//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Class Trial - Part 2 // Story: Super Dangan RonPonya: Set Sail for Despair Isles // by Serenade-Stereo //------------------------------// Trial Resume! Monomi Theatre "Hi, I'm Monomi! And my heart is throbbing like crazy right now! Our do-gooder and justice loving attorney of the group, Swift was killed in a self-defence? What would that even mean?! I don't want to believe that any of my students would hurt another no matter what the reason! I'll keep believing with all my heart. Love, love!" "By self-defence..." Pure had gone slightly pale. "Are you implying that Swift had the intention to kill someone? No! I refuse to believe that! It's impossible!" "Oh it is rather possible." Bright contradicted. "Especially with this kind of motive presented to us..." "You mean the Changeling among us? Along with the plus one off the island if the killer gets away with this?" Memory asked. "You know. Self-defence isn't what would come to mind for me with a motive like that..." Toxic closed his eyes. "But we need to focus on this possibility first." "It's ridiculous! I refuse to believe it!" Pure shook her head violently. "Swift wouldn't hurt anyone! He was a defence attorney, it's against everything he knows!" "But remember where we are right now." Paint reminded Pure. "In a place like this, morals have no effect on an individual's decision." "B-but..." Pure went silent before her eyebrow's furrowed, gritting her teeth to the point of where they may break into pieces. "Swift would never do that! Why would any of you think that he would even let the thought of hurting someone cross his mind?! What about the Changeling? The Changeling could have disguised itself as Swift and flew to Second Island with the sledgehammer! I want a real argument!" Non-Stop Debate Evidence Bullets -Pure's Account -Clover's Account -Bud's Account -Store Inventory -Changeling Data Pure- Just because of his capabilities...that doesn't mean that Swift carried the sledgehammer! Bud- And your rebuttal is that it could have been the Changeling? Pure- Yes! The Changeling must have carried the sleadehammer! Toxic- Do you have any actual evidence? Keep in mind that Changelings can only appear like their gender. Memory- But because of the condition Enterna had. That means she could look like guys as well Clover- But even so...d-do we have evidence to say whether it was Swift or Enterna that carried the sledgehammer? Aqua- Guess we'll never know... Swift, the victim. Or could it have been Enterna, the Changeling? One thing's for certain, there will be unhappy results either way... No, that's wrong! "There's no possible way that the Changeling could have carried the sledgehammer to the Second Island. Seriously, Pure, are you just pretending you don't know?" "W-what are you talking about...?" Pure asked, playing dumb. "You told me yourself that Swift being a Pegasus was a secret he only told you so unless you're the Changeling then there is no way that Changeling could have disguised themselves as Swift and flew to Second Island!" "U-uuu..." Pure whined. "B-but Swift would never intend to hurt someone..." "Unless there was someone here that he was willing to kill for." Quick put his hands in his pockets. "Probably would have been you, Pure." "W-what...?" Her face was struck with horror. "You're trying to say that Swift would kill...for me...? No, that's not true! Why would he do that? We had a fight the day before and Swift doesn't let things go very easily...there's no reason for him to risk his life for me." "Or was there?" Bright glared. "There was actually a possibility I wasn't that sure of presenting for everyone...but Pure's behaviour might just mean it has some merit to it." "You have something?" Toxic asked. "Alright then, let's hear what you've came up with then." "What if the Swift wasn't acting alone? In this kind of case, with this kind of motive...I believe that we should discuss the possibility of an accomplice." The room went silent at her words. The option of an accomplice hadn't even crossed their minds until now. "It actually makes some sense..." Clip admitted with a mumbled frown. "Honestly, they could just save their accomplice if they won the trial...or pick someone else and leave them to die..." "Anything could happen!" Laser smiled before switching to a serious gaze. "Let's be real for a moment though. Did Swift really have an accomplice in this?" "Y-you're believing this far to easily!" Pure burst out. "There's no possible way that there was an accomplice! There's no evidence of there being one!" "E-er..." Toxic bit his lip in thought. "Yeah...she's right." "Da-da-da!" Laser giggled. "I guess that's why your the Super Middle School Level Prosecutor!" Techno scanned the room, seeing the various expressions on everyone's faces. Gah! He yelled in his head. Now everybody'll be stuck in a huge confusion unless I can show evidence of an accomplice...but I need a theory to back it up. It's clear the evidence I have won't prove it on its own...alright, focus Techno. You've got this... Conscious Connections Q: What theory proves that Swift had an accomplice in the murder he planned and what evidence backs it up? Evidence Bullets -Loose Tile -Drag Marks in the Blood -Golden Bead -Dirt -Luminol Test Results Techno- The accomplice was inside the room...? Techno- The accomplice was in the secret passage? Techno- The accomplice was outside the entrance to the room? Techno- Maybe they didn't turn up? Damn...what the hell am I supposed to think? There has to be an answer...something... I've Figured out the Answer! "I think I know how to prove that there was an accomplice!" Everyone was slightly surprised by Techno's outburst. "You...figured it out?" Bud rubbed her wrist. "Is there really evidence of there being an accomplice...?" "N-not a chance...there's no possible way that you can prove that!" Pure yelled. "I wouldn't be to sure about that. You see, I investigated the second floor of the building and right above the crime scene there was a loose tile that when lifted, created another escape route from the room. Now, that on its own doesn't seem to be connected other than the fact that it was an alternate route...but what if that was how the culprit escaped the room?" "Why would they do that?" Rip asked. "They had the secret passage and the actual room door." "Well, they couldn't have used that secret passage because only Toxic knew it existed and they couldn't use the normal door...well they could have. Though I think that's where the accomplice was." "Come again?" Aqua folded her arms. "You think the reason the culprit left the scene through the ceiling tile...was because the alleged accomplice was outside the room door?" "Yeah. It makes sense, right?" "Alright then...who was this 'accomplice' then?" Aqua smirked. "Hmph. I thought you would have figured that out by now. The identity of the accomplice is-!" "It's me..." A small voice interrupted. Everyone feel silent as they turned to the one that had spoken up. Pure. "It's me...I'm the accomplice...w-well, sort of..." "W-what the hell?" Toxic grumbled. "Pure is the accomplice?" "No!" She objected. "I wasn't in on the murder! The truth is...the truth is that I was first to discover the body!" "You discovered the body?" Memory inquired with interest. "And how did that happen, exactly?" "Well...earlier in the day after we had our breakfast meet-up, I got a note when I returned to my room. I have it here:" She pulled out the small piece of paper. "It was an invite from Swift, he wanted to meet with me at the institute at 1:20." "The time of the murder?" Clip raised an eyebrow. "Yeah...b-but by the time I had arrived at the crime scene, Swift had already been killed! I had nothing to do with the murder or the crime that Swift had plotted!" "Wait a second..." Memory's eyes widened. "There's...there's a glaring contradiction in what you're telling us." "Contradiction? Where?" Pure gave of a worried vibe. Contradiction in what Pure is telling us...? Does he mean...? I see it now! "You must be referring to how many people discovered the body before the announcement was made...because it was only made after you and I found Swift." "At that point, according to everything we heard so far. Three people had already found the body before us. Monokuma! The Corpse Discovery Announcement...by any chance, was the culprit among those that found it?" "Hmm?" Monokuma jolted up, taken off guard by the sudden question. "You want to know that of all things...? Ur...well, I can't just tell you that." "That's a no." Bright grinned. "Your expression says it all." "G-gah?! You can't do that! That's pretty much cheating the system!" Monokuma cried. "It's not really..." Paint shrugs. "She's just using her talent, since when was that against the class trial rules?" "W-well...I guess it's not, is it?" Monokuma look down with depression. "Yeah!" Monomi cheered. "You showed him up!" "Shut up, rabbit..." Aqua mumbled. "But what does that have to do with anything? Does it actually help us figure out the identity of the culprit of something?" "I think...that was the deciding factor." Memory nodded. "Techno, there were three people that allegedly discovered the body before we did...one of them is lying and that student is the culprit. So now that you know that...do you know who the culprit is?" "Yeah. It's pretty clear at this point...but..." Techno bit his lip. Why did it have to be her of all people...? The culprit... You're the True Culprit! "...Dammit...Clover, you're the real culprit, right? You're the one that killed Swift..." Techno turned to the white unicorn at his left. Clover stood with sudden petrification, her pupils shrank as a small bead of sweat ran down her face. "M-m-me...?" She barely made out with a small squeak. "It wouldn't make sense for Pure to be targeted by Swift and vice-versa, plus Bud discovered the body whilst you were with her...but you never went into the crime scene with her, did you?" "No..." Bud confirmed. "She stayed in the hallway whilst I looked inside...she said she couldn't face his body again. I'm sorry Clover! I don't want to convict you!" "B-but...I did see the body!" Clover cried out. "The discovery of a body doesn't count unless you actually step inside the room! I saw Swift through the window of the door!" "If that's true...it would explain why the Corpse Discovery Announcement played after Techno and I stumbled onto it..." Memory tapped his chin. "Even so, that doesn't mean you're completely off the hook, Clover." "Why?! What did I do wrong?!" "Killed Swift, apparently..." Aqua grinned darkly. "And if she is the killer then she has to be executed!" "But Clover can be really timid and we know that she's never done anything to harm anyone. She avoids conflict...could she really have killed Swift?" Quick asked. "E-exactly! I wouldn't have any reason to kill Swift!" "Nobody had a reason to kill Swift." Bright fixed her glasses. "Remember, if Swift was attacking with the sledgehammer then that means that the culprit attacked in self-defence." "U-uuu..." Clover whimpered. "E-even so...I'm not strong at all, I couldn't lift a heavy sledgehammer like that! H-how could I have killed Swift? Even if it was in self-defence!" "She's right. She wouldn't have the strength to lift that sledgehammer's weight." Quick agreed. "But didn't we agree that the culprit didn't touch the sledgehammer? That they used magic to lift it?" Rip asked. "Problem. We never actually showed evidence that magic was used in that room." Memory frowned. "Yeah. Even so, that evidence does exist." Toxic grinned. "I know it does." Toxic knows it? Evidence that magic had been used in the crime scene...well there was that... I'll prove it with this! "Are you talking about the Manatite Test results?" Techno guessed. "Yeah. There were plenty of traces of the Mana Magic being used within the crime scene. That implies that the culprit not only used magic...but is a Changeling." "Wait. Are you saying Clover is the Changeling that's been hiding among us all?!" Laser's eyes widened. "Wow, if we're stacking on the accusations then I think that it was Clover that took Techno's stuff!" "Seriously, how do you keep getting into my room?" "Techno, can't you just focus on the murder case?! Somebody died!" Laser scolded. "...Are you kidding me...?" Techno's brow furrowed. "Can we please stay on topic without getting side-tracked every five minutes?!" Aqua snapped. "She's right, for now we should figure out if Swift was correct when he picked his victim..." Bright adjusted her glasses. "You mean if the culprit was really the Changeling? Well...the Manatite results showed us that Mana was used in the room...that should mean the sledgehammer was picked up with Mana, right?" Rip suggested. "Well there were handprints that were made by Mana so the culprit could have grabbed the sledgehammer's handle after they killed Swift which does explain the drag marks in blood." Toxic nodded. "Any comments, Clover?" Quick gritted his teeth. "E-even with all that! You have no evidence that it was me!" She cried out. "Hey, I have a question." Bud interrupted. "If the culprit grab the sledgehammer after the murder? If they were the changeling then they would have known that Mana would have been left behind on it, right?" Why did the culprit grab the sledgehammer...well they may have had no choice... I can prove it with this! "There's a very reasonable explanation for why the culprit used their hands instead of using their magic when they picked up the sledgehammer the second time. When Memory and I were at the library, we were looking up information on Changelings and one of them was that they can't produce their own magic, they have to collect it from other beings." "How does that work exactly?" Quick gave a sceptical glance at Techno. "Well they have to harvest it from the strong emotions of those that are around them." Memory explains. "Problem is, they can only do that with certain emotions such as love and embarrassment." "So if they ran out of magic during the murder...then they would have to drag the sledgehammer away from the crime scene!" Rip exclaimed as if she had made the ultimate case-breaking discovery. "They couldn't have dragged it away though." Bud shook her head. "Remember? Pure was outside the door and the culprit didn't know about the secret passage, the only way out was the tile...so how did they get the sledgehammer out of the crime scene?" "They probably didn't all of their Mana but knew that they were low...Enterna must have used the last of their magic to get out of the room along with the sledgehammer!" Memory pointed at Clover. "Well?! Tell us the truth Clover!" "I k-keep telling you all...I'd n-never hurt Swift! Why...? Why do you keep blaming me?!" She whimpered. Techno gritted his teeth as he looked to the centre of the room. Shit...why am I doing this to her? Clover isn't a bad person yet I know that she has to be the one that killed Swift, there's no other possible culprit! "Dammit!" He slammed his fists on the stand, catching everyone off guard. "T-Techno..." Clip murmured. "Clover...you've kept denying that you're the culprit and frankly, I want to believe you." He looked at Clover. "Though even when I hate to say it you haven't shown any evidence that proves that you aren't." "T-T-Techno...alright then well...where did the dirt on Swift's shirt come from?!" She exclaimed. "Wait." Toxic paused. "That's your defence? The dirt on Swift?" Non-Stop Debate Evidence Bullets -Clover's Account -Quick's Account -Dirt -Monokuma File 2 -Suits of Armour -Missing Library Books Paint- You really want to try using the dirt we found at the crime scene to your advantage? Clover- We thought that it came from the secret passage...but Toxic told us differently! Toxic- That may be true...yet how is this becoming an argument? Clover- B-because...with no way to get dirt on me...then there's no way I killed Swift! Quick- As ridiculous as it sounds...it does sound kind of logical. Rip- So were we wrong? Is Clover not the culprit? Bright- It might still be to soon to decide that. Clover- Why? Why don't you trust me?! Aqua- ... Clover is really grasping at straws right now. It's just so pitiful...but there may be something she said that's true... I'm in agreement with you! "Clover...you're telling the truth there. You couldn't have gotten dirt on you." "Huh?" Clover's eyes widened. "You mean...you believe me?! You don't think I killed Swift?!" "I didn't say that. What I'm saying...is that it wasn't dirt on Swift's shirt but something else that looked like dirt. Quick told Memory about the time you, Bud and himself went to the store on First Island, you and Bud were searching for gardening supplies because gardening calms you down." "What does the gardening stuff have to do with anything?" Paint stopped Techno. "Well...there is something that's used in gardening that could have been mistaken as dirt..." Hangman's Gambit Q. What gardening supply could have been mistaken for the dirt on Swift's shirt? Available Letter- H L M C U I've connected the dots! "Bud! Quick! Did either of you see Clover with a bag of mulch when you were at the supermarket with her?" Techno shot the question quickly. "Uh, I didn't see her until she was walking out the store and I only glanced for a second. Sorry." Quick frowned. "A-actually...I got some bags of mulch for her...then she left because she already go the rest." Bud fidgeted with her thumbs as she spoke. "So the 'dirt' on Swift was actually mulch from the store that Clover was going to use to garden but she was asked to go to the institute by Swift...so she could become his victim." Memory grinned. "B-but the tile! The escape hatch! You can't prove I was ever on the second floor!" Clover shook her head violently. "Actually I can..." Techno contradicted. "Because you were careless and left behind a piece of evidence." I can prove it with this! "Clover, you told me that you lost your charm bracelet...a golden charm bracelet. I wonder...did the golden charms look like this?" Techno held the small gold flower he found on the second floor up. "T-that..." Clover bit her lip. "By that reaction...it seems like we got it right..." Techno folded his arms. "Shut up..." There was a murmur as everyone turned to Aqua, her fists clenched and her teeth gritted together. "Not a chance...Clover ain't the culprit..." "Wait." Paint rested chin on her hand. "Why do you care all of a sudden? This entire trial you've been the one that has shown the least amount of interest in the results of it." "Because, Clover...Clover's my friend." Everyone seemed genuinely surprised by that statement, even Paint broke her poker face for a split second. "I didn't want to say anything because I'd be forced into a friendship...and what if she died like she's about to if you vote for her?" "Was this because you were investigating Second Island with her when it was made available to us...?" Memory guessed. "Yeah. She didn't try and force herself to become friends with me, she wasn't annoying...well...not as annoying as the rest of you and she didn't even think of the fact that I was basically taking advantage of her abilities as a unicorn." "A-Aqua..." Clover looked down to the floor. "So that's I'm saying you're wrong! You're wrong! It's obvious because...because...y-you still have to prove she's the Changeling!" "Huh?" Techno worried. "What are you talking about?!" "Prove to us she's the Changeling and I'll shut up! Prove it to me!" Aqua's the one that holding the trial back?! Urrr....I'll have to prove that once and for that Clover really is the culprit or else everyone else dies here! Panic Attack Battle Aqua- Clover isn't a killer! Aqua- Where's the evidence?! Aqua- You're tacky and I hate you! Aqua- This is bullshit! Aqua- Wrong... Aqua- You're a fucking idiot! Aqua- She isn't a Changeling! This is it! Aqua- You have no evidence that she's the Changeling! Manatite Testing! "You want a way to prove that Clover's the Changeling and in turn, the killer...all we need to do is use Toxic's Manatite Test. If she has traces of Mana on her at all then that means she's the changeling all along!" "W-wha...?!" Aqua paled. "Well then, Clover-" "There's no need..." Clover cut Toxic off. "You don't need to do that...I'm the Changeling...I'm the one that killed Swift..." "Clover?" Aqua's voice trailed off. "Then...what happened today? Tell us what happened!" "T-Techno...could you do it instead?" She requested. "I think you know more than any of us..." "Sure, no problem." Techno nodded. It's never finished...until everything is brought to light... Here's Everything that Happened in this Case! Act 1 This whole murder didn't actually start off with our culprit but with our victim instead. Swift Justice. After hearing the latest motive, Swift felt like he had already figured out who the Changeling was so he started to devise a plan for his murder. First of all, in the morning of the next day he took his leave with Paint to make it seem less likely to look like a killer when the body turned up. Most likely he sent a note to the culprit to meet him at the mental institute where he would be waiting. Act 2 Next, Swift went to the supermarket to grab one of the sledgehammers that were kept in stock there and then used his little 'secret' to his advantage. The secret that Swift was really a Pegasus and not an earth pony, but to make others believe it he had to get an earth pony's build which is why he was able to fly all the way to Second Island with no problem. He then went to the mental institute to await on the arrival of the Changeling. Act 3 At this point, the actual culprit comes into play. Upon arrival, Swift attacks the culprit presumably straight away and the two get into a scrap. Swift gets disarmed but the culprit when the culprit ends up breaking his wrist in the fight, causing Swift to fall on his back. The culprit isn't very physically strong so they used their magic to lift the sledgehammer and kill Swift with one blow to his ribcage, my guess is that a broken rip pierced one of his organs with caused him to vomit blood. Act 4 As soon as the culprit realised what they had done, they had to act fast. They didn't have much time to think as they heard someone approaching, the other student that Swift had called. Pure Law. The culprit quickly used the last of their magic to get out of the room with the sledgehammer by using a loose tile in the ceiling. As they were leaving though, they were careless and left behind small pieces of evidence. One being the mulch that got on Swift's shirt and the other being a small golden flower-shaped charm that came off of her bracelet. Act 5 There was only one way the culprit could think of to stop others from suspecting her. After hiding the sledgehammer, the culprit ran to the lobby and waited for someone to walk by after making sure that Pure had left the building. As soon as the culprit saw someone, they let out a big scream to alert them. They then pretended to discover the body as the one she caught the attention of, Bud, ran around the island to find someone so the Corpse Discovery Announcement would be played. Then the culprit just played innocent and hoped to not get caught out for who they really are. And that's the truth of what transpired that day, isn't it...Clover Penny?! Or should I say Enterna?! "Yes..." She nodded softly as she looked up, misty-eyed. "Y-you're right...everything you've said is right! The sledgehammer, the loose tile, you're right in every aspect!" "Upupupupu!" Monokuma cackled. "Looks like we reached the end, time to cast your votes, in front of you all are sixteen buttons, select a culprit and press their button! Remember, it's a majority vote so who's going to be the culprit...? Will you make the right or the dreadfully wrong one? Who's it gonna be? Who's it gonna be~?" "No..." Monomi whimpered. "Not again..." Like last time, they all looked at the buttons in front of them and selected the killer. On response to the final one being pressed, a huge slot machine appeared with 'Voting Machine' in red on the top and a Monokuma on top in a hula outfit, coconut bra and all. It had all the students faces, all in colour, aside from the deceased. The three dials began to spin quickly for another few seconds before all three stop on Clover's face causing a red 'GUILTY' sign to flash and two bouquets of flowers to pop out the sides. Class Trial! End!