Trial in Session!
“Octavia, are you saying that Rarity would have still committed suicide?” I asked the Ultimate Cellist, who gave me a quick nod. “You do realize we’ve already cleared up that she needed someone to assist her, right?”
“Yeah… nopony else,” Flam said, adjusting his closer to the front of his head. “If that is the case than how do you explain the wounds on the back of Rarity’s neck. I doubt she could have done that to herself and thrown herself into the fire.”
“Well, obviously, but it was absolutely impossible for anyone to get in or out of the room if it was indeed a spell,” Octavia explained, even though her reasoning wasn’t anywhere near enough to change my stance. “If no one can get out of the lounge until her horn is burnt off, then there is no way someone could have done it. They would have been caught by Ditzy, unless she is going to change her story now.”
“No, I stand by what I said earlier,” Ditzy said with a shake of her head. “Nopony was in the room when we entered, so if someone had killed her then they would have had to get out before hand.”
“I can back her up on that!” Bulk cried out. “I guarantee you that nopony was at all in the lounge, and if Octavia is correct then it does seem likely to have been a suicide.”
No, Octavia is wrong about how this case played out, I’m certain of it. That injury on her back wouldn’t have been there unless somepony used that missing fireplace tool. I thought Octavia had already agreed that it couldn’t have been a suicide, so why is she going back to this story? In fact, if she keeps playing it like this, then no doubt we will all die. I can’t let that happen, because I made a promise to Trixie, and a possible sister that I won’t let die, and-
“Hey, you okay Yearling,” Rainbow said to me, noticing how paranoid I currently was. “Look, you aren’t the only one here that investigated, and not the only pony who knows all the same clues,” She reached over and put a hoof on my shoulder, a smile on her face. “Let me take this, I’ll show that I can be just as awesome a detective as I am a stunt flyer.”
“But Rainbow, I-” No. She was right; it was useless arguing about this now. I’m getting rash, just like Ditzy did during the first trial, but this time out of fear instead of anger. I do that, I might make a mistake that costs us our lives. I had to put trust in the pony I investigated with. “You sure you can do this? Prosecuting, defending, and all of that other stuff is not like stunt flying.”
“Yeah yeah, I’m positive of this. I’ve been told I’m good at starting arguments,” She said with a nod. “I think everypony wishes to fight crime just once in their life, and I’m no different. Besides, I’ve been watching how you handle the room A.K., and if Ditzy can do this so can I.”
I smiled as I heard that, already feeling a weight being lifted off my chest. She isn’t wrong about everyone wanting to be the hero though, I’m sure even the worst villains thought they were heroes to someone. Guess that’s what led me to my life as an adventurer and author in the end, but not all ponies end up that way. Still, we all have that part of us inside that wants to do what’s right, and I won’t stop a pony from doing what they think is correct.
“Okay Rainbow, I’ll sit the rest of this out. Do what you have to.”
P.O.V. Change: Rainbow Dash is now in control of the trial
“Alright, allow me to start by making one thing very clear to you Octavia,” I told the music mare, ready to make my position perfectly clear. “If you aren’t going to believe us after the entire injury thing, you have another thing coming. That isn’t the only piece of evidence I have that points to suicide being impossible.”
“Well, if you have something to say then I’m more than willing to hear it,” She responded calmly, and I swear she smirked for a quick second. “Lets go over this murder again, and if you don’t have suitable evidence we should start considering this murder solved.”
Truth is, I didn’t have anything to prove she was wrong, but that wasn’t what I needed to do. I’ve done this plenty of times before for the good of others, and I won’t stop that now. I have to lie… no, I need to lie about something. If I can twist the truth just slightly, I might be able to reveal who the murderer is. Thing is, I might already have an idea on exactly who is responsible.
Non-stop debate
Truth Bullets: Flash’s account, Fluttershy’s account, Redheart’s report, Thorax’s account (Lie bullet formed: Identity of Requester)
Bon Bon: “So if I’m think about this correctly, Rarity killed herself by burning to death. However, Redheart found two wounds on the back of her neck.”
Redheart: “I’m not explaining everything again, but that injury shows this is not a suicide.”
Octavia: “But no one could have gotten in unless somepony had a spell. I doubt that is possible though, because Flash was guarding the entrance to the library the entire time. At least, that’s what I overheard the Ultimate Guard say to A.K.”
Flash: “Yes, but I only mentioned that Thorax and I were guarding it. No other information was revealed.”
Allow me to open your eyes!
“Oh come on Flash, don’t lie to us,” I said in an accusing voice, giving a subtle wink to A.K. “You told us more than just who was guarding with you. Didn’t you mention that somepony had asked you to guard the secret library.”
“Secret… library?” At least half the ponies in the room asked that question, and it quickly dawned on me that not half of the ponies knew of its existence.
“Jeez, I may not be an egghead but don’t act like your all dumber than me,” I told them, not liking the wide eyes and hanging jaws visible throughout the room. “Flash and Thorax were guarding the entrance to a library holding a lot of magical scrolls. That was the library Flash was guarding, and it was on some ponies request.”
“True, but I refuse to say who it was that-“
“Octavia is the one that asked him to guard the library,” There was a collective gasp throughout the courtroom, and I saw Ditzy face hoof. She’ll thank me in a second. “I’m absolutely positive, because Thorax had already told us who it was.”
“I-I did?” The changeling asked, looking at the ground in embarrassment. “I don’t remember this, but if you say I did, then I must have.”
“Of course you did, I have a pretty good memory after all,” I kept my gaze avert from Fluttershy, knowing the moment I did somepony would figure our the truth. “So, Flash, you going to admit that Octavia gave you that order or what?”
“Flash, she’s lying. We both know that she is lying,” The Ultimate Cellist stated, looking at me with a fire in her eyes. “What use would I have for the other library when I knew nothing about it in the first place. Please tell her that I’m not the pony responsible for stationing you there.”
I could see how torn Flash was at that moment, as if he was a noble trying to decide how to screw the middle class over today. You see that look a lot when ponies want to buy your trust with money, but there was something more than money at stake here. It was that look that told me my guess was right, and that his admittance or denial would mean life or death for all of us. My heartbeat was racing, and looking at A.K. she wasn’t dealing with this any better, trying her best to not constantly eye Ditzy.
“I could agree with you Octavia,” Flash told the earth pony, his eyes locked on the ground. “But if I did it would be false. I promised to keep the identity of the pony who requested my aid a secret, but no more is that the case,” He finally looked back up, his eyes meeting mine instantly. “Yes, you are correct. Octavia is the one who requested that I guarded the secret library.”
“Really?!” Bulk’s shock was echoed by many of the others in the courtroom.
“How unfortunate for you Octavia, being thrown into the fire in such a way, but you had to expect it,” Flam taunted, seeming to enjoy the look of fear that was painted on the Ultimate Cellist’s face. “In fact, it’s no use denying that you know of the secret library, or was your little slip up earlier a simple coincidence.”
“Flam, would ya mind explaining this ‘little slip up’ you’re talking about?” Applejack asked, most of the ponies in the court seeming to wonder the same thing.
“Okay, so maybe it wasn’t so little, but I’ll explain for all of you who want to know,” Flam cleared his throat as he began his explanation. “First of all, Octavia just explained that she knew Flash was guarding the library, which wouldn’t make sense considering many ponies had visited the main library earlier today. One of these was Ditzy, the one who discovered the body, and Bulk Bicep was the only one with her at the time,” He looked to Ditzy, who nodded in response to this. “The only way Octavia would have know about Flash guarding the entrance to the library was if she was directly involved. Also, when we were clearing up something earlier, she said ‘libraries’ instead of library before Flash’s guard duty was even brought up.”
“Therefore you knew about another library before one was even known about,” Doctor Hooves continued to explain. “Also, when Thorax first showed us to the library Octavia wasn’t present. It was Ditzy, Flam, A.K., Thorax of course, and me, so we should have been the only ones who knew it existed.”
“Even Pinkie didn’t know about the second library,” Bon Bon said, the Ultimate Party Planner still not willing to speak to us. “But, that doesn’t mean it is of any importance.”
“Actually, that is very important,” I told the candymaker, noticing how wide her eyes went as I said that. “A.K. can probably explain it better than I can, but there was one scroll in there that was completely blank. We even know somepony was inside because of the fact most of the scrolls were on the floor.”
“If a scroll was used, that means a unicorn had to activate it, but once it is even an earth pony or pegasi can use its effects,” A.K. explained to everyone, which I silently thanks as I didn’t remember what she had said about the scroll to began with. “If anypony could have used it, than I’m betting it was some sort of cancelling spell. A spell that makes an individual impervious to the effects of magic for a small amount of time.”
I didn’t need anypony to tell me we had the murderer cornered, as it was now as clear as day. Many ponies could have used that spell, but only one had the ability to cover it up. She was so insistent on the murder being a suicide that she didn’t think how it might backfire on her. One small hole was all we needed, and it was time to finally start pressuring them.
“If that’s the case, if we put together what we just learned,” I didn’t attempt to hide the grin on my face as I spoke, looking at the clear guilty party. “The blackened of this case is none other than Octavia!”
There was a few gasps, but at this point most ponies seemed to expect this result. “Yes, I agree,” Fluttershy said with an unnatural smile on her face. “She used Flash as a way of covering her up act, and used this spell to get past the barrier Rarity cast on the door with her magic.”
“No, I immediately object to this!” Octavia shouted, doing her best to stay calm and ultimately failing at it. “I had nothing to do with the murder, and I had no reason to even go through with this to began with! What reason would I have for a ticket to the Gala?”
“All of us have something the Gala could give us, and you ain’t any different,” Applejack countered, pointing a hoof at the Ultimate Cellist. “Ah guess it must have been stardom, right? You could play at the Gala and get noticed by all the ponies who are there. An easy way to fame if-“
“I wouldn’t do something like this for the ‘easy way’!” Octavia said again. “The best musicians have to work long and hard to become well known, and an easy victory would mean I didn’t deserve it. You have to have a better reason then that.”
No, neither of them are right. I know that the reasoning is different, A.K. told me about it before the trial, and I even found something linking to it. However, agreeing with Octavia would not be a good idea to her current status as the guilty party. So I have to defuse both of them; if one gains too much ground I won’t be able to reveal anything meaningful to the other party. This isn’t like when A.K. or Ditzy did this, I have to do something different.”
Applejack: “Admit it, the Gala is your motive.” Octavia: “The Gala is not my motive!”
Argument Tug-of-war
Truth ropes: Applejack’s account, Fluttershy’s account, Flash’s account
Applejack: “Ya told us you weren’t very well known, so this would be your ticket to fame. An ultimate playing at the Gala would easily attract the attention of ponies looking for yer kind of talent. It’s an easy way to achieve fame, and ah know how musicians are. Y'all would do anything to get your name up there with, and sacrificing us is no different.”
Octavia: “This is absurd. Absolutely madness I say! I have no use for the Gala tickets because I’ve already tried it already. All that talk about how the Gala will give you a name or the chance to meet your stars is rubbish. All the Grand Galloping Gala is is the nobles way of showing how much money they all have. None of them care for talent, especially a single cellist.”
Outside Interjection!
A.K.: “No, that’s wrong. This has nothing to do with fame!”
This argument ends here!
“Whoa now,” I said, finally able to get the two earth ponies to listen to me. “Applejack, Octavia, the motive has nothing to do with the Grand Galloping Gala! She might be the prime suspect, but Octavia does not look like somepony wishing for fame.”
“Why are you defending her? Your the one who said she was the culprit,” Flash asked me, and while I saw where he was coming from it wasn’t the correct line of thinking.
“Misinformation, even if the suspect is guilty, is not acceptable,” Doctor Hooves replied. “I believe that is Rainbow’s thinking right now. She isn’t siding with Octavia, but at the same time she isn’t siding with Applejack because the motive is wrong.”
“Honestly AJ, I’m surprised that you are the one who made the fame accusation considering what you said earlier,” A.K. told the Ultimate Farmer. “You told me about the two ponies talking outside of the dining area earlier today. If I’m correct, one of them was Rarity, and the other was saying something about a fiance?”
“Wait, if that’s the case, then does that mean-”
I cannot account for misconceptions!
“If that really is the motive then you are unquestionably wrong about the murderer Rainbow,” Doctor Hooves explained to me, not looking happy about what I had said. “If the motive was about a fiance, it wouldn’t make sense for said fiance to be the murderer.”
“Um, I don’t get,” I told him, head tilted slightly as I thought about what he had said. “Why does the fiance have anything to do with Octavia being the culprit?”
“You seriously don’t see it,” He asked me, getting a nod in response. “Fine then, I’ll reveal exactly why that is impossible.”
Rebuttal Showdown
Truth Blades: Rarity’s Message, Monokuma File #2, Locking Mechanism, Applejack’s Account
Doctor Hooves: “To say that her motive his based on a fiance is not only wrong but completely backwards. Octavia would have been the fiance, and it’s obvious that the true culprit would in this case be the groom. I agree that Applejack’s motive from earlier is wrong, but the one you are claiming to have now is also false.”
Advance!
Rainbow Dash: “No, that isn’t the case. Just because the groom had been talking to Rarity doesn’t mean the fiance wasn’t involved.”
Doctor Hooves: “Can you even back up that claim? It’s entirely possible that Applejack had misheard information and you have been convinced it is correct. We cannot base this solely on ones recounting of a conversation they weren’t a part of, and since you haven’t supported it with any actual evidence, it’s possible this whole fiance motive is a lie!”
Perhaps this will shut you up!
“The only reason I haven’t shown any evidence is because I’ve been dealing with you!” I berated Doctor Hooves as I slammed my hooves onto the pedestal in front of me, denting it. “You want evidence, how about the letter that Flam, A.K. and I found sitting in Rarity’s trash can.”
“Remember what you said to me before Twilight was killed by Trixie? About knowing a way out of here? Well, I think I might take you up on that offer now that we have this new motive. It would be the chance of a lifetime not just for me, but for my fiance as well to finally get noticed. Let’s meet outside the dining room, you can tell me all about what this plan of yours is than. Oh, and remember, send the reply message without a name, so that nopony can tell what’s going on.”
“P.S. I’m writing this right outside your room before placing it under the door, but make sure to discard this letter. Somepony might find it.”
“Yep, the letter clearly stated that the entire reason the pony was doing this was because of a fiance,” Flam said as A.K. presented the letter to the rest of the courtroom. “One of the sentences not only states that they met up with Rarity to talk about this new motive, but that they were to meet outside of the dining room.”
“Wait a second,” Redheart said as she took a look at the letter. “If we are assuming the murderer wrote this letter to Rarity, than does that mean-”
“Octavia met up with Rarity, and the victim had already planned this entire thing for them,” Thorax said, finishing off the thought that Redheart had started. Everypony was shocked at this save for those of us who had found the letter. “The latter had investigated the entire second floor earlier and must have found the secret library. She set up this entire murder, and had Octavia murder her so she could see somepony.”
“That’s why Rarity didn’t pin it on an exact target, or to be more specific she never planned to pin it on anyone to begin with,” A.K. told us as we finally returned to the question Ditzy had asked some time ago. “With the ability to lock the door from the inside, and the scroll that allowed Octavia to cancel the spell, she didn’t need to pin it on anyone. If it wasn’t for Rainbow’s incredible luck at guessing who had grabbed the scroll from the secret library and had requested Flash and Thorax to guard it, we never would have been able to figure it out.”
“The perfect murder, falling apart because of a wild guess,” Fluttershy looked into the distance, eyes closed as she thought of everything A.K. had just said. “The only reason for the mess in the library was because Octavia had thrown the fire tool out the window. Flash Sentry could have denied what Rainbow had said, but he didn’t and accepted the fate that awaited the one who had given him such an important-”
“Alright, fine!” Octavia shouted, catching everyone's attention. I could see her eyes starting to water up, but she wasn’t crying. She looked at everypony else, a grimace plastered on her muzzle. “You’re right about one thing, and that is the fact I was with Rarity when she died,” I was taken back by the sudden confession, and from a quick glance in Flam’s direction I could see the same. Trixie had put up at least a small fight, but she didn’t really try. “However, while I was their and did take part in the murder, I was ultimately telling the truth this entire time.”
“Oh really, and what truth is that?” Bon Bon questioned.
“I only helped Rarity in this plot. She is ultimately the one who killed herself by burning in the fire,” Octavia told us. “She was already over the fire when I stabbed her, which she told me to do so that she wouldn’t scream. She wanted to die so that I could see the pony I love most in the world, and while she let herself burn in the fire I only paralyzed her so she couldn’t get out,” She slammed down on the podium with her hooves, tears starting to fall from her face. “I… I didn’t kill her. Rarity killed herself, and all I was suppose to do is keep her in.”
“So you’re saying that your innocent?” I asked rhetorically, following up after by pointing at her. “No way in hell you are innocent! I’m positive you aren’t! Rarity couldn’t have gotten into that fire without your help, and as long as you were involved you are the murderer.”
“After trying to use me for her own selfish purposes, I can only agree with miss Dash,” Flash said with a stoic expression on his face. “I feel obscenely bitter about doing work for a murderer, even if I couldn’t have known at the time. You agree, don’t you Thorax?”
“You dragged me into this,” The changeling replied, not seeming to like how the Ultimate Guard called him out. “I’m was just your helper, or a watchling in other terms. I just watched things. Though, considering the circumstances Octavia does seem like the culprit.”
“Hate to play devil's advocate to the three of you, but what if your wrong?” Bon Bon asked. “Technically, it is the fire that killed Rarity, not a physical weapon like the one Octavia used. The method never changed, just how we perceive it was done.”
“Octavia still had to throw her in the fire, so we can see her as responsible for this incident,” A.K. counter back, the situation in front of us starting to feel incredibly familiar. “So… no, thinking about it that way still nets Octavia as our murderer.”
“Will you all just make up your minds already!” Bulk Bicep interjected. “We can’t move on if we’re all on different sides! How about everyone comes to an agreement and-“
I have a better idea!
“Jeez, for a second I thought I would never get to speak again,” Monokuma’s interruption quickly caught my attention, noticing how angry he seemed to be. “All you have been doing is talk, talk, and talk! Why can’t you all be more exciting.”
I saw Pinkie whisper something into Bon Bon’s ear, the Ultimate Candymaker nodding as she turned to us. “Um, I don’t get what she’s hinting at, but Pinkie said that it’s because of the writing?”
“Oh, okay then,” Monokuma looked at his feet, actually seeming depressed about that. “Guess this is what happens when the cast is too big, but whatever. Point is, instead of arguing for hours on end, let's decide this little debate with the morphenomenal trial ground! Courtesy of Fluttershy, who suggested it to me while you all were trying to figure out whose hooves were shoved up their-”
“Get it started already, we don’t need to hear your little speal,” Applejack requested, seeming ready to kick the bear to oblivion (and she probably would have done it if not for his earlier threats).
So this is what it’s come down to, the very thing that cleared Flash of suspicion in the last trial. Octavia’s little speech might have fooled some, but I know for a fact that she isn’t tell the truth. If we win, we expose Octavia as the true culprit, but if we don’t we’re letting a murderer go free. I’m not going to let that happen! To much is on the line for this to end in denial.
“Alright then,” I said with a confident smirk. “Bring it on Octavia, cause we’re going to make you all accept this whether you like it or not.”
Scrum Debate
Octavia isn’t the culprit: Octavia, Bon Bon, Doctor Hooves, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Bulk, Applejack
Octavia is the culprit: Rainbow, A.K., Redheart, Flam, Ditzy, Thorax, Flash
Doctor Hooves: “The fiance shouldn’t be the culprit in this case!”
A.K.: “No, Octavia isn’t the fiance. It’s more likely the pony she want to give the ticket is.”
Bon Bon: “But you already said that the tickets had nothing to do with it.”
Thorax: “Rainbow said it didn’t have to do with fame, so the tickets can still be part of the motive.”
Applejack: “Flash was guarding the entrance to the secret library, how could Octavia have gotten the spell?”
Flash: “That only means she got the spell before I was guarding the library.”
Bulk: “How could Octavia even activate the spell? She isn’t a unicorn!”
Redheart: “Rarity was using magic, and it’s likely she activated the spell for Octavia to use.”
Octavia: “But Rarity was already in the fire at the time.”
Rainbow: “She was still alive for some time, so the fire wouldn’t have immediately stopped her.”
Fluttershy: “Does this count as a murder or a suicide? Now’s the time to decide.”
Ditzy: “There is no doubt in my mind that this is a murder. All the evidence proves it.”
This is our answer!
“A locked door, an injury on the back of a victims neck, Octavia’s attempt to block off the secret library,” I said, summing up everything that we had learned about the murder. “Octavia, all of these things are your doing, and the fact you acknowledge that you were in the lounge at the time of the murder only means one thing.”
The Ultimate Cellist had a look of terror on her face, those watery eyes finally starting to take the form of tears. Her eyes were locked on the floor, not even willing to look at the rest of us as her argument fell apart. On the one hoof, I was glad we finally were able to expose the murderer to everypony, but on the other hoof I felt terrible. Seeing Octavia try desperately to hold onto what little hope she had, I wanted to cry almost as much as she did.
Then, Octavia finally fell to pieces. She collapsed onto the stand as she started crying, ripping me apart from the inside out. I don’t know why, but I wanted to join in her guilt, as if I was the one who committed it instead. Is this what could’ve happened had I actually gone through with my plan? I had told Ditzy I wouldn’t do it, but seeing a pony like Octavia in this state destroyed any remaining desire I had to kill. I felt worse than I ever had before, and I want it all to end right there.
“I’m… I’m sorry,” Octavia managed to say through her tears. “I’m sorry… for putting all of you through this. I’m sorry Rarity… for not being able to get out of here. I’m… I’m so sorry Vinyl. I’m so, so sorry. I-I failed… to help your career.”
“O-Octavia?” Ditzy called out, looking like she was ready to start crying too
“This… this isn’t how everything was suppose to happen,” Octavia said, more likely to herself rather than the rest of us. “All I wanted… was to help my fiance. All I wanted… was to get her known.”
“Rainbow,” I looked to A.K., who seemed to be forcing herself to look up at me and not at the ground below her. “Let’s end this now, before things get any worse. Trust me, it’s for the better.”
“A… alright,” I nodded, taking a deep breath as I readied myself for what was going to be a horrible truth. “Let's just… get this over with.”
Let’s take this from the top!
“Based on what the letter told us, we can assume that Rarity had been planning this since before Trixie killed Twilight. We can also assume that this wasn’t the first time Rarity had approached our culprit with this plan because of the way the letter was worded. While they had no intent on killing the first time around, it was the motive - two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala - that lead them to accept it. This is why we found a reply message, because that was the way both our culprit set up the meeting.
“It’s clear that Rarity knew about the secret library and the outside lock to the lounge, which is why they had detailed this in their plans. These two things were important to setting up the crime scene the victim had pictured, and is most likely why Rarity had grabbed the scroll before they met up. Getting Flash to guard the secret library probably wasn’t all that difficult, but that was the only big mistake Rarity and the culprit made. If it was Rarity who had talked to Flash, we would probably never have found the true culprit in this case.
“With everything outside of the lounge gathered Rarity brought the culprit to the lounge, where she explained and executed the plan. When everything was explained, the culprit used a fire tool set on the stand next to the fireplace, stabbing Rarity in the back of the neck. It didn’t kill her, but it paralyzed her so that she couldn’t escape what she was about to do. At this point she must have already activated the talisman and spell denying entry to the lounge, so no one would witness what was happening. With all that, Rarity was thrown into the fireplace, where she would burn to death by her own will.
“With that out of the way, the culprit used the talisman to bypass the spell on the lounge door, and began disposing of the evidence. She first went to the main library, where she searched for the hidden window Rarity had told her about. It’s likely that mess Ditzy found was due to the culprit not being told which bookcase the window was hiding behind, or something along those lines. I’m not exactly sure how the culprit got the used talisman back into the secret library, but perhaps it was when Ditzy had found the body. Flash and Thorax would have left it to join the rest of us in discovering the body, so it was to be expected.
“With all of that, the murderer had executed the plan Rarity had put together for them, but there was a few small mistakes. The mess in both of the libraries mean that they hadn’t bothered to clean up due to being in a rush or otherwise. This screwed up Rarity’s plan of having no possible suspects, and that was only further shown by Fluttershy finding the missing fire tool. Otherwise, this plan was near perfect, and if not for the culprit being the one who told Flash to guard the secret library, it would have gone unsolved.
“That is the order of events, or am I wrong Octavia the Ultimate Cellist.”
Trial dismissed