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stp-au-wthnig · 28 days

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Well, This Happens Next, I Guess

Chapter 6: A Curious, Convenient Coincidence

Sorry for taking so long to even start this, had a lot weighing on me. Hope you like dialogue-heavy stuff.

content warning: self-harm implications, dialogue relating to a canon chapter, suicide mention

"And... done."

Skeptic had just finished the last part of his article for the newspaper. He'd been up late into the night writing it.

He stared out the window. It was extremely late. Everyone else was asleep by now, and he was starting to get hungry. He did have a bad habit of forgetting to eat while he was working.

He then remembered something. The convenience store near the park was open 24 hours. Getting something from there would be better than attempting to cook for himself, as he admittedly was not very good.

"Shouldn't take too long." He said to himself as he started to head out.

---

The convenience store was devoid of customers at this time. The only other person there was the bored-looking clerk. As Skeptic put a couple of microwave ready meals and snacks into his basket, he glanced over at the clerk.

He couldn't see her face from how she was positioned, but she looked familiar somehow.

He made his way over to pay for his stuff. After she was done scanning them, she raised her head and spoke.

"How will you be paying?"

Skeptic froze. He could see her face now. It was dull and expressionless, and her voice had a similarly flat tone.

But there was no doubt about it. It was her. The prisoner that he helped to rescue back in the construct.

There were small differences. Her shackles were replaced with a choker and wristbands. Her hair was cut shorter.

But more concerningly, she looked much more tired. Even moreso than she looked back then.

"Sir?"

She snapped him out of his thoughts, and he replied.

"I'll pay by card, thank you."

He scanned his card, and was about to leave satisfied with the knowledge of her existence, but she spoke to him again.

"You've been here before. You and that other person."

Skeptic was surprised she wanted to speak to him. She didn't seem like the chatty type. More surprisingly, he was surprised that she was there when he and Hero went there before.

"Yeah, he was low on food so I took him here." Skeptic explained.

"That's unusual." The Prisoner spoke. "I don't usually remember who comes in here. But something about you and him was... different."

So she doesn't remember the events of the construct. But enough of it has shaped her that she finds him and Hero notable. Skeptic became more and more curious.

"I'm curious. Have we met before?" The Prisoner asked.

Skeptic wasn't sure he should tell her the full truth. It's not like she'd believe him in this state.

"I think we might have, some time ago. It's a bit of a long story, though." Skeptic carefully answered.

The Prisoner looked at Skeptic, her face scanning him, before relaxing a little.

"Must've happened a long time ago." She responded, more monotone than usual. Seems she has a feeling he's not telling the full story on purpose.

But why is she playing along?

The conversation abruptly ended there, and Skeptic returned home with his food.

---

After a few days, Skeptic's curiosity got the better of him and he headed to that convenience store again. Sure enough, she was still there, looking just the same as she did before.

That was concerning. It was the middle of the day and she looked just as tired.

"What sort of shifts do you work here anyway? Last time I saw you, it was the middle of the night."

Prisoner paused for a moment before answering.

"I'm here whenever nobody else can be. Not by choice, mind you, it just can't be helped."

That explained it. No wonder she looked so tired all the time.

"How many others work here?" Skeptic asked. "If you're allowed to say, that is."

Prisoner looked down.

"Just me and two others. We used to have a lot more, but they quit."

Skeptic sighed. Clearly this store didn't have the best management.

"And you can't quit because of how little staff there are here, right?"

Prisoner didn't respond, but it was clear her silence was to be taken as a yes.

Even in this life, she was a prisoner by nature. Even if it wasn't in the same way.

Skeptic didn't want to bother her anymore, and he got back to the apartments to talk to the one other person he knew he could.

---

"And that's what happened with her." Skeptic finished explaining this whole thing to Hero.

"That's... I can't believe it... she's clearly hurting and just standing there and taking it?" Hero asked.

"I wouldn't say that. I noticed every time I saw her she had a choker and two wristbands, one on each hand." Skeptic said. "I have the feeling she's hiding something underneath them."

Hero thought for a second, and then looked alarmed. "You're not telling me she..."

Skeptic nodded. "In the construct, she didn't hesitate to cut her own head off to escape. If she does that in this world, it won't be the good kind of escape."

Hero began to cry. He may have been nervous around her, but he'd never wish for her to kill herself.

"I know. I'm scared too. But we can't just sit back and do nothing. We have to stop this from happening. We have to figure out a way to save her." Skeptic said calmly.

There was no way he was going to let her fall into despair. He had to save her.

---

The following day, Prisoner wasn't seen in the convenience store at all.

Skeptic looked and asked around but there was no trace of her.

He felt every inch of his body burn and freeze as he grew more and more desperate.

"Prisoner... please... be alive... please..."

It was late once again. He glanced over at the lake in the park. He shuddered, remembering he couldn't swim from a previous mishap where Stubborn pushed him in.

He then saw a familiar figure at the lake's edge.

"Prisoner!"

He ran towards her. One smell from her and he could tell what happened. She'd gotten out of work and went on a drinking spree..she must've passed out here.

He sat her up and gave her some bottled water.

"Thank you..." Prisoner said, taking the water. "Sorry you had to see me like this..."

Skeptic shook his head. "I'm happy to see you okay. It's better than what I'd feared had happened."

Prisoner looked at Skeptic, and smiled sheepishly.

"I don't usually talk to people. I'm used to being treated like some sort of soulless machine that just does whatever you tell it to. But you were different. You actually saw me as a person. I'm glad I could trust you, even if I didn't know why at first."

"You didn't have to go through that." Skeptic said. "Are you still sure you can't leave your job?"

"I can't, no." Prisoner said, her face looking more visibly upset.

"Then tell me when you're working. If I can, I'll try to pop in. Make your situation a bit more bearable. Is that alright?"

Prisoner looked at Skeptic with genuine awe in her eyes.

"You don't have to..."

"I want to. I don't want you to fall to despair. If there isn't a way out yet, there will be. And until then, I'll be there to help you stay strong." Skeptic said, looking confident.

Prisoner's eyes began to look glossy, until she wiped them and regained her composure.

"Thank you."

And so, the Prisoner of a horrible clerk job and the Voice of the Skeptic began a friendship.

#slay the princess #well this happens next i guess #ugh god i am so sorry if this is bad #i hate when im thrown off writing and have to write in another chunk laterz #it always turns out weird

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stp-au-wthnig · 1 month

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got some writing done :)

#slay the princess #author's note #i wonder who that could be...

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stp-au-wthnig · 2 months

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The boys hugging after that hell. They needed it.

#slay the princess #author's note #art for the au

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stp-au-wthnig · 2 months

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Well, This Happens Next, I Guess

Chapter 5: The Circus Comes To Town

Note: I apologise to those who were expecting these three to get a break. Technically they do eventually but... you'll see.

Content warnings: animal injury, trauma reaction, events of canon chapters discussed

It had been a couple of weeks since the theme park incident and as soon as Hunted's injuries healed, Hero began planning a day out with him and Paranoid.

They'd ended up deciding on going to see a mysterious new circus that came to town.

"It's perfect. All we have to do is sit down and watch, nice and far from the stage." Hero said, getting to his seat.

Hunted and Paranoid followed, Hunted sighing in relief at the fact that it was the front of that section. It would have been humiliating to have to get a seat raiser just so he could see what was going on.

The three thought they'd be in for a more laid-back time today.

They were so, so wrong.

The circus owner and ringmaster arrived, dressed in all black and grey... and a porcelain doll-like mask.

"Ladies and gentlemen, and other lovely guests! Are you ready to scream? Then let the show begin!"

Paranoid was completely still, looking much paler than usual. Hunted couldn't help but notice.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"N-no... something about her is... terrifying. Like something out of a nightmare... I can't explain what, but... I'm..." Paranoid answered.

His fears were not unfounded, as the shows put on were that of the gruesome and grotesque variety. This was definitely not an ordinary circus. Hero had to cover his eyes for the most part.

"It's okay. These people aren't being hurt by this. I can tell." Hunted assured Hero, before turning over to Paranoid who looked on the verge of passing out himself. "I know this is scary, but it's not going to hurt us. I'm sure of it."

But Hunted's sense of security was short-lived as the ringmaster introduced her next performer.

"As a note, I am legally required to inform everyone that the beast brought to this circus consented to performing. And now that that's out of the way, let me introduce..."

Hunted's expression quickly turned to horror as he saw the animal brought out onto the stage.

It was her.

He looked around before realising that he had no way of escaping. He was small, and the crowd behind was going crazy.

He tried to ignore it, but he heard that all too familiar roar coming from the stage. That was when Hero noticed what was happening.

All Hunted could do was sit there, shaking and silently crying. Then, he felt himself being lifted.

"I'm sorry. We're getting out of here." Hero said, holding Hunted to his side and guiding Paranoid to the exit.

As they left, the Beast turned her head to look at them. But she did so too quickly, as she then roared in pain.

The ringmaster looked horrified, as she called out to stop the show.

---

As the crowd could be seen leaving, Hero and the others made their way to the park bench. Paranoid was breathing heavily and muttering his mantra. Hunted was still crying into Hero's chest.

"It's okay, we're out of there now. We're safe. She isn't here." Hero assured Hunted sympathetically.

Paranoid started to calm down as he noticed how scared both Hero and Hunted looked. Hunted was more obvious, but Hero's eyes had some clear terror in them.

"Hey... are you two alright?" Paranoid asked.

"We are. We just... got a bit of a scare there is all. But it's fine now." Hero assured Paranoid, who wasn't buying it.

"You... you've met her before, haven't you? That beast."

Hero sighed. No use hiding it any more.

"She was one of the forms Princess took back in the construct. I... didn't expect them to become their own people either." Hero explained.

"Did anyone else meet that form?" Paranoid asked.

Hero shook his head. "Just me, Hunted, Wing and Him."

Paranoid observed Hunted's crying. That was clearly the look of someone that had been through an awful experience.

"If you don't mind me asking... what did she do?"

Hero looked at Hunted, who looked back up and gave a small nod. Hero then looked back at Paranoid.

"We tried to run to safety, but she was too fast. She... she ate us. Whole." Hero explained.

Paranoid looked extremely concerned.

"Oh fuck, no wonder you're traumatised... I can't even imagine that experience..."

At this point Hunted finally spoke up, his voice trembling.

"It hurt. We were dissolving inside her. Wing tried to dig our way out, until they found a dead end at her heart. Then they just... let her leave the cabin, and then she vomited us up. Burned, but alive."

"We survived, but just barely. Then we saw the mirror and... yeah." Hero continued.

Paranoid hesitated for a moment, but then pulled both Hero and Hunted into a group hug. They both returned the hug, and they all began to calm down.

Hero turned to Paranoid. "How are you doing, by the way. You looked pale back there."

"I... I don't know. Whenever I saw that ringmaster, that... nightmare... I... I felt numb. I felt like if I got closer to her, my heart would stop." Paranoid explained. "You two didn't feel the same?"

Hero and Hunted shook their heads.

"I mean, she was scary, but not to that extent for me." Hero said.

"Maybe you're just especially afraid of her." Hunted suggested.

Paranoid sighed. That is a possibility, but what was he going to do about it?

Hero's stomach began to growl. Hunted flinched upon hearing that, but Hero calmed him down.

"Sorry about that. I think we should get something to eat. Something good, to take our minds off what just happened." Hero suggested.

Paranoid and Hunted smiled and agreed, and the three searched for a restaurant together.

---

The Beast was confined to her cage with a huge cast on her long neck. The ringmaster sat down to speak to her.

"It's gonna be a while before that heals. We'll have to stay here a while. I know you don't like the cage, but I can't just have you walking around with me like that."

The Beast responded.

"I'll manage. I don't like it but it won't be forever."

"But I'm curious. What were you looking at when you snapped your neck?" The ringmaster asked.

"There were some people leaving the audience."

"That happens all the time, though! I thought we were proud when we managed to scare people that much!" The ringmaster said.

"This was different. Something about those people, at least most of them... seemed familiar." The Beast explained. "But I don't remember ever meeting them before."

The ringmaster shook violently. It's unclear to tell if she was scared, angry or both. "You're... not thinking about leaving... are you...?"

The Beast glanced at her. "No. You give me everything I need. Company. Food. A sense of excitement. You even take me to forests to give me the room and freedom I crave. I choose to stay with you. And I don't plan to change that."

The ringmaster sighed in relief. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do if I lost the only one that understands me."

The ringmaster and the Beast look at each other and smile for a moment.

"You're a good companion, Nightmare." The Beast says, before starting to settle down to sleep.

The ringmaster chuckles, always happy to hear her nickname, and pets the Beast affectionately.

They have each other, and they're happy with that.

#slay the princess #well this happens next i guess #also yes i made the two vessels in this chapter friends because i just feel like they would be #would your believe their friendship actually turns out to be very relevant for the AU in general

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stp-au-wthnig · 2 months

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Writing for this chapter is done. Now for some revision.

#author's note #the writing process for this has been much quicker #not just because it's shorter either i feel like ive had an easier time concentrating on it #and less interruptions from plain bad luck

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stp-au-wthnig · 2 months

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So this next chapter is going to be a shorter one. It makes up for that by introducing not one, but TWO Vessels!

Which ones, you may ask?

Well

I already hinted at the Voices present, so... try to work off of that.

#slay the princess #author's note #i apologise in advance

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stp-au-wthnig · 2 months

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Designs of Princess and the Vessels so far for my AU

#slay the princess #author's note #art for the au #note: for princess i wanted it to be “simple”#for spectre i wanted it to be “airy”#and for damsel i wanted it to be “cute”

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stp-au-wthnig · 2 months

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Well, This Happens Next, I Guess

Chapter 4: Ride Or Die (Or Maybe Both)

Note: This was a chapter I'd thought about when starting off planning this fic, but I wasn't sure where to put it. But after considering some scenes in it, I figured it'd be best to put it here.

Warnings: Offscreen vomiting, trauma reaction, injuries from falling

---

One night in the apartment complex, the residents were arguing heavily. It was a long and tedious argument about... someone stealing Stubborn's weights.

It got extremely loud to the point Hero couldn't take it any more. He walked into the hallway to see the others at each other's throats.

"All of you, shut up!"

Everyone paused, shocked at seeing Hero so angry at them. Stubborn, who had Contrarian in a chokehold, stopped. Even Cheated, whose hair was covered in egg and sprinkles, looked surprised.

Hero then calmed down quickly upon seeing their shocked faces.

"Sorry, I... I didn't want to have to head out here to stop this is all."

---

As Cheated left to take a shower and Stubborn left to grab his weights, Hero talked with the others.

"We've gotta stop fighting like this. It always ends up in chaos. One of us gets mad at another, then the noise bothers someone else, and it just spirals out of control."

Hunted and Smitten nodded enthusiastically at that. The others held their heads in shame, except Contrarian who nervously giggled.

"Yes, I'd... I'd like for us to just stop fighting. My... my head hurts." Paranoid groaned. Cold handed him some painkillers in response.

"But what are we supposed to do? We can't possibly keep all of us in control." Broken protested miserably.

"He's right. There's not a lot of places all of us can go. The park is really the only place I can think of, but it wouldn't help that much." Skeptic pointed out.

"And other places don't really appeal to all of us." Even Smitten seemed to be thinking for a moment.

Opportunist then stood up suddenly.

"I have an idea." He said, only to be met with bothered looking glances from the others. "What's with those looks? I'm telling you, this is a good idea. Trust me!"

"Can't be any worse than ours. I'm all ears." Contrarian said, smiling genuinely.

Opportunist then pulls out an advertisement for Blissland, a theme park in town.

"Blissland?" Hero questioned.

"There's a variety of different rides and other attractions over there. This could be a good opportunity for us to bond over something." Opportunist explained.

"...This doesn't actually sound bad..." Broken looked at the advertisement warmly. "I'd like to enjoy myself..."

"But is it really okay for all of us to go there? Some of us might have some trouble." Paranoid said, looking concerned.

"Oh, I could just take medicine for motion sickness. Don't worry about that." Hero reassured everyone.

Paranoid then turned his head towards Broken and Hunted.

"I was actually referring to the minimum height restrictions for rides."

Broken held his head down in despair and Hunted's face turned red with embarrassment.

"F-from the looks of it, most rides will be fine! Don't worry about that!" Smitten reassures the two of them

Cheated and Stubborn returned to the group, and after a little discussion, everyone agreed to go to Blissland as soon as possible.

---

The day to go to Blissland had arrived. Even Wing, Princess and the Narrator had decided to come along.

"So why are you joining us anyway? I thought you hated fun." Contrarian questioned the Narrator.

The Narrator glared at Contrarian but continued on anyway.

Skeptic eyed the Narrator, and then whispered to Hero.

"I think He's up to something. You should keep an eye on Him." Skeptic said.

Hero nodded as everyone headed into the van. Cold began to drive everyone to Blissland with the usual deadpan look on his face.

"What about the ghost woman you've been hanging out with?" Paranoid asked Cold, concerned about the woman who nearly gave him a heart attack.

"She'll be fine. We already talked about it and I gave her my number. Just in case." Cold assured Paranoid.

Paranoid, despite his worries just a moment ago, smiled at Cold. He knew he wouldn't say it outright, but it was obvious he'd grown fond of that ghost.

It didn't take long for everyone to arrive at Blissland. It was every bit as nice looking as the pictures in the advertisement.

"I'll be damned! You actually picked something good for once!" Cheated said to Opportunist, who then proceeded to act smug about it.

"Alright, we'll meet up by the entrance at 2 o'clock. If anyone's missing, we'll send Hunted to search." Hero said.

"I've memorised everyone's scent." Hunted assured them all. "You can count on me."

---

Strangely, the Narrator did nothing but follow Wing and Princess. Hero immediately noticed how odd that was, and that's saying a lot because he's not usually good at picking up on that thing.

Eventually, Wing and Princess headed towards a "tunnel of love" ride.

"Of course they'll go for that one..." The Narrator sighed as He followed them.

Hero followed too, cautiously.

"For someone who's been locked in a basement for a while, you sure know how to pick a good ride." Wing attempted to flirt, but Princess burst into a fit of laughter upon hearing that.

As the two got on, the Narrator immediately decided to join in, getting on one of the seats behind them. Hero then got on the other. There was no doubt the Narrator was up to something.

The ride was beginning and Wing and Princess were staring lovingly into each other's eyes before taking in the beautiful scenery. It was at that point that the Narrator revealed His scheme.

"The tunnel is decorated with pink and blue neon lights depicting what appears to be a story of two lovers in a struggle to keep their relationship safe."

Wing turned around and glared at the Narrator.

"What? I'm just setting the scene." The Narrator said, a smug grin across His beak.

Hero sighed. So that was His plan. To ruin the moment. Hero was annoyed that he got worked up for something so small, but at least he was right to be suspicious.

But still, he couldn't just let the Narrator just ruin a perfectly good date.

While Wing and Princess were cooing at the adorable displays, the Narrator attempted to put His feet up against the back of their necks, before Hero grabbed hold of His legs.

The two ended up in a physical squabble for the outcome of Wing and Princess's date, until they found themselves tumbling over the edge of the boat and falling into the water.

"Great. The one thing I wanted to do and you ruined it." The Narrator coughed.

"At least they're okay…" Hero spluttered.

---

At the rollercoaster, after a long wait, Stubborn, Cold and Paranoid were finally able to get on. Paranoid was breathing steadily in an attempt to calm himself down.

"Why are you even joining us if you're so afraid?" Cold questioned.

"Because if you two are left alone here I just know you're going to get yourselves killed." Paranoid snapped.

"Pfft. This thing couldnt kill me if I leapt out of the seat and climbed onto the head." Stubborn boasted.

The ride started. Already it was going lightning fast, which at first Cold seemed to be interested in, but after a few seconds he had already started to get bored of it.

Paranoid, however, was struggling with the speed and tried to calm himself down with his trademark mantra.

"Heart, lungs…"

Before he could finish, however, Stubborn could be seen on the head of the ride. As soon as Paranoid realised, he screamed.

"Heh! You think just a bit of speed is enough for me? I don't think so." Stubborn said, gripping the head of the ride. "Now THIS is excitement! Life or death! Either I make it through this challenge or die trying!"

Cold looked mildly interested, causing Paranoid to hold him in place to prevent him from doing something dangerous.

"Don't you dare!"

"I'm bored."

"Then be bored. It's bad enough that he's doing it! Don't you start!"

And they continued to struggle until the ride was over. Luckily, Stubborn had indeed managed to make it to the end unharmed. However, his actions had given him a ban from the rest of the rides.

"I think... I'm going to..."

Paranoid rushed to the bathroom.

---

Since they couldn't go on the rollercoaster due to their height, Hunted and Broken, with some help from Contrarian, went to the next best thing: the log flume. Hunted was just barely tall enough to ride.

"You were right. This does look like a nice alternative." Hunted said. He looked at the jungle themed scenery and smiled.

"There we go! No way I'd let you two not be able to have fun!" Contrarian said cheerfully.

"I don't know how fun this is going to be though…" Broken sighed. Seems his pessimism was getting to him again.

"Cheer up! It'll be plenty of fun!" Contrarian nudged Broken with his elbow.

The other two were pleased with seeing this side to Contrarian. Normally all they saw of him was just him being a jokester.

They got into their seats as the ride began to start.

"I'm... sorry for avoiding you a lot of the time. You just always seemed so unpredictable." Hunted said to Contrarian.

"Don't worry about that, I just go for whatever I think would be most fun at the time!" Contrarian explained.

"I'm not used to having fun. I'd like to have more fun." Broken said.

"Well, in that case, I..."

The ride started to go up. And awaiting them just ahead was a setpiece of a giant alligator with a huge gaping maw that they would enter.

Hunted did not take that well.

"We have to get out. I... I know it's not real, but we have to get out... I... don't feel safe..."

Contrarian felt concerned for Hunted but also intrigued as to how he planned on 'getting out' at this stage. They were near the top of the ride.

Broken began to whine.

"I knew it was too good to be true... now he's scared and I'm uncomfortable..."

The whining, and plenty else, was short-lived, however, as Hunted slid out of his seat and leapt out just in time for the big drop.

Contrarian and Broken stared in horror as Hunted fell to the bottom of the drop.

---

"Cards weren't enough. Ever since arriving to this world, I've been honing my skills on all sorts of games."

Cheated started giving a speech to no one in particular as he, Skeptic and Opportunist started looking at some claw games in an indoor arcade section of the theme park.

"So how exactly is this a game?" Skeptic questioned.

"It's a game of skill and technique. The arm of this claw is wobbly and only has so much strength. Aiming it to get the prize you want isn't easy." Cheated explained.

"Really? I thought these things were designed to be more or less impossible." Skeptic said.

"They are. But there's techniques you can use to grab the prizes." Opportunist eyed the claw. "I wonder if he knows any."

Cheated attempted to grab a prize. The claw went down but failed to pick anything up.

"That's bullshit! I was right there!"

In the middle of Cheated's tirade, Skeptic gave the machine a go.

"Oh? What's with the change of heart?" Opportunist asked.

"You're one to talk." Skeptic said, glancing at Opportunist. "Anyway, I figured out something while watching Cheated. I noticed there's no end to how far the arm can descend. There's a prize right over the hole."

"Ah, so your plan is to push it in." Opportunist said, peeking at Skeptic's work with an eager grin.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Cheated complained.

Skeptic attempted to push the prize into the hole, but the arm just wouldn't push hard enough.

"That's one weak arm..." Skeptic glared at the machine.

"Now you know how I felt." Cheated snarked.

"Allow me." Opportunist started up his go at the machine.

"He sounds serious about this." Skeptic pondered.

Opportunist began to waggle the claw intentionally and then moved it to the back of the machine.

"Sometimes you have to think..." Opportunist said, as he managed to get the claw to get stuck on the display shelves in the back, "Outside the box!"

Cheated and Skeptic stared at Opportunist's work. Skeptic was awestruck. Cheated was outraged.

"You can't do that! That's not just cheating, I'm pretty sure that's actually illegal!" Cheated protested.

But Opportunist was already dragging the display shelves and knocking every prize in the machine into the hole.

"Serves them right for making it so impossible to begin with." Opportunist defended himself.

"Not bad. You figured out the machine's weakness. This could be useful, I'm sure." Skeptic said, before Opportunist gave him one of the prizes.

"For you. Now let's make a run for it!"

---

Smitten was in line for the ferris wheel. Fast rides weren't really his thing. He preferred to take it slow and enjoy it more. And this was a ride he'd always wanted to go on.

Maybe one day he'd get to ride it with someone special... but he didn't have anyone like that yet. He admitted to finding Princess gorgeous but respected her relationship with Wing.

Then he saw some commotion further down the line. This was a long line, so that was to be expected.

But the more he looked, the more he noticed a moderately petite woman with blonde hair caught up in that commotion. He'd never seen a more beautiful maiden in his life.

But she looked like she was struggling in the middle of that mess. She must've just been minding her own business when this happened. Poor girl.

There were guards around the place to prevent line-cutting, but Smitten couldn't let this poor lady stay trapped in that mess! He rushed over to help her.

"Give this maiden her space at once! You beef-witted rascals!" He angrily shouted at the people fighting, before taking the woman's hand. She was smiling, but clearly nervous.

"I'll bring you to the back of the line. It'll be a longer wait, but you won't have to deal with them." He smiled at the woman, whose nervous smile in turn shifted into a more relieved smile.

"Thank you!"

Smitten took the woman to the back of the line.

"I'm sorry if I caused any trouble. You were waiting in line too, right?" The woman said to Smitten who merely chucked nervously.

"It doesn't matter if it'll take a while longer. Just riding it at all would be good enough for me." Smitten confessed.

The woman looked a little embarrassed. "Actually, I didn't even know if I wanted to ride this. I... think I do?"

She then looked into Smitten' eyes.

"But... Now I just feel like I wanna do whatever you wanna do! I don't even know why!"

Her words sounded off-putting to nearby people, but her face looked genuinely eager.

Smitten looked into her eyes in shock and awe. He wasn't expecting his dream to come true so soon but he'd gladly take it!

---

"I don't get it, why are there so few of us? And Hunted's gone so we don't even have anyone reliable to search." Cheated complained at the entrance.

Opportunist raised his hand and opened his mouth before Cheated spoke again.

"Anyone reliable to search!"

Just then, Stubborn's group came in. Stubborn looked a little angry and was dragging an exhausted-looking Paranoid over.

"What happened?" Skeptic asked them.

"Stubborn got banned from the rides and Paranoid vomited his guts out." Cold explained, earning glares from the other two.

Skeptic wanted to question how this happened, but looking at Paranoid's tired yet horrified expression, he felt it best not to press for right now.

It wasn't long before Wing's group arrived. Narrator and Hero were both wrapped up in warm towels, feathers and hair still wet. Wing was comforting Hero and Princess was dragging Narrator begrudgingly.

"Okay, that's a bit more obvious." Skeptic said.

"At least we had a nice moment for a while... before we found out this happened." Princess sighed.

"He started it." Hero and Narrator pointed at each other.

Cheated sighed in sightly begrudging sympathy. "Alright. I get it. And it looks like you're even now, so drop it."

Contrarian's group then arrived, Contrarian having a hard time carrying a now heavily bandaged Hunted.

"What happened here?!" Cheated yelled.

"Sorry. I panicked." Hunted explained in his usual minimalistic way, which wasn't very helpful at all.

"We were having a good time, until Hunted got scared of the scenery and jumped off the top of the ride..." Broken said.

"Yeah, I think it was the big alligator mouth tunnel that did it." Contrarian suggested, prompting Hunted to shiver in fear.

"I didn't like that. I knew it wasn't real, but I still didn't like it. I don't understand." Hunted muttered.

"Easy, don't move around too much. I understand." Hero said, putting his hand on Hunted's arm, before sneezing violently.

Opportunist then looked around and saw Smitten staring at the park exit with a giddy and dazed expression on his face.

"Smitten! There you are! We're just about to leave, so..."

"Ah! So sorry, I didn't notice. I was just lost in thought." Smitten said, before sighing in complete bliss again. "I just met the most beautiful damsel I've ever laid my eyes upon."

"Ooh! Someone's in love! What's her name?" Contrarian teased Smitten.

Smitten's eyes shot open and he then turned to look at the others with an embarrassed look on his face.

"I forgot to ask..."

The others minus Contrarian all groaned in disappointment. Contrarian simply laughed.

"That's so you, getting attached to someone that easily!"

Smitten stared into the city ahead.

"I'll ask her the next time we meet."

---

The trip back was mercifully quiet. Hero, Paranoid and Hunted were all in the back together, while Narrator had fallen asleep next to them.

Hero turned to Paranoid.

"Sorry this was more stressful than we'd hoped."

Paranoid looked back at Hero.

"Oh no, it's not your fault! Believe me, if it was, you'd never hear the end of it..." Paranoid replied.

"How are you doing, Hunted?" Hero asked.

Hero thought for a moment, and then spoke to the other two.

"I'll be fine. I just need some rest to heal. I don't like this, but I'll manage." Hunted said, keeping a surprisingly cool head for someone that just fell from the top of one of the tallest rides in the park.

"How about we do something together once you're healed up? Just the three of us. I think we need it after all that." Hero suggested.

"You know, I don't mind that. You're much more trustworthy than those two." Paranoid pointed at Stubborn and Cold.

"I'd like that. I don't want to come back here, though." Hunted said.

"Okay. So, we'll find something else to do then." Hero told the other two.

They had plenty of time to figure out where to go.

#slay the princess #well this happens next i guess #omfg i actually finished it #FINALLY #i am so sorry if this is bad #i wrote it in bits too scattered from each other #but the next chapter will hopefully be more coherent

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