Here's the next chapter that I wanted to upload today. Hope you enjoy it, and sorry if it feels a little on the choppy side. It was a bit of a rush job. Like I said, I'm hoping to go at a rate that will have this story finished by Halloween Night. And so, let's get back into it, shall we?
*I still don't own Legend of Korra or Nightmare Before Christmas!*
Korra's Lament
The people of Halloween Town were still laughing in delight at the incredible Halloween they just pulled off this year. Truly a masterpiece of fright and horrors. And they all had their own positive opinions on the matter. The Witch Sisters cheered as they tossed their hats into the air while everyone else began voicing their thoughts.
"IT'S OVER!" Clown cheered loudly.
"We did it!" added Behemoth.
He and Clown shared a celebratory chest bump as the others were a little less eccentric in their celebrations.
"Wasn't it terrifying?" the Werewolf asked.
"What a night!" exclaimed Mister Hyde and Cyclops.
"Great Halloween, everybody!" congratulated the Mayor.
"I believe it was our most horrible yet! Thank you, everyone!" exclaimed Jack as he and Korra stepped off the fountain.
"No, it's thanks to you and Korra, Jack. Without you two and your brilliant leadership…"
"Not at all, Mayor." Jack said modestly, cutting off the Mayor.
He and Korra were still smiling, if a little uncomfortably as the people of Halloween Town began crowding them and voicing their opinions on how well the two of them did this year.
"You're such a scream, Jack!" exclaimed the fat Vampire Brother.
"You're a witch's fondest dream!" the Tall Witch added.
"You and Korra made walls fall!" exclaimed the Short Witch as she clung to Jack's leg.
Korra raised her hands in a form of surrender as she tried to diffuse the situation before it got too uncomfortable for her and Jack. She appreciated the kind words of the people, as these were genuine compliments and words of praise rather than people just trying to get in her good graces due to her Avatar Status. But it got a bit overwhelming sometimes.
"Please, everyone, Jack and I may be the best, but we're not that great." she said.
"Oh, you're so modest, Korra." complimented the Tall Witch as she pinched the girl's cheek like a grandmother would.
Much to her embarrassment.
Watching from behind the Hanging Tree at the skeleton she admires and - secretly - loves with all her heart, the rag doll woman from the previous chapter was blissfully unaware of an approaching presence. That is, until she was pulled down by an old man dressed as a mad scientist. This man has a jaw that looks more like a duck's beak, a large bald head with several bolts going around it, and was wearing a pair of safety shades for his more chemical based experiments. He's also confined to a motorized wheelchair, much like how Korra once was.
"The Deadly Nightshade you slipped me wore off, Sally." the man said, sounding slightly cross.
"Let go!" demanded the now named Sally.
But his grip didn't waver. If anything, it just got a bit tighter, but not tight enough to be painful.
"You're not ready for so much excitement." the doctor said, trying to reason with the rag doll.
But she was having none of it.
"Yes I am!" she protested.
"You're coming with me!" grunted the doctor as he tried to drag Sally back to his lab.
"No, I'm not!"
That's when Sally did something the doctor didn't expect. She reached for her upper arm, and undid the stitching holding it in place, knocking the doctor to the ground and out of his chair while she ran away.
"Come back here, you foolish - OOF! OH! OH HOHO!" grunted the doctor as Sally's arm seemed to have a mind of its own, and was now rapidly bonking him on his bald head.
Back with our resident rulers of Halloween, the two were slowly backing up as the crowd of admirers was getting a bit too close for comfort. Not that any of them seemed able to tell. Either that, or they just didn't care about the concept of personal space.
"Oh, Jack! You and Korra make wounds ooze and flesh crawl!" exclaimed the Undersea Girl.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much." Jack managed to say through his growing stress.
"This is becoming a serious invasion of my personal space…" mumbled Korra.
Fortunately, it seems help has just arrived in the most unlikely of people.
"HOLD IT!" the Mayor exclaimed into his megaphone, getting the crowd's attention. "We haven't given out prizes yet."
The crowd of monsters and ghouls all broke out into excitement at the prospect of winning an award for their Halloween contributions, thus temporarily forgetting about their heroes. Jack and Korra made a mental note to thank the Mayor for the distraction later, and quietly bolted like Platypus-Bats out of hell.
"Our first award goes to the Vampires for Most Blood Drained in a Single Evening." the Mayor announced, giving the Vampire Bros a trophy. "Our next prize goes to the Witches for…"
While the Mayor was busy handing out awards, Jack and Korra rounded a corner thus ensuring their escape. After making sure they hadn't been followed, both sighed and wiped the sweat from their foreheads. They were both physically and mentally exhausted from such a long and eventful night and just wanted some time to themselves for the night.
As they walked down the road to the cemetery, the two passed by a small band of zombies who were playing some slow jazz on the side of the road. The leader of the band played a Saxophone made of bones, a tall member played an accordion that seemed to be made from a dead fish, and the last member was playing a bass that looked like it was made from a coffin. As they passed, both Halloween leaders reached into their pockets and fished out a coin before tossing them into the tin can the band was using.
"Nice work, Bone Daddy. And to you as well, Raven Queen." said the Saxophone player.
"Yeah, I guess so. Just like last year." Jack replied tiredly.
"And the year before that." Korra added.
"And the year before that." Jack finished.
After leaving Halloween Town, the door to the grave Korra had entered opened up as Korra stepped out, still in her Pumpkin Queen outfit. She saw her wheelchair still right where she left it and thought about bringing it with her. But she decided against it since she doesn't really need it anymore. Besides, all it does is bring up all of the depressing things she has to go through every day now that people seem to have lost their respect for the Avatar.
Not that she entirely blamed them. After all, who's ever heard of a crippled Avatar? It's unheard of, actually. Deciding against walking home to where everyone would no doubt question her if not outright interrogate her like a criminal, Korra decided to walk through the cemetery so that she could think.
But the more she thought, the more depressed she became. And as her depression grew, a familiar tune began to play throughout the graveyard. No one from Halloween Town knows where this music comes from or why it plays, but whenever it plays, people always take the opportunity to sing. And Korra is no exception. For as she rested against one of the larger graves, she began to sing a song very close to her heart.
One that describes how she feels just perfectly.
Korra
There are few who'd deny
At what I do I am the best
For my talents are renowned far and wide
When it comes to surprises
In the night or in a fight
I excel without ever even trying
As she sings her song, Korra begins to dance around the graveyard in a manner that would make a certain skeleton proud. She does this until she comes across a pair of graves that look like a frightened horse and its rider.
Korra
With the slightest little effort
Of my black bird charms
I have seen grown men give out a shriek
With the wave of my claws
And a well placed slash
I have swept the very strongest off their feet
That's when the music takes a drastically sad turn as Korra begins to feel her insecurities and depression creeping up on her like it has been ever since she had been confined to a wheelchair. And even though she no longer needs it, the feelings are still there.
Korra
Yet year after year
It's the same old thing
And I grow so tired of the sound of screams
And I… KORRA
The Raven Queen
Have turned so weary of the same routine
Korra slowly walked up a snow covered hill as the music took an even sadder tune to suit her mood, completely unaware of a certain Air Bender child watching her from behind the graves. Not that she'd care, anyway.
Korra
Oh somewhere deep inside of my heart
An emptiness grew part by part
There's something out there far from my home
A longing that I've never known
As the music began to pick up once again, Korra started to list off her various accomplishments since becoming Jack's second-in-command of Halloween. Things that would seem impossible to any ordinary human. Whether they can bend the elements or not. As proven by how she caused tiny ghosts to appear from out of the pumpkins in a nearby pumpkin patch before they disappeared.
Korra
I'm a mistress of fright
And a demon in light
Yet I'll scare you right out of your pants
To a guy in Kentucky
I'm 'Mistress Unlucky'
And I'm known throughout England and France
As she sang, the Air Bender child, Jinora, slowly crept closer as she stayed hidden behind the graves so as to not give herself away. But it was a bit tricky to do with the snow crunching beneath her feet. It's the loudest snow she's ever heard in her life.
But she was even more startled as she witnessed Korra remove her head like it was a normal thing to do before putting it back on as she kept singing.
Korra
Now, as for my head
I'll just take it off instead
And recite Shakespearean quotations
No animal nor man
Can be strong like I can
With the fury of my deathly motivations
The music once again turns sad as the poor girl begins to release all of her bottled up emotions of sadness and anger at the world, and how so few people supposedly supported her. She can see it in their eyes. They don't believe in her at all. And they seem to not care that she knows this.
Korra
But who here
Would ever understand
That the Avatar with her confident grin
Would tire of her burdens
If they only understood
She'd give it all up
If she only could
She slowly begins walking down the snowy slope of the hill towards the Hinterlands, which have been disguised as a forest of dead trees that have been encased in a thin layer of ice due to the cold. A fine way for her to get away from everyone. Her voice began to crack as she could feel herself beginning to cry.
Korra
Oh there's an empty place in my soul
That calls out for what I don't know
The pain and scorn come year after year
Does nothing for
These broken tears
As the song finished, the music seemed to vanish into thin air as she walked into the frozen woods all by herself. Jinora wanted to follow her, but something was keeping her from doing so. She felt her tears fall from her eyes and freeze on the snow as she realized just how much damage everyone has done to Korra. Intentionally or otherwise.
'Korra… Have you always felt so sad?'
*To Be Continued…*
Okay, there we go. Korra has just finished this song, and soon we'll come up with a little something extra for the next chapter. Thank you guys so much for reading. Please don't forget to leave a LONG REVIEW for this chapter. May the Force be with you, and have a great day.