AN: Hello, hello, hello, everyone! This is me and Veneesla's first collaborative piece as well as our first Gregory Horror Show fanfic! After we both got into Dangan Ronpa, we couldn't resist tossing the characters into a situation like this. I won't babble for too long, but I'd like to apologize in advance if any of the content in this story conflicts with any of your headcanons. Please try to keep an open mind and enjoy this story for what it is.
Oh, and we gave the guests their fanon names, Guest Girl is Sarah and Guest Boy is Steve. Well… that's all I need to go over! I hope you enjoy Gregory Despair Show!
Ugh... my head...
Everything was black. Sarah's stomach was churning and her brain was absolutely pounding with white hot pain. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her eyes open, feeling as if they were glued shut.
Finally, her ears stopped ringing and she heard voices.
"She's the only one still unconscious..."
"We have better things to worry about than her!"
"Leave a lady unattended? Are you crazy?"
"For heaven's sake, brother, don't you have better things to worry about than her? Like how we got here, for instance?"
"Seester, get back, por favor!"
Sarah felt prickly arms close around her and she bristled. "Ugh..."
"Oh, she made a noise!" a new, feminine voice exclaimed.
"Excellent observation," someone scoffed.
Sarah finally opened her eyes, her vision unblurring slowly. She saw a whole manner of colorful people surrounding her... if people was even the right word for it. There were several rats, a flying dog, a very standoffish looking stitched up cat, among all other kinds of creatures. Among the weirdest of all was the person holding her, though... he seemed to be part human, part cactus. His skin was dark green in colour and was covered in prickles. His face brandished a long, thick black moustache and rugged sideburns. Over his right shoulder, a fully loaded bandolier hung loosely. He wore tattered blue pants and a gun was in his holster. Despite his threatening weaponry, he seemed deeply concerned with Sarah's welfare.
"She's even more beautiful with her eyes open..." the cactus man sighed, his voice heavily accented.
"Who... are you?" Sarah blinked at the cactus guy and he swooned. She squinted at him and added: "Can you help me up...?"
"It would be my pleasure, senorita!" In no time flat, Sarah was up on her feet and could get a proper look around.
She was in what looked like a living room...no, it was too big to be a living room. Maybe it was a lounge... either way, this confirmed the strange creatures surrounding her weren't a hallucination caused by her lightheadedness... The room, whatever it was, was dimly lit by candles in holders on the wall and on the small table in the centre of the room. It seemed very dreary in this light, and the dark greenish grey and pictures of shadowy forests and blocked roads certainly weren't helping in lightening the atmosphere. On one side of the table was a dull, very faded red leather couch and on the other was two chair of similar design. Sarah was relieved to see another human among the creatures; a boy about her age. Hopefully they would get along...
"Ooh, now that we're all awake, can we do some introductions?" A flying dog that radiated sparkles suggested, hugging her magic wand to her chest. "I think that would be a great first step to figuring out what's going on!"
The dog wore a long yellow dress that stretched down to her feet and she had wings stretching out of her back that were white and pure. The dimly lit room didn't take away from the happiness she radiated which was most likely made up for by her rainbow coloured eyes, perky face and thick eyelashes.
"What a waste of time..." the stitched up cat huffed.
This stitched up cat wore plain brown pants like those of a farm boy, that was filled with sewn up rips. His shirt was striped blue and red with the name Jack Ketch on it. Sarah had no idea who that was, but she doubted it was the name of the poor feline. The cat not only had his lips and eyelids sewn, but also had stitched feet, wrists and a little on the tip of his tail. Sarah wondered how he could cope with that agony.
"I don't see you having any better suggestions!" She poked the cat with her wand and he shut up. "Let's start with you, sweetie!" She pointed her wand at Sarah, who blinked in confusion.
"Um... well..." Sarah steepled her pointer fingers together as she thought. It really made her nervous having fifteen pairs of eyes on her at once... "My name is Sarah, and I have no idea what I'm doing here."
"That makes two of us," The cat sighed, making eye contact with Sarah. She felt her heart run cold; his eyes were a bright blood red, peering out through stitches in his eyelids. Who did this to the poor thing?! Sarah wanted to clock them one! Talking and bipedal or not, this was still a cat, and Sarah held nothing but resentment for people who would hurt any sort of feline. "My name is Neko Zombie and I think we should be focused on looking for food."
"We can find food later!" the dog clocked Neko Zombie with her staff again. "My name's Angel Dog, and it's a pleasure to meet you all!" She smiled a cute, thousand watt smile that would melt any heart in a fifty mile radius.
Sadly, everyone in the room was too on edge to appreciate her radiance.
To the left of Angel Dog was a short rat. He was about the size of a ten year old child and he was grinning mischievously, his big purple eyes sparkling with excitement. His fur was cream coloured and his hair was a vivid blonde. His attitude was already off-putting and he hadn't even said a word. Something was not right about this kid. He was definitely not as innocent as he looked.
"This is sooo cool!" He clapped his hands together and tugged the jacket of the much older rat next to him. "Grandpa, Grandpa! We're stuck in a house with alllll these strangers! I bet something exciting is going to happen!"
"Calm down, James!" the old rat pushed his grandson away. "This is nothing to be excited over! We're completely locked in!"
"I know!" James giggled obnoxiously and Sarah felt something in her brain snap. If she had to live with this kid, she wouldn't be happy.
"I'm Gregory," the older rat introduced himself, placing a hand on James' head. "This is my grandson, James. Apologies for his energy. He's a little bit of a troublemaker." With that, Gregory chuckled darkly.
Gregory had long straight blonde hair, a black and red striped shirt and a purple jacket. The sides of it were stretched, most likely from James' constant tugging whenever he was excited.
The next one in the circle was a gleaming, golden... thing. Upon closer inspection, Sarah realized it was a set of scales. On one set of scales, in a cage, was a shiny pink heart and on the other side was a lustrous dollar sign. It hung from the roof and was weighed down by heavy looking weights attached to it's underside. It almost blinded her with its sheer, shining luster. How did she not notice this thing earlier?
"I'm Judgement Boy Gold!" He beamed at Sarah, revealing sharp, pointy teeth that were just as shiny as his body. Judging by the masculine tone of his voice, Sarah decided it was all right to mentally refer to him as male. "And this little guy right here..." Judgement Boy Gold moved aside to reveal a smaller, more colorful set of scales that was hiding behind him. "Is Judgement Boy, my pupil."
"Nice to meet you!" he said, his voice loud and enthusiastic, swinging the two cages attached to his arms. "I can tell just by looking at you that you have a real spark!"
"A... spark?" Sarah asked, taking a step back. She didn't like the way Judgement Boy was eyeing her up...
"Yes, you seem like you'd stop at nothing to solve our little problem at hand!" He nodded, his already wide grin growing even wider.
Judgement Boy Gold floated closer to Sarah and whispered: "That's his way of asking you to check the door."
"Not now!" Angel Dog flew in between them, pushing Gold away. "We still need to go through the circle and introduce everyone! We can't figure out what's going on unless we can all get along!"
"Geez, lady, you're crazy!" James pulled Angel Dog's tail and she shrieked.
"Just... keep it going!" She glared at James and Sarah felt her heart freeze. For such a friendly-seeming dog, she sure had a scary glare! "Your turn!" She pointed her wand at the female rat next to Gregory, who smirked.
This rat reminded Sarah of those old ladies who try too hard to be young. She wore a black robe and had a silver ribbon tied around her waist. Around her neck was a necklace decorated with sharp teeth. Her hair straggled down her skull stiffly like straw and was yellowy with a green tinge. Her eyelashes matched her pink irises, her lipstick was a very dark pink, and her eyelids were both different shades of it. On her left cheek and right ear were lipstick marks that were, not at all surprisingly, light pink.
"Just call me Gregory Mama," she ruffled Gregory's hair a little too roughly. "I'd like to apologize for my idiot son. He doesn't get any of that from me!"
"Mama, not in front of all these people!" Gregory turned bright red all the way to the tips of his ears and gave his mother a chastising look.
"This son of mine will probably only hinder us!" Gregory Mama gave her son a smack upside his head. "He's not all right in the head."
"I-I promise she's lying!" Gregory dithered, not wanting to step on his mother's toes too much. Judging by the way his mama was glowering at him, Sarah could tell they didn't have the healthiest relationship out there.
"Next~!" Angel Dog pointed to a blue man whose head resembled a record player... actually, upon closer inspection, Sarah realized it was a record player. His human-like body seemed formally dressed, with a white frilly cravat and purple tuxedo. His black hair had been gelled in a formal style as well and he proudly wore a monocle.
"I'm Poor Conductor!" He bowed gallantly, a smile on his strange mouth. "I'm looking forward to performing for all of you!" His eyes sparkled at the mere prospect of it.
"Save it, friend!" Angel Dog smiled down at him and the sparkle in his eyes faded away. "Um... what about... you?" She seemed a bit afraid of the next person in line and visibly shrunk back. A quick glance was all it took for Sarah to see why she was so intimidated.
This guy was a toweringly tall candle-man, glowing red eyes peering out from a shadowed face. His shiny white clothing and pristine red apron did nothing to dull the fear on everyone's minds. He was glaring at everyone in the room, his arms folded.
"Hell's Chef," He nodded curtly at the cactus guy next to Sarah and he made a terrified squeaking noise under his breath.
"Well, aren't you the handsomest thing I've ever seen?" A pink lizard lady with darker pink spots a bit further down the circle rested her hands on her cheeks, openly drooling over this Hell's Chef guy. He grunted with irritation at her comment, looking away from her pointedly. That didn't deter the lizard woman though, and she let out a tiger growl.
Sarah's eyebrows arched. This Hell's Chef guy was obviously a lot of things, but "handsome" certainly wasn't one of them!
"Moving on!" Angel Dog boomed, not pleased with the lizard lady's sudden outburst.
Next in the line was a little red skinned boy who appeared to have a roulette wheel atop his head like a hat. His mouth drooled excitedly as all the attention was turned on him.
"I'm Roulette Boy!" He announced with a little too much enthusiasm, hopping up and down. "I looooove playing games! If you ever want to play one, just spin me!" He tilted his head forwards. "C'mon! Hurry up and spin me!"
"Grandpa, Grandpa! I'm going to try!" James tugged on Gregory's jacket before lurching forward.
"James! No! Get back here!" Gregory demanded.
Angel Dog bonked James on the head with her wand and tutted at him. "He's right. We don't have time for games just yet! We still need to introduce each other. Get back to that crazy old rat."
"You hurt me, lady!" James rubbed his head. "And you won't let me play games! I don't like you!"
"James, that's enough!" Gregory grabbed his grandson's collar and pulled him back to their spot in the circle.
Angel Dog giggled sweetly now that everything was going her way again. "You're up next!" She pointed her wand at the next person in the circle.
It was the human boy, who was shaking like a leaf, overcome by everything that was going on. His clothes were an ordinary blue top and light brown pants. He seemed pretty average, unlike most the others in the room. "Suh-Steve... my name's Steve..." His eyes flicked around the circle, lingering on Hell's Chef a bit longer than everyone else. "Sorry... I'm a little... overwhelmed..." He ran a hand through his messy reddish hair.
"That's understandable!" Angel Dog flew forward, scooping Steve up with minimal effort and depositing him on one of the couches. "You should rest until you feel better. No one here is going to hurt you, keep that in mind!"
Steve swallowed and nodded at her, his smile thin. Angel Dog could tell he didn't believe her, but she gave him her most radiant smile before returning to the circle.
Without waiting for Angel Dog to point to her, the lizard woman rested a hand against her chest, flashing a grin at the group. "My name is Catherine! I'm a registered nurse and I've been told I'm a very hard worker. If any of you aren't feeling well, come see me! I'll make you feel right as rain in no time!" Resting her chin on her hands, she gave everyone a soothing smile.
Sarah felt her heart flood with relief. If they were really truly stuck here, it would be nice to have a nurse around...even if she looked a little scary! Catherine certainly looked the role she claimed, Sarah reassured herself. Her clothing was all that of a typical nurse, including the small, generally outdated, hat.
"And what about... oh my God, are you okay?" Angel Dog covered her mouth when she took in the next person.
It was a dog, a very tall dog, but that wasn't the most striking thing about him. He was dressed in a suit and his head was covered in bandages. At the very top of his head, an oversized saber was embedded in his skull. Blood oozed out of it and a little ran down his neck.
"I feel fine! Much better than usual!" He smiled at Angel Dog and she shrunk back.
"I'll...take your word for it. What's your name?"
"Mummy Papa, it's nice to meet you all! You all seem like very interesting people... I hope we can get along!"
Sarah thought he sounded a bit woozy... his voice was heavy and slow.
Next in line was an imposing clock-man with a mustache made of clock hands and thick lips. He wore a white shirt with a purple vest over the top and a wind-up key poked out from his head. The words WORLD IS YOUR'S were written across his pinkish forehead. "My name is Clock Master... and I feel really strange..."
He rubbed the sides of his head, furrowing his brow.
"You and me both, friend," Gregory snickered. "You're hardly alone."
"We have better things to worry about, I know...but..." Clock Master kept massaging his head, as if he was intense pain. Angel Dog shrugged and figured they'd better move on.
Next was one of the cacti who, judging by her appearance, must have been related to the man who helped Sarah up. The resemblance was practically uncanny. She was dressed like a typical cowgirl with a long dress and a vest of cow skin. Her dark green hair was done in two plaits and she had a lasso slung over her shoulder.
"I'm Cactus Girl!" She flipped one of her braids, resting one fist against a hip. "It's nice to meet all of you. I hope we can figure out what's going on..." She cast a nervous glance to the enormous set of doors.
"Last but not least!" Angel Dog beamed at Cactus Gunman, who tipped his hat to her.
"Thank you, senorita. I am Cactus Gunman. The little lady who just spoke is my beloved seester. It's a pleasure to meet all of you..." His gaze moved around the circle and he looked every last woman up and down. When he got to Sarah, he nodded approvingly and she bristled. How could he be thinking of girls at a time like this?
"Now that that's out of the way..." Judgement Boy Gold's booming voice cut through the brief silence. "Can we check the door again?"
"I don't suppose you know how to pick locks?" Judgement Boy leaned towards Sarah, his blonde brows arching.
"I... don't. At least I don't think I do..." Sarah scratched her head. She couldn't remember much of anything, honestly... but she'd worry about that later.
She approached the door with both Judgement Boys and a very enthusiastic Cactus Gunman following after her like grotesque puppies. She grabbed one of the door's handles and tugged. The door didn't even budge... Sarah tried the other handle and pulled with every ounce of strength she had, but that didn't even get the slightest movement from the stupid door.
"Allow me to try!" Gunman gently moved Sarah aside. "A delicate girl such as yourself shouldn't strain her arms." He winked at Sarah and she barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
He rested a booted foot against the door, gritted his teeth together, and pulled with all his might.
Sadly, he miscalculated the door's resistance and his fingers slipped. He ended up launching himself backwards, landing square on his butt.
His sister, who witnessed the whole thing, burst into a giggling fit and was soon joined by James and Roulette Boy.
"Nice one, old man!" James called out.
Cactus Gunman's face burned and he stood up, brushing himself off. "That door isn't going anywhere..." he grumbled.
"Oh!" Sarah exclaimed, an idea popping into her head. "Why don't you try?" She pointed at Gold. "You seem awfully strong, since you carry those weights around..."
Judgement Boy Gold's cheeks colored red. "That's flattering and all, but..."
"We don't have fingers," Judgement Boy finished, holding up one of his stumpy arms, the cage that was attached to it swinging from side to side. "See?"
"That door is a lost cause," Gregory cut into the conversation, shrugging his shoulders as he approached the small group. "I think it would be in our best interest to forget about it for now."
Cactus Gunman sighed. "He's right. We have... a lot more to worry about."
"I have no idea where we are or how we got here..." Gold rested his round hands on his temples and closed his eyes, as if that would somehow make the reason jump into his brain.
"Usually you know everything!" Judgement Boy looked up at his mentor, his eyes sparkling as much as Gold himself.
Judgement Boy Gold opened one of his eyes. "Flattery will get you nowhere. We've been over this."
"Sorry..." Judgement Boy shrunk back, his cheeks flushing and his voice small.
"Hey, does anyone here have any idea where we are?" Sarah raised her voice, turning to the group she was stuck with. They had all elected to rest on the various couches or lean against the walls, their minds occupied with thoughts about this creepy place.
When Sarah got nothing but negative answers, she sighed.
"It's okay, senorita!" Cactus Gunman put his arm around her, gently patting her back. "We'll all figure this out together."
"You don't have to!" an unfamiliar high pitched voice rang out.
"Who was that?" Poor Conductor held up his hands defensively.
"Ahhh, are you idiots blind?" All of a sudden, a black and white thing leapt out of nowhere, landing square on Steve's stomach.
Steve let out an unmanly shriek, his face paling. He threw the thing off of him and leapt from the couch.
"Don't worry, cutie," Catherine sailed over to him, taking him in her arms. "Nurse Catherine's here. I'll keep you safe."
Steve's face turned sheet white.
"What's up?" The thing that had leapt from thin air tilted its head to the side, resting a hand on its chin. It was small, at least half the size of James, and split down the middle. One side was black and sinister, and the other was lighter and much more friendly-looking. A horrifying, jagged red eye took up the dark side of its face, along with a smirky grin. A white, sheer veil swayed in front of the little thing's face with every breath it took. "All of you look like you've seen a ghost!"
"I don't know who you think you are, but you have no business scaring us like that!" Angel Dog pointed her wand at the new arrival threateningly.
"Grandpa, Grandpa! That thing is so cool! Can I touch it? Huh? Can I?" James tugged on Gregory's jacket so hard he almost tore it.
"James, you don't know where that's been!" Gregory scolded his grandson.
"There will be no touching of me!" The black and white thing began to sweat a bit. "Unless one of you lovely ladies wants to do the touching. I'll allow that."
"Stop beating around the bush!" Cactus Girl stomped a foot. "You said something about us not having to figure out where we are, no?"
"You'll tell us if you know what's good for you!" Gregory Mama raised a sharp nailed finger threateningly.
"I was just getting to that! Sheesh!" The new arrival pouted. "Anyway, my name is Monoputa, and I-"
"Wait..." A smirk spread across Cactus Gunman's face.
"What did you say your name was?" Cactus Girl added, her eyes big and round.
"Mo-No-Pu-Ta! Why, is there something funny-"
Monoputa got his answer when the cactus siblings burst into loud laughter.
"Grandpa, why is that funny? I don't get it..." James folded his arms, squinting at the cactus siblings.
"I'll tell you when you're older..." Gregory gently pushed his grandson away.
"Oh, yeah, yeah, laugh it up! Puta means something else! We get it!" Monoputa stuck out his long, snakelike tongue and blew a raspberry. "Can we get past this?"
"Okay, Monohooker," Cactus Girl sniggered behind her hands, which set her brother off again.
"CALM DOWN OR I'LL DO SOMETHING DRASTIC!" Monoputa shouted so loudly, the entire room shook. That shut up Cactus Gunman and Cactus Girl and they held each other in fear, shaking like palm trees in a hurricane. "Good. Now that that's out of the way..." He flicked his veil and smirked at the group. "NIce to meet all of you. I know lots about each of you and I'm very pleased that you'll be staying here!"
"Wait, staying?" Mummy Dog shook his head. "I can't stay here! I have a home to go back to..." He held his head as he tried to come up with an image of it, but absolutely nothing popped into his mind. "...probably..." he added under his breath.
"Well, too bad! There will be a way for you to get home, but that's a story for tomorrow..." Monoputa leaned forward, his tiny hands on his tiny hips. "I've prepared a room for each of you to stay in. I hope you'll all find them to your liking. They're right down this hallway!"
He hopped off the couch and ran to another set of doors near the empty desk. He hopped up, grabbed the handle, and one of the doors swung open with minimal effort.
"Wait... everything's moving too fast!" Steve stumbled forward. "What are you?"
"He's a Prompter," Judgement Boy floated next to Steve, nodding sagely. "A really... strange looking Prompter, but he's definitely one!"
"What's a Prompter?" Steve asked, looking more confused than ever. Judgement Boy could practically see question marks above his head.
"They helped us out back home! Wherever that was..." Judgement Boy held up an arm. "They make these! The cages and hearts and dollar signs. They're very smart... but they usually don't talk much." Judgement Boy gave Monoputa a suspicious look.
"D-don't stare at me so intensely with those dreamy eyes!" Monoputa hid his face. "You're making me embarrassed!"
"Where did you come from?" Judgement Boy Gold approached Monoputa, looming over him threateningly. "You shouldn't be here. You should be working!"
"Oh, but I am working," Monoputa gave Judgement Boy Gold a patronizing, crooked smile, folding his hands innocently. "I'm working hard on setting up a Special Surprise™for all of you!"
"A surprise? What kinda surprise? Is it something lame like Grandpa's birthday gifts?" James tried to look uninterested, but he had a sparkle in his eyes.
"Tut tut! If I told you, it would ruin it! You'll learn tomorrow afternoon, I give you my honor as a Prompter!" Monoputa bowed. "Now get to your rooms! You must be exhausted."
Judgement Boy and Judgement Boy Gold looked at each other for a few seconds then mutually shrugged. Gold moved through the doorway with Judgement Boy following him like a duckling after its mother.
"I have so many questions!" Poor Conductor gazed at Monoputa, his red eyes wide. "How-"
"Not right now, Creepy Guy," Monoputa shoved him through the doorway and brushed off his hands, his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth. "Eugh."
"I'll see you in the morning, senorita!" Cactus Gunman kissed Sarah's hand before cavorting off to his room.
Sarah scratched her newly prickled hand as she walked through the doorway and down the hall, her brow furrowed. The hallway the door led to was much more well lit than the lobby. There were several doors, much more than enough to accommodate sixteen people. Each door had a little portrait of its occupant done in a papery-looking style.
"It's... kind of cute..." Sarah admitted under her breath as she ran her fingers over her own portrait, it was really accurate, it had her exact clothing and her red hair. "It's a shame something about this place is giving me such a bad feeling in my stomach..." With that, she entered her room and couldn't help gasping when she saw what was inside.
Her bed was plush and oversized, which she couldn't help but be delighted over. Ever since she was a little girl, she wished she could have a double bed all to herself, and finally she could! Giggling happily, she threw herself onto the bed, smiling widely. Other than the bed, not much in the room was extravagant. There was a creaky old wardrobe and a little reading desk and bookshelf, along with a fresh rose in a vase on top of her bedside table.
Sarah momentarily thought that she should look in that wardrobe for pajamas, but she was far too tired to care right now. She didn't even realize how exhausted she was... she kicked off her shoes and socks and snuggled under the covers, sighing contentedly and slipping into a peaceful sleep.
Sarah was blissfully unaware of the horrible news she would get the next afternoon.
AN: During the next chapter, we plan on having some "free time events", a la Dangan Ronpa, so vote for two people you want Sarah to spend time with and I'll write out a little event of them hanging out.
Thank you so much for reading. We really hope you enjoyed the story so far!