And it has arrived..the end of Episode 7.
Sorry this chapter took longer than I expected!
This...will probably be the craziest chapter of the entire story as far...crazier than ever before.
Also, don't be scared of the length of this chapter...a huge chunk of it is full of flashbacks so that has taken a lot of this chapter's length : )
Anyways... yeah. Get ready for a brainful.
And the reveal of the final three. It has come down to this.
Enjoy!
Episode 7 (Final)
It was a beautiful sight.
Spheres of light glimmered the path that the rocket took. As the players looked out the windows of the vehicle, they saw a vastness full of distant galaxies that lit up the darkness and expanse space around them. Stars and lights glowed to them with every hundred feet that they traveled, and not a single part of the living space was dark.
"Wow…" As they looked out the bottom floor of the rocket, they could see out the glass below them the land of green and blue: the last view of the Earth they were leaving from.
Snifit: It was probably the only time we would ever see how the world beyond our earth looked…and it was really a once in a lifetime view.
At fast speed for a trip that seemed to last for hours, the four players and the host flew together through space. Each one of them was sitting in their own space seat, still, not moving as they sped miles through space. None of them knew where their concluding destination of the episode would be. But they all knew that their game was soon to end.
Eclair: Where were we going? What would become of us?
As they stared out the window in silence, they were viewing the illusory universe that had been built around them. And just like the real universe of the world that they were used to, it had no boundaries, no limitations, and an infinite amount of unanswered questions.
The rocket slowly landed on the base of the solid mass in space. As the intense roaring of the machine came to a slow end, it was a few moments of mysteriousness until the door of the rocket opened. It was a motion that made the four players freeze in uncertainty. They all turned to the host one by one.
"Umm…are we safe if we go out?" Tiny asked, the question being in her mind since the time they had left.
Tiny: So we landed…on…where? This wasn't even the final episode of the game…and yet it felt like our last destination because it was just so crazy.
"The only thing you have to worry about here is tripping on a crater of the moon." McHallyboo walked out of the rocket in a complacent manner.
"No way…the moon," Snifit voiced. One by one, the others followed behind him as well. Each player looked around them in awe, at the stars in the sky. It was as if they were back on the face of the Earth, but a different ground beneath their feet. It was not the planet that they were used to.
"Huh…" Piantissimo looked into the distance of their ground. It was empty, except for a large structure on the face of the ground that resembled the space station they had all departed from.
"How is this place the moon? We had traveled for so far…it cannot be so," Piantissimo pointed out frowning, looking around.
"He never said this was the Earth's moon," Snifit reasoned, looking around with curiosity.
"Smart guy," McHallyboo said with a little chuckle. He faced all of them.
"Well, evidently, we have reached the location of the episode's end. Welcome…to outer space." He grinned, and behind him, a large structure was present that reminded them all of the mysterious elements of the underwater palace they had encountered the episode prior. It was a large, white building, constructed of mostly glass, and it would be their place of stay until the episode's finale.
"I suppose we are sleeping…in there?" assumed Tiny, pointing at the space station a distance away from them with disbelief. "Okay..."
"At least we will be able to sleep in peace in this darkness," Eclair said with a smile. "There is no apocalypse to be ever take place on the moon."
"Sleep? Who knows what is day and what is night?" Piantissimo said thinking with a grin, looking at the dark sky above them. "Maybe it's in the middle of the day right now."
Piantissimo: Though really, with the next execution soon, did any of our surroundings even matter anymore? What did matter was that one of us would be reaching their end.
"It's night time," McHallyboo said with a wink. "Because according to your circadian rhythms, it's at night...and you'll all be feeling sleepy very soon."
And slowly, following the host, they walked toward the space station under the stars.
"This is like any other hotel you've been in," McHallyboo said handing them all strangely-shaped electronic card keys, "but the view will be…you know…out of this world."
"Harhar...humorous," Piantissimo jested as he took a key from McHallyboo. Each player got their own, as the host stepped back. They were in a glass lobby-like area that resembled that of a laboratory's main room. The players looked around the inside of the building to realize that though it was mostly empty, the walls were polished and clean to a shimmering white.
"I will expect to see you all in the morning for breakfast. Then, you will have the day to yourself. Explore the moon. Explore the land. Explore…your journals. Because…" He looked them each in the eye.
"The execution for this episode will be taking place tomorrow. And after that…only three of you will remain." He then walked away, across the white and polished marble flooring of the mysterious space station they were in and out into an extended hallway that led to another building.
The four players stood in place, their surroundings new, but two things resonated in their minds: that the execution was tomorrow, and that they were miles from being awake and alive as they were miles away from the Earth.
"Well…" Snifit began, trying to break the awkwardness. "We should all go to bed."
"I wish a good night…to all of us," Éclair said. "Before tomorrow's events."
"I agree…but before we do," Piantissimo said, nervously smiling and looking at the others. "It shall be the final night for one of us…so let us just keep this in mind." The others nodded slowly, but Tiny's face looked the most content of them all as she patted the left side of her pants slowly.
"Well, good on that," Tiny began, smiling a bit as she reached into the left pocket of the jeans she was wearing. "I'm just relieved to have a Plus 1. It's just…that…that-wait." As her hand touched the blankness in her left pocket, her smile immediately vanished. The others saw the look on her face turn from one of relief to ultimate panic.
Snifit: All of a sudden…seeing her face...we knew something was not right.
"WHAT?" Tiny gasped. As her eyes turned wide, it was only from inference from the look on her face that the others could tell something was wrong.
"What…happened?" Snifit asked, confused. Tiny looked up from her jean pockets, and up at the other players.
"It's…GONE!" Hearing this, the three other players looked baffled.
"My Plus 1 coin! The one I got in the hotel yesterday!" At this sentence, they all turned to each other in confusion. But before any of them could speak another word, it was another exclamation from Tiny that made them all freeze in place.
"You're all just…thieves! I don't care who you think you are, but you do NOT take something from me!"
"Tiny..." Eclair spoke, wide-eyed. "Please calm down..."
"That's it! I'm…Im done with this game! I'm DONE." It was this exclamation that made the others look at her in a mixture of disbelief and shock. As Snifit and Éclair's faces held fear, Piantissimo just frowned.
"What makes you think someone took it...and it didn't just fall out of your pocket?" he voiced, sounding nonchalant. Tiny faced Piantissimo, eyes full of disbelief at his lack of reaction.
"You really think something like this is a coincidence?" Tiny snapped. "That a single Plus 1, full of value and prize, just drops to the ground? Something as valuable as that?" The three of them looked at her.
"You are jumping to conclusions," Snifit replied, shrugging.
"I am NOT jumping to conclusions," Tiny's snapped, making them silent. The other three were silent, staring back at her in alarm.
"I don't know who you think you are…Mole," Tiny continued, her voice in a tone of anger and frustration that none of them had ever heard before. "But you will not get away with this. And when you are revealed at the end…" She turned around, no longer facing the others.
"I hope the others can forgive you." With that, she walked off down the hallway of the space station, as the others stared in silence at her as she walked away, her pigtails swaying away as she disappeared with irate feelings. The other three were left alone, dazed, alarmed, but mostly confused. Eclair bowed her head.
"I would never do a terrible action like stealing," Éclair voiced silently, confused. "Ever in this game...or in my life."
"And neither would I," Snifit said, still baffled. "I would never do a terrible action like that." He looked at the other two.
"I do not know why Tiny believes we had taken her Plus 1…especially when…" His eyes narrowed with confusion. "Especially since we have so many advantages from the Ultimatum game. Why?"
"And I believe both of you," Piantissimo said, looking after the leaving, frustrated player who disappeared out of view. With Tiny no longer in sight, Piantissimo face looked frustrated as well.
"Perhaps it just fell out of her pocket…it is probably resting somewhere in the destroyed city, or maybe even in the rocket we had just ridden," Piantissimo scoffed. "It is…useless. Who knows?" He shook his head.
"Whatever. It is not in the pocket of anyone. Let us just walk to our rooms and sleep." Snifit and Éclair had scared looks on their faces, but they only nodded as well.
"The three of us have bigger things to worry about than this little…inconsequential coin. We have something quite huge tomorrow…the execution."
And then, the four of them split, minds still wondering about the mystery of the coin that had seemingly vanished at the last second. All four players had headed off to their respective rooms in the odd, space abode.
But at that very second, in the space station, the missing coin was right in the back pocket of the Mole.
It was the only day that the sun didn't shine to wake the players up. Even back when the land was bare in the beginning of Episode 5, a sun still stood in the sky to remind that it was morning time. But now, it was still darkness as they peered at the window. They were woken by a little alarm, and as they went down to eat, they were rested but worried.
Snifit: We kind of just shook off last night's events. From the apocalypse, to the missing coin…but now, it was all about the execution and who would be going home.
"Good food," Snifit spoke with a nod. "This…this beats walking around in an apocalypse." They were close to the end of the breakfast, and closer to the end of the day.
"Indeed, we are rested," Éclair replied to him. "And safe." They were all eating at the table, as they all thought back to the events of their last mission.
"Safe for now…before one of us has to leave, yes," Piantissimo added, finishing his toast. "You are speaking too soon for yourself." As everyone received a small sickly feeling, they continued to eat breakfast.
Piantissimo: One of us would be going home...and the last of us would stay. Eeney, meeney, miney...
Piantissimo got up from his seat.
"Now excuse me as I study…information that even I myself do not know very well," he announced. After he left, it was Éclair next who excused herself and left the table as well. It was just Snifit and Tiny, sitting alone at the table.
"Ugh…" Tiny was staring out the window and into the many stars of the mysterious outer space, her face still bitter from last night's mysterious event. But she didn't say anything, and only sighed out loud.
"I'm just going to wish all of us the best…especially me," Tiny voiced, turning to face Snifit. "I'm…not going to complain that I lost that coin. I didn't deserve it in the first place, anyway. If I get executed…whoopee! It's the Mole's fault for taking it." As she sighed again, Snifit realizing that her voice sagged with torpor.
"Yeah. Good luck," she finished tiredly. She looked down, miserable. Snifit just looked at her silently
"Hey…I don't know if you noticed, but…" Tiny looked up in interest at Snifit.
"It's all depends on if you know who the Mole of this game is or not," Snifit told her. Tiny's face seemed to turn to one of realization. She lightly smiled.
"You're…you're right," Tiny said, looking down. "Maybe I shouldn't be so upset."
"You will be fine…we will all be fine in the end of this, and you have a chance of making it," Snifit spoke, his voice confident. "And whoever has the coin…well, they'll pay in the end." Tiny nodded, biting her lip a little bit.
"Don't feel too down about your missing coin…because let's remember: in the end, not even a million plus one's can save you from execution," Snifit voiced in reminder. Hearing this line, Tiny's eyes lighted up just the tiniest bit.
Tiny: So, the odds are just not in my favor, obviously. But, Snifit was completely right: it all depends on if we know who the Mole is. And well…if I've been playing right this entire game…I think I know which person that that I'll vote for.
"Piantissimo," McHallyboo called out, as the lone player made a stunned face in the white hallway. Caught off-guard at the host calling his name in the middle of the station and in public, Piantissimo turned around cautiously. The host was standing at the end of the hallway, as Piantissimo slowly walked up to him.
"He…llo, McHallyboo," Piantissimo replied in the calmest voice he could utter. "Good morning…or rather…good afternoon. Or might as I say, it quite does not matter." The host looked at him, amused.
"People should still greet people, no matter what time of day it is," McHallyboo replied, looking at his watch just to confirm the time, "so thank you for greeting me." But McHallyboo's face still continued to look at the player in a face of amusement. Piantissimo just stood, silent for a second before he spoke again.
"It seems like you wanted to deliver me a message?" Piantissimo asked, raising his eyebrow.
"I just noticed that you seem to not be wearing…a symbolic item of yours," the host replied, trying to deliver the line in a non-caring tone. But Piantissimo sensed the host's hidden interest.
"Yes, it is just my mask that I am not wearing," Piantissimo replied to him, shrugging.
"JUST your mask that you're not wearing?" McHallyboo said, repeating the player's line. Piantissimo looked at the host, silent and confused.
"It seems to me that the mask identified how you truly felt in the inside…" the host continued. "To be honest, sometimes I had forgotten you were actually a person with that mask on." Piantissimo paused, thinking of the host's line.
"So how do you truly identity in the inside? Human…or as a Pianta?" At this phrase, Piantissimo was silent.
"Maybe…I identify more as someone who's not a human…than I do as human," Piantissimo said slowly, thinking hard to himself for a moment. McHallyboo waved his hand with a smile.
"I was just curious…no need to answer the question," McHallyboo said with a little chuckle, and he was already backing his way down the hallway that he had already come from. Piantissimo, with a conflicted face, just looked at the host disappear.
Then with even more conflicted inner feelings, he walked onwards in the hallway.
"Oh…sorry." Snifit stumbled upon Éclair's open door, and was about to turn away. But the princess was sitting on her bed, oddly looking ahead of her at the wall. Her face was blank and lacking emotion.
Snifit: It was a hard time for all of us. Some of us more than others. Éclair was a possible suspect because she always seems to be emotionally conflicted, which is what the Mole usually is. But now…I didn't know for sure.
"Hmm.." Snifit just stood in the doorway, his face blank for the reason that he confused about Éclair's state. He felt a sense of hesitation in himself.
"I just wanted to ask…and was wondering," Snifit began, speaking slowly, "if you were still thinking of not continuing in this game? I mean, it's been a while since that moment, but…" The princess turned to Snifit with surprise.
"Oh…" Her face changed, almost in realization. She looked down.
"Perhaps," was all she said. She was silent for a second, but then she nodded her head. Snifit was silent, as Éclair took a piece of paper out of her pocket. On it, a single phrase glimmered in gold, as if it was a piece of golden treasure itself: 1 Free Question. Snifit's eyes looked stunned.
Snifit: Éclair could be the Mole. Maybe she's the Mole and just pretending to be sad. Maybe she was secretly the saboteur of this game, which would make sense. She's been extremely suspicious and has been on of my suspects. But then the other half of me wasn't sure about it, because Éclair hasn't been sabotaging any recent games at all. And why did she look genuinely finished, emotionally? I had no idea if she was the Mole…or just a genuine player giving up right now.
"I'm sorry for asking..." Snifit said, stepping back and about to close the door. But Éclair opened her mouth.
"If I had to give this prize…to someone…it would be you," Éclair said firmly, and she stood up. She turned and held the prized paper up to the player in front of her.
"What? Huh?...no," Snifit gasped, taking a step back and trying to project the free question paper away from her.
"That's not mine. You keep it," Snifit protested, confused. But Éclair only smiled, holding the paper out. Despite this, Snifit shook his head and didn't move forwards to grab it.
"You don't have to," Snifit repeated. "Maybe you'll make it to the next round. You and I have so many Plus 1's. Maybe you'll make it to the next episode?" Éclair's face, for a second, looked hopeful at Snifit's line.
"You'll make it…trust me," was all Snifit said. But then, after a few seconds, she only shook her head heavily.
"This is my gift," she said with a small smile, "to you." Then, she approached Snifit and placed the piece of paper into his coat pocket, as Snifit looked at it with a sense of defeat.
"Good luck," she said softly, as the princess smiled. "Go win…"
After a few seconds of silence and lack of speaking, Snifit exited the room, his feelings heavy and another object in his possession that would help him. But before he left, he turned around, looking at Eclair in the eye. Then, he let the paper fall to the ground. Eclair was stunned.
"You are probably stronger than you think...remember that," Snifit voiced, and he turned away, leaving the paper on the ground for her. Eclair watched the player leave in silence.
Eclair: And it was that line...that changed me until the end. Thank you...Snifit.
McHallyboo looked at the sky in front of him. His eyebrows furrowed with a frown as he realized that there were less stars in the sky than there had been earlier in the game. While the sky was full of wonders before during their rocket ship adventure to the moon, its content as a whole in the vast space was now fading slowly, as if something was taking its force and beauty away.
"And just like that….there's one less," the host commented, seeing a star completely disappear out of view. He turned to the double agent beside him.
"One less…just like it will be in this very game as well," the Mole spoke smartly. He or she twirled a single coin in their fingers, as McHallyboo smiled. Shining in the light and in the very hand of the Mole was the missing Plus 1.
"Was it hard to get?" the host asked.
"Not necessarily," the Mole replied, smiling. The host turned back, amused. The two of them stood at the edge of the large, open window.
"I've been through so much in this game…but I'm ready for it to be closer to its end," the agent replied. "The final four. I've been through it all, it seems. And I've seen every surprise in this game that the whole universe could give me." McHallyboo hearing this line, turned to the Mole with subtle grin.
"Maybe you haven't seen every surprise," the host said silently. And within a few minutes, all four players were now taking one of the last quizzes of their game.
1. What gender is the Mole?
-Male
-Female
Éclair sat on the desk's chair, staring at the first question on the screen in her enclosed metal room. With coins in her pocket, she had begun to take the quiz in the rocket's lobby. It was a computer, her coins, and her mind that would determine her stay or leave from the game. But this time, compared to all her other times she took the quiz, it was slower than usual.
Éclair: It was a feeling I had never experienced before. A feeling…of strange, lessened will. To not continue and go on. But I was conflicted.
In the other room of the space station, adjacent to hers, Piantissimo sat in front of his computer. Piantissimo, hands fast, answered the second question of the game with little hesitation. But after he clicked his answer, he paused for a split second.
2. In the beginning of the episode, where did the Mole initially sit in the van to the elevator hut?
-In the passenger seat
-The left seats of the van
-The right seats of the van
-The back of the van
Piantissimo cracked his fingers, and moved on to the next question.
Piantissimo: I am very suspicious of the princess, Eclair. She was the reason Dashell got executed. Is it really a coincidence that Éclair got so close to Dashell, and he got executed DIRECTLY the episode after? I do not think so. I think she's very suspicious and could be the Mole as well. Let's not forget that.
Snifit, in the room besides his, looked at the third question with a bit of knowingness and confusion. Having the most items in his pocket at that second, he felt them with reminder of his safety, and continued.
3. Who was the Mole's partner in the City Scavenger Hunt?
-Tiny
-Eclair
-Snifit
-Piantissimo
Snifit: Piantissimo has been strangely making it through each round without a real strategy or a real suspect. And even more odd, he keeps on changing his suspect and opinions too. He seems to have this false face of overconfidence...that only someone like the Mole could have.
In the last room, Tiny shuddered a bit as she felt the cold metal of the table. But it was mostly from the nervousness of taking the penultimate quiz of the game that she trembled just the tiniest of bit with fear. She swallowed nervously, answering the fourth question.
4. Which of the following scavenger hunt object was the Mole responsible for adding to the group's collection?
-A photograph of a car
-Sunglasses
-A pair of shoes
-None
Tiny: I'm just going to vote for the Mole. To really hone in on my suspect now: Snifit. I'm not sure, but…I don't think a regular player could ever be the kind of player he is. He found almost every exemption in the beginning of our episodes…which is really Moley behavior.
Piantissimo thought for a brief second, and then pressed down on his answer for the fifth question of the quiz.
5. What did the Mole gain from the Ultimatum Game?
-Four Plus 1's
-Five Plus 1's
-Six Plus 1's
-An exemption
-Nothing
Piantissimo: Every time Tiny sabotages, she always pulls off an innocent look afterwards too. When Tiny lost the scavenger hunt paper this episode, no one blamed her because she acted so innocent afterwards. Something like that is a perfect quality for a saboteur.
6. Did the Mole touch the purple paper in the beginning of Escape the Earth?
-Yes
-No
Tiny shook her head, answering the seventh question of the quiz.
Tiny: And yet Piantissimo was the one who decided not to go for the item in the casino during the scavenger hunt, costing us 5,000 coins. That was suspicious of him.
7. What did the Mole grab from the destroyed Love Café?
-A broken piece of plate
-A metal bar
-A machine gun
-Nothing
As Éclair answered the seventh question on the screen, she suddenly remembered that there was something else left in her luggage bag. She remembered her other prize from a prior episode: three paper clues.
Éclair: There is something about Snifit that I had always been suspicious of. But I can never put my finger on why I feel this way.
8. The Mole ends this episode having had how many Plus 1's and exemptions combined, in total throughout the game?
-Zero
-One
-Two
-Three
-Four
-Five
-More than Five
Snifit silently looked at the question, and clicked his answer. As he did, the sound of six metal coins jingled in his pocket.
Snifit: Tiny claimed that one of us stole her Plus 1 coin. But who? It makes me wonder…maybe it was all an act by her to make us believe that someone else had taken it.
9. When did the Mole enter the rocket ship to leave the city?
-First
-Second
-Third
-Fourth
Piantissimo: Eclair is just on my mind too much. And I think that her kind of character is exactly what a Mole could be. A princess sneaking around to be the Mole…a perfect scenario for a saboteur.
The last question of the quiz made all of them pause for a slight second.
10. Who is…
Tiny: The game is just overwhelming and too much for me. But I went with my pick on the quiz, and that's that. I think I'm going to the next round…will I make it? Is it Snifit? Maybe I'm wrong? Maybe I'm right? I guess we'll find out if I regret my choice or not.
Piantissimo: And I was simply just ready to find out whether or not I would continue. So is Snifit or Éclair the Mole? So would I be moving on? Or is my downfall? Let the fate of these quizzes decide.
Snifit: Some things that are set in motion have to end. And now, it was time for that. Time for the circle to come to a full close. One of us would be meeting that finish. And one of us…will have to accept it.
Éclair: I will never know if I was correct or wrong this whole time. There will never be a chance to know the truth, as I had stumbled this last step. All of a sudden…I felt a small moment of regret for my choices.
Almost simultaneously across the four rooms, they all clicked their individual name: the name they truly believed to be the answer to the ultimate question.
…the Mole?
-Éclair
-Piantissimo
-Snifit
-Tiny
Once the hour had hit for them to go down, they made their way into a white-walled room, all the way at the end of the space station. But when the four of them entered into the crystal-white area, the four of them saw that the room itself had no roof.
Snifit: When we looked up…we could see the sky and the stars. As if they were calling to us.
No ceiling existed except for the view of the dark, galactic space above them. As stars glimmered down, the white floor shined from the brilliance of the sky above. But as the host had pointed out before, it was not sparkling as much as it had been when they had first arrived to the moon's surface.
The four metal chairs that sat in the very middle of the room seemed to be positioned like little shrines, sanctified and waiting for the players to sit on them. When the players saw them, they approached them slowly, barely taking in the fact that these metal chairs would be the final seatings one of them in the game. After six difficult rituals, they had reached their seventh. All four of them had made it…almost…to the end.
Tiny: If this was my ending…it was a beautiful sight. I guess I'd accept it.
"Le petit four…welcome to the final execution ceremony," the host announced grandly, standing in front of all of them. Upon the moon, the final execution ceremony began.
"This is the ending before the final three," the host continued, as the players sat still in their chairs. "Thank you for joining me for this special celebration. It has been a pleasure being the host for you four. And soon…one of you will leave." The four players nodded together, and breathed out heavily in acknowledgement for the departure of one of them..
"The pot stands at 170,000 coins…," the host informed them with a small smile. "This is work that the four of you had completed together. With one another…hand in hand. Congratulations." The four of them turned to each other, their eyes in a full moment of gratitude and appreciation for their unit as a team. In the game of the Mole, their teamwork still stood high above the actions of the Mole.
Tiny: This game will never take away our teamwork and unity…and our friendship. The Mole couldn't even do such a thing.
"One of you will be leaving," McHallyoo said. He declared a statement that each one of them knew very well, but that none of them were not ready for. The host cracked his knuckled as he sat back into the chair behind him. The keyboard, positioned on a metal table beside him, was ready to be typed into.
"If I enter your name into the computer…and your screen turns green…you are a player in the final three," the host reminded them all. The players sat still, rigid, and their feelings were overall hopeful at the possibility of moving on. For one of them however, it would be an emotion of false hope.
"But if the screen turns red…then you are gone from the game." At this sentence, the players closed their eyes.
"Let us begin this instant," the host spoke bluntly, and an immediate jolt of anxiousness ran through all of the players.
Piantissimo: The final execution it was. One of us leaving…and I could barely even think to watch the screen to see my own name get entered in.
FLASH! The screen next to McHallyboo flicked on with immense power. The light from the screen seemed to shine almost as strong as one of the stars above, and after a second, it immediately displayed the familiar thumbprint to all of them. The four players were helpless in their metal chairs, facing the screen and host. The execution ceremony began.
"Tiny…you are first…" McHallyboo began, as Tiny's eyes looked down with dread.
"Oh…no…" Tiny began, covering her eyes and her head in her lap. The host, with slow fingers, began to enter the player's name into the television. The other three turned to look at her in unknowing silence.
T-I-N-Y
Before he pressed enter, Tiny lifted her head up, her hair swinging wildly back up and eyes concerned as well as she hurried to see her name's fate.
…
…
…
…
…
…
GREEN
Tiny gasped. "I'm...safe…oh my gosh," she sighed. Tiny collapsed back into her lap with a look of exhaustion, but she was fine. It took her a few seconds to look up again, and her eyes were full of shock from the aftermath of the green light.
"Welcome to the final three," the host said lightly. Tiny, still looking overwhelmed, nodded.
"There are three players left," McHallyboo declared, then followed with a dreaded sentence, "Any volunteers?"
"I'll go." Piantissimo lifted his hand into the air lightly, almost nonchalantly, but his face was rigid with anxiousness. His eyes narrowed, looking nervous as the host enter his name slowly into the computer in front of him. The bright letters of his name shined out to all the players.
Piantissimo: Well…would I go on as a player in this game? Maybe I wouldn't…maybe this was the ultimate end of my play.
P-I-A-N-T-I-S-S-I-M-O
"Are you ready for your fate, Piantissimo?" the host said calmly.
"Yes…I am ready," Piantissimo breathed, staring at his named that was entered. The host did, pressing down on the 'Enter' button on the computer. Piantissimo leaned forwards in anticipation, mouth open.
…
…
…
…
…
GREEN
"I am…in?" Piantissimo exhaled, almost in disbelief. His eyes looked stunned as well as he sat back in his chair. Snifit and Éclair looked at each other, and there was a small silence of despair between them.
"Two left…" McHallyboo said softly. At this sentence, it was Éclair who raised her hand.
"I would like to go," she said, and all three other players looked at the princess. Her face was stoic, still, and calm.
"Éclair," the host said, as he typed her name one by one into the machine. Her grey, translucent dress glistened in the television's light.
E-C-L-A-I-R
"Eclair," the host repeated again. The princess turned to him.
"Are you ready for your fate in this game?" McHallyboo said quietly.
"Yes," the princess said with a soft nod. The host pressed, 'Enter'.
…
…
…
…
…
GREEN
Éclair's face was frozen with confusion. Her eyes were shocked and widened at the person beside her who was going to leave. But Snifit, just looking forwards at the screen, only smiled straight at the television.
"How?" Piantissimo cried, looking confused. "But…"
"Snifit," the host began, and his fingers began to type immediately. All three other players watched in shock as the last name was slowly entered into the computer. Once the full word was entered into the bright-lit monitor, it only took another last button to conceal the end for the player.
S-N-I-F-I-T
…
…
…
…
…
RED
"Oh no…it's him," Tiny whispered out loud, sadly. She was mostly surprised than anything.
"I am sorry, Snifit," McHallyboo said in a quiet tone, as he stood up. "You are…the seventh player to leave this game." The television suddenly shut off, leaving everything in the white space room as it was when they entered. It was the end of the execution, and the game had taken another victim.
Tiny: I couldn't believe it…Snifit. He was my main suspect?
Piantissimo: Just like that…another player gone. Then there was three. Well, what could you do? Though we must face emotions, the game still goes on.
Before any of them could react, the host cleared his throat loudly, getting the attention of the three players.
"However…there is one thing," interrupted the host, before anyone could say another word, "that…I'd like to say. Or rather, something someone would like to say before we conclude this episode for good." The host turned his face slightly, and looked Snifit right in the eyes.
"Snifit?" the host piped up. Snifit turned to McHallyboo, alert.
"Would you like to tell the players something?" the host continued.
"Huh?" Tiny uttered, confused. At this sentence, the three players remaining looked at the host. Then, with equal confusion, they turned to the executed player.
"You have something to say?" Piantissimo asked, raising his eyebrow. "Did you steal that Plus 1 from Tiny after all?" As everyone looked at Snifit, they saw that he had gotten up from his chair, and almost a little warily, walked to the front of the room and to the spot right next to McHallyboo's standing position. Snifit nodded.
"Err…yeah," he spoke, clearing his throat. As everyone focused their eyes on him, Snifit's own eyes were not focused on any of them back, but rather on the white wall to his side, as if he was trying his best to avoid their glance. He cleared his throat again.
"I'm not…really a….player," he spoke, his sentence coming out intermittently. The other three players stared at him, confused for a second.
"I don't understand," Éclair stated softly. As the players seemed confused, Tiny looked up at him.
"So…you were just pretending to be a player this whole time?" Tiny tried to decipher. It was mostly quiet, until all of a sudden, Piantissimo let out a small laugh.
"Har har…I knew it slightly," Piantissimo said between laughter. Snifit looked at him
"So you were never an actual player. You were just…a second Mole? A second betrayer, perhaps? Or not even a player-"
"No…what I mean is," Snifit continued, as Piantissimo and the other females fell into confusion again. Snifit turned to the host, as the host looked back, almost nodding with confirmation. Snifit cleared his throat once again, and spoke to them.
"I am not actually…a real person." And at this spoken sentence, the other three were silent.
Tiny: I did not understand his statement. None of us…understood.
"Wait…what?" Piantissimo stammered. Snifit only stood his ground, looking directly at the players.
"What do you mean, Snifit?" Éclair began to ask with concern. "What do you-" But before the others could talk more, McHallyboo stepped up, putting a hand on Snifit's shoulder.
"Players…" The host's face held a strange look, as if he was about to say something that he had been holding in for the past seven episodes.
"When we had created this world…" the host began, facing the other players, "we did not just create another series of worlds for you to explore. We went beyond that. We wanted to see what else we could do. What else we could put into the game. What we could add to make this series new. So…" The host began to walk, almost as if pacing in thought.
"With the help of his building, we also created something else. Or rather…someone else." He turned around, facing the player in red.
"No…" Éclair gasped. "It cannot be…" The three players' eyes were in shock, as they turned to the executed player as well.
"That's right," McHallyboo said, almost with a little grin. "We created Snifit." The players were at a loss for words.
"That cannot…be true," Tiny exclaimed, looking insistently at the player. "Snifit is real…he has emotions and thoughts. We…PLAYED with him." She looked at him, looking at Snifit with wide eyes. But Snifit just faced forwards.
"That's quite impossible, McHallyboo!" Piantissimo shouted, rising from his seat mostly in disbelief. "That's just not something that can even be done! How could Snifit be…"
"Fake?" Tiny finished, surprised, as everyone looked at her. Her eyes seemed to light up in realization.
"Why not?" Tiny began with new thought, speaking, as everyone looked at her in confusion at her non-surprised look. "Now that you think of it…it makes sense." Her eyes widened in realization.
"Finding all those exemptions to keep others from getting them…and being so quiet….that was all part of the game!" Tiny exclaimed, as everyone looked at her with surprise. "You were…programmed to do all those things. I'm correct…aren't I?" Snifit only nodded silently.
"I was programmed to do many things in this game that was against my will," Snifit said, almost in confession and looking at her. "But…for the most part…most of it was me." Snifit paused for a second, before continuing.
"Most of the things I did in this game…was because I wanted to do it," Snifit spoke. And then, McHallyboo nodded, putting up a finger as he continued to speak.
"To make a creation that could be…sentient," McHallyboo began, as the players still looked at the host and Snifit in disbelief, "is an inconceivable notion to many people. Many believe it could never be. Many assert and aver quite blindly, 'It is not possible for a computer to have emotions, cognitive thoughts, or most of all, feelings!' But several recorded occurrences from the past several years have proven otherwise." His eyes glanced at Snifit.
"Like our very own example in this building."
"An artificial intelligence," Eclair whispered, in shock. "It cannot be."
"It did take him a while to warm up, yes," McHallyboo remembered, nodding with memory. "In the beginning…he could barely conceive the concept of social interaction. He didn't know how to talk, and barely even spoke because so…but now, he's better."
"Yes...it was hard at first...but the others helped me learn to talk." Snifit, almost a little shyly, nodded.
"And because of his existence…it has caused us much complications…but satisfaction overall," the host explained to them. "He has been the most complex creation of this entire building. His existence…is what has been draining most of the energy in this world." He paused.
"Remember the beginning of Episode 5?" McHallyboo spoke to them. "When the world was blank?" Still confused, the three players nodded.
"That is because Snifit's existence was taking so much energy…that we could not provide to display anything else in the world at that moment," McHallyboo stated to them. "Eventually, we recharged, but it took a small while."
"That is what you had mentioned in the beginning of the episode…" Piantissimo realized. "Something….draining our energy. That was…" He looked in disbelief at Snifit.
Piantissimo: I honestly could not believe any of this.
Tiny: In my head...I really kept on repeating, "Is Snifit really not real?" This whole time we've been interacting with him...he was just a creation of this world?
"The hut at the beginning of this episode was reused…right?" Tiny said, shaking her head with understanding, "Because our energy was so low."
"And we had to keep on reusing…objects…" McHallyboo said. "And…people…" All of a sudden, a figure appeared from the doorway of the execution room, as if he had formed out of the air itself.
"Hi…" It was a toad, the color of red, and a child. He smiled, and all of a sudden, one of them gasped put loud.
"It is you...the child from the baseball stadium!" Éclair said in a surprise. The child quickly ran up to Éclair, giving her a hug.
"He appeared in the bus when you and Dry Bones were singing your merry song…" McHallyboo explained, as the toad happily nodded to them.
"And when you gave me the ball…remember?" the toad said merrily, holding the same baseball up to Éclair to see. "And when you sang the song I wanted you to sing on the bus in the snowy land?"
"Yes...I remember..." Éclair, smiling with amazement, hugged the child back. Snifit smiled as well.
"I don't get…anything that's happening right now…" Piantissimo said with a shake of his head, looking around at everyone. "Can I please get a small summary? This is definitely more mysterious than the identity of the Mole, for sure."
"At certain times in this game, because our energy battery was so low…it had to be that either Snifit didn't exist…or parts of the world didn't exist," McHallyboo explained. "So, whenever you were sleeping in this game…or did not need to view a certain part of the world…we temporarily erased it to keep Snifit existing in this world. It saved energy to keep him going…one of the other things we did to keep this world in the building alive besides reusing structures and people." The players looked at McHallyboo in awe.
"So Snifit stayed alive through the game," Tiny said silently, "due to sacrifices." The toad child had already slowly made his way out of the large space room, waving his hands at the players as he disappeared out of view. Éclair looked at him, still in shock.
"There was a time though," the host brought up, "that Snifit disappeared suddenly and had to be reset into the game. This was when we first realized our error…of underestimating how much energy Snifit needed to survive and go on." Hearing this, Snifit looked down at the ground a bit.
"And…when was that?" Piantissimo asked cautiously. The host didn't say anything for a second.
"Well…we would like to call that, 'The Incident at the End of Episode 3'," the host stated. "And I would like to tell you all another secret…that…I wish I didn't have to tell you all." McHallyboo paused, before speaking again. The players looked stunned.
"Part of your memories at the end of Episode 3…had been changed." At this sentence, the three players' mouths dropped in unison.
Tiny: What?!
"HOW?!" Piantissimo uttered. "What? How? McHallyboo, you have to start making some sense!"
"What do you mean…a portion of our memories?" Tiny asked nervously to the host. All their faces looked equally confused, but McHallyboo just put his hands up
"Just…listen," McHallyboo said quickly, sensing the agitated confusion from the players. "It's hard to explain. But…but…" The host sighed, and then was silent, almost as if trying to think of his next words to speak to the discombobulated players. He closed his eyes for a second.
"When Snifit suddenly disappeared at the end of Episode 3…it was unexpected," the host spoke, then opened his eyes. "It sent all of you into this sort of mental chaos. So, we used a machine in this building…to…reconstruct some of your memories." Piantissimo, Éclair, and Tiny were silent for a second.
"…Reconstruct some of our memories…" Eclair repeated, almost in a voice of fear of the game.
"Ugh," Tiny voiced, putting a hand to her head.
Tiny: I had said on very first morning of this game…during our first breakfast ever…that something about this building was really, REALLY evil. And…I was right this whole time.
"Do any of you remember now?" McHallyboo suddenly spoke, almost as if testing them and curious himself. "Do any of you remember…who truly received the bribe at the end of Episode 3?" At this sentence, the players' faces were blank with confusion.
"Then let me show you all…" McHallyboo said slowly, turning to the monitor besides him "what really happened that night."
FLASH! The host slowly turned to the television beside him, nodding towards it and waiting for it to turn on. When it did, brightly and flashing into their eyes with its immense light, the players witnessed a reality that they were remembering for the first time since it was taken away from them.
At the End of Episode 3….
"Welcome players, to your third execution of the game," the host announced, his voice echoing into the players' ears through the vast mansion. "You all just took…the third quiz. And what a determining quiz it will be." He placed the candle down in his hand down, and then took a seat himself in the chair beside it.
"The player who scored the lowest on the quiz will be executed from the game," the host voiced. "If the screen turns green after your name…then you are safe. If it turns red…" He looked at the bright screen beside him.
"You are the Mole's 3rd victim. You must leave this mansion….this building….and this game." With understanding thoughts and feeling, the players nodded.
"Good luck, players." Execution 3 began.
"First…" McHallyboo asked, looking at the row of players before him. Everyone seemed still.
"This." From out of his large, object-containing coat pocket, he placed something directly upon the TV monitor table. The object, a bag that made a heavy thud on the elegant table it was placed upon, was seen by all eight remaining players.
"In this bag is twenty-thousand real, pure coins," the host said, "And if you leave the game, you take it." The players were stunned in their chairs.
"Right…right this second?" Dry Bones stuttered. McHallyboo nodded.
"What?" Tiny Kong gasped, looking at the others.
"Oh gee…it is temptation," Piantissimo said, staring at the cash before him with disbelief.
In the space station, the three players watched the events of the bribe unfold on the television. But their eyes were confused, as if something did not seem right.
Tiny: At first glance, it looked the same. But then we realized something small that was not the same at all. We were watching something…that was different from what we remembered.
"Uh…this is not what I remembered. The execution...it went directly into the bribe," Tiny noticed, looking flabbergasted. "Is this real? What…is going on?" The players turned to the host in confusion, who remained silent. And then, the events on the television went on.
Episode 3….
Nobody was standing up, and the bribe offer was coming to an end.
"Going once…" began McHallyboo, as everyone winced.
"Not taking it," Dashell confirmed, looking away. Éclair looked at Dashell, who shook his head. He was resolute.
"I…don't know," Dry Bones said softly.
"Twice…" McHallyboo began. Everyone stared at the cash on the money, and then at the host.
"It's…it's right there…" Dry Bones uttered, his hands on the sides of his chair. His body was lifting off his seat slowly.
"Once…twice…" Then, there was a sudden sound, and it was the sudden plop of money from McHallyboo's hand. It was the largest sound yet, and the largest bag of money, seemingly as big as the first bag of money which was situated upon the table.
"Fifty thousand coins." There was a gasp of silence, as the players took in the vast amount of money being offered right before their eyes.
"Ah, I can't take it!" Dry Bones shouted, facing away with overwhelmed anxiety.
And then, there was a voice.
"I'll accept it! Me, mememee!" And everyone looked at the player in absolute shock.
"Wait…whu-whut?" Dry Bones stuttered, watching the volunteered player walk by with shock. The rest of the players were speechless beyond words.
"You heard me right. I'll take it!"
Mimi, arisen from her seat with a gleeful smile on her face, walked to where the host was. McHallyboo grinned and held one of the bags of money up to Mimi. In an instant, Mimi grabbed the bag into her hand. Then, she faced forwards. The surprised group faced her back.
"Thank you, Mimi, for taking the offer," the host announced.
"You're welcome!" she said with a grin. "I mean, no one else was going to take it anyway, right?"
BRIBE TAKER:MIMI
OFFER: 50,000 COINS
"Mimi, you have come forward to take the bribe of 50,000 coins," the host said. "You are a voluntary elimination from this game, you know that?"
"But it also means I'm not a victim of the Mole," Mimi replied, giggling a little bit. She faced the others in their seats.
"Hmm…you're probably all curious why I took this, I guess," Mimi began, tossing her hair a little with her sentence. "But I think my game has finally come to an end! I had fun! That's truly what I wanted in this game. And I'd hate for any of you to leave this game now and never reach as happy as I am right at this instant. Continue on!" Everyone listened to her final words.
"But…why did you take the bribe?" Éclair asked, in shock with everyone else. Mimi stood still for a moment, then with a nod, she laughed.
"I guess no matter how well you think you did on a quiz," Mimi said to them all with a smile, "the only person who will ever find comfort in this game is the Mole. And evidently…I'm not the Mole."
"Well, what's done is done," McHallyboo concluded, and he opened his arm out to the other bags upon the table. "Please, follow me."
"With my pleasure…" Mimi grabbed the bags, all totaling to the grand total of the bribe, and then followed McHallyboo out of the mansion in silence. The players were dumbfounded and left to themselves. Episode 3 was finally over.
"I…cannot believe the unexpected sight that just occurred before my eyes," Piantissimo admitted to the others.
In the space station, Piantissimo's mouth was agape.
"I…repeat that sentence I said at the end of that clip," Piantissimo said, stunned.
Piantissimo: I may be the most knowledgeable player in this game…but THIS. This was something. Something beyond imagination.
"The dream of Mimi…winning money…" Eclair gasped, as everyone turned to her. "That was-"
"I was informed by someone else that you had that dream, yes," McHallyboo said slowly, as Éclair looked at the host in surprise.
"But…what did it mean?" she asked. "Why did I have it?"
"It means that the effects of the machine we used to distort your memories…were not as strong as we thought on you players," McHallyboo explained, and then continued. "You were remembering the true events that occurred in this game. At least subconsciously, you were."
"Then what was the whole point of changing our memories?" Tiny asked, her face full of perplexed feelings but frustration as well. "Why did you make us remember something different about Snifit? I mean, you had no reason to!"
"We had to…because of this," McHallyboo began, and he pointed to the television once again as the four of them watched on.
Episode 3…
"What an extraordinary girl," Zess said, shaking her head. "Extraordinary girl. She brought a lot of fun and taste into the game, and I just can't fathom how she did it!" Zess shook her head again in disbelief.
"I'm just so shocked to see her go."
"You know, this is going to sound funny and unbelievable," Piantissimo began, "but I'm going to miss her dramatic moments." Everyone listened with surprise at the player's sentence, but they all felt the same: the group would miss all of Mimi's antics.
"Her dramatic moments…wow!" Dry Bones said, his thoughts going back to Mission 1. "When we had to jump together…boy, did she increase the drama in that scene big time."
"My favorite memory…shopping," Éclair told the others, from her seat. "She was the one who was very happy choosing those earrings. She must have liked them a lot...and now I do not blame her for choosing them."
"It's so strange…," Snifit thought. "We know now that she…she…she…" Suddenly, Snifit stopped speaking. He paused, as everyone looked at him at his abruptly-stopped sentence.
"She…wasn't….she….sabotage…" As the other players seemed confused at his illogical sentence, the person in red all of a sudden seemed motionless in his chair. He was suddenly immobilized in place, as if something in the air had stopped the flowing of time. For a second, everyone was silent, looking at Snifit in a moment of shock and not knowing how to continue the stopped conversation. It was Dry Bones who was the first to speak.
"Umm…is he…okay?" Dry Bones spoke cautiously to the person next to him. But Snifit only remained still, unmoving. The others immediately exchanged looks, but it was Dashell who got out from his own seat to slowly approach the player who had suddenly froze in his tracks.
"What…is going on?" Tiny whispered to Zess in surprise, as the two of them looked on.
"Hey…Snifit?" Dashell asked, trying to shake the player awake. "Are you okay?" The others watched on, as McHallyboo's mouth opened.
"Are you okay, dude? Are you fine?" But Snifit, still in his chair, did not respond.
"Is he fine, or just asleep?" Zess asked, then nervously chuckled. "Maybe he's dehydrated. We have been here for two weeks without real sunlight!" The players, in an instant, looked concerned.
"Are you okay-" Dashell began, trying to shake him again, but his sentence never finished because something was emitted from Snifit's body that would change the entire game for them.
ZAPPPP! It was a jolt of electricity that sent Dashell tumbling back, falling onto the floor with a small yell.
"Dashell!" Éclair cried, immediately running over to him from her chair. It was this jolt that made every player stunned, some of them getting up from their seats in fear and confusion at the occurrence that had just happened before their eyes.
"What…" Piantissimo whispered. As they all looked at Snifit together, they saw that something was wrong. The shape of Snifit, now faded, no longer looked like a figure of their real world. As they stared at what was sitting on the chair more, they realized that it was letting off more small jolts of electricity. But it was evident to all of them that the building had created something odd. A fake, false player.
"What…is going on?!" Dry Bones exclaimed nervously, getting up from his chair and glancing around the mansion's room. "What…just happened?" Every player was up from their seats, looking at the disappearing Snifit.
"McHallyboo?" Tiny questioned, nervously look at him. "What's going on?"
"I don't know…" Dashell, on the floor and alarmed, only turned to McHallyboo. And before McHallyboo could react, all eyes were on the host.
McHallyboo, for the first time in the entire series, did not know what to say.
The TV shut off.
The three players in the large, white room were silent. Their eyes still stared at the blank darkness of the television monitor even after it had completely shut off.
"You changed…everything," Eclair spoke slowly. "Everything we remembered about the event. Dashell getting shocked…us knowing that Snifit was not real." McHallyboo, turning to the players, didn't know what to say.
"We just changed those twenty minutes at the end of Episode 3," Snifit suddenly spoke, and everyone turned to him with stunned looks.
"That's all the memory-altering machine had the power and limited energy to alter," Snifit explained even more. "Just fifteen or twenty minutes. It was enough to clear your memories of everything that happened in that mishap." McHallyboo nodded.
"So that night, when you all fell asleep, that's what we did," McHallyboo spoke, taking over. "We made it so that you didn't remember any of it…and that instead, you remembered something else: that Mimi got eliminated, and Snifit took a bribe." Piantissimo shook his head.
"Why did you make the false memories so complex then?" Piantissimo asked, frowning. "Why didn't you just put into our heads that none of the Snifit malfunctioning happened, and that he was okay and fine at the beginning of Episode 4?"
"Because he wasn't okay and fine at the beginning of Episode 4," McHallyboo explained, turning to Snifit. "We didn't have energy to regenerate him yet when we entered the snowy land." Everyone listened with realization.
"He couldn't exist yet…we tried all that we could to make him exist at the beginning of Episode 4, but we couldn't. We knew that he needed many hours…even maybe a full day…to even appear as a whole again." McHallyboo nodded, remembering the events of Episode 4's beginning all over again in his own head.
"So that's why we had to put a fictional scenario in your heads that he got eliminated through a bribe at the end of Episode 3…because he couldn't be recharged and present for Episode 4's beginning." The players were dumbfounded.
"So that's why when he suddenly appeared in the middle of Episode 4, we needed some sort of excuse for his sudden reappearing." McHallyboo chuckled, and Snifit let out a small smile.
"We couldn't just say that he just suddenly, magically reappeared back into the game in the middle of Episode 4," the host explained further. "So we had to make some sort of excuse. And that's why we made the whole 'exemption back into the game' story. It's not like we had anything better to work with…and you guys bought it. Well, most of you at least."
"Dry Bones was really suspicious of it…I don't think he bought it at all," Piantissimo remembered, nodding in his seat. "He was indeed cleverer than he appeared." He grinned. "That chap."
"Okay, wait…?" Tiny jumped up, looking at McHallyboo suspiciously. "Why didn't you just put into our heads that Mimi took the bribe and Snifit simply got eliminated through execution and would appear back? Why did you make them do some elaborate switcharoo of roles?"
"Because Snifit announced earlier at dinner before the execution that he won an exemption," the host told them, as they all recalled. "So we couldn't put into your heads that he simply disappeared from an execution, because that wouldn't have been possible…putting him in the place of Mimi accepting the bribe made most sense." Though they were overall confused, the players slowly understood, taking in the plethora of information into their minds.
"And now…that energy…is once again…coming to an end," McHallyboo said silently. "But this time…there won't be any memory changing." At this, the three players looked up with confusion.
"What do you mean?" asked Tiny. But McHallyboo only held a solemn face.
"It means… I don't have much longer here," Snifit spoke, standing up straight. "I…have to go." The players looked at Snifit with faces of shock.
"My time is up."
Tiny: And then we knew…something that we all realized would come at the end of this: he would have to leave us.
The galaxy seemed to stop in place in an air of sadness, as much as the faces and feelings of the three players who were looking at him.
"In the past executions, the goodbyes were just…goodbye, as in from the game," McHallyboo spoke slowly, then looked at Snifit with a confounded face. "But in this case…this is a goodbye that is different. It is…a goodbye that will extend to the end."
"Forever?" Tiny gasped. "But…then...will we ever see him again?" As the three players were silent, Snifit looked down with a look of sorrow.
"The energy is gone…and the energy in this building will never be strong enough to bring Snifit back again," McHallyboo said, looking down. "I'm afraid…this will be the last of him." The players were silent.
"No…" Éclair whispered. Snifit looked down.
"There isn't much time for him left in this world...and we cannot have him here any longer," McHallyboo said softly. "If he is to remain any longer...then none of this would exist. The space, the world...all of this." He looked at Snifit.
"His time is up." And all of a sudden, a sudden light was emitted from Snifit. It was a spark of a single static, from his chest, as Snifit looked surprised as well. But the others faced him, sadly. The three players could only look in disbelief at the figure in front of them. To the building, it was just an assortment of pixels and electronic creations, made to look nothing more than the shape of a figure. But to the players, it was a friend.
Tiny: A friend who would no longer be part of this world...
"You're...no longer going to exist...ever," Piantissimo voiced in realization. "Ever again..." Piantissimo stepped up to him, trying to keep a smile on his face.
"After all these episodes we've had…" Piantissimo said, shaking his head. He, too, looked melancholy.
"I would have never guessed you were fake," he finished with a downhearted laugh. "Well...well played." Piantissimo looked away, and the others saw that he had the smallest of tears in his eyes.
Piantissimo: I never thought I would be so emotional. I didn't even think...I could care about any of the other players.
"And I thought you were the Mole..." Tiny said with a smile, emotional as well. She, too, looked down.
"Well, I'm sorry for that...thanks for making this game so awesome. We're all...happy. And...we're sad you have to go now."
"I am happy...to have played with you," Snifit nodded in appreciation towards Tiny's words. Tiny stopped, as Eclair stepped up.
"Snifit…" Éclair whispered, and she reached forwards to touch his hand. Snifit looked at the princess.
"I…I'm sad you cannot continue in this world…." she said softly. The fading player, with his last remaining energy, reached out to touch her hand.
Éclair: And I felt his hand. And it felt as real as anyone else's.
"See...I told you that you would make it," Snifit said, smiling a bit. "You did not give up in this game. You will all succeed." It was a line that made Eclair close her eyes with tears.
"Thank you…" The princess closed her eyes, looking down, and a tear fell from her eye. "You…do not deserve to disappear. You deserve to stay and continue in this world. You deserve to live." She paused, as the others felt the grief in the room as well.
"You are kind and living. You are...beautiful..." Eclair whispered quietly, "and we are happy you have existed in our lives."
"Better than any person real person I've met in the world..." Piantissimo finished, wiping a tear away." Despite the grief from the players, Snifit only smiled in reply..
"And I'm happy..." Snifit said in a whisper, "to have lived this beautiful life that you all gave to me." As everyone looked at him, they saw that he flashed lightly once again.
"I...am to go now from this world." As the small pixels of Snifit began to slowly fade one by one, the players looked at him, downhearted. Snifit turned back to them.
"All of you had given me a life in the world," Snifit began, "that anyone, living or not living, would have been grateful to have experienced." As the others looked at him with acceptance of his soon departure, he took a step back and looked at all of them. He smiled.
"And I am more thankful for that than anything in the world," he said softly.
It was a time of sorrow in the game of the Mole, and as the game was in its moment of sad emotions, the host too was silent as well. As the penultimate episode of the game was coming to its end, it also came closer to the end of them: an end that would last forever.
Snifit took a few steps back, away from the players, and away from the host. He was now in the center of the room, as the four others looked at him with crestfallen faces. As his body continued to fade even more, in small white flashes and sparks, the players saw him slowly exit their world. Even though he was fading from them, the players saw a smile: a smile from from the building's creation that they knew in their hearts as Snifit.
"Thank you…all," was Snifit's last words. And then, a small, white light flashed, as if it had taken him with it.
And with that, there was nothing remaining in the center of the room. Éclair gasped.
Piantissimo: And just like that…he was gone.
"He's...he's no longer here," Eclair whispered. The three of them looked in silence at where Snifit's last moment on earth was.
"He's lived...just enough for him to experience life," Piantissimo said with a moment of unhappiness, looking down.
And then there was a sound that made all of them jump.
Whhhhoooooosh!
It was a large surge of energy that flew through the room that made all of them stumble, as all of them looked around in alarm at their shaking surroundings. As the entire station and world seemed to vibrate, the players managed to keep their balance as they looked out the window and into the endless space sky. McHallyboo grabbed onto his hat, and the other players grabbed on to their chairs in terror. The entire moon they were on seemed to shake to no end.
Tiny: All of a sudden...the whole world began to shake. And we were stunned. Suddenly, from Snifit's disappearance, something mysterious happened.
"What is going on?" Piantissimo shouted, shocked. The sky above them seemed to change, and then it was as if an explosion went off above them that made them shield their eyes. The entire universe was going through it change.
As immense lights filled the air, the players couldn't help but shield their eyes in terror. But as the shaking slowly began to cease, it was Tiny who looked at the open ceiling above and realized that the world was different.
The shaking slowly stopped.
"Look!" Tiny shouted, and the players looked up at the sky.
Everyone saw the new world around them: the galaxy was no longer dull, but brighter and fuller of life than ever before. Colors swirled through the sky, and the stars were plentiful in the night sky. Planets suddenly formed in the sky and were large, vibrant, and resplendent, and life existed outside in the vast space as well. As they saw a rocket ship fly by, they all realized that there were a plethora of them zooming in and out of their view.
Whoosh! A large shooting star made it was above them, as they all looked up at it in wonder. The world…and the galaxy…was all of a sudden new and changed. It was full of life.
As the players stood and watched in amazement at the new sight that had formed in their night sky, and they could only wonder.
Éclair: Could it all be…from him?
"Where…did all of this come from?" Tiny asked, flabbergasted. "I mean, what is this?" The players looked in awe at the created world before them. They stared, as the host looked as well.
"The full energy in our world…it's back," Piantissimo explained, looking in wonder as well. He looked at a passing star.
"It is back…but how?" he said, confused.
"Snifit…" Éclair repeated, smiling to herself.
The sky continued to sparkle with its new glory. McHallyboo stepped up, joining the players as he looked up at the new sky as well.
"Indeed, it is..." McHallyboo whispered, as everyone turned to him. "All of this...is the energy that Snifit is. Because he is gone...the galaxy now looks like this. It is indeed...beautiful."
The new energy that had appeared in the world was from a player who had left the world. Almost like his gift to them, his disappearance had made the world for the three remaining players a sight of wonder and beauty. And as they looked out to the night sky, a red-colored, beautiful planet that shined largely of life and light in the distance made them all think to themselves that perhaps their friend was still in their world. And not gone forever.
"Snifit…we'll remember you." And in a moment never done before, McHallyboo took off his top hat and put it against his chest.
...
It was the aftermath of the events that had unfolded two hours ago. Now, the only person remaining in the execution room was the Mole.
"Hmm…" The Mole was silent, staring out into the new world of energy that was created. He or she was thinking in the large white room of the space station.
"Why did you decide to create Snifit?" asked the Mole, hearing the host enter the room behind them. "Making the players get so attached to someone…but then he is not real at all? I am just…curious." The host was a little silent, as if also contemplating the answer to the question himself.
"Like I said…we wanted to try something new, but…" McHallyboo paused.
"We had no idea how successful it would have become, really," the host finished, looking down. "We had no idea that Snifit could really become another person…another being…with feelings…someone we would remember and miss...someone who was alive..."
"Just like one of us," the Mole realized. They let out a deep sigh, a sigh of sorrow, but then looked out to the galaxy with a continued smile.
"This game is full of surprises…" the Mole admitted with a nod. "I suppose we must go on, yes?"
"And one more surprise remains…" McHallyboo added, grinning to himself. He made his way to the end of the room and looked up, staring into the vast world of the outer space. "A question the other two will have solve. One of the other two will answer it and be the winner, and the other will be your final victim." The saboteur nodded, as McHallyboo smiled again.
"And that question is...who are you, Mole?"
The game held the final three players. And at that moment, in the world, the final episode had begun.
. END EPISODE 7 - -
And….the episode is finished.
YEP! That was the twist that had been stored all the way since Episode 1 : ) I hope you guys enjoyed it! I'm sure the players did…and a sad, tender moment it was.
I couldn't help but picture myself in the place of the players, meeting a special person and making a friend, then realizing that his time was up in the game and they would exist no longer…it's never until someone is gone that you miss them, eh? : ' ( As much as you thought they were the Mole!
In fact, just like there are clues through the Mole hidden throughout this story and internet/website/photobucket, there were actually many clues pointing to the fact that Snifit was indeed an artificial creation of the building! Though there are a lot more...below I've hint to a few of the larger clues to Snifit's true identity:
1. On the official website, Snifit's photo is the only one that is different of the entire group… he is blended into the background, as if part of the site's creation.
2. When the exemption card was swiped for Snifit at the end of Episode 4, McHallyboo made an odd comment about a possible malfunctioning that could occur.
3. Snifit's speech to the Bloopers in Episode 6's underwater challenge is very symbolic to his real identity and existence. Even Blooper's lines to him through the challenge signified that McHallyboo had notified Blooper beforehand of Snifit's true nature.
4. Snifit being skipped in the lie detector was due to one reason: his heart rate could not be measured.
5. In the beginning of Episode 6, Snifit makes a direct remark towards Dashell that he's, "Glad to be alive".
6. The journal entry for Episode 1 has a hint towards Snifit's electronic existence…look at the circles in the background in the middle of the page and you'll see that the ninth circle...is faded out of existence.
Well, whoo! There were a lot more pointers that led to Snifit's true identity however. Did you spot any more?
Well, there you have it! The mystery right before the reveal of the Mole is revealed. Snifit, the biggest creation of the game…leaves. And three remain. With one Mole of course left, of course.
REVIEW HALL OF FAME!
Since the long chapter delayed me from replying to your beautiful reviews from last chapter, instead I am going to thank you instead by putting all of your names on PODIUMS! Yep, pedestals and podiums :)
sixthsense6
Partical
NintendoMLP
Freek Sheet
heysoup
TheJirachi21
FireKai
fredthemontymole
waldava
Luigenius
Guest (to be more specific...the shipper of Eclair and Snifit xD hahaa. thank you for making fandom for my story xD)
Thank you EVERY single one of you for reviewing my last chapter, even after my long, last absence! I am so sorry I had gone on a delay…It is the faith of all of you believing this story will finish to a magnificent end that keeps this story going. Thank you all, very much. : )
And the last mystery remains! Just who did the audience think it was?
The Last Four Poll: Who is the Mole?
Tiny Kong (8 votes / 38 PERCENT)
Piantissimo (6 votes / 29 PERCENT)
Éclair (4 Votes / 19 PERCENT)
Snifit (3 Votes / 14 PERCENT) (Non-Existing)
So...it looks like you guys are getting good at ridding the executed players xD Well, let's see how the final poll has in store
And then there were three players left.
One mystery remains…the ultimate question.
As we enter the final episode, the last puzzle is yet to be solved…
The one question to this entire game hinges in the minds of three last players:
Éclair, Piantissimo, and Tiny…
Who...is the Mole?