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waffle-gal · 12 hours ago

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Will we see a halloween themed carnival au showtime? With pomni and Caine doing trick or treat with the other ai?

TRICK OR TREAT

A CARNIVAL AU SHOWTIME ONESHOT

AU credit @sm-baby

WARNING:

~~~

"Ack!" Caine gagged, "Cahn u urrey uh?" He spoke with his mouth wide open.

"I'd be done faster, if you stopped moving." Pomni adjusted one of Caine's fake fangs in place. "There. That better?"

Caine flexed his jaws, closing his teeth a few times to test the fake fangs. "Yep, all good! Thanks!" He fixed his cape, held together by a jeweled broach. The classic vampire ensemble was ready for trick or treating, he even had a small plastic pumpkin bucket for his candy.

Pomni was wearing a classic witch costume, complete with a large hat and fake nose. "Let's get started then! Since the circus, my door, is technically the start, I'll give you a freebie." She takes a hand-sized ball out of her pumpkin candy bucket and holds it out to Caine. "Happy Halloween!"

Caine takes it with a smile. "Why, thank you, Pomni." The ball had a seam around the center that popped open in his hand. Inside the ball were a few pieces of candy. "Oh my! What a surprise! Thank you, again." He puts the candy in his bucket.

Pomni smiles bashfully, rocking on her heels. "You're welcome. It wasn't anything too complex. Everyone gets to choose what trick or treat to give the player, and I thought a little candy ball would be fun. I'm glad you liked it."

Caine took her hand, lancing his fingers with hers. "I loved it. It came from you." He swung her hand playfully as they walked to the next door.

"Stoooop." She giggled, "I can't wait to see what the others have in store. The trick or treat side quest is supposed to be pretty light-hearted."

"Let's find out." Caine knocked on Ragatha's door.

After a beat, Ragatha answered with a tray of pastries. "Oh, hello! What adorable costumes!"

Caine and Pomni reached for a pastry, but were blocked by the sudden presence of a large knife.

"What do we say?" Ragatha asked with darkness in her eyes, looming over the shorter avatars.

Both Pomni and Caine jump back in surprise. Pomni gives an apologetic smile. "Uh...truck or treat?"

"There we go." Ragatha allows Pomni to take a pastry, then looks at Caine, still holding the knife at the ready. "Your turn, player."

Caine gulps, "Truck or treat?"

Ragatha smiled, holding the knife behind her back whilst offering the tray to Caine. "Take your, pick." She was cheerful, like she wasn't just threatening to take their hands off.

Caine took the closest one quickly and backs off, keeping an arm between Pomni and Ragatha. "Thanks, have a Happy Halloween."

"You too!" Ragatha closes her door.

"Well, that could've gone worse." Pomni sighs.

"I suppose we better not forget to say Trick or Treat." Caine steeled himself for the next door and knocked on the one with Gangle's face.

Not even a second after knocking, Caine and Pomni were swept off their feet by a snare of ribbons. They hung upside down back to back as the door opened. Gangle descended from the ceiling, greeting them from the top side of the door. "Right on cue."

Caine held out his pumpkin bucket. "Trick or treat?"

"You two are just in time to help me with rehearsal." Gangle grinned mischievously.

"Oh no..." Pomni groaned to herself.

"Don't worry, the lines are short. You'll get them in no time." Gangle showed them a cue card that read: Both characters say AAAAAH!

"Huh? Why would we-" Caine was spun rapidly in the air with Pomni. They screamed at the top of their lungs as Gangle laughed.

Caine and Pomni flopped in a heap on the floor as Gangle released them. Cartoonish swirls spun in their eyes. Gangle dropped a few handfuls of candy on them. "Hope you enjoyed my trick!" She then slammed her door.

"Ugh...my head." Whined Caine as he sat up.

"That would have been fun if we weren't dropped like a sack of potatoes." Pomni said as she got up. "At least we got candy." She scooped a few handfuls into her bucket.

"I think my sweet tooth fell out in the fall, cause I don't want her candy." Caine kicked some of the stray pieces out of his way and moved on to the next door.

Pomni hid behind Caine. Who knows what kind of antics Jax would be up to tonight. Caine brought his hand up to knock with some hesitation. With a deep breath, he knocked.

After a single knock, the door flew open and a giant hammer came crashing down. Caine and Pomni jumped to either side to avoid being crushed. The hammer broke the floor, spidering cracks went out for several feet from the epicenter of impact.

A maliciously gleeful chuckle came for the grey shadows beyond the threshold. "Still quick on your feet, I see. Good."

"Jax! What are you doing!? This is supposed to be a light-hearted quest!" Pomni stood, brushing herself off with some annoyance from being on the floor two doors in a row.

"Oh, but I am being light-hearted. If I actually wanted you dead," He laughed louder. "We wouldn't be having this conversation. Now, since you survived my trick, here's your treat." Jax reached behind his back, bringing two cream pies into existence. He splattered both Caine and Pomni in the face before shutting the door, laughing hysterically.

Caine licked the pie filling from his front teeth. "Hmm, coconut. What'd you get?"

Pomni sighed, exasperated. "Banana." She grabbed a corner of Caine's cape to wipe her face off.

At Zooble's door, Caine didn't get the chance to knock. The door opened the moment he raised his hand. Zooble appeared in the doorway with a literal armfull of candy, dropped all of it on Caine and Pomni's heads, then shut the door without a word.

"Thank you." Caine's muffled voice said from under the mountain of candy. Pomni sighed. Again.

Their buckets full to the point of overflowing, they stand before the King's curtain at the end of the hall. Caine looked over the curtain, a little confused. "Um...how do I knock? This isn't a door?"

"How am I supposed to know? Technically, I'm not supposed to leave the circus." Pomni grumbled, still cleaning pie filling out of her costume.

"Snippy." Caine muttered. "Hey, Bubble?"

A small, bright pink bubble appeared next to Caine. "Hello! How can I help you?"

"Yes, how do I knock on curtains?" Caine asked with all sincerity.

"You don't! You just say the most magical of words on Halloween night! Trick or treat!"

"Thanks, Bubble." Caine tossed a piece of candy for his helpful AI companion. Bubble caught the teat and munched it with a smile.

Caine cleared his voice and spoke clearly. "Trick or treat!" There was silence at first, Caine almost said the words again, but then the ground rumbled as something large imposed the curtained doorway. Caine and Pomni took a step back as the curtains divided to reveal Kinger himself gazing down on them. They lifted their buckets, neither making eye contact with the royal figure.

"About time. I was starting to think you wouldn't show." Kinger's voice was quiet but authoritative.

"Many apologies, your highness." Pomni said without looking up.

"No matter. The night is still young. Come inside."

Caine and Pomni looked at each other before daring to look up at Kinger. "..huh?"

"I said: come. in."

"Yes, your majesty!" Pomni grabbed Caine's wrist and dragged him inside, sprinting past Kinger.

Kinger's royal court was decorated top to bottom for a Halloween celebration. Chess pieces and various game NPCs mingled and danced. Pomni and Caine stood stunned in the entryway as Kinger slid up behind them. "Welcome to the party! Do make yourselves at home!" His voice was lighter, even cheerful.

"OOOO! Punch!" Bubble flew off and dove into the giant foaming cauldron of punch on the snack table.

The party was loud and a bit crowded, Pomni and Caine stood closer. Pomni pointed to a corner with giant cushions. "Hey, why don't we go over there?"

Caine followed her without argument. He sat with her on the largest cushion as they both dumped out all their candy and started sorting. They traded pieces and tossed candy neither of them wanted to Bubble, who ate every piece with a smile on his face.

"Things got a little crazy, but I had fun with this quest." Caine smiled at Pomni, who returned it.

"I'm glad, Caine. The others may be allowed to be a little weird for the holiday, but it's all in good fun. Thanks for inviting me to come with you."

Caine put an arm around her shoulder and hugged her to him. "Absolutely. I love having you around."

"I love being around you, too." A pink hue dusted Pomni's cheeks.

Caine leaned his head against Pomni's. "Happy Halloween, Pomni."

"Happy Halloween." Pomni relaxed against him.

#showtime #showtime fanfic #tadc fanfic #cuteeeeee #Halloween

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waffle-gal · 4 days ago

Text

THE HALLOWEEN DLC

A RACEWAY AU CANON SPINOFF

WARNING: body horror, blood, gore, peril, suggestive, alcohol

~~~

"I have a very special announcement, my wonderfully wacky wallabies!" Caine floated overhead as everyone filed into the garage from their daily race. "According to my calendar, tomorrow is Halloween! And I know how much you all just LOVE your holidays!" An oversized monthly calendar appeared with pictures of Bubble posing with fancy cars. It flipped open to October, where the 31st was circled multiple times in red.

"OOO! The Halloween race! It's one of my favorites!" Ragatha clapped and bounced on her toes. "I can't wait to see what role you play, Loo!" She held her girlfriend's hand excitedly.

Loo smiled, "I've never been part of a spooky track before."

"And spooky it shall be! I even have fun costumes planned out for all of you this year! Along with tons of tricks and treats around every corner!" Caine tore the calendar in half and it exploded into a shower of candy and decorations that covered the inside of the garage.

Gangle shielded herself from the falling candy with her sketchbook. "There's not going to be a lot of jumpscares, will there?"

"Don't be a drag! What's a haunted track without jump scares to keep you on your toes?" Caine took a piece of candy off of Gangle's book and popped it in his mouth wrapper and all. "Don't worry, the people in the front of the pack will get them more than those in the back."

Gangle wasn't really reassured. She just looked at Zooble sadly, silently begging them to stay close to her on the track.

Pomni cringed. Of course there was a Halloween race. "Caine-"

"Yes, my dear?" He popped up in front of her, eager to hear what she had to say.

"Um, can I opt out tomorrow?"

Caine deflated, "Opt out?"

"Yeah, I don't really like horror, and I don't handle jumpscares that well." Pomni rubbed her arm anxiously. She could see the disappointment on Caine's face. "I'm sorry, but I'd just...rather not..."

Caine straightened up, taking Pomni's hand. "It's alright. All tracks are optional. If you'd you'd really rather not participate, you don't have to. There's always the next holiday."

"Thank you." She gave him a grateful smile.

Caine gazed back at her lovingly for so long, the others felt awkward witnessing it. Jax popped up between them. "So! How hard are you going on the scare factor this year? It's not going to be BORING, is it?"

Caine and Pomni separated with a simultaneous yelp. Pomni thumped Jax on the head out of reflex. "Don't do that! What did I just say about jumpscares!?"

Jax shoved Pomni away from him by her face. "Whatever, short stack."

Caine fixed his hat. "Now, now, I mustn't spoil too much! Part of what makes Halloween special is the surprise. With that said, rest up, everyone! Tomorrow is a big day!" He disappeared in a puff of smoke shaped like a pumpkin.

"Well, all of that sounds exciting." Gummigoo mentioned from his relaxed lean against the wall.

"Tch, you don't even know what Halloween is." Jax snarked.

"So? Still sounds fun. Unlike you, right now. You sound like a spoiled brat unwilling to let anyone have more excitement than you over this holiday." Gummigoo air quotes. "If you want to be a killjoy, save it for the track."

Jax's ears flatten in offense to Gummigoo's accusations and got in his face. "Listen here, you pile of gelatin-"

"Nah." Gummigoo pushed Jax back with a single hand and walked past him dismissively, leaving Jax stunned. Gummigoo sat next to Pomni and grabbed a handful of candy from one of the decorative bowls that appeared when Caine's calendar exploded. "You sure you don't want to race tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Gummigoo, but I really can't handle it unless it was a pretty tame family friendly event. Knowing Caine, I highly doubt it."

"If it's anything like last year," Zooble chimed in. "The track itself will be pretty intense."

"But the Halloween party after the race is a lot of fun." Gangle said. "It makes dealing with the race worth it. I mean, I'm sure you can still join the party even if you don't race, but it does feel more like a reward when you brave the track first. Like a yummy caramel apple after a haunted house."

"Yeah, I'm good. I'll just have the caramel apple." Pomni took a piece of candy offered to her by Gummigoo.

"Fair enough." Gangle shrugged.

Caine sorted through some digital files in his workshop. "Let's see...Pomni, Pomni, Pomni, AH! Here she is." He separated a piece of code and flicked it away, where it fizzled into nothing. "There, I removed her costume from the event. Since...she won't need it." He sighed.

Bubble appeared next to Caine, floating upside down. "Why the long face, boss?"

"It's nothing, Bubble." Caine zipped the Halloween file back up and looked out at the track prepared for tomorrow.

"Disappointed she won't see you're craftsmanship, huh? Are you building things just to impress her?" Bubble asked with a mischievous grin.

Caine clutched the file so tight, the file made an error sound. "No! I just- SHE- I'm- ....take this to the mainframe, would you?" He shoved the file in Bubble's mouth. "I've got some final prep to do." He floated away with an intense blush burning between his teeth.

"Wahevah oo shay, bosh." Bubble giggled.

There was a soft disturbance of static on an asset next to Bubble. A small arc jumped to the file between their teeth. The zipped file glitched, but Bubble took no notice as they teleported away. Bubble reappeared in a grey space with a giant pillar reaching endlessly into the blank sky, and going just as far out of sight downward. The static in the file buzzed excitedly. However, when Bubble teleported through the pillar wall, the static was left behind. The static buzzed angrily, snaking around the pillar and tried to force it's way in. The pillar's security was too strong. The static couldn't just go through. It needed to be weakened. Broken. The static arced out of sight.

Bubble spat out the file and it unzipped itself in the air. The code introduced to the mainframe was orange and black and purple, and jittered and glitched. "Oooo, nice effects, boss. Very aesthetic." Bubble left, their task complete.

The code of the entire game started to change. The colorful glitched code spread like a virus. A face appeared on the code, one of glowing eyes and sharpened teeth. The code erupted into red and orange fire, an evil laugh echoing through the pillar.

Pomni wasn't sure why she woke up. Her room was peacefully dark and quiet, so she rolled over to get comfortable again and tried to go back to sleep. A disturbance from one of the rooms next to hers made her ears perk. A pained moan came through the wall, much clearer this time. Pomni sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes. More awake, she could tell it was coming from Gummigoo's room.

More moans and groans, but now they came from beyond her door. "What in the world?" Pomni got out of bed and stuck her head out to the loft. She looked both ways, hearing groans turn into grunts and some screams. Pomni jumps, slamming her door and locking herself inside. Her heart started to pound with panic. "Okay, I'm having a dream. That's it. Weird dream. Super weird-"

BANG!!

Something heavy hit her wall and roared. There was a comption from the other side, like fighting. Pomni backed up to her window, nearly hyperventilating. More crashing. More banging. More unworldly, animalistic sounds. Then, something was coming under her door. Sickly green ooze slid across the floor towards Pomni. The ooze had fragments of bones floating in it and it stunk with a strangely sweet vapor that burned Pomni's lungs. A large gator head rose from the ooze, dripping with the foul substance. Then another. And a third. All three heads opened their terrible maws and gave a hauntingly low moan.

Pomni was in tears, ready to jump out the window. "Gummigoo?? Oh god!"

The ooze advanced slowly, parts of it literally reaching out for her. The wall to Pomni's left exploded. A large, gangly rabbit beast crashed through, fighting tooth and claw with a beast made of mismatched limbs. The debris squished the ooze down, away from Pomni, but it was slowly working its way through the cracks and gaps.

The rabbit got the chimera by the neck with its teeth and threw it at Pomni, she ducked out of the way in time for it to break through the window and fall two stories to the ground outside. Pomni didn't stick around to identify this monster. She bolted for the new hole in the wall. The rabbit lunged to give chase, but fell flat on its face when one of its back lacks was stuck in the corrosive ooze seeping up from the debris pile.

The walls between multiple bedrooms were broken, furniture was upturned and smashed. "Anyone!? Help!" She tripped and nearly went face first into a desk, but she caught herself. The heavy rattling of chains sliding across the floor made her pause for only a moment, but it was long enough for her leg to be snagged by a thick chain.

A pile of chains and ropes clawed its way up the ceiling. A mangled kitsune mask with impossibly long teeth and glowing eyes stared back at her. Pomni fought the chain's hold. "No! Let me go!" Her cries were answered by more chains attempting to bind her.

Pomni's struggle was joined by laughter. Two disturbingly delighted voices from the shadows of the adjacent room came closer. A thin hand gripped the ceiling as the entering entity hand to duck. A woman far too tall with twisted limbs and mouths in places she shouldn't, grabbed at the chains holding Pomni.

The second laughing voice lumbered in as a broken mannequin. Her hair was thin and wild, her eye was sunken and covered in maggots. Her limbs hung by mere threads. Rotted stuffing fell from her like ash. "Play..." Rasped the broken doll.

As Pomni struggled, she realized the chains were trying to tie down her right hand specifically. In her panic, she had forgotten. She fought harder, but the chains were tightening and the drooling mouths of the tall monster woman were baring down on her. "Caine!"

The floor broke apart as another monstrous being entered the already crowded room. A massive worm covered end to end with realistic human eyes split the room in two. The rotten doll fell through and the woman covered in moths roared at the intruding worm. The worm roared back. It's front spitting open to reveal too many teeth and a large eye in the center. The worm attacked, shoving the tall woman back and digging into her stomach. The monster woman's stomach split open to reveal its own teeth and bit back. Monster blood sprayed the room as they struggled.

The chains around Pomni loss end as the mass of tangled chains slid away from the confrontation. Pomni kicked her legs and arm free and staying out of reach of the long grasping limbs of the mouth covered monster. The window in the room was already broken. Pomni snapped her hand and threw herself out the window.

She never hit the ground. Protective arms held her close as she was flown high above the garage. "Pomni! Thank goodness, I thought you changed too!"

"Caine!" Pomni hugged him tight, still shaking. "What's happening!? There are monsters everywhere!"

"I don't know, the whole game's gone sideways! I'm locked out of the mainframe and everything is glitching, look!"

Sure enough, the entire world around them was glitching out. Textures mixed and fanished into darkness. The default track was partly changed into a new track that resembled a haunted carnival, but parts of it disappeared at random. The monsters inside the garage broke out and scattered to the new world. All of them resemble her friends, but in the most grotesque ways

The start line was made of bones, topped with flaming skulls. The display was as bright and colorful as ever, juxtaposed to the grim sight of realistic human remains. Only one kart was at the ready: Pomni's.

Caine put two and two together. "I think...you need to race."

"WHAT!? No way! Do you even see the state of the track!?"

"It's unstable because there are no racers. The race has been activated but no one is playing. I think, if you just run the course and complete the programmed task, things should go back to normal."

"You THINK??"

"I can only make an educated guess, Pomni! This has never happened before! I- I don't know what else to do!" He pleaded with her.

"You do it!"

"I can't! I'm not a designated racer!"

Pomni took deep breaths. "I swear, of this is all an elaborate prank to get me to participate in Halloween-"

"I swear on my life, it's not. This is a perversion of my vision! Everything is...wrong. Please, Pomni. I need your help."

Pomni looked out at the game half falling apart, then Caine. The sincerity in his eyes told her he was telling the truth. "Okay...I'll do it."

"Oh, thank you!" He pressed his bottom teeth to her forehead in a grateful kiss. "My brave racer, thank you! Let's get you geared up." He teleported with her to the start line and set her down. He snapped and her tracksuit changed into tan pants, mudded boots, and a brown leather jacket. She kept her jester hat, but gained large giggles and a satchel for accessories. Pomni looked down at herself. "Is this really necessary?"

"If we want the program to finish, we have to complete the task in it's entirety. Besides, you look great." Caine crossed his arms, proud of the movie action hero inspired get up.

Pomni sighed, letting it go. "Alright. Let's get this over with." When she got in her kart, the track stabilized. Everything gradually changed to the overboard Halloween aesthetic, with only a few small glitches here and there.

Caine twirled his cane, but instead of holding up to his mouth to make his announcements, he dropped it. He felt...strange. A violent vibration from his very core made him clench and cringe in pain.

"Caine? Caine, are you okay!?"

Caine's teeth clenched and his body glitched as he screamed in agony.

"Caine!?"

Caine's head went orange and morphed into a giant pumpkin. His clothes became more elaborate. The tips of his fingers sharpened and dug into his new head as his muffled screams continued. Suddenly, the pumpkin split apart with a burst of red and gold fire. White fire eyes burned bright as the screams became maniacal laughter. "Finally..."

Pomni could only stare in shock and disbelief. She felt a chill when the new Caine looked down at her, then screamed when he teleported right in front of her.

"Already afraid? Good." Caine's voice was ghostly and hissed like blazing fire.

"Caine..? Are you...still you?" Pomni sat as far back as she could from the pumpkin head in her space.

"Of course I am, my dear." He dragged a clawed finger down her jaw, then pushed her chin up with the sharp point, forcing her to look up at him. "But I've realized there's no point in wasting such a perfectly good track. Especially now that I have you all to myself. I want to play a game."

"Caine, this isn't funny. Just-"

Caine roughly gripped her chin. "Oh, but it is. You, my lone racer, will run my course. Survive three laps and you shall be rewarded." His blazing eyes very obviously ogled her. "Fail..." He chuckled darkly, "And it's game over."

Pomni's eyes went wide. "What happens..?"

Caine leaned in close, lowering his voice to a haunting whisper. "Have you even thrown a kitten a wall so hard you split it's little head in two?"

"What the- NO! What do you- ...the exit is broken....oh god." Pomni realized.

Caine flew away from her, laughing and spinning in the air. His high collar, blood red coat flared out, showing his black and orange striped corset vest. His gold ascot and cumberbun accented a black dress shirt and pants. His typical shoes where long, knee-high boots with raised heels. The only part of him Pomni recognized was the black and white checkered pattern on the inside of his coat.

"Don't get caught! Don't delay! For there is more than mere tricks on this track! If you die in the game, you die in real life! Your friends will be doomed to roam my labyrinth forever! RACE! FOR! YOUR! LIFE!!" Caine's shrill laugh was echoed by the stands of broken and mangled NPCs.

Pomni's kart started without her promoting it. She was out of options. Race or die. The rush was already coursing through her avatar. She wasn't shaking anymore, she was determined. Her back was against the wall. Her friends were counting on her. She gripped the steering wheel and reved the engine while glaring down Caine.

Caine's fire flared in response. "Excellent..." He hissed with glee. He snapped his fingers and Bubble appeared with a human spine hanging from their mouth, a realistic skull swinging at the end.

The left eye lit up.

Pomni narrowed her eyes at Caine.

The right eye lit up.

Caine's broken pumpkin grin looks down on her, his hands behind his back.

The human jaw opened with a ghoulish green light glowing from the back of the mouth.

Pomni burned out off the start line and took off into he unknown horrors that waited her. Caine laughed again, manic that he had someone to play with.

Spooky carnival music started to play and he addressed the audience in the stands. "Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and ghouls! Step right up! Behind this curtain lies a ghastly concoction of delight, horror, fantasy and terror! Your every wish is our command! Your every whimsical desire brought to life! But I'm warning you... there's always a price. WELCOME TO THE GREATEST SHOW UNEARTHED!!"

The dark carnival is in town

Normally, Pomni could tune out the ambient game music, but it was in her ears this time. She couldn't ignore the chorus of taunting haunts. The carnival the track when through was dilapidated but still had lights and running rides. The track boosters glowed purple and the surprise boxes looked like ghostly pumpkins.

You better be ready

Just follow the parade

Of dancing skeletons

Full of ghoulish delights

Around every corner

Don't tell your parents you're here

They will soon be mourners

Welcome to the lower birth

Pomni avoided skeletons emerging from the track, reaching for her kart. She grabbed a pumpkin.

The greatest show unearthed

We appear without a sound

The darkest show around

We will leave you in a daze

Madness, murder, dismay

We will disappear at night

With blood on the concrete

I will be your ticket taker

Pomni gasped, seeeing Loo and Ragatha out on the carnival midway and making a grab at her kart. Blood oozed from Loo's many mouths as she moved with speed she didn't show before. Red threads from Ragatha tried to tangle Pomni, but was lit on fire by Pomni's chili pepper item. Pomni stepped on it to outrun Loo, drifting the kart into a fun house.

Come inside, it's a dream

Enter the fun house of mirrors

No one can hear you scream

We can supply anything

That your heart desires

But the consequences

Will surely be dire

Welcome to the lower birth

Pomni didn't make it far before Gummigoo and Gangle made grabs for her. Chains and green ooze gab right though the walls and came from all directions in the hall of mirrors. "Screw the mirrors!" She drove through them to get back to the track.

The greatest show unearthed

We appear without a sound

The darkest show around

We will leave you in a daze

Madness, murder, dismay

We will disappear at night

Pomni got another Pumpkin, but had to avoid breaks in the track before she could use it. Kinger, the giant worm, breached the surface and came down over her again and again. She swerved though every near miss.

With blood on the concrete

Come inside for the ride

She thought she got away but then something heavy landed on the hood of her kart. She flipped over the obstacle and was delayed for a mere second, but it was long enough to allow the chimera with the triangular head to charge. Pomni drove off with Zooble in hot pursuit.

Your deepest, darkest fears

The best night of your life

You're never leaving here

The unknown

The unseen

Is what you're gonna find

Witness this

Witness that

Until you lose your mind

Welcome to the lower birth

Zooble's snake tail snapped at Pomni as their uncanny human hand dug into her track like an animal. They jumped at her and Pomni was almost grabbed, but Pomni got a hold of the knife in Zooble's head and forced it in further. Zooble fell back.

The greatest show unearthed

We appear without a sound

The darkest show around

We will leave you in a daze

Madness, murder, dismay

We will disappear at night

Pomni jumped the break in the track over a swirling pool of mass hysteria. "Is that all of them??" The flash of purple in her peripheral told her otherwise. She put the pedal to the floor just in time for Jax to lash out at her. The were-rabbit's claws screeched like nails on a chalkboard against Pomni's kart. Sparks flew, but she swerved at him, sideswiped him and got him off balance.

With blood on the concrete

Pomni used her item, a booster cupcake, and rocketed towards the finish to complete lap one.

Caine watched Pomni fly by and narrowed his flaming eyes. "Is it just me folks, or was that TOO EASY? What do you say we make this more INTERESTING!?" Caine snapped and the track started to shift. Hills and curves and jumps moved out of place and changed positions.

Tracks had been shifted around lap to lap before, but not while she was actively driving on it. The track that was beneath her raised up and she had to jump to another floating piece to keep moving. The monsters and obstacles moved around her in such a way that she couldn't strategize, she could only react. She was confused, believing herself to be driving in circles around this cursed carnival.

"Are you trying to [%$!#] kill me!?" She cried out to the world around her.

Caine's voice cracked through the radio of her kart. "Why yes, I am. Certainly wouldn't be a very entertaining show If I didn't put at least a little bit of effort into ending your life."

"It's just a game, Caine!"

"Oh, my dear...your life is no game to me. When you die you'll glitch out in the game over, and when you do...you'll become a part of me. The very thought of knowing your code will be consumed by mine and be a part of it forever...I shudder."

"That's not going to happen!" Pomni shouted as she blasted through a loop and avoided a swipe from Loo's sharp fingers.

"I may not be able to force the outcome, but I can certainly stack the deck in my favor. You will be mine, Pomni. Forever."

The track split open right in front of her speeding kart. The blackness inside was a chorus of inhuman shrieks and roars. Pomni manages to keep her kart to one side, with her tire half hanging over the edge as she drives around the break.

A huge black mass rose from the pit, its multicolored eyes found Pomni immediately. Pomni threw a popper and sped off as fast as she could.The popper glitched out when it touched the abstraction, doing nothing to stop it from escaping the cellar. It was followed by another...then another...more.

The carnival was overrun with glitching, aggressive abstractions. Everything they crashed into glitched out, including those turned into monsters. The track devolved into complete chaos. Pomni wasn't even sure if there was a designated track anymore. Turns and jumps and boosters were in random spots and going off into random directions.

Caine cackled, flying over the carnage. He needed to see this for himself, not through one of his POVs. "Oh, Kinger! Your wife's home!" He watched with morbid delight at the elongated abstraction that was once Queenie stomped Kinger, popping out two of his eyes in a gush of blood.

"Yes! Yes! Jax! Tell your mother I said hello!" An abstraction with too many limbs was in an all out brawl with Jax. Chunks of flesh were bitten off and glitched out of existence.

"Such sweet family reunions! Ragatha! I know your sister missed you! You were the last name on their lips before they abstracted!" Caine screamed with laughter as Ragatha was pinned down and glitched by an oversized abstraction. Parts of her body were spazzing so far out, they were not reconnecting.

"Such carnage! Such beautiful mayhem! This is the most fun I've had in YEARS!! I feel so FREE!!" Caine's fire flared its highest, consuming his whole head and flickering several feet above him.

Pomni heard everything through her radio as she navigated the carnival. Her heart hurt for her friends. So many lost loved ones. She tried not to take everything Caine was saying too seriously, he wasn't himself. He was a victim of this corruption too.

She followed a piece of track to the rollercoaster where she had to ride the rails between coaster trains. She saw the ferris wheel next to her and figured she could use that to get over the pit again.

Items pumpkins were all over the place now. She grabbed one she went by on a jump. Using the clown horn from it, she spooked the avatar tiona trying to follow her and her kart hit the ferris wheel. The momentum from the hit for the wheel so spin fast. Fats enough, that she was flung off an over the pit end over end. With Jax distracted, she blew right by him and made a run for the finish line.

Caine was enthralled by the abstractions. Loo and Gummigoo were cornered by a particularly aggressive abstraction. Loo was crushed and broken in half by the glitching, while Gummigoo was relatively unharmed but just as incapacitated. The gator heads that emerged from the ooze were put down the moment they formed.

"Oh, to see them have fun again. I have missed you all."

"I hope you're ready to put them back!"

"What??" Caine turned to see Pomni cross the finish line a second time. One more and she finishes the race. "No! I won't let you win so easily! You're too far ahead-!! ...You're too far ahead." Caine's laugh starts as a slow realization and crescendos into a maniacal cackle that hurts his ribs. He would cry with mirth if he could. "Oh, my dear, you know not what's coming. Death approaches fast and unseen, like a shadow in the night."

Pomni wanted to punch her own radio to shut him up, she needed to focus. Gangle spear out like a spider web between two pieces of overlapping track and carnival game tents. She had nowhere to go other than straight through, so she had to brave the tangle of chains head on. She popped a cupcake and hit a speed boost right before the tangle of Gangle. Every chain that dangled was a risk but she moved too fast.

The institution of an abstraction helped. Gangle was glitched and was too busy to reach out for Pomni. Even though Pomni did have to suck the claws twice before she was free.

The track continued to move out of sync like an every changing labyrinth. Because of Caine's desperation, the carnival was completely unrecognizable. The track and assets were folded in on each other and glitched erratically. Abstractions crawled and climbed on every broken piece. The cellar was wide open, nothing but pitch blackness below.

Pomni was well practiced at maneuvering around the obstacles and avoiding the abstractions, but trying to follow any piece of the track was impossible at this point. She jumped a barrier and tried sneaking around some of the chaos on the outside edge of the carnival. Beyond the tents was just woods, like this took place in the middle of nowhere. Pomni was locked in trying to zip last everyone when her body reacted before her mind even process what happened. A flash of silver was her only warning. It was like time slowed down. She slammed her brake in time for a clawed hand the size of her head slash across her vision mere inches from her face.

The black and silver creature landed on all fours and dug in its claws to stop. With a ear-splitting roar, it teleported and swiped at Pomni again. Pomni could barely get a good look at it, the beast was moving too fast. It appeared and disappeared at every turn and every attack was only a near miss from Pomni's hair trigger reaction time. The race rush had her in overdrive.

"YES! Destroy her avatar!" Caine's coat billowed in the non-existent wind as his excitement grew. "No one can outrun their own shadow!"

"Okay, mother[%$!#]. You want a piece of me? Come and get me!" Pomni couldn't let it take her by surprise so she got out of mess of tents and made for open track where the abstractions were. She dove under the taller ones and in between the grouped ones.

Out in the open, Pomni could catch better glimpses of what she was up against. The large, quadrupedal beast with no eyes and jagged teeth had shadows billowing from its oversized mouth. A silver-blue flame burned at the end of a long tail that left a trail of flames behind. All four legs ended with claws that gripped every surface.

"God, Seth, what did he do to you?" Pomni said to herself as she focused on loosing him in the carnival of chaos.

Seth was no shaken. He was locked on Pomni like a hunter, teleporting to her only to miss at the last second. He avoided every abstraction, maneuvered over every obstacle, and completely ignored the other racers turned monsters.

Pomni broke free of the carnival and jumped the pit. Mid-air, Seth teleported to her and she couldn't get away this time. He slashed her kart and she crashed hard on the ramp down towards the finish line. Her kart barrel rolled down the slope and hit a glitching barrier. Before she could orient herself, Seth was upon her. She slammed the accelerator and her kart started to freak out against the wall. She had no sense of up or down. She didn't know where the glitch was going to spit her out. This was her last ditch attempt to get away.

Pomni closed her eyes, not wanting this monstrous game to be the last thing she saw. She thought of her friends as she knew them. She thought of Caine as she thought she knew him. If this was it, those would be her final thoughts.

The kart broke free of the glitch, rocketing down the track as a speed so great the game could barely register Pomni's presence. Her and the kart flickered in and out of digital space, threatening to disappear. Seth had to teleport over and over just to keep up. He roared at teleport between her and the finish line, intent on bringing his great maw down on Pomni before she crossed. However, the kart collided with him so hard, it broke apart. He was thrown backwards across the finish line, Pomni crashing across with him.

A shock wave rippled across the whole track from the finish line. "NO! NOOOO!! AAAAARGH!!" The top part of Caine's broken pumpkin head came down and he held his head together as he once again experienced some of the most searing pain of his life.

The track pulled itself back together. The abstractions were pulled back into the cellar, the pits closing. Everything still looked haunted and creepy, but calm. Caine sank to the ground, falling to his knees on unsteady legs. He felt dizzy, but his head was clear again. He could think straight. His pumpkin head opened and he looked around. Seth and Pomni were passed out a good few hundred feet from the finish line. The other racers were nowhere to be seen.

He felt weak, but willed himself to teleport to Pomni. He carefully pulled her up into his lap and cupped her cheek. "Pomni..? Pomni, are you alright?"

Pomni groaned, slowly opening her eyes. "Huh..? AAAH!!" Her fist flies up and sucker punches Caine right through the bottom of his pumpkin head. Her hand gets stuck and as she rolls away from him, she takes his head with her.

Caine's body gets up and reaches out to Pomni. "Pomni! Please! Stop thrashing me around! It's me! Everything is okay! Everything is normal again!"

Pomni used her boot to pry the pumpkin jaw off her hand. "WHY DO YOU STILL LOOK LIKE THAT!?" She saw Seth and jumped away from him as he started to move. "WHY DOES HE STILL LOOK LIKE THAT!? WHY DID YOU TRY TO KILL ME!?!?"

Caine got his head back on and rubbed the sore hole Pomni left in his lower jaw. "Pomni, please calm down. The race is over. The costumes are still active. I meant for them to last the whole night. I'm guessing everyone still looks like monsters because the costumes themselves were what got corrupted. Including mine. Pomni, I am SO sorry. I don't know what came over me. Please, believe me when I tell you I don't want you to die."

Pomni was shaking head to toe and was completely exhausted as the race rush left her system. "I don't know. You seemed pretty gung-ho about making me a part of you."

"That's just the twisted version of what I really want, to be with you. Pomni, I may be a bit over the top with my affections, but I would NEVER harm you." The flames in his pumpkin lowered and dimmed, his glowing eyes saddened by the very thought of her getting hurt. "I'm still learning, but I do care about you. Do you believe that?"

Pomni gave herself a moment to collect her thoughts. "...yes." She stepped towards him but was blocked by Seth getting in Caine's face, snarling.

"Do you mind!? We're having a conversation here!" Caine doesn't back down from Seth's attempt at intimidation. "The race is over, You should go back to normal like everyone else after midnight."

Seth growled and snapped his jaws threateningly at Caine.

"Uh-huh, see, there's a reason I took away your ability to talk. Go be annoying elsewhere." Caine fire flared back up.

"I think he has every right to be upset." Pomni crossed her arms. "It's been a rather [%$!#] up night for all of us."

Seth turned his head towards Pomni briefly. Then grabbed Caine's pumpkin head and bit down. The flaming pumpkin was crushed and extinguished inside Seth's mouth. Caine's body felt the empty space where his head had been, stomped the ground indignantly, and pointed to his shoulders.

Pomni laughed. "Now I don't have to listen to either one of you. Don't worry, Caine, you'll be normal after midnight."

Caine crossed his arms in a huff.

Seth spat out the remains and sat pretty, pleased with himself.

"Hey, are you... actually okay?" Pomni carefully asked Seth.

Seth turned his head to her and nodded once before leaning his head against her and rumbling lowly in what could be interpreted as a purr.

Pomni patted his head. "Yeah, yeah, you're welcome. I don't know why you two are constantly at each other like this, but let's just try and make it through the rest of the night without biting any more heads off, okay?"

Seth's duel tongues lulled out of his monster mouth and licked Pomni's face hard enough to send the goggles flying to someplace unknown.

"....gross."

Caine's body pulled Pomni away from Seth and made several hand gestures as though he were on a rant.

Seth practically grinned watching Caine silently lose his mind.

Everyone eventually found their way to the garage, still monstrous and sore. The Garage was decorated top to bottom for a Halloween party, but everyone with opposable thumbs only helped themselves to the funny juice. Pomni tossed a bottle into Gummigoo, who groaned a thrice echoed thanks.

Pomni sat with Caine on the only of the long couches. She had Caine on one side, and a giant Seth taking up the rest of the couch on the other side. Caine couldn't drink, Seth swallowed a whole bottle and Pomni was helping herself to a cup.

"So, does everyone remember what went down?" Pomni asked the others.

"Unfortunately." Rasped Ragatha, whole solemnly drank.

Loo sat next to her, pouring a drink into her stomach mouth. Her knee spoke, "I don't think I'll be interested in being part of the Halloween tracks from now on."

A mischievous chuckle made Pomni look up. Jax was up the wall, nearly on the ceiling, taking advantage of his new bodies, strength and dexterity. His grip was uncertain, as he had a few drinks before attempting this. Only a moment later, he fell from the ceiling, landing on Gummigoo. They both thrashed, trying to separate, but the more Jax struggled, the more stuck he became. No one got up to help. Jax was on his own against the gummy goo.

Gangle whimpered from her piled up body in the corner. Not even Zooble could console her. Zooble sat awkwardly on one of the recliners. Their quadrupedal body sat limply, the snake tail chugged bottle after bottle. "Caine, I mean this with every fiber of my being: go [%$!#] yourself."

"It wasn't his fault. The game's been experiencing a lot of glitches lately." Pomni lightly defended. In truth, she didn't know what went down any more than anyone else. "Speaking of, Caine, shouldn't you check the mainframe?"

Bubble popped in right over Caine's shoulders. "I was just there! Everything is still kind of weird, but at least it's not farting lightning anymore."

Caine tapped his wrist.

"It should be fine after midnight?" Pomni asked.

"Yep!" Bubble cheerfully answered for Caine.

"Well, at least you're all okay mentally." Pomni sighed and absentmindedly pet Seth, whose head rested in her lap.

"I wouldn't say that." Bubble said with a grin, and didn't elaborate.

Caine's fingers rapped against his leg, something was still agitating him. Before Pomni could ask, he snapped and a hand sized plush mango fruit appeared in his hand. He squeezed it, making it squeak. It got Seth's attention and he tossed it to the far side of the garage. Seth vaulted over the couch after it.

Pomni arched a brow at Caine. "What was that about?"

"The boss is a jealous little-" Caine popped Bubble before they could finish their sentence, then shrugged his shoulders.

Pomni rolled her eyes and laughed. The first real laugh all night. "Caine, really? You have nothing to worry about." She put her hand on his. "I have my sights set elsewhere."

Caine sat up a little straighter, his hand carefully taking hers without scratching her. He lifted her hand up as though to kiss it, but forgot he had no head. His shoulders slumped and Pomni giggled.

"After midnight." She squeezed his hand, he squeezed in return.

Everyone tried to forget that they looked like nightmare fuel and relax. The funny juice helped. Soon, they were enjoying s'mores cooked over Seth's flame and carving pumpkins with Zooble's head knife. They ate candy and watched cheesy black and white horror films. They even got Gangle to untangle herself a bit to have a bite.

In their attempts at calm, no one noticed Kinger wasn't around. They assumed he was in his room, decompressing, but if any of them looked outside, they would see a massive hole in the ground that spiraled down into the dark. It burrowed through the deepest soil and thought he barrier to the cellar, where Kinger has fallen into the deepest dark.

Kinger did not need to see to know she was there. He could hear her, feel her. He could not speak, but told her how much he missed her though his gentle touch. His head and the calmed visage of the abstraction connected harmlessly. Wordless saying, "I love you."

~~~

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! 👻🎃

#I’m going insane for pumpkin Caine and Pomni showtime #raceway au #tw suggestive #tw gore #tw blood

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