Alternate Scenarios
DANGANRONPA: IN HARMONY’S WAKE
Just This Once, Everybody Lives!
The first time it happened, it seemed like a fluke.
Timber Spruce had Wallflower Blush dead to rights. He had the water with the drugs. He had ropes he could use to strangle her, should she resist. He was prepared. She wouldn’t have a prayer.
But then she pulled that knife. She circled around him, keeping her distance. She spat some insult at him, ordering him not to get in her way.
In another universe, she might’ve pivoted on her heel then. She might’ve turned away, allowing him the opportunity to wrap that garotte around her throat and seal her fate.
But in this one, she didn’t. She used her brain. She kept backing away from him, shouting when he tried to follow, until she’d backed up all the way to her cabin door. Only then did she turn around and go inside, slamming it closed behind her.
Timber rushed forward, his hand reaching for the door knob, but it was too late. She’d locked it. He’d lost his chance. He’d lost the one opportunity he’d have to save Gloriosa.
Returning to his room in a daze, he locked himself inside, and dumped his tools of murder on the ground. Then he let out a hoarse scream and kicked his dresser, then picked up the desk chair and brought it down as hard as he could on the desk, snapping off the chair’s legs into splinters.
Toppling onto the bed, his face covered with tears, he had a moment of weakness. He reached for his remaining zolpidem pills, four in total, and slammed them back with as much water as he could drink from an untouched bottle. Then he threw himself on the bed and waited for death.
It didn’t come, of course. Oh it knocked him out. He slept not so much like the proverbial log but like a patient in a coma, only awakening sometime the next morning, and only then thanks to the frantic banging on his door.
When he opened it up, cursing the fact he still existed, Sunset, Flash, Adagio, and Twilight all burst in, screaming at him about how stupid it was that he pulled this crap after Sunset did. Sunset especially was all but apoplectic, because when he failed to return by midnight she’d been up half the night trying to find him, watching out for possible murders, hoping to save a life should someone strike. Adagio joined her in the search, and the two formed a rapid, fiery romance that exploded with passion.
Then Wallflower chimed in, and Timber broke. He broke down crying, admitting his plan, admitting what he intended to do, and why. Despite the initial fury, especially from Applejack, whose temper flared at its very highest at the abuse of her family’s cider, everyone found it in themselves to forgive him.
Even Wallflower did, later that day. She opened up to him. Talked to him, for hours, first at dinner, then later that evening, until friendship blossomed between them.
And both Wallflower and Timber alike found a new reason to live.
The second time it happened, Cozy wanted to scream.
After the failure of the first culprit to do his job and get the killing started, she’d spent several days trying to figure out what to do next. Even taunting Princess Twilight carried little appeal, not without a dead body to throw around. Her barbs lacked spines. Her threats failed to frighten. Instead all she accomplished was setting up Princess Twilight as confident, cocky even, ready to save lives.
So she decided to hell with it and unlocked the next part of the ship anyway. Despite the friendships growing, if she could just get Sweetie Belle to act, everything would be set in motion. The blood would flow, and once it started it could not be staunched.
At least, that was the idea.
At first, everything went to plan. Sunset found the planted cloak and hat, and accompanying picture. She befriended Trixie, and Wallflower too for that matter. Wallflower lived up to her name, blooming under the attention, growing happier and healthier by the day.
When Diamond Tiara attempted to acquire the mantle of leadership, far fewer protested. A few half-hearted insults were exchanged, but nothing too heated. Fortunately, Trixie still requested to throw the magic show, and rounded up Sunset and Apple Bloom to help. They built the origami trick.
Adagio’s brief flirtation with stabbing Sunset set Cozy’s nerves acquiver, but fortunately Sunset managed to talk Adagio out of killing her. This time.
Then when the secrets were revealed, Cozy grinned in glee as Sweetie acted exactly the way she predicted. She took advantage of the library rule to solve the puzzle, obtaining the prize. She still erected the trap, despite the additional complication of Wallflower and Timber running around, threatening to expose her plan.
The next day, Cozy buzzed with excitement. She couldn’t wait till that evening. A death by itself would destroy the bonds of trust, but a death in front of everyone? Apple Bloom bleeding out in Applejack’s arms? Trust wouldn’t just be destroyed. It would evaporate.
That evening, the show played. Trixie wowed the crowd. Flash swirled the spotlights. Sunset stood right atop the trap, unaware she was mere moments from being eviscerated. Right on cue, Apple Bloom spotted the drill, took flight, and knocked Trixie and Sunset out of the way.
But she skidded along the stage floor, the floor that Timber, in a fit of wanting something to do, had waxed earlier that day to get it nice and clean, at Wallflower’s bequest, for the sake of her friend Trixie. Thus, when Apple Bloom knocked Trixie and Sunset out of the way, she managed, just barely, to dodge the spear trap herself. It fired up, clipping the bottom of her shoe. It carved a piece of rubber right out of the sole, but that’s all did.
No one died.
Oh, trust was still shaken. Everyone panicked, scared, terrified even that someone had tried to kill. Again. In front of everyone this time.
Cozy, utterly furious, decided on the spot to force an investigation anyway. In her Monoponi disguise she announced a new form of trial, an “attempted murder” trial. Initially, of course, she tried to rule that if caught, the one responsible would be executed just as if they killed someone, but when every single last one of her passengers refused to cooperate with that rule in place, she made her biggest mistake yet, and gave in. She’d give them the choice of whether or not to execute them.
But only if they found them, of course. If they failed, they’d all die, just like they would in a real trial.
As she hoped this struck a significant chink in the armor of trust these morons had built up. The investigation only heightened the lack of trust to a fever pitch, culminating when Sunset, in a fit of sheer frustration, punched Diamond Tiara in the face over accusations of having tried to lure Apple Bloom into the trap.
When they went to trial, sparks flew. Tempers flared. Arguments arose, in a way that brought a distinct feeling of glee to Cozy, especially once Sunset’s secret emerged. That tore open a massive divide between Sunset and many other passengers, including a furious Twilight Sparkle.
Eventually, by trial’s end, Sunset had Sweetie Belle on the ropes. Despite the failure of Apple Bloom to die like she was supposed to, and thus provide the trial winning clue in the form of the Monoponi file, Sunset had found another clue just as telling, thanks to Wallflower and Timber. She used it with aplomb, and with it, forced Sweetie into confessing.
Cozy hoped by trial’s end that perhaps, just perhaps, they’d vote to execute Sweetie Belle. A few of them did. Diamond Tiara. Adagio, eager to eliminate any threat. Trixie, outraged by her ruined show. Applejack, so scared for her sister’s life that she drove a rift between herself and Rarity in the process. Twilight voted for execution as well, thanks to the lack of trust she had in all of them due to Sunset’s reveal.
But no one else did. Everyone else, especially Timber and Wallflower, voted it down like crazy. So Sweetie got to live. Live with the guilt that she almost ended someone’s life, for the sake of ending the game. Ending the game in a way that wouldn’t have accomplished anything.
And Cozy smiled. Maybe she hadn’t gotten her wish. Maybe no one was dead yet. But sooner or later, it had to happen, right?
The third time it happened, Cozy tore her hair out.
Oh she still tried to guide things along her original plan, opening up new parts of the ship, hoping that Twilight would take the bait. Rarity and Applejack hated each other thanks to the vote, after all. Surely all it would take is a little bit of pressure, and Twilight would murder them both, just like she was supposed to.
But of course she wouldn’t, especially not after the fight she had with Pinkie at the morning meeting. All Twilight did when she found the picture of Rarity and Applejack’s marriage was snort and toss it away, leaving it to be found later in the spa by Pinkie, Sunset, and Adagio. Instead, Twilight embarked on her atrociously foolish plan, to teach Pinkie Pie a lesson.
Pinkie Pie had lost a lot of cheer, since the game began. Despite the fact that no one died, the lack of trust among them, especially after the first attempted murder trial, sent her spiraling into a fit of depression. She hadn’t become close to any of them, and the loneliness gnawed at her. Thus when the morphine called, she gave into temptation. She found solace in the needles, in the way it took the edge off of life and left feeling just a little bit loopy. In the way it relaxed her, dulling her mind to the horrors around her.
Diamond Tiara, meanwhile, hatched a silly plan involving guard shifts, in the hopes of preventing another murder, attempted or otherwise. Of course with four more people around than were supposed to be, she had no shortage of volunteers. Three hour shifts were bequeathed, leading to a conversation between Sunset and Fluttershy, where Sunset encouraged Fluttershy to befriend Pinkie.
Meanwhile, Twilight set her plan in motion. She deposited the note, right where Pinkie would spot it, not knowing that her boyfriend Flash had seen her rising from the door. She then departed for the library, prepared to show herself when Pinkie inevitably was caught by Fluttershy.
So Fluttershy took Pinkie shopping in the jewelry store. And in another universe, she might’ve failed to notice the ring placed in her pocket. She might’ve stepped outside that store, been strung up by Monoponi, and executed, for a crime she didn’t even commit.
But not here. Here, Apple Bloom, who happened to be browsing the store for a gift of her own, wanting to find some way to cheer up the depressed Sweetie Belle, show that unlike her sister she held no grudge, spotted the box in Fluttershy’s pocket just before Fluttershy left the store. She called out, asking her what it was.
Then Fluttershy picked up the box, stared at it in confusion, and then looked at Pinkie. It didn’t take long before Pinkie broke down, admitting what she’d done, especially after Fluttershy turned on the disappointed glare. While upset, she understood Pinkie meant no real harm, and together the two of them went to confront Rainbow Dash. Rainbow, of course, had no idea what they were talking about, until Twilight showed herself and revealed her plan.
To say that led to an argument would be like saying the First Great War was a minor tiff. It took the combined efforts of Timber, Applejack, and Sunset to keep Rainbow from throttling Twilight to death. Flash had to be held back from defending Twilight by Rarity and Adagio. Whatever friendship he and Rainbow had built up tore itself apart over the incident.
Twilight lost control of herself. Even when she apologized for her actions, after Cozy announced the plus one motive, she’d buried herself in the grip of paranoia. She worried that every corner would bring someone trying to kill her, to take revenge for her stupid actions. This ultimately led to her wigging out on Sunset, when Sunset tried to make amends. She spent the rest of the day telling everyone Adagio’s secret about being a killer, claiming it proved she couldn’t be trusted.
Pinkie wasn’t much happier. Between almost getting Fluttershy killed and watching Rainbow Dash and Twilight fight each other, any sparkle of joy she’d gleaned from Fluttershy’s gift of bangles was lost. She descended further into the grip of her addiction. She purchased two additional drugs that night, and took them with her into the fitness center. Why, she didn’t know. Was she going to try to end it all, in one big blaze of glory?
But she found Rainbow Dash there, still seething from the argument with Twilight. Thanks to her presence, Pinkie didn’t try out any new drugs. Not yet. Instead she hung around Rainbow, as if trying to find some sort of companionship. Of course Rainbow, while tolerant of Pinkie for a while, eventually lost her temper when Pinkie followed her into the sauna. She shouted for Pinkie to leave her alone, and then stomped out, slamming the door behind her.
Pinkie was left to her own devices, and despite the comfortable warmth of the sauna, she gave in. She broke out her box of newly chosen drugs. But not the oxycodone or heroin that she might’ve chosen, in a different universe. Here she chose two other pure sedatives instead, including ketamine.
So when Trixie, terrified by Adagio’s secret, scared for Sunset’s life after the near death experience at the show, happened to be watching? She leapt into action. At first she held the door closed on Pinkie, her hand inching dangerously close to the temperature gauge, threatening to crank it up to max. But when Pinkie screamed at her to let her out, she lost her nerve, and opened the door. Then she went inside with Pinkie and tried to play it off as a silly prank, keeping Pinkie Pie distracted long enough that she seized the opportunity and injected Pinkie with all three drugs. Pinkie toppled to the floor, seemingly dead.
Trixie wanted to check, of course. She wanted to be sure, perform that “double tap” she’d read about in books. But she didn’t have a chance. Rainbow Dash’s return caused her to flee. She returned to Sunset’s room in a dead run, barely avoiding waking her friend up in the process.
When Rainbow Dash discovered Pinkie Pie precariously prone on the floor, she tried to wake her, of course. And failed, because she didn’t realize just how strong the sedatives were. So strong, in fact, that Pinkie’s heartbeat weakened considerably. Not enough to kill her, but enough that Rainbow Dash failed to find her pulse, thanks to Rainbow’s terror. Thus convinced she’d killed Pinkie Pie, she hatched a plan to cover things up. She set about preparing a gruesome scene, not knowing Pinkie was still alive. She knocked over the weight equipment, gathered up the towels, picked up Pinkie with them, and raised the dumbbell, about to seal her fate as the first true blackened.
And then Sweetie Belle intervened. Not on purpose. Sweetie had no idea Rainbow or Pinkie were even there. She’d been wandering the ship that night, just as depressed as Pinkie Pie, but in a different way. She’d been slowly coming to grips with her guilt, with the mistake she’d almost made. The gift given to her by Apple Bloom, a sparkling sapphire on a chain of gold, only threw her further for a loop, enough that focusing on it caused her to pay little attention to her surroundings, until she found herself in the fitness center, accidentally kicking the desk.
The sudden noise startled Rainbow Dash into dropping Pinkie’s body, the dumbbell falling to the side. Quick as a flash she disappeared into the connecting corridor to the indoor pool, while inwardly screaming in horror. She’d almost been caught! She couldn’t risk going back now! So she had to dump clues somewhere, anywhere. She’d found a picture earlier that day, the same one that inspired her to leave Applejack and Rarity’s hair in the weight room. So she decided to dump that in the sauna, not even noticing when she kicked the case of drugs under the bench, scattering the syringes everywhere. Then she circled around via the locker rooms and fled.
Sweetie, meanwhile, stumbled across the scene, what looked like a dead Pinkie Pie, laying in a bundle of towels among a set of destroyed weight equipment, and promptly screamed. And then the body discovery announcement rang, bringing everyone right there with her. Rainbow Dash and Trixie filtered in last, both equally horrified by their actions, and scared they were the first real blackened.
At first, Cozy was ecstatic. Someone finally died! She’d gotten the ball rolling! She’d have her first proper execution, and she didn’t care whether it was Trixie or Rainbow Dash. At this point whoever these morons voted for, she’d take. Whatever she could do to whittle the numbers down.
At first, the investigation proceeded with a sense of dread, a feeling of despair far stronger than any of the passengers had come close to feeling. And worse still, they all knew it was a shadow of what was to come.
Until Sunset figured out Pinkie Pie was still alive, that was.
Cozy lost it. She flew into a rage, her Monoponi disguise tearing the cardio room apart with sheer fury, before she managed to control herself. Even as everyone’s hearts soared, their fears lifted--especially Trixie and Rainbow--she proceeded to announce it as the second “attempted murder” trial instead. She also declared Pinkie could be exempt from the trial, just this once, since there was no chance she’d wake up anytime soon. Nor would she be allowed anyone to watch over her. Privately Cozy hoped that meant she’d pass away while the others were busy in the courtroom, allowing her to get away with an execution after all.
The rest of the investigation proceeded fairly smoothly after that, despite the occasional wrinkle between Twilight and Sunset, and Rainbow and Flash. Once in the courtroom, however, Sunset was forced to spend the first third of the trial defending Sweetie Belle, because half the passengers were convinced she was behind Pinkie Pie’s near death. She’d attempted before, after all. What was to say she wouldn’t again?
Of course that was ludicrous and Sunset proved it as such, leading into the real clues. Briefly she toyed with the idea of Rarity or Applejack being responsible, but given how much the two hated each other, the only way that made sense was if Applejack was trying to frame Sweetie. Or Rarity. Or both. And she just didn’t think that made much sense.
Eventually they figured out Rainbow Dash was there, and followed up on her. On how the picture ended up in the sauna. They came perilously close to convicting Rainbow Dash, something that Cozy, at this point, decided she couldn’t accept after all. She’d changed her mind. If they voted Rainbow Dash she’d say they were wrong and kill them.
Fortunately at the last second, Sunset caught on to why the drugs were really there. It took her hardly any time at all after that to conclude that Trixie was the real attempted murderer. She was furious, horrified, and threatened to end their friendship over it.
And then came the vote. In a fit of rage Sunset voted for execution this time. So too did Adagio, Diamond Tiara, Rainbow Dash, and even Rarity, who couldn’t stand the way Trixie had inadvertently put her sister in the hot seat for the second time. Twilight voted against it, just to spite Sunset, since that had never been resolved. Flash joined her. Fluttershy, of course, voted against execution.Then came Trixie’s turn, and she voted for her own execution too, thanks to Sunset’s rage. Wallflower hesitated, but this time she also opted for execution, just as furious at Trixie as Sunset was. Timber, naturally, voted against, and tried to talk Wallflower into changing her vote, but it was too late.
Trixie’s life hung in the balance. One more yea vote and she’d die. Sweetie Belle chose next, but she voted against, unwilling to put anyone through a tortuous death, not after she’d come to grips with what she’d almost done before. Apple Bloom, of course, voted against. Not to be left out, Scootaloo voted against as well.
Seven to seven. It was up to Applejack. Applejack, who’d voted for Sweetie Belle’s execution, who couldn’t stand Trixie. Cozy rubbed her disguise’s hooves together gleefully, leaning forward in anticipation of the yea vote.
And then Applejack voted against. “Ah shouldn’t have voted for it the first time. Ah’m sorry, Sweetie Belle.” And with the votes eight to seven, without Pinkie Pie getting to participate, Cozy was forced to end the second attempted murder trial without an execution.
Again.
She shooed them up the elevator in hurry, then departed so she could scream, tearing apart the prepared execution chamber, blowing up tube after tube of fireworks inside the ship, just to excise some of the anger built up inside. Briefly, she considered abandoning the plan altogether. This wasn’t working, after all. She wasn’t torturing Princess Twilight. If anything, she was bolstering the Princess’s confidence. Every time these morons got close to death only to back away at the last second, it’d instill the pony fool with a sense of undue pride in them.
But no. She was committed now. She couldn’t do anything else. Even if she swapped to torturing them now, it wouldn’t have the same effect. She needed to break Princess Twilight’s will. Twilight needed her to see her friends killing each other, not just Monoponi.
So Cozy stuck to the plan. But if this happened one more time she’d snap.
The fourth time it happened, Cozy lapsed into sheer shock.
Pinkie Pie awoke the next day, but it’d take her a day or two more to properly recover. Fluttershy volunteered to be a nursemaid for her, watching over her as she rested. The party planner hated laying in bed, of course. She wanted to bounce around, to be energetic. But that wouldn’t do.
It didn’t take long before Fluttershy’s gaze had Pinkie confessing to her drug problem.
Pinkie found that going cold turkey hurt. It wasn’t just painful. It was excruciating, agonizing cold and burning like fire and breathing so fast she’d hyperventilate till her heart felt like it’d explode, then slowing down so much she practically lapsed into a coma. Then she did it all over again. All the while, Fluttershy watched over her. After the first day, Trixie joined her, in an attempt to make amends. That demonstration of remorse was all it took for Wallflower, Sunset, and Rarity to befriend Trixie once again, though they all held off from true forgiveness for now.
Cozy opened up the next portion of the ship, desperately hoping that with so many idiots running around, someone would find some way to die. She’d abandoned her original plan by now, with too many people around for it to work. No way she’d ever get Fluttershy to murder Scootaloo, not without a single death. But there were other options, perhaps. Twilight and Sunset?
No, she couldn’t do that. She needed Sunset around, in case she decided to wipe their memories and start all over again. It wasn’t likely, not with Princess Twilight watching, but she wanted to hold onto the trump card.
Then she remembered how Flash and Rainbow had acted towards each other the other day, and her disguised muzzle twisted into a sadistic smile.
Flash felt like complete shit the day after the second attempted murder trial. He didn’t know it yet, but he’d come down with mononucleosis, a final gift from their first go-around on the ship. So while Rainbow Dash, Applejack, the three younger ones, and even Diamond Tiara--who’d begun turning a new leaf, albeit more than a little reluctantly--wandered around excitedly exploring the go-kart course and the ice rink, he stayed with Twilight. He borrowed a notepad from Sunset, but otherwise he and Twilight stayed away from the others.
During a heart to heart with Rarity and Wallflower in the spa, Sunset decided it was time for everyone to share their secrets, since Monoponi made it legal, and they hadn’t bothered yet. It could potentially restore the trust that had been almost broken by the last trial.
Of course, that was a fool’s gambit. Sure, a few of the secrets were harmless, if embarrassing. Fluttershy almost burst into flames on the spot, she blushed so hard. Scootaloo’s left her groaning about how it was misleading. But then they became more dangerous. Applejack’s implied dirty political tricks. Rarity’s suggested she was violent. Diamond’s outright suggested she murdered someone and covered it up. Things got worse and worse as arguments broke out, then finally Applejack provoked a fight with Diamond Tiara, which exploded into a knuckle dragging brawl between several other passengers, including Rainbow Dash, Timber Spruce, Rarity, and others.
Finally Adagio, Sunset, and Wallflower managed to break everything up with a combination of muscles and sheer sass, but the damage was done. Whatever possible trust they’d gained in each other, they’d lost, and a lot of it. Worse, Rainbow Dash’s secret hadn’t even been exposed, nor had the one Apple Bloom possessed, leaving them suspicious. Especially when Cozy came around as Monoponi and made sharing them illegal again for seemingly no reason.
Later that night, Rainbow Dash tried to come by Flash’s cabin to apologize to him over the way she’d treated Twilight, and brought some medicine for him as a peace offering. Though he said he’d think about accepting the apology, he took the medicine anyway, hoping it would help him. Thus when he nearly bashed his head in from a grand mal seizure, Flash made a decision he would soon come to regret.
The next day saw a few apologies being exchanged, but no real understanding being reached, leaving the group with a simmering pot of tension ready to boil over at the slightest provocation. The introduction of the political favor motive did not help, especially when Rainbow Dash and Twilight broke down arguing with each other over possible ways it could be used, with Rainbow saying she was just speculating while Twilight slung accusation after accusation of Rainbow deliberately gunning for someone’s death, proving she was the traitor. To Rainbow’s credit, she didn’t stoop to insults, but the confrontation only led to Flash cementing his decision.
Rainbow Dash did her best to try and make amends with people by organizing a go-kart competition and a hockey game. For a long while, things seemed to go well. Sunset Shimmer dominated the go-kart competition, easily winning the top prize while Adagio took second and Rainbow took a distant third, her head spinning after a crash left her dizzy. The hockey game, however, nearly ended in tragedy after Rarity and Applejack broke down in a serious argument over how Applejack refused to give Trixie credit for taking care of Pinkie Pie. Apple Bloom adding her opinion to Rarity’s side only made things worse. It led to everyone dispersing, save for Flash and Rainbow, who decided to go back to go-karting together, with Rainbow unaware of Flash’s true intentions.
That evening, Flash sharpened Rainbow’s ice skates, just as he planned. He planted them, and prepared to make her crash, not knowing he was risking sealing not just her fate, but his own as well. They sped around the track, coming closer and closer to the hairpin turn, and Flash strengthened his grip on his steering wheel, preparing to jerk.
And then Pinkie Pie walked onto the track.
She’d been on a walk with Fluttershy, trying to get some exercise in after laying in bed most of the day. Fluttershy allowed Pinkie to wander where she wanted, paying little attention save for making sure she didn’t trip or fall. As a result they’d ended up going down the stairs of the access corridor, wandering the hall and exiting out through the door onto the track itself, right in the path of the go karts.
Both Flash and Rainbow slammed on the breaks, careening to a stop. Flash barely kept from impacting the wall, and avoided--just--causing his spleen to burst. He still felt a flash of abdominal pain as the sensitive organ bruised under the stress, but he wasn’t at risk for death.
Rainbow was another matter. Despite not actually crashing, the sharpened ice skates still struck a nasty blow, slicing open her legs. Not, luckily for her, at the arteries, but perilously close. Close enough that without prompt medical attention, she risked bleeding out.
While Flash leapt out of his cart and railed at Pinkie for appearing out of nowhere, Fluttershy silenced him in an instant with a harsh glare, then sprung into action with a first aid kit. She tried asking Flash to run for help, but also pulled out her Monopad and mass texted everyone to come running with first aid supplies, as his actions struck her as suspicious.
To his credit, he did actually go for help, returning swiftly with Applejack and Scootaloo, along with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, each carting their own first aid kits.
But Rainbow’s life was still in danger. She’d lost a lot of blood from the initial injury, and it took longer than anyone save Flash wanted to get her out of the kart, as she couldn’t pull herself out, and the safety mechanisms had locked up until Apple Bloom figured out how to force them to unlock. So when they got her out, she bled everywhere, her skin turning a dangerous shade of pale white. She drifted in and out of consciousness, rambling on about inanities and giggling like a loon.
It took the combined efforts of Fluttershy, Wallflower, and Timber, but together the three managed to staunch the bleeding, finally resorting to tourniquets, which allowed Timber to use his limited surgical knowledge and the few sparing tools they had to stitch up the wounds, using liberal amounts of alcohol for disinfectant. It was messy, gross, and any hospital staff worth their salt would’ve turned up their noses at his efforts, but it did the job. It saved her legs, and more importantly, her life.
Of course right after he finished, the body discovery alarm played. Or rather, the attempted murder alarm, as most of the passengers had come to think of it, no matter how much Monoponi tried to portray it otherwise. When Monoponi made his appearance, his demeanor lacked most of his usual cocky, malicious attitude. His words lacked any real malice or cruelty. Not from a lack of desire, but from a lack of energy. He was limp, pathetic.
Oh, he still got them investigating. He even forced Rainbow and Pinkie to come to the trial, which meant everyone had to scramble to find something for Rainbow to use as a makeshift wheelchair, since she didn’t have the energy to use crutches. They resorted, eventually, to an office chair taken from behind the fitness center desk.
The trial, for once, was mercifully short. Perhaps if Flash had time he could’ve distributed various evidence, made things confusing, especially if he’d accidentally killed himself in the process. But with how quickly things occurred, he never stood a chance. Sunset cornered him and forced him to confess within an hour of the trial starting.
This led to a long, drawn out conversation between Rainbow and Flash about their mutual misunderstandings, which took longer than it should have thanks to Rainbow’s difficulty with staying conscious. But by the conclusion of it, both had apologized, and Flash even broke down crying over how ashamed he was of his mistakes. Rainbow, to her credit, forgave him, openly, and said he could always make it up to her when they got off the ship. To which he agreed.
No one voted for execution this time.
Thus despite the lack of trust going in, everyone emerged from the trial feeling, if anything, more trusting of each other. They’d made it through four murder attempts, three trials, and still no one had died. They’d thrived, despite the environment they were in.
Cozy drove them out of the courtroom, and then collapsed on her throne. She wanted to cry, but she didn’t dare allow herself to do so. Not yet. She still wasn’t beaten yet. She still refused to give, refused to give up, no matter how many times these stupid, frustrating, friendship-loving morons failed to do what they were supposed to do.
Then she sat up suddenly, a maniacal gleam in her eyes, her mouth spread in a vicious, confident smirk. It was Sunset, wasn’t it? It was always Sunset who kept them going. Who kept standing up to her. Who kept them going. Who kept them all alive.
But Cozy had one final trick up her sleeve. One last, surefire thing to get the ball rolling on the murder. And if they faltered now, she was sure she could get them killing in a hurry.
This wasn’t over yet.
The fifth time it happened, Cozy broke down in tears.
After the trial, Rainbow Dash joined Pinkie Pie in a single room, as there was enough space on the bed for both. Pinkie still needed plenty of bedrest, because although she hadn’t been on the drugs for very long, she’d still gotten herself addicted. Breaking the habit wasn’t an instantaneous process.
But Fluttershy was happy to watch over them. Especially Rainbow Dash. Somewhere deep in her soul, she’d found her feelings for Rainbow… shifting. Changing. As if a spark of her memory from before the killing game still remained, reminding her that Rainbow mattered to her far more than she’d realized.
Twilight, meanwhile, spent a lot of time with Flash, helping him to feel better in the final stages of his illness, now that they’d figured out what he was sick with. It helped them bond and become closer than ever, despite his mistakes. She certainly forgave him, and, while she knew she shouldn’t, she still felt touched by how far he was willing to go to protect her.
Theirs wasn’t the only relationship that intensified, ever stronger. Adagio and Sunset had grown close, very close indeed. Despite the lack of any real death, Adagio had initially stuck close to Sunset out of fear. But, the more time she spent with her, the more she realized… she really had fallen in love. Real love, not just the usual siren possessive greed. She cared for Sunset, deeply. Maybe it was fast. She’d barely known Sunset for two weeks, not counting their lost memories. But it felt right, somehow. And with each passing day, Adagio became less and less of the evil siren she’d been, and more and more of that sardonic kind of anti-hero, the sort that used snark and wit to insult everyone, while still showing she cared. The so-called jerk with a heart of gold, in other words.
The only relationship yet to repair itself was Rarity and Applejack. The marriage picture had come to light during the second trial, as part of Rainbow’s attempted coverup, and it drove a rift between them, deep and seemingly impassable. Rarity even threatened divorce in the last trial, and sent Applejack spiraling into a depression as a result.
Cozy opened up the last part of the ship, this time not bothering with any preamble as she introduced it. This prompted Sunset to stand up to her, claiming her plans had gone completely awry, which only cemented what Cozy planned to do next. She’d planted that guitar in the music room, after all, just to see what happened.
And everything seemed to go Cozy’s way. When Sunset and Adagio happened upon the music room, Adagio played the tune, just as Cozy hoped. And just like Cozy hoped, Sunset played the countersong and prompted Adagio to choke her out, leaving Sunset horrified by what had happened, and scrambling to repair her damaged guitar.
Later, at the meeting, Diamond Tiara revealed the photo album of the Battle of the Bands, and all hell broke loose. Adagio, hurt, betrayed, and scorned, unleashed her fury upon Sunset, breaking two of her ribs in the process before being pulled off by the combined efforts of all of the strongest members of the group. Then she stormed away to her cabin to seethe. In the aftermath, when Trixie did her best to attend to Sunset’s injuries, using the skills she’d learned from Fluttershy, Wallflower, Rarity, and Sunset officially forgave her.
Deciding she needed to be as far away from the cabins as possible, Sunset spent some time with Twilight and Flash at the museum, both of whom went nuts over the displays. Twilight in particular spent a good half hour lecturing Sunset about all the various accomplishments in spaceflight the AU achieved, and in the process, finally apologized for the way she treated Sunset after the incident with Fluttershy and Pinkie in the jewelry store. She’d taken a lot of time to think about it, and between seeing Flash come close to murder, and the confrontation with Adagio, she realized she’d been wrong to blame Sunset for any of it.
Sunset forgave her, of course. She never wanted to be at odds with Twilight to begin with, and the two became friends once more, something Sunset especially treasured given her worries over Adagio’s mental health. After all, while no one had died, several members of their group had come perilously close to killing others.
Certainly everyone else thought Adagio was a threat. Many of the passengers gathered up weapons and took to carrying them around, whether it was one of the swords Trixie used for her display, the spear used for the spear trap--that one Timber took, claiming he was an expert with spears thanks to spear fishing--or a baseball bat.
Cozy, deciding an extra mote of tension among the passengers was needed, and frankly more than a little sick of dealing with them, brought them all together for a punishment-based motive, the Monocoins. Maybe being forced to eat nothing but instant ramen would finally get them killing each other.
It certainly didn’t help the feeling of tension, when Adagio saw all the weapons everyone was carrying. So hoping to bridge the divide between them, Sunset arranged to meet with Adagio at the indoor pool. Of course, despite Adagio’s request she didn’t go alone. She got Rarity and Timber to watch her back. Which proved to be a mistake, judging by how Adagio reacted when she spotted them. Adagio hurled Sunset into the pool, leading to Rarity rescuing her, and Sunset fearing for her life.
Later that evening found Sunset hanging out with Trixie, talking to her about strange dreams and her worries. Though Trixie requested Sunset stay for the night, Sunset refused.
And she regretted that. Deeply.
For it turned out she’d forgotten she’d given Adagio a key to her room, and the siren ambushed her there. Torturing her with a pipe wrench, Adagio declared she’d had enough of this place, of all these people who saw her as an enemy, and it was time for her to claim victory over them all. So after smacking Sunset around some more she forced Sunset through the promenade all the way to the library archive room, tied her up with zip ties, dosed her with ketamine, and locked her inside to die of dehydration.
Unbeknownst to Adagio, however, Trixie had seen the whole thing. Scared out of her mind, the illusionist hesitated for a while, before deciding she could confide in two of her other friends, Wallflower and Rarity. Or even in Fluttershy, whom she’d also become friends with after taking care of Pinkie and Rainbow Dash with her. But it was not to be. Cozy appeared as Monoponi and ordered Trixie not to interfere, on pain of death. Trixie, too scared to protest, gave in and agreed to Monoponi’s offer of a complicated murder mystery.
Inwardly Cozy celebrated.She’d done it. Even if Sunset didn’t die, Adagio and Trixie were sure to, one way or another. There was no way she could lose now.
Trixie planned and schemed that night, but ran out of time to act, as by the time she settled on a plan it was near morning. She’d have to act the following evening, and hope like hell Sunset lived in the meantime.
The next day saw everyone save for Adagio in a panic over Sunset’s disappearance. Adagio had planned her murder well, and played her role as a scared and worried person who, now that her estranged lover had gone missing, deeply regretted her actions. And yet, even as she lied and deceived her way through winning Rarity, Fluttershy, Apple Bloom, and even Sweetie Belle on her side, she felt a mote of real guilt worming its way into her heart. Genuine regret. She’d cared so deeply for Sunset, and even though Sunset was the whole reason she’d lost her magic, she… somewhere inside she still loved Sunset, no matter what she’d said to her. But she pressed on with her plan nonetheless, despite that sense of guilt growing throughout the day till it threatened to overwhelm her. She’d made her choice. She’d stick by it.
That night saw many people wandering the ship far later than normal. Scootaloo, so worried over Sunset, and so tired of feeling helpless, lost control and destroyed the music room, and one of the glass classes in the museum for good measure, before returning to her cabin, more ashamed than ever. Applejack, who’d been spying on Adagio all day, kept up a patrol until exhaustion claimed her. Diamond Tiara and Timber found themselves walking around aimlessly, and so on.
But eventually everyone went to bed except for Trixie, who finally had a chance to enact her scheme. While taking care of Pinkie Pie she’d learned a few interesting tricks, and thought Pinkie would appreciate the use of pranks. Thus she erected her trap at the church, complete with the incense candles, the confetti, the shekeres, and the bucket. Spotting the damage at the museum, she picked up a rock from the broken case to use as well, for convenience’s sake. Then she readied her knife, dropped off the note at Adagio’s door, and waited.
Consumed by her guilt, and now terrified she’d be caught out after all, Adagio obeyed the note’s instructions and went to the church. And just as Trixie planned, she spotted the bucket, and dodged it. She opened the door, and set off the trap, then was bludgeoned in the face by Trixie. Her senses overwhelmed, she fell back, vulnerable. Trixie reared back to strike.
And then Flash Sentry wandered in, and screamed.
Flash, who still felt more than a little guilty himself over his attempted murder, had a sleepless night. He’d gotten out of bed at 3:00 AM that morning and decided that perhaps he could ease his guilty conscience by praying at the church, like a few others had already. So, while he still moved slowly thanks to his sore stomach, he managed to arrive. Just in time to witness Trixie about to murder Adagio.
His scream distracted Trixie enough that her strike on Adagio missed, the knife falling out of her hand. Scared out of her mind, Trixie dove for the knife, making a snap decision that Flash would have to die too, now that he’d seen too much. But she didn’t get the chance. Adagio recovered quickly, far quicker than Trixie expected she could, and bashed Trixie from behind, sending her sprawling. Then, pushing Flash aside hard enough he smacked his head into the wall, she ran out of the room altogether, and raced for her cabin, unaware she’d left behind her reminder note in the process.
Poor Flash was left stunned, and more than that, confused. Between the blow to the head, his own fatigue, and the leftover effects of his illness, he didn’t know what he’d witnessed anymore. All he’d seen was a confusing mess, a flash of someone about to stab someone else, and then nothing. So, still reeling from the blow, he bent down to help Trixie get to her feet.
Trixie was left similarly dazed, but unlike Flash she had enough wits about her to realize this might still work in her favor. If this counted as an attempted murder, Monoponi might still call a trial. Sunset might still have a chance. She just had to get the key. So she played it up. She claimed Adagio tried to kill her, and screamed for Monoponi to ring the alarm.
And sure enough, the alarm played. Everyone was ripped from their sleep and forced to come down to the church, Adagio included. Adagio, furious beyond belief, was forced to watch Trixie ham things up, claiming to be the victim of an attempted murder, while she knew better. But she couldn’t out Trixie without outing her own plan as a result, and she knew where that would lead. She had to maintain the illusion.
During the resulting investigation, which Trixie took charge in because she claimed she was best suited to figuring it out, she found the note Adagio dropped. Then she took advantage of a spare moment to find and secure the key from the telescope where Adagio had left it, and used her skills with sleight of hand to slip it underneath the archive door, along with Sunset’s Monopad.
Then once more everyone was forced into the courtroom. Rainbow still needed her improvised wheelchair, still too dazed to walk easily on crutches, and Flash had to lean on Twilight to get around, but the tension was thicker than ever. Everyone was far more worried about Sunset than whoever tried to kill Trixie. If Sunset failed to arrive by the trial’s end, she’d die… and so too would their trust in each other.
The resulting trial was a nightmare of back and forth arguing, worse than any trial before it. Cozy had rigged up a light to show Sunset’s lifesigns, to make the tension even worse, and Trixie wasn’t the only one to notice. Wallflower did too, as did Apple Bloom and Fluttershy. So, partway through the trial, when the light faded, Trixie was not the only one to immediately burst into tears.
Cozy was ecstatic. Exalting in her true victory, she did her utmost to use her Monoponi disguise to throw this in everyone’s faces, taunting them over and over with how important Sunset was to them. While it made her feel even better, watching the despair that took hold of the passengers, it also had an unintended side effect.
Adagio broke. The guilt proved to be too much in the end, and when she’d realized she’d actually succeeded in killing Sunset, her heart shattered to pieces. So she confessed. She told everyone her plan, and gave herself up. She was ready to die, to be executed as the first official blackened, because she’d screwed up so badly.
Of course Cozy wouldn’t let the trial end there. Despite almost everyone screaming for Adagio’s head and more than a few passengers outright thirsty for her blood to be spilled, for the sake of vengeance, they still had to solve the attempted murder of Trixie. Adagio tried to take credit for that too, but Cozy would have none of it. This despair, this brutal chaos, this was what she’d wanted to see all along. Now that she finally had it, she had to savor it. Allow the taste to fill her mouth, enjoy it for as long as possible. So as soon as Adagio made her false confession, Monoponi declared she was lying, and a false confession wouldn’t be accepted in his courtroom.
In the middle of that confusion, Trixie’s heart broke next. Not only had she failed to save Sunset’s life, but she was going to have to out herself as an attempted murderer. Again. And this time she doubted she’d escape execution. So she prepared to give herself up too.
And then the elevator descended and Sunset stepped out. Dehydrated, yes. Filthy, injured in more ways than one… but alive.
The jubilation that filled the courtroom only barely overshadowed Cozy’s complete and utter rage-based breakdown.
Once the cheering had died down, Sunset confronted Adagio over what she’d tried to do. Adagio, too happy about Sunset’s survival to care what the others thought of her now, took a long time apologizing to Sunset, begging for forgiveness, promising to do anything to make it up to Sunset, that she never should’ve attacked her to begin with. She even forgave Sunset for taking away her magic. She just wanted to be with Sunset again. Forget everything else. They could be trapped on this ship for the rest of their lives, if it meant she’d be able to stay with Sunset.
Sunset, magnanimous as ever, forgave Adagio at once.
Thrilled by the fact that her plan had somehow succeeded despite her failure to off Adagio, Trixie proceeded to bring the trial to a rapid close, and happily admitted her own guilt. Though Sunset, not to mention Rarity, Wallflower, and a few others were furious with her, they all understood. Adagio even thanked her, because if Trixie hadn’t tried to kill her, Sunset wouldn’t have escaped, and really would have died.
Cozy tried to have Adagio executed anyway, by forcing people to vote on her as an attempted murderer. But true to form, although a few considered it, no one voted for her to die. And Trixie got away without a single yea vote either.
Though many of the passengers still distrusted Adagio after she’d shown she had the capacity to lie to their faces and try to commit murder… that was also true of many of them at this point. Their trust in each other had quaked, over and over, but it never fully broke. It never shattered, no matter what they’d been through. And so while a few still had doubts, they nevertheless attempted to move past them, even the more stubborn ones like Applejack and Diamond Tiara. They decided that, if Sunset could forgive Adagio, and accept her back, they’d accept Adagio too.
Only when they’d all left the courtroom did Cozy collapse on her throne and burst into tears. She’d failed. Her final attempt failed. She’d run out of time. Her sources in the Canterlot police department confirmed that Princess Twilight would be on her way in less than a day. And without the emotional and psychological torture of watching her friends die, there was little hope she’d make the mistakes that Cozy needed her to in order to trap her.
She spent a long time, a very long time crying her heart out over her failures, until she fell asleep on the throne, not awakening until early the next morning. Then she decided she still couldn’t give up. She still had to try.
If she could just capture Princess Twilight, she’d still pull off a win. That’s what she had to focus on now. She could still do it. She could.
Or so she hoped.
The sixth time it happened, Cozy surrendered.
Buoyed by the fact that her friends had never, not even once, killed each other, Princess Twilight boarded her ship, the Avenger, without bringing along the experimental nuclear device. She’d thought about it, heavily, as a possible backup plan. As a way to ensure Monoponi couldn’t escape. But then she dismissed that as a stupid idea. Maybe if lives had been lost, if there were fewer left on the ship, she’d be that desperate. But there was no need to risk ending everyone when there were so many lives to save.
So when she departed, she brought along a different backup plan instead. Starswirl himself would accompany her, and would protect the ship with his own magic while she went on ahead to take on Monoponi. While she still ran the risk of being captured, she knew that having him around meant there’d be a safeguard, a way to get out. Or at least guarantee the cruise ship sank, if all hope was lost.
Meanwhile, Cozy, having to work fast now, ordered everyone to gather on the bridge deck, refusing to give them the chance to eat or drink any breakfast, or even get the proper rest they needed after spending half the day before on the investigation and trial. She forced them into the final investigation, after scattering various clues around the ship.
Between Rainbow’s difficulties with walking, Pinkie Pie still suffering from her withdrawal, Flash’s lingering illness, and Sunset’s own injuries, the investigation went more slowly than everyone would’ve liked, especially with the ninety minute time limit Cozy slapped upon them.
But they made it through anyway, even if several of them needed a cane or, in Rainbow’s case, a buddy to wheel her around. They found all the clues, including the picture Cozy planted for Apple Bloom to find, along with instructions that she could reveal the secret she’d been given when the time was right. As well as clues suggesting the possibility that any single one of them could be the traitor.
Once in the trial, things heated up quickly. People found reasons to suspect each other, ranging from the invoices of Applejack’s farm selling goods to the ship, to Diamond Tiara’s stock certificate, Rarity’s black book, and so on. Only when Apple Bloom decided to reveal the secret she was given did everyone suddenly focus on Sunset. Even though Apple Bloom herself didn’t think it meant Sunset was traitorous by itself, she admitted it didn’t look very good, when put together with everything else.
Of course a few refused to accept the idea Sunset was the traitor. Adagio backed her, no matter what the others said. Trixie did too. So, to Sunset’s surprise, did Wallflower. Very surprising indeed, considering the way Wallflower had treated her at the start of the game. Over time she’d forgiven Wallflower and they’d become friends, by virtue of both caring for Trixie, but it still shocked Sunset that Wallflower would have that level of faith in her.
That trust didn’t shake at all even when Apple Bloom revealed the demon picture. Despite Apple Bloom declaring this meant Sunset had to be the traitor, she did so without malice, and stated that Sunset must have been used by the mastermind. She didn’t believe Sunset had it in her to plan this game, not when Sunset had dedicated herself to keep everyone alive, and especially not when everyone really had made it all the way here. Damaged by the experience, yes, but alive.
So to Cozy’s shock, the reveal of Sunset’s official Ultimate Traitor title not only did not break apart the group, it cemented them together, stronger than ever. Everyone backed Apple Bloom’s assertion, convinced by her words. Everyone believed Sunset herself, who refused to allow Monoponi to get to her. Everyone stood by her.
Still, not to be deterred, Cozy pushed them into figuring out the mastermind next. She threatened, cajoled, and did everything she could to make the situation as stressful as possible, even as Princess Twilight came closer and closer to boarding the ship. Finally she threatened everyone’s lives, holding them up by the throat and threatening to kill them one by one till Sunset solved her identity.
Fortunately for them, Sunset successfully figured Cozy out. She made her pronouncement to all, and Cozy took it upon herself to finally shed the Monoponi disguise and reveal her true form. Yet this still didn’t seem to elicit the level of fear in them she’d hoped. They were too strong as a group. Maybe if she was facing down five people, she could’ve had them horrified. Terrified. Afraid of her every whim. But sixteen? Even sixteen whom moments ago she really had been about to kill? No, she didn’t stand a chance, and she knew it. She had to bank on one last roll of the dice.
Princess Twilight broke into the ship and triggered Cozy’s trap. Though cautious, clever, and keen-eyed, Cozy had taken some time that morning while the others investigated to redesign the trap, make it harder to detect, harder to break. So despite herself, Twilight Sparkle was still captured.
Cozy crowed, for her victory had come at last. With Twilight Sparkle’s power ready to be drained, she could get rid of them. She didn’t need them. And she started with Twilight’s ship, launching the cruise missiles to blow it apart, not knowing that Starswirl had it shielded.
Of course even Starswirl the Bearded’s power was no match against such technological might, and he realized it. So when the cruise missiles swarmed in, he dropped the shield, and teleported the whole ship instead. It took all of his power to do it, and left the old stallion drained, exhausted, and in a coma, but he did. He moved the ship away just as the missiles exploded, far enough away that it was out of radio range.
To those on the cruise ship, however, it looked like Cozy had blown it up. The failure of the Avenger to respond to Twilight’s radio seemed to confirm that. That shook them, all of them, deep to the core. Their chance at escape had seemingly slipped through their fingers. They lost themselves as Cozy continued to explain her plan, now strutting about, oozing with smugness over her seeming victory.
But finally Cozy had enough of dealing with them, especially when Diamond Tiara’s counterspeech risked them using the magic of friendship on her. So she acted quickly, summoning up her strength to wipe Sunset out for good.
She hadn’t expected Sunset to turn that on her and use it to steal her own magic back. That was the final straw. That was what broke her, and she lost it. So infuriated, lost in rage, she tried attack after magical attack, growing more furious by the second as Sunset proceeded to, somehow, grant every single one of her fellow passengers magic. What few conflicts remained vanished during this process. Rarity forgave Applejack, and promised to get back together with her. Diamond Tiara and Applejack made friends. Scootaloo and Tiara asked each other out. Twilight and Adagio forgave each other. Pinkie Pie forgave Trixie. Sweetie Belle and Sunset made amends. On and on it went, more and more until sixteen ponied up passengers faced off against her.
The rainbow lasers tore Cozy’s power away. They stripped her of everything, every last bit she had. Helpless, hopeless to fight back against the power of friendship, she gave up.
At first the mood was bittersweet. Even if they’d won, eight hundred ponies had lost their lives. Twilight Sparkle, the human one, lost her brother. Princess Twilight lost a mentor and grandfather figure. Cozy still felt like she’d gotten something out of the deal.
That was until the Avenger came back over the horizon and contacted Princess Twilight by radio.
With the cruise ship in tow, the Avenger returned to Equestria via a portal, to allow those who’d been trapped aboard the ship to return home much faster than they would otherwise. Cozy was escorted to Canterlot, imprisoned in the dungeons until her sentence could be carried out. She’d be petrified, again, and placed in a sealed chamber where it would never be possible for her to escape. She’d never be let out.
Cozy couldn’t even summon up the energy to protest.
The rest returned to their lives, happy to have survived. Soon after, Sunset restored their memories. Though they’d been through a harrowing experience, through trauma and conflict and horror, they’d survived.
Just this once, everybody lived.