Author's Note:
This episode took a little longer than expected, but I assure you; it was all in the name of perfection! Or rather, I just had a busy week. Anyway, please stick around for this exciting final third of the episode! You'll definitely be in for many many surprises.
Ray: You'd think that having two of the smartest contestants to ever play would result in an easy victory. Alas, Scarlett's too much of a loose cannon sometimes.
CI: I hope you enjoyed all the roles I gave everyone. Let's just say that some are a bit more symbolic than others. Tyler being a werewolf is probably a surprise since he… didn't do much, but what about Scarlett? Were you able to sus her out from the crowd?
Dawn has a lot of restraint, but who knows how long it'll last! She's one tough cookie, that's for sure!
Dakota's return definitely added a lot of flavor, didn't it? There are so many antagonistic-esque players left in the game, so adding another fun one raises the stakes quite a bit! I wonder if people can tell who the "main antagonist" of the season is based on everything thus far. Or, perhaps I'm pulling a Pahkitew and having multiple be the protagonist. Who knows!
Scarlett might as well be the poster child for this fanfic, right? I love how everyone loves her! If there was one character I knew I had to get right, it had to be her.
I've actually considered doing "Total Drama: Time Travellers" in the near future! Of course, it wouldn't be until TD: TISB ends (y'all've seen how long this takes to make, right?) but I assure you; since TD:TT wouldn't require several years of planning, I assume it'd be much out at a much brisker pace!
LotusAuCitron: Fun fact: I've never actually played Werewolf in real life. I've played the online version with strangers, but never with friends. I hope my depiction was somewhat accurate to the real thing! I'm pretty sure the "minion" is actually from the "One Night Ultimate Werewolf" version and I ever so slightly made it different, but it was all for the sake of drama!
Scarlett's extremely smart. Throwing immunity for someone else isn't something I've ever seen in a Total Drama fic.
My ultimate goal with this story is to make ScarJo (and to a lesser extent, Samler) a thing! Though, to be fair, it's gonna be a bit hard to google seeing as Scarlett Johannsen has a monopoly on "ScarJo". I'd settle for Jarlett, but ScarJo sounds too perfect to pass up on!
Cold Thunder: Almost nothing went Courtney's way last episode, huh? And despite this, her ally managed to secure immunity for himself!
Merge: Jo, Scott, Courtney, Noah, Scarlett, Dawn, Sammy, Dave, Dakota
Episode 19 - All's Fair in Love and War
xxx
The episode started with a beautiful shot of the slow sunset on the docks. The nine remaining contestants were ready to say goodbye to the four guests as the Sub of Shame was seen slowly making its way to the coast. While Lightning and Alejandro were seen grumbling to themselves, Tyler was seen sitting on the edge of the wooden dock alongside his friend Sammy.
"It was great seeing you again." Sammy said in a somber tone. "But can you do me a favor?"
"You want me to give your sister a knuckle sandwich to the face?" the jock replied, mouth agape. "No can do! Back where I'm from, we don't hit little girls— no matter how bratty!"
"No, silly!" the cheerleader blushed, secretly admiring the jock's honesty. "I'd just prefer it if you continued to not watch any of the episodes from this season."
"Wasn't planning to!" Tyler admitted, "You think I enjoy seeing all my friends get hurt? No thank you!"
At that very moment, the camera panned out to reveal Dawn smoothly standing behind the two. She had her eyes closed and kept her hands in her pockets.
Sammy turned around and shuddered, not expecting anyone to be behind them."D-dawn!? Were you listening to us the whole time?" she probed in displeasure.
"Don't worry, Tyler!" the moonchild comforted, putting her soft hands on his broad shoulders. "While you weren't able to win any money, I assure you that a great fortune awaits you and your family."
"Whoa! You're saying I'll hit the big time as a repairman for the parallel bars?" Tyler asked in awe.
Sammy raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Ty? You aren't, you know, upset at Dawn, right? For voting you out?"
"Nah, dude! The day I was sent packing was the day Linds and I got our closure, remember? It was, like, the perfect timing!" he said confidently. "Got what I wanted without having to deal with Chris any longer than necessary. Is that a win or what?"
"Not to mention the disaster that would've befallen on either of you, had you remained on this cursed island," Dawn peacefully justified, "Though, despite all this, evil still lurks at any corner. I predict that we'll all face our greatest obstacle yet very soon."
"...wasn't she having trouble with her magic predicty power tricks the other day?" Tyler whispered while nudging Sammy.
"My sister made her eat fish." the cheerleader answered, absolutely failing to clarify what she meant. "It's a long story."
At that very moment, the loud horn of the Sub of Shame was heard, now being only mere inches away from the dock. Tyler proceeded to stand up, stretch his calves, then reached his hand out for a high-five. Instead, Sammy decided to give him a huge embrace, taking the jock by surprise.
"I'm really going to miss you, Tyler." Sammy confessed, biting her lips. It was almost as if she had more to say, but realized just how little time remained. "See you at the spa resort."
"You kidding me? Next time we see each other will be at the finals! Linds and I are rooting for you, bro." the jock reassured, patting the cheerleader on the back.
The camera panned over to show Dawn and Sky, staring at the rising submarine, a little too ashamed to say a word to each other. Eventually, the gymnast gently squeezed the germaphobe's hand.
"You've come a long way, Dave. Good luck and kick some butt!" she cheered as the scrawny boy smiled. He did not say a word, instead choosing to wave goodbye as Sky began heading for the submarine.
Alejandro was also seen ready to leave before being called out by Jo. "I don't get it, Pretty Boy. What was the point of that whole act?" she questioned.
"I've been relentlessly mocked for my lackluster performance this year. My only goal upon returning to the island was to leave a mark on the game," he confessed solemnly. He stared just a few feet beside him to see a fragile-looking Sammy biting her lips, with Dawn patting her on the back. "Whether I succeeded or not will be revealed in the next couple of days."
Jo squinted her eyes before nodding and giving the puppetmaster a thumbs up. Alejandro then joined Lightning, Sky, and Tyler in the submarine. The four all waved goodbye one last time before Chef kicked down the hatch. The vehicle then submerged into the deep ocean below.
"Can you dweebs stop being so emotional?" Chris yawned performatively. "We're looking for some drama, not a snoozefest! But, that's enough of me. The elimination ceremony will commence at sunset, so start scrambling!"
/
The shot changed to show Courtney, Dave, and Scarlett, all hunched over in the dusty boathouse. Courtney was carefully adjusting some of the wooden planks to conceal the windows while Scarlett watched in boredom.
"Doesn't this seem a little excessive?" the brainiac said with a condescending tone.
"I prefer to keep these matters private." Courtney spat as she squinted her eyes at the redhead. "This was me and Noah's old hiding spot. I'd rather dip my face in lukewarm green jelly than let that pesky worm know our next move."
"Fair enough." Scarlett replied while rolling her eyes. "Let's get business out of the way. Dave, did you tell Courtney what I told you to tell her?"
Dave nodded in response, lowkey hyped to be in an alliance with two strong women.
Scarlett smirked. "Perfect. Now, Courtney; you've given your consent regarding joining forces, correct? It should go without saying that we'll all be going to the Final 3 with one another, yes?"
"Sounds good to me! It looks like we both have an ex-partner we'd like to terminate." she gleamed in excitement.
"But who do we cut first? Jo or Noah?" Dave asked innocently. To an outsider, he looked to be the innocent child stuck between two dominant powerhouses.
"Neither!" Scarlett refuted with a grin. "I've devised a plan that'll increase our odds of survival immensely."
"You realize the entire point of this alliance is to get rid of Jo and Noah, right? Why are we going for someone else?" Courtney asked, only to be immediately shushed by the brainiac.
"Patience, Courtney. That's what separates the weak from the strong. Those who succeed know when to time their cards to the perfect moment." Scarlett gleamed with a sinister look. "Dave, your mission is to recruit Sammy to our side. The two of you are reasonably connected, correct?"
"I guess so. Though, we aren't dating or anything! That's for sure!" Dave awkwardly answered, rubbing the back of his head. "No girls for the Davester until college."
"That wasn't the question!" Courtney snapped.
"As for you, Courtney…" Scarlett continued, ignoring all of Dave's shenanigans, "I want you to provoke Noah as much as possible. Make him think that the votes are headed his way."
"It is fun watching him squirm," Courtney said, putting her finger to her chin, "but, how do I know this isn't a trap? That you and Jo aren't masterminding the whole game?"
"Have you seen Jo and I speak recently?" Scarlett asserted passionately. "The few times we do interact, it's typically about how annoyed we are at one another."
"So? Big deal! Duncan and I always got into nasty arguments. That's how couples are sometimes." Courtney replied, not wanting to relive the past.
"Myself and Jo are not a couple." the brainiac hissed, crossing her arms in a huff. "Do I seem like an individual to hold any sort of romantic feelings?"
"I don't know…" Dave teased slyly, "you two are always running off together. And that's totally cool! You two make a great team!"
"How on Earth do you rationalize two women with absolutely nothing in common as a compatible relationship?" Scarlett claimed with a little more passion than expected.
"You're talking as if the whole opposites attract thing doesn't exist." Courtney smirked. "And to me of all people!"
Scarlett scoffed, not wanting to entertain her two new alliancemates. "Just do what I've asked, and the three of us will be guaranteed in the Final 3." she opened the door and began to leave.
"Wait! We haven't charted out our next course of action! You haven't even told us who to vote for! What are the odds this plan doesn't work in our favor?" Courtney pleaded, anxious over the brevity of their strategy talk.
The brainiac turned back and gave one final nod to the ex-CIT and germaphobe. "The chances of my little scheme falling apart is almost zero."
/
Dawn and Sky were seen resting in the cabin, ready to take a long-awaited nap. Despite the upcoming danger of the elimination ceremony in a few hours, they two were simply too exhausted to strategize with the others. The moonchild was seen in a lotus position on the top bunk, while the cheerleader was trying to make her afternoon nap on the bottom bunk as comfortable as possible. However, the underlying tension was too much to bear.
"Does Tyler like me?" the cheerleader abruptly asked her bunkmate.
The moonchild opened her left eye, and despite the fact that the cheerleader couldn't see her, replied with an earnest smile. "He cares about you, just as much as you care about him."
Sammy pouted. "Yes, I know he cares, but I'm tired of always being the 'nice girl with a crappy sister'. I want to be something more. I want him to look at me like how he used to look at Lindsay."
Dawn gave a sympathetic nod before raising an eyebrow. "You're far too young for him, Sammy. Please don't make the age gap situation more problematic than it needs to be."
"I'm turning 18 next week!" Sammy retorted with a hint of hurt in her voice. "Do you know how exhausting it is to have everyone treat you like a little girl? Like I'm just a punching bag to feel sorry for? Have you even read half the things people say about me online?"
Before Dawn could respond, Sammy continued her rant. "Scratch that. Of course you don't know what it's like. Total Drama barely meant anything to you. I wouldn't even be surprised if you told me you don't own a computer!"
The moonchild gave one of her now famous eyebrow raises before choosing to respond with a calm and reassuring tone. "Firstly, I do own a computer. Bridgette and I have been raising funds to help all the poor animals Chris tortured throughout the years." she explained, "Secondly, you won't be treated this way forever. Come the eve of your adult years, I sense a great change within you." she continued to which Sammy sniffled, slightly reassured to hear her fortune, "and finally, while I'm not a Total Drama superfan like yourself, the events of my first season irreversibly altered the course of my future perception of everything."
Sammy tilted her head in interest. "Do you want to talk about it, Dawn? I know you sang about it a while ago, but I can tell there's more you want to say."
"What else do you want to know?" Dawn asked, perking her ears.
"Scott. Why are you so at war with him?" Sammy questioned, asking the age-old question that's been on many viewers' minds. "No one in the history of Total Drama has held a grudge for this long. Scott burnt Zoey much worse than you could even imagine, yet she holds no ill-will towards him. And wasn't it all three years ago? What gives?"
"I'm not answering," Dawn grumbled, "and I'm not interested in answering anything that has a prying nature to it."
Sammy pouted and crossed her arms. "You know you can't keep this a secret forever, Dawn. Your fans have been dying to know what's up between you and Sco-"
"Is my answer not satisfying enough? How many times are you going to ask?" the moonchild grunted, looking off into the distance. "I'm not interested in having this conversation."
"Why are you so cold nowadays? This isn't like you." the cheerleader comforted, reminiscing of the good old days.
Dawn stared at the ceiling and sighed. "This is just who I am now. Get used to it and stop asking. You're almost as intrusive as-"
"DAKOTA MILTON WINS THE FIRST IMMUNITY OF THE SEASON!" the fame monger hollored from outside, sliding herself through the door in a dynamic pose. "Calm down, boys! You'll get your autographs soon enough!"
Dawn's face dropped as Sammy quietly cringed. The two proceeded to slowly turn their heads in reluctance to face the fame monger, celebrating as if she had just won the lottery.
"So, what's the tea? Are we finally ready for the Dott enemies-to-lovers arc?" Dakota paraded with the utmost sass. Dawn was not amused and refused to comment.
"If you're looking for drama, you've come to the wrong place. We aren't in the mood." Sammy said with a straight face.
"There's always enough room for drama!" Dakota gleamed in excitement. "What's the name of the show again? Topher Has A Boring-cast? Heck, no! This is Total Drama, baby!"
"As always," Dawn noted, now hanging upside-down from the top bunk. "Your need for constant drama is the root of your anxiety. Even a single minute of silence causes a great disturbance within."
"That fish's kept your aura garbage going for too long!" Dakota smirked, "Have you been enjoying the tender taste of meat?"
"Certainly not!" Dawn replied, "Between your therapy sessions and constant desire for attention; even a blind man could read your inner demons!"
Dakota froze in place as her eye twitched, before slowly backing out of the room.
"Ice cold!" Sammy quipped.
/
The scene instantly changed to show Dakota exiting the cabin. At first, she was seen fake crying over Dawn's comment just seconds ago, before deciding to freshen up. The fame monger then stared at the sky before sighing in exhaustion. Having to keep up this facade was absolutely exhausting for her, but she knew exactly what the viewers at home wanted to see.
xxx
Dakota was seen lounging in the outside confessional. "I know I won the first immunity of the season, but it doesn't feel fulfilling at all! Like, at least I won't be kicked off right away for, like, the fourth time, but… I don't know."
She squirmed a little before biting her lip. "Whenever Sam, like, defeats a boss battle or something, he always, without fail, has the goofiest grin for the rest of the day. But me? Nothing!"
xxx
Dakota stared down at her immunity necklace, only to see her own reflection in the shiny exterior. What she saw was the face of a woman who had gone through Hell and back in just the last three years; nay, her entire life!
"Nice going, Blondie," Jo quipped as she instantly appeared on Dakota's side. "Challenge made me want to gouge my eyes out, but I respect the hustle! A medal's a medal, no two ways about it!"
"Oh, hi! Didn't see you there." Dakota awkwardly replied, rubbing her arm in response. "...Blondie? Haven't you already used that one? It was for Lindsay, right?"
"So? Aren't you two twins or something?" the jockette joked much to the fame monger's lack of reaction, "It's a joke, Blondie! What's with all the doom and gloom? You and Game Boy split up or something?"
"No, no. We're completely fine, actually. Three years and counting. We're one of those rare couples that don't get into too many arguments. Unlike you and Scarface, here." Dakota explained patiently.
Jo's eyes widened as she wheezed in response. "Scarface?! Who gave you the right to say that one, Top Surgery?"
"So the fan theories were true all along! It is a pet name!" Dakota began celebrating.
"Pet name?!" Jo spat out, barely able to contain her laughter. "Total Drama fans really are the biggest nobodies, eh? You really think Scarface and I would ever be all lovey-dovey? Forget it! We're like chicken parm and tuna fish. We don't mix!"
Dakota grinned in spectacular excitement. "Girlie, there's enough potential between you and Scar; I could write like thirty books on it! ScarJo's the third most popular ship this season!"
"Third!? Pathetic! Give it a few more days, and we'll take the top spot in no time!" Jo boasted as she began stretching her calves. "What would we even be up against? I'd rather watch paint dry than keep the Samey-Tybaby train going, and anything to do with Hand Sanitizer's nice guy material makes me wanna hurl!"
Dakota couldn't contain her laughter and began bending over to chuckle. Even though she'd rather keep her character in check, it felt exhilarating for her to finally be able to let loose for once, even if it was only for a few seconds.
"Jo, has anyone ever told you how hysterical you can be?!" she gleamed in enjoyment whilst Jo crossed her arms across her chest and smiled.
"No biggie. Comedy's always been one of my many many many talents." the jockette gloated with pride. "Anyway, I'm off. This five-mile dash isn't gonna run itself!"
"Wait!" Dakota pleaded, a bit louder than anticipated. Jo raised an eyebrow in response. "Before you go, how would you like to work together? Courtney tried sucking up to me earlier and it left a real bad taste in my mouth. I've always wanted to join the ScarJo alliance-"
"There is no ScarJo alliance!" Jo corrected, "Call it a breakup, but there's no chance we're voting together."
"Then use me as a number! Show Scar who's boss!" Dakota petitioned with glee as Jo put a finger to her chin in thought. After a few moments, she stuck her hand out.
"You got yourself a deal, Attention Hog!" the jockette congratulated as the fame monger shook her hand.
"Attention Hog?!" she replied, sounding a bit hurt, "…not bad!" Dakota finished with a nod, changing her tone to a more analytical one. "Friends?" she giggled.
"...sure?" Jo sneered.
xxx
"If I had a nickel for every time a dumb blonde wanted to rep Team Jo this season… I'd have two nickels!" Jo observed. "Yeah, I had to use some good ol' fashioned take-no-prisoners charm, but I bet I hit a home run with recruiting Phone Alone to the dark side."
"...or am I on the light side for once? Hard to say!" she shrugged. "Scarlett's Web hasn't talked to me all day but I know she's getting Courterpounder and Dave Danger as her personal flying monkeys. It all comes down to securing a few allies of my own. But who?"
xxx
Noah was seen privately sneaking around the corner of the boys' cabin. Scott came running up behind him in exhaustion.
"Spit it out, man. What's your intel?" the snarker demanded in a rather impatient tone.
"Nuh-uh. What's in it for me? Back when Pappy could still talk, he told me to never work for free!" Scott retaliated, much to an annoyed Noah.
"...you never mentioned wanting anything!" Noah hissed. "Hold up your side of the deal!"
"Suit yourself, guy. The reason Dave's giving you the silent treatment is for me to know and for you to find out!" Scott smirked, happy that he could finally one-up the boy with superior intellect.
Noah put his hand over his mouth and bit on one of his fingers before taking a deep sigh. "Fine. If you spill the beans, I'll find out why that environmental rage monster wants your head mounted on her wall."
"Wow! What a bargain!" Scott mocked in a fake tone. "Gee, what could it possibly be? It's not like she mentions it every few hours! I got her eliminated; big deal!"
"You really think that's all there is to it, huh?" Noah smugly smiled as he leaned on the wall. "There's got to be a whole iceberg of secrets just waiting to be uncovered. Lucky for you, if you tell me what you know about Dave, I'll finally put all your tension to rest."
"Why should I care? Is it cause I eat bacon for breakfast? Or is it because my toothpaste contains animal fat? There's not much to gain, bro." Scott pestered as he began sniffing his armpits in delight.
"You're missing a year's worth of memories, aren't you? Mutilation via shark will do that to ya'" Noah mused as he began inching towards his target. "Aren't you at least a little curious over everything behind-the-scenes on your first season? There's got to be some juicy truth to uncover."
Scott was slightly taken aback and squirmed. He rubbed his own shoulder as he cringed over the pain he suffered all those years ago. At that moment, Jo was walking behind the corner to listen in on their conversation.
"...you have yourself a deal. But in return, you and I aren't gonna try to take each other out, right?" Scott suggested.
"Sounds good to me. We'll let the others cannibalize themselves first." Noah nodded. "Now, tell me what happened."
The farmer grimaced as he tried to not give the snarker any eye-contact. "Okay, just… don't tell Courtney about this. She finally trusts me again."
"Still got feelings for her? Given how she's been acting lately, I find that difficult to comprehend." Noah deadpanned with dripping sarcasm.
"No, not at all. Bossy ladies don't work for me anymore. It's just… nice to know someone trusts me." Scott admitted. "All this lying makes my head hurt."
Noah rolled his eyes, truly not caring over Scott's situation. "I won't tell Courtney. Now spill the beans already!"
"Courtney lied to Dave about you. She claimed that you tried to pit him against Lightning. Apparently, you threatened to eliminate her if she didn't act like a damsel in distress in front of Dave." Scott quickly positioned as Noah grew angrier and angrier. "Now that Dave's all buddy-buddy with the guy, he's mad that you orchestrated the entire rivalry."
"That no-good conniving daughter of a &*!#" Noah grunted with his teeth clenched. "She's trying to take Dave away from me!"
"Trying? I'd say she's succeeding!" Scott bantered, "You didn't stand much of a chance, man. She's got the power of girly parts on her side."
"That's enough." Jo interjected from the side as she made her presence clear. Noah and Scott were both surprised to have been caught, but deep down, both knew it could have been much worse.
"You were eavesdropping on us?" Noah asked with a bored expression on his face.
"Yeah, but I kinda don't care! You can keep your petty drama to yourself. I'm just looking for folks who wanna bring Court Knox down!" Jo proposed with a menacing glare. "Us three got her beloved meathead kicked off last time, so why don't we come together for the main course?"
"Count me out," Scott insisted as he looked away. "You think I'm game to vote out one of the few people who still trusts me? In your dreams!"
"You saw how aggressive she can get, right?" Noah snarked as he pointed to his black eye. "If she lives and Jo and I go, you're next on the chopping block. Kiss your kiwis goodbye, bro."
"Ehh, I wouldn't mind leaving her around for another round." Jo thought for a moment much to Noah's shock, "You saw how dogcrap she was at the card game, yeah? She can't win a challenge to save herself. Why don't we cut a game threat instead?"
"And who are you suggesting?" Noah questioned, upset that Courtney's name was slowly falling off the table.
"Scarface!" the jockette answered, "I'm sick of her dominating every stupid challenge."
Noah closed his eyes to rationalize for a moment before reluctantly nodding. "She did take away my well-earned victory earlier. I wouldn't mind making her pay the price."
"I'm down for voting Scarlett." Scott agreed, "It's about time this island went under new management."
"Yeah, just keep in mind, boys" Jo rattled on, "if Scarface has an ace up her sleeve with the whole Chris Head Immunity Statue thing, we'll be changing our votes to String Courtet, got it?"
"I can live with 's no way she found the immunity statue, right? All she got was my cheap knockoff!" Scott nodded as Jo slyly turned her head to the camera and stared directly at it.
xxx
Scott was seen in the outhouse confessional counting on both his hands. "So Jo's side has myself, Jo, Noah, and Dakota while Scarlett's side has herself, Dave, Courtney, and Sammy. It'll be four against four."
"That's eight votes accounted for in a cast of nine. That last person's gonna be really important in deciding which alliance takes all the glory. But who am I missing?" he pondered as he began mouthing the names of all the remaining contestants. Suddenly, his eyes widened in fear.
"OH, CRUD!"
/
Dawn was seen at the very top of Wawanakwa's iconic cliff. Her eyes were shut tight as her arms were stretched out wide. The moonchild was peacefully meditating with several orange birds were seen resting on her sleeves. The beautiful purple sky contrasted perfectly with the setting sun. This seemingly never-ending day was finally coming to an end.
At that moment, a brisk gust of wind was heard from behind her. Her feathered friends began flying away in terror as the moonchild opened her eyes, completely unamused. She lowered her arms as she tightly clenched her fists. While yesterday's protein boost was nearing its end, the person behind her had an aura the shade of violent crimson. The dominance was simply too menacing to ignore.
She turned around with tense shoulders and a scowl. "What do you want, Sc-" But to her surprise, it was the other remaining redhead. "-arlett!?"
"You're in quite the prime position to be a kingmaker," Scarlett gestured to the horizon. The two women stared down at the vast ocean below. In the distance, they could also spot the cabins. Specifically, Dave was seen trying to explain something to Sammy.
"Work with me, and I'll guarantee you a spot in the final two. Wouldn't that be the showdown of the ages? Science versus Spirituality?" the brainiac tempted as Dawn continued to gaze off into the distance.
"The Earth Mother forbids her children from servicing those who cause great evil to others." Dawn prophesied as Scarlett mentally noted it down.
"True," the brainiac nodded, not entirely sure what Dawn was talking about, "But as I've been saying all game; better to keep the devil everyone knows about, than the devil no one knows about. We need one more vote to confirm Scott's elimination."
The second Scarlett finished her sentence, Dawn's ears instantly perked up. The thought of finally redeeming herself from her tragic embarrassment from her previous season was simply too attractive in her vengeful eyes.
"I'm sure you'll make an error-free decision." Scarlett vowed as she began walking away. As the sun finally disappeared from the sky, darkness began shrouding the island, leaving an elevated Dawn by her lonesome.
Could this be it? Was this finally the opportunity she had been patiently waiting for? After ten entire eliminations, was it now the time for the Ferocious Farmer to meet his end?
Before Dawn could even provoke the thought of all this potential, the sound of tired gasping was heard. She turned around to spot the farmer in question, barely able to crawl up the steep cliff.
"P-please," he begged with a sharp wheeze, "k-keep me in the game… and I'll m-make it up to you. I s-swear on my Pappy."
Dawn rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and proceeded to give him the silent treatment. She refused to allow herself to be manipulated yet again. No one was going to ruin her golden opportunity.
Scott cleared his throat as he stood up straight. He tapped the girl's shoulder to gain her attention. She did not reciprocate the gesture.
"...yeah, I figured this wasn't gonna work." he admitted, still in desperate need of air. "But I have something for you. Consider it a peace offering." he continued as he walked in front of the moonchild and gently placed some pink berries into her hands.
Dawn clenched her fists and began storming off, not at all wanting to entertain the farmer.
"I know you've been having trouble with your readings lately, but you have to believe me. I'm not at all like I was three years ago." Scott pleaded for even a few seconds of attention, "Pappy always told me that even a few bites can get our noggins pumping, so eat up. I want to make things right between the two of us. Just give me a few more days, Dawn."
Dawn's eyes turned back to normal, no longer wearing the cold look on her face. However, she still made her way down the cliff, leaving a defeated Scott all by himself. The sun had finally set. It was now time for elimination.
/
The crackle of a campfire rose over the night sky. The humming of a Greek chorus was heard as the background noise delved into chaos. The scene panned down to show the nine remaining campers all by the campfire. However, both Dave & Dakota, donning beautiful gold immunity necklace, were standing behind Chris. The vulnerable seven were all seen with a mixture of anticipation and grief.
"After a gargantuan episode filled to the brim with questions, answers, love, and war, it is now time for our very first merge campfire ceremony! Before we begin, would Dakota or Dave like to give their necklaces to someone else?" Chris announced.
"Not a chance!" Dave confidently answered.
"Never in a million years! I earned this victory all by myself!" Dakota boasted.
"That's a first!" Courtney quipped to Scarlett, who politely snickered.
"With that out of the way, it's time to get voting!" Chris said as he raised his arms in the air. To his surprise, so did Scarlett.
"If I may, Christian? I'd like to notify the others that I'll be playing my McLean-Brand Chris Head tonight!" she poised, raising the statue up in the air. She was careful to obscure the front as it contained the McLean Seal of Approval.
"What a load of baloney!" Jo groaned, carefully recalling the script the two had agreed on. "That's just one of Sharkhead's fakes!"
"Do you truly want to tempt fate?" Scarlett playfully taunted, trying to keep the charade going. The two women were absolutely enjoying having complete control of the campfire ceremony, all while the other seven were blissfully unaware of their secret partnership.
"Timeout! I call for a team huddle," Jo requested while Chris shrugged in response. Quickly, Scott, Noah, and Dakota were all rounded up in a small circle.
"There's no chance she has the real idol, right?" Scott pestered in denial.
"It's best if we don't risk it," Noah calculated, "Scarlett's too isn't altruistic enough to play it on someone else."
"Yeah, what Noah's Snark said. Let's go for the other one." Jo suggested. "It's the only shot we got."
"Voting for Courtney?!" Scott said in a hissing whispering. "That's the one thing I didn't want!"
"Hey, we made a deal!" Jo retaliated. "If Scarface pulls out McLame's head, we change our votes to Courterfinalist."
"Wouldn't be the first time Dirtboy failed to hold his end of a bargain…" Noah snarked.
"FYI, you realize you're the name they're putting down, right?" Dakota added to which Scott's jaw clenched in silent anger.
As all this was happening, the foursome of Scarlett, Sammy, Courtney, and Dave were all seen awkwardly watching the silent scuffle. Scarlett signaled a thumbs-up to her three alliance-mates as they truly had nothing to worry about.
Meanwhile, lone wolf Dawn was left with a concerned expression as she began making her two pointer fingers touch.
Eventually, Jo's alliance separated and sat back down.
"We're ready to vote, McLean." Noah concluded as the Host gave a cunning grin.
"Then what are we waiting for? Dakota, why don't you start us off?" Chris offered to a starry-eyed fame monger.
Dakota squealed in excitement. "With pleasure!"
xxx
In the outhouse confessional, the fame monger was seen placing an already written vote into an urn.
"It's good to be back!" she nodded, giving a blowing kiss to the camera.
xxx
Static cut the scene where Dave was seen meekly writing Scott's name on a parchment.
"This is for you, Lightning! Sha-revenge!" he cried out
xxx
Noah was third as he was seen writing down Courtney's name.
"You know how they say it's been a pleasure? Well, it sure hasn't!" the snarker deadpanned as he placed the vote into the urn.
xxx
Next was Sammy, who was seen nervously placing her vote into the urn.
"Dave trusts me to stick with him and I'm in dire need of allies, so… here we go!" she rationalized.
xxx
Jo was fifth, who smirked darkly as she wrote "Court Jester" on her parchment.
xxx
Scarlett was sixth, who calmly eyed the parchment before simply writing Scott's name down in an orderly fashion
xxx
Courtney then entered the confessional, revealed the name "Scott" on her already written parchment, then placed it into the urn.
"I'd prefer if we went for Noah this round, but the alliance needs numbers first. Sorry it had to end this way, Scott." she groaned in reluctance.
xxx
Scott was next, uncharacteristically shaking in nervousness. He couldn't quite control his right hand, both due to anxiety and because Dawn had broken it a few days prior. After a bit of adjustment, he was able to write "Courtney" on the parchment.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he complained while slapping himself in the face, "If you're watching this; I'm really really sorry, Courtney."
xxx
Finally, Dawn entered the confessional. She had her hands in her green sweater as she raised her eyebrow to the audience.
"Who could've possibly known that this vote would all come down to me." she muttered under her breath as the confessional cut to static.
/
The footage returned to show Chris holding a tray of six marshmallows as Chef gave the remaining two to Dakota & Dave.
"If anyone has a McLean Brand Statue Head and you'd like to play it; now would be the time to do so!" he announced as everyone else began eying Scarlett.
"You know, I'd prefer to increase my alliance's odds." the brainiac said as she stood up, walked over to the Host, and handed him a totem.
Chris began closely inspecting the item before immediately deciding to toss it into the campfire moments later. "No can do, Scarlett! Without the McLean sea of approval, that's a total fraud! Any votes cast for Scarlett will count!"
"Goodness, no!" Scarlett said, pretending to sound shocked. "A fake? Who ever could have seen that coming? Boohoo!"
"Looks like ol' Scarface's starting to get predictable!" Jo taunted in laughter, "Falling for one of Dirtface's knock-offs? Oldest trick in the book! How stupid do you have to be? Haw haw, look at me! I'm Scarlett, the world's dumbest brainia-"
"SILENCE!" Scarlett hissed in annoyance, not expecting this unnecessary teasing. "Who gave you the right to speak?"
"I don't know, Miss. Stake, who did? Who gave you the right to mess up this badly?" Jo pestered even more, digging the knife deeper and deeper. Despite how lame Jo's comebacks were, everyone was hesitant to see what would happen next.
Scarlett growled as her eye twitched. Her eyes turned scarlet red as she grabbed Jo by the collar and began to rant.
"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL I PLAYED THAT FAKE ON PURPOSE! MY PLAN WAS TO GAUGE REACTIONS TO ESTIMATE WHERE THE VOTES WERE HEADED. BASED ON MY MOVE, IF YOUR GOONSQUAD PROVIDED ANY PANICKED EXPRESSIONS, THAT WOULD'VE SIGNALED ME TO PLAY THE REAL MCLEAN STAT-"
Unfortunately, Scarlett was too late to fix her mistake. Everyone stared at her with their mouths agape.
"...so you do have the real one!" Dakota poshly giggled, ushering a fistbump from Jo.
"Hook, line, and sinker!" Jo leered as Scarlett looked ready to pounce on her. Luckily, Chef intervened, grabbed the brainiac, and placed her on her seat.
"...is it bad to say I have no clue if that was scripted or not?" Noah confessed to Scott, who was far too nervous to respond. "Are those two sociopaths playing us all like fiddles?"
"It's an hour-long show, people! Let's get a move on!" Chris complained.
/
The footage cut once more to show a close-up of Chris, now with only one marshmallow on his plate. Jo, Scarlett, Noah, Sammy, and Dawn had now joined Dakota & Dave on the safe side. Courtney and Scott remained sitting on the logs, both in a state of pure anxiety.
"Four votes Courtney, four votes Scott, one vote left!" the Host announced as the background music grew more tense by the second. Courtney's eyes widened in fear while Scott looked as if he was about to burst into tears.
It was finally time. "The final marshmallow goes to…"
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
"...Scott!" The farmer's eyes rolled back into his skull as he fainted, just as the marshmallow flew above his head.
"WAIT, WHAT?!" Courtney said in confusion standing up. "I DEMAND A RECOUNT!"
"We made sure to triple-check!" Chris confirmed, "Even we were shocked at all this!"
"D-dawn? Why?!" Sammy stuttered to the moonchild, who had a grumpy expression on her face.
"T-thank you, thank you, thank you!" Scott cheered as he woke up and began rushing to the remaining players. He attempted to give Dawn a hug. She was able to dodge before giving him a shove to the chest in disgust. She then began to walk away into the forest without uttering another word.
/
The scene changed to show Courtney's face poking out of the submarine hatch. The new final eight, sans Dawn, were all seen waving goodbye; albeit some looking happier than others.
Dave in particular was giving her a solemn salute. "It was an honor working with you, Courtney."
"All things considered; you were a very loyal ally." the ex-CIT admitted, "I wish I could say the same to that snake."
Noah rolled his eyes and proceeded to do the "duck" gesture with his hands. "Keep on telling yourself that, Court. Always blame the victim, because it's never your fault!"
"Save it. I'm not stooping down to your level." Courtney grunted, turning around with her arms crossed. "That's all I ever was to you, wasn't I? Just another notch on your belt. Another person to take advantage of."
"To be fair, you kinda did it to yourself, See-You-In-Court!" Jo nodded, wrapping her arms around Noah's shoulders.
Courtney shot the two an angry look. "Why are you smiling!? My god, I can't handle this right now."
As if on queue, Chef kicked down the hatch as the submarine began descending down to the ocean below.
"More thrills, chills, and kills coming your way!" Chris quipped as he stared into the camera before being interrupted by the fame monger, who was now sabotaging the outro.
"Why did Dawn choose to keep Scott around? ScarJo, yay or nay? And will someone please sponsor another spin-off for Dakota? Find out when we return on TOTAL! DRAMA! THE ISLAND STRIKES BACK!" she finished as Chris shot her an angry look.
"I will only allow this once!" he retorted.
(Fade to Black)
/
Surprisingly, the episode continued. Dave was seen trying (and failing) to draw Courtney's face with a stick as Sammy walked over to him and pet him on the back.
"I know you and Courtney were close. You were into her but she wasn't interested." she comforted as Dave took a sigh, "But at least your friendship remains intact. That usually doesn't happen on this show."
"And I know the feeling when someone you love has to leave." she silently stuttered, remembering Tyler's elimination, "But I promise to stick with you till the very end."
Dave stared into her eyes lovingly, happy to hear that promise.
"And as for your hopeless romantic thing," the cheerleader continued, "Cheer up, man! There's plenty of fish in the ocean, Dave. I'm positive you'll find the right girl eventually." she then stood up and waved goodbye, ready for a goodnight's sleep. As the germaphobe was left alone, he stared into the camera.
"Believe me, Sammy. I've already found her." he revealed as the camera showed his drawing, not of a poorly-drawn Courtney, but rather of Sammy herself.
(Fade to Credits)
Author's Note:
THERE WE GO! After about 27,000 words, assuming you count all three parts, this chapter takes the cake as the longest episode of the season yet! Given that I had to write for Dakota's return, all the merge dynamics, a very complex challenge, and an even crazier elimination; it's no surprise this was a gargantuan task! This Final 9 episode took roughly 1/6th of the entire story thus far! Can you even believe it?
I'm going to be honest; I feel that whenever someone writes a story, they always have a "checkpoint" in mind regarding when the craziness and plot twists truly begin. I'm happy to say that after about 4.5 years, I've finally reached this point! This point in the story was the level of set-up and drama I've been dreaming about since 2015! Remember Courtney's final moment during the very first chapter? That was all set-up with this episode in mind!
But that's enough stroking my own ego. What did you all think of the entire episode? Was it worth the wait? Did you all like me emulating a somewhat frequent release schedule? What about all the characters? I seriously love everyone still in the game (plus Courtney) so this was a blast to write! And there's only going to be so much more craziness coming soon!
I seriously hope I didn't jump the shark with the appropriately titled "Jumping the Shark" chapter haha!
Please leave a review and tell me what you think! That's all for now!
Jpeg
Voting Chart:
Courtney - Dakota, Dawn, Jo, Noah, Scott
Scott - Courtney, Dave, Sammy, Scarlett
Elimination Table:
Dakota - (19th Place) (Returned)
Shawn - (18th Place)
Topher - (17th Place)
Bridgette - (16th Place)
Sky - (15th Place)
Brick - (14th Place)
Alejandro - (13th Place)
Tyler - (12th Place)
Lindsay - (11th Place)
Lightning - (10th Place)
Courtney - (9th Place)