//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Dungeons and Death - Free Time Event (Redheart 3 and Bon Bon 2) + end of daily life // Story: Danganronpa V.E: Creating Chaos // by Lusaminia //------------------------------// A feeling of relief washed over me as soon as I was out of the dining hall, but I still didn’t feel completely comfortable. I could still hear arguing from the other side of the door, and I didn’t want to be anywhere near the room in case something went down. With that thought I made my way out to the entrance hall of the castle, which seemed to be the quietest place at the current moment. That silence was the most comforting thing I had at the moment, coming close to pure bliss. “Some ponies really don’t seem to know how to keep their mouth shut,” And with Redheart’s voice suddenly catching attention, that bliss was gone. “I have to say, the last pony I would expect to do something so cruel would be Fluttershy. The pegasus has guts I didn’t know she had.” “I bet it’s just Monokuma talking and not her,” I theorized, knowing that I probably wouldn’t be able to get the Ultimate Nurse off me. “Ever since she started talking with the bear she’s been acting more and more cold. It’s weird, especially considering the pony she was before.” “Well, nothing we can really do about that now,” Redheart told me, and I sadly couldn’t help but agree with her. Nopony had the courage to go up against Monokuma, and if this new personality was anything to go by Fluttershy might just be as bad. “So, Ditzy, you have something to follow up on I believe, or have you already forgotten about our last conversation?” I facehooved as Redheart said those words, having indeed already forgotten what I had said. I had told her I would help her talk about her ‘other side’, the one that was more murder obsessed. She didn’t have anyone when she was young, so I guess that best thing to do would maybe be to try and have a normal conversation. That would at least be a good start, though I really have no idea how this entire psychology thing works. “So, how about we start by talking about things you did during your foalhood,” I suggested, really reaching for anything anything that might not be related to murder or her father. Those seemed to be a bit more sensitive to her, or the later at least. “Talking about yourself or asking others about their life might help a little. So, lets start their.” “Well, I already kinda told you but… my young years were rather boring,” She started, seeming surprisingly unsure about this. I quickly realized this was not going where I wanted it to go. “I wasn’t allowed outside much, and my father was scared of every little thing hurting me. I spent most of my time reading, which is where I found my favorite genre.” “I-I see,” I said, knowing that it was already too late to pull out of this. “Um, what kinda genre would that be?” “Mystery,” My heart sank as she gave me that answer, and I saw that familiar look in her eyes. “Murder mystery to be exact, and I feel in love instantly. The murderers especially caught my eye, and it was so much fun picking about their motives and ambitions. Some were breed killers while others were normal ponies like you put in bad situations. For example, one of the novels talked about a prior murdered in a-“ “Okay, let's change the subject,” I interrupted. “How about we skip foalhood and go more recent, what do you say?” Redheart didn’t give me in answer, look at the floor in embarrassment. “Sorry Redheart, I didn’t mean to upset you.” “It’s fine, Ditzy,” The Ultimate Nurse replied. “I know you’re trying, but I don’t really think I need the help.” “But you said that it was hard to talk about-” I stopped, immediately realizing that I was actually avoiding the exact thing I had told Redheart I would help her with. “Oh, right. You wanted help actually talking about your obsession with murder.” “I know you said you wanted to help me, but I don’t think you are the right pony to handle this kind of stuff,” She explained. “Besides, everypony already sees me as the Ultimate Nurse. Kind of hard to change something like that,” She put a hoof on my shoulder, smiling. “It’ll be fine. I made it this long after all, no reason to try and change it now.” With that, Redheart walked off, leaving me standing alone in the entrance hall. She tried to hide it, but under that smile I could see desperation. Something was bothering her, something far more than the inability to talk about herself. I couldn’t think what it could be, but I’m not gonna let it go. I promised to help her, and I intend to do that. With nopony around I made my way to the upstairs library, figuring that I had enough time before lunch to read. It was hard to think that, last time I was here, the library had almost made me a false culprit. The thought lowered my spirits overall, remembering the burned corpse in the fireplace that was once Rarity, and everything after. I think I had swore as her corpse came to mind, but I wasn’t entirely sure. “Ah, there you are,” Bon Bon said from the other side of the library. “I’m guessing you also got out of the dining hall once hell broke loose.” “Yep,” I replied with a nod. “Have you checked in on Pinkie? Is she dealing with this okay?” “I don’t know, she isn’t answering me when I knocked on her door,” She said, her relief turning to sorrow as she answered. “I’ll check in on her again later. Anyways, I think I’ve found a hobby worthy of trying out.” A slight shiver went up my spine as she said that, and I suddenly felt rather worried about what she was going to say. I still wasn’t entirely sure that Bon Bon needed another hobby to begin with, but I wasn’t willing to tell her. She seemed settled on this, and with everything going on the last thing I should do is make her feel bad about herself. “Okay. So, what is it?” I asked. “Follow me,” She said taking my hoof and dragging me out of the library. Next thing I knew, we were in the chemistry lab, and my eyes laid upon the absurd amount of equipment set up not far away. “So what do you think?” “Bon Bon, how much do you even know about chemistry?” I asked, getting even more worried about what was coming. “Probably as much as you, which is why it is perfect!” She exclaimed. “What better way is there to seperate yourself from the normal than to do science! Dangerous science, obviously, but still science.” I took one look at the amount of things she had gathered, and a sudden urge to run filled my spirit. “Bon Bon, I don’t think I’m the only one here who would say that this is the worst possible option.” “Oh, stop being so cautious,” She said cheerfully. “How are you to find something fun in life if you are scared of every little thing around you?” We went back and forth for a while, but Bon Bon finally won in the end. It turned out that Bon Bon actually knew less than I did about chemistry, and I instantly regretted not leaving the room. The amount of things that went wrong during that next hour could not be described as I tried my best to save Bon Bon from a horrible fate. Strangely, the one thing that didn’t happen was an explosion. “Bon Bon, I think that’s enough,” I said, pulling her away from the large rows of chemicals out on the table. “How about we just… put everything away and leave them their. You think that’s a fantastic idea right?” “But we’ve barely even started,” Bon Bon pleaded, acting like a spoiled brat if anything. “I mean, as long as we end up with a stable substance at the end everything’s fine. I want to at least get one compound.” “You do realize that we have been doing this for two hours and have almost lit the room on fire five times now, right?” The look on her face as soon as I asked the question was one of embarrassment. Not the normal looking-down-at-the-ground-in-shame embarrassment, but the kind you see on a foal being teased by her parents. “R-really, I was only trying to make it combust once,” She replied. “Guess I’ve gotten a little rusty from being inactive all this time.” That caught me off guard. “Inactive?” “Nothing you need to worry about,” Bon Bon said. “Of course, if I really am this rusty it might be a good idea to try something else.” “I still don’t think you need to do this,” I told her, “I mean, what’s the problem with being the normal one? Doesn’t that just mean you-” “No, I already started this, and I’m not going down without a fight,” Bon Bon explained. “Just you wait Ditzy, I’ll find us a way to stand out, no matter how long it takes. I won’t settle for the norm, not when I have the title of Ultimate!” On the one hoof, I couldn’t help but feel inspired by her words. She did seem to care deeply about this, and she definitely had a drive to continue onwards. That said, I didn’t think she needed to worry about being normal. It seemed more like an excuse to do dangerous things than an actual reason. She would probably deny that if I told her, though, so I decided to instead do what I can to make sure she doesn’t get herself hurt. With our little escapade in the lab done, we packed up everything and went our separate ways. ——- Chapter 3: Dungeons and Death ——- I rested in my bed, the nighttime curfew having just hit. So many things happened today, but my immediate thought went to the message Pinkie had been given. Fluttershy had confirmed it was real, but I didn’t want to believe that. Had Monokuma done something to her? Something that made her act like a completely different pony? And who had put the message together? Those questions swirled through my head as I tried to fall asleep. “…” Ding dong bing bong “A body has been discovered! Will everyone please report to the castle dungeons so we can began the investigation.” “Wh-what?” I had barely closed my eyes when those words came over the speaker. It took me a second to registered what had been said. “Wait, what?!” Knock knock Hearing the doorbell, I sprung out of bed to see who it was. I noticed that it was darker out than when I had closed my eyes, which told me that I had been asleep for at least a few minutes. I shook my head, dismissing that thought and rushing to the door. Opening it, I saw A.K. standing in front of me with a look of fear and dread in her eyes. “A.K., please tell me-” “I’ll explain later, just hurry to the torture room!” She commanded before running off. Knowing better than to disobey those words, I made my way down to the entrance hall and into the left hallway. I descend the stairs as quickly as I could, passing Bulk and Doctor Hooves as I did. The first thing I saw upon entering the dungeon was an open door, or the locked door at the end of the hallway to be more specific. Keeping that in mind, I made my way down, stopping at the door separating me from the torture room, the murder room. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door, preparing myself for who might be lying dead on the ground. I should have been preparing myself for more. Blood stained most of the floor, as well as the lower part of the wall. One body was tied to the wooden table, staring blankly at the ceiling in shock and terror. Another was lying on the ground, muzzle to the floor and body mangled horribly. I expect that to be the last of them, but one more body was in the room, one that I hadn’t expected. The bodies from earlier belonged to Flam, the Ultimate Con Artist, and Flash, the Ultimate Guard. The last one, however, was being cuddled by Bon Bon, who was crying in agony as a flash of pink came into view. “No, no no no no,” She cried, unable to hold back the despair and anguish filling her soul. “Who did this? Who… who did this?!” Those words told me all I needed to know. That final body, belong to the Ultimate Party Planner, Pinkie Pie.