The six stood at the sealed off entrance. Serenade had his photo album tucked under his arm and the button left by the mastermind in his hand.
"Do...do you guys really think this'll open the doors...?" He asked them all.
"It must." Orion says. "After all, we were told that we had to leave here is we wished for despair to be punished, correct? Then this button opening the doors is the only explanation..."
"Plus...we don't really have a choice but to press it." Digital reminds them. "The air purifiers have been switched off now, we'll run out of oxygen quickly."
"Besides, the only way to live is to move forward and we can't do that with these doors in our way!" Grimdark chuckles.
"Oh! Serenade!" Olive looks at Serenade's hand. "You...you still have some of Samurai's blood on your hand..."
"...I know..." Serenade looked at it. "I think this is what kept me motivated to win during the class trial..."
"You wanted to win for Samurai?" Orion asked.
"Mmhm..." Serenade sighed. "He was so close to making it out of here as well..."
"But, in a sense, he saved us all, right?" Grimdark asked. "He may not have done much beforehand...but Samurai was what we needed in the end..."
"Right! Samurai was also our friend, that's enough to show his strength...we'll be his friends even in his death, right?" Olive asked.
"For sure!" Digital smiled. "I didn't really get to know him...but according to you guys...he seemed like a good guy..."
"He was indeed..." Orion said. "He helped me when Nimbus had met his demise...he was...a true symbol of hope...."
"...we should tell the news that when we get out of here! Samurai's story, I can see it as a big hit as a book...or maybe a movie?" Olive smiled.
"We can't just pretend all the other deaths didn't happen though, everyone should get their bit in the news as well...we all had individual experiences with a few of the victims, right?" Digital asked.
"I did." Serenade said.
"Same here!" Olive added.
"As did I." Orion smiled.
"I didn't have much time to...but I hung with that Hammer guy..." Grimdark folded his arms.
"What about you, Beau?" Serenade turned to the red Pegasus.
"Hmm?" Beau, who had yet to speak looked at him. "Well...the thing is...I've been so focused on the mastermind that I didn't really spend time with anyone else...I deeply regret it now as well because..." There was a sniffle. "B-because..." She turned to them all, tears streaming down her face but a content smile beaming at them. "I don't have to pretend I don't care...I don't have to be strong for everyone..." Everyone looked at her dumbfounded.
"You...you acted like that...to be strong for everyone else...?" Serenade said astonished. Beau replied with a nod as she dried her eyes.
"Why would you feel the need to do that?" Digital asked her.
"Because...my father always told me that when there are those that are weaker and that need your help...never cry, be strong for their sake...I will always live by my fathers words..."
"Beau..." Serenade started. "You should have said so earlier...maybe I wouldn't have misunderstood you..."
"I couldn't say anything...it's not I didn't want to...I just would never break my promise to my father...'only cry and tell when it's all over' and that's exactly what this moment is...the time that everything comes to a close..."
"Yeah...an end to the killings..." Olive smiles.
"End to the despair..." Grimdark added.
"You know...thinking more about it...what do you think she meant when she said that we were 'the most despair induced students in Equestria'?" Digital asked.
"...maybe we all have our secrets...and that's alright, isn't it?" Olive said.
"Yes, indeed...but we never solved the mystery of the Super High School Level Assassin...did we...?" Orion pointed out.
"Oh yeah! You're right! I mean...we all thought it was Beau but..."
"It isn't me, I assure you, Serenade..." Beau cut him off.
"So, what is your real title?" Grimdark asked.
"...that, I can't reveal...I apologise from the bottom of my hear but...it could put my life in jeopardy if you all knew..."
"Your life...?" Digital repeated.
"Yes...but like I said, you don't need to know..."
There still are a few unsolved mysteries in this school...but, does that really matter in the end? Does it really concern any of us...? Probably not...
"Guys...can I be honest for a second...?" Olive asked. "I'm really scared of leaving...no, not scared...terrified...what if what we were told is true? What if we have nowhere to go?"
"...we'll find out soon enough, right?" Beau said. "I mean...it's not like we'll be completely alone...we have each other...as friends, do we not?"
"Yeah. No matter what, we have got to stay in contact after this!" Grimdark smiled.
"It would a lovely event if we all got to meet again as a group." Orion smiled.
"I'll have to rebuild my farm if what we were told is true, y'know?"
"Well, I always have some spare time. I could help out with that." Grimdark offers.
"R-really?"
"Yeah, why not? Sounds like fun!"
"That's great! I'd really appreciate any help I could get!" Olive cheered.
"Then, I will be forced to start over my spirit channelling work..." Orion says, showing everyone a bag that contained her equipment.
"Well, I'll need a place to live if our lives have gone to shit...so I could always be there to help out." Digital says.
"Perfect! You would be the perfect candidate for my work!"
"That's good to hear..."
"So, that just leaves us..." Serenade says, turning to Beau.
"Hmm? Oh, I guess so..." Beau said, slightly embarrassed. "But...don't you have that club of yours...?"
"Well yeah but-...wait...I never told you about my club..."
"H-huh?"
"How did you know about me owning a club without me telling you about it?"
"Did I not explain it to you when we did our very first investigation...? Ms Love knows much more than she lets on..." Orion giggled.
"Sh-shut up you creepy goth!" Beau yelled out, a blush visible even on her red coat. Everyone laughed a little bit.
"So, does this mean we just...open the doors?" Olive asked. They all looked at each other individually.
"You know...this might sound weird...but I'm gonna miss this place..." Digital says. "This is where we made most of our friends right...? That's gotta mean something..."
"But it's also where we saw our friends kill each other off one-by-one..." Grimdark points out. "But even so...there was some enjoyment in here...getting to meet everyone...I've never really had friends. I had been born and raised in an army environment my whole life..."
"So that's why you're so rough around the edges?" Digital asks.
"R-rough around the edges...? Y-yeah...I guess so..."
"It seems that even when we leave...the spirits of those that perished will wish to watch over this building..." Orion informs them.
"Umm...speaking of which...during the trial...did anyone hear a voice whispering to them...?" Olive asked.
"Y-you heard one too?" Beau asked.
"I did as well..." Digital says.
"We all heard a voice...?" Grimdark's eyes widened.
"It was just when I was gonna give up...I heard this upbeat girl talking to me...saying that my friends sacrifices shouldn't be wasted!"
"Mine was some older guy saying that I need to beat despair...and there was somethin' about the occult in there..." Grimdark rubbed the back of his head.
"Mine just sounded like a stuck up rich prick." Digital laughs.
"A girl with a rather noticeable stutter...and then a rather scary cackle..." Orion shuddered.
"Monotone...but forceful..." Beau says.
"Mine...mine just encouraged me...encouraged me to not give into despair, saying that Junko was too far gone to save..." Serenade finishes the discussion of the voices.
"Then...do you think that when the mastermind was talking about who Serenade looked like...she meant the voices...? Like we reminded her of someone...?" Olive asked.
"It is certainly possible..." Orion admits.
"Well...is that everything...because we need to leave..." Beau says.
"She's right...without the air purifiers, we'll suffocate..." Grimdark says.
"Then, Serenade...will you do the honor?" Digital looks at him. The six stood with a smile each on their faces in a line in front of the door.
"We fought for this guys...we should be proud..." Serenade raised the button. Because...we did fight for this, we deserve this, everyone deserved to leave here...but even so. They helped us in their own way. I probably wouldn't be here without these six...this is their victory as much as it is mine...but, it's like I said in the trial, I'm not the smartest, I'm not the strongest, I'm not the most athletic...I'm completely normal...well, not completely normal, but one thing I can say is... Serenade looked down and pressed the button, the alarms went off as the locks of the doors released one-by-one, opening the metal guarding on the door. Leaving a light to shine through as the world re-opened to them.
I'm Serenade Stereo...and I'm just a musician...