The Beginning of Something Interesting
It was another fabulous day for the students of Canterlot High School. Students were gossiping with each other, teachers were busy planning the next assignment, everything just seemed perfect. Not only that, but they were only a few weeks away from summer vacation! The yearbooks were already on their way, making sure that every moment of this wonderful year was recorded into the school's history. Yes indeed, this was a great day for everybody at CHS.
Well, almost everybody...
Wallflower Blush sat alone in her garden, (well technically the school's garden, but she was the only one who went there) not happy at all that school would be coming to a close. Don't be confused, she didn't like school that much. However, the end of the year meant that the school clubs would be temporarily disbanded; and since her own Gardening Club had only one member (aka herself), it would be permanently taken off the list.
She silently sobbed to herself as she continued to care for the plants. She never had any friends, not many people would even notice that she was in the room with them. Whenever someone did recognize her, it was only because they had bumped into her; Afterwards, she was out of sight and mind. There were also the times where someone purposely noticed her, only to constantly bully her for her social awkwardness and love of plants. Because of this, she could never enjoy school to its fullest, it was a horrible place for her. So, she was just someone who stood on the sidelines, never getting her own time in the limelight, never getting her shot to be noticed for her achievements.
She would've liked nothing better than to leave and never come back were it not for the garden. The garden was the only place she felt safe, where she felt in control. The plants that she cared for were her friends, they listened to her, they comforted her, they never said any mean things to her. It was here in the garden where she felt wanted, where no one could hurt her.
But all that would change. She would soon become something great, something that she couldn't have done before on her own. Whatever the reason, fate or luck, her life was about to become... Interesting.
Thunk!
"Ow!" Wallflower painfully shouted, as something heavy fell from the sky and landed on her head. Reaching around, she felt around her, looking for what had hit her. Whatever it was, it couldn't be far. Extending out, her hand suddenly brushed over something, the feeling of a hardback leather notebook at the tips of her fingers. Closing her hand around it, she brought the strange object up to her face.
It was a black, leather hard cover notebook. Sprawled across the front of the cover was the words: Death Note. What a strange notebook.
"Hello?" Wallflower called out, hoping to find who this "Death Note" belonged to, "Is anyone there? I think you dropped your notebook. Hello?" But nobody answered, or came out to claim the notebook belonged to them. It was just Wallflower, the garden, and this creepy notebook. Not knowing what else to do, she skimmed through the pages hoping to find the name of who it belonged to. What Wallflower Blush had found shocked her! There was not just one name, but multiple names within the pages of the notebook! Some pages contained a whole list of names from top to bottom! Some of them even had strange words written next to them:
Flint Octavius- Accidental Car Crash
Mia Hunter- Suicide by hanging
Jamie Marguerite- decapitation
Aito Eiichi- Death by gunshot
Wallflower was horrified, had she somehow stumbled onto some terrifying hit list? When her stomach could no longer afford to keep reading the names of dead people and the gruesome ways they died, she was ready to just close the notebook and turn it in to the police. She was closing the notebook when her eyes caught sight of the few front pages. These pages weren't like the other ones with the names. These were black, with white writing on it. Taking a peek, she quietly read to herself:
The Death Note:
How to Use It
Rule #1
- The human whose name is written in this note shall die.
- This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.
- If the cause of death is written within the next 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen.
- If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.
- After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.
Wallflower would have laughed had the circumstances been different. But she couldn't do it, there was nothing funny at all about this notebook. It had the power to kill people? That was impossible! How could a notebook have the power to kill people? Even if it could, how is it that it could kill someone just by having the face and name? There was no logical sense about this.
Ding Dong, Ding Dong!
Wallflower suddenly jumped, the bells surprising her. As she listened to the toil of each ringing bell, she realized that school was about to begin! Quickly stuffing the Death Note into her backpack, she dusted off her pants the best she could and raced to get to class.
Like the other days, Wallflower was shoved into the shadows. Never really standing out, never being noticed, despite the fact that she would often sit right next to people. She would sit quietly in class, never raising her hand to ask a question, just taking notes about what was happening. She wasn't a genius, she wasn't popular, she had convinced herself that she was not very attractive. So she would just live on the sidelines day after day. Nothing was ever interesting for her. But that was about to change...
The first event in the chain of interesting scenarios happened during the end of the school day, in the computer room. The Gardening Club was not the only responsibility Wallflower had during school. She was also a part of the Yearbook Committee, alongside Sunset Shimmer and her friends. Her job was to gather everybody's picture submissions and votes for the "Superlatives"—"Best", "Most", "Most Likely", etc. To be honest, it was her least favorite job at the committee, just a constant reminder that no one would ever vote her for anything, not when they could only remember her for five minutes before forgetting she was there. It wasn't fair, how come these people got to be remembered for their achievements, when she would get pushed to the side whenever she did something noteworthy! It was enough to drive anyone mad!
Then something interesting happened, something that would spark a chain of events of many things to come. Her eyes fell upon a blank page on the Death Note. Then, her eyes traced up to the computer, where she could see the names and faces of everyone who had ever gone to Canterlot High School. For a moment, Wallflower considered the possibility that the power of the Death Note might be real. With its power, she could get revenge on all the people who pushed her aside, who would pretend to be her friend then forget all about her the next day. She could make them suffer, she could make them beg for mercy, she could rule over the entire school, maybe even the world. All she had to do was write down their names in the notebook, and they would be gone. Unconsciously taking out her pen, she slowly brought it down on the paper...
"We've come so far together
Got memories to treasure
I look at you, stories come back to life...!"
Wallflower suddenly jumped, the surprise of the song startling her. The Death Note flying out of her hands, she fell off of her chair, her devilish stupor being broken. Groaning slightly as she pulled herself back up, she noticed that the computer was finished printing the yearbook pages for the Superlatives Section.
"Hey um, excuse me? Guys? The yearbook's done printing!" Wallflower tried to speak up. As usual, no one heard her, Sunset Shimmer and her friends were too wrapped up in their song to notice her. Sighing in disappointment, Wallflower just grabbed the pages from the printer and went up to place them in an area that they would see it in.
As she slowly walked over to where they were working, she wondered to herself about her previous thoughts. Did she really want to kill anybody? Sure, they were mean to her, and they never gave her the attention she deserved. But still, did any of them really deserve to die? If the notebook could erase people's memories, she might consider using it. But killing them? Wallflower was no murderer, was she?
"Your move, Wallflower Blush. You know what you want to do. Just go ahead and do it. Write a few names in, see what happens."
"Huh?" Wallflower noticed. She could've sworn that she heard someone talking to her. No one ever talked to her, without her grabbing their attention first, at least. However, she didn't have time to ponder about it long, as she suddenly went head first into Sunset Shimmer herself!
"Excuse me," Wallflower said, in her usual blunt tone.
Sunset, not knowing who this girl was, tried to be the polite one in this situation, "I'm sorry. I didn't see you come in."
Wallflower was not amused. She had been in this situation many times before, all that she could do was play along for now, "I've been here for a while. I've been trying to get your attention for half the song."
Sunset, who was picking up the papers that she had dropped, blushed a little bit at her empty-headedness, "I didn't realize. I'm Sunset Shimmer, President of the Yearbook Committee and Editor in Chief. Do you wanna join? We could always use extra help."
"I'm Wallflower Blush," Wallflower introduced herself, for what seemed like the thousandth time to her.
"Nice to meet you," Sunset Shimmer spoke in a friendly tone, holding her hand out for Wallflower to shake. She didn't take it, "I've been on the Yearbook Committee all year. We met in 9th grade English."
Again Sunset blushed, having landed herself in an awkward situation. Trying to salvage it, she added, "And I was saying it was nice to meet you then. You didn't let me finish."
Wallflower shot her that "Really?" look at her. She wasn't stupid, Sunset had no idea who she was or even that she was a part of the group. Such was life for her, "Anyway, I counted up all the yearbook superlatives. But before that, did you guys hear someone talk-"
Wallflower never got to finish her question. Sunset had already taken the Superlatives List out of her hand and went back with the other girls to see what they had won. Wallflower, realizing she had lost the crowd, went back to her spot by the computers. Was someone really trying to talk to her? It couldn't have been one of the girls, this one had a raspy dead sounding voice, definitely male. But there was no one else in here with them, was there? Was she going crazy?
"No, your ears don't deceive you. You are being talked to right now."
Wallflower shot up, there it was again. She turned her head back to Sunset and her friends. Sunset was going on about the importance of the yearbook and how it was her responsibility to ensure that all this year's memories were properly recorded. They didn't seem to have heard the voice at all.
"No, they can't hear me, only you can. And don't you go thinking that means you're insane. I assure you, you are not crazy, I am very real. Now try to find me if you can."
"Where are you?" Wallflower called out, trying to pinpoint the voice's location. The voice didn't respond back. "Please, tell me where you are! I want to see you!" Wallflower tried again; nothing. She stressed her ears trying to listen to the voice, searching everywhere for its whispers. But thanks to Sunset and her friends over there, she wasn't getting far. The more she tried, the louder Sunset seemed to get. It was becoming too much for her to bear. After Sunset's final words about the importance of the yearbook, Wallflower finally snapped. Turning over to them, she leaned forward and yelled with all her might:
"WILL YOU GUYS JUST SHUT UP FOR ONE FREAKING SECOND?!"
Needless to say, Wallflower's outburst had startled the girls quite a bit. Like everybody else, they had forgotten she was in the room, or that she even existed. In their mind, a stranger had suddenly appeared in the room and started yelling at them. The girls with more of an attitude than the others had a lot of "Excuse me?!" looks on their faces. The more understanding ones in the group had a look of concern and worry in their faces, but it was more of a worry of what she would do to them, rather than worrying about how the person was doing. Sunset, slowly putting a step forward, was the first to speak, "Excuse me, miss. Are you okay?"
Wallflower was dumbstruck, "Are you kidding me?! Are you telling me that you can't hear that voice?!"
They all took a listen, to see if they would hear what she was talking about. The girl named Fluttershy was the first to speak up, "I don't hear anything, do you girls hear anything?"
One by one, they all nodded in agreement, they had no idea what the heck this new girl was talking about. Wallflower couldn't believe these people, how could they not hear the strange voice talking to her. It didn't make any sense!
"I told you already, they can't hear me! Could you just calm down for a minute?"
"There!" Wallflower pointed out, "Right there, he spoke again! You can not tell me you didn't hear that!"
But they wouldn't have anymore of it, they were convinced that this newcomer wasn't playing with a full deck of cards at the moment. Sunset spoke for all of them when she came up and said, "Listen, maybe we should take you to Nurse Redheart. I don't think you're doing too well right now."
"I am not crazy!" Wallflower insisted, though she wasn't doing a good job proving otherwise.
"Listen to your friends, Wallflower. You and I can't play together when you're hysterical like this."
"SHUT UP, YOU!" Wallflower shouted at the voice, further scaring the other occupants of the room. But before the argument could carry any further, they all had suddenly heard a SLAM come in from the Computer Room door. Wallflower Blush and her mysterious voice had disappeared from their minds as this newcomer barreled in, seething with rage.
"The Grreat and Powerful Trrrixie demands to speak with the Yearbook Editor immediately!"
"Unfortunately for me, that's me," Sunset said in a blunt tone similar to Wallflower's. She had no interest to deal with any of Trixie's crap today. But, luck was not on her side today, "What do you want, Trixie?"
With those words out, Trixie rather rudely snatched the Superlatives List away from Sunset, her eyes violently scanning the page for one small crucial detail, "Aha, just as I suspected! I was not voted Grreatest and Most Powerfulest! Explain yourself!"
Sunset rubbed her nose, she had just about had it with this crazy woman, "How should I put this? You didn't win Greatest and Most Powerfulest because it wasn't one of the superlatives."
Trixie humphed in disapproval. However, she got a sneaky idea when her eye caught a copy of the Yearbook during their Freshman Year, " Hmm? Neither was 'Biggest Meanie'. That didn't stop you from winning it our Freshman Year."
"Ha ha ha! She got her there!"
Wallflower, who was watching from a distance, was doing her best to talk with the voice inside her head, all the while trying not to sound like a lunatic, "What are you talking about, are you actually taking enjoyment out of all this?"
Ha ha, why wouldn't I? It's so boring and stale where I'm from. Old Ryuk was right, humans are so interesting!"
"Ryuk?" Wallflower asked, "Whose Ryuk, and what do you mean 'where I'm from'?"
"Shhhhh! We're getting to the best part. Oh, if only I had a bag of potato chips to snack on!"
Wallflower, who wasn't paying attention to Sunset and the other girls, turned around quick enough to see that Twilight Sparkle had thrown away the Freshman Year copy Trixie was using to make her point. Picking it up, Wallflower looked through it and saw all the bad stuff that she had done over her span as the underground mafia boss of this school. She even bullied around Wallflower a few times, and to be honest, the pain that she caused her had never really went away.
Trixie, realizing she was backed in a corner, was prepared to make her daring escape, "Oh, you're the one who will be sorry, Sunset Shimmer! When you least expect it, I'll have my revenge! And then, I'll disappear like this! Behold, the Magician's Exit!" And with that she pulled out a smoke bomb, and threw it on the ground, bolting for the door before the smoke bomb wore off. She didn't get really far...
"Woah!" Trixie shouted as she slipped, taking a tumble into a nearby computer server. The girls managed to get a laugh out of it, as soon as the smoke bomb cleared away. Shaking her head, Trixie dusted herself off and picked herself up, brandishing the thing she slipped on as if it were a dirty diaper, "The Great and Powerful Trrrixie, demands to know who this... weird yearbook, belongs to!"
As soon as she was able to get a clear view, Wallflower blushed as she noticed what was in Trixie's hand: her Death Note! Shuffling forward, she held her hand up to take back the notebook, "That's mine, I dropped it earlier. Could you please give it back now?"
But Trixie wasn't done, pulling the notebook closer to her, she declared, "Not so fast, the Great and Powerful Trrrixie deserves retribution! Bow before me and apologize for your clumsy act soiling my good self!"
Wallflower was not in the mood for this, "Please, I'm sorry! Just give it back to me, please!"
"I said, bow!" Trixie declared, "Bow before me or I'll tear up your precious yearbook until it's nothing but a pile of shreds on the floor!"
"Trixie, that's enough!" Sunset shouted, trying to make her stop.
"Stay out of this!" Wallflower screamed, startling Sunset and her gang for the third time today.
"Good, you know their place," Trixie cooed, "Now let me see if you know yours, bow before me! Oh, and name me the Grreatest and Most Powerfulest in all the land!"
"C'mon Wallflower, you don't have to take her crap! Just take the notebook from her and write her name in it!"
"No, shut up!" Wallflower shouted at her voice, "Alright Trixie, I'll bow." And with that, Wallflower bent down on her knees and recited what she was told, "Oh Trixie, Greatest and Most Powerfulest in all the land. I'm sorry for causing my book to fall out of my hands and in turn, cause you to embarrass yourself and slip. I will do everything in my measly existence to ensure it never happens again."
Trixie being satisfied, loosened her grip on the notebook, "See, now that wasn't so hard, was it? You will do best to remember not to let this happen again. However, let it not be said that the Grreat and Powerful Trrrixie is without mercy. Despite the fact that I find your yearbook disgusting, and honestly 2006-ish, I will grace its papers with my signature. Signed, 'The Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon' Now if you'll excuse me, I will now make my daring escape!"
Pulling yet another smoke bomb from out of her pockets, she threw it down towards the floor. Again, she didn't get far. The door to the computer room was locked inside out, and everyone in the room got to see her trying to yank the door open. Sunset shot her an amused look as she took out her key, the events that came before completely wiped from her mind, "Allow me, we were actually on our way out."
Using the key, Sunset unlocked the door. And with one big "Humph", Trixie stomped out of the room. As the rest filed out, they started talking about their plans to go to the beach during the weekend, how they were gonna meet there at 2 o'clock and take their group picture there. Once more, Wallflower was left to her own devices.
I'll just finish up... in the dark," Wallflower spoke in a somber voice, as Sunset briefly returned to turn out the lights, believing no one else was in there. Deciding that it was time to leave herself, she grabbed her Death Note from the floor, stuffing it in her backpack, along with the Freshman Year yearbook and the current one.
"Well, that was certainly interesting."
"Would you just go away," Wallflower dismissively waved, "The show is over, can you just go back to wherever you came from and tell 'Old Ryuk' that you had a blast of a time."
"Ha ha! Oh, but on the contrary, Miss Blush, the show is just starting! The most interesting part of Act One is about to begin!"
"What?" Wallflower asked, confused, "What's gonna happen next?"
"Well, just wait for about ten seconds, then go outside and see."
Wallflower was afraid to ask what he had meant. Nevertheless, she stayed put, waiting for the ten seconds to pass.
Five more seconds...
5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The Voice let out a genuine and meaningful laugh at the sound of the screaming outside. Wallflower, who was scared to stay in the room with the Voice, ran out to see what the ruckus was about. What she saw had shocked her, Trixie Lulamoon was laying on her back, her face twisted and contorted into a look of great pain, her mouth foaming a little bit. Her hands clenched tightly over her own chest, before falling limply at her sides.
Hearing the screams, many other students ran towards Trixie as Sunset and her friends circled around her, "What happened?! What the hell happened?!"
"I don't know!" Sunset shrieked, a look of panic on her face, "I think she's had a heart attack! Who here knows CPR?! Does anybody know CPR?!"
"I do!" Applejack offered, "I know how to do it! Let me have a try at her!"
"Applejack, are you crazy?!" Rainbow Dash spoke up, "With your strength, you'll crush her rib-cage! Does anyone else know how to do it?!"
"I do! Let me see her!" called a random student, running forward to administer the proper thrusts to the heart to get it beating again.
Sunset did her best to take charge, "Great, you keep on her! The rest of you give her some breathing room! Somebody call 911 and tell them to get over here right now!"
Wallflower could not believe what was happening in front of her! Trixie was dead, she was actually dead! Wallflower couldn't help but whimper as she slowly backed away from the crime scene, not knowing that she was backing herself into the dark computer room.
"So, how was it out there?"
"Ahhh!" Wallflower screamed, now being able to get a look at someone sitting on one of the computer desks, the source of the voice who had been talking to her for the past fifteen minutes. She couldn't really get a good look at what he looked like in the dark, only that he was shaped like a tall, broad-shouldered man. And his eyes, his bright red eyes that cut through the darkness surrounding her.
Wallflower was scared, every muscle in her body telling her to run, "D-Did you do that? Did you kill her?"
The Figure spoke, "Me? No, I didn't do anything but watch the show. Rather, it was you who ended up killing her.
"M-Me?" Wallflower shuddered, the thought that she murdered Trixie terrifying her beyond belief.
The Figure nodded, "Why, of course. If you hadn't dropped that Death Note where she could pick it up and mistake it for some copy of a long forgotten yearbook, she could never have put her own name in it. Technically, you tricked her into writing her own death warrant."
"Oh my god!" Wallflower hyperventilated, "I killed Trixie! Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod! What am I gonna do? I-I have to turn myself in. Wait, how would I do that? Just tell them about a notebook with the power to kill people?! They'd never believe me! What will Uncle Andy say?! Oh, I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm so dead."
"Hey!" the Figure grabbed her attention, "Just breathe, okay. Breathe, and listen carefully."
Once he was certain that Wallflower had calmed down, he continued, "You have been granted a power that very few have had before you. Once, it was used to become a god, a just god that ruled over a fair and desirable world. You have been given the same power and I have high hopes that you yourself will become a god with it. I see a lot of potential with you, Wallflower Blush. But if you don't think you can handle it, that's fine by me. Just throw it away somewhere, declare that you don't want it, leave it alone for a few days, and I'll find someone else to give it a good home. However, if you want to keep playing and learn the mysteries of the Death Note, keep it on you until the end of the day, we'll talk more then. Until then, see ya around."
And with that, he disappeared, leaving Wallflower alone in the dark to the sound of crying students, signifying that they had failed to revive Trixie, the sound of ambulances as they came to collect her now dead body, and to top it all off, she could hear the heavy sound of rain outside. How did all this happen from arguing over the "Greatest and Most Powerfulest" superlative?
School was over for the rest of the day, Trixie's sudden death having caused too much of a commotion for any of the other clubs to get their work done. Yet very few students had wanted to leave. They wanted to see the scene of the crime, to watch as the nurses put a cloth over Trixie's body as they loaded her into the ambulance. The front yard of the school had never before been this crowded with people, despite the heavy downpour.
Rumors had begun to spread like wildfire, with many people trying to guess how she died. The heart attack was obvious, but what caused the heart attack? Did Trixie have some weird condition that caused it? Was she poisoned somehow? But the most popular one was the rumor that there was another evil entity from Equestria at large in the school. Previous encounters with evil magic had cemented the idea in the CHS students that nothing ever happened at this school without a reason, and that reason was most likely a magical one. Sunset Shimmer and her friends seemed to support this theory, cancelling their trip to the beach so that they could find an answer to what had caused Trixie's death. Instead, they would be going to Applejack's place to figure out how to stop this dangerous new Equestrian threat.
Wallflower just sat alone, nobody taking any actions to include her in the conversation, not bothering to shield herself from the rain, just sitting there and taking in everything that was going on, what everything was saying. That was one of the benefits to being invisible and having no friends, you looked at other people instead and figured out what made them tick. If you were lonely enough, and were listening hard enough, you could take note of everything going around you, what everybody was thinking and saying, even if they weren't talking about you.
Due to this, she could hear all the theories about why Trixie had died. She heard all of them, especially the one Sunset and her friends came up with. A part of her really wanted to come up to them and turn herself in, to give them the Death Note and willingly spend the rest of her life in a dirty cage. She was a murderer, in every meaning of the word, she was a murderer. She had caused Trixie's death, she threw the notebook in a place where she could find it and write her own name in it. Every bit of her sanity tried to convince her that it was an accident, that what happened to Trixie was not her fault. But what the mysterious figure had told her had cemented itself into her head. She had killed Trixie, and in her mind that was the truth.
What scared her the most was the idea that she could have done it... willingly. Trixie was always mean to other people, she always made other people's lives miserable. After Sunset, she was the worst person at this school. Had she truly believed in the power the notebook held, she imagined herself not having a problem with writing her name in the note. After all, she had no problem with the idea of writing all those names from the yearbook only a half-hour ago.
"This notebook, I can't be trusted with it," Wallflower said to herself, "I have to get rid of it, somehow. All he said was to throw it away and declare that I didn't want it. Wait a minute, he also said that if I did that, he'd find someone else to keep it. What if he finds someone much worse than I am, like a dictator or a psychopath? No, I can't just get rid of it, I have to destroy it."
With her mind made up, Wallflower got up from her bench and prepared to take the long and wet trip back to her place. As soon as she made it back home, she was going to take the notebook and burn it. If the Figure ended up killing her for that, that was okay with her. Better she dies than possibly millions of others. She never really felt alive anyway.
It was a very long walk back to her place, her clothes were pretty much soaked. But Wallflower didn't care, she liked the rain. It was cool and refreshing, almost peaceful. It was like being one of the plants in her garden whenever they would get watered. She liked the idea of being a plant, and being out in the rain was the closest she would ever get to being one, which is why she never wore a jacket or used an umbrella. The rain was her friend, just like the plants were her friend.
"But this Death Note," Wallflower declared, "This Death Note is not my friend."
"But it could be..."
Wallflower fumbled for a moment, this new voice speaking in her head. This voice didn't belong to the figure that was stalking her. No, this was the voice of a woman. The voice of someone shy and indifferent, but also ambitious and cruel. A voice that had manifested over all those years of loneliness and neglect. This was the voice of her subconsciousness.
"The Death Note could be your friend. It could be the best friend you've always wanted, what you've always deserved."
"No, it's not my friend," Wallflower insisted to herself, trying to pick back up her pace, "This notebook is evil, and will only bring pain and death to the people around me. It has to be destroyed."
But deep down, she was having other thoughts, "You idiot! You're not seeing the bigger picture here! The Death Note is not evil, it's only as evil as the person who uses it. You are not evil, are you? Think about all the good that you could do with it. You put a stop to Trixie, after all. You know how she is, how she harassed Sunset and her gang, how she harassed you. You put a stop to her, you not only got revenge for yourself, but for the other people at CHS she's bullied. Think about how you could avenge yourself of all the people who had wronged you. Think about the other people you could avenge, how many you could save."
Wallflower was struggling, "That's not the point! It's still committing murder!"
"So what? Nobody would know it was you. As far as anyone is concerned, the people you took care of would simply die of heart attacks or whatever you wrote for them. No one would know that it was you who sealed their fate. You could become an invisible hero!"
"Or an invisible killer," Wallflower commented, trying not to flinch in her idea to burn the book.
"Oh please, as if you weren't a killer already. Remember what happened to your parents?"
Wallflower stopped walking, her consciousness dealing a decisive blow to her psyche, "T-That was an accident, that wasn't my fault!"
But Wallflower didn't truly believe that, "Yeah yeah, you keep telling yourself that. Just keep the notebook for now, okay? Get to know it a little bit before you decide to destroy it. It's like that stalker in the computer room said, someone once used this notebook to become a god! This is a gift, Wallflower! Just think about it.
At this moment, Wallflower did start to think about it. The idea of becoming a god, to have the power to erase any
who were deemed unworthy, any who had wronged her, any who would stand against her. Who wouldn't be enticed by that power? Her revenge was so close, all she had to do was write their names. Sunset Shimmer, her friends, the other students at CHS, they would all die...
"NO!" Wallflower shouted to herself, "I WON'T DO IT! I WON'T!!!"
"Won't do what, Wallflower Blush?"
"Eeep!" Wallflower squeaked, frozen in place. Someone had just spoken her name.
"Excuse me," said the new person, who sounded like a young boy, "Are you okay, Wallflower?"
Slowly turning around, Wallflower tried to get a look at who was talking to her. It was a boy, not too much younger than she was. He had strawberry blonde hair, with a nice set of green eyes. He looked quite handsome, Wallflower couldn't help but feel weak in the knees. But he also was a little weird, like he wasn't looking her directly in the eye. He wasn't looking below them either, like a few bullies she had encountered. Rather, he seemed to be focusing on something above her head.
The boy had a look of confusion and concern on his face, that type of genuine concern when you want to help someone, not when you're afraid of what a person will do to you, like Sunset and her friends were, "Wallflower, you've been standing there talking to yourself for quite some time now. Are you okay?"
While Wallflower was a little happy that someone as cute as this boy happened to notice her, she was also a little creeped out by him. How did he know her name, what was he looking at? Quickly patting her head, she checked herself for anything that shouldn't have been there. Nothing, there was nothing there, just her sopping wet mop of green hair.
Realizing what he was doing, the boy chuckled, "Oh no, it's not on your head, it's above your head, of course."
"What's above my head?" Wallflower asked, now being a bit on the defensive, "Who are you and how do you know my name?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," the boy apologized, scratching his right ear, "My name is Fringe Bangs, I go to the same school as you."
Wallflower wasn't quite satisfied, "That explains the name, that doesn't explain why you're constantly staring over my head!"
Realizing his mistake, Fringe took his eyes off of Wallflower's head. Looking for an excuse, he stuttered, "Well uh, a bird was gonna land on your head, but you scared it off."
"Uh huh," Wallflower sarcastically remarked, "It's pouring right now, what bird in their right mind would be out here?"
Fringe shrugged, "Well, you for one. Who in their right mind comes out here without an umbrella and a coat?"
Wallflower blushed, having fallen for a cleverly placed trap, "Wait, are you really implying that I look like a bird?"
"No, of course not," Fringe explained, "But your hair certainly looks like a bird's nest. Like mine does, I'm the only one in my family that doesn't style my hair. My big brother often calls me Bird Bangs."
Wallflower couldn't explain it, but she couldn't seem to stay suspicious of him. There was a certain aura about him that prevented her from keeping her guard up. Perhaps it was his good looks, perhaps it was because he was a little funny. Or maybe it was because he was the first person to actually recognize her, and stay in a conversation with her. Hell, he knew her name, nobody remembered her name! She was just about to continue the conversation, when suddenly...
"THERE YOU ARE, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT!"
Wallflower was suddenly shoved aside by someone much bigger than her. Three college girls had swarmed over Fringe, pinning him to the wall of a nearby coffee shop. The ringleader of the gang, was a girl with deep blue eyes, with scarlet hair tied into a cute looking ponytail. The other two had blue and yellow hair, both with a set of lighter blue eyes. Like their leader, they had a deadly look upon them.
"You lying little bastard," the one with red hair spoke with a deadly tone, "We had a deal: I leave you alone, in return for your brother's number! Well, guess what? The number you gave us, was a fucking cocaine addiction recovery meeting!"
"Well, what can I say?" Fringe spoke in a smug tone, "That's where you'll usually find him these days. Or maybe not, he's been skipping recently. If you can't find him in some sex club, I don't know what to tell you."
They were not happy with this remark at all. The two goons pinned him down while the ringleader gave him a hard fist to the face, "How dare you speak that way about our dreamy Feather Bangs! Not like you would know, with that filthy birds nest of yours! I bet you're adopted!"
"Yeah!" the other two laughed, playing along with the joke.
Fringe wasn't backing down though, "Oh please, he's a whore chasing, drug addicted wannabe pop singer. You put him on way too high a pedestal, Rose!"
The ringleader stepped away, "Wait, how do you know my name? Only my most trusted friends know my name!"
Fringe laughed, spitting out some blood, his eyes focused above Rose's head, "Oh, I know your name, Rosemary Bush. I also know the names of your goons over here, Marigold Breeze and Myrtle Patch, if I remember correctly. My bro speaks a lot about you, how he thinks you're all just a bunch of sluts who aren't worth his time, and that he wishes you would crawl back to the waterhole slut house you came from!"
Rose's blood was practically boiling, "Take. That. Back!"
Fringe smiled, "Cant. Wouldn't."
"I've had enough of this!" Rose declared, "Mary, Myrtle, take into the alleyway here! Let's teach him some manners."
Wallflower had watched from a distance, taking in the whole thing. Experience told her to just walk away, why should she risk herself over someone who would forget her later? And yet, she didn't. There was something about Fringe, she couldn't place it. Like he was a person that she really wanted to know, a person who wanted to know her back. Sure, he was a bit of a weirdo, but somehow that didn't matter to her. So, she did something brave, something that she had never done before.
"Leave him alone!" Wallflower shouted.
This grabbed the attention of the three college girls, surprising them. Like most people, they had no idea she was there, and had thought she was just some kid on the street who walked in on the situation, "Get lost, kid! This is none of your business!"
But Wallflower would not budge, she was having a uncharacteristically huge feeling of courage, and she wasn't backing down, "I said, leave him alone!"
Momentarily letting go of Fringe, Rose walked over to Wallflower, "Excuse me, little bitch? Who do you think you are?"
"My name is Wallflower Blush," Wallflower heroically declared, "And this is your last warning, let him go or else!"
"Or else what?" Rose dared, "You gonna tattle on me to the police? You gonna beat me up? Well, go ahead, show us what you got!"
SMACK!
Wallflower never recalled punching her, it happened so quickly. Yet, Wallflower had managed to bruise her cheek, even drawing a little blood. Rose could only stand in shock at what Wallflower had done to her, "Now you've done it, you little bitch! You ruined my flawless face, you are so dead! You hear me, dead!"
And in one fell swoop, Rose had grabbed Wallflower by the hair and repeatedly punched her in the face. Wallflower had never felt so much pain before in her life. Her eye was becoming black, her gums were bleeding, and her cheeks were becoming swollen from the bruising. And to finish it all off, she slammed her head into a nearby wall and threw her on the ground. The contents of her backpack spilled everywhere!
Even Marigold and Myrtle were becoming scared, "Rosie, that's enough! You're going to kill her!"
"Shut up, you two!" Rose threw them threatening looks, like they would be next if they crossed her. Instinctively, they backed down, "Make sure that shit head doesn't escape while I deal with this bitch!"
Walking to an already beaten up Wallflower, she once again grabbed her by the hair and brought her close to her lips, "I want you to remember this moment the next time you decide to stick your filthy nose where it doesn't concern you. Now run on back to the shit hole you came from you little bitch!"
And with that, she threw her down on the ground, and walked back over to Fringe, where he was silently waiting for further punishment, "Sorry about that. Now, where were we? Ah yes, I was gonna kick your face in!"
Now Fringe was really starting to feel scared, "Wait, hold on a minute! What good will it do you if you beat up the younger brother of Feather Bangs, huh? Do you really think he'd go out with you after I tell him what you did to me?"
But Rose didn't believe his petty little threat, "Oh, I assume you'll have the good sense to keep your mouth shut about this little meeting between us. But if you don't, I'm sure I can persuade him a little. I'm very good at getting my way with things. Now say your prayers you little shit!"
Rose continued to punch Fringe, going for the gut this time, making sure it was as painful as possible. Little did she know that a pickup truck carrying heavy metal poles was driving down the street close by. The driver was talking to his wife on the phone and wasn't paying attention to the road. Suddenly his eyes caught sight of a stray cat walking down the street, slamming onto the brakes as hard as he could. He avoided hitting the cat, but the wet asphalt caused him to skid into a nearby lamp post, the poles he was carrying flying passed him, right into...
"Rosie, look out!" Marigold shouted, but it was too late. Rose had backed up to deliver one final kick to the groin, when one of the metal poles went straight through her torso, piercing her heart.
Marigold and Myrtle screamed, dropping Fringe as they brought their hands to their faces. Rose had just enough time to look at the pole that had drilled its way through her chest. Then, the hole erupted, blood spewing everywhere! Rose began to puke blood, choking on what wasn't going out through her middle. Losing blood fast, she lost the strength to stand, writhing and twitching on the floor as her life force was painfully drained from her wretched body. Marigold and Myrtle only stood and watched, not knowing what else to do but scream their heads off.
As Fringe got up from where they dropped her, he got a quick look at Wallflower Blush, who was holding something small and black in her hand. Then, she took off, quickly disappearing from sight. Despite all the screaming and the blood mixing in with the rainwater, Fringe couldn't help but smile.
The Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon
Rosemary Bush- stabbed in the heart, dies a slow and painful death
These two names stood out on the blank page of notebook paper. One of them was an accident, the result of someone foolish, which led to the decisions of someone as equally foolish. But then there was the second one, the most recent addition to the collection of souls claimed by the Death Note. That was no accident. That name was written with purpose, with full knowledge of its consequences, what it would do. It was written with the intention to kill, to make the death long and painful. To make sure that the victim would absolutely know that they were dying, that the trip to hell for their sins would be a long and painful one.
As Wallflower ran down the streets, trying to get as far away from the crime scene, the Death Note held firmly in her armpit, she pondered her recent actions to herself. She was scared of herself, how she didn't hesitate to put Rose's name in the Death Note as soon as she got her hands on it, how she would've most likely done it again. Then again, by using its power, she saved someone. Rose and her goons most likely would've beat Fringe to death had she not intervened. She saved an innocent life by taking another.
The more she thought about this, the more the idea of burning the notebook wasn't as appealing to her anymore. Why destroy the key to power, to revenge? How many others could she save using its power? How many bad people could she erase by writing their name? Bad people who had caused her harm like Sunset and Trixie. Bad people who had caused other people harm, like Rose and her gang. They were all powerless to avoid their fate! They could all be erased, until even the memory of their pain was eradicated!
Maybe that stalker was right, she had unlocked her true potential with it. She could become a god, as one other had done before her. A fair and just god that would stay invisible, hiding in plain sight but never seen. Others would use this notebook for fame, fortune, political power! But not her, she had no interest in money or ruling the world, just revenge and justice! But she couldn't do it alone...
"Hey, stalker!" Wallflower shouted, hoping to get his attention, "Hey, stalker only I can hear! I've decided to keep playing, I want to know how the notebook works! If you can hear me, meet me in my room!"
She didn't receive a response back. Whether or not the stalker heard her or not, she didn't care. She was eager to learn how it worked and rushed to get home as fast as she could.
After about ten minutes of running, she made it to her house where she lived with her uncle. It wasn't one the fanciest houses out there, just a regular two story suburb in a regular old neighborhood. It was in dire need of a new paint job, the stairs inside were creaky, the doorbell never worked, but she didn't complain. It was a nice house that got the job done, and that was all that mattered.
Racing through the door, she rushed as fast as she could to get up the stairs and study the power of the notebook. Halfway up, she heard the sound of her uncle calling to her, "Wallflower, is that you? Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you!"
"No time to talk, Uncle Andy!" Wallflower shouted back, "I've got tons of homework to do right now!" With that story in place, she ran into her room and locked the door.
In stark contrast to the rest of her house, her room was rather pretty. She had decorated it with all types of flowers and greenery. Pots full of colorful plants hung from her walls and ceilings, and her wallpaper was the refreshing color of grass. Whenever she was in this room, she felt like she was back in her garden. Yet, none of these beautiful features were being given the recognition they deserved at the moment, especially not from the one who planted them. All that was going on in Wallflower's mind was tearing open the notebook and reading it's rule section. Setting it down on her desk, she quickly flipped open the Death Note, reading its rules aloud to herself, not even bothering to read in chronological order.
The Death Note:
How to Use It
Rule #7
- One page taken from the Death Note, or even a fragment of the page, contains the full effects of the note.
- The instrument to write with can be anything, e.g. cosmetics, blood, etc. as long as it can write directly onto the note and remains as legible letters.
The Death Note:
How to Use It
Rule #8
- You may also write the cause and/or details of death prior to filling in the name of the individual. Be sure to insert the name in front of the written cause of death. You have about 19 days (according to the human calendar) in order to fill in a name.
- Even if you do not actually possess the Death Note, the effect will be the same if you can recognize the person and his/her name to place in the blank.
The Death Note:
How to Use It
Rule #10
- Suicide is a valid cause of death. Basically, all humans are thought to possess the possibility to commit suicide. It is, therefore, not something unbelievable to think of.
- Whether the cause of the individual's death is either a suicide or accident, if the death leads to the death of more than the intended, the person will simply die of a heart attack. This is to ensure that other lives are not influenced.
Wallflower grunted slightly to herself, there were so many rules and regulations to use the Death Note. Part of her simply wanted to stick with heart attacks. But she wasn't like that, there were a few choice ways she wanted some people to die, and would have to learn how to properly use it if she wanted any of them to happen. As she browsed through the pages, her eyes fell on a random piece of paper. It wasn't a page containing rules, it didn't have any names written on it. All that was stretched along the page was a simple sentence:
Trust the Shinigami, trust their gift, trust their guidance.
"Shiny-game-y?" Wallflower wondered aloud, "What's a Shiny-game-y?"
"Why, that would be me, of course."
"Eeep!" Wallflower screamed again, turning her head to look behind her back. The Figure had returned, sitting on her bed.
In the light of her room, she could clearly see what her stalker had looked like. He wore a black coat with a white button-up shirt, though it was a little unkempt. Over his forehead, he wore a pair of goggles and a red tie tied over his head. By his side, was a duffle bag of some kind, along with a huge hammer made out of bones from a large fish. But what really intrigued Wallflower was how inhuman and scary he looked. He looked like a man, if his bones were on the outside of his skin. His skull was worn similar to a mask, his jaws twisted into a creepy and unrealistic smile. And then there was his eyes, his bright crimson red eyes that shone like beacons through his skeletal face, staring into Wallflower's soul. Letting out a chuckle, he added, "But, for the future, it's pronounced 'Shinigami'."
"Shinigami," Wallflower repeated, swallowing her own throat. She needed his help to understand the note, but that didn't mean she wasn't still afraid of him, "Shinigami, i-is that your name?"
The Shinigami sighed, "No, it is not my name, per say. But it is the name of what my people are called."
"Then, what is your name?" Wallflower asked, feeling brave.
"My name is unimportant," the Shinigami answered, You, however, my call me Arik."
"Arik?" Wallflower wondered, thinking about how strange it was for a person as scary as this to be called Arik, "Um, well Arik, uh nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Arik agreed, "Now, you wanted to talk to me?"
Wallflower was confused, "Excuse me?"
Arik sighed, "Well, I assume that you were addressing me when you yelled out in the street like a lunatic."
Wallflower slapped her own head, not believing her own thick-headedness, "Oh, um sorry. Um yes, I have some questions for you regarding the notebook and why you are stalking me."
"Ask away," Arik motioned, gesturing his hand for her to continue.
"Okay Wallflower this is it. The moment you've been waiting for," Wallflower told herself in her mind. Steeling herself, she began with the questions, "Okay, first order of business. What exactly are you, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Not at all," Arik began, clearing his throat, "The Shinigami have existed since the first humans ever came to be on this earth. We are what you call, Gods of Death."
"Gods of Death?" Wallflower repeated, not quite liking the idea, "So what, are you supposed to ferry souls over to the next life or something?"
"Not exactly," Arik continued, "We ourselves don't actually know what happens after death. Hell, our purpose for existence is unknown to us Shinigami. Nowadays we just sit around sleeping or gambling ourselves to death, only writing in our Death Notes to increase our lifespan."
At these words, Wallflower was fully attentive, "Wait, you can take a person's lifespan from them?"
Arik nodded, Correct, if a Shinigami writes a human's name in their personal notebook, they can steal their remaining lifespan. Say a person will live until 70 but we write them to die around 50, the remaining 20 years of lifespan go to the Shinigami that wrote the human's name down. So as long as we keep writing names, it doesn't matter if we've been stabbed or shot in the head. We won't die."
Wallflower couldn't believe how sick that sounded. These 'Gods of Death' were taking life away simply for securing their own immortality. But something clicked in her mind, "Wait, so if I write names down in the notebook, will my lifespan be increased?"
Arik shook his head disapprovingly, "Unfortunately no, if a human were to write a name in the Death Note, their original lifespan would remain the same. So you won't be getting the remaining lifespan of the Rosemary Bush lady you killed. Ha, loved that one by the way. I love it when people like her get what they deserve."
Wallflower slumped a little bit. She couldn't lie, the idea of immortality to her was pretty appealing. But she quickly pushed those thoughts aside, "Okay, next question: Why is it that only I can see you?"
"The Shinigami that dropped the Death Note in the human world can only be seen by the first person who picks it up. But that doesn't mean other people couldn't see me if they touched it," Arik explained.
That made sense in Wallflower's head, but there was still something that bugged her, "Then why couldn't I see you at first? Why couldn't Trixie see you when she picked up the notebook?"
Arik let out a big laugh, "Simple, I was hiding!"
"Of course you were," Wallflower slumped again, not really liking the answer she was given, "So, if I can't extend my own life with it, what else can I do with it?"
Arik smiled devilishly, they were getting to the more fun and interesting questions, "That's entirely up to you. What exactly did you wanna use it for?"
Wallflower thought for a moment, "Well, it said that if I wrote down how and when a person will die, that death will happen. So does that mean that I can control my victims?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes," Arik confirmed, "It's like I told you, we Shinigami can determine the outcome of a person's life and influence them to cause certain actions. You have been granted that same power, but the power does not come without its own set of rules. Refer to Rules #27 and #6, they're one of the more understandable ones."
Reluctantly doing as she was told, she walked over to her desk and read aloud the rules she was told to read:
The Death Note:
How to Use It
Rule #27
- If you write, "die of disease" with a specific disease's name and the person's time of death, there must be a sufficient amount of time for the disease to progress. If the set time is too tight, the victim will die of a heart attack after 6 minutes and 40 seconds after completing the Death Note.
- If you write, "die of disease" for the cause of death, but only write a specific time of death without the actual name of disease, the human will die from an adequate disease. But the Death Note can only operate within 23 days (in the human calendar). This is called the 23 day rule.
The Death Note:
How to Use It
Rule #6
- The conditions for death will not be realized unless it is physically possible for that human or it is reasonably assumed to be carried out by that human.
- The specific scope of the condition for death is not known to the gods of death, either. So, you must examine and find out.
"So, if I'm reading this correctly, I can only control a person for 23 days before they die," Wallflower tried to piece together, "And I can't make them do the impossible, at least not for them."
"Correct again," Arik praised, "You catch on fast. Any other questions?"
"Just one more," Wallflower spoke, wanting to know one last thing, "Why did you give it to me? I assume it was you who gave it to me, right?"
"The last keeper of this note relinquished ownership of it," Arik explained, "They didn't want it anymore, and told me to get rid of it. But instead of bringing it back to the Shinigami Realm, I figured I could have some more fun and looked for someone else to take it. And after years of searching, I have found you."
That didn't make any sense to her, "Yeah, but why me specifically?"
Arik grumbled, getting impatient, "I told you back in the computer room. I watched you go through your daily life and saw great potential in you, potential to become a god!"
"You mentioned that someone else used this notebook to become a god," Wallflower pointed out, "Who were they?"
But Arik was quite through answering any more questions, especially a personal one like that, "Aw come on, Wallflower. Is that all you plan to do, ask me questions about the Death Note instead of actually using it? I'm here to teach you how to use it, but I'm not gonna hold your hand the whole way through. Hell, I can't hold your hand the whole way through, it's against the rules. Besides, you already know the power of the Death Note, so just go ahead and have fun with it!"
Wallflower hesitated for a moment. She had a lot of ideas about how she would use the Death Note, a lot of people she wanted to erase from the world. But that wasn't her main concern, her main concern was whether or not she should trust Arik. He gave off a really bad presence, like someone who knew more than he let on. Someone who had ulterior motives than just helping her kill some rotten people.
Arik seemed to notice this, and jumped at the chance to throw suspicion off of him, "Listen kid, I really am only here to advise. I can't actually make you do anything, nor can I do anything to help or hinder how you use it. Just put some names in it and I'll offer some pointers. There must be someone you hate in this world. Someone like... Sunset Shimmer?"
If Wallflower's fate wasn't sealed before, it was then at that very moment. Rushing towards her backpack, she rifled through it until she yanked out her copy of this year's notebook. Rifling through it, she looked for pages containing her and her friends. At last she found them, pictures of them hanging out with each other, pictures of the many adventures they had together, and of course, pictures of them using their powers to battle other worldly foes. It was her fault, her fault for stealing all of her friends from her, her fault why everyone wouldn't bother to remember her, her fault why Wallflower's life was so miserable, she hated her!
Arik began to smile, realizing that he had broken through to her, maybe she would make a good puppet for him after all. She just needed a little push in the right direction, You know, it would be incredibly easy for Sunset Shimmer and the rest of her friends to just disappear. Despite their friendship, despite all their power, they would be useless against the power of the Death Note. Just put their names down, and they'd never see the sunrise. The name and the face is all you have to have."
And the more she thought about it, the more Wallflower believed that he was right. Just one little flick from her pen and they would be erased from this world. A devilish smile spread across Wallflower's face, a glint of read gleaming in her eyes, "You're right, Arik. But, as long as we're playing we might as well do it right. They said they were going to Applejack's Farm to discuss what caused Trixie's death. That seems like the perfect garden to plant my seeds of revenge, don't you think?"
Arik was excited, Ooooh, what are you gonna do?"
Wallflower turned towards Arik, showing him her gleaming red eyes, "Well, wait until 2:30 PM tomorrow, then head on over to Sweet Apple Acres and see."
And with her vague explanation leaving Arik amused, she tore open her Death Note and began to seal the fates of her enemies.
"How did Trixie die?"
These were the words that went on in Sunset's head as she drove over to Sweet Apple Acres. It didn't make any sense, only seconds after their fight about the superlatives, she drops dead of a heart attack? No, there had to be more than that, there just had to be. A new threat from Equestria, perhaps? That made the most sense, every time they came across a new threat, it was always a being or an artifact from Equestria. Why would it be any different now? Well, regardless of what it was and where it came from, something very clear stood out in Sunset's mind...
"Whatever this is, it's dangerous," Sunset confirmed to herself. The beings and people they fought before had never actually killed anyone before, she and her friends were stepping into entirely new territory. To be honest, Sunset was a little hesitant to look into the matter, this time she and her friends were in very real danger. Whatever this thing was, it would not hesitate to kill her or the people she cared about.
"No, I can't think like that," Sunset thought to herself, "The Magic of Friendship hasn't failed us yet, and it won't fail us now." They had always managed to win the day, no matter how powerful their adversary was, they would win now. Sunset was going to catch this evil entity, she wasn't going to let it kill her or her friends. She promised herself that.
Pulling up into the Apple Family's driveway, she was greeted by Granny Smith, "There ya are, youngin! The rest of yer friends are waiting outside for ya! Sounds urgent!"
Sunset smiled, "Thanks Granny!" After that greeting, she showed herself into the backyard. Well, it wasn't really a backyard per se. It was rather a great collection of apple trees, with only a few clearings here and there. Regardless, it was perfect for their needs. They needed a place to think, and the apple acres offered just that. Her friends had already set up, ready to help her find this new Equestrian threat. Rarity was sitting by on a picnic sheet, doing her nails. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were setting up a few chairs for them to sit. Twilight had brought her portable laptop to search for information, which she had asked Fluttershy to help her do. Pinkie Pie was... break dancing nearby a set of trees to some music that only she could hear. Sunset sighed, it wasn't the strangest thing Pinkie had done, but this time she wasn't in the mood for any of her shenanigans. They were hunting a killer, for Celestia's sake.
Once she was done dance breaking, Pinkie jumped over to Sunset. There was a huge smile spread across her face, "So Sunset, how did you like my dancing?! I learned it at a party I threw a few weeks ago, everyone was dancing and listening to funky music and everyone was having a good time! But then some meanie pants called over and yelled at us to turn down the music or he'd turn it down himself. So I went up to him and said..!"
"Okay, okay!" Sunset threw her hands up, desperate to make her stop, "I get it, you had fun. Now can we please focus on the task at hand?"
"Okey Dokey Loki!" Pinkie said with a giggle as she bounced over to help Applejack and Rainbow Dash with the chairs. Sunset could only groan as she sat by Rarity. Sensing her friend was troubled, Rarity scooted towards her to talk to her, "Sunset darling, is everything okay? You've never been troubled by Pinkie's antics before."
"Yeah, I know," Sunset admitted, feeling a little guilty, "I just can't get over the fact that we're not taking this serious;y enough, you know?"
Rarity shrugged, "No, not really, darling. We've always gotten ourselves through predicaments like this. It's not really anything new."
"Isn't it?" Sunset asked, not quite satisfied with her answer, "I mean, in the past we've defeated evil entities of all kinds, different being with all kinds of unspeakable power, but they all had one thing in common. They weren't bad people, they were just misguided and hurting people with too much power. But now, I think we actually might be facing someone truly evil. This thing killed Trixie, for Celestia's sake. We're hunting a murderer!"
At these last words, everyone froze. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie stopped setting up chairs. Rarity stopped doing her nails. Twilight and Fluttershy stopped looking through their laptop. Everyone just stopped what they were doing, like someone had stopped time. They all knew they were hunting a murderer, but hearing it out loud... they shuddered a bit. Like a tidal wave, the severity of what they were getting into crashed upon them. Whoever was behind this, they wouldn't just try to stop them, they would try to kill them, and possibly all their loved ones as well. But then, somebody had made time move forward again, and Rarity politely offered her piece on the matter.
"I know that," Rarity admitted, abandoning her nail polish, "You think any of us don't know that? We know the danger of what we're getting ourselves into. But we can't stop now because our lives are on the line this time. If we did that, who would be able to do it in our place?"
"I know," Sunset said, agreeing with her friend, "I want to catch this guy as much as the rest of you do, I really do! But I'm scared, okay? I tried to convince myself on the way over that everything was gonna be okay, I promised myself we would catch him. But all that seems childish now, maybe we should just let the police handle it."
"Are you kidding?!" Rainbow spoke up, joining the conversation, "We can't just hand it over to the police, they're not as awesome as we are! Whatever is going on here, only we have the power to kick it's evil butt once and for all!"
"I agree with Rainbow," Applejack pitched in, "And to be honest, a lot of people on the CPD aren't the brightest bulbs in the hardware store, if ya know what I mean."
Sunset laughed a little bit, the first time since the computer room yesterday. It was only yesterday, but it still felt so long ago. Twilight also came up, offering her own type of encouragement, "Listen Sunset, I know you're scared. Believe it or not, we're scared too, beyond belief actually. But we also know that we're the only ones that can stop it, so we have to find the courage within ourselves to move forward. The fear of getting killed can't stop you from doing what is right, to make sure harmony and justice prevails. But we can't do it without you, so are you with us?"
Sunset was driven to tears by Twilight's words. They weren't tears of joy, nor were they tears of sadness. They were tears of... well something. She didn't know exactly what they were for. All she knew was that she was being wrapped in a hug by Twilight, who was soon joined by her other friends, turning it into a group hug. Sunset felt warm, felt safe, like things were before Trixie died. But at the same time, it felt fake. She couldn't explain it, perhaps it was the weight of the situation.
Before this moment, their future was certain. Their friendship would last an eternity, they would defeat every evil creature they crossed, they would help the misguided back on the path of friendship, and they would live long and happy lives by each other's side. But now Sunset wasn't certain, all they would have to do is make one mistake, make one small miscalculation and they could all be six feet under with only a tombstone to signify they ever existed. Sunset was scared, and for the first time since she left Equestria all those years ago, the speech about Friendship leading the way didn't help her with her fear at all. The enemy was invisible, and there was nothing that they could do about it.
But then, the moment had been interrupted, as Granny Smith had come outside to greet them, "Howdy y'all, just wanted to check on ya. I'm also making y'all apple fritters, ya know, give ya something to snack on while you work. Could I ask one of you young'uns to help me out?"
Naturally, Pinkie jumped up and down at the opportunity, "Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me! I wanna help out, I do! I do!" And before she could have Granny's approval, she raced off into the house, bee-lining straight for the oven in the kitchen.
Granny and the girls could only laugh at Pinkie's antics, even Sunset was starting to lighten up a bit. Granny was just about to join her in the kitchen when her eye caught sight upon the window on Twilight's laptop, "Huh, whatcha all readin'? 'The Many Different Types of Heart Attacks and their Causes'?"
Twilight, sensing the prying eyes of concerned parents, rushed over to shield her laptop from Granny Smith, "Um yeah, we were just, uh doing a Health Project for school. You know how these last minute projects are."
Granny was eyeing her suspiciously, "Uh huh, this all wouldn't happen to be about what happened to Trixie yesterday, is it?"
"What?" Rainbow Dash stepped in, "Pfft, no! We were working on this project before all that happened, right Flutters?"
Fluttershy, who had remained pretty quiet during the whole time they were here, was not excited to be brought into the conversation, "Oh um, um, yeah, I guess."
"Hmmm," Granny observed, seeing through their little lies. As an apple, she had a gift for sniffing out liars, "Well, If I were you gals, I wouldn't go poking my noses in things beyond my control. Who knows what Kira'll do to ya if you meddle in his business."
"KIRA?!"
Once again, the entire backyard was silent. Every person in the area had a look of fear and uneasiness. If they weren't as scared as Sunset was, they were now. But the roles were now switched, with Sunset being the one to brush it off, "Kira? Who the heck is Kira?"
` This earned a collective gasp from all the girls, especially from Rainbow Dash, "You've never heard of Kira?! Where have you been?!"
Sunset was surprised at this outburst, Rainbow was only this serious about the Wondercolts. Who was this Kira person, why did he scare them all so much, "What's wrong?! Who is Kira?"
Surprisingly, Fluttershy was the one who stood up to explain first, "About eleven years ago, long before Princess Twilight came to this world, the world's greatest serial killer pulled himself from out of the shadows, making himself known to the entire world! This killer had the power to give people heart attacks simply by willing them to have it!"
Applejack was the next to speak, taking off her hat in fearful respect "But there were rumors, rumors that he could kill without heart attacks. That the heart attacks were simply calling signs and that he could kill you in any way he wanted. That he could make you commit suicide with nobody knowing what happened to you! True or not, all the worst criminals in the world started getting violent and unexplained heart attacks!"
"They called him Kira!" Rainbow Dash continued, her eyes wide with terror, "They named him a god of the common folk. A vengeful, but fair god as he smites the wicked with his horrible justice! All other religions became void and false, as everyone accepted Kira as the one and true god!"
"For six years, Kira governed his new world in secret," Rarity added, "All wars had ceased, and global crime rates were reduced to almost nothing! Until five years ago, when the police finally caught up with him, and announced that he was dead!"
Granny Smith was the one to finish, "Yet, some of his most devoted followers believed that Kira was still among them. That he was resting, waiting, preparing for the time when he could return and continue his godly work of purging the world of all he viewed were unworthy to live in his world's image."
Sunset could not believe what she was hearing. Yet at the same time, it all made sense to her. Trixie was not the kindest of people, she sounded like the type of person Kira wouldn't hesitate to kill. If that was true, then that would mean... Sunset gasped.
"Kira has returned!" they all shouted in one resounding voice.
Little did they know, they were being watched by an invisible stalker. Arik had done as Wallflower requested and went to Sweet Apple Acres at around 2:25 PM, eager for the show to begin. As he waited, he thought to himself, "I see the name of Kira has not been forgotten. The young children who would have been my greatest achievement, the children that would have lived in my new world. They have not forgotten my name. It is a shame that these ones have to die, they seem to know my place in the world the most. But they have to die if Wallflower is to become my puppet."
Looking down, he looked at the wrist watch that Twilight was wearing, "2:29 PM, let the fun begin!"
Pinkie Pie suddenly burst her head through the kitchen window, "Hey everybody! The Apple Fritters are almost done! Sorry Granny, I know you wanted to be the one to finish them, but I just couldn't help myself! How could I not try out Apple Fritters without adding my own little ingredients to them! Just give them a few minutes and then I'll..."
"ERASE!"
Pinkie never got to finish her sentence. The secret ingredients she added to the apple fritters was a bit of sprinkles and frosting from her secret stash, the ones that usually activated her explosion powers. Because she touched them, they were ready to erupt, adding that with an overused oven with more than one gas leak. The kitchen then exploded, setting the whole house on fire! Pinkie died instantly.
"PINKIE!" Sunset called out in vain. Pinkie could no longer hear her cries, she could no longer hear anything. The rest of the group was in chaos. The girls were shouting, screaming, confused about what had happened, what was happening!
"This isn't good!" Rainbow stated, her voice full of fear, "Everyone try not to panic! I'll fly over to the fire department and get help!" Activating her powers, she ponied up and flew upwards to get a straight shot to the fire department.
"ERASE!"
"Aaagh!" Rainbow screamed as her wings began to cramp up. She then began to lose altitude, falling to the ground like a rock, screaming for something to save her.
"Rainbow's falling fast!" Applejack shouted, running towards where she would meet the earth, "I'll catch her before she hits the ground! The rest of ya, try to put out the fire while I..."
"ERASE!"
"Hynngh!" Applejack grunted, clutching her heart. Like Trixie, she had suffered a violent heart attack, and had dropped to the floor twitching in agony. She had just enough time to watch Rainbow Dash hit the hard floor. Her mangled, bloodied form being the last thing she saw before she herself died.
"APPLEJACK!" Granny cried, running forward to her now dead granddaughter, holding her in her arms as she grieved.
All Sunset could do was watch in despair. Three of her friends were now dead. Two of them had died quickly and painlessly, but the other one...
"Heart attacks?" Sunset wondered, "Heart attacks? Heart attacks! Girls, it's Kira! Kira's here! He's here and he wants us dead! Quickly, activate your powers! Pony-up, your life depends on it!"
Doing as they were told, the three remaining members of the Rainbooms other than Sunset quickly called upon their pony powers. Arik laughed, those puny little gems couldn't save them from the power he unleashed!
Fluttershy was freaking out, scared that she would be next. She tried so hard to steel herself for an incoming attack, but she didn't know where to look!
"ERASE!"
Nearby, a beehive on one of the apple trees began to wobble. Normally, the Apple Family would take precautions to prevent the formation of beehives on their trees. But Apple Bloom was the one currently in charge of that chore, and she had forgotten to check that tree for beehives. A mistake that would cost the life of one of her big sister's friends. The beehive finally fell off the branch it was resting on, falling right on top of poor Fluttershy!
"EEEEEEE," Fluttershy screamed painfully, the feeling of stingers all around her body, "Please stop, please! I didn't cause your home to fall, I didn't! You have to believe me! Please believe me! Please!" But her powers had failed her, the bees were too angry to listen to her, they just wanted to attack her, "Sunset! Rarity! ANYBODY, HELP MEEEEEE!"
"FLUTTERSHY!" Rarity called out to her friend, running forward to try and save her gentle friend. Sunset and Twilight had backed into each other, trying to look out for anyone or anything that might attack them.
Sunset called out to Rarity, "Rarity, what are you doing?! We have to stay together!" But Rarity could not hear her, she was too far away from them.
While Sunset tried to make Rarity rejoin the circle,Twilight noticed Granny Smith, still holding Applejack's body in her arms. But what scared her, was the big butcher knife that she had pulled from her apron.
"Oh Kira, why have you forsaken my family?" Granny Smith called out to the wind, "I have served you gratefully. I have made criminal names public for your execution. I lead others in my town to follow your teachings! Why have you done this to me?! WHY?!" And then she brought the knife to her neck, and prepared to slit it.
"Granny, no!" Twilight called out, using her levitation powers to yank it out of her hands. The knife flew ten feet into the air. Burying itself right in...
"ERASE!"
...the neck of Rarity, who was using her gem powers to vainly fan the bees away. The shields she had levitated around the bees vanished, her hands clutching her own gushing throat. There was no stopping it, Rarity was dying. Fluttershy had already died, the venom of the bees finally taking her life. Before she herself died, Rarity got a good look at Twilight, the one responsible for her death, and pointed at her accusingly. She then dropped to the floor, dead like the rest of her friends.
Twilight dropped to her knees, her eyes stuffed to the brim with tears, her glasses slipping off her ears. She killed Rarity, she had caused Rarity's death. She looked at Granny Smith, trying hard to convince herself that she still saved a life, even if it cost her her friend. But she didn't even have that. The force of her grabbing the knife had slit her throat anyway. Granny just laid there, holding her granddaughter while blood oozed from her neck.
Suddenly, an idea popped in Twilight's idea. A terrible, awful idea, but an idea all the same. It was the only way, the only way that she could redeem herself for killing Rarity and Granny Smith. She had convinced herself that it was the only way. Using her magic, she slowly levitated the butcher knife out of Rarity's neck, positioning it to aim for her heart.
Sunset was freaking out, trying to find anyone who was still alive, anyone! Then her eyes fell upon Twilight, relief filling her body as she approached her. But that relief was short lived after seeing Twilight's face, seeing her use her magic.
"Twilight, what are you doing?" Sunset asked, almost in a whisper.
Twilight slowly turned towards Sunset, her face looking empty and devoid of soul, "This is the only way. This is the only way for me to pay for what I've done!" She then activated the knife, guiding it to quickly hit it's target.
Sunset screamed, "Twilight, no!"
"ERASE!"
The knife found home, burying itself into her chest. Arik was bellowing with laughter, despite no one being able to hear him. Sunset rushed forward, grabbing her friend before she could fall to the floor. Her eyes filled with tears, "Why Twilight? Why did you leave me?"
Twilight tried so hard to answer, coughing up blood every fifteen seconds, "It was... the only way. I killed... I killed her. I... did this."
Sunset tried to comfort her friend in her last moments, "No, you didn't you didn't cause any of this. It was Kira, that monster! I promise you, I'll catch him! I'll catch him, and I'll make him pay!"
But Twilight would have none of it, "No you don't... understand. It was... it was all me. I killed us!"
Sunset didn't understand, "What? I don't understand, what do you mean?"
It pained Twilight to say it, "I sneaked in here last night. I... I rigged the oven... the oven to explode. I convinced... Rainbow and Applejack.. to compete against each other... so that... they could experience the cramp and... the heart attack. I placed the beehive in the tree. I made sure... Granny had... had a knife in her pocket. It was all me, I killed us!"
Sunset could not believe what she was hearing, how could her friend do something like this? The Twilight she knew would never do anything like this, she would never intentionally put her friends in danger.
"Please... forgive... me," Twilight sighed, letting go of life. As she slumped in her arms, Sunset could only watch as her world burned around her. The house was completely engulfed in flames, and had begun to spread to the trees. All of her friends were dead, their bodies glistening like diamonds among the orange and red.
Sunset was alone, she was alone to catch Kira by herself. Kira had taken everything from her.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"
Arik laughed among the flames, having his fill of entertainment, "The god of the new world has returned. I'd better return to Wallflower and tell her that her plan was a huge success." And with that, he flew off to Wallflower's house to give her the good news.
Pinkie Pie- Saturday 2:30 PM, Sweet Apple Acres- Pinkie will offer to help with making apple fritters for her friends. Wanting to surprise them, she adds her own secret frosting onto the fritters, before putting them in the oven. Due to the explosive nature of Pinkie's candy powers, along with a gas leak in the oven, the fritters will explode, killing her instantly.
Rainbow Dash- Saturday 2:31 PM, Sweet Apple Acres- The explosion will cause the house to burst into flames. Seeking to get help from the Canterlot Fire Department, she will use her powers to fly up into the air where she'll have a straight shot to the CFD. At this moment, her wings will cramp up and she will fall to her death.
Applejack- Saturday 2:32 PM, Sweet Apple Acres- Seeing her friend Rainbow Dash fall from the sky, she will rush forward in an attempt to catch her friend, where she will suffer a sudden heart attack. She has just enough time to watch as Rainbow goes splat on the ground.
Fluttershy- Saturday 2:34 PM, Sweet Apple Acres- Fluttershy will freeze due to the commotion, not knowing what to do. A nearby beehive will collapse on her, causing the bees to violently attack her. She will attempt to use her powers to calm them down, but to no avail. She will succumb to the venom shortly after.
Granny Smith- Saturday 2:10 PM, Sweet Apple Acres- Wanting to give the girls something to snack on as they work, she will begin to make apple fritters for them. At 2:24, she will come out and suggest someone to come and help her finish them. She stays long enough to see her granddaughter die from a heart attack. At 2:37 PM, driven mad by grief, she will pull a butcher knife out from her apron and attempt to slit her own throat. The knife is suddenly pulled from her hand before she can cut it, but the force of the knife being yanked cuts it all the same
Rarity- Saturday 2:36 PM, Sweet Apple Acres- Seeing Fluttershy being attacked by the bees, she rushes towards her to
help get them away from her. A butcher knife suddenly lands itself in her throat, causing her to choke on her own blood. Before death, she will point her finger to the person who threw it at her.
Twilight Sparkle- Friday 12:00 AM- Twilight Sparkle will wake up and feel the sudden urge to quietly break into Sweet Apple Acres apple farm. She will then sneak into the kitchen, and rig the oven to explode on Saturday 2:30 PM. She then takes a butcher knife from the knife holder and slips it into Granny Smith's cooking apron. She then loots their Apple Farm for beehives. After finding one, she carefully places it in a nearby tree where she and her friends will hang out the following afternoon. She will then head back home and go to bed. On Saturday 2:38, she will start to feel regret for what her actions had caused and tries to prevent the deaths of her remaining friends. Seeing Granny Smith is about to cut herself, she uses her powers to pull the knife away from her, unintentionally slitting Granny Smith's throat and flinging it into the neck of Rarity. Driven to madness by what her actions had caused, she takes control of the butcher knife and guides it to stab her heart. She confesses to her last remaining friend before she dies.
Wallflower looked upon her hard work, smiling to herself. It had taken up a whole page and a half, but it was worth it. The people who had done her wrong were finally dead, life for her would start to turn around. And that was only the beginning, she would seek justice on all those people who had wronged her, she would erase them all from existence! She then looked upon the final entry of the Death Note.
Sunset Shimmer- Saturday 2:40 PM, Sweet Apple Acres- Driven mad by grief over the loss of her friends, Sunset Shimmer will take the geodes of her late friends and wear them around her neck. She will then start a bonfire at the edge of a cliff, and throw herself upon it, killing her and destroying the geodes.
"And... erase," Wallflower finished, her words like piercing daggers.
Five more seconds...
5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
To be continued?
