//------------------------------// // Mortal Peril, Mortal Ignorance - Daily Life 1 // Story: Danganronpa vP: Harmony of Despair // by witegrlninja //------------------------------// "Wh... What happened to my school?!" I don't know quite what I was expecting, but definitely not this. The hallways of the first floor of my School of Friendship had been entirely redecorated! The soothing pale blues and purples I had chosen for the walls had been replaced with either a garish green-and-black checkerboard or bright-fuschia wallpaper, and the lights seemed to only intensify the already-bright colors. Peering down the left and right corridors aside the main entrance, my special-order statues of Princesses Celestia and Luna had been replaced with grotesque stone effigies of Monokuma, one in a Haywaiian shell bikini, the other in some kind of poncho and straw hat combination. Either way, neither were very tasteful to look at. "My goodness!" Rarity shrieked. "It's... hideous!" "I dunno, I kinda like it," Discord shrugged. "Ew, no," Fleur grumbled. "I can't believe I'm being held captive in such an ugly place..." "Hmm..." Trixie's horn lit up with magic as she put a hoof to her chin. "Well, I don't sense any hidden traps or anything of the sort... so do you think we could move on past the foyer?" "Um, maybe we should look at that handbook first," Coloratura's voice wavered. "Monokuma said there's rules we have to follow... and I don't really want to get blown up for doing something we shouldn't have done." "Good point," replied Redheart. "For all we know, taking one step further could be against the rules." Everypony nodded in agreement and began switching their e-Handbooks on. Since mine was already activated, I dived right in. There was now a main menu that could be tapped, which lead to a class roster, a basic map of the school (it seemed Monokuma had left the rooms and general structure of the place mostly intact), and most importantly for the moment - school rules and regulations. Taking a breath, I tapped at the option. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 1. Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time. 2. "Nighttime" hours are from 10pm until 7am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution. 3. Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly. Oh... I bet the punishment is the same. Sigh... 4. With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore the School of Despair at your discretion. 5. Teleportation magic is strictly prohibited while on campus. Flying is acceptable. Ooh, good thing I didn't when I first saw the statues! Geez, that would've been bad... 6. Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras. 7. Anyone who kills a fellow student will become "blackened" and graduate, unless they are discovered. ..."Blackened"...? And discovered...? 8. Additional school regulations may be added as necessary. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ...Wait, that's it? But what's "blackened"? Soft pinging noises alerted me to the fact that most of the others' e-Handbooks had finished booting up. While I mulled over whatever the seventh rule could mean, I absentmindedly went back and tapped on the school roster. There it listed all sixteen of us, along with basic information like our ages, height, weight, chest size and blood types (what? why?), and finally, our titles granted to us by Monokuma: Myself, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Ultimate Organizer. Rainbow Dash, Ultimate Weather Pony. Fluttershy, Ultimate Animal Caretaker. Rarity, Ultimate Seamstress. Pinkie Pie, Ultimate Party Planner. Applejack, Ultimate Farmer. Trixie Lulamoon, Ultimate Illusionist. Lightning Dust, Ultimate Daredevil. Nurse Redheart, Ultimate Nurse. Bulk Biceps, Ultimate Bodybuilder. Fleur de Lis, Ultimate Supermodel. Flam, Ultimate Con Artist. Coloratura, Ultimate Pop Idol. Princess Celestia, Ultimate Diplomat. Princess Luna, Ultimate Strategist. Discord, Ultimate Chaos. Queen Chrysalis, Ultimate- ah, who cares, she won't make it long here anyway. ...Well, then. Various noises arose from my companions, whether they were of surprise, annoyance, anger or anxiety. I looked up from my screen, seeing the same stormy expression on everypony's faces. "Well, there goes my plan of just killing that stupid bear..." Lightning grumbled. "Not that that would'a worked, ya know," said Applejack. "You saw whut he did to Chrysalis..." "I wonder..." Luna hummed, "...just what exactly does Rule #7 mean?" "Oh, yea, the 'blackened', part," said Rainbow. "Sounds to me like if you do... kill somepony... you gotta do it clean." "No witnesses. No loose ends," Redheart solemnly stated, staring off into nothing. "...Nothing left behind." "Uh... what do you mean...?" Fluttershy whimpered quietly. "Nopony can know you're the one who did it, obviously," Lightning replied brusquely. "But... But why? Why do we have to do this?" cried Coloratura. "We don't, my dear little pony," Celestia extended one of her wings around Coloratura to comfort her. "As I have said, sister and I will ensure that such horrid acts never come to pass as long as we're here." Luna nodded. "Yea, we'll be alright as long as we all stay levelheaded," agreed Applejack. "Now's not the time to get all panicky." "Aww... but I like to scream! It's so much fun!" whined Pinkie. "...This is hardly the time or place for any of that," Flam chided. "But, now that we're aware of the rules, perhaps we may now explore this school?" "About damn time! Let's go already!" Lightning shouted. Before I could even suggest that we search the school in groups for safety reasons, Lightning zipped through the air and out of sight, with Rainbow following her lead a split-second later. Fleur walked away as well, her grunts of displeasure more than enough of a sign that she wanted to be alone. "Wha... hey, you guys! Wait!" Coloratura wailed as she reached out with her hoof in vain. "Going off on your own could be dangerous!" "Forget it..." Trixie sighed. "They're already gone..." "Grouping up would be the most prudent action to take, after all," said Flam. "I presume that was what you had in mind?" "Yes," I cut in before the situation got any further away from me. "Let's make a plan..." ~ After studying the map of the school and grouping everypony into parties of two, we agreed to meet in the dormitory's cafeteria and discuss our findings. The other groups left, while I joined Applejack and Coloratura as they set off. Straight ahead of the foyer was the Gym, the doors to which were flanked on both sides by restrooms for each gender. The gym itself was pretty typical: retractable bleachers on either side of the polished-wood court, currently marked out for an indoor game of Buckball. There was a large scoreboard above a small stage at the far end of the court, with a trophy case lining the stage's back wall. Turning left from the foyer, there was the Student Store immediately to the left, facing the mare's restroom. After that was an Infirmary, in case a student suddenly became injured or ill. Along with a simple cot and chair, there were various simple first-aid supplies such as bandages, disinfectants and over-the-counter medicines. There was a minifridge here now that wasn't there before; upon opening it we discovered things like insulin and spare packets of blood with instructions for transfusions. "Er... isn't a blood transfusion a little above a school nurse's usual duties...?" asked Coloratura. "Yea... that's kinda weird," I agreed. "If any student of mine needed that kind of medical attention I'd just teleport them directly to the hospital myself!" "Well, we can't exactly go to the hospital now," said Applejack. "Ah guess if we're ever in a situation where we need it... Redheart'll know whut to do." True... although, this medical stuff does have a somewhat short shelf life... The corridor opened up into a larger area, lined on the left by the Scrollwork Classroom and on the right by my own Headmaster's Office, with the unpleasant statue of Shell Bikini Monokuma in the center surrounded by lounge seating. One of the two flights of stairs to the second floor was beside the office, but I was confused to find it blocked by a magic barrier similar to the one outside, trapping us all here. A surge of hope electrified my heart as I rushed to the Scrollwork classroom, hoping I could get a message to Spike, but the door was unfortunately locked tight. Not even Applejack's bucking nor my own magic could get it to open. I felt the hope in my heart begin to falter, but I couldn't give up now, not so easily! We went into my office next, after I recalled that one of my school's secret passages was located inside. However, to my extreme annoyance... my office turned out to be completely empty of any and all furnishings and objects, save for a few random pages scattered on the floor from various legal paperwork I'd had to go over and sign when I opened the school. And even when I checked them all, just in case - somepony had scribbled all over them in red crayon. Sheesh... how rude! My horn cast a pink glow on the walls as I searched for the hidden panel but found nothing but solid mortar and brickwork. Monokuma had erased all trace of it. Damn... well, I suppose that one would've been the easiest to find, for somepony going to such lengths for this sick little game... We left the office and made our way to the right corridor. Facing the stallion's restroom was another Classroom, then after that was another open area with Poncho Monokuma in the center. On the far left was the Guidance Counselor's office, with the second stairwell to the next floor beside it, also blocked off by a magical barrier. We searched the two rooms, finding nothing of use. I'm so glad Starlight isn't here... maybe she and Spike will notice we're all missing, and they'll come save us...? ...Although, deep down in my heart, I somehow knew they couldn't help us. The room beside the classroom... well, it should've been another classroom, but instead it was completely sealed, save for two large, bright crimson doors that faced the double doors to the Dormitory. There was no obvious way to open it, nor could my magic pry the doors apart. At any rate, we were finished with the school's first floor, which we appeared to be limited in exploring for the time being. I led my two companions as I opened the doors to the dormitory, wondering what could possibly be inside. ~ The doors opened into a painfully bright, white tile hallway. Overly generous with its empty spaciousness, the Dormitory gave me a strange feeling at first, something akin to loneliness. But the feeling quickly faded as I saw other ponies walking around, checking out their new living quarters. To the left was a Cafeteria big enough for an entire school's worth of students to fit in, comically large for just the sixteen of us. It wrapped around the Kitchen in a U-shape, which had many horizontal openings for food to be passed through. The kitchen itself was well-stocked with plenty of raw ingredients and every cooking utensil one could ever need. Floor-to-ceiling-length windows made up the back wall of the cafeteria, giving us a lovely view of the grain and vegetable gardens in back. Next to the cafeteria was a room I'd never expected in a school or a prison like this. First there was an area full of lockers for ponies to put their belongings and a couple stacks of white, fluffy towels on a table. Then beyond a thick cloth curtain was a small but fully-functional spa! There was a shallow pool full of steaming hot spring water, an area to the left side where one could wash up before and after, chaise lounges along the right side, and in the back of the spa was a sauna big enough for ten ponies to comfortably sit inside. The scent of warm cedar and teakwood was heavenly; for a brief moment I even forgot all about the dreadful situation we were all in. The last area to check out was our own personal rooms, the entire area slathered in creepy, dark crimson wallpaper, floors and ceilings. Each had been chosen for us beforehoof, designated by a small sign with our names and a pixelated picture of our faces. Each door also had a peephole, a sturdy lock and a doorbell. Starting from the right was Redheart's room, then Fluttershy's, then Bulk's; then along the back wall was Rarity's, my room, then Trixie's; then along the left was Flam's, then what would've been Chrysalis' room (Monokuma had indeed given her only a broom closet-sized room...), a Garbage Room with an incinerator for disposing of trash, and finally a large Storage Room by the stairs to the second floor of personal rooms, on the other side of which were Applejack's and Discord's rooms and another staircase. Peeking inside the Storage Room, we found shelf after shelf of seemingly endless supplies, everything from snack foods and reams of cloth to silverware and toilet paper. Finally, heading up the stairs closest to Redheart's room, we found the last of the personal rooms arranged in another U-shape with empty space in the middle to look down from - the first was Princess Celestia's room, followed by Fleur's, then Rainbow's, then Coloratura's, then Princess Luna's, then Pinkie's, and finally Lightning's room. "Well, how 'bout we check out our rooms, then let's go meet up with everypony else?" Applejack suggested. We agreed and headed off. Approaching my room's door, I found that the key to the lock was sticking out of it, with a small keychain of my own face attached to the key. No doubt about it... it's my room. Turning the key, I heard it unlock, and I headed inside. It was actually a rather nice room, save for the bright scarlet walls, white crown molding and azure carpeting. I can already hear Rarity's complaints about the design... It was spacious, yet cozy... perhaps 25'x50' altogether in size? There was a decently-sized bed to one side covered in plain but plush white blankets and a single pillow. Beside it was a chair and a desk full of drawers. I checked inside each one, just in case... only finding a sewing kit with an attached note that detailed where one could stab another pony with a needle and pierce their vital organs. Geez, what a sadistic little... On the other side of the room was a long table that doubled as a bookshelf, then a small, round dining table and a more comfortable chair. A window sat beside the dining table, with a latch enabling it to be opened to let fresh air in. A lockable door close to the bed led to a standard bathroom, containing a shelf for towels and toiletries, a shower and bathtub, a sink and a toilet. What really got under my fur, though... even though there were surveillance cameras and monitors in every room I had entered up until now, there was still even one of each inside my room, the camera giving a clear view of the bed. I shivered at the thought of that horrible bear watching and giggling as I potentially got murdered in my sleep, or worse. But this wasn't the time to dwell on such things. I shook the thought out of my mind and left my room, locking the door behind me. Applejack exited her room as well, and a moment later I heard Coloratura walking down the stairs. Both wore a look of reserved satisfaction on their faces as they nodded their acknowledgement to me. Well, we've looked over every place we could here... "Nothing else to do but wait, I guess," I said. "Let's go to the cafeteria." ~ And so we sat down and waited. It was about ten minutes until a group of ponies entered, and another ten before everypony was finally present. "Alright, we're all here," I counted again just to be sure. "So, did anypony find anything we could use to escape?" "Mostly, I tried to discover who is responsible for imprisoning us all here," Luna began, looking pensive. "A robot as advanced as Monokuma simply does not build itself, therefore we can only assume somepony is controlling him! ...But, I've found nothing, I'm afraid." "Um, our rooms are rather nice," Fluttershy spoke quietly. "But Discord and I found out that they're completely soundproof..." "Aye, if somepony were to sneak inside when you weren't looking, you could scream your lungs out but everypony else would be none the wiser," he agreed, his own lungs sliding out of his mouth as he spoke before inhaling them back inside his body, crossing both his upper and lower limbs and standing on his tail. "Oof... that's not promising," said Redheart. "There was a room for each of us... I think it's safe to assume that whoever's behind this thinks we'll be here for a while," nodded Flam. "The Scrollwork Room was locked. Even my magic wasn't enough to get inside," Celestia sighed. "If only I could send out a scroll for help..." "And the upper floors are all blocked off by the same barrier as outside," Rainbow added. "Trust me, I tried." The upper floors are where the other secret tunnels are located... damn! "WELL, WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT FOOD, AT LEAST," Bulk yelled. "I WAS CHECKING THE FRIDGE IN THE KITCHEN WHEN MONOKUMA SUDDENLY APPEARED." "He did?!" Lightning growled, slamming one front hoof into another angrily. "YEAH. HE SAID THAT THE FOOD'LL BE RESTOCKED AUTOMATICALLY EVERY DAY. THEN HE DISAPPEARED AS QUICKLY AS HE CAME. IT'S SO FREAKY HOW FAST HE IS!" "...Do you have any other volume besides 'screaming'?" Fleur hissed. "I'M NOT SCREAMING!" "He didn't, like, try to eat you or anything?" asked Coloratura. "If he's a robot, I don't think he even has to eat," I replied, thinking it over. "Aww, but there's so many tasty things to eat! I bet he's just jealous that we can eat stuff and that's why he wants us all to kill each other!" Pinkie blurted out, perhaps a bit too cheerily. "Yeaaa... don't think that's it," Redheart shook her head disdainfully. "Whatever the reason, however, he's made one thing perfectly clear: nopony is leaving this place... unless one of us dies at another's hooves..." "And none of us are gonna kill anypony. Celestia and Luna and myself 'ave made that pretty clear," Applejack narrowed her eyes. "But can you be certain of that?" Redheart continued. "Surely some of us have already considered that possibility." "Not to mention four of you are immortal," Fleur glared. "That's quite unfair, don't you agree? Any of you Princesses or Discord there could simply kill us all and leave scot-free!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Celestia's face grimaced with a painful anger. But before she could make her arguement... "Oh, don't you worry about that little detail..." that voice suddenly spoke up. Oh, no... *boing* "Sure, there may be three Alicorn Princesses and a literal god of Chaos amongst you," Monokuma suddenly appeared on one of the kitchen's countertops, his butt wiggling in the air as he grabbed a bottle from a small wine rack. "But I'm all about a fair game, here. So, I've used my own magical powers and I've taken away their immortality!" What?! I was too stunned to speak, as was Discord, who only gasped along with the other non-Alicorn ponies. "What?!" Luna shouted in her Royal Canterlot Voice. "No... How have you done such a thing?!" cried Celestia. "Simple! ...But I can't tell you, of course," Monokuma smirked. Luna blinked several times before shaking her head. "No... No, I don't believe you, vile creature. You cannot possibly be that powerful!" ...Yea, she's right... what he's claiming, that's just plain impossible... "You know, sticks and stones may break bones, but words will leave lasting psychological damage that will never, ever heal," Monokuma sighed mournfully. "But I guess you won't believe me unless I prove it... Well then, Princess Sunbutt, how's about you do what you do best to that sun outside?" "What about it? And I would urge you to reconsider your little nickname you chose for me," Celestia glowered. "The clocks do say 7:37pm, and sunset was supposed to be twenty minutes ago... but your sun is still high in the sky!" he gestured. Indeed, outside the windows, the sun was directly overhead as if it were noon. ...In fact, I don't think the sun has moved at all since I woke up here... A look of confused concern washed over Celestia's face. "Strange... I'm positive I was still guiding the sun through the sky throughout this most peculiar day..." Her elegant, ivory horn sparked to life with a golden aura as her eyes closed in concentration. Everypony watched the sun through the windows, eager to see it set. ... ...But as Celestia's gentle expression grew more and more strained, the sun stayed put. An icy, dark pit formed deep within me as the others began to murmur worriedly, and she opened her eyes in horrified surprise. "I... It won't move... the sun will not move..." she breathed raggedly. Luna gasped, and her own horn became aglow with silvery-blue light. Her eyes cringed shut as she willed the moon to rise for the night, groaning louder and louder as it refused to answer to her. "The moon will not move for me, either!" she cried. "Puhuhuhu..." "What have you done to us?! Answer me, now!" Celestia roared, her eyes boring a hole straight through the despicable bear. "I told you! Removing your connection to the sun and moon has left you both as mortal as they come! Now you, too, can experience all the wonders and joys that getting murdered has to offer! And I did the same kind of thing for the other two, too!" "Is... Is that why I can't...?" Discord muttered to himself, taking this revelation much better than I currently was. H-How?! Is that why our magic hasn't worked against him?! Has my own magic been so severely weakened?! B-But I'm the Element of Magic! This c-can't be happening! "Oh, but don't worry... I'll do your jobs for you and keep the sun and moon going," Monokuma grinned as he suddenly held up a small, black-and-white device that resembled an egg timer. "Now you'll have all the time you'll need to start plotting the unfortunate demise of one of your beloved subjects! ...If either of you happen to graduate, I'll be more than happy to give you your connection back, of course." I watched with wide-eyed curiosity as he switched the dial of the device from the white side to the black; within less than a second, the sun plummeted beneath the horizon and the moon rocketed into the sky simultaneously, instantly turning day to night. "There we are!" he nodded in satisfaction, while Celestia and Luna stared with a mixture of horror, disgust and rage. "...They really are just like us, now..." Redheart chuckled darkly under her breath. "Welp, now all that's left to do is wait for the killing to begin! Ooh, I'm so excited... I bet you ponies have all sorts of wonderfully inventive ways to murder the crap outta each other! Don't disappoint your Headmaster, now!" And with that remark, Monokuma hopped down from the counter and out of sight. A lack of noise coming from the kitchen confirmed that he had vanished once more. Everypony was silent. Now that it was painfully clear that myself, Celestia, Luna and Discord could be killed off at any time, just like the others... the rush of cold fear made my body tingle. I hadn't even considered it seriously myself until now, but... before I had been somewhat convinced that we'd all make it out of here just fine, but now... I was terrifyingly vulnerable. "...This changes nothin', ya hear?" Applejack gently but forcefully stomped her hoof on the table. "Nopony's killin' nopony, an' that's that." Before anypony could say anything else, Rainbow's face reddened as her stomach growled loudly enough for everypony to hear. "Ehehe... I haven't eaten anything all day," she blushed as she rubbed the back of her head. "Let's have some supper, then," Flam saw an opportunity and quickly changed the subject. "Perhaps after we've eaten, we'll be in a better mood to come up with our next move." "Ooh! I know just the thing to cheer everypony up!" Pinkie shouted as she leapt out of her seat and began bouncing towards the kitchen. "There was plenty of chocolate in here when I checked!" "Eh, ah'll go cook, too," Applejack grinned as she shook her head. "Somepony's gotta make sure we get enough greens to keep up our strength!" "I GOTTA HAVE HIGH-PROTEIN FOOD," Bulk yelled as he got up and followed Applejack. "IT'S IMPORTANT IF I WANNA STAY IN SHAPE. THESE MUSCLES DON'T BUILD THEMSELVES, YOU KNOW!" "I have always wished to learn how to cook!" Luna stood up and trotted towards the kitchen as well. "Sister forbade me from using the Royal Stove years ago..." "That's because the last time you tried to cook eggs, you nearly burned the castle down!" Celestia protested as she hastily got up and ran after her sister. I couldn't help but feel deeply relieved as my companions here relaxed and returned to their usual selves so quickly. Not to mention that Flam was right; we'd all feel more clearheaded after a nice meal. ~ It was nearly Nighttime when the food had been cooked and eaten with gusto. Even the finicky Fleur had picked at her plate with much less rudeness as usual. After levitating the used dishes and cutlery into the dishwasher and turning it on for the night, we took note of the late hour. "The Great and Powerful Trrrixie... has a suggestion to make." "Yes?" I replied. "I've been thinking... the rule that talks about Nighttime... it would be best if we all agreed to stay in our rooms until morning. Though the rule says nothing about staying up, I believe it would put everypony's mind at ease if nopony went sneaking about during the night." "A wise decision," Celestia nodded. "Even though our doors lock, it would certainly allow for a more restful night's sleep." I and most of the others were quick to agree to this impromptu rule amongst ourselves. However... "Whatever... I'll be in the Spa, trying to forget about this horrid day," Fleur huffed. "As Princess of the Night... I don't believe I'll be able to sleep. I'll see if I am still able to reach the Realm of Dreams... if not then I'll use the time to continue searching for a way out of our predicament," Luna bowed respectfully. "Feh. You can't tell me what to do..." Lightning grumbled. ...Well... I'm sure Luna'll keep those two in line... "Then let's all meet in the cafeteria first thing in the morning," Celestia continued. "From there, we'll make plans for the day to try and find an escape from this dreadful confinement." After several agreements and a couple of noncommittal grunts, most of us retired to our rooms, as did myself. I made sure to lock the door behind me before setting the key and my e-Handbook down on the desk beside my bed. I had just grabbed a towel from a shelf in the bathroom and was about to step inside the shower when I heard the monitor switch on by itself. *ding dong, bing bong* Monokuma cleared his throat as he sat on a swiveling office chair with a full wine glass in paw, his cheek resting on his other. Behind him were several monitors, each showing footage from one of the many surveillance cameras watching our every move. "Ahem... This is a school announcement. It is now 10pm. As such, it is officially Nighttime. Soon the doors to the Cafeteria will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited." Hm... probably to restock the food, like Bulk said... "Okay then... sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite..." And with that abnormally-cheery bedtime wish, the monitor switched off. My fur bristled as a cold chill shot through my spine. But as soon as I stepped inside the shower, the hot water melted my worries away, and the soap carried them down the drain. Warm and comfortable I crawled into the bed, finding it very soft and cozy, almost like lying atop a cumulus cloud. There's nothing to worry about... some of us might be a bit uptight, but nopony's going to kill anypony... we'll all escape from here... together. My eyes grew heavy, and I drifted off into sleep.