End of chapter 2
P.O.V. Change: Ditzy Doo
“Well now, what do you know,” Monokuma said as the votes were shown, casting Octavia as the murderer. “Once again you ponies got it correct, the murderer is none other than little miss Octavia, the Ultimate Cellist. You should all pat yourself on the back, or I would say that if it didn’t come down to luck.”
“Monokuma, give them a minute,” Fluttershy told him looking at us with a blank, expressionless face. “You may not understand it now, but losing a friend is something that many ponies don’t take well. In time they will learn how normal it is, but for now it is important to let it happen.”
The only reason I could hear them was because nopony else was willing to talk. Octavia had a meltdown after Rainbow Dash recounted the events of the murder, unable to answer the Ultimate Stunt Flyer. Octavia was a pony I barely knew, and yet I was fighting back tears just like everypony else in the room. Pinkie Pie’s first sounds since the start of the trial had nothing but her crying with Octavia while the rest of us did our best not to show it. Everypony had seen Trixie as a pony who was in the wrong, but despite the murder I couldn’t bring myself to be angry at the cellist.
“Y-you… you killed her!” Pinkie said, no longer using Bon Bon as her second voice and fur stained with the trail of her tears. “Wh-why did you kill her? Rarity did n-n-nothing wrong to you. Sh-she didn’t deserve it.”
“I… I know she didn’t,” Octavia replied, the words feeling almost too predictable for any reasoning to be gain from them. “Sh-she didn’t have to, but she said… she said I could get out. All I wanted was to get out, and see my fiance.”
“Yeah, we understand that by this point,” A.K. reminded her, looking at the floor with her hat covering her eyes. “You wanted to get out to see her, but I know it had to be more than that. You held off killing when you were given the chance to during the first motive period, so why now?”
“Wh-what good would answering be?” She cried out, hooves covering her tear-stained face. “I-I’m a killer, and nothing is going to change that. Stop acting like I’m the innocent one here.”
I couldn’t help but wonder how Octavia had managed to stay calm during the entire trial, considering how she was now acting. She looked like somepony had broken her into nothing but a shell of who she once was. I wanted to hug her, but my own mind was busy trying to dictate just how bad of a pony she really was. If this was regular Equestria then I would say she is as guilty as possible, but now I wasn’t so sure. Is stuff like this common for detectives and the police? How the hell do they do this on a regular basis?
“Octavia, I know how you feel, but it would make us feel better if you just came clean,” I told her, even though my heart told me to leave her be. “Everypony want to know exactly what happened, so it would be best if you did, okay?”
“No, I won’t,” The guilty said with a shake of her head. “It… it would be better to just forget about me, okay? That way all of you would-”
Her protest was met with a slap in the face by a rather annoyed Flam, one which had caused her to fall flat on the ground. The look he had, it wasn’t quite like the one he had when Applejack refused to take our evidence defending Flash, but it was close. His eyes would’ve easily cut me open if they could, and there was some sort of dark, imposing aura that was surrounding him. I knew there would be ponies who wanted to give him a piece of their minds, but no one was willing to make a move.
“Mare up, Octavia,” He said in that same voice he had used the first time we saw him like this. For a pony who seemed so carefree and polite, he was definitely not someone a pony with emotional issues should ever meet. “Look, your about to die, and probably in a horrible and humiliating way for all we know, so you’re just going to make it worse for yourself. Tell us why you did this, but not because we want you to, but because we I deserve to know.”
“H-how can you say something like that?” Octavia replied, looking up at the Ultimate Con Artists. “You have no idea how this feels. The guilt, the realization, you don’t understand any-”
“Don’t you dare say I don’t understand how you feel!” Flam shouted at the mare, and I could see Flash next to me cursing under his breath at the way Octavia was being treated. “You think this feels terrible? Try experiencing it every damn day! Making ponies angry, scared, or causing them to cry is part of my job! The only reason I’m not crying right now is because I’ve seen everything as a member of Equestria’s criminal system, and I’ve learned how not to,” He turned away from her. “Call it unfair to consider a pony like you able to do the same, but I’m not here to enjoy these games. If you are going to die, at least die with some dignity!”
“Flam, what in Celestia’s name is wrong with you?” Bon Bon asked. “You don’t just hit a mare and then scold her for acting in a completely reasonable manner! You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“For what, speaking the truth?” The Con Artist asked the Candymaker. “If you’re going to die, do you want to die as a miserable mess of a pony? I don’t think the answer is that hard to figure out.”
“But-“
“No… he’s right,” Many eyes turned to Octavia as she spoke, slowly getting back up to her hooves. “If it doesn’t make it better for myself, at least it will for the rest of you. Besides, last thing Vinyl would want is to see me cry.”
I looked around, trying to figure out who she was talking about. “Vinyl?”
“My… fiance,” Octavia replied, eyes focus on her own front hooves. “She’s a musician, but not one like me. I like classical, but she likes electric; I play the cello, and she uses a mix board; I’m calm and reserved, but she isn’t afraid to get ponies dancing or get me drinking,” For the first time in a long while, I saw the Ultimate Cellist smile. “Heh, two very different musicians falling in love with each other, sounds like something out of a romance novel if you ask me. Yet, despite the differences we were genuinely in love, and I had made a promise to her the night I proposed.”
“That promise,” Thorax said, having noticed something I had as well. “That promise is what led you to help Rarity with this murder, isn’t it?”
I looked back to Octavia, who continued to smile as tears once again started to fall from her eyes. It was at that moment she did something I thought she wouldn’t have done again. Something that I had long thought was impossible for someone who seemed so filled with guilt was able to do. She looked at us, closed her eyes, and continued to smile as those tears fell from her face.
“All I wanted-” Octavia said, voicing wavering as she held back the urge to break down in tears. “- was to see the love of my life finally get noticed. I wanted the world, to finally see how talented she was.”
------- Hours earlier -------
“Are you really sure about this Rarity?” Octavia asked to the mare who stood in front of her. “I appreciate this, but is your life really not all that important to you? I want you to be happy as well.”
“Nonsense darling. Do I look upset about this?” The Ultimate Dressmaker asked as she gave a smile, more than answering Octavia’s question. “You got somepony to love, and that is the most admirable thing to keep safe. You shouldn’t be kept in here while she worries her little head about you coming home the next day. She needs you, and I know you do too.”
“But this is murder!” The musician shouted. “Look, I know I accepted this, but of all the ways you want to go this seems like the worst one. Burning to death is painful, and you don’t have to experience it to know that.”
“That’s why we are going to do it,” Rarity said with a nod. “I never imagined I’d make such a big sacrifice, especially when I have family out in the world, but with the way I acted when the motive was revealed, everypony would know if I commited a murder. If I can’t achieve that, the least I can do is help someone who has just as good a reason as I do.”
“If no time has past between me blacking out in the musical hall and ending up here, then I’d say we had a month till our wedding,” Octavia looked at the floor as she spoke, trying to think of anything to keep her from wanting do this. Yet, her thoughts always went back to the idea of her beloved playing in front of a crowd. “She should be an ultimate like me with that kind of talent, and all she needs is one big show. The Gala might be full of nobles, but surely Celestia would recognize her talent.”
“We can wait to do this if you want to-”
“No, let’s do it. If I think about it any longer I might start having second thoughts.”
------- Present time -------
“One ticket for Vinyl, one ticket for me,” Octavia told us all. “She would play for all the noble mares and stallions in Canterlot, and most importantly she would play for Celestia,” It was at this point I noticed Flash Sentry making his way towards Monokuma and Fluttershy. “I didn’t want anything out of this, I swear. All I wanted… was to see my dear Vinyl finally be recognized for the talent she has.”
The words of comfort given from those near me were drowned out as I tracked Flash, who I started to feel worried about. All the voices around me were drained away, and the Ultimate Guard was the only thing I could see. My thoughts went back to the first day we were here, when Twilight tried to stand up to Monokuma the best she could. It was that movement that lead to her and Trixie meeting up that night, and the latters freedom as well. A voice told me to do something but I couldn’t move or speak, my body as lifeless as a statue at the current moment.
“Monokuma!” Flash’s voice carried throughout the courtroom, waking me from what I could only describe as a trance. “There are things I can’t do to you, as much as I want to, but I will ask you only once: if you kill Octavia, give the second ticket to Vinyl.”
“Oh, you think you have some sort of authority here, mister Ultimate Guard?” Monokuma said in a mocking tone. “Hate to tell you, but I ain’t going to roll over and submit like a normal citizen. You can’t order this bear around!”
“If not him, then how about somepony who has a bit more understanding of you lowlifes,” Flash turned back to Flam, who was still in a horrible mood. “Surely the Ultimate Con Artist can reason something out of you.”
“And what have you done for me, Flash?” Flam shot back, glaring daggers at the Ultimate Guard. “Last I checked, you were more content with sticking me in a jail cell where I could “rot for the rest of my life.” Isn’t that what you said? Or are you now gonna suddenly going to act like we’ve been best friends for our entire lives?”
“You can fight all you want, but last I checked Octavia is the blackened,” Monokuma reminded the two, Flash trying to reach for a weapon he didn’t actually have with him. “You know what that means. She dies, and a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala is no fun if use if you are dead.”
“Oh, but Monokuma, you forgot something,” Fluttershy’s voice lead me to look at the pegasus, who gave me a wink before turning to our captor. “Last I checked, we only stated that the blackened would be executed, and if what you said is correct that means the other pony could still get the ticket.”
After having gotten so use to Fluttershy acting like a brainwashed follower, seeing her stand up to Monokuma was shocking. I wasn’t sure if it was just great acting or a rare moment of kindness out of the new Fluttershy, but I didn’t care. Somehow, and I don’t actually know how she managed to make the words stick, but I thought I saw Monokuma hesitate for a second. Did the pegasus who said that no one here liked her… just make Monokuma second guess himself?
“Jeez, your putting me in a really tough position here Fluttershy,” The bear said, seeming to literally sink into the cushion of his throne. “I’m trying to be all threatening and cool, but you just sap all that terror right out of me. Though, you’re right, I never did say anything about the pony who gets the second ticket. Kinda hurts to admit it, but even if this Vinyl was here, rules state she would be safe.”
“Then why not do what’s easy and just give the tickets to her fiance,” Fluttershy proposed, and I barely saw the millisecond-long smug that appeared on her face. “Not really anything else you can do, and I should tell you, promises are very important to us ponies. Breaking one is like being a traitor in certain cases.”
“Al… Alright I’ll do it, but only because your giving me those damn eyes again,” Monokuma hopped off his throne and ran over to the group of ponies surrounding Octavia. “Okay, look here miss weeping willow, I’ll give you better half a break. You want that second ticket to go to your little marefriend, then I’ll give it to her.”
“R-really?” Octavia asked, wiping the tears out of her eyes, “I… I guess that will do.”
“Are you sure Octavia?” Bon Bon asked the doomed mare, as she stepped out of the crowd of ponies. “How can you be sure that Monokuma will keep his word? He looks like the kind to make up such a jest as this, especially considering how he’s treated everypony here.”
“You might be right Bon Bon, but jest or not I can’t complain,” Octavia said as Monokuma rushed past her and back to the throne. “Ever since I got here I’ve been worried about my dear Vinyl, and if we can never see each other again, I want this to be my will to her. A ticket to stardom, and a life hopefully free of grief.”
“Well, now that we’re done with that, let’s get this over with shall we?” Monokuma asked rhetorically as Octavia kept talking.
“Look, you all have family or friends waiting for you right?” Octavia asked us. “If you do, don’t be a foal like I have been today. Stay alive, and perhaps in time you will find your way out of here.”
“I got a very special punishment for the Ultimate Cellist, Octavia Philharmonica.”
“And please, when you do…”
“Without further complications, it’s time for an execution!”
“... tell Vinyl, and the families of everypony else who died, that we will always love them!”
Octavia has been found guilty, time for her punishment!
The entire room went dark as Octavia finished speaking, and despite not moving my hooves at all I felt like we were somewhere completely different. That feeling became realized when I suddenly saw a large concert hall in front of myself, going several floors below the ground of the trial room. The audience was filled with hundreds of Monokumas, and even more with instruments lining the stage. Yet, one spot on the stage was still dark, and as it finally let up it reveal Octavia, front and center without an instrument in her hooves. A banner dropped that said “Final Movement” as the crowd cheered her on, and with it a cello that landed inches from Octavia’s lap.
The Ultimate Cellist picked up the cello, and as she did all the Monokumas behind her took out bows for their instruments. It was at that moment I realized that the ends of everyone but Octavia’s bow had been tipped with an arrow head. Part of me felt disgusted at how mocking this was, but despite that the sole pony on stage smiled. As she did she looked up to us, and though she didn’t say any words, I assumed she was saying that this was her farewell gift to us all.
“Before we begin this heart wrenching, tear jerking, and truly horrid execution,” The true Monokuma said as he took his place as the conductor. “This special execution was brought to me by none other than the culprit herself as she committed her heinous crime. Normally, I don’t take requests, but who said I couldn’t mix things up a little?”
“She… asked for this to be her execution?” I heard Thorax repeat the question in shock. “Why did she even-”
“Thorax, some things are better left unknown.”
As the cheers and side chatter died down, Octavia took to the cello, and everypony was shown how talent she was. The Ultimate Cellist started out alone, but she was quickly joined by the orchestra of Monokumas behind her. The usual cheerful tone I was so use to hearing at classical concerts was absent, instead replaced with a slow, mournful tone that foreshadowed what was bound to come. Yet, despite that tone, Octavia was smiling. It made me forget what was going to happen for a second, only for a glance at the Monokumas behind her to remind me where we were.
When the song was getting close to its end, the floor beneath Octavia suddenly start to rise up. A few of the Monokumas stopped playing, and used a string that I hadn’t even seen to ready their arrows, turning the instruments into makeshift bows. The music kept on building, getting louder and louder as more Monokumas got ready to fire. The more that dropped out, the more I focused on Octavia until only she was only one Monokuma was playing. When that last one dropped out, Octavia let out one last, elongated note as the dozen’s of arrows fired into the air, and it end as they found a place in her body.
“Octavia!” I shouted out, seeing the look of shock on the Ultimate Cellist before life faded from her form. She leaned forward as life left her body, falling from the raised platform and landing a hoof’s length away from the conducting Monokuma.
“Sweet… Celestia,” Rainbow murmured, jaw dropping and eyes watering.
“No… no no no no no,” Pinkie was fairing even worse, backing away from the metal fence separating us from the execution grounds. Her irises had dilated to the point where she looked like a maniac. “This is wrong. This is so very, very wrong. I wanna go home! I don’t want to see anymore ponies die!”
“Ahahahahahaha!” Monokuma was doing the exact opposite of the rest of us, letting out a laugh that could have slice my heart in half. “Oh how I miss this feeling. This despair, this horror, it all feels so wonderful!”
“I… I don’t wanna watch anymore,” I said as I turned away, having noticed the blood the was beginning to pool under Octavia’s body. “I’m gonna head back up.”
A.K. nodded her head. “Yeah, let’s do that.”
Monokuma’s laugh rang through my ears in a different way then it had up to this point. If I didn’t want to leave before, I most certainly wanted to now, imagining how everyone would react to seeing my dead body. I wanted to rush towards the elevator door, but as we approached we were greeted by a certain yellow pegasus blocking the way.
“Fluttershy,” I pleaded. “I don’t know why you’re helping Monokuma, but please just let us-”
“More ponies are gonna die,” She said in the most straightforward way possible. “I know Trixie isn’t dead. I knew it from how Monokuma reacted after her execution, and if you have any sense you’ll know to watch your back.”
“Why is that?” A.K. asked as Fluttershy walked our way.
“Because,” She stopped and turned to me, looking me dead in the eyes. “The more you participate, the likelier you are to be targeted.”
With that, Fluttershy walked off, leaving the two of us wondering exactly what was currently going on insider her brain.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
“It’s okay, you can talk to me if you really want to. Isn’t her disappearance the reason you brought me here in the first place?”
“Yes, I remember why I called you here, but I don’t really know where to start. Thinking about losing her, even for the slightest moments, it makes me feel… it makes me feel-”
“Like you have nothing worth living for. Like the world took everything away from you and didn’t give so much as a reason as to why. It’s hurting you, and in the end you're coping with it through the act of denying you ever knew her.”
“... yes, exactly. Not having her in my life is like losing half of my lungs: I am living, but I don’t have a reason to live.”
“No reason to live, huh? Heh, yeah, I know that feeling. It’s nice to meet someone who actually understands what I went through.”
“What you went through? You lost a special somepony too?”
“Yeah, and just like you, she was the most important girl in my life.”
Survivors: 13
To be continued...
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Yeah... .that bear needs some killing.
Oh hello Ryoma how's it going?
Also I agree with the investigation theme.
And I decided to do potential skills at the end of each chapter, so:
Rarity "Generous Dress": Influence slightly recovers while Focus is used.
Octavia "Cello Duet": Makes it easier to push back opponents during the final argument in a scrum debate.
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(Just replying to my own comment so I can easier keep track of the skills)
Well at least Monokuma gave her the chance to decide her punishment kinda
Overall great chapter better written then the first one I would say. The trial was also more enjoyable but a little rushed but ehh what are you going to do.
Also Hope searching from V3 is probably my favorite one but Ikoroshia/Homicide from Danganronpa 2 is probably my secound favorite.
Also damn Flam was brutal, just a flat out slap to Octavia. Granted she was being kind of a bit of a jerk but I guess that works too. [\spoiler]
Flutters, you spy little pony!
Also, the investigation themes are too similar to recall which is which, but I CAN at least say that I like the "Final Investigation" themes more than the normal variants.
2 things to say
1 fluttershy better be the kyoko of this and not the nagito/Kokichi
And 2 that end again talks like the people who died at this chapter in v3..... No idea on what it means but taking note
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I actually don't think its Ryoma, I think its somebody else, but I'll hold on to my thoughts till the next one just to confirm my theory.
These murders seems to be quite selfless, even if the possible death to others. The first trial, Twilight gave Trixie the opportunity to escape. Then this trial, Rarity sacrificed herself for Octavia so she can be with Vinyl and give Vinyl a shot to be recognized.
Still don't get these ending conversations. Whose talking?