra. As a being I was vaguely familiar with, this one was admittedly scary. However, after I touched its foreleg, there was no reaction.

'Was the first time with the changeling just a fluke?'

I lightly brushed my hand against the Changeling statue's cheek and immediately pulled back.

'Nope! Not a fluke! Not a fluke!'

I could practically taste this thing's hatred. I was extremely grateful that she was currently a stone statue. Otherwise, I didn't even want to think about what she'd do to me and anyone else she came across. I wondered once again what she could have done to end up in such a state?

Knowing that my powers activating in response to the living statue was no fluke, I turned my attention to the centaur. If this one was real, then maybe it would give me something more substantial than blind hatred. If I was lucky, maybe I'd be able to see into its mind. I could theoretically try that with the Changeling, but that would require touching it for more than a split-second and I really didn't want to subject myself to that feeling of hatred again if I didn't have to.

In order to disguise what I was doing to the cameras, I sat down on the statue's base and opened my book. I felt that I needed to justify my trip outside to Monokuma's watchful eye so as not to garner suspicion. Then, with a hint of trepidation, I brushed my hand against the centaur's leg.

Nothing.

I felt nothing. Just like the other statues. No emotion, no memories, no presence to speak of. If it wasn't for the fact that I was sitting down reading already, I would've given up and left. Thanks to that decision, I was still there when I heard it. Or more accurately, felt it, the thoughts projected directly into my mind.

"My my. This is certainly a surprise." A gravely voice spoke directly into my mind as if through telepathy.

"Are you...?"

"The statue upon which you sit? Yes. Yes I am. It would seem a connection has been made. How curious. Who are you?"

"Okay. Well this is new. My name is Sunset Shimmer. Who are you?"

"...They don't even do me the courtesy of labeling my prison? How insulting."

"You didn't answer my question."

"..." He was silent for a few moments, as if considering how to proceed. "I...am nothing but an old fool, imprisoned by his own greed and vanity. If you must refer to me by a name, you're free to come up with one yourself."

I didn't exactly like how evasive he was being, but it wasn't like I could force him to be truthful. My powers were weakened and I didn't seem to have full access to his mind.

"Fine. I'll come up with a name later. Why are you here in this hotel?"

"A hotel? Is that seriously where I've been relocated? Am I but a decoration for a business of hospitality?" He seemed pretty angry about that, not that I could blame him. It sounded pretty demeaning.

"Yeah, pretty much. Sorry. If it makes you feel better though, you're not the only statue around."

"Oh? I suppose misery does love company." He stopped for a moment before letting me hear a mental sigh. "The connection is weakening. I suppose I should be thankful for the conversation, however brief. Do come back and see me. Life as a statue can get quite boring."

"Sure, I'll be sure to do that." With that, the connection severed and I was alone with my thoughts once more. I was a bit annoyed that our conversation was cut off, but at least he showed interest in talking. I promised myself I'd try to get some useful information out of him next time.

After reading a chapter of the book, I stood up and returned to my room. I needed to get ready for the party tonight. Tonight would be the night I got everyone to get along and agree to find a way to escape together. At least, that's what I thought. Little did I know that our stay at the Hotel Despair was about to take a deadly turn for the worse.

Despair...I knew nothing of what that word truly meant. But I would learn very, very soon.

Author's Note

This one took a little longer than I'd wanted, but that's just life sometimes! This is why I don't make myself adhere to a strict schedule