//------------------------------// // Mortal Peril, Mortal Ignorance - Deadly Life 2 // Story: Danganronpa vP: Harmony of Despair // by witegrlninja //------------------------------// The elevator sank deep into the earth - past the School's foundation, and past what I had estimated the maximum depth of the underground portion of the barrier to be. I could feel my heart racing faster than ever as it creaked and groaned along its way. Sweat beaded on my forehead and dribbled down my mane in tiny streams, making me feel even more uncomfortable. I had entered the elevator intent on focusing on the clues the investigation had unearthed, but the more time passed by, the more my mind was fogged over with dread. The others around me were mostly just as anxious, although some tried their best to hide their fear beneath false bravado. Their terrified silence was all too palpable. Fleur shiftily glared at everypony around her, while Princess Luna stared unblinking at the doors. Flam tapped his hoof absentmindedly. Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps quietly sobbed in the corner, holding each other tightly. Coloratura was close to hyperventilating, if not for Applejack standing by and rubbing her back. Pinkie Pie's entire body was vibrating like crazy; if Rarity hadn't sealed her inside an aura of levitation, she might've accidentally caused the elevator to collapse. "Geez, how deep does this thing go?" Lightning Dust mumbled, levitating in the center of the elevator along with Rainbow Dash. "That's what she said!" Pinkie chirped out momentarily before vibrating again. Usually that would've elicited a few chuckles, but now was certainly not the time. "Honestly, Pinkie... with how bad your Pinkie Sense is going off right now, I'm surprised you can even make a joke," said Rainbow. Finally, the elevator gave out one last creak and came to a jolting stop. The doors slid open, a large room lay just beyond. Nopony moved a muscle until I cautiously stepped forward into the courtroom. And what a garish courtroom it was! My eyes were assaulted by checkerboard floors lined with red velvet carpets, the deep azure walls festooned with crimson curtains, candelabra sconces and gold banners. Sixteen wooden podiums sat in the center of the room, lined up in a circle so we would all be facing each other. And above and behind it all sat Monokuma atop a decorative throne of plush scarlet cushions and gilded wood. "Nyohohoho! You've finally arrived!" the bear grinned. "What do you think? Doesn't it look just like a real courtroom?" "...Not in the slightest, no," Flam mumbled. "And I've been in quite a few of them before." "Okay, okay," Monokuma continued, "everyone find your assigned seats and sit down! Hurry up, now, hurry up!" Quietly we made our way to the podiums. Mine happened to be directly across from Monokuma; I gulped as I realized he'd be staring right at me throughout the ordeal. Starting from my right, Lightning begrudgingly took her place, then Fluttershy, then Coloratura, then Flam, then Fleur de Lis, then Pinkie, then Luna, then Applejack directly across from myself, then Discord, then Trixie, then Bulk Biceps, then Rarity, then Nurse Redheart, then Rainbow, and then- Oh... just why did he have to arrange it like this...? To my left would've sat Princess Celestia, who surely would have reassured me throughout this terrible game... but instead of her living body, her smiling face, there sat a large, black picture frame decorated with a black and silver ribbon. Celestia's face, in greyscale and a neutral expression, was painted over with a spattered, blood-red X. As the others took notice their faces paled, as if it had finally hit them: Celestia was dead. She was gone. She was not coming back. She was not going to save us. And so, the curtain on our first case was drawn open. A deadly judgement. A deadly deception. A deadly betrayal. A deadly riddle, a deadly defense, a deadly faith... I could come up with as many analogies and metaphors as I could, trying to delay what had to be done, but there was no delaying it any further. It was time to begin. *Class Trial! All Rise!* "Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial!" Monokuma exclaimed as he drew our attention. "So, your votes will determine the results. If you can figure out 'whodunnit' then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one... then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will graduate!" I shakily exhaled as he made his rules clear, his red eye gleaming in anticipation. "And... you're absolutely sure one o' us did it?" Applejack scowled. "Of course!" Monokuma replied, stifling a giggle with his paws. "Okay... okay..." Fluttershy gasped, trying her hardest not to cry anymore. "Everypony... p-please close your eyes... and w-whoever d-d-did it, please raise your h-hoof!" She screwed her eyes shut as tightly as they would go as soon as she finished. "...Seriously?" Lightning muttered behind smacking her forehead with a hoof. "Are you fucking dumb?" Fleur glared. "Nopony's that stupid... well, with you lot, who really knows?" "The Great and Powerful Trrrixie... wishes to know why that unbecoming picture of Princess Celestia is there," she trembled as she pointed to my left. "I'd feel awful if she got left out just because she died!" replied Monokuma. "Friendship penetrates even death's barrier!" "Like you know what friendship really is!" Rainbow snarled, blinking back tears. Monokuma giggled. "Okay, that about does it for the preamble... get ready to get staaaarted! First up is the case summary. Now, let the class trial... begin!" I took a few deep breaths, though they barely helped. Anything I had noticed, anything I had found, I had to be ready to speak up about anything and everything. ...Oh, Goddess... I don't know if I can do this... but... but I have to... or we'll all die here! "Alright... so... uh, how do we start?" Coloratura asked slowly. "Well," Nurse Redheart put a hoof to her chin, "it's been a long time since I've had to testify in a court... Why don't we just start with the facts and go from there? Let's go over the crime scene." "Yes, usually that gets ponies talking," Flam nodded. "Very well," Luna let out a deep sigh. "The victim... was none other than my dearest sister, Princess Celestia." "The murder took place in her room," added Discord. "Right by the window," said Rarity. "And then some great big battle happened, and at the end of it, Celestia was blown up! Kablooie!" finished Pinkie. ...Wait, no, that's not what happened! "I'm sorry, but that's wrong!" I cried out, garnering everypony's attention. "We all checked Celestia's room thoroughly, right? I don't think there was any sign of a struggle." "You're right," assured Redheart. "A struggle would've caused damage to more of Celestia's body... what remained, anyway." "Not to mention the room would've been fucking destroyed," added Lightning. "She wasn't the Solar Princess for nothing, after all." "Oh. Oh yea! Whoopsie," Pinkie shrugged. "'Kay, so that's one step down," said Rarity. "...Now what?" "Hmm... let's discuss the murder weapon, then?" Flam suggested. "We need to determine what caused our beloved Celestia's death." As everypony stood silent, I wracked my brain for anything that could've been used as a weapon that I'd seen during the investigation. But as I ruled out every bit of evidence, I quickly realized that we had never found a weapon. "Uh... I don't think we ever came across any weapons," I stated. "Hm, yea..." Rainbow agreed. "I'm sure I would've seen something." "But what in Equestria could've caused that kind of damage?!" asked Trixie. "To Princess Celestia, of all ponies!" "DON'T LOOK AT ME. EVEN I CAN'T PUNCH THAT HARD!" Bulk shouted nervously. "No, no... if it wasn't a weapon, then it had to have been magic," said Discord. "I've fought Celly a couple times long ago... believe it or not, conventional weapons do practically nothing to her." "Oh? Care to elaborate on your explanation?" Fleur narrowed her eyes. "...Your explanation of how you did it?!" "Oh! No..." Fluttershy gasped as Discord's expression fell. "Surely you're... you're not insinuating-" "Why the hell not?! How do we know he's really your friend? This could all just be some kind of revenge years in the making! He probably snuck in and blew a hole in her with his chaos magic!" "Hey! Of course he's our friend, you big meanie!" Pinkie angrily frowned. "No, it's alright, girls," Discord sighed. "I expected I'd be under suspicion... anyway, Fleur, besides the fact that my magic has been severely weakened, I was never anywhere near her room until I heard Twilight scream!" "Yea, right, like I'm supposed to believe that horseshit?" Fleur slammed her hooves on her podium. "You probably just teleported back to your room so you could pretend you had no idea what happened!" I'm sorry, but that's wrong! "Discord can't teleport, Fleur," I spoke up. "And neither can I. It's one of Monokuma's rules." "That's right!" Monokuma agreed. "We can't just have you ponies popping up into places you don't belong! I might be in the middle of a bubble bath!" "...But... you're already naked!" exclaimed Pinkie. "We all are!" "I... uh..." Monokuma started to make a statement, but trailed off after muttering something about "you freakin' ponies" under his breath. "Well... I do have some clothes on..." Flam mumbled. "Enough getting off topic, please," Redheart cleared her throat. "Do remember that our lives depend on getting this trial right." "Fiiiiine, maybe Discord didn't kill Celestia, then..." Fleur rolled her eyes. But then she had a sudden look of realization on her face. Her eyes narrowed and her muzzle pulled into an ominous smirk. "But... there is one other prime suspect." "Who?" Luna asked- no, demanded. Fleur's eyes slowly met mine, and cold fear washed over me. In that moment, I knew exactly what she was thinking. "Isn't it odd, Twilight?" she asked, her voice dripping with poisoned honey. "Celestia wanted to have a lovely little chat with you before Nighttime? And then the next time anypony sees the two of you together, you're standing over her freshly-dead body? And that fucking bright light that blinded me... even before you became a princess, I knew you were Celestia's personal protégé, capable of magic even some of the best mages in Equestria cannot cast..." As everypony's eyes turned towards me, I felt my heart beating furiously. I... I can't believe it... "So, perhaps being the Princess of Friendship wasn't enough for you, hmm, Twilight? Perhaps being the Supreme Leader of Equestria was more to your liking?!" Fleur snarled as she grinned evilly. No... no! I would never! Everypony knows that! "Ohoho..." Trixie giggled. "And after all that song and dance about the magic of Friendship... how positively juicy!" "That's bullshit and you know it, Fleur!" Rainbow shouted, crouched on her podium like she was about to launch herself over it and start a fight. "Twilight would never do anything so evil!" "And Princesses Celestia and Luna were plannin' on abdicatin' the throne and givin' it to her anyway!" Applejack added. "So why in the hay would she do somethin' like that?!" "Why?" Fleur stared at everypony haughtily, her nose in the air. "That's something you'd have to ask her about." Before anypony could ask, I quickly thought of a way, any way to disprove this crazy theory. There's nothing TO ask... I loved Princess Celestia! I would never harm her! I- wait... no, I can easily prove my innocence! "No... you're completely wrong, Fleur." I stomped my hoof lightly and glared. "And completely out of line, too. I loved Princess Celestia like my own mother; everypony who has ever known me can attest to that." "Oh? Children do kill their own parents sometimes, you know," Fleur raised an eyebrow but retained her conceited expression. "You're going to tell me you didn't kill her?" "Of course I didn't!" I snapped. "Right after Celestia invited me to her room, Rarity and Trixie asked if I would help them with the last of the trash from our party before I went to meet her!" "Ah! Of course!" Rarity gasped. "How could I have forgotten?!" "We both did," Trixie agreed sheepishly. "And if you don't believe them, then Rainbow and Lightning both saw me make my way towards Celestia's room shortly before I... I found her." "Yep, I'll vouch for that," Lightning nodded, along with Rainbow. Everypony was silent for a moment as we reflected on these various accounts, and finally, to my relief... "I'll say, that's a rock-solid alibi if I've ever heard one," Flam stroked his mustache. "Sister's love for you was absolute, Twilight," Luna spoke solemnly. "And I have seen for myself many times that you returned that love in kind. I do not believe that you had anything to do with Sister's death." "Yes... a valid point, Fleur, but I believe there's no good reason to suspect Twilight any longer," said Redheart. "Hmpf!" Fleur simply crossed her forelegs and pouted, her face scrunched into ugly contempt. "Well, now that that's over with..." said Discord, "now what?" "This bright light you mentioned, Fleur," Luna spoke after a moment, "you said it blinded you just before the body discovery announcement?" "Ugh, how many times do I have to fuckin' say it..." Fleur grumbled. "Yes! Yes the fucking light fucking blinded me right before the fucking announcement. What about it?!" "I believe she's suggesting that perhaps that light had something to do with Celestia's death," Redheart explained. "Alright, so let's talk about that light, then!" said Rainbow. "You said you were blinded by it just moments before the body discovery announcement played, right?" asked Discord. "Yea..." Fleur sighed, clearly agitated. "And you said you were looking out of your bedroom window when you saw it?" asked Coloratura. "Oh my goddess, YES. How many times do I have to tell you peasants?! I was sitting in my room, trying to enjoy the only low-class cigarettes there are in this stupid fucking place, and as I was gazing out of my window, I was fucking blinded," Fleur seethed, speaking flatly through clenched teeth. "Now fucking remember that, because I hate having to repeat myself over and over to you simpletons!" I concur! "You did seem genuinely in pain when you stumbled in," I agreed. "Yes... I did a few quick tests on the way to the gym with her. She was definitely not faking it," added Redheart. "Even though nopony else seemed to see the light as well, it does seem that this clue would be our best chance at solving this mystery." "Ugh, don't tell Trixie we have to rely on her narrative..." "Why? Because it appears to be the one important detail in this trial? Because you didn't come up with it?" Fleur smirked at the blue Unicorn. "No, because Trixie - and I'm sure many others here - think you're quite the obstreperous bitch," she replied. At the insult, Fleur's mouth hung open in incredulous rage. "You... why... how dare you...!" "And Trixie is willing to bet her last bit that you don't even know what 'obstreperous' means." Now Trixie was the one to smirk. ...It's just another way of saying she's a troublemaker... "Wait a minute..." Luna spoke up. "If Fleur saw this light as she was looking out of her window, and she was the only one to witness it... where exactly did this light come from?" "Well... simple, really," said Flam. "The light must have come from outside." "But I was outside by the barrier when this all happened. I saw no such light," the Princess of the Night explained. "You didn't?!" Coloratura gasped. "How the fu- ahem ...I mean... how could you not?" Fleur asked. "My eyes are still watering from it!" As everypony began to deliberate quietly, I put a hoof to my chin in deep thought. If Fleur's account is correct, then the blinding light had to have come from outside... but Luna was outside at the time of the murder, and she says she didn't see any light... what does this mean...? ...Which way was Fleur facing to see the light? ...The window, yes. Now, if Fleur saw the light but Luna did not, then Luna had to have been facing... the barrier, away from the light! And if Luna says she did not see the light, then where could the source of the light have been? ...Between the two of them! "I think... Luna, you may not have seen the light because you were facing the barrier at the time," I finally said after a few moments of silence. "So... the light must have been behind you somewhere." "Hmm... perhaps you are right, Twilight," Luna nodded. "Even so... I am positive that despite my concentration being focused elsewhere, I would've noticed such a light..." "What were you doin' by the barrier, anyway?" asked Applejack. "Yea! You missed the entire dinner party!" added Pinkie. "Ah, apologies..." Luna bowed her head. "While patrolling the school grounds, I detected a very slight anomaly in the barrier. An idea came to me after analyzing it, one that may have allowed our escape." Everypony except myself gasped at this revelation. "ESCAPE?! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?!" Bulk shouted. "We could've left? This whole time?!" Fleur shrieked. "No, no... I wanted to be sure that my theory worked before alerting anypony. There is no good in making uncertain promises, nor a premature celebration." "That was what Princess Celestia wanted to talk with me about," I added with a grim tone. "...She'd mentioned it to me at the party but didn't want to discuss it then, probably for the exact same reason if I had to guess." "But you didn't either, darling," said Rarity. "Well, I had hope it would work, but I know just as well how disappointing it is to expect one thing and have the exact opposite happen. I thought... maybe talking with Celestia later... I would be able to form a better opinion." "Welp, the cat's outta the bag now," said Applejack. "Might as well tell us whut this theory o' yours was." "I..." Luna glanced at Monokuma for a moment, grimacing as he leaned in closer to listen. "You can tell... I mean, it's no secret to me, anyway. I've been watching everything this whole time," he shrugged. Luna grunted in annoyance. "Fine... the morning this entire ordeal began, Sister and I of course tried to pierce through the barrier with our magic, despite finding no weak points. Our attacks were repelled, but not after... sticking to the barrier for a moment." Sticking...? Hmm... now that I think about it, my strongest attack against the barrier did seem to stick for a brief time before bouncing off. "I pondered on the meaning of it. Then, this afternoon, as I wandered the school, I found myself close to the barrier. I walked along its edge when I sensed it... so very faint, but it was there, I am certain of it... a single weak point. I informed Sister of my discovery, that I would attempt to find a way through... and that I may miss the dinner party if I felt I was close to a breakthrough." "Did... did you get through?" Fluttershy asked timidly. "Given that if I had, I would have immediately teleported everypony to safety outside of the barrier... I am afraid not," Luna sighed. "Oh..." Fluttershy remarked sadly, her eyes meeting the floor. "Alright, that explains that," Applejack nodded. "So, Luna didn't notice the light because she was busy tryin' to save us all. Now where does that get us here?" "Uh... nowhere, really..." Rainbow groaned. "Well that's fuckin' great," Lightning glanced to the side in annoyance. "Wait just a minute," said Flam. "What about the state of the warehouse? Surely that must be important?" "Ah! Yes," exclaimed Rarity. "It was left in a terrible mess!" "And... somepony was playing Sky Pirates in there!" chirped Pinkie. This elicited only confusion from the others, including myself. ...Pirates? What do sky pirates have to do with anything? "Uh... Pinkie? Whudd'ya mean by 'Sky Pirates'?" asked Applejack. "You know! Sky pirates! They fly around everywhere in their airships looking for treasure!" she explained. "Treasure?" asked Redheart. "Ugh, just why are we letting her speak...?" Fleur muttered angrily, her face hidden by one hoof. "Yea! They hoard it all and put it into a big pile to roll around in! And there was a pile of treasure in the warehouse!" A pile of treasure? ...She must mean... "...The pile of shiny objects?" I interrupted. "YES! Were you playing 'Sky Pirates' earlier, Twilight! Ooh, you should've invited me! I love that game!" Pinkie affirmed. "Er, no. That wasn't me." Suddenly, Luna's eyes lit up. "Oh! I apologize. I am afraid I am to blame for that mess," she admitted. "Luna? But why would you do something like that?" asked Coloratura. "I needed a particular reflective surface to further test my theory... I meant to put everything back, of course, but in my haste and excitement I did not... I will happily clean the mess I made once this trial is over." "Oh. Well... that's fine," shrugged Rainbow. Meanwhile, I remained silent, thinking hard. Luna needed a specific reflective surface? ...I feel like I saw one of those shortly before the trial began... ... ...Oh! That must be it! "...You were using that S I L V E R P L A T T E R by the barrier then, right Luna?" I asked. "Indeed, Twilight," Luna confirmed. "It was the largest flat, reflective object I could find in the warehouse. I hypothesized that if I could find that single weak point in the barrier, I might have been able to pierce through with my magic if I reflected the counterattack back against it." "WAIT... YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHERE THE WEAK SPOT WAS?" Bulk cocked his head. "No... it was so faint, I am surprised I found it at all. I only knew it was in that general area." "Hold up," Applejack spoke up. "Twilight, didn't we find some drag marks right next to that platter?" "Oh! Yes, pretty deep ones, too," I nodded. "Ah thought so... just how hard were you hittin' that barrier, and it still didn't break?!" "I focused as much power as I could muster. I maintained my magic for up to a minute at most, using the mirror to catch and reflect what the barrier repelled. If I could just find the specific little spot the weak point was hiding..." While everypony listened... realization finally hit me. It hit me like a sucker punch to the kidneys. Oh... oh, Celestia... no...! My eyes widened until my pupils were pinpricks. My heart shattered as my legs threatened to give out beneath me. No... no! It can't be... it's not fair! I felt my supper begin to force its way back up my throat. Though I kept it down, my fur felt damp and clammy from sweat. My wings shivered. "Uh, Twi? You feelin' alright?" Rainbow looked over to me worriedly as I stared at the floor. No... I don't want to say it... I can't...! But as I looked up towards Rainbow... towards Rarity, Trixie, Redheart, towards all of my friends... I knew deep down that it had to be said. To save the lives of my friends... my next sentence... would save all of us but one. ...I must. If I don't... we'll ALL die here! "You look pale," said Luna. "Did something from the party not sit with you well?" asked Trixie. "No... it's not that. I... I think I figured out who killed Princess Celestia." As everypony gasped and asked who, I scanned their faces one last time before I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the accusation. I'm afraid... it was you! "I... I'm afraid... the one who killed Princess Celestia... your sister... it was you... Princess Luna."