The sound of carousel music, and happy laughter filled the warm afternoon air.
Midgar's Annual Midsummer Festival was underway, and the youth were enjoying themselves. Without any grave dangers to worry about, the people of Midgar were happy to get out and see the grand carnival with all of the attractions and games that awaited them.
Young Chris Thorndyke was bursting with gleeful energy as he and and his friend Helen took in the colorful environment, along with Midgar's top attractive bartender-fighter and adoptive mother Tifa Lockhart, accompanied by the wolf-lion hybrid Red.
Chris shared a hug with his mother as he breathed the fresh air into his nostrils, along with the scent of cotton candy.
Helen danced around a little, brimming with eagerness to enjoy everything that was in store, while the skirt of her summer dress rippled in the breeze. Tifa smiled, and strolled through the crowded carnival grounds, taking the time to drink in the scenery.
"Just stick by us, and you won't end up in any animal shows, Red." Tifa told the wolf-lion.
"I'm intelligent enough to avoid landing in trouble." Red said, "Thank you for your concern."
Helena spotted a large pen, where a pair of red and blue bumper cars sat idly by as a couple kids bumped into one another while piloting a yellow and orange bumper car respectively, and she giggled before tugging on Chris' shoulder.
"Chris, let's play with the bumper cars." The giddy girl suggested.
The boy had been wondering what game they could try first. And yet, the bumper cars sounded just about right. Chris looked eagerly at his mother, and gestured to the bumper car attraction.
"Mom, do you want to try out the bumper cars?" He asked.
Tifa studied the bumper car attraction curiously, and thought about how her precious son was enjoying the festival thus far. They'd just gotten here, and people came to the carnival to have fun. The 7th Heaven fighter couldn't disappoint Chris, and nobody wanted to make a kid sad.
"I don't see why not." She remarked, "Anyone can ride them, and the sign says it's for all ages, with room for grown-ups."
"Whee!" Helen exclaimed happily.
Chris and Tifa strolled into the bumper car pen, and selected the blue bumper car with Tifa taking the front seat while Chris took the back. Red joined Helen in the red bumper car, especially as he liked it due to sporting the same color as himself. Tifa pulled a couple coins out of her wallet, and inserted them into the dispenser, ready to start the game up.
The bumper car rumbled to life, along with Helen and Red's ride, and Tifa tapped the button to make the horn honk, making a light flash for a moment. Chris giggled, and then, his mother pressed her foot on the pedal and gripped the steering wheel as Seventh Heaven fighter and the Thorndyke rolled around the pen with another honk.
Red sat behind Helen in the red car as the latter acquainted herself with the controls. The happy girl pushed the pedal in a gentle fashion, and turned the wheel, making the bumper car go in a circle for a time.
Helen giggled, and smiled with giddiness. She pulled herself together, winked at the cute lion-wolf hybrid behind her, then she drove after Chris and Tifa's car while watching out for the other bumper cars in the area. She honked her horn, letting the other kids in the pen know of the car passing by, and swerved to intercept her friend's car.
"Eep!" Tifa exclaimed when she felt Helen's car bump into hers.
"Look out, mom!" Chris said with a laugh, "Helen's going to knock us out!"
Tifa laughed, and she locked eyes with her son's friend. She jerked the wheel, and kept her eye on Helen and Red's bumper car. The shapely fighter slapped the pedal hard, and rolled towards the red car. Blue and red collided in seconds, and the bumper car pen saw a flash of purple as Tifa and Chris bumped Helen and Red all around the area.
Both players continued to bump one another, even as the other kids started playing with Tifa and Helen's duo teams after a time until the coins in the bumper cars became exhausted. Chris and Tifa giggled as they walked away from the bumper car pen with Helen and Red, feeling the exhilaration and excitement generated by the game.
It wasn't long before the group laid their eyes upon the rocket roller coaster, and Chris tugged on his mom's arm.
"Can we ride the roller coaster?" He asked, "Please, please, please?! I want to ride that rocket!"
Tifa sighed with a smile, and ruffled Chris' head. After going on the bumper cars, another fun ride wouldn't hurt, would it?
Before anyone knew it, the intrepid Lockhart, her sweet boy, and their friends were together in one of the cars on the roller coaster just moments before it started up. Tifa sat comfortably next to Chris, with one arm around him, while her other hand gripped the bar. Helen buckled up, and made sure Red was secure, even with the wolf-lion wagging his tail in her face.
With a click, the rocket roller coaster left the station as it's wheels spun, and it jolted as the ride streaked down the slope. Chris held on to his shapely mother, and they yelped as the roller coaster shot towards the earth before continuing along the twisting tracks and went into a wild spin.
Helen squealed, and Chris laughed while hugging his mom, who held herself together, and made sure the belt was locked around her in a decent fashion. Seconds later, right as the roller coaster was turning a corner, another downward slope came up with a loop-de-loop approaching.
'Thank goodness we didn't eat anything before we went on the ride.' Tifa thought, feeling her stomach churning from the vibrations of the fast-moving roller coaster.
"AWESOOOOOOOOOME!" Chris exclaimed, he held up his hands, "Look, mom! No hands!"
"Chris, hang on!" Tifa told her son.
Chris hugged his mom and gripped the bar again. The roller coaster whipped down the slope, and streaked around the loop-de-loop, which seemed to touch the sky, before turning another corner that led into a station adjacent to the spot where they'd all started.
"I have never taken such a ride." Red commented, "And I can see why humans like roller coasters."
"You kids want some cotton candy?" Tifa asked Chris and Helen, gesturing to a nearby cotton candy stand as they got off the roller coaster.
Chris and Helena laughed with glee, confirming to the Seventh Heaven fighter that they all wanted some carnival treats. After the group took their time to regain their full senses after a dizzying ride, the three humans and their wolf-lion friend headed to the cotton candy stand, which was run by a burly blacksmith looking man whom Tifa had met before.
And luckily for them, the man didn't seem to mind Red having a bit of cotton candy, even though he was just curious about the taste. After buying a couple cones, Tifa, Chris, and Helen sat down on the closest bench, and began to eat their respective rolls while the shapely, motherly fighter let Red have a piece...