It was presumably midnight in a crowded city. Atop one of the buildings that overlooked the city was where Techno was sitting, a figure that seemed to be an earth pony standing behind him. The face, as usual, couldn't be made out but the voice was clearly female.
"Techno...what's wrong? I heard yelling from downstairs. Did you have an argument with the Beacons of Hope?" She asked worried.
"Tch...Why do you care?" He said venomously. "You're just like the rest of them, aren't you? God, I feel sorry for your sister for having to put up with you."
"You don't mean that, do you? You're just angry-"
"Why shouldn't I be angry?!" Techno snapped. "Everything you guys have told me has been a lie from the beginning! You said that we would all be safe! That we could reverse everything!"
"We can, it's just-"
"I should have known to never let myself believe in hope. Now all I feel is a deeper despair..."
"You have no reason to feel despair, Techno! You know why we're doing what we're doing! You know everything is for the greater good as well! So, please don't blame the others or this. Blame those that put you in this position."
"You mean the Super High School Level Despair? Nothing could ever make me hate her...she was the only one that took care of me. At least I can be myself around her...until the Beacons of Hope stepped in. Now I can't be myself. I'm back to being the ordinary pony everyone's learned to hate."
"Techno, you are far from ordinary. You're more special than anyone I've ever met, and I work with the Beacons of Hope!"
"That's just your personal opinion. That doesn't-"
"So what if it's just my personal opinion?!" She snapped. "What's wrong with it being in my eyes? Even if only one person thinks your special, that should be enough to make you realise that you are special!"
"Geez..." Techno rubbed his forehead. "You really are the 'sweetheart' of them aren't you?"
Day 2
"Techno!" Pure yelled, snapping out of the light slumber. The door with Swift's face above it was opened up...Techno rubbed his temples, he was still in the 'maze' Monokuma had set up. "A-are you okay? I came in here and you looked like you were having a nightmare or something!"
"Y...yeah...it's good to see someone else..." Techno let out a sigh of relief. Another one of those dreams...what was that?
"I...managed to find the key to this room during my searches...so here I am." Pure pulled out the two keys she had in her possession. One with Memory's face and the other with Swift's. "I suppose I was lucky I found Memory's key in that room otherwise I would have been trapped."
"So you were in that room? How long did it take you to find that key?" Techno pointed out the dark circles that had formed by the prosecutor's eyes.
"Oh, yeah. I haven't really slept for a few hours...I was just too worried about everyone else to rest, hoping somebody would find me. So, when I realised I had the key to a door just next to me, I had to get in there. I had to find a way out!"
"So what rooms are through that way?" Techno pointed to open door. "Other than the obvious."
"There's mine. That's where I had started off. Though there are two doors I can't get through. Aqua and Quick are through there. I couldn't find any other keys in those two rooms though."
"I couldn't find keys in here either. All I have is Enterna's key and that room is connected to Paint's room which is on the other side of Toxic's room...wow, I just realised how confusing this all is." Techno frowned.
"Tell me about it...I've trying to find a map of this place but it doesn't seem like one exists."
"Obviously, the maze would way too easy if we had a map. Though I think we can assume that the rooms are arranged in a four-by-four grid. Just from the amount of doors in each room." Techno guessed.
"Yeah, I guessed that was the case. Maybe we should try to talk to the others? I mean, maybe they're close by?" Pure walked over to the monitor. "Where should I call?"
Well, if we all started in the rooms of a student still living...I guess those rooms would be a good place to start as any. "Let's call...Bright's room." Techno walked over and pressed the button. The screen was displaying an hourglass that was spinning around with 'CALLING' in blue text below it.
Eventually the monitor displayed the room, and in it stood, Rip. Techno gave a small sigh of relief, Rip and Pure doing the same. "It's so good to finally hear from someone!" Rip smiled. "Where are you two?"
"We're in Memory's room!" Techno informed her. "Couldn't you tell by the flashing button?"
"Oh...yeah, I guess I could have. Must have pressed it without looking." Rip giggled. "How are you two? Do you have a lot of keys?"
"I wouldn't say a lot...we have three altogether. Memory's, Swift's and Enterna's." Pure held up her two keys. Rip frowned in response and looked around her room.
"I only have the key to Quick's room. Do you know how far away that is?" Rip leaned a little closer to the monitor.
"Quick's room next to mine." Pure told her. "Though I think you're a bit far away..."
"She probably is. You must be at least two rooms away." Techno folded his arms. "If you aren't next to the three rooms we have access to..."
Rip sighed. "I suppose I'll just have to wait, won't I?" She paused for a little while before opening her eyes again. "By the way, do you know if anybody's came across a plain key? One with no picture on it?"
"No, why do you ask?" Techno tilted his head.
"Because there's a room next to mine with no picture above it. I have Clip, Boom, and Enterna next to me and a door with nothing above it. It's a little...ominous..." She shuddered.
"Can you show us?" Pure asked, to which Rip shook her head in response.
"Sorry, but, these monitors can't be moved and there aren't any mirrors in here. I can't just angle it perfectly so you can see it...though, if someone comes across it, you should let them know about the room."
"Will do." Techno nodded. "Take care, Rip. We'll try to regroup quickly, alright?"
Rip smiled softly. "Thank you, Techno...see you soon." She switched the monitor off and screen went black. Techno looked at his reflection in the black screen, he seemed to have a content smile.
"I'm happy...she's okay..." Pure looked at the inventor with an intrigued look. "We need to get out of here, Pure. There must be a key hidden here somewhere!"
"Even if it takes us all night, we have no time to waste! We only have four days until out oxygen supply runs out...after that..."
We'll all die if we can't escape this maze...I don't want that...I don't think anyone wants that. I have to find those keys! I have to find them quickly!
Quick groaned, throwing away another piece of scrap metal. "Still no damn key! Why did I have to get stuck with Clip's?! Who knows how far away that damn door is?!" He had been shuffling through the piles of junk in this room that was presumably Techno's, considering the vast amount of tools and machinery. Though his search for a key was turning out to be fruitless.
"I really need, like, a key detector...that's probably something Techno could build right?" Quick scratched his head and ran his fingers through his black spikey hair, adjusting his white visor he turned to the rest of the room. Mostly taken up by a giant table to work on. If only Quick knew how to use tools.
"I wonder how far away the others are though...? Maybe I should try to call someone on the monitor...? Nah...I'll probably just get in their way. I just need to do my job and get out of this maze!" The earth pony kicked away some more scrap, noticing something fly with the shrapnel. He grabbed it off the floor, examining it thoroughly.
"A...a key! Yes! Finally!" He soon realised that it didn't look like the other key he had in his possession. This one had no picture on it. "What the...? Why wouldn't this...oh Celestia...did I just find the key for the exit?!"
Quick froze, he heard footsteps behind him and the sound of metal scraping against the floor. Whoever it was had just picked something up. "Who's the-GAH!" He felt something hit against him. Hard. Quick fell into the pile of scrap, the last thing he heard was a chuckle being drowned out by the jingle for the night-time announcement...
*Ding dong, bing bong!* Pure and Techno looked over at the monitor. "Ahem! This is a school announcement! It is now 10pm and as of such, Night-time has now begun! You will not be permitted to move about during the night, so don't bother trying the doors!"
"Urgh...Techno, I'm sorry. I really want to stay up and help you, but, I'm just too tired." Pure sat on the couch.
"Okay, you go to sleep, I'm gonna keep searching for a little longer, alright?"
"Thanks, Techno...wake me up if you find something."
"I'll make sure to." Techno nodded. Pure smiled once more before lying back onto the couch and drifting off. Techno paused for a moment. I wonder if anybody else has had those weird dreams, or if it's just me... He sighed and turned back to the large bookshelf that went along the whole back wall.
The two had been tearing through all the books, flipping through to see if the key was hidden inside one, throwing them into several piles in the room to clearly examine the shelves themselves. They had managed to clear half of the shelves so far, though it looked like there wasn't going to be anything useful to find.
I don't think there are any more keys to be found in our available rooms...dammit, I wish I could just find a way to get us all out of this mess... Techno yawned and rubbed his eyes. Am I really that tired? Geez...I want to keep searching, and yet... he let out a small sigh. Guess I'll need to sleep on the floor now that Pure is occupying the couch...
Day 3
"Techno!" Pure exclaimed. They had been up for a little bit now. Monokuma had been kind enough to bring them some breakfast so they wouldn't starve. It was defiantly...questionable, though, in this situation, they couldn't go hungry. It didn't seem like there were any immediate side-effects at the very least. "I found a key! I found a key!"
"You did?!" Techno ran to her side. The key was silver with a picture of Rip on it. In response, their gazes were drawn to the door. Rip walked over to the door and fitted the key into the keyhole. The door shuddered before opening slowly for them. The room was revealed to be a large pool with some benches aligned on the opposite side of the room. There was one other room connected to it, it was the door with Smile's face above it.
"Ah...you two." The monotonous tone of Paint's voice caught the two off guard. "Hi...good to finally see someone. Nobody even called the room since we got here..."
"Paint. It's good to see you're okay." Techno smiled a little.
"Yeah, same to you." It seemed kind of hollow when she said it, though it was just how Paint was. "I thought I was gonna die of starvation until Monokuma showed up this morning."
"Paint, is your hair wet?" Pure asked, noticing Paint's matted hair.
"Uh...yeah. I found a key at the bottom of the pool, so I dived into the water and grabbed it. Now I have two keys." She held up the keys for Bud's room and her own room. "Are either of these connected to the rooms you guys have access to?"
"Sorry, Paint, neither of those are keys we need." Pure said with a defeatist tone. "Now we've hit a dead end again...what are we gonna do?"
"Actually, Pure? Could you give Techno and me some privacy? I need to talk to him about some private stuff. If that's alright, of course." Paint stared stoically at them.
"S...sure, no problem...though, if i go, then won't you two be stuck in here?" Pure pointed out.
"Just toss the key to Memory's room back in here..."
"Um...o-okay..." She nodded, scurrying off. The door shuddered open once again and Pure threw the key to Techno before exiting the room. Techno caught it and place it in his hoodie's pocket.
"So, what did you need to talk to me about?" Techno asked. Paint seemed awfully concerned about something, the only reason Techno could tell was because whenever the artist did show emotion, it was very blatant how she was feeling.
"I...I have to confess something I've been keeping in for a little bit now..." She glanced away for a moment before taking a breath. "I've been having some...odd dreams, as of late."
W-what? Techno couldn't hide his shock. Paint as well...?
"It started just the night before Clip and Aqua died...or rather, the last night I have memories of. It was strange, I'm not usually able to remember dreams so well. I was in a dark room, like a cell, somebody was talking, but I couldn't make out who it was. I think it might have been a girl though...it was weird, I was having a conversation with her but I wasn't picking my responses, like they had already been chosen for me."
"Let me guess, you were older in that dream as well?"
"...yes. How did you know?"
"I've been having the same kind of dreams though mine have been more frequent. I got the first one...i think it was the day after Enterna was executed or the day after. I had the same kind of dream...a dark place and I was talking to someone as if I had already had that conversation. I...I don't know why I've been getting them though." Techno lightly pinched his bottom lip with his thumb and index finger. "What do you think they mean?"
"I have no idea..." Paint shrugged. "But now...there's something I've realised that I couldn't say around Pure...it's about the maze. It's not actually a maze...maze's should have exits after all."
"Huh...?" Techno's voice croaked a little, now nervous.
"This maze is actually a prison, Techno. I've gathered from what everyone said that this is actually just some form of jail for us to stay in. That's the true motive to this 'maze'. Cabin Fever."
"What's 'Cabin Fever'?" Techno raised an eyebrow.
"It's when someone slowly loses their sanity because they start to believe that they'll never escape an enclosed area. Some are affected by it more than others. Monokuma most likely added the five day time limit to speed up the pace." Paint folded her arms and leaned against the door. "He's crafty, I'll give him that."
"So, the either someone's killed...or we all die." Techno shook a little. "D-dammit...why did this have to happen?"
"We can't even reunite with anyone else now." Paint gritted her teeth.
"What makes you say that?"
"What rooms did Pure come through to get to you?"
"Um...she started off in her own room and came through Swift's room to get to Memory's which is where I was stuck in...Oh, shit." Techno realised eventually.
"Exactly, we only have the keys to these rooms, which means that nobody else can get into the rooms. Only one key exists for each room, it seems." Paint sighed. "This truly is...Monokuma's most cunning trap."
"Yes, I'd agree." The familiarly sly voice came from the door to Smile's room. The two swung around to find Memory standing with what could be called a smirk formed on his lips. "This maze truly is...the worst, isn't it, Paint?"
"M-Memory?!" Techno stepped back in surprise. W-what's he doing here? I have the key to this room!
"How did you get here?" Paint growled. "Techno should have the only key to this place."
"Isn't it obvious, I just teleported through the walls?" He phrased it like a question as if he didn't quite understand how he managed to get there either.
"Illogical." Paint shook her head. "I spoke with Laser on the first day we got stuck here, she said the walls were magic-proof. Monokuma would never make it so easy to get through the 'maze' after all."
"Hmm...Then I wonder how I managed to get here then?" Memory shrugged and sauntered over to the two. "Maybe my memory should be called into question. Maybe the amnesia's kicking in again." Memory stood over Techno. Has...he always been this tall...? Techno felt the unicorn's gaze go straight through him. "Hehe..." Memory chuckled. "What's wrong...Techy?"
Techno's eyes widened. The only one that calls me that is... an image flashed in his mind. "W-what...did you do...?"
"Hmm? I haven't done anything...c'mon, you honestly think I'd hurt someone in the group? Maybe Clip really did change your opinion of me." Memory paused before his eyes widened. "Huh?" *Clonk!* Memory fell forward onto the ground in front of Techno and Paint.
"H-hey!" Techno yelled at them. "What did you do that for?!"
Bright sighed, she had searched high and low for more keys yet her search had turned out to be worthless. Sitting in the corner of the room, she gazed at the artwork that had been displayed. A few paintings, some clay models and one marble sculptor took up the rather large room. Yet, they couldn't fit one key? Lazy...
"Now what am I to do...?" She asked herself. "I can't find any keys and I have no idea if anyone will come to this room...we only have three days left...and this day is almost up. In fact, three, two, one!" She pointed to the monitor as the jingle played.
"Ahem! Attention students! It is now 10pm, and as of such, night-time had officially begun. Make sure you get a good night's sleep, tomorrow will be another hard working day!" The monitor shut off.
Bright let out another sigh and laid down on a pile of sheets she had made a pillow out of. I'm a failure of a leader to this group. there's nine of us left from the sixteen that came here...seven times students have died...seven times my promise to everyone has been broken. I don't even know why I choose to show my face to them at this point. It would be easier for everyone if I just died next...
Bright turned to lay on her side, her glasses sitting on the ground next to her. If I died...everything would be easier...
Techno was sat by a lake now. It shimmered brightly in the moonlight, like light hitting glitter at just the right angle. It was the only place that was peaceful enough to be, out of the way of everyone, away from all the bad stuff. A place where you could just clear your mind from anything bad going on in your life...complete bliss.
"It's nice, don't you think?" Techno asked the figure spying on him from a nearby tree. "Not even the Super High School Level Assassin can hide their presence from me, sorry to tell you that."
"I figured as much..." The figure, presumably female sighed. "I suppose I should ask why you decided to come all the way here...?"
"Just too...think about stuff..." Techno responded.
"Are you still unsure about turning it on?" She asked. Techno nodded slowly. "It is up to you, Techno. It would be beneficial for everyone if you did it."
"I know it would but I'm still...unsure...you know what the consequences will be if it fails..." Techno pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. "I just...want to get better..."
"You will. Step by step, though. We can help you get through it, Techno. Only if you let us..." She crossed her legs, awaiting Techno's response.
"I...I know I have to do it, but...you need to give me time to prepare for everything, okay?"
"Then I suppose I shall see you back at HQ. Goodbye, Techno." The figure disappeared.
"Bye then..." Techno sighed.
Techno awoke within the dark room, had the power gone out...? No...He was in a different room completely. The smell of chlorine that was present in the pool's room was gone now. The smell was...indescribable, as if something had just been burned, but there was no light from a fire.
M-my head...I can't be...losing consciousness...
*Ding dong, bing bong* Bright awoke groggily, she was not a morning pony.
"Well, good morning everyone! It's now 7am and as of such, night-time is officially over! And today, I'm letting everyone have free reign of where they go! All doors have been unlocked! Happy searching!" Bright put her glasses back on and formed a questioning expression. Free reign...? Something about that is ominous, especially coming from Monokuma...
Bright stood up, all the doors were now open. Picking up her book and pencil she began to travel through the rooms to see if she could find anyone. She went downwards into Boom's room, it was just a large stage with a mixing board on display. Next to it, on her left was her own room.
Now curious, she headed into the room expecting to find someone, only to find that it was empty...though...there was a door facing her with no face above it, that was pitch black and that was wide open. Not put off by the creepiness, she ventured forward to the door.
She stepped into the room and instantly gagged, was something...burning? There was no light...she felt along the walls, feeling something at her feet as she found the light switch. The stench was extreme now, she flipped the switch and for a moment, everything went white.
By her feet, covered in black burn marks across her skin and clothing, was the Super Middle School Level Surfer, Rip Tide, a pained expression on her face. Though...what really knocked Bright away was the rest of the room. Along the floor were the bodies of Techno, Paint, Laser and Quick.
Then, Bright did something...something so unexpected that she even surprised herself by doing it.
Bright screamed.