Super Ponyronpa: Cacophonous Symphony

by TrackdNTraild

ACT 2 END: AFTERMATH

As always, the ponies remaining of the bunch stood in shocked, and disgusted silence. Starlight felt the blood pounding in her ears as adrenaline continued to course through her veins. She could feel her heart beating in her chest, and the disgust that bubbled in her stomach made her retch. She screwed her eyes shut and bit her lip to keep things down as she heard another pony, she believed it to be Trixie, emptying the contents of her stomach into the manure of the execution still before them. She could sense the curiosity of other ponies to step forth to see if this tree was even genuine, if the shine of the blackened's face in the apple was merely a hallucination they all brought on out of pure terror, or if it truly did appear to be so.

Philomena gulped down the apple she had been holding and gave a hearty laugh as she flew to the elevator. No pony said anything but followed her back into the elevator so they could return to the surface. Starlight had to admit to herself that the execution could've turned out much worse. Applejack could've been easily torn apart by those blades instead of suffocated and buried in mud and shit. Rarity's execution had gone over much worse. Starlight would never forget that horrible image as the needle of the sewing machine pierced her torso. She almost thought it would've went for her head next, but Rarity wouldn't have suffered that way. Philomena did that on purpose.

Like sheep, the ponies exited the elevator as it reached the very top and opened its doors at the waiting room. Few ponies were speaking; she recognized the quiet voices of Sunburst, Pinkie, and Fluttershy as they tried desperately to find solace in the ponies that made up their own personal friend groups. Starlight couldn't do that; she was friends with everyone. And yet despite that fact, she had no pony to talk to. She looked around, wanting to talk to at least one of these ponies, but she still kept her mouth closed, teeth grinding together between her lips.

The ponies fell into their dorms, scanning their ways inside without lifting their eyes from the cold floor. The floor that was even colder now that two less ponies were amongst them. With every pony that died, it seemed like the dorms grew colder. Starlight had believed it to be only coincidence, but it really did feel as though the temperature had dropped because there were less ponies now to spread warmth. She stepped into her dorm, briefly yelping as the door caught her tail. She scanned it open again, and stepped away before it could close on her again. She felt embarrassed making that mistake, but she knew she wasn't in the right space right now.

She couldn't even focus on the most simple of things because four ponies had died around her. The Student Survival Committee aimed to stop things like this, but what had they really done to prevent this? How could they fulfill their promise to keep ponies from murder? They would never know if a pony had been planning murder until they went through with it. But, just maybe, maybe some pony could...

Starlight heard a knock at her door and felt fear grip her heart. She stared at the door, fearing for her life. Why would some pony need to talk to her now, if at all? They could already be wanting to kill her. She turned around and stared at the door, once more feeling her heart pound against her ribcage.

"...W-who's there?" She stuttered, her voice not quite quiet, but not quite loud either.

"It's me," Double Diamond said through the door. "I just... I want to talk to you Starlight."

"You can do it through the door." Why does Double Diamond want to talk to me?

"Fine," Double Diamond sighed. Starlight heard him sit down, and she chose to sit herself so she could properly listen.

"What do you need to talk about?" She asked, her head tilting.

"It's... it's about what just happened," He said. "I have a confession that I need to make. You're not going to like it."

Starlight felt her skin go cold, the breeze of her room wrapping around her alone. She gulped, knowing what it was that Double Diamond wanted to say next.

"Before today... I was thinking of killing a pony," Double Diamond confessed, the guilt and shame in his voice making him choke. "B-but I didn't! I know how I could do it, my room is just cold enough for something like that, but... it would be obvious it was me then. I don't want to die, but I don't want to take the risk even if it does guarantee a chance for me to escape. All of you would die in turn, and living with that guilt would drive me mad, I just know it."

"And the motive made you do it," Starlight said. She couldn't believe it...

"No," Double Diamond stated blankly, surprising her. "I don't care how I got here, it just matters that I'm here now. The only reason I would've done it was to escape. I don't need to know the truth; it's wasted knowledge on me. I don't need a motive by Philomena to want to kill another pony because I already have a personal goal; an ambition for myself."

"...So who were you thinking of?" Starlight asked after a moment of silence, not sure if she was ready for the answer.

"To be honest Starlight," Double Diamond seemed to be very hesitant saying it. She knew what that meant. "I... I was thinking about you."

"What?" She tried not to raise her voice in disbelief. "Why me?"

"Everypony likes you more than they're willing to admit, even me," Double Diamond said bluntly. "What a blackened wants is to bring distrust and discourse because it increases their chances of escaping. If everypony is blaming eachother, that means the blame is off of the actual killer. They can confuse evidence, they can point hooves, and they'll vote wrong. They'd all die, and the blackened could escape, that's what they want to do. What... I wanted to do."

Starlight couldn't believe what she was hearing. She wasn't particularly close to Double Diamond, but she knew she had to be even more distant now. Double Diamond was telling her this for a reason, but why? The silence was deafening. Double Diamond was done speaking, and was waiting for her. What could she say? She swallowed down her feelings.

"How would you have done it?" She asked. No! Why that of all questions?! The question was already out there, she had to listen.

"Remember I told you how cold my room is?" He began to explain. "I can change the air conditioning myself. It's a bit hard to work with because of my big hooves, but I could easily figure out a way to adjust it. I would get you to come into my room. We would talk, and I would be adjusting the air conditioning. I'd hold you down, tie you up with my blankets maybe while I did it. I'd make the room so cold that even I would hate to be in there. I'd take the binds off, but still leave you tied so you couldn't leave. And then, I would leave too. I'd steal your Phoenix Pad, I'd sleep in your room, and overnight with any luck... you'd freeze to death. I'd do the same with any other pony."

"I-I see." Starlight was terrified. His plan would have worked brilliantly, and she was powerless to stop him if he did go through with it this time. But he was right; it was obvious that he would've killed her. "B-but that makes it blatantly obvious that you were the culprit. You're committing a murder in your own dorm! How would you get everypony off your back?"

"My Phoenix Pad," Double Diamond answered. She heard the device turn on outside. "I'd take Rarity's idea. I'd break it and throw it in the trash somewhere. I'd make it seem like some other pony stole my Phoenix Pad, opened my dorm, lured you inside, messed with my AC, and killed you."

"That wouldn't work," Starlight said. "You have to sleep in your dorm, otherwise Philomena will punish you. If another pony truly were to do it, both of us would be dead together. And even if you had slept in my dorm, ponies would question why you were in my room in the first place."

"That's exactly the reason why I didn't do it," Double Diamond said. His Phoenix Pad powered down and he sighed. "And so that I never have the thought of killing another pony, I wanted to ask you personally if you'll let me join the Student Survival Committee."

"You... want to join us?" Starlight's ears lifted in shock, and she blinked.

"I do," He said simply. "I don't want a pony to die because of me. I want to take the oath to never commit a murder as long as I'm at this school, and I want to help you all find Celestia so that we can get out of here."

"...Alright," Starlight said after a moment of silence. "I'll tell Shining Armor and the others in the morning. But, Double Diamond, I have to ask just one favor of you."

"What is it?" He asked. She could imagine his eyes brightening up, and she would hate to break his heart with what he had to say.

"Even though you're joining the Student Survival Committee, I don't trust you," She said bluntly. "I want you to stay away from me from now on. You still have that plan fresh in your mind, it's going to be difficult to keep yourself from listening and going through with it for real. I'm not going to die because of your carelessness, and as such I don't want to create a situation where you could lure me away in the first place. I don't want to be mean to you, but if you're going to speak to me you can do it through a closed dorm door. I will not let myself be caught alone with you in the future, okay?"

"...Okay," Double Diamond said, sadness laced in his voice thicker than blood in water. She heard him get to his hooves, and felt a twinge of pain in her heart. "I... I understand Starlight. I'll keep my distance. If... it makes you feel better, at least we're on opposite sides of the hallway, and I can sit on the opposite side of the feast table."

"That's fine with me as long as you keep your distance," Starlight said. "We're on opposite sides of the trial room too. With any luck, we can keep our distance until we leave this place."

"I get it." Double Diamond being upset didn't sit right with Starlight, but she knew she couldn't feel for him at the moment. Even still, she still felt guilt. He confided in her this secret, and she pushed him away, but what else could she do?

"Goodbye," She said after a few moments of silence, wanting to be alone with her thoughts. She only spoke because she knew he was still standing there. She hadn't heard his hoofsteps yet.

"...Sleep well, Starlight." He walked down the hall. His hoofsteps faded into the distance as he returned to his dorm. She could imagine his head hanging in shame.

She got up and got onto her bed, burying herself under the covers. She felt horrible for treating Double Diamond the way she did, but she wasn't stupid. A foolish mare, maybe, but she wasn't stupid. She knew that Double Diamond would still be thinking about his murder plan. He had planned it out so well; he was sure to succeed if it did happen. Honestly, maybe her being told all of this was part of his plan to lure her out and kill her...

Even with his promise to take the Student Survival Committee's oath, she wasn't sure of her own group anymore. It was so large now, any pony could be planning a murder and she would have no idea. After Cheese's death, she expected Pinkamena to leave by tomorrow. If Sunburst or Twilight had been the one to die, Starlight might understand how they felt.

Cheese's death seemed to be driving Pinkamena to madness. She refused to let ponies call her Pinkie, and all the light and love that had made her mane fluffy, bouncy, and soft had went with Cheese's spirit and left her lifeless. She could barely recognize the pale pony now, or the edge in her voice. The growl that seeped into her words during the trial made Starlight shudder with fear and intimidation. She didn't want to think about it, but she knew it was the most logical thing. Some pony in her group is going to kill, and the entire group is going to fall apart. One of her members was already killed today...

She buried her face in her pillow, and screamed into it. She didn't feel much better even after letting out those feelings into the fabric, but she had to do something. She sighed, pulling the blankets over her head and staring at the shadows they made around her figure. She let her eyes close, and by the time she opened them again, she heard Philomena's annoying voice over the speakers once more. She wasn't sure if she could be bothered to get out of bed, but she pushed the blankets off her anyways, and the cold air outside her blanket cave made her stand up anyways.

Nervously, she scanned herself out of her dorm and half expected Double Diamond to be there. When he wasn't, she stepped outside and looked around the hallway. She saw him at the end of the hallway, rubbing sleep from his eyes. They locked eyes, and she saw a deep sadness in his eyes. He was trying to apologize, and she knew that. He waved at her, and she waved back. He turned, walking around the corner and heading for the entrance. When he was out of sight, she left her room, and took a deep breath. This was going to be... painful. Regret followed her every step. She was sure that it would leave hoofprints behind her.

She looked behind her, and saw nothing. Not a pony, and no hoof prints. She could feel the weight of guilt and the idea that she could die pressing into her body. She knew that no matter how good the food looked today, she wouldn't be able to eat. When she stepped outside, the warm sun on her coat, breaking through to her skin and removing the cold her room had given... it didn't make her feel any better. Even with all the sunlight in the world beating down on her face and stinging her eyes, she still shivered... with cold.

Author's Note:

What a revelation!

We will be back for Act 3 very soon! Stay tuned everypony!

Comments

[superfun]

11271051
I thought Blueblood was going to be the first to go, honestly.

[TrackdNTraild]

11271274
I guess I should've expected that, but then again Byakuya survived the whole game, so maybe he and Blueblood will be in the same boat?

[Starlight Fan]

I don’t see what Starlight did wrong here. Double Diamond literally just confessed to almost plotting her death.

[StarshotSophia]

here's my interpretation for the X's on the portraits
Party Favor: in the bottom corners are two small party poppers(one per corner), each releasing a streamer to make the shape of an X
Rarity: two sewing needles making the shape of an X
Cheese Sandwich: a grilled cheese with the halves pulled apart, and the cheese stretch in the shape of an X
Applejack: two different trees intertwining with one another, so their trunks make the shape of an X

[TrackdNTraild]

11386663
Oooh very clever! Definitely love these. Would you mind if I took inspiration from them for descriptions in other chapters?