//------------------------------// // The Triangle Waltz: Hope, Harmony, Despair - Deadly Life 2 // Story: Danganronpa vP: Harmony of Despair // by witegrlninja //------------------------------// I shivered as I waited for the elevator to finish its descent, my body ice-cold and numb. The image of Applejack's glassy, empty eyes haunted the back of my mind, staring at me every time I blinked. I just wanted to flop on the floor and scream my heart out, and cry until unconsciousness took me... but I couldn't. I couldn't afford to lose focus now. As much as I just wanted to give up, I had to see this through and save everypony I could. Finally, the elevator landed with a clunk, and the doors opened into the Trial Room. This time, Monokuma had decorated it in hideous colors and patterns like a twisted funhouse - bright reds, pinks, oranges, greens, blues and purples seared my eyes, arranged in polka dots, argyles, checkerboards, hearts and stripes. Beside me, I heard Rarity screech in horror. "I understand your desire to applaud this wonderfully vulgar trial ground," Monokuma smirked, "but it's so exhausting to discuss useless things, so let's just get on with it already!" We took our places at our podiums. It was beginning yet again... I had hoped this would never happen again, but here we were for the fourth time. Applejack, the Ultimate Farmer... the most honest, hardworking and strongest pony I'd ever known, both physically and mentally... one of us had killed her. And killing somepony, even if it's the only way to survive... was no excuse. Even now, I felt as if Applejack's ghost was standing boldly behind me, still covered in blood, glaring unseen at her murderer. I will not let this go excused... I will not forgive this...! The pony who betrayed Applejack, betrayed us all. ...I will never... ever... forgive them...! My heart racing, I took a few deep breaths as I gripped my podium. Thus, this life-threatening trial, billowing with hope and despair, began in earnest. *Class Trial! All rise!* "Let's begin with a simple explanation of the class trial!" Monokuma began, as was tradition at this point. "During the class trial you will present your arguments for who the killer is, and vote for 'whodunnit'. If you vote correctly, then only the blackened will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one... then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that pony - and this time only, a pony of their choosing - will earn the right to graduate!" "Well... not to needlessly drag this out any fuckin' longer than it has to..." Lightning Dust grumbled as she glared pointedly at Flam. "And for somepony who was framed for murder herself, you sure have a one-track mind!" Flam recoiled. "Settle down, you two," Nurse Redheart chided. "Let's go over the incident before we jump to conclusions. You do realize we're all as good as dead if we get it wrong, right?" "But all the evidence points to Flam!" Coloratura insisted. "It has to be him!" "I know it appears that way, but we have to talk it over!" I tried to argue. "Something about this seems wrong." "I'm... not convinced," said Rarity. "At the moment, I'm more inclined to believe it was Flam." I glanced quickly at Bulk Biceps and then to Pinkie Pie, and a deep pit of sorrow and pity rotted inside my heart. Pinkie's fur seemed as if it had lost all its vibrancy, almost as if I was staring at yet another corpse. Her head was bowed so low I couldn't see her face, only the top of her head. Her mane was so impossibly straight and sharp I probably could've cut a tomato clean in half with it. "...DON'T LOOK AT ME. I HAVE NO IDEA," Bulk shrugged. Pinkie remained silent. "Oh, come on!" Lightning growled. "Hold on!" Monokuma suddenly shouted. "What?! A disagreement already?! You mean, you're split down the middle again?! Then the School of Despair is proud to present its very own morphenomenal trial grounds!" *Split Opinion!* I braced myself as a set of gears appeared before Monokuma. He pulled a key out from somewhere, inserted it into what I assumed was a keyhole and turned it. Moments later, the bases of our podiums glowed with bright, blue light. I felt the ground shake for a moment, and I struggled to remain standing as I found myself being raised into the air. All around me, everypony's podiums, even those of the deceased, were levitating into the dead center of the room in a perfect helix, then sliding left or right until we had been divided into two teams. Flam is guilty: Lightning Dust, Coloratura, Rarity, Pinkie Pie Flam is not guilty: Twilight Sparkle, Nurse Redheart, Flam, Bulk Biceps "...HEY, BUT I SAID I DIDN'T PICK A SIDE!" Bulk protested as his podium hovered beside Redheart's. "Eh, neither did the pink one, but I've gotta keep it fair," Monokuma shrugged. "Aaand... go!" *Is Flam guilty? Debate Scrum Start!* "I know a fuckin' murderer when I see one! It has to be you!" Lightning hissed. Flam! "Do you realize how childish you're being? You yourself were accused of murdering somepony; I bet you were glad when you were exonerated!" "There are multiple bits of evidence that lead to the killer being you!" argued Coloratura. Twilight! "And there are multiple bits of evidence that prove he wasn't responsible for AJ's death!" "But darling... we must be objective here. If we don't find the true culprit, then we'll all perish!" said Rarity. Redheart! "Then let's be objective, and examine all of the evidence thoroughly. We'll find the culprit if we all work together." Pinkie remained silent. Bulk! "...SERIOUSLY. I HAVE NO STRONG FEELINGS ABOUT THIS ONE WAY OR THE OTHER." *Full counter! This is our answer!* "Look, I know how you're all feeling. You're all struggling to make sense of this horrible situation and just want to survive another day," I spoke softly. "Ponies are killing each other, there's talk of a traitor among us... You may be feeling angry, and that's fine! You may be feeling absolutely terrified, and that's fine! But we need to trust each other and talk this out so we can be one hundred percent sure of what happened and why. Because if we don't... well... you know." "...You're right," Coloratura conceded. "Get this wrong, and we're all dead... we need to be sure about the killer, without a doubt in our minds." "Indeed... to survive this long, only to have it crashing down all around us if we cannot work together..." sighed Rarity. "We simply must hold on to our senses just a little longer." "Oh, for Celestia's sake, FINE, we'll talk about it," Lightning pouted, still glaring at Flam. "...But I still think it was you." "Good. Now, let's discuss the scene of the crime," Redheart spoke after a short, quiet sigh. "UGH... DO WE HAVE TO?" Bulk whimpered. "IT WAS SO... GROSS..." "Well, big guy and I went to the Weight Room right after breakfast," said Lightning. "We found the body as soon as we stepped inside and screamed." "NOPONY EXPECTS A DEAD BODY IN A POOL OF BLOOD, YOU KNOW?" added Bulk. "And judging by all the evidence we found, the killer has to be YOU, ya fuckin' smarmy asshole!" Lightning finished, pointing at Flam once again. "I say, I must protest! I protest everything about this!" Flam recoiled again. "Lightning, we must be objective about this," Redheart sighed. "I will not vote for anypony until I have been thoroughly convinced of their guilt, and so far, I am decidedly not convinced of Flam's." "Yea?! You saw the body, and the huge fuckin' knife in Flam's room! Doesn't take a genius to put two and two together!" Lightning argued. "And it also doesn't take a genius to see that there was far more evidence than that to base an accusation off of," replied Redheart. "Why don't we go over the facts of the crime scene?" "Well, there was a... large amount of blood everywhere," Rarity inhaled, her face a little queasy. "The mirror was cracked," added Coloratura, "and I think some of the nearby weight machines were knocked out of place." "Yes, there were definitely signs of a struggle!" said Flam. "And who would have struggled while you were trying to kill her ass dead?!" spat Lightning. "You do realize that I haven't the frame for physical combat?" Flam argued. "I'm a Unicorn - if I wished to inflict harm on somepony, I could do that without touching them!" "I concur!" I broke in. "If Flam was the one attacking AJ, well... it'd be a fairly quick fight, with Flam on the losing side. One kick from her would easily knock him out." "Well... I wouldn't say I'm that frail..." Flam glanced away, grumbling. "We Unicorns generally default to using our magic to attack or defend ourselves," nodded Rarity. "Flam could have simply snapped her neck during their tussle, without bothering to use any sort of weapon." "But Flam could have levitated the knife in his magic!" continued Lightning. "No, I checked for mana traces, remember? None at all appeared on that knife," I reminded. "That can only mean that no form of magic was ever used on it." "It was quite the fight," remarked Redheart. "Quite a bit of damage was inflicted on the mirror and machines, enough to knock some of them out of position." "Yes... I could lift one of them, sure, but it'd take a good deal of effort," said Flam. "And I hardly think I'd have the time to focus if Miss Applejack were coming at me." "So, that seems sorted out... but what about the note hidden in her hat?" Coloratura piped up. "I don't know if you've noticed, but you do call all of the mares here 'dear'..." "So? I always endeavor to be polite, especially to such lovely ladies as yourselves," said Flam. "Oh, yes! It read 'Meet me in the Weight Room at 11pm, my dear'," Rarity gasped. "And according to the Monokuma File, she wound up dead not a half-hour later! What do you have to say about that?" "I never went to the Weight Room then!" Flam explained. "I was there earlier in the evening to use the Laundry Area and wash my vests! But I miscalculated how long it'd take for the washing machine to run, so I left when it was close to Nighttime, intending to put them in the dryer in the morning!" "That doesn't explain anything! There is a note, that was written by your hoof, found on the fucking body!" Lightning shouted, enunciating. "I'm sorry, but that's wrong!" I interrupted. "When Flam and I searched his room, the only notepad I found in there wasn't used at all. In fact, it looked like it was brand-new!" "I would never bother with such a juvenile tactic as notes, anyway," Flam lifted his head. "When you fancy a mare, you let her know and offer a date in the flesh!" "Eww... the flesh, huh...?" Coloratura grimaced. "...You know what I mean," Flam sighed, rolling his eyes. "Either way, a notepad that has never been used cannot be linked to the note in any way," said Redheart. "There is no way of matching how the two ends of the paper tore, or producing a rubbing of the text on the next page... I'm afraid that this particular piece of evidence leads to a dead end." "Ugh, fine! What about his vest being all fucking bloody?!" Lightning groaned. "If that ain't proof of being close enough to stab somepony to fuckin' death, then I dunno what is." "THAT WAS A LOTTA BLOOD..." Bulk wheezed. "Along with all of the towels found at the scene, it suggests that whoever killed Applejack quickly regretted their decision," hummed Redheart. "You mean... they didn't intend to kill poor AJ?" Rarity half-gasped, half-sobbed. "Maybe... or maybe they simply didn't want such a messy crime scene," Redheart continued. "But at some point, they realized their endeavors were futile and left." "Your vest was covered in blood," shivered Coloratura. "You... did you try to stop the bleeding? With your own vest?" "I..." Flam hesitated, mulling over his response. "...Well, this vest cost me a minor fortune. If I were ever in a situation such as this, I think I would have used the towels first." "But you did, after using every single fucking towel on the rack!" pointed Lightning. "No, I-" "And then, you hid your gross-ass bloody vest and as many of the towels you could in the washing machine!" she continued. "Why in Equestria would I have done that?!" Flam shrieked. "All the rest of my vests were buried beneath that bloody lump!" "I'd have to say he's right about that," said Rarity. "If he was trying to hide an expensive bloody vest in the washing machine he last used, then surely he would have taken the rest of them out first? So they weren't ruined and disgusting?" Hm... yes, that makes sense... Flam let out a deep sigh of relief. "Thank you, dear." "Ohhhh no, that doesn't mean you're off the hook!" Lightning snarled. "There's still the most damning bit of evidence of 'em all... the fucking knife we found in your room!" "Ugh... all covered in poor Jackie's blood..." Coloratura grimaced. Yes, the knife... it wasn't there behind Flam's desk when we searched the room... "It's clearly the murder weapon," Rarity pursed her lips. "AND HAVING IT MUST MEAN THAT FLAM'S THE KILLER!" shouted Bulk. "It's not mine! I don't know how it got in my room, but I am most certainly not the killer!" Flam paled. "I must agree... Flam and I checked behind his desk thoroughly when we searched his room," I added. "That knife simply wasn't there before." "But then how do you explain it being there later?!" said Coloratura. "If what you and Lightning say is true, but also if what Flam and Twilight said is true, then the knife must have been hidden behind the desk later," Redheart hummed. "To that end, I can only come up with two possible theories: either Flam moved it from one hiding place to another, or-" "Then that's what he must've done!" Lightning interrupted. "W-Why?! Why would I have done that?!" Flam shouted, thoroughly exasperated at this point. "If I had hidden a knife successfully somewhere in my room before, why in Equestria would I move it somewhere more obvious later?!" "You tell me, bucko," Lightning replied coolly, crossing her forelegs. "...Or, somepony else put it there," Redheart growled, glaring at Lightning. "Which I am more inclined to believe." "Eh? Why is that?" asked Rarity. "Did any of you notice the large puddle of blood beneath the knife?" Redheart drawled. "It was wet. Almost like it was fresh." "And?" Lightning huffed. "The blood on the blade of the knife was dried," Redheart continued. "See what's wrong with that picture?" If the blood underneath the knife was wet, but the blood on the blade of the knife was dry, then it could only mean... ... ...Oh! That must be it! "Somepony put fresh blood underneath the knife and then set it on top," I said. "Is that what you're getting at?" "Precisely," Redheart nodded. "Oh... alright, so then Flam or whoever must've scooped up some blood from the crime scene to put it under the knife," Coloratura gulped, her voice sounding unsure. "Eeugh... the mere thought of doing such a thing...!" Flam groaned. "Flam and I searched his room from top to bottom; I'm sure we would've found a cup of blood," I reasoned. "Indeed... if I had it and it were in danger of being discovered, I could just pour it down the shower drain... but then it wouldn't be there underneath the knife later," said Flam. "Not to mention I'm sure miss Twilight would've noticed my absence and found me doing so." I nodded in agreement. "Hmm... Lightning, Coloratura... when exactly did you find the knife?" Redheart asked. "Where were you two searching?" Lightning grunted as she thought back. "Well... after a general sweep of Flam's room, I thought I'd check out the bathroom... a couple minutes later I heard Coloratura yell like she'd found something, so I looked and there it was." "Yea... I was looking behind and under all of the furniture... and I found it," Coloratura trembled. "I see... so you two weren't together the entire time..." Redheart pondered. "...Hey, just what is that supposed to mean?!" Lightning gripped her podium angrily. "I ain't the one who fuckin' killed somepony!" "Yea, me either!" Coloratura wailed. "No, no, I didn't mean to implicate either of you," Redheart shook her head. "I am merely entertaining another possibility of how the fresh blood got there." "How it got there... well, perhaps the culprit returned to the scene of the crime to collect it," suggested Rarity. She then turned to Pinkie, who had been silent this entire time. "Pinkie, darling... did you happen to see anypony enter the Weight Room after Redheart and I left?" We all turned to face Pinkie, who remained silently sobbing for a good minute or two. "...N-No..." she finally croaked out. "I DIDN'T SEE ANYPONY EITHER. WE WERE FACING THE CRIME SCENE THE ENTIRE TIME," added Bulk. Redheart nodded solemnly. "So then... if Flam did not have a container of blood stashed away, nor did he return to the crime scene to collect some, then I think this and the rest should be enough evidence to exonerate him from this crime," she affirmed. Everypony seemed to nod in agreement except for Pinkie - who was clearly too depressed to participate - and Lightning, who just sat in her seat and fumed. "...Fuck, fine..." Lightning finally conceded. Flam let out a deep sigh of relief. "Sorry... I guess I just... saw what I wanted to see. You're still a smarmy fuckin' douchebag, though." "That, I can live with," Flam grinned. "Great... except now we have no idea who the killer could be," Coloratura sighed. "We all checked each other's rooms, right? Nopony found any blood in a cup? Or a bag, or anything?" "No, not that I can recall," said Rarity. Suddenly, Redheart's eyes opened wide in realization. "Now that I think about it... I'm beginning to wonder whether the fresh blood even did belong to Applejack," she mused. "Huh? Whaddya mean?" asked Lightning. "Yes, why didn't I think of it before? There's more than one place one could find fresh blood," she narrowed her eyes. ...More than one place where you can find fresh blood...? Where...? ... ...Oh! That must be it! "...The I N F I R M A R Y!" I shouted. "There's blood packs in the minifridge!" ...But... does that mean...? Lightning squinted her eyes as if realizing something herself. "...Hey, Coloratura... didn't you have to get pain pills from the Infirmary before we started searching the rooms...?" "I... yes..." Coloratura gulped, her eyes widening. "You saw what Bulk did to me this morning! And I heard you laughing while he was massaging my foreleg, so you know exactly why!" "How are you feeling now?" Redheart asked as impartially as she could. "Could you move your left foreleg for us?" Shrugging slightly, Coloratura did as she was asked, wincing as she fully extended her foreleg. "Ow..." she muttered. "The pain is getting worse?" asked Rarity. "BUT I DID THE CORRECT TECHNIQUE FOR GETTING RID OF PINCHING SENSATIONS!" Bulk's voice wavered. "ARE YOU OKAY? PLEASE DON'T TELL MY BOSS, I DON'T WANNA GET MY LICENSE TAKEN AWAY AGAIN!" "...A-Again?" Rarity blinked. "Or... maybe she wasn't limping because she slept funny..." Lightning pressed her lips and ears flat. "I know post-fight soreness when I see it." A fight? ...No... then that means...! "OH... IF IT WAS THAT, THEN I SHOULD'VE MOVED THE MUSCLES COUNTER-CLOCKWISE INSTEAD!" Bulk continued nonchalantly, not grasping the gravity of the situation. I'm afraid... it was you! Ignoring Bulk, I turned to face the soon to be accused and spoke as calmly as I could. "...Were you in a fight recently, Coloratura?"