To Sleep, to Die, Perchance to Despair - 1
The next couple days were spent in a drowsy, dreamless haze. Nurse Redheart worked tirelessly to ensure my swift and total recovery. Whenever I was awake, she had a small lineup of pills and potions for me to take, as well as a light and easy-to-eat meal. We would then spend a short time talking about my recovery and how I was feeling, often ending as I drifted back to sleep. Once I even had the luck to catch Flam peeking in to chat, and I had managed to remain awake for a little longer that time.
For those couple of days, I was blissfully unaware of the world around me. My mind finally felt free from the grief and torment of this place... the helplessness as I watched my friends succumb to the killing game one by one. Those that had passed visited me in my dreams, reassuring me that I had done my best and that they were free and no longer in any pain. Despite everything I had seen, everything I had witnessed, my mind was all too happy to accept it all as truth.
It needed it. I needed it.
~
"...Twilight? Can you hear me?"
At first I felt puzzled, wondering who was speaking to me in my empty dreams. But in a instant I remembered... and called out.
What...? ...Yes! Yes, I can hear you...!
"I haven't much time... please, listen closely... you are in danger."
Danger...?! There hasn't been another-
"We are safe... we are in good health... we are coming to get you..."
We...? Who...?
"Take our jewels... bring them... metal doors..."
What...? Jewels...? Wait, the Teacher's Lounge...?
"Hurry... time is up... be safe..."
Wait...! Come back...! Whose jewels are you talking about...?!
But as I yelled, the voice vanished into the ether. Something deep inside me felt certain that that was the last time the voice would ever speak to me.
~
My eyes shot wide open as I sharply inhaled awkwardly. Glancing over to Nurse Redheart, I saw her dozing off in her chair a few feet away... it couldn't have been her. The dream was already beginning to fade from memory, but I was positive I recognized the voice that spoke to me.
Jewels... bring them to the Teacher's Lounge... what jewels...?
I pondered the meaning of the voice's words. Did it mean the Elements of Harmony? But those were returned to the Tree of Harmony years ago, and... my heart ached as I remembered my friends. Maybe those Power Crystals in that one room? But we had tried to move them already - nothing affected them at all. If there was a way to move them, then I had no idea what it might be.
Think, Twilight, think... this might finally be our chance to escape...!
I closed my eyes to picture the metal doors more clearly. It was fuzzy, but I could see the fine carvings and filigree work on the doors... the heavenly scenes of auroras, comets and stars... the handles with the sun and moon engravings, the strange oval divots-
My eyes grew wide as I remembered something.
Of course.
...Of course! Why didn't I see it sooner?! I slapped my hoof to my forehead, grunting in pain as I had done it a little harder than I intended to. It was enough noise to jolt Redheart from her nap.
"Huh... Twilight? You're up..." she sputtered in her drowsy state. "Are you alright?"
"Redheart!" I shouted. "I know how to get into the Teacher's Lounge!" As soon as I finished speaking Redheart quickly shook herself awake and stared back with wide eyes.
"You do? How?!"
"I need something from my room first," I said as I slowly got out of bed, testing my balance. A couple days of bedrest seemed to have done the trick, as I managed to stand up with no difficulty.
"I see you've recovered nicely," Redheart remarked, standing up from her chair as well. "Would you like me to fetch the others and meet you there?" I froze just before I could turn the doorknob.
"Wait..." I hesitated, feeling a shiver down my spine. Now that we had a small chance of escaping this place, or at the very least finding out what was inside, my mind was racing with caution - I wouldn't put it past Monokuma to try and stop me from reaching my room or the Teacher's Lounge, especially since I'd basically announced it to him through the room's surveillance camera. "...Actually, could you stay with me? If my hunch is correct, Monokuma might try to stop me... I think he'd be less likely to if I wasn't alone. If we happen to pass by anypony on the way there, then we can tell them to gather the rest."
"Ah, good point," Redheart nodded. "Very well. Lead the way."
I could feel my heart thumping with anticipation as I ran down the hallway to my room, Redheart close behind me. I quickly unlocked the door and flew inside, sighing happily as I laid my eyes upon the crown jewels of Princesses Celestia and Luna, lying on the desk right where I'd left them. I snatched them up in my magic and shot out of the door, not even bothering to close it.
Together, we made our way to the 5th floor as fast as we could. Bulk Biceps, Lightning Dust and Flam were enjoying a light meal in the Cafeteria, their heads turning as they watched us race past. I could hear them ask what was happening behind me, and then I heard their wings and hooves give chase. A few minutes later we had arrived in front of the Teacher's Lounge doors, stopping to catch our breath.
"Miss Twilight... what's gotten into you...?!" Flam wheezed.
"She says she knows how to get inside...!" exhaled Redheart.
"YOU DO?!" Bulk exclaimed, only slightly out of breath. "YOU MEAN... WE CAN FINALLY ESCAPE?!"
"We're on the 5th floor, though," Lightning frowned. "How the fuck could we escape from here?"
"I don't know..." I paused as I took a moment to study the crown jewels I held in my magic. "But my dream said the jewels have something to do with these doors."
"I say... aren't those the crown jewels of our dearly-departed Princesses?" asked Flam. Before anypony could answer I levitated them over to the oval divots beneath the handles, assuming that Celestia's amethyst would go into the sun-decorated divot and Luna's moonstone would go into the moon-decorated one. While Luna's fit perfectly, Celestia's diamond-shaped stone morphed until it became an oval and slipped perfectly into the other divot. Suddenly the engravings began to glow with a soft, calming blue light, and I could hear gears clinking and clicking into place within the thick metal. After a few moments there was a final, loud click and the light faded away.
"So... the Princesses crown jewels opened the doors..." Redheart hummed, her eyes narrowing. "...I'm not sure I like where this is going."
"Why not?" asked Lightning.
"Well... if their jewels were the key to opening this door, this 'Teacher's Lounge'... it leads me to believe that Monokuma's talk of a traitor may have had merit after all," she frowned.
"But they're fuckin' dead!" replied Lightning. "They were the first ones to go! And Monokuma said that the actual traitor is still alive just the other day."
"I know that," Redheart pursed her lips. "Still... don't you find this odd?"
"I must agree," said Flam. "Something about this feels... off."
"WELL? ARE WE GOING IN?" asked Bulk. I tentatively gripped the handles and pulled down and towards me. With an ominous creak they opened wide, revealing nothing but darkness inside. An orb of lime-green light sparked from Flam's horn and flew inside in an attempt to illuminate the room, but the light vanished as soon as it passed the threshold, almost as if the darkness had consumed it.
"I knew teachers were fuckin' evil," Lightning muttered under her breath.
"Everypony, stay close," I gulped, taking a shaky step inside. Together, carefully, we entered the darkness.
~
What awaited me on the other side of the doors was nothing I could have ever expected. I gasped as I realized I was back in my own crystal castle home.
"What the...?" I mouthed as I carefully examined my bed, my desk, my window, my lamp, my bookshelves - every last object was in its proper place. This was definitely my room. I whipped around quickly to tell the others, but gasped again as soon as I laid eyes on them. Bulk, Flam, Lightning and Redheart were all suddenly transparent and rippling, as if they were nothing but a mirage. They were each moving around erratically in a panicked search, their mouths moving in perfect silence.
What is this...? What happened to them...?!
I tried to reach out to Flam, but though my hoof felt warm as it passed through his body, there was no reaction from him. I watched in alarm as Redheart walked straight through a wall and vanished.
Is this just another one of Monokuma's traps...? Just how powerful is he...?! What did he do now...?!
Something caught my eye. A yellowed parchment laid on my desk, its crimson seal cracked apart. Wondering what was written within, I sat down and opened the parchment.
Dearest Twilight,
I pray that you are doing well and keeping calm... now that your coronation has been officially slated to take place a year from now, I can only imagine how many checklists you've prepared for yourself to ensure the day goes smoothly.
Since you are to take over Sister and I's responsibilities, it is only proper that we help you prepare. We are in the process of developing a spell that will allow you control over our Sun and Moon.
However, there is also the matter of my other responsibility. I have an idea-
The writing abruptly stopped, as if the author had been distracted and wandered away, never to return.
My coronation...? This message must be from Princess Celestia, then...
Frowning, I allowed the parchment to roll back in on itself and stood up from the desk. When I turned around, however, I gasped again as I saw a completely different scene from before. Now I found myself inside my Headmare's Office in the School of Friendship. It was set up exactly how I remembered it, not the empty, messy shell Monokuma had left it.
What... why am I here now...?
I walked over to my desk, disbelieving that everything was really back in its place. But everything was. I turned around to examine the rest of the room, finding it all intact... but some of the files on the shelves and on a side table were glowing an ethereal blue. Stopping in my tracks once as Bulk cheerfully sauntered past from the right wall to the left, I began to hoof through the glowing files. Most of the details were blacked out with thick bars covering the text, but the bits that remained...
Potential Subject 3 - Nurse Redheart
Has seen many horrors throughout her career. Cold to other ponies.
~
Potential Subject 5 - Trixie Lulamoon
Semi-popular traveling illusionist. Has caused a few minor catastrophes. Hypothesis: still refers to herself in the third pony, is capable of feats of magic otherwise impossible.
~
Potential Subject 8 - Flam
Notorious con artist. Likely has many enemies. Hypothesis: selfish, self-serving, full of garish displays of wealth.
~
Potential Subject 12 - Fleur de Lis
Supermodel. According to her last therapist, has severe trauma related to her past.
~
Potential Subject 26 - Lightning Dust
Head of the stunt group The Washouts. Very hostile, most likely won't respond.
~
Potential Subject 37 - Bulk Biceps
Masseuse and seller of artisanal roasted nuts. Hypothesis: simple, carefree, lots of lifting heavy objects.
~
Potential Subject 59 - Coloratura
Nationally-famous singer/songwriter. Likely very busy with other obligations. Hypothesis: childhood memories, memories of simpler times.
My guts tied themselves into knots as I read through the files. Why did these files about my friends exist? What exactly were they about? Why did only some of them have a hypothesis? And somehow, for some reason, I was convinced that I had once been in possession of each of these files before; reading the information felt so... natural. Clinical. Real. And the more I thought about the files... the more a creeping dread filled my mind.
I... don't think I like this...
Setting the last file down, I suddenly felt like I was being violently shoved to the left. My vision blurred as my Headmare's Office disappeared into a swirl of color, and then a bright flash of light forced my eyes shut for a moment. When I opened them again, I discovered I was in yet another unexpected place: a room full of complex machinery, from wall to wall to ceiling. It was a maze of spinning gears, pumping pistons, flashing lights and bright screens full of unintelligible information, and there was a moist heat in the air from all the activity, cooled by other machines and ample ventilation. All of it appeared to be powered by one large, shining crystal, hovering inside a glass capsule attached to yet another machine.
Deeply intrigued, I stared wide-eyed at the various contraptions. If I concentrated hard enough, maybe I could figure out what the machines were for...
"Have we confirmed our final participant?" I heard my own voice speak out from behind me. Jumping in surprise, I spun around and tried to determine where it had come from. However, other than Lightning suddenly flying a loop through the machines and my own head before disappearing into the walls, I saw nopony.
"Yes," a different disembodied voice echoed. It was definitely the soft voice of a mare, but I couldn't quite put a name to it. "As soon as they arrive, we shall begin our experiment."
"Ooh, I can't wait to begin!" my own voice preened. "It's going to be so fascinating to see what goes on and comparing it all-"
"Do be mindful of the privacy of the subjects," the other voice cut in warily. "You will see many things they desperately wish to keep from everypony else, both possible and impossible. Hopes and dreams. Secrets and taboos. Trauma so deep and dark it'll destroy your soul if you linger too long. Illusions that make no logical sense, and yet make perfect sense. Happiness. Joy. Sorrow. Grief. Rage. Terror. Violence and self-sacrifice. Pain and agony. Darkness. Hopelessness. Despair... and death."
Hearing those words shook me to my core. My blood froze in my veins as the voice lingered almost tantalizingly on the last words.
"I understand," my voice replied with less excitement. "Although... if that's the case, then why are my friends coming along?"
"The six of you have proven quite apt at solving any problem you come across," the other voice replied. "I believe there will be times when you will require their assistance, and I trust that they are all capable of keeping necessary secrets. Therefore, it is only logical that they experience the experiment as well."
"Oh... alright," my voice spoke with slight apprehension.
"Do not fear... Sister and I will accompany you during the first experiment," the other voice reassured, smooth as silk. "We will ensure that your first journey is a safe one."
Journey...?
I listened nervously, the creeping dread growing ever stronger. My heart beat deeply and powerfully in my chest to the point that my ribs hurt.
Where was all this information coming from? What did it all mean? So far it sounded like some kind of conspiracy... one that, if that truly was my own voice that I heard... I was involved in. Was this related to our situation? Was I just now finding out why this was all happening?
Was this all about... the killing game?
No. No, this couldn't be it... There's no way... there's no way...
I closed my eyes as I shook the thought from my mind. When I opened them again, I gasped in horror. I was now inside the Strange Room on the 5th floor of Monokuma's School of Despair. I was standing in the center of the room, surrounded by the sixteen beds. But the beds were not empty.
Each bed had an occupant: one of the others that had been trapped inside this nightmare with me. Each of my best friends, the Elements of Harmony... Princesses Celestia and Luna... Discord... and Bulk and Coloratura and Flam and Fleur and Lightning and Redheart and Trixie. Their decaying corpses laid on top of the covers, the remains of their heads resting on the pillows stained with moist gore. Even my own corpse laid on the bed behind me - my breath died in my throat as I looked into my own sunken, shriveled eyes.
My legs gave out. I tumbled to the ground as the room seemed to spin around me, the beds and corpses like a macabre pinwheel. My stomach burned with acid while the rest of my body froze solid. I could feel tears clawing their way out from behind my eyeballs.
All around me, the familiar videos cameras appeared, zooming in closer and closer until they were only inches away. The blank lenses seemed to revel in my torment as the darkest of thoughts raced through my mind. No matter how hard I tried to reason with myself, no matter the proof I tried to reassure myself with... only one singular thought remained, shouting so loudly that I heard nothing else.
Am I... the traitor...?
My vision grew dark. I struggled to keep a lump of acid down my throat. I laid there shivering, weeping... despairing.
The traitor... is me...
Why? Why was I being shown this? Why now?!
The traitor... is me...
My eyes twitched. I felt my lips curl upwards into an involuntary grin until my cheeks burned with pain.
The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me... The traitor is me...
My mind was breaking, shattering before my eyes... How could I live with myself after this...?
This... was all my fault.
...
...
...
...
...
Puhuhu...
Upupupupu...
Soon...
Soon they will all fall to despair...
Those wretched, filthy ponies...
After she is gone... after they watch her finally fall...
...There will be no hope left. And I...
...will rule all...
...both Nightmare and reality.
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Oooh... Things are really starting to get interesting
Oh.
Well.
I guess I get to enjoy being wrong, just like I thought I would.
Based off of this, it feels like this was all originally intended as some kind of shared dream/thought experiment, that was taken over by the Nightmare, the often theorized spirit that dwelt within Luna's consciousness and was expelled by the Elements. While I generally favor the interpretation that the Nightmare WAS Luna, just an aspect of her personality rather than a separate being, the idea of the Nightmare being separate is perfectly valid.
I'm still not sure how Monokuma got to be involved though, or how he has all of his information on the events of the games... unless it turns out that it was based on something Twilight learned about in the human world.
So I was almost right about the nightmare simulation.
The only thing I was wrong about was that after the dream death they,wake up from a nightmare and live but it looks like they just die
Still....
They are all dead?
Like they were ripped from their bodies to a nightmare and bodies were left behind to rot?
No Twilight, you're not. Its that other voice.
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WHAT THE ACTUAL BUCK!?!?!? I don't... I don't understand any of this...
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I get the feeling that THAT'S part of the "dream" as well
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Neither do I, but soon it'll all be revealed
Another chapter!
Are we witnessing the reveal of... Nightmare Twilight? Certainly seems to be that way. I can feel the story itching towards its conclusion, and I am hyped!
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Could they be trapped in a dream perhaps? That's the only conclusion that springs to mind, a dream experiment that was hijacked by Monokuma? Honestly I really have no clue, but I can't see them already being dead, you can't have a Killing Game if it's participants are already dead.
This is like danganronpa 2 mix with the episode where Luna as Everypony in a dreams. and they're trying to stop it from coming out from the dream world into the real world.
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So midnight Sparkle but the pony versions all the demon Transformations are basically nightmare forms. But in the human world
10600840
What wrong diggy does it have something said. I saw everybody knows the demons in the human world are there version of nightmares. in mythology a nightmare is a demon horse on fire. so on that logic if humans are ponies in the other world that makes sense. In the comic Nightmares can possessed anybody because we got Nightmare Rarity. So by following the shows and comics logic. Mastermind could be anybody between the two worlds until the writer does something totally out of left field.
okay since we know this is like Inception with danganronpa. And we knows all this is a dream there's got to be a reason why they volunteer for this experiment someone has to know who Monokuma is if they're able to bring him into this place. but we also got the message of the queen of dreams and reality. So far the only things I can think of is Tantabus from do princess sleeping magic sheep. Monokuma to Thorn be here than it has to be someone from the human world who watched the animation and plays the games. unless we have a break the fourth wall moment and masterminds really is writer of the story.