#techystory

[techycatartist]

CoasterMaynia 2025 Day 0- Kingda Ka (Ghost)

@coastermaynia

This year’s CoasterMaynia challenge had a special “Day 0” for Kingda Ka, so I had to draw something for it!

It’s a “What-If” scenario in which Great Adventure preserves a portion of Ka’s track as a memorial to the ride, allowing Ka’s spirit to bind with it and stay on Earth. While he’s grateful to be able to see his parkmates again, will they allow him to move on when that time comes? Does he want to move on? Or is there a way that he can come back, even if he wouldn’t be the coaster he once was…?

[techycatartist]

So in my coaster personif-verse, my Kingda Ka personification dies following the permanent closure of his coaster, passing the night before demolition was reported to start (December 22nd). Additionally, he won’t be sticking around as a ghost like Rolling Thunder and GASM did because the park will (very likely) not be preserving any part of Ka’s structure (no leftover structure = nothing for the spirit to bind itself to, plus with how Ka technically died before demolition it means that his Charging Station didn’t even have a chance to store his energy for any kind of spirit generation).

But that doesn’t mean he’s gone in every universe.

Stay tuned…

[techycatartist]

Shellraiser was slowly pulled back into consciousness, as his Circadian rhythm was the only thing keeping him well-rested.

“Five”, he muttered to himself. “It’s been five rests since I arrived here”.

Shellraiser clenches his fist, only to be met with nothing.

“I can’t help it”, he thought. “Even if my launch wouldn’t help me escape…”.

Hopping off the Charging Station he had used as a makeshift bed, Shellraiser made his way over to its closest neighbor— though he had no idea if these two were actually from the same park. Shellraiser then pressed his palms on the front of the Charging Station.

“How thick are the walls that separate us?”, he spoke out loud. “You cannot hear me, or see me, but I can peer at the Coasterdroid within. Clearly, these walls are strong…but if I were to damage its surface…”

Shellraiser slammed his fist onto the surface…and was met with failure. Though appearing to be made of glass, the front of the Charging Station absorbed the blow, as if it had a layer of protective padding surrounding it.

After a few seconds, Shellraiser felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder. Using his other hand, he massaged the shoulder until the pain subsided.

“If not just for that result, it’s clear that I cannot fight my way out of here”, he mused.

With that option exhausted, Shellraiser went back to the only other thing he’d been doing— swimming through the void.

Cuboid after cuboid surrounded him, suspended within the void with no apparent pattern or categorization. While Shellraiser had been swimming forward ever since he began his search, there was no way to tell if that truly was the case. Anyone in this situation would’ve been hopelessly confused at best.

Luckily, Shellraiser had a goal to work towards beyond his escape. Unluckily, it was the only thing he could think about.

“I’m not going to let you run away again”.

A painful squeeze of their arm.

Electricity surging through his body.

His gaze fixed on Sandy’s Charging Station, trying to discern where he had last seen them before he passed out.

Regret had colored these memories from the moment he had woken up— and Shellraiser’s guilt compelled him to relieve them again and again.

Shellraiser paused, looking around.

“Please.”

He resumed swimming.

“Please let me find them”.

No matter how often (or how long) he paused, Shellraiser came up empty. As dedicated to the search as he was, he could feel himself becoming more hopeless with each rest that passed.

“Would it be worth returning to the park?”

Eventually, mental (and physical) exhaustion would set in. Climbing on top of the nearest charging station— but making sure to look around him one last time— Shellraiser laid down and let his body lull itself to sleep.

“This is the sixth rest”.

As much as he was grateful to be getting any sort of sleep, Shellraiser hadn’t dreamt since his arrival. Every rest made him feel like a robot— a binary “power down”, then “power on”. If that wasn’t enough, Shellraiser was essentially limited to two actions; searching and resting.

He swam away from his “bed”, looking around the area one last time.

“Checking for Sandy…not here.”

“Checking for Sandy…not here.”

“Checking for Sandy…not here.”

As loud as his mind was, the silence surrounding him was equally torturous— and he was the only thing that could break it.

“Checking for Sandy…”

Shellraiser looked around.

“…not here”.

Shoving his face into his hands, Shellraiser groaned in frustration.

“This is…this is the inside of our Charging Stations, right? Or have I been sent to the underworld? Is this my own personalized punishment?”

“What did I do to be treated like this?!”, he yelled out loud.

“I’m not going to let you run away again”, Shellraiser’s mind responds.

Shame washes over him.

“If this is the underworld, I hope they aren’t hurting Sandy…”

Kicking his feet, Shellraiser increased his pace— something inside of him felt that he was running out of time. Every perimeter check he took only made Shellraiser more frantic.

By the ninth instance, he was just about ready to throw in the towel.

“If it wasn’t a personalized punishment already…”

Shellraiser leaned up on the side of a nearby Charging Station.

“One more lap. If I don’t find them, I’ll rest. If it kills me, then I tried my best…and I’m sorry”.

Using the Charging Station as a base, Shellraiser pushed himself away and swam for his life. Surrounding Charging Stations began to blur as he picked up speed.

In the monotony of the void, an irregularly made itself present.

Shellraiser abruptly stopped, rubbing his eyes.

Something was there.

As if he were going for the gold, Shellraiser made a beeline for it.

Soon, details began to reveal themselves; a pallet of brown, blue, purple, gray— hints of red and green. It was motionless, hovering close to— if not on top of— a Charging Station.

“Could it be…?”

On his left, the figure had a centralized blob of brown, with two triangles sticking out from the sides.

That blob was hair.

Those triangles were horns.

Sandy’s horns.

Shellraiser bit his hand, quickly deciding not to call out to them. “They’re probably still mad at me…or even afraid, after what I did”, he thought.

Fortunately, Sandy was facing away from him— it would allow him to get closer without them noticing (and potentially fleeing).

“I have to be gentle”.

At that point, Sandy was unmistakably present in Shellraiser’s vision. Close enough for them to hear, but far enough that he couldn’t grab them.

He took a deep breath.

“Sandy…?”

They snapped upright.

Sandy paused; “I’m hearing things…right?”, they thought.

They began to turn around.

Shellraiser held his breath.

He locked eyes with Sandy.

Their eyes widened.

Immediately, Sandy reached over the edge of the Charging Station they were resting on.

“WAIT!”

Ignoring Shellraiser, they looked down at the front of the Charging station…and plunged their hands right into it.

Shellraiser was stunned. “Of course!”, he thought. “My technique was flawed— if kept whole, it can handle blunt impacts. But slicing through it breaks down its power!”

A low hum emitted from the Charging Station as Sandy began pulling their hands away from each other. Cracks quickly appeared from the incision they had made.

“C��mon…!”

A jagged hole emerged from the gap between their knuckles; light shone from within, a faint movement present.

Sandy‘s body trembled due to the pressure, but they soldiered on.

Shellraiser directed his attention to the gap. The “movement” he saw was a seemingly-random pattern of shapes— and the soundscape had changed.

Amongst the electric buzz and television static, something sounded…organic. A faint conversation he couldn’t understand.

The gap was slowly expanding. Sandy coughed as their lungs reminded them to breathe.

Shellraiser was captivated by the activity coming from within— but Sandy’s grip was weakening.

“No…no!”

The cracks began to shrink back towards the gap, the pressure on their hands increasing. Tears rolled down Sandy’s face as they yelled out in pain.

Their hands shot up into the air, defeated. The gap quickly closed, leaving no trace of the damage that had occured; silence filled the air once more.

Sandy collapsed, breathing heavily.

Shellraiser swims by.

“Sandy, I-“

They curl up into a ball, too tired to try anything else.

“I just want to talk”.

Shellraiser waits for a response.

Sandy slowly picks their head up…and gives him a dirty look.

“I’m not going to force you back into reality”.

Sandy continues to glare at him.

Shellraiser switches up his strategy; “If you weren’t able to leave, I’m not able to leave. I wouldn’t be able to take you anywhere— even if I wanted to”.

Sandy remains unconvinced.

He takes a breath.

Shellraiser reaches out towards Sandy, then makes a fist with both hands.

“Still no pulse”, he thinks.

Suddenly, Shellraiser pulls his arms back, resting his fists on his hips.

“See? I can’t launch”.

Sandy looks down at their right hand. They make a tight fist, then release.

“Okay. I’ll listen”.

Shellraiser felt a weight lift off their shoulders; he smiled.

“I’m so happy to have found you, Sandy”.

Sandy turns over to face him.

“It’s good to see that you’ve kept yourself intact. Though I must ask…how were you able to tear into that Charging Station?”

Sandy takes a breath.

“When I came across this Charging Station, I noticed that I couldn’t see the Coasterdroid it belonged to. When I got closer, I realized that the Charging Station was unoccupied…or at least I thought it was. Initially, I tried punching my way through, but it wouldn’t budge. Eventually, I got fed up and began clawing at the surface. That’s when it broke for the first time”.

“It wasn’t open for too long, but I got a look inside— and it finally dawned on me; this Charging Station belonged to a coaster that’s still under construction!”

“Since then, I’ve made multiple attempts to enter inside, but I keep failing. It seems to get stronger with every attempt, and I don’t know how many tries I have before it completely locks me out”.

“How long have you been trying to break through?”, Shellraiser inquires.

“Since I got here”.

“Well, you’ve certainly made more progress than I have! Though now that I know your technique, I should be able to break through and get us back to Nick Universe— the others are probably worried sick about us“.

“I never said anything about escaping”.

“…Is that not what you were trying to do?”

“Well…yes. I am trying to get out of here, like you are— but I’m not going back to Nick Universe”.

“Why? Is it not where your coaster is? Is it not home?”

“No. Not anymore”.

Shellraiser decides to let them continue speaking.

“You see, if this coaster is still under construction, it doesn’t have a Coasterdroid yet. While I know my coaster’s still standing, I’m technically coaster-less as long as I remain stuck in here. But what if I wasn’t? What if I…found a coaster to tether myself to?”

“What are you talking about…?”, Shellraiser interrupts.

“You said you wanted to hear me out, right?! Then listen”.

He hesitates, but ultimately complies.

“I know you’re all accepting of my coaster as it is…but ’m tired of being an unreliable prototype. If I could become a Coasterdroid for a different coaster…I would finally be able to enjoy my life. I’d still be myself— because I like who I am— but…I’d be better.”

“No”, Shellraiser responded firmly.

“…What?”

“Sandy, I can’t let you do this”.

“Why not?”

“This plan of yours…it’s flimsy at best and potentially catastrophic at worst!”

“Oh, really?” Sandy asked sarcastically.

“Yes! If you were to successfully break through and enter that Charging Station, you’re robbing an innocent Coasterdroid of the life that’s promised to them! Also, if this Charging Station is putting so much effort to keep you from breaking through, who’s to say that it won’t just kill you— and the Coasterdroid who it belongs to— if you actually make it in! You would be dead, and this coaster would never get its Coasterdroid”.

“But even if you were to enter and survive the Coasterdroid creation process…would you still be yourself? Or will these higher forces just wipe away everything you wanted to keep?”

“WELL IT’S NOT LIKE I WANTED TO BE TRAPPED HERE!”, Sandy yelled.

Shellraiser is taken aback.

“I didn’t know that my launch powers could activate when in my Charging Station. I didn’t know it would put me inside of my Charging Station…and I don’t think you knew that either”.

Shellraiser takes a breath; “You’re right. I took a massive risk in replicating your actions— but I did it for the right reason. I wanted to save you—“

“YOUR ATTEMPT AT “SAVING ME” IS WHAT GOT ME STUCK HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!” Sandy loses their composure. “If you had just left me alone…!”

Sandy wailed in anguish, pulling at their afro in a misguided attempt to self-regulate.

Shellraiser had to restrain himself from intervening, though he couldn’t look away.

This was the punishment he deserved.

Sandy yelped as they felt their grip pull away from their hair. Pulling their left hand closer, they saw a clump of hair resting in their palm.

”Oh Neptune…”, they mumbled in shock. Sandy quickly took their other hand out of their hair. They then tossed the clump away from them…only for it to continue floating where it was placed.

Sandy curled up in shame.

“I’m sorry”.

No response.

“I overstepped your boundaries that day, and likely would’ve made things worse if I actually got to “help” you. At that moment, I thought you needed to be told what to do, how to act, how to feel— but all you wanted was for someone to listen”.

Sandy turned around.

“Is that right?”

“…Yes”.

After a few moments of silence, Sandy un-curls. “Okay. I accept your apology”.

Shellraiser gives them a warm smile.

“I guess you’re not as much of a Squidward as I thought you were. Though Squidward has apologized for making Spongebob feel bad in certain episodes…so I guess you really are like Squidward— in a good way”.

Shellraiser lets out a small chuckle; “It always goes back to SpongeBob, doesn’t it?”

“It sure does! Y’know, I hope all of this SpongeBob knowledge doesn’t go away when I get reincarnated…or reassigned? It doesn’t make sense for a non-SpongeBob coaster to be obsessed with him…but does it have to? I’m sure the other Coasterdroids there have heard of the show…”

Shellraiser’s heart sank; “They still want to abandon their coaster…”, he thought.

“…Oh, and just because I’m gonna have new neighbors doesn’t mean you guys can’t visit me! I’m sure you’ll be able to contact me…wherever…I end up”.

His mind yelled at him to stop Sandy, that they couldn’t be trusted to do the right thing, and that they would die in their attempts to find a “better life”.

Yet, he remained silent. Shellraiser wanted to say something, but was stuck on what to say.

Then, as if a light switch had been flicked on, it came to him.

“My feelings”.

Shellraiser took a deep breath.

“Sandy”.

They reoriented themselves.

“I’m not happy that you’re going through with this plan”.

Sandy gave him a look.

“But at the end of the day, it is your decision to make. I won’t stop you”.

Sandy relaxed.

“Though if I can do one last thing, I want you to know that…”

Shellraiser felt his throat dry up.

“I am eternally grateful to have known you as a member of my family”.

Shellraiser shut his eyes, preparing for the worst.

“I…didn’t know you saw me that way, Shellraiser. I’m…glad I know the truth”.

Something had begun to change within Sandy.

“Maybe I don’t want to run away from him—and Slime Streak, Shredder, and Timmy. But…do I really want to go back to that?”, they thought.

Sandy had a lot of time to think as they aimlessly floated through the void— enough time to think about severing the link they had to their coaster, and Nick Universe as a whole.

Sometimes, it only takes a moment for a realization to kick in.

“…You know what?”

Shellraiser held his breath.

“I think…I’m gonna sleep on it. I’m already exhausted as is, I don’t think I could break through that barrier even if I wanted to. I think you should sleep too”.

“I agree”.

Sandy swims up to their Charging Station-turned-bed, pulling themselves up to the top. Shellraiser did the same, finding a Charging Station close to Sandy’s.

Sandy lies down on their side, facing away from Shellraiser.

Shellraiser can’t help but face towards Sandy.

“I hope you’ll still be here when I wake up”, he thought.

“I want to say Goodbye”.

[techycatartist]

The next day, everyone silently eats breakfast, unsure of what to do next; Christmas is just a few days away. Eventually, Toro breaks the silence— he’s decided to leave Great Adventure. “At least, until the park re-opens. There’s just no reason for me to stay here now. I think I’m going to pay Colo…” He pauses. “Or Balde…” He pauses again; both of his older cousins have some history with an Intamin Accelerator (Desert Storm and Kanonen (now known as Matugani), respectively). “I’ll be flying to South Korea to spend the holidays with T-Express. I don’t get to see him in-person that often, and I’m sure he’d love to show me around Seoul”. At first, nobody knows how to respond to this, leaving Toro to resume his breakfast in silence. However, it doesn’t take long for someone to respond; Skull Mountain announces that he’ll be traveling to Montreal, as Dragon awaits him at La Ronde. This ends up causing a domino effect:

-JDC wants to travel to Magic Mountain and see his twin sibling, Wonder Woman: Flight of Courage.

-Medusa and Harley are going to Discovery Kingdom to visit Medusa (West) and Cobra, respectively. Medusa wanted to go to Magic Mountain to visit Scream! initially, but changed her mind upon realizing that she’d have to travel with JDC.

-Superman wants to go to Great America and spend the holidays with his twin and their family. DKC initially wants to head down to SFM to do the same, but Superman doesn’t trust him and forces DKC to come to SFGAm alongside him so that he can keep a close eye on him. DKC doesn’t mind, as he also has a twin sibling at SFGAm— and “If I wanted to get up to something, it doesn’t matter which sibling I’m working with”. Superman gives DKC an “I’m Watching You” gesture as he pops a pretzel bite into his mouth. Joker decides to tag along with them “for the bit”, switching from seeing his sibling at SFDK to seeing his twin at SFGAm. Harley is a bit disappointed at first, but is easily convinced to let him go when Joker remarks that “it’ll be funny”.

-Finally, RMT decides to visit her cousin Trailblazer at Hersheypark, preferring to stay (relatively) close to Great Adventure. She’s taking LDC with her, as he almost never leaves her side (and he’s got a sibling in Coca Cruiser, one of many Zamperla kiddie coasters just like him).

Suddenly, Batman rises from his seat, his hands planted firmly on the table; Nitro, who is sitting next to him, gives him a questioning glance. “Why are we abandoning Great Adventure? Trust me, I’m not happy with how things have played out for us, but to just…leave? Is that really going to help our situation?” Toro counters; “Well, if you want to stick around and watch Mr CEO blow up Ka’s corpse and haul off his remains like it’s yesterday’s trash, be my fucking guest”. “I‘m not staying to watch the implosion, Toro— I’m just saying that maybe we need to stick together and help each other process our grief. Isn’t that right, Nitro?” Batman looks over at his girlfriend, waiting for her response. Nitro slowly turns her gaze at Batman, who makes a motion with his head at her. “I…” She sighs. “I’m not going to tell people how they should grieve”. Batman isn’t happy with her response, but he opts to try and guide her to the “right” answer; “I agree, but… we shouldn’t be leaving Great Adventure when it needs us more than ever. I mean, since you’re our leader and all-“ “When did I agree to be the leader again?” Batman is stunned; “I-I thought…” “I said that I would come back to the park”. Batman has no response, just looking at her. “You know, if you’re so gung-ho about “saving” Great Adventure, why don’t you be the leader instead of forcing Nitro to take charge”, Toro introjects; some of the others voice their agreement. “Well, sorry for assuming the person who’s essentially been our second-in-command for years was capable of leadership. Besides…you wouldn’t like the way I lead”. ��All right, fine. I don’t think any of you would like the way I would lead this park. But let’s cycle back to my point…” Toro points over at Nitro. “Nitro, do you want to be our leader”? She shakes her head slowly; “…No”. He gestures at Batman; “There’s your answer, Bats”. “So we’re just going to have no leader, then?” Toro shrugs; “Guess so!” He storms off. “…Fine. Maybe we don’t need a leader”, Batman mumbles. He takes a deep breath, turning back to Nitro. “We don’t have to leave because everyone else is. It’s going to be tough, but I know we can do it together. Please, Nitro….stay with me”. Batman grips her hands tightly, but she pulls away. “I…I think I’m going to go to Hershey with RMT”. Batman felt his heart sink. “Someone needs to keep an eye on her”. Nitro places her hand under his chin; “I think you’d be a great leader, and if that’s what you want to do…I’ll be behind you at every step. But…don’t do this for me”. “…okay”. She smiles, planting a gentle kiss on his lips. “I’ll be sure to call you every night. Just…promise me you won’t drive yourself crazy over this?” Batman nods, though with little enthusiasm. Nitro runs her fingers through his hair before parting away, leaving him to sit with his decision. “Good luck being alone for Christmas, Batman!”, JDC says as he strolls by and laughs. Batman shoots a quick glance to his side. “Ayo, welcome to the Great America crew, B-man!”, Joker said as he put an arm around Batman, who quickly shoved him off. “Glad you can join us, Batman! Y’know, I could really use some help keeping you-know-who…” Superman points at DKC. “…in check. Mostly because I want to take my comic collection re-read to Gurnee, and um, I still have so much to go through…” “Eeh, Don’t worry about me, I haven’t felt particularly scheme-y ever since I tried helping JDC with his ”RMC every wooden coaster” bullshit”, DKC replies. “Besides, since you care so much, I’ll get Hell Cat to check up on Great Adventure every few weeks to make sure it doesn’t turn into the next Geauga Lake while we're gone. Not like they have anything better to do…and I have my ways of making them cooperate if they refuse. Sounds good?”. Batman shoots him a dirty look. “…I’ll take that silence as a yes. You’ll thank me later!” By the night of Christmas Eve, Six Flags Great Adventure is completely devoid of Coasterdroids for the first time in over 50 years.

[techycatartist]

As the group gathers for breakfast, Ka can only manage to take a few bites; his appetite is at an all-time low. Though he tries to quell their worries by stating that he’ll “finish it later”, it ends up going right into the garbage bin when nobody was looking. While Ka didn’t use his launch powers that day, he can only manage a fast jog in terms of quick movement— and for shorter than he’d like. “You don’t need to do this to yourself”. Ka looks up at RMT, discarding his empty water bottle; “It’s not a need for me, RMT. I want to do this”. Deep down, Ka knows that she’s right— but given how she reacted yesterday, he feels that he can’t be vulnerable with RMT (or anyone else). Ka spends most of the day dropping in on his fellow Coasterdroids, peeking into their conversations as a way to reassure himself that some sense of normalcy can continue after he’s gone. Unfortunately, most of these conversations ended up swinging towards Ka and his coaster’s inevitable demolition; each time made Ka less confident in his belief. Towards the end of the day, Ka has decided on an ultimatum; he needs to go into his Charging Station tonight.

Initially, the (real) reason why Ka chose to stick around post-closure was because he felt that he was done an injustice by the new regime. But as the days went on, it became clear that it was doing more harm than good— for him and his parkmates. Though Ka told them that he was sticking around because he felt that they still needed him, he now sees it for what it is; they are treating him like a god, martyring him as if he were already dead. As a result, Ka feels like he needs to show them that they are capable of going on without his leadership— he was not any more exempt from death than his parkmates because he was a strata/the park’s star attraction. Ka decides not to mention his plan to anyone else until the moment he returns to his coaster’s station after dinner, making it seem like a spontaneous decision whilst still allowing them to say their goodbyes before he leaves. Ka still barely eats come dinnertime, though nobody decides to comment about it this time around. Sticking around until RMT finishes cleaning the dishes, he asks if she can walk with him back to the Golden Kingdom— to which she accepts without hesitation. The two pass through the Boardwalk section of the park, RMT reminiscing on not just the recently-departed rides (Green Lantern, Twister, Parachute Tower), but all the rides that used to call it home. But as Ka listens on, he begins to feel lightheaded, with his vision blurring slightly. Ka tries to ignore it, but he begins to feel a pressure within his chest. RMT stops talking when she hears Ka struggling to breathe, a look of fear in her eyes. Before Ka can say anything to reassure her, he collapses on the pavement— right in front of the entrance to the Golden Kingdom.

In a panic, RMT scoops Ka into her arms, attempting to carry him to his Charging Station. Despite the adrenaline pumping through her veins, RMT can only carry Ka so far before she falls to her knees, Ka laying on her lap as she frantically searches for her phone to call for help. Ka is barely holding on at this point, the pain in his chest becoming stronger with each passing second. “They’ll be here soon, I promise”. However, Ka knows that his time has come. Using what little strength he has left, Ka reaches out and rests his hand on RMT’s cheek, smiling. ”I’m so lucky to have lived here, to have known all of you. I wouldn’t have had it any other way”. RMT begs for him to stay, with the others coming onto the scene. Ka grimaces, crying out in pain as Nitro, Batman, and Toro pick him up— with RMT clinging on as much as she can. Suddenly, Ka goes silent…and his hand drops from RMT’s face. RMT lunges onto Ka’s body, screaming as it begins to glow and break apart…but there’s nothing else that can be done. RMT’s added weight causes Nitro, Toro, and Batman to fall, bathing themselves in what remains of Ka. Having died outside of his Charing Station, Ka’s body returns to its most primal form, the energy floating up and towards his coaster’s structure. Nitro attempts to hold on to a portion of this energy, but it easily slips through her fingers. Like stars in the night sky, Ka’s structure is lit up with dots of energy, letting it be the center of attention one last time. As the final light fades away, Nitro hugs RMT tightly, who is entirely engulfed in her anguish. The others quickly join in, collectively grieving over a life they’ll never return to.

[techycatartist]

Every post-closure launch only serves to weaken Kingda Ka, as if his body is begging him to move on. At first, it just left him unusually winded—but that quickly transformed into vertigo. Ka tried to counteract this by sitting down once he was done which worked…initially. As November changed into December, Ka wouldn’t even get the chance to orient himself before he passed out— and the accompanying nausea led to him spitting up stomach acid on the concrete. Additionally, what began as some spotting on his tissues turned into massive nosebleeds that he’d have to hide the ensuing stains on his shirt from RMT. Eventually, his vertigo gets to the point where its effects begin before his launch ends.

Within the span of two weeks, both Harley Quinn and Joker are injured— Harley twists her ankle after she trips over an uneven patch of asphalt and Joker gives himself a concussion through a failed backflip. While Nitro has been trying to lead her park during these tough times (with Ka’s (limited) guidance), these events shatter what little optimism she has for her leadership. Upon seeing Harley cradle an unconscious Joker in her arms, Nitro wordlessly walks away, creating an icy bridge for her to walk on as she traverses through Switlik Lake. At the far edge of the lake, Nitro creates a massive structure out of ice, leaving a small tunnel for her to reside in. In her eyes, there’s no reason why she should be leading— or why she should come back. Nitro falls asleep in the tunnel, protected from hypothermia by her powers. She awakes to the sound of footsteps, but she can’t bring herself to move. Fortunately, it’s Batman, who borrowed a small paddle-boat to reach her “castle”. Bundled in winter gear, he sits across from Nitro. “This sucks”. Nitro doesn’t respond. “There really is no other way to put it. This sucks. We lost our leader, we lost a good friend, we lost like…five other rides or so, and we’re probably going to lose more because Mr. New CEO just hates our park, I guess. I don’t know how he expects the humans to care about Great Adventure when they know that their favorite ride could close without warning one day. Frankly, it doesn’t matter what they want to replace Ka with— assuming it even gets made”. Nitro looks up at him, raising an eyebrow. “Point is, corporate is against Great Adventure, and visitors probably will be too”. He exhales. “The last thing I want is for us to be against Great Adventure”. Nitro relaxes. “We’re already on shaky ground, and when Ka leaves, someone has to be there to keep things from crumbling under our feet. I know you’ve tried “everything”…but will encasing yourself in ice make things better?” Nitro doesn’t respond, but is listening. Batman bows his head; “Please…come back. Trust me when I say that we believe in you…I believe in you, Nitro. There’s nobody else who’s better to lead this park, and I think you know that too”. Batman looks up at her, waiting for a response. He sighs; “I…I’m not the best at comfort. I just didn’t want to downplay our situati-“ Nitro surprises him with a hug. “I’m sorry”, she whispers. “I’ll come back”. Batman rests his head on Nitro’s shoulder as she quietly cries. As the two break out of the hug, Batman prepares to lead Nitro back to the boat— but before he can walk away, she pulls him in for a kiss, to which he reciprocates.

In the days leading up to Christmas, Great Adventure is covered in a light blanket of snow. JDC— whose fiery powers help him deal with the cold— is flying over the park to get himself awake, like how someone would drink coffee in the morning. While in the air, JD spots a thin line of asphalt not covered by snow. Following the line, he notices that it’s running parallel to Ka’s launch track. Suddenly the line stops, indicated by a small pile of snow…and something else. JD flies down to investigate— only to come upon a puddle of blood and vomit. “Has he…?” JD chortles with glee. “Oh, you hypocrite!” JDC immediately tells RMT, who shakes Ka out of his slumber. “Is this why you’ve been so tired? Why you’ve been falling down more often? Why you don’t let me help with the laundry? Why would you DO this to yourself, Ka?! There’s no telling how much longer you have left, and yet you decide to SNEAK OUT and…” RMT stops herself, letting go of Ka. “…What am I doing, yelling at the ill? I’m…I’m sorry”. “I should be the one apologizing, RMT. I haven’t been honest with you-“ “It’s ok, my dear.” She rests her hand on the underside of Ka’s chin. “I just…if anything had happened and I wasn’t there I…I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself”. Ka elects not to use his launch powers the next morning, and it would be to his benefit— one more launch might’ve done him in.

[techycatartist]

Initially, the Coasterdroids of Great Adventure are very divided on the rumors about Green Lantern and Ka’s closure. Some (Batman, Dark Knight, Toro, JDC, Superman, and Green Lantern) assume the worst about the new corporate regime and wholeheartedly believe that they’re about to lose two of their parkmates in a few weeks, others (RMT, Skull Mountain, Harley, Medusa, Nitro, And Ka) are skeptical about the lack of an announcement or any permits/construction markers that would indicate Ka and GL’s imminent closures. This becomes a frequent topic during their communal breakfasts, with Ka acting as a mediator in order to prevent the group from becoming completely fractured.

However, that all changes when the group returns from a Halloween party— a white marker (indicating “proposed excavation”) is found in front of Green Lantern’s entrance. “Of course…” GL remarks, shaking. Ka reaches out to comfort her, but gets a knee to his stomach instead. “Of course they want me dead!” GL feels that she’s always been out of place at Great Adventure— and that she’d be the first to go after RT was removed back in 2013. GL continues to wail on Ka, who doesn’t want to fight back. “Everyone hates me for being a stupid model and a shitty B&M, but they LOOOVE you when all you do is launch up a top hat and be the epitome of unreliability…but because you’re the “star attraction”, corporate will kiss up to you and give you everything you want while they grind my structure into-“ “STOP!” Ka grabs both of her hands tightly. GL finally looks up at Ka, who is struggling to keep his composure. He shakes his head slowly; “Green Lantern…I’m…I’m not…” He pauses, tears falling down his cheeks. “I’m going with you”. GL begins to cry too, sinking to her knees as she regrets lashing out at Ka. At that point, everyone’s worst fears are (essentially) confirmed. The only thing they’re waiting on is an official acknowledgement from the park/corporate…something that won’t come until AFTER GL and Ka’s last days.

On the day of Ka/GL’s closure, Coasterdroids from across the nation (some even outside the US) have gathered to say their last goodbyes to and partake in a celebration for Ka…but Green Lantern chooses to hide in her station, believing that nobody (besides her parkmates + Thunder Run) cares enough about her coaster’s closure. It’s not until Nitro and Superman come over to see her that GL is convinced otherwise— a pile of flowers/gifts await her at her coaster’s entrance (and she’s informed that many Coasterdroids have been asking where she was). With this in mind, GL decides to put on one last performance in the park’s Showcase Theater venue— a place where she rekindled her love of plays. GL decides to perform an impromptu mashup of some of her favorite musical tracks— ending with the last verses of “Defying Gravity”. The audience erupts into applause at its conclusion, throwing flowers onto the stage. Green Lantern is swarmed by adoring fans, some who decided to record her show— ensuring that she also has a legacy to leave behind. Unfortunately, GL knows her time at Great Adventure is up when the last of its visitors leave. Standing in front of her Charging Station, she gives (almost) everyone a hug and some parting words; RMT is the last one to say goodbye, hoping that GL will be reunited with Stella. “I’m so lucky to have known you, dear…”, RMT whispers as she wipes the tears off GL’s face. “I am too…” GL finally breaks away, turning towards her Charging Station as she takes a step in— but she can’t help but look back at her parkmates one last time. “Thank you…and Goodbye”. By the next morning, GL has passed on, unaware that her parkmate’s grief has only begun.

[techycatartist]

So canonically my coaster personifications tend to avoid interacting with humans bcs there would be major ramifications to revealing their existence. They are also naturally un-detectable by humans due to their invisibility powers, which are “active” by default. If they wanted to interact with a human, they have to “deactivate” it first.

That being said…imagine “No One Mourns the Wicked”, but the residents of Munchkinland are nameless/faceless Six Flags Corporate business people and Nitro is Glinda, forced to put on a happy face as they won’t understand (or more accurately, care) why she’s so upset that the Wicked Witch (Ka) is dead…

[techycatartist]

“Okay Sandy,” they thought. “Wave’s almost ready to be caught”.

Sandy pushed themselves up onto their surfboard, their mind dead-set on a goal. Faintly, they could hear the others give some commentary;

“They’re getting ready to stand..”

“The wave is forming!”

“I believe in you, Sandy!”

Finally standing up on their surfboard, Sandy glared confidently at the wave.

The surging carried them upward….for all of two seconds, as it didn’t take long for Sandy to lose their balance.

Sandy tried reaching out for their surfboard as it quickly slipped away from their feet, only to be consumed by the waves crashing around them.

Tumbling through the water, Sandy’s feet dragged across the bottom of the pool as they tried to push themselves to the surface. Fortunately, the current was pushing them closer to the shallow end of the pool.

Sandy ducked under the diminishing wave, placing their feet firmly on the ground.

“Go!”

Like a dolphin, Sandy shot out of the water, taking a well-needed gasp of air. They crashed back down to the surface back-first, kicking their feet to propel themselves forward.

“There they are!”

“I’ll get Sandy’s board”.

“Yeah, they’re not gonna give up after one failed attempt!”

With the wave-controlling program close to resetting, the water had grown calm— and so did Sandy, who let it guide them to the entrance.

Slowly but surely, Sandy had come to a stop, lying there as the water receded.

Most people would get up at that point, but Sandy was content to remain there.

The tide is rolling in.

It only reaches up to my feet, at first.

But with every wave, it gets closer.

The water is cold, but not frigid.

It’s…Refreshing.

Slowly, the water begins to surround me.

It gets to the point where my head is just above the water.

The next wave is approaching.

It’ll definitely pull me underwater if I don’t get up.

But I’m still lying there.

Sandy closed their eyes, smiling as water washed over their face.

Bliss.

After a few seconds, Sandy sat up; “Woooo! I might’ve wiped out, but I had a ton of fun with it!”

Slime Streak quickly joined them in the pool, boogie-board in her hand; “You still were awesome!”

“I know, right?”

Shredder approached them, holding Sandy’s surfboard. “Ready for round two?”

“Of course!”

“Just make sure you have your board leash tightened this time, okay?”, Timmy reminded.

“Oh yeah…probably makes it easier to recover, heh!” Sandy grabbed the leash, tightening it around their ankle.

Sandy and Slime Streak excitedly dashed into the water, Shellraiser watching from a distance as he relaxed on a chair, “tanning” in the sunbeam.

“Ah…”, he mused. “Nothing can spoil this day!”

“…She wishes she could take them out of the water, so she could cuddle and sleep with them…”

Displayed on screen was “Sue Nahmee”, the main antagonist of “Saving Bikini Bottom”, the newest SpongeBob film. During this scene, viewers were offered a look into Sue’s childhood— except her adult head was slapped onto a child’s body in (probably) the worst chroma-key job in the history of cinema.

Not a single member of the group wasn’t completely dumbfounded by what they were witnessing.

“I can’t believe this was approved to air…”, Shellraiser muttered.

“I can believe it. You think those execs care about making a quality product! Nah, they just want people’s money…or in this case, their parent’s money”, Timmy countered.

“I’m surprised they left the robot horse behind. Y’know…the cute animal sidekick that they want kids to cling on to and beg their parents to buy the marketable plushie of”, Shredder added.

Sandy was furiously typing on her phone, Slime Streak drowning her “sorrows” with popcorn.

“I had to pause the movie and walk out of the room when this scene came on. Then I went to ITSUGAR, got myself some candy, and came back to my room. The candy wasn’t really necessary, I just needed something good to counteract the badness that was this movie”, she said in-between handfuls.

“Well, it’s a good thing I’ve completely cut her from my revision of the movie…and every other human, honestly. I actually think the Rattlesnake gang from earlier would make for a good antagonist— though the real conflict will be whether Sandy should stay in Texas or return to Bikini Bottom”, Sandy stated.

“Woah, that already sounds like a way better story!”

“Yep! It makes a world of difference when you have a writer who cares about the thing you’re making…and no execs to bow down to!”

Lights flashed around as a disco ball sparkled above their heads. Located in a nearby town, Shredder and Timmy had decided that their date-slash-“girl’s night out” should be at a Karaoke bar.

With a recently-updated machine and complimentary room service at hand, the pair were enjoying a wonderful night out with fellow Jerseyans Nitro, Medusa, Harley Quinn, and Green Lantern.

Of course, their song choice— or more accurately, album choice, was obvious.

♪Red Wine Supernova, fall right into me!♪

While some of the album’s setlist had been sung by the entire group, Timmy and Shredder wanted to keep this track for themselves. The song wasn’t a duet piece— but that didn’t matter to them.

Timmy started the second verse; ♪I like!♪

♪I like!♪, Shredder sang in response.

♪What you like!♪

♪What you like!♪

♪Long hair,♪

♪Thick curls!♪, Shredder putting her own spin on the lyrics.

♪That’s my type!♪

♪That’s right!♪

♪You just told me…♪

Shredder pulled Timmy in closer.

♪…”Want me to ride you?”♪

An “Ooh~!” erupted from the others, catching on to Shredder’s double entendre.

Timmy pulled Shredder in even closer, their foreheads touching.

♪Baby I will, ‘cause I really want to!♪

They would sing the last of the verse together, continuing their simultaneous duet to the end of the song.

Though their throats would be unquestionably sore the next day, the memories that Timmy and Shredder made that night was worth the pain.

“HALT!”

Lil’ Devil turned around, a plastic crown firmly clamped in-between his teeth.

“As the thief responsible for stealing the queen’s crown, you must be vanquished! Surrender now, or die by my blade!”, Joust declared.

Lil’ Devil wordlessly looked him up-and-down…and began to run right towards him.

Joust prepared himself, pointing his lance at the “devil-child”.

“You won’t get away with this!”

Lil’ Devil suddenly reared left, swiping at Joust with his tail.

“AUGH!” Joust fell to the floor in dramatic fashion. Even if he wasn’t actually hurt, he had to sell it like he was.

“Kozmo!”

The chipmunk-girl rushed onto the scene, complete with her own story-appropriate costume.

“Oh no, you’re wounded!”

“He got me where I least expected it! Quickly, look into your mage-tome for healing spells!”

Kozmo flipped through the pages of her tome— in reality, her wilderness book— until she found a page about treating an open wound.

Kozmo showed Joust the page; “Here! Spell of Gauze-ian Wrapped”.

“Perfect! Now, do your magic!”

Just as Kozmo was about to recite the incantation, her book was suddenly ripped from her fingers!

“No”!, she cried out.

Lil’ Devil scampered off, now with two valuable items in tow.

“Without my mage’s tome, I can’t perform any spells!”

“…and I am too weak to fight!”, Joust added.

“WHO CAN STOP THAT MENACE?”, the both of them yelled.

Lil Devil looked, back smiling “evilly”…and was completely unaware of the green puddle that appeared right in front of him. As soon as he stepped in it, Lil’ Devil was stuck in place.

Dropping the book and crown, Lil’ Devil began pulling at his leg, hoping to free himself from the trap. Suddenly, the puddle began to move— and a humanoid figure emerged!

“Sorry bud, your reign of terror is up!”

Slime Streak threw the book and crown away from Lil’ Devil, who fruitlessly tried to go after it.

“It’s an eternity of chores for you!”.

Lil’ Devil sighed sadly, crossing his arms as he was pulled back to the “castle”— really, the birthday pavilion.

Kozmo spotted the valuables flying towards her and Joust; “My book, and the crown!” She reached out as far as she could, catching her “tome” in her arms.

The crown…would land right on the concrete, splitting in two.

“I was hoping to catch both of them. W-we can fix it, right?”

The crown— now covered in sparkly duck tape— rested on the head of it’s rightful owner.

“Oh Sandy, Queen of the Atoll Kingdom, we have succeeded in retrieving your crown! While I graciously put my health on the line when facing the devil-child, Kozmo’s intellect and magical prowess was the reason why I was able to find him!”

Slime Streak walked over to Joust and Kozmo, standing proudly.

“Of course, we wouldn’t have been able to subdue LDC and retrieve our stolen items without Nicky’s help. though I was put off by their slimy green skin, I learned that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover”.

“Oh, what wondrous news; With the evil vanquished, my kingdom is peaceful once more!”

Sandy stood up from their “throne”, retrieving a plastic chest they had hidden behind it.

“I must reward you handsomely— here!”

They opened the chest, revealing what goods lay within.

“Take as many SpongeBob fruit snacks as you want!”

Within seconds, the chest had been emptied. As the trio began reaping their reward, Lil’ Devil shuffled over, sitting next to Slime Streak with his own stash of SpongeBob fruit snacks.

Sandy sighed happily.

“I’m so glad we’re friends”.

Shellraiser bowed upon seeing his sibling in-person for the first time in years.

“I am always honored to be in your presence”.

“And I am honored to have been given the opportunity to see you standing before me”, Takabisha responded.

“I understand there was something you wanted to show me”.

“Yes. Though I have many fun events planned…”

Do-Dodonpa’s loop stood tall, awaiting its final resting place.

“…we must take the time to honor those who have left us”.

Situated near Eejanaika was a mural of Fuji-Q’s coaster lineup, past and present. In front of Do-Dodonpa’s was the lead car of its blue train.

Shellraiser took a sponge from the bucket, cleaning off the outer shell; it would shine in the sun once he was done.

Takabisha placed a bundle of incense next to the wheel assembly, wafting a strawberry scent into the surrounding area. A bouquet of white chrysanthemums was laid on one of the front seats.

Shellraiser scooped water into his ladle, gently pouring it over the front of the car.

Takabisha and Shellraiser crouched down, holding their hands up in prayer.

“May Do-Dodonpa’s kindness be honored by those who remember, and may the coaster who settles upon their land carry on their legacy…”

Festive music echoed through the halls of the American Dream Mall, as no time was wasted in transforming it into the holiday shopping destination. Trees were abundant, lights twinkled above every storefront, and Santa was getting ready to open his ears to those who desired to let him know what they wanted under the tree this year.

For the resident Coasterdroids of Nickelodeon Universe, things were no different.

Shredder climbed up the ladder, mistletoe in hand. She had done this every year since the park had opened— but she now had someone who was willing to honor the tradition that it represented.

Just as she was about to hang the mistletoe up…she felt something brush against her cheek.

Timmy had made her way up the ladder, planting a kiss on Shredder— who just so happened to be holding the mistletoe above their heads.

They giggled, Shredder returning the favor with a quick kiss on Timmy’s forehead.

Shellraiser had spent all afternoon setting up and decorating the tree. Though he had a couple of ornaments he liked (and some he was…less fond of, like the mooning Santa that Timmy had purchased as a gag gift two Christmas-es ago), there was one ornament that stood above the rest— literally, as he had left a space just below their tree topper, which was a homemade clay model of Patrick Star.

It was a small frame, containing a group photo and a personalized message;

“Our first Christmas together”.

“…a ukulele songbook, a sandwich press, a new purse, a cat—or dog, one of those big bubble wands, a conveyor belt sushi place to open at this mall…Oh! And I want a new coaster here, maybe something small like a Zamperla mini mouse or SBF spinner so I’m not the “baby” anymore…”

“Woah, slow down!” Sandy advised. “Santa’s gotta give presents to other kids too, you know”.

“Yeah, you’re right. I still hope we get a new coaster here eventually”.

“I’d welcome it!”

“Hey, Sandy…what do you want for Christmas this year?”

Sandy pondered for a moment.

“I…actually haven’t thought about it”.

“Woah, really? You’ve always wanted things for Christmas, Sandy! A lot of things!

“Yeah, I have— mostly Spongebob merch, of course. But…when I was stuck in that void, all alone…I wanted nothing more than to be someone else”.

“Oh…that’s not good”.

“It wasn’t, even if I thought it was at the time”.

“But you aren’t thinking like that anymore, right?”

Sandy shook their head; “No”.

“‘Cuz I like that you’re Sandy, and so do you!”

Sandy smiles.

“Yep. And after all the things I’ve been through…I think I already have everything I want”.

[techycatartist]

Ever since it was announced that Walibi Holland was getting a pair of RMC Raptors, those who visited the park were eager to document its construction. By this point in time, work was right on track for the ride—now known as “YoY”— to meet its intended opening next spring.

Though the station had yet to be finished, it seemed as if the land knew where to place the coaster’s Charging Stations; two clouds of energy hovered where the ride’s operator booth would be.

The clouds appeared to be idle— but everyone knew they were hard at work, creating a Coasterdroid that would perfectly personify the coaster that they’d be attached to.

That is, until they began to tremble, lights flashing from within.

A human figure appeared in the center of each Charging Station, quickly increasing in size. While nobody was there to hear it, the sound of screaming gradually added itself to the environment.

Like a stuntman jumping through a prop wall, Shellraiser and Sandy bursted out of the Charging Stations— skidding to a stop stomach-first on the dirt below.

Shellraiser picked his head up, spitting out some dirt that had unfortunately made its way into his mouth. He shuddered, trying not to think of all the germs that could be living in it.

“Uh, Shellriser…I don’t think we’re in New Jersey”.

Sandy looked up at the track above their head— a mass of green and blue, held up with black supports.

“We’re not even in the United States”, he replied.

“Do you even know what this park is…or who this is?”

Shellraiser began to ponder; “I know RMC mentioned something about a park overseas getting dueling Raptors, but the name of the park escapes me…”

Fortunately, someone had noticed the two standing within all the hustle-and-bustle of the construction site— and they landed right behind Sandy.

Upon realizing that another being had joined them, Sandy turned around, then turned back to motion at Shellraiser. “Hey! Someone’s here…” Snapping out of his thoughts, Shellraiser picked his head up— and immediately raised an eyebrow at who he was witnessing.

Standing in front of them was a Coasterdroid who could be best described as wearing an outfit rooted in “fairy-core”, with an added insect motif.

“Hallo, YoY! Het is met veel plezier dat we u hier verwelkomen. Dit is Walibi Holland!”, Untamed said with a smile.

“Oh, um…we don’t speak Dutch, sorry!”, Sandy apologized.

“Ah, I see! Perhaps it’s because you two were entirely manufactured in America…I used to be a Vekoma woodie, you know— but no worries, I’m sure you’ll pick up the language quickly”.

“Oh, no, you’re mistaken— we’re not YoY”, Shellraiser clarified. “I am TMNT Shellraiser, sibling of Takabisha. This is Sandy’s Blasting Bronco”. Sandy waves at Untamed. “We’re from the American Dream Meadowlands Mall in New Jersey”.

“That makes sense— Coasterdroids don’t usually appear until they are ready to open. Though I must wonder…how did you guys end up here, within a construction site, no less?”

“Well, the short answer is that Sandy got themselves trapped within their Charging Station, I went into my Charging Station to find them, and then we broke into these Charging Stations to escape— and it turns out they belong to this “YoY” coaster here”.

“Oh, wow…I didn’t even know that was possible!”

“Neither did I— and that’s the last time we’ll be trapped in there, that’s for sure!”

“Well I’m glad you found your way out— and that I’ve meet you, sir!” Untamed eagerly shakes Shellraiser’s hand, who didn’t expect that level of intensity.

“Well, I won’t be forgetting about you anytime soon. But I must ask…where is the nearest airport?”

“Oh, I can help with that! You might want to wash off before you leave, though”. Untamed gestured at the two, their clothes stained with dirt and grass. “I can even cook something up for you guys— my treat!”

“Thank you for your generosity, but that won’t be necessary— humans can’t see us even if we were clean“.

Sandy introjects; “C’mon Shellraiser, they’re just trying to help, and I was thinking…maybe we could take a ride on their coaster before we leave?”

Shellraiser looked at Untamed— who quietly chanted “RMC!”— then looked back at Sandy, who had their puppy dog eyes on. He sighs, unable to resist; “We’ll stay for the afternoon”.

Sandy (and Untamed) cheer. “Here, hold on! I can fly us to my coaster!” Sandy and Shellraiser grabbed onto their arm, Untamed reacting quickly to pull them up in the air. Shellraiser yelped in surprise, his feet leaving the ground.

Shellraiser stepped out of the vehicle, returning to the grounds of one of the largest malls in the United States. Sandy followed shortly after, standing right next to him as the NJ Transit bus drove off.

“We’re here”.

He looked up at the monolith known as the American Dream Meadowlands. Despite the valid criticisms lobbied at the property and its owners, Shellraiser couldn’t help but appreciate what he had been given.

“I’m so happy to be back here, Shellraiser”. Sandy turned to look at him. “Don’t you agree?”

Shellraiser smiled; “Yes”.

“Always”.

NSS was lying on her side, arms retracted into her sweater. “I hate it here”. Timmy sat next to her, with Shredder staying close by.

“I know, honey. We just wanted to check up on you, that’s all”, Shredder replied.

“Well, you could’ve done it at Dutch Wonderland instead of making me come back here…”

“You know they wanted to come here, right? I can see Joust riding your coaster right now”.

“I could’ve been left alone just fine…I’m a good houseguest”.

“Well, I didn’t want you to be left alone”, Timmy said firmly.

“Really? ‘Cuz it looks like you and Shredder are doing great without me...”,Slime Streak said bitterly.

“Chiquita, different types of love are expressed in different ways. Yes, I love being with Shredder— she is the light of my life. But…I also love you. You’re like a niece to me, and I haven’t stopped worrying about you since we let you leave”.

Slime Streak pulled her sweater over her head. Timmy sighed.

“You know, I miss them too. Haven’t stopped hoping that they’d come back”.

“But you stopped searching for them, right? Shredder too”.

Shredder took over for Timmy; “Slime Streak, there was only so much we could do. Trust me, I tried and thought of what to try. When everything was exhausted..all that was left to do was hope”.

“Well maybe you should TRY HARDER”. Shredder jumped a little, surprised at Slime Streak’s anger. “It’s not like they’re just going to show up out of the blue...”

“Slime Streak!”

NSS didn’t notice, as she was too distracted by her sadness— but Timmy and Shredder did.

“Shredder!…Timmy!”

“Oh my god…”, Timmy muttered.

“I can’t believe my eyes!”

Timmy smiled, grabbing her girlfriend’s hand as the two made a run for it. The sound of their footsteps got Slime Streak’s attention, pulling her sweater off her face.

“THEY’RE BACK!”, Shredder shouted from a distance.

Slime Streak turned around…and immediately got off her feet.

Running as fast as she could, Slime Streak called out to them;

“Sandy!”

“Slime Streak!”

She picked up her pace.

“SANDY!”

“SLIME STREAK!”

They were now seconds away from reuniting.

“SANDYYYYY!”

“SLIIIME STREAAK!”

Slime Streak jumped into Sandy’s arms, nearly knocking them over. Shellraiser then joins in the embrace, followed by Shredder and Timmy. A chorus of giddy shouting erupts from the group-hug, with a few “I missed you”-s and “Oh my god”-s sprinkled in.

“I know I haven’t made this clear in the past, so let it be known that I care for all of you dearly. From the moment I entered the void, I thought of returning with Sandy and making our family whole again. It’s almost unbelievable that I’m experiencing this, after everything that happened…and I am truly grateful”.

Shellraiser pauses, taking a breath.

“I’ve also realized that I haven’t been the best leader— Instead of encouraging your positive traits and individualities, I berated you for simple mistakes and quirks I deemed as “improper”. I’m sorry for any pain I have put you through, and vow to do better in the future”.

Timmy places her hand on his shoulder; “Shellraiser…I always knew you had a hidden soft side!”

He laughs; “Guess I finally came out of my shell!”

Eventually, the group-hug ends— though Shredder and Timmy remain at each other’s side.

“So, what did we miss?”, Shellraiser asked.

“Uh…a lot, actually”, Timmy replies, Shredder nodding to reaffirm her statement.

“Ah, it must’ve been an exciting few weeks for you two— though from the looks of it, you’ve handled things well”.

Timmy and Shredder look at each other, their smiles gone. Timmy nudges Shredder, pressuring her to deliver the news.

Shredder takes a breath before she finally speaks.

“Shellraiser…It’s September”.

Shellraiser’s face falls; “…what”.

“WE’VE BEEN GONE FOR NINE MONTHS?!” Sandy shouts.

“That’s not…all of it, though”.

Timmy steps in; “Yeah, uh…there’s no good way to deliver this. Shellraiser, your coaster has some major structural issues…and it hasn’t operated since a few days after you left”.

Shellraiser looked at her, stunned into silence.

“Sandy’s coaster has continued to close for weeks at a time without warning— something that even I and Slime Streak weren’t immune to. So, you know, nothing’s improved on that front…and I don’t think it ever will as long as Triple Five’s managing this place”.

“Yeah, and, Um…Fuji-Q decided to pull the plug on Do-Dodonpa. The funeral was held back in March, and their coaster has been sitting half-demolished for a while now”, Shredder mumbled, hanging her head down.

Shellraiser sinks to his knees, cusping his face in his hands. Shredder rests her head on Timmy’s shoulder, trying to hide her face.

Suddenly, Shellraiser feels something grab at him; he pulls his face out of his hands.

“Hey”.

Sandy’s arms were wrapped around him, a rarity for the touch-adverse teen.

“You’re not the only maintenance headache here. Whatever happens next, we’ll be here for you”.

Shellraiser closed his eyes, placing his hands on top of Sandy’s.

A single tear ran down his cheek.

After a few moments of silence, Shellraisee felt a light tap on his shoulder.

“…I think you should talk to Takabisha about this, and also the whole “disappearing for nine months” thing”, Shredder gently suggested.

Shellraiser looked at her, softly tapping Sandy’s arm for them to let him go. “No”. He stood back up. “I know I just said that I won’t force you guys to uphold my standards, but… he probably thinks I’m a disgrace”.

He looked away from Shredder; “It’s better that I never contact him again, lest I bring shame to the family”.

“Check your phone”.

Shellraiser turned to Timmy.

“What?”

”Go to your room, find your phone, and power it on”.

Shellraiser looks at her, a mix of confusion and suspicion in his eyes.

“You heard me. Go”.

After some hesitation, Shellraiser walks away.

Sandy looks at Timmy and Shredder, who glance at each other knowingly.

“What’s going on?”, they ask.

“Wait for it…”, Timmy replies.

Suddenly, Shellraiser runs back into frame, holding his phone.

“I can’t believe it…”

He turns his phone around, pointing at the wall of “missed call” notifications and unread texts.

“…he carries no shame”.

“Ooooh. That’s why you sent him off like that, Timmy!” Sandy remarked.

“Well, I might’ve received a few calls from Takabisha asking if Shellraiser was back, I might’ve told them about his coaster’s structural issues, and I might’ve told him to send some messages to Shellraiser’s phone to show that they still care“.

Shellraiser frantically typed up a response, his phone jittering around in his hands.

“Looks like it worked out well!”

“Hey, I like busting his chops as much as the next guy…but I still care about him, even if it’s hard to tell sometimes. Plus, now Shellraiser can’t say I’ve never done a nice thing for him!”

Shellraiser put his phone in his jacket pocket, satisfied with his message.

“Speaking of nice things…has anything good happened while we were gone?”

“Please”, Shellraiser emphasizes. “We can’t take anymore bad news!”

Shredder looked at her girlfriend, who had a smile that matched her’s.

“Well….I finally found someone who appreciates my passion…who loves me for who I am…”

Timmy and Shredder were now facing each other, their noses nearly touching.

“…and I’ve found a woman who can love me back…that I was the “right person” for someone”.

They closed their eyes, Shredder tilting her head slightly…and let their lips meet. Timmy placed her hands at the sides of Shredder’s face, bathed in the warmth of sun-rays beaming down on them from the skylight above.

Sandy clasped their hands together; “Aww, congrats you two!” They look over at Shellraiser with a smile; “I knew it!”

“She actually took my words to heart”, he said quietly. Shellraiser smiled; “Feels nice to know I’ve unambiguously helped someone…”

Timmy and Shredder stare at each other, still in post-kiss awe.

“So…was it as good as you thought it would be!”Timmy asks.

“Even better”, Shredder replies.

NSS approaches Sandy, looking up at them with hesitation on their face.

“Slime Streak….”.

“Yes?”, she mumbled, fidgeting around.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you like that. You just wanted your best friend back, and I did the worst possible thing a friend could do— reject you. I let my anguish consume me, and all it did was make things worse, for all of us. Swear on my heart, I’ll never run off like that again”.

Slime Streak slowly raises her hand up…and extends her pinky.

“Promise?”

Sandy smiles, locking their pinky with Slime Streak’s.

“When in doubt, pinky out”.

Slime Streak pulls away, quickly going in for a hug.

Sandy reciprocates, letting Slime Streak stay there as long as she needs.

“We’re still friends, right?”

“Of course”.

Slime Streak looks up at Sandy, wiping tears from her eyes.

“Well, as your friend, I have to let you know…that the Sandy movie was BAD”!

NSS resumes crying, ending their hug.

“I COULD BARELY FINISH IT!”

NSS covers their eyes with their hair-tentacles. Sandy gently rubs her back, trying to soothe her.

“Aw, it’s ok…I’m used to modern Spongebob stuff being inconsistent. Even if the movie’s bad, it’s not completely worthless to me— because it’ll make a good “fix-fic” plot!“

NSS sniffles; “Yeah, you always write good stuff…I wanna be your beta reader!”

“Like I’d choose anyone else!”

Shellraiser, who had given the pair of friends and lovers some space, re-positioned himself right in-between everyone.

He takes a breath; “The last thing I wanted to hear upon my arrival was that my coaster has been SBNO for months due to unspecified structural issues…but the fact that I, and Sandy, were able to return at all makes my coaster’s operational status a little more bearable. Though I hope that these structural issues will be resolved sooner than later, I know that I’ll be supported every step of the way by those who love me the most”.

Shellraiser finished his speech off with a smile, watching as his family did the same.

[techycatartist]

Shellraiser couldn’t tell what was around him— his vision was no better than a camera trying (and failing) to focus.

He tried to reach out for something…only to slip back into unconsciousness.

Though his vision was slightly less blurred when he awoke again, he was still too weak to make any strenuous movements. “I’m still in the void…or at least, I appear to be”, he thought.

Just as his mind began to wander to the topic of Sandy, he lost consciousness again.

Eventually, Shellraiser was able to keep himself awake. He groaned in pain, bringing his hand up to his forehead— and discovered a noticeable bump.

“I will have to ice this when I return home…”

Shellraiser was suspended around several Charging Stations, enveloped in silence once more. He looked straight ahead at his surroundings…and saw something floating in the distance.

Or more accurately, Someone.

“Sandy!” His heart began pounding.

Shellraiser flipped himself onto his stomach, entering a butterfly kick. Everything became a blur once more as he focused on reuniting with them.

As he got closer, he noticed that Sandy was lying on their back, their arms slack and eyes shut.

They weren’t moving.

Shellraiser embraced Sandy, pulling them close to his chest; their head would end up resting perfectly on his shoulder.

“Oh, what have I done…”

Shellraiser, normally so concerned about his appearance, couldn’t stop himself from mourning. Tears slipped across his face, raining down on Sandy.

“This is all my fault…If I had just let you decompress, if I wasn’t so obsessed with my reputation…you’d still be with me…”

“I AM NOTHING BUT A DISGRACE!”, he yelled.

“A disgrace...and a fool. I tried to mold you and the others into the perfect family, and all it did was obscure the truth— you already were!”

Shellraiser continued to cry, curling his body inward.

“I can never return…and maybe that’s for the best”.

He looked up at the “sky”.

“Oh, those who blessed me with sentience…do as you wish with me! I deserve any and all punishment you choose to deliver! My only request is that you treat Sandy better than I have…”

Shellraiser’s vision was obscured by tears— so obscured that he didn’t realize his mask had been taken off.

Sandy, who had folded the mask into a square, brought it up to his face.

“It’s gonna be okay, Shellraiser…”

They began wiping his tears away.

“I’m here”.

Shellraiser finally realized what was happening— his eyes went wide with shock.

“You’re alive…?”

“Yeah.”

Sandy teared up.

“I’m alive”.

It was Shellraiser’s time to wail, though out of relief; he hugged Sandy tightly, who was quietly crying for the same reason.

Eventually, Shellraiser was able to re-compose himself, drying his face with his folded-up mask.

“I’m gonna have to wash this when I get back home...”, he said as he placed the soiled mask in his jacket.

“Don’t you mean when we get back home?”

Shellraiser was stunned; “Does this mean…?”

“Yep, I’m gonna keep being Sandy!”

Shellraiser smiled; “You’re gonna make me cry again…” He sniffled.

“Well, your crying did wake me up…”

“You heard everything, didn’t you?”

“Yep! It was all thanks to the tears of one Goofy Goober…”

“…who made it to Shell City and found you”.

Sandy smiled; “Just like SpongeBob”.

Shellraiser took a deep breath, exhaling audibly.

“Okay. I have you back…”

“And I’m not going anywhere!”

“But…how are we going to leave?”

Sandy stopped smiling; “Oh...right”. They rested their hand on their mouth, trying to think.

“I’ve got nothing, Shellraiser…”

“Well, why don’t we retrace our steps?”

“I don’t think that’ll help— I mean…” They looked around. “I don’t even know where that Charging Station is…or where to start searching for it…”

“Not physically, Sandy”.

“Oh! Um..Well the last thing I remember was that I was bringing my feet into the gap ‘cuz you said to. It was working fine until I got past my heels. Then I felt something shot through my body and…” They trailed off.

Sandy looked at Shellraiser, who had already figured it out.

“I launched”.

“Exactly— and by the looks of it…we were sent pretty far. That launch must’ve been supercharged by the barrier’s energy”.

Sandy tried to activate their launch again, but found themselves stuck where they were.

“Well, I can’t launch now. Maybe it needs a source to draw power from?”

“Good thing we know where to find it”. Shellraiser extended his arm, bringing the surrounding Charging Stations to Sandy’s attention.

“You want me to break into another Charging Station?”

“Precisely. Though you might want to keep yourself facing forward this time”.

“Hm?”

“Well, you’d want to go inside the Charging Station, right?”

“Oh, I get it now! I’m gonna break the front open, place my feet on the gap…”

“…and that would trigger the launch and send us home!”, Sandy and Shellraiser said simultaneously.

Sandy gasped; “It’ll be just like when Spongebob and Patrick rode David Hasselhoff back to Bikini Bottom!”

Shellraiser let out a chuckle; “Let’s hope we don’t have to deal with Plankton when we get back…”

“I’ll swim in front ‘cuz I know how an under-construction Charging Station looks, if that’s ok with you!”

“Lead the way, Sandy”.

Sandy squealed and flapped their hands in joy, taking off like a rocket. Shellraiser followed, easily keeping pace.

“Y’know, swimming from station to station is kinda fun! When we get back home, we should totally spend a day at the Dreamworks Water Park!”

“I think I’ve had enough swimming for a while— I’ll just chill on one of the benches near the wave pool”.

Despite the fun they were having, Sandy had yet to find the Charging Station they needed for the pair’s escape.

Fortunately, Sandy and Shellraiser wouldn’t have to search for much longer.

“There!” Sandy paused, pointing at something in the distance.

“You see those two Charging Stations? They’re a bit transparent compared to the ones we’ve come across...”

They swam off, with Shellraiser following behind.

Sandy approached the Charging Stations, placing their hand on the one closest to them.

“…which means their coaster is still under construction!”

On Sandy’s left, Shellraiser arrived, moving over to the other Charging Station.

“These two are quite close to each other…” He extended his arm into the space between the Charging Stations. “Completely parallel, unlike how most of them have been distributed around”.

“That just means that these two were meant for us to come across!”

“Hopefully they’ll be easier to break through”.

“They should be!”

Sandy raised their hands up, preparing to tear the barrier open.

“I still have no idea if this will work”.

Shellraiser finished their thought; “But what else can we do but try?”

Sandy plunged their hands into the barrier, using all their strength to begin pulling it apart.

“Wow, you’re making great progress!” Shellraiser slashed at the barrier with his hand, grabbing the edges of the gash as he worked to make it bigger.

Sandy watched as the gap became larger and larger. Though the process was still strenuous on their body, their assumption had proven correct.

“I think it’s big enough for me to go through! How about you, Shellraiser?” Sandy looked over at his progress.

Shellraiser’s gap had reached near his knees and just over his forehead; “I concur!”

“Okay! I’m gonna place my feet in the barrier— you should do the same!”

“Then I’ll count us down!”

“Good call!”

Sandy’s gaze returned to the inside of their chosen Charging Station, their arms reaching high above their head.

“Alright— on the count of three! One…”

Sandy moved their feet towards the edge of the barrier.

“…Two…”

Shellraiser took a deep breath, focusing on the outcome he hoped to reach.

“…Three!”

With one swift motion, Sandy and Shellraiser brought their feet onto the barrier, a surge of electricity flowing through their bodies.

Their respective yells were cut off as they were shot inside their Charging Stations. Each barrier immediately began reforming, the landscape growing quiet.

Upon finishing their reconstruction, the Charging Stations gave off a brief shimmer, looking no different then they had before.

The void was at peace once again.

EDM music pounded in his ears as he hid behind a barrier. Today was the monthly “Late-Night Laser Tag” event, in which adults 18 to 30 could play unlimited rounds for a set fee— and as suggested in the title, the venue would remain open past its usual closing time of 9pm.

Just as the man thought he was safe, his gear flashed.

“Armor depleted”, a mechanical voice said. “Return to a power battery to recharge, or your gun will be disabled for the rest of the mission”.

“Fuck”, he muttered.

Another man rounded the bend, only for his armor to do the same.

“They got me, Tony! I can’t believe our team is losing to those girls…”

“Hey dumbass, you know there’s girls on your team too! I swear to god, I always get paired with the idiots…”

Just as she finished that thought, the woman’s armor flashed. “Aw, C’mon! I was distracted…”

Shredder snuck past her ”victims”, giggling to herself.

“I see you…”

She pointed her blaster at her next target.

“Zap!”

Shredder happily skipped past.

“I see you…”

She snuck up on an enemy player from behind.

“Zap!”

They yelped in surprise. Shredder quickly moved away.

“Ooh, she’s good”, the person muttered.

Shredder was rapidly approaching the enemy’s base— her ultimate target. Though any person could shoot at the base to earn points and contribute to their team’s overall score, whoever successfully “breaks” the base gets a large bonus.

Despite there being no indication which team was the “hero” or “villain” (an intentional choice), Shredder took it upon herself to make it the latter.

“Foolish heroes! You thought you could take me and my army down, but your overconfidence was your downfall! Once your base falls, nothing can stop us from winning this battle!”

Shredder pointed her blaster up high, taking aim at the base’s flashing target.

“You’re mine!”

She pulled the trigger, her blaster letting out a buzz as it successfully registered a hit. A speaker mounted on the side of the wall broadcasted a message; “Blue Team base power-core meltdown in two hits!”

“Haha, yeah!”

But just when she was about to claim her bonus points…

“BANG!”

Shredder froze in place, her armor flashing.

“You left yourself open!”

She gasped dramatically as her attacker fled the scene.

“Armor depleted! Return to a power battery to recharge, or your gun will be disabled for the rest of the mission”.

Clutching her chest, Shredder acted as if she had been actually wounded. She got on her knees, crawling her way towards the closest Red Team-branded battery.

“Shredder!”

She perked up instantly. “Oh, my most favorite soldier…!” Shredder ran towards Timmy, who was happy to play along with her “villain” act.

“Who hurt you, my lady?“

Shredder fell back, with Timmy moving quickly to catch her.

“It doesn’t matter— you need to take the base down for me! It’s the only way we can win…and that’s an order!”

Timmy nodded; “I understand, my lady”. She helped Shredder get back onto her feet, who quickly retreated to a nearby power battery.

With a determined look on her face, Timmy sprinted towards the base, barely managing to sneak past an enemy player. Moving behind the closest wall, she took a peek at her surroundings before she jumped out.

Timmy pulled the trigger on her blaster as fast as she could.

It buzzed, notifying Timmy of her success. “DANGER! Blue Team base power-core meltdown in one hit!”

Timmy could hear footsteps rapidly approaching behind her. “There’s no time to flee”, she thought as she glanced at the clock. “It’s now or never!”

Timmy ran right under the base, aiming up at the target.

Her gun buzzed.

“YES!”

Lights flashed around her as alarms blared; “DANGER! Blue Team base power-core has failed! Evacuate Immediately!” Though there were no real consequences for sticking around, Timmy still went along with the illusion, making a successful escape.

A television screen sat above the door to the arena, quickly updating as the session concluded; “RED TEAM WINS!” Below the title displayed the top five players— with the best two being “Sk8terGrrl” and “Shred_Sama”.

Shredder eagerly munched at her pizza slice, with Timmy holding a slice in one hand and her phone in another.

“Some ppl might think it’s a bad thing to end a date with frozen pizza, but what they don’t consider is the fun of swiping stuff right under someone’s unassuming nose!”

“Well, it helps that we can turn invisible”, Timmy said as she took a bite out of her pizza.

“I don’t know why we can do it, but thank goodness we can! It’s a shame I couldn’t do it when we were at the laser tag arena, though I guess we can’t interact with humans if they can’t see us…”

A photo of Timmy and Shredder decked out in laser tag gear was on Timmy’s phone screen. She smiled, making sure to add it to her “Favorites” folder— which contained dozens of photos featuring Shredder or the two together. Timmy scrolled through the album, sighing dreamily.

“…what do you want to do next?”

Timmy was snapped out of her daydream, looking up at Shredder.

“I think this date went well, didn’t it?”

“U-um, yeah! Yes it did…”

“So…you wanna go for round two?”

Shredder leaned towards Timmy, who blushed in response.

“Yes…please”.

Shredder smiled, not realizing how she had come off to Timmy.

“Great! I can’t wait to see where you’ll take me next!”

Timmy let out a small chuckle.

“Me too”.

[techycatartist]

Sandy slept soundly, their hand gripping a blanket— Shellraiser’s jacket— as he floated towards them.

“Thank goodness…they’re still here”, he quietly remarked.

“The things I would’ve done if you had vanished…”

He glanced at the front of the Charging Station.

“I wouldn’t have been willing to come back as myself”.

Shellraiser places his right hand on the Charging Station.

“How do we get out of here?, he thought.

Sandy began pulling their hands away from each other. Cracks quickly appeared from the incision they had made.

“C’mon…!”

A jagged hole emerged from the gap between their knuckles; light shone from within, a faint movement present.

Sandy‘s body trembled due to the pressure, but they soldiered on.

“The fact that they were able to break the barrier at all is commendable…but to be able to do so as it becomes stronger and stronger…shows their determination”.

Shellraiser looks down at his arms— visibly toned as a result of all the exercise he partakes in.

“Sandy isn’t strong enough to do this on their own, but if I were to help…”

Shellraiser’s confidence fades.

“…I would be a massive hypocrite”.

He sighs, leaning up against the side of the Charging Station.

“I stand by what I said to Sandy— their misguided desires, the unknown danger of it all…how it was different from me replicating their actions to find where they had gone”.

Shellraiser felt his mask sag; he swiftly brought his hands to the back of his hair, untying the knot.

“But do I really have another choice?!”

Shellraiser gripped his mask.

“At worst, we’ll die if we go through that Charging Station”.

Shellraiser brought his mask up to his face, making sure to perfectly align the slots for his eyes.

“It could wipe our identities away, or even mash us together as it “creates” a Coasterdroid for this coaster…”

Shellraiser brought the ends behind his head, twisting them together.

“…or it could leave us alone— and lead us back home”.

Shellraiser finished the knot, pulling it tightly.

“I can’t appeal to Sandy like I had tried to dissuade them”.

He swam up, just in time to see Sandy begin to stir awake.

“So I’ll have to try something else”.

Sandy stretched out of their sleep.

“Hm…?”

They noticed Shellraiser’s jacket.

“Did you give this to me?”

Shellraiser smiled; “Yes”.

“…Thank you”.

Sandy gently handed back the jacket to Shellraiser.

Shellraiser took a breath. “So. I’ve had some time to think about some things, and…”

Sandy tensed up.

“I’ve decided to join you in breaking and entering this Charging Station”.

Sandy’s eyes widened, the shock kicking the tenseness out of them.

“What?!”

“Yes, despite my status as the park’s signature coaster, there are many things about myself that I don’t like— that pothole is a particular bother for me. I know I was quick to criticize your way of thinking, but I was only thinking of the negative outcomes”.

“Hey, you know you don’t have to do this because I am, right? I mean, you’re Shellraiser, the steepest roller coaster in the world! I like seeing you as a Gerstlauer Eurofighter, as Takabisha’s twin! Besides, your coaster’s way more reliable than mine…”

“I’m honored by your praise, but this is what I’ve decided for myself— just like you have”.

“Oh…okay then”.

“Don’t worry”.

Shellraiser extended his hand.

“I’ll be with you the entire time”.

Sandy looked away, grabbing their shoulder.

“Okay”.

Sandy returned the hand-shake.

“We’ll do this together”.

Sandy stood in front of the Charging Station, glancing up and down at it.

“You can start it, Sandy. I’ll jump in right after”.

Sandy extended their fingers, holding their hand vertically as they pulled their arm back.

Suddenly, their arm thrusted forward, slicing right through the front. Sandy quickly repeated their actions, bringing their other hand inside the Charging Station. Then, they began to pull their hands away from each other— and a hole began to form.

“Okay…you can help me now!”, they requested. The Charging Station began to drone back at them, a low hum returning to the soundscape.

Shellraiser maneuvered his arms over Sandy’s shoulders, tightly gripping the sides of the broken barrier.

“You pull down, I pull up, OK?”

Sandy gave an affirmative “Mmph!”, placing their feet on the bottom edge of the Charging Station.

Shellraiser immediately felt the power of the barrier as he pulled, electricity blipping through his fingers— though it wasn’t enough to stop him.

“It’s working!”, Sandy exclaimed in-between huffs.

The gap had quickly expanded above Shellraiser’s head, and was currently making its way past his chest. Shellraiser could hear the “conversation” again, echoing from within.

“C’mon Sandy…show me how strong you are!”

“I’m trying!” Sandy could feel their muscles scream in pain. “I don’t exactly have “breaking-through-a-barrier” arms!”

“Then let me help you!”

Shellraiser pulled his right hand off the gap’s jagged edge…only for it to begin reforming. He yelped, quickly reversing his decision.

“Sandy…I can’t move my hands away without undoing my efforts— you must do this on your own!”

Sandy let out a frustrated yell. “Maybe we should’ve swapped directions!”

Sandy flipped themselves around, keeping their hands on the gap. Their back was now grazing the inside of the Charging Station, briefly letting go to reposition their arms.

“That’s it— tilt your head back slightly, it’ll give you more leverage!”

Sandy was breathing heavily; “I’m not sure how much longer I can do this…we might just have to crawl our way to freedom, Shellraiser!”

Shellraiser analyzed their progress— and was hit with an idea.

“USE YOUR LEGS!”

Sandy looked down at their feet; “Shellraiser, you’re a genius!” Sandy pulled their legs away from the surface of the Charging Station, scrunching their body up as they placed the edge of their heels on the gap.

As soon as Sandy began to push down, pain shot through their legs. They yelled out in surprise; “My everything is burning!”

“Push through it, Sandy— you’re making progress!”

At this point, the barrier had moved past Shellraiser’s stomach; Sandy gasped at the size of the gap.

“I think it’s almost enough for us to climb through! Though, you might need to crouch down, Shellraiser.”

“It’s ok, just keep pushing down!”

Sandy began to shuffle their feet into the gap, trying not to lose their grip…or balance.

“C’mon…”

Every movement was strenuous, no matter how little it was— but they were making progress.

“C’mon…!”

Their feet began to tilt towards the inside.

“I’ve...”

Using every ounce of strength they could muster. Sandy nudged their feet forward.

“…got it!”

Sandy placed their heels firmly on the edge of the Charging Station….and felt electricity pulse through their body.

All Sandy could do was gasp.

Pushed back by the force of their launch, Sandy slammed the back of their head right into Shellraiser, who let out a pained grunt.

Everything went black.

The momentum carried them forward, ripping them away from the Charging Station.

It quickly closed, looking no worse for wear.

Shellraiser and Sandy tumbled through the void, unaware of where or when they’d stop.

“Attention, loyal subjects!” A woman’s voice crackled over an aging P.A. system. “Dutch Wonderland, the kingdom for kids, is now open! Once you make your way through the entrance, we’ll check your ticket— and the fun can begin! All patrons are subject to a security check before entering…”

“We’re here”.

RMT looked down at Slime Streak, holding her hand as the two walked past the entrance.

“I understand why you’d want a change of scenery, but you’ll always be welcome at Great Adventure if you ever want to come back”.

Slime Streak gave a small nod in response.

RMT sighed; she hated seeing Slime Streak like this. “They’re going to come back, dear. I just know it”.

Slime Streak turned away from RMT.

“…and if you can’t reach Shredder or Timmy, call me. I’ll get here as quickly as possible. Though I’m sure this is nothing a queen can’t handle!”

“Thanks, Miss Mine Train”, Kingdom Coaster replied. “Though I must say…it’s unfortunate that your 50th anniversary isn’t going too well”.

“It’s not what we would’ve wanted, but we’re making the best of it— though with how silent they’ve been with Flash, I fear that they’ll be delayed…”

“I wonder if the merger messed things up?”

“Well, it hasn’t actually been finalized yet”.

“Maybe it’ll help things, then”.

“That’s our hope. I’d say they should fix the Skyride, but perhaps the company should help the park finish our current refurbishment projects before we start another one. Though I would like to see it run again someday…”

Slime Streak sat off to the side, watching the two converse— but not actually paying attention to what they were saying.

“YOU THERE!”

Slime Streak jumped as a lance poked into her line of sight. She quickly got up from her seat, turning towards the voice.

“I understand that our queen has graciously allowed you sanctuary within the walls of our kingdom, correct?”

“Yes…?”

“Though I admire her generosity, I must notify you that any attempts to harm the queen or her royal mage will be met with physical resistance, courtesy of me— Sir Joust! It is my duty to guard their lives, and as someone trained in the art of the blade— and with Mayhem at my side— don’t even think about fighting back! Do you understand?”

Slime Streak was unimpressed, sitting back down; “Sure, I guess…”

Joust lowered his lance; “Aw, c’mon! You’re supposed to quiver in fear at my awesomeness! It’s no fun if you don’t play along…”

“I don’t feel like playing along, Joust”.

“Why not?”

Slime Streak sighed; “My best friend is missing”.

“Oh…”

Joust sat down next to her.

“Apparently Sandy got stuck inside their Charging Station, and that led to Shellraiser to go inside his to find them”.

“So he’s missing too?”

Slime Streak nodded sadly.

“Oh. That’s bad”.

“It is. It makes me feel…ultra sad. Like, sadder than when you scrape your knee or drop your ice cream. It’s a sadness that doesn’t go away”.

“…Could you make it go away?”

“Well, that’s why I’m here. I needed a break from living in New Jersey. That’s where my sadness originated”.

“Then maybe Pennsylvania will bring you some happiness!”

“I hope so, Joust. I really do”.

[techycatartist]

Shredder looked at the box, which was just big enough to contain everything inside.

Photos, drawings, poetry, unopened gifts, multi-part plans scribbled on loose-leaf; there was even a little homemade doll made in his image.

Lighter fluid rained down on the collection, filling the air with the smell of alcohol.

Shredder pulled a matchbox from her boot, gingerly removing a match from inside. Striking the side of the box, she held the now-ignited stick in front of her.

Shredder tensed up.

“C’mon…it’s getting close to your fingers”, she thought.

Shredder raised her hand slightly…and flicked the match onto the pile. In an instant, everything was set ablaze. While she had used lighter fluid to ensure that nothing would survive the burning process, Shredder jumped back as the inferno grew.

Suddenly, she felt something make contact with her elbow; Shredder turned around to find a fire extinguisher— and Timmy.

“Hey”.

“Oh. Hi.”

Timmy glanced past Shredder, admiring the fire.

“Looks like you wanted this to go out with a bang. Though I figured you wanted this too…we only want to get rid of all your Shellraiser stuff, not the stuff and you”.

“Oh. Yeah. Thanks.”

Shredder grabbed the extinguisher, turning away from Timmy. Getting as close to the fire as she’s comfortable with, Shredder sits down and places the extinguisher next to her.

Timmy keeps her distance; “Do you want me to go back and get the s’mores kit?”

No response.

Timmy sighs.

Shredder glares at the fire, almost as if she’s trying to speed the process up with her mind. Timmy takes her spot right next to Shredder.

“I thought you’d be happier about this”.

“I know”, Shredder whispers back.

The pops and crackles of the fire fills the area.

“Timmy”.

She perks up; “Yes?”

“You saw how big that box was, right?”

“Yeah”.

“Do you know how long it took me to fill that box? Four-and-a-half years. Four-and-a-half years of pining and scheming to get his attention and hanging on every word he said because I was so infatuated with him…and he felt nothing. I tried so hard to make him fall for me…and for what? To be told that I’m an idiot for feeling this way?!”

“Shreds…”

“Well, Shellraiser’s right; I'm an idiot. All this time, all the signs…and only when he spelled it out for me was I able to realize that he never loved me, and never will”.

Shredder wipes tears away from her eyes.

“Guess I’m just…unlovable.”

Timmy looks at Shredder with concern in her eyes.

“This is it”, she thought. “This is the moment you tell her. Her confidence falters. “Or…is it? I hate seeing her like this, but would a love confession make this better? If I fuck this up now, I might not get another chance”.

Timmy shuffles closer.

“I know I’d be pissed if someone tried to confess to me immediately after a breakup, and the last thing I want is to become a rebound”.

She adjusts her position, now facing right in front of Shredder. Timmy glances back at the fire, still burning bright.

“She definitely used lighter fluid for that…”

Suddenly, Timmy was hit with an idea.

“I have to be her lighter fluid”.

Finally, Timmy spoke; “You’re not unlovable, Shredder”.

“I don’t know— when you’re so passionate about a guy that you do all of these things, only for him to not care at all…sounds like the other person was the problem”.

“Your passion wasn’t the problem”.

“…really?”

“Yes. Being passionate is a good thing; the real issue was who you were directing it to.”

“I guess Shellraiser was the most “wrong person” I could’ve chosen”.

“Frankly, I don’t think there is a “right person” for him”.

Shredder was puzzled; “What do you mean?”

“Someone needs to want a ”right person” to find them. Shellraiser just… doesn’t have that desire in him, plain and simple”.

“Oh…then I really screwed up by falling for him”.

“Hey, it’s not your fault. I don’t even think he fully understands that about himself”.

“Yeah, but if I knew beforehand…”

“Hindsight’s 20/20, Shreds”.

“Right”.

Shredder looks at the fire, which has calmed down.

“I really hope there’s someone that’s “right” for me. Someone that might actually like getting all that stuff. Though I guess in retrospect…I did overdo it a bit. Maybe next time I can give…half…of that to them”.

“Well, if you want to find them…you’ll find them”.

Shredder looks back at Timmy.

”I know you want a “right person”.

“Heh, I don’t exactly make it subtle”.

“So…do you have one?”

Their gazes were fixed on each other— Shredder patiently waiting for a response, Timmy overcome with nervousness.

“Y-yeah”, she sputtered out.

Timmy swallows the lump in her throat.

“I, um…think I’ve already found her”.

After a few seconds of (agonizing) silence, Shredder’s eyes widened.

“I’M THAT GIRL?!”

Shredder put her hands on the side of her face.

“How didn’t I realize this sooner? Oh, this must’ve been so annoying for you…!”

“All of that talk was her flirting with me during my stint as park leader last November— and during that and that!“, she thought.

Shredder flailed her arms around; “Augh, I’m the dumbest Coasterdroid in the world!”

“Hey, you could be as dumb as rock and I’d still want you”.

“So you think I’m smart?”

“Always have”.

Shredder smiled.

Timmy returned the gesture, noticeably blushing.

Shredder took a deep breath, audibly exhaling. She clasped her hands together; “Timmy, I’m so happy that you like me— it makes me feel better about this whole thing”.

Timmy’s blush deepened.

“But…”

Timmy’s heart sank.

“I’ve only ever seen you as a friend. I don’t think I can just…jump into a relationship like that”.

Timmy averted her eyes from Shredder, breathing heavily.

Shredder looked at her with concern.

“I’m sorry…”

A tear rolled down Timmy’s cheek.

“I respect your feelings, Shred. I really do”.

Timmy stood up.

“I’m not going to push this any further, but…I’m glad you were able to hear me out”.

Timmy began to walk away, trying to keep her composure.

“WAIT!”

Timmy stopped.

“What if we went on a date?”

Her heart skipped a beat.

There’s still a chance.

Timmy ran back towards Shredder.

“…I’d like that”.

“If it goes well, we’ll go on other dates and maybe things’ll click. If not, that’s okay too. We’ll still be friends— and I know you’ll find that “right person” one day, Timmy”.

Shredder pulls Timmy in for a tight hug.

“I’ve always believed in you”.

Timmy begins to cry— though out of relief.

She returns the hug, resting her head on Shredder’s shoulder.

Sunlight blankets them in a warm embrace.

[techycatartist]

If the transfer of power was voluntary, Nitro would’ve been ready to assume her role as park leader— but to have been “forced” into it because of Ka’s imminent demise (when the park was already having a rough year) makes her feel unworthy. Her first “order” as leader is just for herself— to see Wicked, a movie Green Lantern (a known “theater nerd”) was looking forward to watching. After seeing the movie, she goes over to Green Lantern’s station, sits right in front of ehe Charging Station and recounts the movie out loud. It’s likely that Green Lantern is gone by this point, but Nitro hopes she can hear her one last time.

Initially, it seemed that Ka was taking the news well; Unhappy about it happening so soon and without a proper send-off from the park, but felt that it would be happening sometime before the end of the decade. However, he finds himself lying awake that night, unable to shake a thought out of his mind. Just before the sun rises (and when everyone else is asleep), he makes his way outside the park…and uses his launch power. It’s the closest thing that he’ll get to feeling his coaster run again— but it leaves him feeling unusually winded. A Coasterdroid isn’t supposed to use their powers after their coaster’s permanent closure…and yet, he finds himself doing it again the next morning. Ka knows that this will only make things worse for him physically, yet he can’t resist the urge. Ka tries his best to hide this behavior from the others, but it’s only a matter of time before they figure it out.

[techycatartist]

Medusa begins photographing as much of Kingda Ka/Green Lantern/Skyride/Twister/Parachute Tower as she can before demolition begins— and when Medusa says everything, she means it. If not through a drone, Medusa is climbing their way up to find the “perfect” shot.

Skull Mountain, who has made a career out of helping those deal with (their) death + accompanied grief, cancels all appointments/turns away new patients for the rest of the year; It would hit too close to home and affect his ability to help his patients.

Dark Knight Coaster doesn’t seem phased by the news of Ka’s immediate demise. However, he is well aware of the distress everyone else is in— and as an opportunist, he begins brainstorming. DKC announces that while he cannot save Ka’s coaster, he thinks he can save Ka. He proposes a few ideas: (1) Force Ka to remain on earth as a spirit via chopping (and keeping) a large-enough piece of Ka’s track (a la what happened to GASM and Rolling Thunder), (2) Destroy Ka’s Charging Station, which would sever the connection he has with his coaster and (according to Coasterdroid legend) turn him human (at the cost of losing his powers and memories), (3) Find a way to prevent Ka’s “Coasterdroid energy” from returning to his Charging Station/Structure and either upload his consciousness to a machine or find a new body for him to inhabit. However, Ka shuts all of these ideas down— and the others don’t dare to voice their opposition (if they don’t agree with him). Ka is not happy about the circumstances, but has accepted things for what they are; he does not want to cheat death. To emphasize his point, Ka threatens to “take DKC down with him” if DKC were to try anything behind his back. DKC just shrugs, remarking that it’s “your funeral— literally”.

Jersey Devil Coaster remarks that this is “the one problem that RMC probably can’t fix”, showing that he does respect Ka in spite of his egotistical nature. However, Toro is enraged at the idea that even when his fellow parkmate is dying, JDC has to make it about RMC. Toro is ready to beat JDC senselessly— until he realizes that JDC had inadvertently admitted that RMC isn’t a perfect company. Toro brings this to JDC’s attention, who is immediately defensive; “I said PROBABLY. If those bozos at Zamperla got a shot to renovate a strata, who says that RMC can’t?” “Two words; Lighting Rod”. “Well, it wasn’t RMC’s fault that the launch wasn’t up to snuff, that was another company!” “They hired that other company”. “Only because they thought they could trust them!” “Yeah, because RMC didn’t know jack shit about making a launch system— and THEY ADMITTED TO THAT!” Toro is just happy that he got to one-up JDC despite his overwhelming grief.

Lil’ Devil Coaster is used to RMT doting over him, but he finds himself put on the backburner as she tends to Ka. Eventually, the decision is made to send him over to Dutch Wonderland; he can spend time with someone closer to his age (Joust) and he’ll be in a less stressful environment.

Diamond Back (aka Lightnin Loops Blue), who had made the trip from Oklahoma City to Jackson the weekend of Ka & Green Lantern’s closure, decided to extend her stay until the end of Great Adventure’s operating season. Diamond Back spends most of her time as a pseudo-caregiver for RMT, as she doesn’t want her mother to pass out from the stress. She regularly updates her parkmates via phone calls, though they have mixed feelings on her leaving them for the holidays. Though it’s been decades since she lived there, New Jersey will always be “home” to her.

[techycatartist]

Ka, who received the news with the rest of his parkmates, vows to stay with them for as long as his body will permit. But it's clear that he's declining, even if demolition hasn't begun yet.

Green Lantern had already chosen to retreat into her Charging Station by this point, as it would make the process easier on her body and she didn’t want to stick around any longer.

Toro immediately goes into a "It should've been me" mentality upon hearing the news; all the survivor’s guilt he felt for Rolling Thunder has returned stronger than ever.

Nitro is immediately appointed leader, and while she was helping Ka with his leadership for years, she's on her own now. Nitro nearly froze the entire park when The Chiller twins were removed in a desperate attempt to keep them from being demolished. While she's matured since then, she feels hopeless at the prospect of helping everyone else (and herself) through losing Ka and Green Lantern. That, and she doesn't want to drag Flash down (emotionally) when her coaster opens next year.

Joker, who is no stranger to dark comedy, can't bring himself to make a joke about all this. All he can think about is his partner Harley, and how they've been at the park far longer than he has, how the park could easily get away with taking her coaster out bcs enthusiasts wouldn't care as much…

Superman, who has historically struggled with anxiety, has a panic attack for the first time in years. He thinks about how his coaster had issues running on the park’s power grid this season, and wonders if that could become a convenient excuse to get rid of it in the future. Superman retreats to his apartment, vowing to read through his entire collection of comics-- an escapist path that will consume most of his waking hours.

Runaway Mine Train devotes herself to being Ka’s caregiver for as long as he remains alive, even if she personally disagrees with his choice; she believes that this will only cause Ka to suffer more physically (and her + the others emotionally).