Danganronpa vG: Goodbye Magic

by witegrlninja

Off the Rails - Daily Life 3

Another day, another morning "greeting" by those wretched Kubs. I'm so tired of being encouraged to kill someone first thing in the morning. I did feel decidedly cleaner putting a pair of leggings and a short-sleeved shirt on beneath my clothes, though... even if they were decorated with Monokumas and blood spatters.

I made my way to the Dining Hall, noting that an inch or so of snow had fallen the night before. It would seem that winter was well on its way here. Glancing around, this campground would actually be pretty picturesque... if not for the guns, monitors, or killing game we were all participating in.

Stomping the snow off my boots, I walked into the main cabin. Sonata and Indigo came out of the Laundry Room, wrapping up a conversation just as I passed by the door, following me into the dining hall. I grabbed some food and sat down to eat, idly listening to the surrounding conversations. Although sitting beside me, Sunset was off in her own world flirting with Silver, and Flash seemed to be reluctantly held captive by Memento as she told tales of things she'd seen.

Before I knew it, breakfasts had been eaten and everyone else were going their separate ways. I carried my dishes into the Kitchen to place in the dishwasher - Soarin' was busy gathering together various ingredients.

"Oh, hey, Starlight," he waved.

"Hi, Soarin'," I replied. "What'cha making?"

"Cupcakes... I feel like something sweet. Hmm... looks like everything I need is here."

"Sounds good to me." A cupcake did sound pretty tasty right now.

"Hey, wanna give me a hand? Baking's always more fun with another person."

"Sure! Why not?"

~~~

Soarin' and I wound up making Fairy Cakes with Chantilly Frosting. Ooh, fancy!

~~~

"Wow, this is really good!" I praised after taking a bite. The cake itself was somewhat plain and lightly-flavored, whereas the frosting was packed full of sugary goodness.

"Thanks," he smiled before popping an entire cupcake into his mouth. "Soccer's great and all, and I do enjoy it... but baking? Now that's my real passion right there."

"Really? So how'd you end up playing soccer, then?"

"Eh, won a scholarship for college. Then got scouted by the team and started there fresh out of graduation. I'm definitely not the best, but I guess I'd say I'm pretty good," he shrugged. "Pretty standard stuff, really."

"But you like to bake... so, why not open a bakery?"

"Oh, I will eventually. Can't play soccer forever, after all," he said. "Just about saved up enough money for a building... next I'll save up for all the equipment I'll need."

"It's your retirement plan, then?"

"Yep! So in the meantime, I've been mastering all kinds of pastries and candies and stuff. The team's always willing to test it out," he grinned. "Can do the classics, of course, but I can also bake Prench, Haywaiian, Germane, Neighponese... Kotenage was actually a big help, suggested a couple recipe ideas to try out later... ah, but you know what the best pastry ever is?"

"Uh, no... no idea."

"Apple pie," he sighed with a smile, his body loosening and sagging slightly. "Tart, juicy apples... sweet, spicy glaze... and buttery, flakey crust. I had one a long time ago, from an apple stall at a farmer's market... man, it was the most perfect thing I've ever eaten. I've been trying to recreate that pie ever since."

"Really? Why don't you make that next?" I asked, wondering just how good this apple pie was.

"Believe me, I've thought about it," Soarin' frowned. "But the apples here are definitely not the right ones... they're plain ol' Granny Smiths, Golden Delicious, or... eugh, nasty-ass Red Delicious."

"I see... that makes sense." Thinking back about Applejack's orchards, I recalled that she grew numerous types... probably at least twenty.

"That perfect pie... I've perfected my technique for making the crust, and I've figured out the correct ratio of spices... but I still can't quite figure out the types of apples used! So far I've narrowed it down to a blend of Baldwin, Mutsu and Roan Island Greening... but I think it's still missing something, one or even two more kinds."

"What kind? What does it taste like?"

"Hmm..." Soarin' smacked his lips as he pondered. "...It's sweet, yet spicy... but it's definitely not another spice. Kind of dry-fleshed... and it breaks down quite a bit. I remember it being the smallest apple pieces in that pie."

That's a pretty good memory of an apple for only having eaten it once.

"I've eaten all sorts of apples in an attempt to find the right one... but I just haven't found it yet. But when I do... it'll be my best seller, I just know it!" he beamed.

"I do have a friend that owns an apple orchard," I nodded, spurred on by his passion. "When we get out of here, I'll ask her about it. Maybe she'll know what kind of apple you're talking about."

Theoretically, I have two friends that own apple orchards...

"Ooh, that'd be great!" Soarin' gasped, balling his fists in excitement. "Oh, man... it couldn't be, could it? If it's from that same farm the apple stall was from..."

I smiled as I thought to myself, trying to imagine how this mystery apple might taste. Sweet, yet spicy, and dry... I think I've eaten something like that before...

~

After wrapping up the rest of the cupcakes for later, Soarin' and I parted ways.

There was a bit of a chill in the air, like it was going to snow again later on. After wondering what to do with myself for a few minutes, I eventually settled on going to the hot spring area for a while. I quickly ran to my cottage to change, then jogged over to the springs.

The hot springs were mostly vacant - Sonata was lounging around in the second pool, floating on her back. I removed my bathrobe and set it and my towel down on a nearby bench, and waded into the warm water.

"Oh! Hi, Starlight!" Sonata stood up when she heard the water splashing around me. "It's a perfect day for a nice, warm soak, huh?"

"Yea, I thought so," I nodded, sinking into the water until just my head was above the surface. The water was silky and perfect as always.

"Mhm! It's nice to have company... so, what's new with you?" she asked.

~~~

Sonata and I talked for a while.

~~~

"So... you wanted to know more about my people, huh?" Sonata asked during a lull in the conversation.

"Oh? Oh, yea! I'd love to know more about Sirens!" I nodded. "There's not much known about them, even in libraries."

"We're generally a secretive people," explained Sonata. "So, Sirens live deep in the ocean, where light from the sun barely reaches. There's plenty of glowing fish and plants, though, and sometimes we get crystals that sink to the bottom that we can enchant and hang on coral. Our houses are made of coral and rocks, with at least one thermal vent inside for warmth. The fish come and go as they please, so indoor lighting isn't totally consistent."

"Fascinating," I breathed. "You can enchant things with your singing?"

"Yes! A Siren's voice is the source of their magic. Most of us can control it okay enough for day-to-day stuff, but if you really wanna master your voice, you go to choir practice in the Abyssal Monastery, like I did!"

"Choir practice?" I inquired, intrigued.

"Really old Sirens live there... their voices are so powerful they can create storms, sink ships, control other creatures' minds... turns out a Siren's voice can be suuuper-duper strong! So strong, that in order to learn from them, you have to take an oath that you'll never swim to the water's surface ever again."

"I see... but, you're, well..."

"Yea, I definitely didn't listen," Sonata giggled. "Thing is, a Siren's voice magic only works underwater. I thought learning from the old masters would help my voice become so strong I could use it above water... but, no. Doesn't work like that. But my friends Dagi and Ari found a way we could!"

Wait a minute...

"...Didn't you mention Dagi and Ari being your sisters?" I asked.

"Good ear," Sonata winked slyly. "Well... it's been long enough that we've all been together, so they're basically family now. But no, they're not actually my sisters. I don't even look anything like them!"

I nodded in understanding. So, more of a "sisterhood"...

"They found three pretty red gems in the cargo hold of a wrecked ship... somehow, they let our voices project through air just like in water! We kept them a secret for a while, until we were considered voice masters ourselves... and then, we surfaced, off to see the world!"

"Wow... you must be pretty talented, you're so young!" Sonata stifled a giggle.

"...No, actually... we totally got found out pretty quick. Those gems also made the three of us much better singers than we really were. The monks were super mad and threatened to use their voices against us if we didn't hand them over. Dagi and Ari didn't want to, though, so together we screamed at each other back and forth until they were too tired to keep going, and we made a run for it! ...Well, a swim for it," she shrugged.

"Oh."

"I was so excited when we first stepped onto solid land... I wanted to explore the world soooo bad, and now that I could use my magic above the surface, there was nothing stopping me! ...But, unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of Equestria," Sonata sighed wistfully. "Dagi's first plan was to enter a singing competition that specifically didn't want Sirens to compete. Ari and I went along with it because, hey, what's the worst that could happen? I wanted to sing for the ponies and show them how good we were!"

I had to admit... in a similar situation, I probably would've done the same myself at one point in time. Mastering your own magic, then wanting to proudly show it off to the world... who wouldn't want to? But then I vaguely remembered the pony side of this tale; Twilight had told me about it one day when I asked about Starswirl the Bearded. "But Starswirl was there..."

"Yep... and apparently, if you enter a singing contest when you're not allowed to, you get banished to another universe!" Sonata flailed her hands into the air. "Who knew?"

Yea, I can see that being an... excessive punishment.

"Sorry that happened," I offered in sympathy. "There's all kinds of neat places in Equestria... I know it's not as good as actually going there, but I can tell you about them if you'd like."

"That'd be nice," Sonata smiled. "Bu it wasn't all bad, I guess... I've had lots of fun exploring this world, even if there wasn't any magic in it until a few years ago."

"Yea? How about we both talk about the different places we've been?"

"Okay!" she nodded excitedly. From there, the conversation turned to exotic, faraway cities and lands that neither of us had ever heard of...

~

The afternoon passed by uneventfully. Soon it was almost time for dinner. Sonata and I got out and dried ourselves off, and we went back to our own cottages to get dressed.

My stomach was growling by the time I entered the dining hall. I got my food from Kotenage and sat down. As the others began trickling in, I watched absentmindedly in between spoonfuls of soup as I waited for Sunset and Flash to arrive. Besides Mountain continuing to sit by herself in the corner, Sonata and Silver arrived together, chatting as they sat down at a table somewhat distant from everyone else. When Sunset and Flash finally arrived, a pang of mixed emotions flashed across her face at the sight of them.

"Aww, I was hoping we could continue what we had going on at breakfast," Sunset moped.

"Someone jealous?" Flash smirked playfully.

"No..." Sunset rolled her eyes. Flash and I chuckled, Sunset joining in when Flash accidentally choked on a sip of soup. After calming back down we were quiet for a few minutes, focusing on eating. The random thoughts that fluttered through my mind in the background eventually led me back to something I had forgotten about entirely.

"Oh, yea," I straightened up. "I was gonna ask you guys something."

"What's up?" replied Flash.

"Have you noticed that since the last trial, that Monophanie Kub has been acting... well, less evil?"

"She has?"

"Yea, I've seen it," Sunset nodded. "She took the time to apologize to Emmy for her brother... twice, even."

"...Come to think of it, I haven't heard her say anything while the Monokubs are on the TV recently," Flash added.

"Back at the lake, when she spoke to Emmy again... she said she'd gone through something similar," said Sunset.

"Similar... you think at some point, someone sacrificed themselves for her?" I asked.

"I mean, what else could that mean?" Flash shrugged.

"Well... do you think," I paused as I mulled over the idea that just popped into my head, "...if something like that happened... we might be able to convince her into helping us?"

"I doubt it," Flash shook his head. "She's still one of them... one of whoever brought us all here to begin with. It could be a trap. And even if we could, Monokuma and the other three Kubs would definitely put a stop to that pretty quick."

"It could be worth a shot," Sunset offered slowly. "But Flash is right... what's to say it isn't a trick of some sort? Or that the others wouldn't stop her if she was genuine?"

"What else would be the point? I can't think of a reason why she'd apologize otherwise," I frowned, thinking.

"...Friendship is magic, I suppose," Sunset shrugged her shoulders. "Question is, how would we go about asking her without the other Kubs or Monokuma finding out?"

"All these cameras around, I wouldn't doubt there's some kind of audio enhancing tool they're using. For all we know, Monokuma already knows," Flash glanced up towards the camera on the ceiling behind me, slowly panning back and forth across the dining hall.

"It'd have to be extremely subtle-"

A loud noise broke Sunset's sentence. Gasps and the clattering of utensils punctuated the sudden silence. A stilted sob drew our eyes to a couple people in particular. It was a moment before any of us realized that Indigo had just slapped Sugarcoat in the face. Sugarcoat blinked and drew back from her friend.

"Oh my god, will you just STOP?!" Indigo roared, looming over Sugarcoat like an angry bear. "I can't fucking take it anymore!"

Huh?

"Shug, I can't. I can't fucking... I'm so sick of you being like this!" she continued, her whole body shaking in anger. "You're terrified, I get it. We all are! And I know you get super fucking defensive and bitchy like this when you're terrified. You've been like this ever since I've known you, throughout high school, throughout college, throughout your clinicals... and I've stuck by you all these years because underneath it all you're a good friend, and you finally mellowed out after getting that job from your uncle, and you could finally be you again..." She inhaled sharply through her teeth, hissing with every exhalation.

"I-Indy-"

"NO! Don't you make another fucking excuse! You specifically chose to study psychology so you could stop being like this, remember?! So you could learn to cope with stress better than this!" Indigo screamed, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. "But all you did with it was learn to pick people apart and talk shit! All of us; Sour, Zesty, Sunny, me... You're picking ME apart! For losing someone I was friends with, someone I liked! Don't you see how extremely shitty that is?! And the fucked up thing is, it's not even the first fucking time it's happened!"

Realization dawned on me as we heard Indigo rage. This wasn't usually how Sugarcoat acted, but merely a coping mechanism. This was how she dealt with extreme anxiety... and for the past week or so, Sugarcoat wasn't just anxious, she was scared out of her mind.

"I... that's not..." Sugarcoat stammered, cowering, a hand cradling the pinkening mark on her cheek, her scowl all but gone.

"You're never going to change, are you?! You always just become a ultra turbo bitch to everyone so they leave you alone! And you know what?! It fucking worked!" Indigo spat as she whirled around. "I... I'm done. I'm fucking done. If we make it out of this alive, I don't ever wanna see your fucking face ever again!"

Everyone glanced over to Sugarcoat to hear her retort, but it never came. Her face was locked in a surprised expression. Her mouth hung open wordlessly.

"Nothing to say, huh...?" She hufffed. "Pathetic... you fucking suck, Shug."

And Indigo stormed out of the room. Soarin' stuttered out a "whoa, wait" in protest, quickly following after her. There was silence among the rest of us for a good, solid minute or two.

"...I mean, not totally uncalled for..." Flash muttered.

"I kinda feel bad?" Sunset frowned. "But... she did have it coming."

I could understand her behavior being a coping mechanism... but it definitely wasn't a healthy one. And no matter how you felt, that was no excuse to take it out on other innocent people... I'd learned that the hard way.

Still... now that I knew just how scared Sugarcoat really was about our situation... I couldn't help but take pity on her. Our conversation thoroughly derailed, I spent the rest of my meal in my own mind.

~

I had some spare Monocoins and nothing else to do, so I went to the gift shop to use them on the MonoMono Machine. Maybe I'd have some luck and find something as good as Indigo did.

After a few minutes of inserting coins and spinning the knob, I packed my backpack full of gacha balls and left for my cottage. Out of the corner of my eye, through the door's window I could see Silver and Kotenage chatting in the laundry room, along with someone else I couldn't see - whoever it was, they were behind a wall and out of my field of view.

On my way to the cottage, Sunset and Indigo were talking by the fire pit. Judging by their expressions, it appeared that Sunset was consoling Indigo about earlier. I didn't want to interrupt them, so I continued onwards and retired to my cottage for the night.

~

*Rise and Shine, Ursine!*

Ugh...

Ignoring the TV, I rolled over towards the window, feeling especially cold. The grounds, the roofs of everyone's cottages, the trees... they were all blanketed in white. Snow had finally, properly fallen in the night.

Good thing I got more clothes for layering.

Once outside, I estimated that about four inches of snow had fallen. It was wet and crunchy, perfect for snowballs or building snowponies. Though it would hamper any attempts to find a way out of this dreadful place...

...Oh, who am I kidding. We've been all over these campgrounds multiple times. Monokuma and his Kubs had this place perfectly, utterly secured. The only things we could realistically do at this point was get along peacefully until someone finally found us, or an opportunity presented itself where we could fight back and overwhelm them... and neither of those options had much of a chance of happening...

...

...No. I can't give up. I can't just... sink into despair like this. But what else can I do...?

I wracked my brain for ideas as I trudged into the dining hall. I sat down with my food, still thinking as Sunset and Flash chatted excitedly about the snow. The others gradually trickled in, either talking about the snow, or dead silent, in Sugarcoat's case. Though the scowl had returned to her face, she kept quiet as she grumpily ate.

I glanced upwards towards my fellow captives... somehow, the room felt quieter than usual. Emptier than usual. But I couldn't quite put my finger on it...

"Hmm... where's Soarin'?" Memento remarked nearby. "Didn't think a guy like him would ever skip breakfast."

"Well, Indigo's not here, either... wouldn't be surprised if they're 'sleeping in'," Sugarcoat gagged while making air quotes. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Silver glance upwards quickly in shock.

"Oh, of all times... now?! In this situation?!" groaned Sunburst. But almost as soon as the words left his mouth, he gasped loudly. It was enough to draw everyone's attention towards him, as he began to tremble in his seat. "Uh... you don't suppose... it has happened again... has it...?"

"Don't be stupid, of course not," Sugarcoat waved her hand. However, her usual dour mood was slightly different now. A crack of worry had begun to craze through her iron façade.

"But, uh... last time it happened, it was Juniper who didn't show up for a meal, right?" Sonata asked, clenching her teeth. Now I could see Silver wrap her hands around her ponytail, muttering to herself. Her fretting seemed to go unnoticed by the others, however, as we all began to entertain that terrifying possibility.

"...MAYBE WE SHOULD GO LOOK FOR THEM," Kotenage gulped. "MAYBE SOMETHING BAD HAS HAPPENED-"

"And then what?! Find out one of them's dead, go through another stupid fucking trial and execution again?!" Sugarcoat snapped. "No, let's just wait for them to show up. They're not dead, for fuck's sake!"

"What makes you so sure of that?" Mountain bristled, gripping her cutlery so hard her knuckles were white.

"For all we know, one or even both of them could be hurt, or worse," Sunset added in before anyone could silence Mountain. "Aren't you worried about your friend?"

"Pfft. That dumb bitch just hangs out with me because I tolerate her," grunted Sugarcoat. Her facial expressions didn't match the hate in her words. Quite the opposite, in fact. I sighed inwardly.

Nothing's gonna be done at this rate... guess somepony's gotta take the initiative.

"Well, I'm going to look for them," I affirmed as I stood up. "The sooner we find them, the sooner we can help them if they need it." Flash and Sunset nodded and got up with me.

"Right... or, the fresher the evidence will be," Memento frowned as she stood up as well.

"Whoa, don't be saying things like that just yet!" Flash's lips thinned in alarm.

"Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best," she shrugged.

"I WILL COME WITH YOU!" Kotenage yelled, chopsticks clattering on the table as he got up. Sunburst and Mountain followed suit, with Silver taking a deep breath and getting up slowly a few moments later. Finally, Sugarcoat was the last to rise with a deep sigh.

"This is a waste of fucking time," she grumbled as we all split up. "They're fine!"

While the others elected to search around the campgrounds and the hot springs, Sunset, Flash, Memento and I ran towards the lake. Flash and Memento took the high ground while Sunset and I raced to the lake's shore, towards the train station. Even as we ran, I couldn't help but notice that the rowboat near the sawmill had made its way into the middle of the lake at some point in time. There was no retrieving it any time soon, so I hoped it wasn't important. We ducked inside the station office, the coal shed, the caboose, searched all around the platform-

Two screams filled the air from a distance. My heart stopped as soon as my ears recognized the noise... whatever it was, Flash was horrified, and it was enough to make even Memento shout.

"Wh... W-What was that...?" Sunset gulped.

"It... sounded like it came from the sawmill," I shuddered as we ran back up the hill. Once we'd arrived, it was clear as day why Flash and Memento had screamed.

The sawmill had been used recently. The massive log on the conveyor belt had moved down towards and through the saw, although it had only been cut through about a third of the way.

Because the chains and gears were jammed with blood and shreds of flesh.

A mangled body laid at the bottom of the log in two pieces, almost unrecognizable had it not been for the clothes.

...Soarin's body.

Comments

[ArcticAce01]

OH FAUST!?!? That is a gruesome way Sorain went out!.. and we have no idea where Indigo is yet either.

Man, this investigation gonna be one heck of a ride to figure it out who did it

[DeadWheat]

Here we go again...

[Dewdrops on the Grass]

Well well, goodbye, Soarin'. Mangled to the end. Maybe someone took your baking love to heart and tried to bake something with you.

Jokes aside, yikes that whole Sugarcoat and Indigo thing... wow. I love the idea behind it, especially the way in which it helps make Sugarcoat more sympathetic and less sympathetic at the same time.

As for Indigo, oh, this is chapter three, she's so toast. I'll bet she's somewhere having gotten, I dunno, hanged on a tree.

[ArcticAce01]

11511115
Yeah agreed with you there DewDrops.

Though, I’m willing to bet something happen between Sorain and Indigo. As far we know, they were the last ones to see each other respectfully.