Author's Note
Hey, folks! I hope you're ready for what I think is an interesting chapter, filled with the twists and turns that you all love. Though perhaps it isn't as dramatic as last week's, but I believe the Shuffled version of the Greece episode will be enjoyable. Next week is Sweden and the third quarter finale; both the musical number (as usual) and the need to slow down and plot things out has once more delayed the chapter's finish, meaning I'll be finishing it up on Saturday.
My apologies if I sound a little terse, but I accidentally closed the tab while responding to the reviews so I've had to write the first seven, as well as the preceding paragraph, all over again.
PizzaTheBomb: Thanks! I'm glad you liked the reference to ROTI with Dawn's line, as well as canon with Tyler being forced to strip the guard - both were too good to pass up. It was surprisingly fun to write the Ripper picking everyone off one by one, and perhaps even more so writing the big reveal of what Staci has become.
I. M. Poik: Glad you liked it, Shawn's elimination and the gender ratio aside. To be honest I'm not really bothered by the ratio, but then again I do already know more-or-less what's gonna happen at Niagara Brawls. I enjoyed writing my Ripper's success, even more so knowing what would become of it what with her roll in the love snarl and all. Plus, at the very least I figured it would be fairer than what happened in canon, and certainly more interesting (at least in my view). Sugar was absolutely making a reference to Leonard, by the way. And as for your questions...well, the first two won't be answered for a while, but as for the others...just read on and find out!
aloasa: Ehh, I guess I can't expect everyone to be excited about Staci's return. Oh well. Hopefully the changes she'll force in the cast's dynamic will be more enjoyable.
Solarr-Eclipse: Hah, well, I do call the chapters 'episodes myself' after all. And honestly, unless you were really paying a lot of attention each week and made it a point to remember every little detail of what I said, I doubt you'd have come to the conclusion that I was gonna to what I did with Staci. Though I will admit I have been very deliberate with a lot of things regarding her this season, and the way Tyler inadvertently looked at her is a good example. I'm super happy you're looking forward to what happens next, and I hope it lives up to your expectations.
Animation Adventures: Thanks! Honestly, I really enjoyed writing it; it's not something I do very often and I really wanted to have the tension and rising panic, especially in Sammy and Ella, really come through. I'm glad that, for better or worse, that part of the chapter has been really well-received. Keeping the song so close to canon was basically born from me wanting to repeat the line about Tyler having to strip the guard, and admittedly a bit of laziness. Still, I think it worked. And Staci's twists...well, I've been looking forward to those for some time now, and they were deliberately meant to be a sort of last minute mood whiplash, going from the tense horror to the surreal weirdness. I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you enjoy what comes next!
acosta perez jose ramiro: To be honest, I actually came up with the idea of what to do to Staci long before that episode of the Ridonculous Race came out. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that series introduced werewolves as being something that actually exists in the TD universe since it adds some credibility to Staci's story, but with so much regarding that girl and the series as a whole things aren't always what they seem.
Elizabeth Fire Ice Heart: Yup, pretty much. I knew early on that turning Staci into a monster of sorts was exactly what I needed to fill a certain 'hole' in the greater TD plot, and all in all I'm happy with what I decided to do to her.
P. T. Piranha: Yeah, fair enough all things considered. I kinda figured going into things that Shawn's boot wasn't gonna make a lot of people happy, so i did my best to justify it with only Sammy being a little questionable. But hey, given her age and history, I figure it's absolutely warranted for her to care about how she's perceived, especially if she thinks she'll get grief over it from her sister. And yeah, I will admit that part of the reason for the mix-up was to disguise the serial elimination of Team Chris. Glad you liked the song; the canon version is one of my favorites as well. And as for the twists with Staci, well, I'm glad you're accepting them. It's one of those weird things that I personally like and think will work in the story, but which I know might be a little outlandish to my readers.
Glowing Insanity: Yeah, I'm not surprised that somebody considered the possibility of Scarlett as the Ripper; it was never one I considered though since I knew really early on int the planning stages of the season that it would be Staci. Besides, we've had enough of Scarlett for now. As for Amy being the returnee...well, I deliberately invoked that with the mask gag, so there's not much else to say. And I'm glad I was able to make the episode seem so different to it's canon equivalent, despite following much the same formula. It just goes to show how much the characters matter.
VIPGuest: Hmm, well, I wouldn't call what they did making out, but I'm glad you kinda like it. As for Staci...well, I will say that there's a logical answer for what happened to her, even if it's TD logic and not real-world logic.
CVluvFoxy: Haha, glad you're excited for Staci's return and her place in the story. Also glad you're liking Sugar, as well as the references to the canon seasons. I know I don't do them too often nowadays, but I'm happy when I can find ones that really work. And...you may be the only one who's really happy about Shawn's elimination, not that I mind or anything.
Sean the Artic Fox: Well, just see how things turn out I guess is all I can say myself.
Explorer of the Unknown: Mmm. In my defense, the TDverse has always been a little weird in the background even if it didn't become too obvious until the later seasons. What I did with Staci...knowing all the details In my mind, I'm confident in saying that it makes perfect sense in-universe, if not strictly at this point in time compared to canon. And yeah, Greece is this week and Sweden is next week; both times have pretty...unusual challenges, in terms of what I've had to write, rewrite, and justify; but you'll find out soon enough. Glad you've made peace with Shawn's elimination, though I won't say when or if he'll get to compete again...yet...
ferguson97: Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed the kiss. Though I disagree with her being a completely blank slate; she does have some established character traits that need to be kept in mind, but aside from that there is a lot of room to explore and develop her character. Glad I managed to catch you off-guard with the fake Amy reveal; I deliberately included it as a reference to the fact that she's returned/entered halfway through in both previous seasons. But, of course, it was finally Staci's turn to grab the spotlight. And yeah, Sammy's smart enough to know that Alejandro will betray her eventually...but that doesn't mean she doesn't have standards herself. Besides, I needed her alliance with Alejandro to actually be meaningful, even if the outcome of it is unpleasant.
FOWLKON: Honestly, having the kissing scene involve DJ, Dawn, or Sammy never even crossed my mind, because as you said it wouldn't have been particularly dramatic even if the episodes had been in the canon order. Having it involve Alejandro and Ella...well, I'll admit it didn't occur to me but I can see it working. However, I chose Staci for a reason, and that was because I wanted it to be Ella who walked in on it. As for why...you'll understand, I hope, in time.
Knifez: Whew, it's reviews like this that make me glad I wait so long before answering. Now, first off, I'm gonna assume that you reviewed in sort of the heat of the moment or whatever and that you've since calmed down a bit; if I'm wrong, then I apologize in advance. The reason I'm saying this is because, honestly, your alternative proposal for what Shawn should have done kinda stinks and also you have absolutely no excuse for not expecting the implicit 'no voting for Staci' considering that's what I've done the entire freaking series. To go into more detail regarding Shawn, at the start of the chapter with the four-person team his best-case-scenario was to vote off Alejandro, not lose again, then team up with Sammy and Dawn post-merge along with probably Ella or Sugar (or whoever he thought was on the bottom of Team Victory) and go from there. Sammy's reluctance to break her alliance, however, means he either has to risk a tiebreaker or backstab Dawn, as you said. Had he gone through with it, though, he'd have no guarantee that Sammy (now mad at him for voting off Dawn and possibly willing to honor her alliance with Alejandro) wouldn't vote him out if they went to elimination before the merge again, or would really wanna work with him if they made it to the merge. To Shawn, it was a case of taking the risk now and getting a good position later on, or taking it safer now and being in a much worse position later on - less than ideal no matter what he chooses, but I don't think it's too out-of-character for him to take the risk. And then with Staci suddenly there to upset things...well, I'll concede that I should have had Shawn visibly try to get Staci on his side and/or get Sammy to change her mind (and inevitably fail, since I still needed Sammy's alliance with Alejandro to have an actual impact on the game and that meant Shawn had to go).
AS for Staci, well, I will say that I do have a plan for her - I won't spoil the details, of course, and you will probably have to wait a while before everything becomes clear, but I will say that I was very deliberate in her off-the-show journey so there are hints of the plan if you know where to look. And I might have also hinted vaguely in some of the other review replies this chapter as said I'm glad you enjoyed the challenge, it was (as I've said) very fun to write. Her taking out Shawn and Sugar in a very over-the-top manner was deliberate, since I wanted to establish her as an over-the-top threat; though I can see why you'd be bothered by it. Other than that...well, I am hoping that you like things a little more this chapter, but I'm not gonna get my hopes up.
StayOuttaMyShed: Hah, yeah, last week's chapter was pretty much out of left field by design, and I'm fine if you're feeling salty about Shawn getting kicked off because of it. In my defense regarding Sammy's decision, at least...well, even if it wasn't the best long-term move, even if pretty much everyone would have understood...she's still someone who was abused for most of her life, and that's gonna mean some psychological baggage. I'll admit I could've explained it better, but her decision was more about what she wanted for herself more than what others would think about her, even if she didn't really know it. Does that make sense? Probably not, I don't know, but what's done is done. Oh, and Staci beating Shawn so quickly...was honestly just some deliberate over-the-topness on my part to make Staci a credible threat, and I can totally understand you not liking it.
WHAT else...well, I'll admit I'm a little disappointed that you're not really liking Ella, but that's all I can say about that. I am glad that you did like the overall chapter, though. And yeah, Staci still talks pretty much like she always has, she's just furry and dog-like now, I'm glad you're liking her. Same with most of the characters too, of course. Having Alejandro witness a kiss between Tyler and Ella would certainly have been dramatic, but ultimately I felt that it should be Ella who sees the kiss for reasons that may or may not become clear soon.
YOUR predictions are interesting, as always, and I do hope you enjoy what is to come.
StarHeart Specials: Hello! And I sure hope that Staci's new role is better than what happened to Zeke, considering his former characterization was completely abandoned. I'm pretty glad you're getting in to the love snarl surrounding Ella, since it's not exactly been well-loved lately.
OMAC001: Haha, yeah, looks like I was able to surprise pretty much everyone with that twist. I hope you enjoy what happens next!
DSX62415: Hey, no worries about not reviewing sooner; you gotta do what you gotta do. And...I suppose that's a point regarding werewolf Staci versus feral Staci, but I'm not sure how relevant it really is to the story at hand.
Star Saber21: Haha, yeah, I think those words went through the minds of most of my readers during the last chapter, in some form or another. Glad you're intrigued by Staci, and I hope I don't disappoint with my long-term plans for her.
bruno14: Hey, don't worry about not reviewing earlier, I understand. More importantly, I'm really happy you liked last week's chapter so much. And yeah, Ella's been through quite a bit in a short time. It's nice to hear who you're rooting for, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the season.
LadyEnigma888: Yup, the main mystery behind Staci has been solved, but it seems to have left some more in its place. You'll find out soon enough how Staci fares in challenges. And yeah, it was kinda sad to write Shawn being eliminated, but it was his time to go unfortunately. I hope you enjoy this week's chapter!
The Prime Writer: Haha, yeah, I've gathered that from the reviews. I'm glad to hear that you're warming up a little to Tyler and Ella being together, and as for Chris dissolving the team named after him...well, he did say he regretted it, after all. As for the idea of Ella being the first one to go in order for her to see what Alejandro and Sugar really thought of her would have been interesting and dramatic, but it's not what I wanted just yet - that revelation needs to have the right timing, and I really needed a proper moment between her and Tyler for their subplot to move forward. Regarding you new reviewing plan moving forward, do whatever you please. I will admit that I do enjoy longer and well thought-out reviews, and if taking your time and only reviewing after every other chapter is what you feel you want to do, then so be it. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the rest of the season, however often they come.
And that, finally, is it for this week. As always, the TVTropes page for this series could always use more work, and I greatly appreciate the effort everyone has put into it so far and I look forward to what you all add next.
The teams, as they currently stand, are as follows:
Team Victory - Ezekiel, Tyler, Ella, Sugar
Team Universe - Sammy, Alejandro, Dawn, Staci
I hope you're ready for a challenge of Olympic proportions, because that's pretty much what's about to happen. Enjoy!
- Fangren
Episode 16 – Greece's Pieces
"Previously on Total Drama World Tour!" Chris began as the recap montage started with the plane icon moving across the world map towards the British Isles. "London, England," he said over a shot of the Tower Bridge, "home of royalty," the two elderly guards were shown at their posts, "history," Chef walked up to Team Universe in his executioner's outfit, "and some very hard buses." Sammy and Dawn were shown plummeting down on the same failed parachute past a hung-up Shawn, "Crrrrrunch!" onto the double-decker bus.
"Here, Samey went through a painful growing period," the cheerleader was shown getting stretched on the torture rack, "we said a surprise hello to Staci," the now-wolfish girl revealed herself as the Ripper back on the plane, "and a sad goodbye to Shawn." The survivalist was shown giving one last message to Dawn before he jumped off the plane.
"And last but not least, Tyler and Staci had a steamy private moment," the host added over a shot of Staci kissing the startled jock in the restroom confessional as Ella quietly slid in and out with shock and horror and even a few tears on her face, "that wasn't completely private."
The recap ended, and the feed moved to the cockpit. "It's almost like somebody disabled the eavesdropper alarms on purpose," Chris said with a falsely thoughtful look, "just so this could happen! But who's got two thumbs and would've done that?" he asked cheekily, pointing both thumbs at himself with a wide and proud grin.
"We've got eight competitors left and a million dollars on the line," Chris told the camera. "Who's game is getting old? And who's strong enough to grab the gold? Find out right now, on Total! Drama! World Tour!" A flock of geese flew in formation across the screen below the plane, and the host added "Opa!"
"Aww, now that is just embarrassin'," Chef grumbled in response.
xxx
(Fade to Opening Theme)
Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doin' fine;
You guys are on my mind!
Ya asked me what I wanted to be,
And now I think the answer is plain to see!
I wanna be...famous!
I wanna live close to the sun!
Well pack your bags, 'cause I've already won!
Everythin' to prove, nothin' in my way;
I'll get there one day.
'Cause I wanna be...famous!
(Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
(Fade to Episode)
xxx
/
Like so many before it, the episode opened with a shot of the Total Drama Jumbo Jet in flight, headed towards the left with the sun behind it.
xxx
The scene immediately cut to the restroom confessional, where Ella was nervously looking from her camera to the door.
"Ever since London, I've been having a really hard time figuring out what's going on around me," she explained after a moment, worry and uncertainty all over her face. "Before, I was so certain that Alejandro was my true love. I mean, he's acted like nothing short of a true Prince Charming to me, so everything was so obvious! But then in London, the way that Tyler protected me from Staci, and even declared his love for me...," she paused as a flustered blush appeared on her cheeks, "well it was like the fairy tale moment I've been waiting for all my life! But I can't have two princes, can I? Well," she looked thoughtful for a moment, "I suppose I could, but I don't think I want to."
She sighed sadly. "Of course, it might not matter since I saw Tyler kissing Staci in this very room," she added with a pitiful motion to the toilet she was sitting on. "And I really don't know what to make of all this...why would he kiss Staci when he said he loved me? Was it some sort of misunderstanding? Do I want it to be a misunderstanding, even though I'm already dating Alejandro?" She sighed dramatically again. "Oh, who knew that love could be so complicated?"
xxx
"Man, who knew love could be so complicated?" Tyler groaned to Ezekiel as the scene cut to them and Sugar trying to relax in first class. "I thought for sure that I was gonna get through to Ella, but then suddenly Staci kissed me? What am I supposed to do now?"
"Err, beats me," Ezekiel told him. "I don't got a lot of experience with girls, eh. Maybe you should just talk to 'em or something?"
"I guess," Tyler said, "but what am I even supposed to say? 'Sorry I kissed another chick, it was all just a big misunderstanding'?"
Ezekiel gave him a blank look for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, that sounds pretty good," he told his friend with a smile.
Tyler gave the homeschooler a blank look of his own before shrugging and standing up. "Guess it's worth a shot. I'm gonna go get some air and think about things," he said before walking off.
Sugar narrowed her eyes as she watched him leave the cabin, and once he was out of sight she leaned towards Ezekiel and said "I don't think Tyler's quite the man I thought he was."
"What do you mean?" Ezekiel asked in confusion.
"Sayin' he likes Ella, then kissin' Staci instead and hemmin' and hawin' over it?" she told him. "Where I come from, we call that two-timin'."
"Err, but-" Ezekiel tried to say before the pageant queen continued.
"I mean, who does he think he is?" Sugar remarked with a glare in the direction Tyler had left. "Ya can't just go behind your girl's back like that!"
"I don't think he-" Ezekiel tried to interject, failing once again.
"But don't get me wrong," Sugar kept going, "I'm not gonna abandon him or anything. But I knew havin' him and Ella around was gonna be trouble, so either he picks one of 'em or I think we're gonna have to vote Ella off to keep things simple around here. Whaddaya say?" she asked the boy sitting next to her.
Ezekiel looked flabbergasted for a moment, then blandly told her "I'll think about it, eh."
xxx
"I really don't get Sugar sometimes," Ezekiel told the confessional camera with a hopeless expression.
xxx
A light, dreamy tune played as the scene flashed to a close-up of Staci sleeping soundly, curled up on an economy class bench like a dog. The camera pulled back a little, first showing Alejandro sitting next to her and giving her a wary look, then showing Sammy and Dawn watching on the other side of the room.
"Do you think she's really a werewolf?" Sammy cautiously asked her girlfriend. "I mean, it's hard to believe, but what else could she be?"
"Even I'm not really sure," Dawn replied. "Her aura isn't much different than it used to be, so aside from becoming both more confident in herself and at the same time more concerned with how others view her, I can't tell what exactly caused her physical changes."
"Well, whatever it is," Alejandro spoke up from across the aisle, loud enough to be heard but not enough to stir their slumbering teammate, "I doubt it'll matter in the long run. Staci is a...valuable team member now, so as long as we treat her with respect, I don't believe she'll cause trouble for us."
Dawn and Sammy gave the notorious charmer mute but skeptical looks.
xxx
"I'm pretty sure Alejandro's only saying that because he wants Staci on his side," Sammy told the restroom camera. "Well, that or he's just as scared of getting bitten as the rest of us but doesn't wanna show it."
xxx
/
The shot cut back to Alejandro as he rolled his eyes, then looked over at Staci and smirked. The camera panned down to her as she yawned and lifted herself up on all fours to stretch, then scratched behind her ear with her foot.
"Hi guys," she greeted her teammates with a smile as she shifted around to sit on the seat like a human. "That was a really good sleep for being on a plane, yah. It reminds me of a sleep I had in Poland, yah. This rich old woman thought I was a stray dog, so she let me sleep on an emerald-studded cushion. It was really comfortable."
Her teammates were shown giving her odd looks, but she didn't appear to notice as stretched her arms. "The only thing that would've made that sleep better were if Tyler was there with me. He's such a sweetie, I'm lucky to have a boyfriend like him." She sighed dreamily.
The camera lingered back on Alejandro as his neutral smile faded into a light scowl and he looked away out the window.
xxx
"And so it begins with the made-up stories," Alejandro told the confessional camera in annoyance. "I suppose she couldn't have changed too much while she was away. Still, she'll be useful to me both in the competition, and in keeping Tyler away from Ella. Although," he frowned, "the way she talks about him just irks me for some reason."
xxx
A bout of static cut to another restroom confessional, this one given by a thoughtful-looking Dawn. "If I'm not mistaken," she told the camera, "part of Alejandro's aura showed an unusual annoyance towards Staci just now. It must be connected to Ella and Tyler. I'll have to take a closer look the next time they're in the same room together.
xxx
The footage cut ahead to the eight contestants gathered on opposite sides of a table in some dimly-lit part of the common area; Team Universe was standing on the left, Team Victory on the right, and Chris was in the middle.
"Prepare yourselves for challenges," the host began as the team logos briefly appeared over their respective groups, "of an amateur caliber." Ezekiel and Sugar smiled while Tyler shot a nervous look at a sad-looking Ella; Staci clapped cheerfully while Sammy smiled as well, Alejandro kept himself looking neutral, and Dawn calmly looked between him, Staci, and the four on the other side of the table.
"Because we're recreating the original Olympics!" the host finished, earning vaguely disappointed looks from the competitors as a flat note played. "And we're heading to the birthplace of the Olympics right now, in-"
"Greece, eh," Ezekiel answered smartly.
"Ooh, Atlantis!" Sugar added, eagerly raising her hand.
"My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-Grandfather's hometown?" Staci replied in confusion.
"Wrong," Chris told Ezekiel, "fictional," he told Sugar, "aaaaand not even close," he told Staci. "We're going to Rome, Italy!" he announced to light fanfare.
Staci nodded. "Yah, that's totally where my ancestor lived," she lied.
"But Ezekiel was correct," Alejandro spoke up. "The Olympics originated in Greece."
"No," Chris countered, "they origina-"
"No, they're right," Sammy interrupted, "it's Greece."
Chris paused, frowned, then angrily looked through his notes and tossed a few away. "Interns!" he called out irately, the black man and white who had been seen in Australia immediately scrambling to his sides. He gave them each a sidelong glance as tense music built up in the background, then said "Everyone should probably hang onto something. Everyone except you," he told the nervous black intern.
The shot cut outside as the plane tilted and the intern in question flew screaming out an open door.
Back inside, Chris tapped the remaining intern on the chest with his wad of notes. "Yoouu, might wanna find some info on Greece," he told the man. "Quickly." The intern took the notes and scampered off. "Greece...it is...," Chris told the camera, walking away with an awkward laugh.
The camera pulled back to show the contestants hunkered down, under the table or grabbing onto one of its legs. "Chef, slight change of plans," the host called out to the pilot from off-screen, and the contestants stood back up and faced each other.
"Prepare yourselves for battle, eh!" Ezekiel taunted the other team.
"Child's play, " Alejandro retorted. "The four of us are much better athletes than the four of you!"
"Oh please," Tyler scoffed, "like I'm gonna lose an Olympic challenge."
"Oh, I'm sure you'll do great," Staci told him with a coy look, "but, like, don't expect me to hold back just because we're in love, yah."
The camera zoomed in on an anxious Ella as Tyler spluttered "W-what are you talking about?" off-screen.
"Like, you don't have to worry about me," Staci explained from out of sight. "I mean, how could I call myself your girlfriend if I wasn't just as strong as you are?" she added, and Ella looked hurt by the comment.
"Uhh..." Tyler said in an odd tone as the camera panned first to Alejandro's unnoticed scowl, and then to Dawn as she gave him a calm yet piercing look.
The shot zoomed out briefly to show the whole cast again as most of the cast dispersed; Alejandro stayed put as he watched Ella and Tyler walk away with a fair amount of distance between them and both looking unsettled. He turned a sharp gaze to Staci as she walked obliviously walked past after Sammy, then when it looked like he was the only one left in the room he donned a troubled expression and rubbed his chin in thought.
"What you're feeling is guilt," Dawn spoke up, startling Alejandro as the camera rapidly zoomed back out to show the mystic standing behind him. "Or an extension of guilt anyway."
Alejandro gave her a critical look, then scoffed haughtily. "Please, Burromuertos donot feel guilt." He closed his eyes and began to walk away, but was stopped by Dawn's next words.
"Even when they know they'll have to crush the spirit of someone as innocent as Ella?" the moonchild asked. "Your aura makes it obvious that you've never met anybody quite like her," she added.
Unseen by Dawn but not by the cameras, Alejandro's eyes briefly popped open. "You don't know what you're talking about," he said, closing his eyes and clenching a fist. "Let me guess," he hissed, "next you'll say I'm really in love with her or something."
"No," Dawn answered plainly, the shot zooming out again as she calmly walked past him. "You've just finally found a line you don't know if you want to cross."
Alejandro's eyes popped open again as she left, and a deep and dramatic tune took over as the season's world map was shown, the plane icon moving across Europe from west to east.
/
The footage skipped ahead, the scene moving to the Parthenon as the camera zoomed in on the cast. "Welcome to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece," Chris opened, the white intern standing by his side. "Home to many of the first Olympians. Who, as my intern has informed me," he motioned to the man who smiled proudly, "competed naked!" He waggled his eyebrows and grinned.
The cast looked shocked and quite taken aback.
"Aww, do we have to?" Staci asked.
"Well I should hope not," Ella answered, oddly snippy. "The last thing we should be doing is running around in the nude like animals," she said with a pointed look at Staci.
Staci gasped in offense. "Hey, I never ran around naked, okay?"
"And you're not gonna do so now, either." Chris interrupted. "Don't worry, ladies, it was just a quirky fact not an order. There's no need to be a 100% accurate here...unless there's a tiebreaker, in which we will resort to nudity," he added with a smirk that made Ella blush.
The host shoved his notes into the intern's hands, then walked forward with his hands clasped behind his back. "Today we're gonna do things a bit differently," he explained. "With the numbers even and both sides at roughly the same strength, a contest between the full teams would be a little dull. To make things more interesting, all of today's challenges will be one-on-one matches. Every victory gets you a gold medal," he explained as the camera began to pan across the relatively blank faces of the contestants. "The team with the most golds wins first class tickets to our next destination. Second place wins a brutal elimination ceremony," the host finished with a dark grin.
"Ain't there usually silver medals for second place at the Olympics?" Sugar asked.
"Maybe at the real Olympics," Chris told her, "but like I said there's no need to be 100% accurate here. You get gold, or you get nothing."
"Perfect!" Sugar said with a happy grin.
xxx
"Honestly, I never got the point of a silver medal," Sugar confessed. "I mean, all you're really awardin' is bein' the last to lose, and who'd want that?" She shrugged, then grinned. "Lucky fer me a lifetime of pageants has taught me to focus on the one thing that matters most: winnin'. And with my attitude, Chris might as well just give me the gold right now!"
xxx
"Our first historical event," Chris said as he lead the cast through a forest of marble columns, "is a Grecian Scavenger Hunt! The inside of the Odeon of Pericles is filled with maze-like rows of huge columns," he explained as the camera zoomed in on one of the columns then started panning to the right. "Players must search through this ancient forest of columns and return with the Grecian treasure that awaits you inside."
A light drumroll played as the shot moved back to the host. "First one to do so takes the gold!" he told them with a go-get-'em gesture. "So, who's goin' in?"
"I will," Ella and Staci said at the same time, stepping forward for Team Victory and Team Universe, respectively. "Wait, why you?" the two girls said at the same time as they realized the other had stepped forward.
"Well, like, I gotta step up for my team," Staci answered.
"This is clearly what I'll be most suited for," Ella said at the same time.
The two girls leveled oddly fierce glares at one another, causing Tyler to glance nervously between them. "Uhh, maybe somebody else could-"
"Staci versus Ella it is!" Chris said quickly with his usual smile.
"Good," Staci remarked with a cocky and toothy smirk, "this'll make things pretty easy for me, yah."
"Don't count on it," Ella huffed.
xxx
"I know I'm being a little bit...aggressive with Staci," Ella explained in the restroom confessional, "but I can't help myself. I'm ashamed to admit it, but thinking about what happened between her and Tyler just really gets under my skin!"
xxx
Staci began the next confessional with a huff and a sideways glare. "Like, honestly, who does Ella think she is? I can tell she doesn't like that I'm with Tyler now, yah, my werewolf nose can totally smell it," she explained, pointing at her furry nose. "But, like, she already has major-hottie Alejandro, she's so greedy for wanting Tyler too. Good thing I get to teach her a lesson, just like I taught that street gang who tried to mug me Slovakia, yah." She finished her confessional with a wide grin, her pointed teeth gleaming in the light.
xxx
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tyler whispered to Ella as the scene cut back to the odeon. "I mean, Staci looks pretty tough."
"What, do you think I can't beat your...your girlfriend?" Ella told him sharply.
"No, I just think it might be dangerous," Tyler tried to explain, startled a little by her comment. "And she's not my girlfriend."
"Hmmph," Ella sniffed, looking away from her teammate. "I know what I saw, Tyler. People don't kiss each other for no reason. And besides, I've been on Total Drama just as long as you have. I can handle myself against a werewolf in a scavenger hunt just fine, thank you very much."
"Glad to hear you're feeling so keen on this," Chris grinned as the camera moved back to him. He leaned down, picked up a pair of trashcan lids, and threw them to the girls who would be competing.
"Umm, and what are these for exactly?" Ella cautiously asked.
"These authentic Spartan shields will help you in your treasure hunt," Chris explained. "For the treasure you seek is tied to an Erymanthean Boar!"
A sudden roar moved the camera's attention elsewhere, quick-panning to a large bear standing on its hind legs and snarling. Long, boar-like tusks had been tied onto its upper jaw, and it wore a gold medal around its neck.
"Good luck to you both," Chris told the competing girls as the shot cut back to them. "And just to make sure things go smoothly, Chef will be following you two." He motioned to the side as his assistant walked up, wearing Spartan-like armor. "Chef, sound the Spartan battle-horn!"
Chef took out a kazoo and blew a couple pitiful notes.
"Uuggh, that's the Spartan battle-horn?" Chris asked in annoyance. "For reals?" He paused as the others just gave him blank looks, then pointed emphatically off stage left. "Just go already!" he commanded, walking back to the left as Staci, Ella, and Chef moved to the right. "The rest of you, follow me!" he told the rest of the cast with a smile.
"Wait, we aren't staying to watch?" Alejandro asked in confusion as most of the other contestants began to follow the host. "What if something happens?"
"Relax, I sent Chef with them to watch for us in case anything interesting happens," Chris told him. "Right now it's time to flip channels, just like the real Olympics!" He smiled at the camera as he walked past, a smiling Sugar and nervous Tyler behind him.
/
The scene flashed over to another part of the ruined citadel, the two teams standing on opposite sides of a circle on the ground with their logos above them and the host between them.
"Pankration is an Ancient Greek martial art with no rules," Chris explained with particular emphasis on the lack of rules. "Last man standing wins the gold."
"I got this one, eh," Ezekiel said, stepping forward confidently only to be stopped by Sugar.
"Now hold on, I'm the strongest member of the team," she said, "I'll be doin' this here challenge."
"Hey, what about me?" Tyler asked. "I was on the wrestling team in grade school!"
"Yeah, but we gotta save somebody fer the other challenges," his friend told him.
"Ohh," the jock said in comprehension. "Then I guess you two can go ahead."
"Ummm...I need someone from Team Universe to get involved here?" Chris asked the other three. "Anyone?"
The shot moved over to Alejandro, Sammy, and Dawn who were now in a huddle, the perspective quickly shifting to a bottom-up view from their center.
"I wouldn't want you ladies getting hurt," Alejandro offered.
"Thanks," Sammy told him plainly, "but I think we should save you for last.
"Plus," Dawn added, "Sammy and I will work better with each other than with you."
"No offense," the cheerleader told him.
"None taken," Alejandro replied, and the three broke their huddle.
The camera moved back to its usual side view as Sammy and Dawn stepped forward. "Looks like it's us," Sammy nervously announced.
"Sold!" Chris declared, raising a finger and swiping it down like a flag. "Into the ring with all of ya!"
"This won't be too bad," the cheerleader told her girlfriend as they walked forward and Alejandro walked off to the right in the background. "Right!"
"GET SUGAR'D!" the pageant queen exclaimed to a hard rock riff, the camera shifting to show her charging straight at her opponents.
Sammy and Dawn screamed and were promptly bowled over by the larger girl.
"Maybe not," the mystic said woozily, a hand on the side of her head. "I wonder how the others are doing with their challenge..."
/
A light but dramatic tune played as the scene moved to a close-up of the snarling boar bear, the camera zooming out as it swiped at Staci. The wolfish girl was growling as well, and on all fours she easily jumped away then pounced at the bear. She managed to get it on its back, but before she could grab the medal it tossed her away into a pillar.
As the bear walked away the camera panned to the left to where a worried Ella was looking out from behind a different pillar. "How on Earth am I going to get that medal?" she wondered aloud.
The camera zoomed out a little ways more to show Chef standing next to her. "Beats me," he shrugged.
/
Dramatic music began once more as the scene moved back to the pankration arena. Sugar and Dawn moved across the foreground, the pageant queen punching angrily at her opponent only for the moonchild to smoothly dodge each one. "C'mon," Sugar yelled, "quit bein' so slippery and start fightin'!"
"I'd really rather not," Dawn replied frantically as she leaned away from yet another punch.
As they moved off-screen, Sammy and Ezekiel moved on-screen from the right. The two were facing each other and had their fists raised, but neither was making a move to attack. "So, uh, didn't your Dad tell you to protect girls or something?" Sammy asked her opponent.
"Yeah," Ezekiel answered, "but he was wrong aboot that so I'm not gonna hold back, eh." To prove his point he took a swing at Sammy, which the limber cheerleader quickly dodged.
"Well then," Sammy told him with a nervous chuckle, "in that case I guess I don't have much choice..." Ezekiel raised an eyebrow in confusion as his opponent took a breath and backed up...then swiftly kicked him between the legs. The background music stuttered and stopped as the homeschooler went down with a pained whine, and Sammy immediately told him "Sorry!" with a genuine frown on her face.
"Ooh...," Tyler winced, the challenge music resuming even though the camera moved to the sidelines, "poor Zeke. Okay Sugar," he called to his remaining teammate still in the challenge, "it's all you now! You can do it!"
"Hah," Alejandro scoffed as the shot quick-panned to the other side of the ring, "you're kidding yourself. She's outnumbered two to one!"
"Not once they stop bein' chicken I won't!" Sugar declared defiantly as the focus moved back to her and Dawn, the moonchild still dodging the pageant queen's punches though neither girl was moving as fast as they had earlier. "I mean c'mon, how do you expect to win if you never fight back?!"
"I don't need to fight back to win," Dawn explained as she continued to dodge.
"Yeah, and you don't gotta fight back to lose either!" Sugar replied, finally just jumping at her opponent. Unfortunately for the pageant queen Dawn managed to duck down just in time, meaning Sugar flopped down onto nothing but the bare stone floor of the arena.
It was only then that the mystic finally made a move, jumping on the larger girl's back and pinning Sugar down for just a second longer before the strong southern belle threw Dawn off and rolled onto her back.
Just in time for Sammy to land on her, both knees jutting into Sugar's stomach knocking the wind out. "I'm really sorry about that," the cheerleader told her opponent as she pinned her arms for good measure.
A triumphant tune began to play as Chris walked over with a pair of medals. "That's two gold for Team Universe," the host said as he tossed both medals towards Sammy, who eagerly raised an arm to catch them, did so, and was promptly thrown off Sugar.
"Wait, two?" the pageant queen groaned as she got back on her feet.
"Hey, it was supposed to be a one-on-one challenge," Chris explained smugly. "But you guys turned it into a team event."
"Yes!" Sammy and Dawn cheered, exchanging a high-five.
"In a world where Samey and Dawn can beat Sugar at wrestling," the host told the camera, "does Team Victory really stand a chance? Find out when we come back, on Total! Drama! World Tour!"
(Fade to Credits and Back)
The episode resumed with Ella nervously backing through the odeon, trashcan lid shield clutched in front of her and eyes darting around. "Oh mister boar bear, I do wish I knew where you were!" she sang softly to herself.
It was then that she bumped into Staci, who had also been backing up. The two girls gasped, then turned around to face each other. "Oh, did you lose track of that poor boar bear already?" the singer shot. "Perhaps you're not so strong after all."
"I'm stronger than you are," Staci shot back.
Their argument was interrupted by an all-too-familiar ding, and the music note logo spinning into view on the bottom of the screen.
"Time for a song," Chris told them from off-screen before rapidly darting up next to them. "Please continue, this time with music! Staci, this is your first song in a while so don't slack off like in Egypt."
The wolfish girl gave him an annoyed look as he darted back to the sidelines while Ella smiled in amusement, and the music began.
~/~
[Chef started the song, sitting against a marble column with a bouzouki in his hands. He played a couple short phrases on it, then with a strum the camera moved to the gap between two columns as Ella leaned out from behind the left one and looked around warily.]
"I guess that it's time for; some things to be aired!"
[Chef strummed his instrument a second time as Ella sang the second half of the line, and the singer glanced sharply at Staci as the girl leaned out from the column on the right.]
"Then just come out and say it; or are you too scared?"
[Staci sang, a strum of the bouzouki accompanying each half of her line.]
"What could I be scared of? I know my heart is true."
[Ella answered, the scene moving to the princess leaning out from behind another column that was standing behind a fallen one; she walked out between them and to the right. Chef's strumming became longer here, though still with two distinct parts to match the singer's lines.]
"Oh yah? Well then I think that my heart's true too!"
[Staci replied, jumping up onto a second fallen column that was behind the standing one, then jumping down to the ground to follow Ella rightward.]
[The camera cut in for a close-up of a pillar in the background as Alejandro looked out from behind it, watching the girls with concern and suspicion on his face. It was then that Chef's melody became more complex, and a few other instruments entered the song.]
"He wasn't talking to you;"
[Ella sang as she walked far in front of the column Alejandro was watching from; the charmer raised an eyebrow just before the camera moved off him and onto Staci.]
"What's that s'pposed to mean, that isn't true! Besides you have a beau;"
[Alejandro showed himself again as Staci sang, leaning out from behind a different pillar as the werewolf passed it. He quickly ducked back into hiding, however, as the camera stopped with the two girls next to an interesting statue – Alejandro, depicted as Eros the God of Love complete with handsome wings, bow and quiver, and nothing but a loose rope running over one shoulder and around his waist as clothing. The charmer himself was shown looking surprised at it in a brief close-up.]
"Well, yes, buuut, it's not our choice you knoo~o~o~ow!"
[Ella finished with a soulful but troubled expression as the camera moved back to her, Staci, and the statue while Alejandro ducked back into hiding.]
[The scene cut to Tyler and Ezekiel listening from the sidelines as the melody briefly simplified into a single chord from Chef. "Aww man, they're singing about me, I just know it..." Tyler told his friend in a mournful tone, only for Chris to appear and shush him sharply before the melody picked up again.]
"Let's just ask him; and make it fair;"
[Staci sang in annoyance, the camera zooming out to show the two girls standing on either side of a statue of Tyler depicted as the titan Atlas, crouched down on one knee to hold up the world.]
"We'll have to wait then, 'cause here comes that bear!"
[Ella answered, the shot zooming in on her before she pointed in alarm at something behind her rival.]
"Whoa! Sorry bear, you ready for round two?"
[The boar bear was shown standing menacingly behind Staci, but the wolfish girl easily ducked under its swipe and tackled it with a cocky grin, continuing the song as she wrestled with it.]
"I gotta stop being idle, and win this before you!"
[Ella sang nervously, the camera moving back to her as she tried to creep around to the head of the bear and the gold medal around its neck.]
"You've got no chance now, with the boy or the gold!"
[Staci taunted her, the shot cutting to her sitting on the roughed-up bear's back, holding its forelegs behind it and thus pinning it painfully to the ground. The medal was still around its neck, though the gold itself was visibly on the ground next to its head.]
"Well check again then, 'cause fortune favors the bold!"
[Ella countered, quickly rolling forward, grabbing the medal, and leaping away gracefully before the bear could snap at her and Staci could do anything but gape. The singer quickly and excitedly rejoined the others on the sideline as the music came to an end.]
~/~
"Woo! Go Ella!" Tyler cheered as the singer ran up to the rest of the team. The three remaining members of Team Universe were behind them, Dawn and Sammy looking disappointed while Alejandro scowled. The jock held up a hand for a high five, but Ella frowned and averted her eyes leading Tyler to move his hand to the back of his neck. "Uhh...I've been really meaning to talk to you about what happened," he told her.
"Next event," Chris interrupted, bluntly walking by in front of the group. "Moving on!"
"What about the bear?" Ella asked. "Or Staci, for that matter?"
"Chef will take care of both of them," the host answered forcefully, leaning back into the shot to get into the singer's face. "Moving on!"
Ella shrugged half-heartedly and moved to follow him back off-screen, followed by Tyler though the jock shot an anxious in the direction Ella had come from.
The camera moved to the other members of Team Universe, Alejandro looking troubled as he stared off in the direction of the odeon as well while Dawn gave him a scrutinizing look and Sammy just looked lost.
xxx
"Interesting song," Alejandro admitted in the restroom confessional, his tone bitter as he sat with his arms crossed in front of him. "Perhaps I don't have as much control over Ella as I thought."
xxx
The scene cut over to a shot of the sun over the Parthenon, the camera zooming out to show the seven contestants and host gathered on the left end of a simple race track with several pairs of hurdles – half yellow and half blue - set between the starting and finish line flags.
"Welcome to the hurdles event!" Chris began. "The ultimate test of speed and flexibility. Players must leap higher and higher," he explained as the shot cut in close, then quickly began panning across the progressively taller hurdles, "over these hurdles while they race for the finish line. First one across wins the gold!" he said as the shot landed on the finish line tape.
"And since Tyler and Alejandro are the only two yet to compete, they'll be going head to head!" the host added before the shot panned over to the two competitors in question.
"Hah! Fast and flexible are my middle names!" Tyler boasted, contorting himself by throwing his legs back over his shoulders as he had in London.
"Glad to hear it, my friend," Alejandro replied confidently. "I was worried this wouldn't be a challenge." Tyler raised an eyebrow at the charmer's smug look, then with a grand tune he put his hands on his hips, raised his left leg straight up, lowered himself into splits, then tied part of his hair back into a ponytail with his booted feet.
Tyler was gaping and bug-eyed as Alejandro lifted himself back up all without using his hands.
xxx
"Oh my," Ella told the restroom camera with a wide-eyed blush.
xxx
"I...," Ella began, raising her finger as if to speak to the two boys set to compete, but she quickly faltered. "Umm...I...oh...mmm..."
"It's okay if you root for your Tyler," Alejandro told her, flashing a charming smile. "He is merely your teammate after all. Unless I am...mistaken...?" he added, giving her a half-expectant look as the word hung there.
"Oh, no, he's just a teammate," she told him, "and a friend of course, but that's true for everyone."
Tyler was shown looking down in disappointment while Alejandro gave him a knowing grin, then the shot cut over to Sugar as she pursed her lips and scowled.
/
The footage flashed ahead to a side view of the two boys at the starting line, Alejandro closer to the background with Tyler in the fore.
"On your mark," Chris began, raising an airhorn as a sharp dramatic note started off the challenge music. "Get set," the host said, the two boys sharing one last glance as the suddenly soft music began to build up.
The airhorn was blown, and the two boys took off with the music. Alejandro gained the lead even before they leaped over the first set of hurdles and widening it as they passed the next two.
"Don't worry," Alejandro said cockily as he turned around to run backwards while maintaining his lead, "if you ask nicely I may allow you to borrow my medal if you'd like to look like a winner." Tyler didn't react, his face set into a determined frown.
The shot cut to the others watching from the sidelines, with a particular focus on Sammy and Dawn. "This is good, right?" she hesitantly asked her girlfriend. "I mean, Alejandro's got the gold for sure!"
The camera cut back to Alejandro, who was now running on his hands. He easily flipped over the next set of hurdles and landed on his hands with Tyler still about a foot behind him and still looking determined.
"Focus, Alejandro!" Sammy called out as the camera moved back to the sidelines again, now showing all three remaining members of Team Victory watching nervously.
Still running on his hands as the shot moved back to the race, Alejandro flipped over the next hurdle and landed right-side up. "Relax, chicas!" he called back to his teammates. "Victory is at hand!"
In the few seconds he wasn't watching where he was going he smacked right into the next hurdle, which was at about head height. Tyler managed to leap over it head-first, but landed in a clumsy roll that nevertheless took him well past his rival.
"Go Tyler!" Ezekiel cheered, the girls he was standing beside joining in. Alejandro gasped and rubbed his forehead in pain, then quickly moved to catch up.
Tyler was shown running as fast as he could; he looked back and the camera zoomed out to show Alejandro rapidly coming up behind him and both boys approaching the finish line. The faced forward again and grit his teeth, speeding up but losing his balance doing so. The camera showed him tripping over his own leg at the last moment, but he was close enough it didn't matter – he stumbled and tumbled through the tape first, landing in a heap but raising his fist with a triumphant "Yeah!"
"No!" Alejandro cried, dropping to his knees and sliding past Tyler.
"A gold for Team Victory!" Chris announced, holding up the medal as the challenge music finally reached its conclusion and the camera panned to the other contestants.
"Nailed it!" Sugar cheered, Ezekiel looking similarly excited while Ella smiled more modestly and Sammy groaned in disappointment.
/
The scene flashed over to Staci wiping the sweat from her furry brow, the camera zooming out to show her tying the last knot in a rope around a large rock. "That should do it, yah," she said, hopping down and clapping the dust from her hands as she walked to the right, following the rope to the unconscious boar bear. "Good thing my great-Aunt Betsy invented forty-two types of knot, right?" She looked over at Chef for an answer, but he only rolled his eyes.
She put her hands on her hips as she looked around, looking somewhat lost before pointing a clawed finger back to the left. "Hey is the rest of my team that way?" she asked Chef.
"Beats me," the man shrugged. "You might wanna get goin' though."
Staci nodded cheerfully, then turned and ran in the direction she'd pointed to.
/
The scene cut back to the Parthenon, the hurdles equipment now gone but the contestants still assembled in front of it, Chris standing atop a ruined staircase, and Staci running up to them.
"Sorry I'm late," she told them as the camera cut in closer, "the bear took a while to tie up. What happened while I was gone?"
"Well, me and Dawn beat Zeke and Sugar at wrestling," Sammy explained, "but then Alejandro lost to Tyler in hurdles so we're tied." Alejandro immediately looked away to hide his shame. "But...did you say you tied up that bear? Like, by yourself?"
"Huh? Oh, yah," Staci admitted proudly. "I mean Chef gave me the rope, but I did all the work."
"Oh...," Sammy said, exchanging surprised looks with her teammates.
xxx
"Okay, it's kinda weird saying this about Staci," Sammy confessed, "but that was actually believable. Like...scarily believable."
xxx
"Can we focus on the game please?" Chris said as the static cut to him on the ruined staircase, a light but ominous tune starting in the background. "It's time for the dreaded tiebreaker!"
The sound of something being wheeled towards the group from off-screen filled the air as the camera panned across the faces of the campers, which were slowly becoming confused. "Uhh...what's with the giant chicken wings?" Sugar asked.
"Glad you asked," Chris said with his trademark smile, the shot moving back to him as the white intern from earlier wheeled a large flatbed cart over. A pair angelic-looking wings attached to harness sat on stands on the cart. "Chef spent over one hour building two sets of wings out of wax, and the feathers we find in the plane's engine," Chris explained. "One member from each team must strap on the wings and take flight," he pointed upwards, "all the way up there."
The camera panned upward, quickly speeding up to make it to a gold medal hanging from a hook. Zooming out, the hook was revealed to be the end of a crane extending above the Parthenon, the gold gleaming in the sun.
"Whoever snags the gold medal outta the sky wins the Olympics and first class passage for their team," the host said.
"Sounds...kind of dangerous," Sammy spoke up.
"Not at all," Chris said as the camera moved back on him and the wings promptly fell to bits with a deep chanted note. The intern quickly wheeled the cart away, then came back with a leafblower which he put in reverse and sucked up the pile of feathers with. "We're gonna need some more wax!" Chris called off-screen before turning back to the contestants and rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "So, who's goin' up?"
"I guess I'll do it, eh," Ezekiel volunteered for Team Victory. "Gotta make up for my loss earlier." He looked around at his teammates, Sugar giving him an odd smile while Ella looked concerned and Tyler placed an encouraging hand on his shoulder.
"And Team Universe?" the host asked. "Who's goin'?"
"Ooh, I will!" Staci volunteered, raising her hand enthusiastically.
"Are you sure?" Alejandro asked with a skeptical look.
"Yah, I've got plenty of energy to spare," Staci answered proudly.
"Aaand since it's a tiebreaker," Chris spoke up, "before you two strap on your wings, please slip into these authentic Spartan battle costumes!" The camera pulled back from him, showing the red cloth draped over each arm.
"Uhhh..." Ezekiel and Staci said, sharing a nervous look.
/
The footage flashed ahead to a slow upwards pan of the two competitors, revealing the matching costumes they now wore – open sandals; bronze greaves and armbands; short olive-colored skirts; the wing harness; and a red cape clasped with a bronze clasp. Staci also wore a short olive-colored tanktop that appeared to be of the same material as the skirt.
"Wow, you two look like a couple of weirdos!" Sugar laughed during the pan before the camera cut over to her grinning, Tyler looking uncomfortable, and Ella covering her eyes in embarrassment.
"Those costumes are not authentic," Alejandro said, the shot moving over to Team Universe.
"Was any part of this challenge really authentic?" Sammy pointed out, earning a blank look from Alejandro.
"Good point," he admitted. "Still, at least this should be an easy win for us considering how strong Staci has become."
"Yeah...," Sammy said, anxiously rubbing her arm. "Staci looks pretty hard to beat in challenges."
"Indeed," Alejandro said, his expression growing thoughtful.
The camera cut to a close-up of a burning marshmallow on the tip of an arrow, the shot pulling back to show it and the bow in the hands of Chris. "On your marks," he announced, drawing the arrow back an inch.
"Well this ain't good," Sugar told her teammates. "We're gonna lose unless somethin' throws the werewolf off her game!"
"What, you think Zeke can't do this on his own?" Tyler asked accusingly.
"Not really," Sugar admitted in a hushed but blunt tone as she threw an arm around the jock and pulled him close. "Now I don't know why you think it's okay to play with two girl's hearts, but since one of 'em is about to fly up and win this challenge I figure you got the best shot at distractin' her."
Tyler's brow shot up in surprise, the camera following his gaze over to the two competitors – Ezekiel was busy looking upwards in dread, while Staci had taken the opportunity to wave flirtatiously at him.
"Get set," Chris announced, aiming his bow up and drawing the string back even further as a few dramatic beats played.
The camera cut back to Tyler and Sugar, the former looking shocked and anxious. "But how can I distract her when I'm not even in love with her?" he asked as the dramatic music continued to build. "It was all just a misunderstanding!"
Sugar glared at him in annoyance. "Then just tell her that! It'll mess her up and get her off yer back!"
"Oh," Tyler replied blankly.
"GO!" Chris announced, releasing his arrow. The camera immediately moved down to Ezekiel and Staci, who grabbed the handles on their fake wings and began to flap. Staci, as expected, took the lead immediately.
"You can do it Staci!" Alejandro called out from the sidelines.
"Don't give up, Ezekiel!" Ella called out as well, the shot showing the homeschooler making decent progress on his flight but struggling to keep Staci from pulling further and further ahead. "Show that she-wolf who the real Olympians are!" she added, holding up the gold medal hanging around her neck.
"And you show her how you really feel!" Sugar hissed to Tyler before shoving him forward into the open.
Neither Staci nor Ezekiel had noticed and kept flying as the dramatic music continued, and Tyler gulped nervously. He took a look back over at Ella who was biting her lip nervously, then looked away and took a deep breath.
"Staci, stop!" he called out, gaining the attention of both competitors.
"Hi sweetie!" Staci smiled happily. "Sorry, but I'm totally gonna have to beat your teammate, yah. I hope it doesn't come between us."
"There is no us!" Tyler replied forcefully, shocking the wolfish girl.
"Wha...what do you mean?" Staci asked nervously. "We're in love, so like of course there's an us!"
"No," Tyler told her, "we're not. What happened in London was a mistake, okay? I had no idea the Ripper was you, so when I said all that stuff I was only looking at you to be, y'know, cool and stuff."
"Wha...really?" Staci gasped, tears beginning to well up as she continued to flap in mid-air; Ezekiel managed to pass her without her noticing.
"Yeah," Tyler nodded. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, okay? But I'm not in love with you. I'm in love with Ella," he said, eyes locked on Staci while he motioned towards the singer, who had started to blush.
"But...but...," Staci stammered, now starting to fall back down as her flaps became slower and slower.
"Fly, Staci, fly!" Alejandro quickly called out to her. "Channel your feelings towards Tyler's horrible betrayal of you into the challenge, and get your revenge through victory!"
Staci's face immediately contorted into a angry scowl. "Yah," she said, "just like Granny Agnes said, if a boy hurts you then you hurt him right back! And I'll start with your friend!" She began flapping again, and quickly rose off the screen.
The shot quick-panned up to Ezekiel, who was looking down in wide-eyed dread. "Oh no, this isn't good," he told himself.
xxx
"Remind me never to cheese off a werewolf, eh," Ezekiel confessed. "Havin' one mad at my buddy was bad enough."
xxx
The dramatic music resumed as a long-distance shot was shown of the two competitors nearing close to the medal, Ezekiel still hanging on to his lead. The camera cut in closer to show Staci growling angrily up at her opponent, who in turn turned a nervous whimper from her up to the prize. Both of their wings were shedding feathers with each flap, and Alejandro picked one out of the air as it floated down to the ground.
"Their wings are molting!" he announced in alarm.
"That's not good...," Sammy added, looking up in concern while Dawn maintained her neutral expression.
"Tyler's gonna regret leading me on!" Staci yelled up at Ezekiel.
"I think he already does!" Ezekiel replied in a panic. "I know I do!"
"Then give up so I can share the pain he's caused me!" Staci said, her head now at the same level as her opponent's legs.
"No!" Ezekiel replied frantically, flapping harder to get away. Staci scowled and did the same, and the shot pulled back as the feather on both sets of wings began to rapidly degrade just as the two were almost in reach of the medal.
Both contestants noticed the situation when they were about neck-and-neck, and they gasped. The screen split as the two opened their jaws and reached out to grab the medal with their teeth, the images sliding away to show their respective wings degrading into uselessness. Then the split itself opened up, pushing the shots of the wings away in favor of a single shot of the gleaming gold medal just as Ezekiel bit onto it, and Staci fell short.
"NOOOO!" she cried, the camera shifting above her as she plummeted.
She landed on her back on the ground near where Chris was standing, earning a wince from the host. "Nasty!" he said with a grimace.
"Urggh...," Staci groaned as she sat up, rubbing her head in pain. "That hurt, but not as much as what Tyler did." She sent a glare over at the jock, who gulped nervously. "You're gonna pay for leading me on!" she told him as she tried to get up.
"I didn't lead you anywhere," Tyler said defensively, "you lead yourself!"
Staci just snarled at him, but naturally she was interrupted by Ezekiel falling right on top of her with the medal in his hands, forcing her back to the ground with a pained grunt and ending the dramatic music.
"Team Victory wins!" Chris announced before turning to wave at the other members of Team Universe. "And the losers are heading back to the elimination room for the second time in a row."
"Hrmm..." Alejandro murmured in annoyance, unaware that Sammy and Dawn were sharing a looking behind his back.
/
The footage skipped ahead, the plane now flying towards the west against the setting sun. A flash took the scene to first class, where Tyler and Ezekiel were sitting at the juice bar.
"Great job, man," the jock congratulated his friend, who was wearing the gold medal he'd won around his neck.
"Thanks! Couldn't've done it with you, eh," Ezekiel replied with a cheesy grin before leaning in and whispering "And congratulations fer clearin' things up with Ella."
"Thanks," Tyler repeated, turning a soft smile to the side – the camera rotated to show his viewpoint, revealing Ella seated in a window seat with a thoughtful frown on her lips and a faint blush on her cheeks.
/
The background music turned slightly dark as the scene flashed to a hallways just as Alejandro stepped out of a bathroom; he was immediately confronted by Sammy and Dawn.
"Hello ladies," he greeted with a smile, "come to talk about the vote?"
"Yeah," Sammy admitted. "We're voting Staci, right? I mean, I'm not voting for you since we're in an alliance, and I refuse to vote for Dawn, so there's not any other choice." Dawn nodded calmly.
"But of course," he told them before turning to walk away.
He was stopped by Sammy grabbed his arm. "And by 'voting Staci', I mean you're actually gonna honor our alliance vote for Staci and not just say you are then team up with her to vote out me or Dawn like I know you were thinking."
Alejandro raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I suppose it was a little obvious," he told them. "But why shouldn't I side with her tonight?"
"Well, you saw how scary she was today," Sammy answered. "She was only barely beaten both times, and she took out all of us in London. We might not have another chance to vote her out before the teams merge and she starts winning invincibility."
"Hmmm...," Alejandro said, rubbing his chin in thought, "fair point, I'll consider it."
"Okay then, thanks," Sammy smiled, "that's all I wanted to say." She turned around and left, but Dawn did not.
"I take it you have something to add?" Alejandro asked, raising an eyebrow at the mystic.
"Only that if Staci stays around long enough to find out that you've been deceiving Ella like she believes Tyler deceived her," Dawn answered calmly, "she won't be happy with you. And if Sammy or myself are eliminated this evening, I imagine Staci will find out very quickly." Alejandro's eyes immediately widened with alarm, and as Dawn turned to leave the camera zoomed in on the charmer's nervous face and a few tense notes played.
/
The scene cut to a four-way split screen, each partition showing one member of Team Universe in the restroom confessional with passports spread out on the counter in front of them. Dawn and Sammy on the top row made their decisions quickly, as did Staci in the lower right, but Alejandro in the lower left hesitated for a second or two before stamping his vote.
xxx
Static transitioned the scene to the elimination room, a few opening drumbeats playing as Chris walked up to the four teens present with a smile on his face.
"Sooo, here we are. Let's look at why!" he said, the team's logo spinning onto the screen above the host. "Staci volunteered for, and lost, the tiebreaker, which is why you're all here." He pointed to the wolfish girl on the far left of the line the team was sitting in, then walked over to the open door where Chef was waiting with a parachute pack. "Plus, she also volunteered for and lost the scavenger hunt, making her zero for two." Staci hung her head, her long ears drooping sadly.
"Alejandro blew it in the hurdles, which forced the tiebreaker, which is why you're all here," Chris continued. "Plus, he knocked himself out cold trying to show off. And all this while his hair was in a ponytail!"
"What does my hair have to-" Alejandro protested before the host cut him off.
"And Dawn spent all of her challenge running away, forcing her girlfriend to do all the work," Chris said. "I'd say you weren't very helpful today."
Dawn shrugged. "You have a warped sense of what's helpful, so I'm not concerned."
Chris briefly frowned in annoyance before resuming his usual smile. "Your choice is pretty clear," he said as he held up the four passports and walked over to where Chef was waiting with a dark grin on his face as the music ramped up in tension. "And today, with three out of four votes against her, the Drop of Shame will be taken by...Staci."
"What?!" the wolfish girl gasped, standing up in shock and casting a hurt look at Alejandro. "But...but I thought we had an alliance!"
"We did," Alejandro said with false sadness, "but I'm afraid your losses today make it impossible to justify keeping you around with the team as small as it is. I'm truly sorry you weren't able stay around longer."
Staci pouted, then turned around sharply and crossed her arms. "Yah, I see how it is. You never wanted me around to begin with, did you, just like Tyler never loved me. I'm just some big joke to you, aren't I?" The three remaining members of Team Universe shared a nervous look, but Staci never turned back to face them. "Well you know what? I'm not gonna just sit here and take it."
"Yeah," Chris told her sternly, "that's because we're kicking you off the plane again." He nodded at Chef, who grinned darkly then took a step forward, slammed the parachute pack onto Staci while she was off her guard, then grabbed her by the shoulders, swung her around to the open door, and drop-kicked her out of the plane.
Chris paused with a happy smile as he listened to Staci's angry howl, then clasped his hands behind his back and turned to the camera. "How much more drama will be milked out of teenage love before this season is over?" he asked as the series' capstone theme began to play. "Find out right here, on Total! Drama! Woooorrrrlllddd~ Tooouuurrrr~!"
(Fade to Credits)
/
/
/
[Bonus Clip]
The scene faded in from black, the background music immediately turning deep and ominous as the camera zoomed in on the left wing of the Total Drama Jumbo Jet.
Staci was clinging to the edge of it with nothing but her teeth, her parachute pack undeployed. She raised her right hand and extended sharp, gleaming claws, then grabbed hold of the wing. She did the same with her left hand, then released her bite and dragged herself forward.
"Like I'm gonna let you just drop me off here," she said bitterly as she pulled herself up along the wing. "My great-great-great-great-great Uncle Percival invented stowing away," she added, "and he wasn't even a werewolf. I might be totally done with all of you, but I am not gonna just let you do whatever you want to me."
She continued to pull herself along for a few seconds, the only sounds being the howling wind and her claws puncturing the metal wing, before she muttered "Yah, you could've at least given me a ride back to Canada!"
Author's Note - Post Script
And thus ends Staci's second bit of time on World Tour. She's done her part, which is to say she's catalyzed some advances between Ella and Tyler and Alejandro, and now she's going away again until she's needed. I hope nobody is terribly disappointed. Though to be honest the same could be said of my not including the 'This Intern' gag that a couple reviewers were looking forward to.
The challenges were pretty fun to write, though it was a little wonky figuring out why Chris would want to set up things as one vs one matches when the teams are more balanced. I eventually decided that he just wanted them to be one vs one regardless, and would make up whatever excuse he felt like to justify it.
Ella and Staci volunteering for the scavenger hunt was a no brainer - Staci wants to show off, while Ella's aware that as the weakest member of her team a scavenger hunt would probably be her best bet at helping. It also lead into a song I've been looking forward to for some time now; it follows the same melody as the canon song, but with such a different subject I'm fine with the title being either 'Fight for Love' or simply 'Greek Shuffled Mix' (or something like that). I hope you all enjoyed it; making that song happen is one of the big reasons I mixed the teams up as I did - I wanted to make sure Ella and Staci would be on opposite teams.
The participants for the second challenges was also a no-brainer, since Tyler vs Alejandro was the best round three it thus fell to the remainder to wrestle it out. Hopefully I made Sammy and Dawn's win believable. Same with Tyler's win over Alejandro; he did still end up tripping and stumbling in true Tyler fashion, but he still managed to pull through as Alejandro got cocky and showed off like in canon.
And the tiebreaker...well, it had to happen. Things are finally cleared up with Staci and Ella, plus Ezekiel gets a moment to shine after getting kicked in the kiwis earlier. I hope Staci's elimination made sense - I did my best to establish her as a legitimate challenge threat despite losing twice, and also scary enough to make Alejandro wary of keeping her around after Dawn's, ah, 'warning'.
And, well, that's it for this week. Next time will be the third quarter finale in Sweden, so I hope you'll all look forward to it.
- Fangren
Appendix: TSWT Eliminated Contestants
Staci - (RETURNED)
Beardo - (17th Place)
Lightning - (16th Place)
Dawn - (Quit Unofficially | RETURNED)
Bridgette - (15th Place)
Geoff - (14th Place)
Scott - (13th Place | Disqualified)
Scarlett - (12th Place)
Sierra - (11th Place)
DJ - (10th Place)
Shawn - (9th Place)
Staci - (8th Place)