Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama or its characters, if you haven't figured that out by now. If I did ... let's just say I have some opinions on the new season. The video games mentioned are completely made up.
Dear Readers: Yep, it's another one-shot. I've actually had this idea on the back burner for a while. It may be just because both Kitty and MacArthur are amongst my favorite Total Drama characters, but I really think the interactions between these two have a lot of potential.
Weird Update On The Author's Personal Life: So glad it's winter break.
How this will work: This is a series of 50 drabbles, each based on a one-word prompt. 45 of the 50 prompts were semi-randomly chosen by picking interesting ones from a random word generator). All the prompts that are a multiple of 10 (I trust you to figure this out on your own) were chosen by me to connect the plotlines.
01. Confident
"At this point, I'm pretty confident we can win this," said MacArthur.
Sanders raised an eyebrow. So much for 'strategy meeting by the Chill Zone.'
"Our biggest competition has got to be the Ice Dancers, but if we focus on taking them out, we can beat all the rest, easy," she explained.
"Emma and Kitty are stronger than they look," offered Sanders.
"But even that isn't saying much!" MacArthur crowed.
"Hey! I heard that!"
"Oh. Um, hi Kitty."
02. Honor
It wasn't about the competition anymore. For her honor, MacArthur couldn't back down. She refused to lose to anyone, especially a little girl with a selfie obsession. Because it wasn't like that was going to happen. Right?
03. Battleground
She didn't just- how could- was that who she thought it was? Kitty, who joined the race to have fun and wanted to make friends with everyone! Kitty, of all people, had just cut her off! Nobody cut MacArthur off! "This means war! You hear me?"
Kitty didn't flinch. "Back off, mall cop! I've got a brown belt in fusion kickboxing yoga!" In mere seconds, the two of them had turned the control tower had turned into a veritable battleground.
04. Destroy
"I will destroy you!"
"No, I'll destroy you!"
"Oh yeah? I'm gonna destroy you so fast, you won't be able to destroy me. Because you'll be ... destroyed ... and ... bam!"
Sanders stepped between them. "Any destroying you plan to do, at least wait until we get out of the plane, okay?"
05. Beach
For Kitty, the beach became the end. The leg had been a whirlwind; only fifteen minutes prior she had been underwater brushing with death. But she had to say her goodbyes before the others continued with the Race. Kitty hugged both Geoff and Brody and thanked Don ("For what?" Emma snorted), then walked over to the Ice Dancers. "You'll get what's coming to you, Ice Dunces. I know you will."
"You're just mad you got eliminated," Joseé responded smoothly.
"As you will be soon," MacArthur interjected as she ran past them.
"Well, there's one thing you two agree on," Sanders quipped.
06. Applause
MacArthur and Sanders stepped on the final Carpet, met by uproarious applause from the other contestants. "And the Cadets win it all!" Don announced.
MacArthur looked at the bleachers to find every team, even the ones she didn't particularly like (Kitty and the Daters came to mind), cheering for them. Except for Jacques and Joseé, but that kind of went without saying. Kitty, however, was applauding and cheering along with the rest of them. She stopped only to blow a raspberry at the Ice Dancers, something that MacArthur could understand.
07. Purpose
With the Race over, MacArthur was struggling to find a new purpose. During the competition, she was focused only on reaching the next leg. And later on, beating the crap out of the Ice Dancers. Now, however, she wasn't sure what to do. Of course, there was passing her training to become a full-time police officer. In the back of her mind, though, she remembered all the crimes she confessed to during the Race. Oh, well. Those were a long time ago. It wasn't like they would matter now.
08. Near
The first (but not the last) thing MacArthur hadn't counted on was Kitty living so near. Sure she had seen some familiar faces from Total Drama in the past, including fellow cadet Brick, whom she and Sanders had talked with in the past. Then there was the time she saw Dwayne buying groceries. But she didn't know either one of them particularly well.
Then one day, Kitty drove by and cut her off. Again.
09. Murder
MacArthur wasn't actually going to murder her. Kitty knew that. But she still looked kinda pissed.
Okay, really pissed. "Oh, hi MacArthur. Didn't know you lived around here." A glare from the cadet caused Kitty to add, "Heh, sorry about that."
10. Truce
"Ladies, stop fighting. You're both beautiful!"
"Somebody call the cops!"
"She is a cop, you idiot!"
The fact that their bickering had attracted a small crowd, which was chanting "Fight! Fight! Fight!" didn't seem to alarm MacArthur. She was honestly all for it. But Kitty stood her ground as she charged her, dodging but not retaliating.
Without warning, she darted forwards and tripped MacArthur. The cadet and crowd fell silent. Kitty held her gaze for a moment.
"You're not all bad, kid. Truce?"
Kitty held out her hand. "Truce."
11. Aggressive
"You're aggressive, impulsive, and lack judgement. Not to mention your serious violations of the law. I'm sorry, but we just can't let you become an officer."
"But- I followed the code."
"No buts!"
"Heh. Butts." MacArthur looked around. "No one? Really?"
"I'm sorry, MacArthur." Sanders walked up and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know it's not ideal, but it's just the way it has to be sometimes."
MacArthur didn't even bother to point out how condescending her partner was being. "I'm sure we can work something out," she pleaded. Silence. "Right?"
12. Loner
MacArthur liked to think of herself as a natural loner, so being alone while Sanders was reaching the end of her training as a cadet shouldn't have been too bad. But knowing that she couldn't do that anymore, that it would never be the same, crushed her. It was hard to face, especially on her own.
Ice cream always helped, though.
13. Clear
Sanders had come bringing word of a party Don was throwing for the former Racers. As the winners, they were encouraged to be there.
"I just wish… I wish it were that simple."
"This isn't about the party, is it? I think it will be good for you. You"
"No! I just can't believe that I'm not a cadet anymore. All this time, I knew what I wanted to do, and now it's just not clear."
"Brody will be there."
"I can't let anyone see me like this, especially him!"
"Jacques and Joseé will probably pull something, and I can't keep them in line on my own."
A chance for revenge on their rivals finally persuaded MacArthur. She sighed. "Fine."
14. Forgiven
MacArthur was known to hold grudges. Even back at the Academy, before the Race, people learned quickly not to get on her bad side. But Sanders knew that the only one that needed to be forgiven by MacArthur was MacArthur herself.
15. Celebration
Sanders drove herself and MacArthur to the celebration. It seemed like a nice party, if it was a bit loud for Sanders's tastes, and free food was always welcome. Her partner, however, continued to drag her feet.
"Just… at least try and enjoy yourself," she told MacArthur.
16. Glory
MacArthur wasn't expecting much from the party. It- and the Race in general- didn't seem to be worth it. Look where she was now! She had to admit, though, she was proud of winning the million (if not always of her methods for obtaining said prize). And as the other contestants came up to congratulate them again, she did let herself enjoy basking in the glory of their win.
17. Discord
Whether it was the festivities, hormones, or just the general nature of such celebrations, the party quickly descended into discord. No one owned up to starting the food fight, but as soon as Emma looked up from making out with Noah, she saw her little sister running around while pelting people with appetizers. In other words, nothing out of the ordinary.
18. Tyrant
"In the red corner, we have the sinister villains, the temperamental tyrants, our very own Ice Dancers. And in the blue corner are our reigning champs, who won a million dollars racing around the world. It's the Police Cadets."
"Would you stop that? We're feuding right now," Joseé snapped.
"You hear that, folks? It's a grudge match," Noah remarked, casually leaning against a wall on the edge of the fight. Both Ice Dancers glared at him.
19. Hustle
"After them! Hustle!" MacArthur grabbed Sanders's arm (the good one) and took after Jacques and Joseé.
Of course it was the melee that could restore some of MacArthur's bravado, Sanders thought. And the frenetic music that Geoff had chosen seemed to add to the mood.
20. Forget
The fight with the Ice Dancers ended rather abruptly, for Kitty had been sneaking up on them with a bowl of water. Thankfully, Don expertly diffused the situation. "Who wants cake?", he yelled.
There was dancing, food, and more congratulatory words. Kitty had brought in Cards Against Humanity, and one could probably guess how well that went. Alongside her partner, with people she'd been through enough with to consider them her friends, MacArthur could forget, if only for a moment.
21. Call
MacArthur needed a distraction, but she had absolutely no idea what she was thinking. Sure, she was bored out of her mind, and sure, she needed someone who didn't completely suck at video games (no offense, Sanders). But why had she decided to call Kitty, of all people?
22. Exact
Kitty skipped in the front door, dumping her stuff on the table. "Emma, I'm gonna go hang out with MacArthur, okay?"
"Wait, MacArthur? As in the cop from the Race who wanted to murder you? The one you threatened with your kickboxing yoga?"
"Well, her exact words were 'I challenge you to Death Racers, you better come unless you're chicken,' but close enough."
23. Master
"I don't know why we haven't done this before."
"Yeah, we never really did resolve the dune buggies. Didn't want to kill our partners."
They were silent as they reached the final lap, both concentrating on maneuvering their virtual cars.
"C'mon, c'mon!" Kitty frantically mashed buttons, appearing to take the lead.
MacArthur smirked. "Watch the master." Onscreen, she shot a small missile at Kitty's car, allowing her to pull ahead.
"How did you- oh, never mind. Best two out of three?"
24. Floral
"What are the stakes this time?"
"I got the perfect thing." Kitty ran off, returning with something that appeared to be part article of clothing, part curtain. "So, what do you think? It's just been kind of laying around."
"It's very, um, floral. Loser has to wear the dress the rest of the day?"
"You're on!"
MacArthur fought like a cornered animal, fueled by the thought of wearing the drape-like atrocity. But it was no use. No one could even hope to beat Kitty at Battle Fighter VI.
"How do I look?"
"Like a curtain."
"I hate you."
25. Record
"Smile, MacArthur," Kitty chirped.
"What- Kitty! Give me that. We agreed you wouldn't use your phone!"
"Actually, this is your phone. Sanders says 'I'm loving the new look' wink emoji."
"You didn't dare," she growled.
"Hey! For the record, you were the one who made the bet!"
26. Rough
Sanders entered the room to find MacArthur in a dress and chasing after Kitty, who was waving MacArthur's phone over her head. Kitty noticed her first and ducked behind Sanders.
"Why do you guys have to be so rough all the time? Can't you just be civilized human beings?"
"Probably not." MacArthur lunged at Kitty.
She danced away. "Where's the fun in that?"
"I actually think the dress looks quite good on you," Sanders remarked wryly.
They managed to hold it together for a full three seconds. Then Kitty burst out laughing, and Sanders soon followed. Eventually, MacArthur joined in.
27. Axe
When MacArthur first showed up at her doorstep, grinning like a maniac with weapon in hand, Kitty's response was not 'don't kill me'. Nor was it 'put that down', or even 'Cool! Sharp object!'. No, the only thing she could think to say was "Where the heck did you get that axe?"
28. Demolition
"Emma didn't want to come. She said she had more productive things to do."
"Her loss, then." MacArthur was still holding the axe, while Kitty was carrying a watermelon.
"Yeah, this is gonna be awesome!"
There was nothing better to kill time than some good old-fashioned demolition; MacArthur argued that it was therapeutic.
29. Top
Kitty had learned not to try and fight with MacArthur. No matter what she tried (and she had come close a few times too), the cadet always came out on top. Literally.
"Emma! MacArthur's sitting on me! Help!"
Her older sister looked like she was trying very hard not to laugh. "Again?"
30. Boring
Everyone had something to say about the duo's unlikely friendship. Emma observed that they had a lot in common, including wanting to kill each other, while Sanders was just relieved that MacArthur had found someone else to roughhouse with. Noah, meanwhile, argued it was 'second only to Team E-Scope for most dysfunctional friendship.'
The one thing everyone agreed on? The relationship between MacArthur and Kitty was never boring.
31. Gossip
MacArthur pretended to look interested as Kitty babbled on about something or other that had happened at school. Sure, she enjoyed her company and all, but her gossip was the one exception.
32. Fortress
"No one can enter my impenetrable fortress!", Kitty yelled, perched atop the roof of the building. She and MacArthur were bored, and boredom does strange things to people. The "fortress" was simply a play structure at their local park clearly labelled "ages 5-12".
"We'll see about that." MacArthur picked up a pinecone in each hand and charged up the steps, throwing them both at her.
MacArthur easily dragged her from the roof and shoved her headfirst down the slide.
By then, most of the people in the area, Emma and Sanders included, were giving them some pretty weird looks.
33. Swarm
"There's too many of them," MacArthur yelled. Seeing the playground skirmish, a bunch of younger kids had decided to join in. The swarm had cornered the two of them against the base of the structure. Some were armed with sticks, plastic shovels, and in one case a small lizard.
"How did you-" Emma, coming to rescue them, gawked at the army of kindergarteners.
Sanders shook her head. "It's a talent."
34. Mystical
"Bow down to the mystical narwhal priestess!"
"Never," Kitty screeched. "I bow to the Tunacorn and the Tunacorn alone!"
Sanders walked into the room. "Wait, what?"
"By the power of the great Elder Starfish, I command you!"
"Never mind. I don't think I want to know.
35. Afraid
"I- I can't do it, MacArthur." Kitty stood ankle deep in the lake, and was already shaking. "I'm just thinking of that anglerfish, with the big teeth and the creepy glowing eyes, and-"
MacArthur's expression softened. Kitty hadn't lied about being afraid of the ocean since the whole "treasure hunting incident". She searched for something comforting to say- she wasn't exactly the best person at calming people down, but settled on simply placing her hand on Kitty's shoulder. She seemed to relax just a little.
36. Water
"How did you even become scared of water, anyways? There was something even before the Race, wasn't there?"
Kitty began. "Well, it's a long story. I don't think I should-"
"She got her bikini stuck in a pool filter," Emma said bluntly.
"Emma! I thought we agreed not to tell people about that!"
37. Legend
MacArthur thought back to the car ride to the lake She had decided to have a little fun, and told Kitty the "legend" of the Mighty Tunacorn, a magical fish that skewered people on its sparkly horn and dragged them into the depths.
Now, ankle deep in the lake with Kitty clinging to her in fright, she decided that maybe that wasn't the best idea.
38. Empathic
Sanders had always told her she needed to be empathic, and nw MacArthur knew what she meant. Kitty clutched her hand even tighter, and MacArthur could almost feel her terror clawing at her own throat. "Are you okay?" she asked gruffly.
Kitty nodded shakily.
"Do you want to go back?"
"No," Kitty said. "I- I have to do this."
The two locked eyes. "I, uh, I believe in you, Kit. I'll be right here if you need me." Despite MacArthur never using the nickname before, now it felt right.
39. Anywhere
Kitty had gradually become one of MacArthur's closest friends, and she knew they would stick with each other no matter what. She would gladly follow MacArthur anywhere. Except…maybe the shower. That would be weird.
40. Family
"Kitty's basically my family. She's like the younger sister I never had."
"Great. The last thing I need is another Emma."
41. Forbidden
Kitty had never really given much thought to MacArthur's job; MacArthur always seemed evasive around the topic. But the more she considered it, the more she felt that something was wrong. When she asked about it, however, she could tell by the way MacArthur's expression darkened- she had touched on something forbidden.
42. Collapsing
As much as she told herself otherwise, MacArthur had never really recovered from losing her job. Most days, she didn't think about it too much. But she had been out of work for months now, and sometimes the pain was too much to bear. All it would take was a thought, and she felt it all over again; her world was once again collapsing.
43. Devout
When Kitty marched up to her, Emma could tell by the look in her face that her sister was not going to take no for an answer. "We're going to help MacArthur become a police officer," she announced.
"Are you kidding? That's impossible!"
"Please, Emma? You're a lawyer!"
Emma raised an eyebrow.
"Well, almost a lawyer."
"I'm sorry Kit, I don't know how that could happen." As much as Emma respected Kitty's devout loyalty towards MacArthur, she knew the chances she could do anything were slim. "But I'll do my best."
44. Ignorant
As much as she tried- looking for loopholes, trying to contact Don, and using every other trick she knew, Emma couldn't find a way. It pained her knowing that Kitty, while she often would surprise Emma with her insight, was still her kid sister. She could be so ignorant sometimes.
"We tried our best," Emma said lamely.
Kitty just walked away.
45. Scar
Sanders's arm was now fully healed, so she was much busier as a cadet. MacArthur's scar, however, was far from getting better.
Sanders made a point to drop by whenever she could, though this didn't seem to help MacArthur. Kitty wasn't responding to any of her calls, and when she came by their house she only found a very disgruntled Emma deep in her law textbook.
So MacArthur thought. About everything, from her first time smuggling fruits to the big reveal in the Race. And there was nothing that she could do about it.
Or was there?
46. Reversal
MacArthur had thought, and she made a decision.
Who cared that they weren't letting her become a cop? She was pretty great the way she was already. Life would go on, and she had to do something with it.
She had saved herself from a downward spiral. With a grin MacArthur remembered someone who was a natural at this reversal, her trademark optimism easily bringing new light to even the most dismal situations. It was then she knew. MacArthur had to find Kitty.
47. Whisper
Kitty hated feeling helpless. To know that there was nothing to do to help MacArthur had completely crushed her. She was dreading seeing her friend again.
But it was the ex-cadet who came to her.
Kitty told MacArthur everything. She had tried- and failed, and she was so sorry. On the verge of tears, Kitty felt an arm around her. Heard a voice, barely more than a whisper. "Thank you."
MacArthur had moved on.
48. Blizzard
Emma called them inside before the blizzard got too bad. For MacArthur, going home was out of the question. She accepted Kitty's offer to stay the night, "as long as she stopped singing that stupid song". The two of them made hot chocolate and just stared at the snow for a while.
Kitty was the first to fall asleep, leaning on MacArthur's shoulder. She didn't mind. Unless she started drooling on her. Then all bets were off.
When Emma went to check on them, unused to the quiet, she found them both sleeping on the couch. She smiled to herself.
49. Odd
They made an odd pair to say the least. But there was one thing they had learned. through all their time together. This was that despite their initial differences, MacArthur and Kitty had more in common that they could ever imagine.
50. Forever
What was forever, even? The word seemed to carry so much weight.
It felt sometimes like nothing would last forever. A year ago, MacArthur was certain that she would become a police officer. Kitty was terrified of the water. Neither had raced around the world, neither had met the other, neither had realized that life wouldn't stay the way it was. But only life itself, in its wonderful, unpredictable glory, went on until forever, and all one could do was cherish it, enjoy it with the people around them, and let it take its course.
Yeah, that was cheesy. Oh well. Please read and review.