Author's Notes:

-Alright, looks like the website is back up. Phew… (Hopefully we won't have any problems going forward. Even if I have everything backed up… Maybe I should start putting my stories (past, present and/or future) onto Ao3 or something…)

Anyways, pondering aside, let's get back to the show!

"You know you need to put this on." Jacques reminded her, handing her the harness.

"You know I don't do well in tight spaces." Josee retaliated, holding her arms to her chest.

"But the cranking requires upper body strength. You'll never be able to pull me back up!"

"But…"

"If you get claustrophobic, I promise to pull you back up."

The screen flipped, with Jacques putting his hands on the lever. A while later, Josee was shown in harness, lowered down a few feet.

"Pull me up!" Jacques obeyed her instructions. "I'm sorry, that was silly. Go!" She got down a few more feet before fear overtook her again. "Back up. Back up!" She breathed in, trying to reassure herself. "I can do this! Go!"

Interview; Jacques

"On the bright side, all this cranking her up and down is keeping me warm!"

"Pull me back up, back up!" Josee shrieked.

End Interview

Soon Kitty landed at the bottom of the hole.

"Oh Emma, it's nice and warm down here!"

"Well not up here, so find a ball." Emma ordered.

Kitty quickly found a red ball and grabbed it.

"I found one, lift me up!"

As Kitty began her ascent back up, Don narrated the concurrent events.

"The Sisters secure their first place position, while the Twins and Goths race towards their descent into darkness."

Back on the surface, the Twins were smiling as they gained the lead.

"Hey, this is going really well. Maybe we could compete in…" Jay began.

"The hole! Brake!" Mickey warned them. He pulled the brake, but nothing seemed to be happening. "The brake broke! We're gonna crash! Look out!"

The Twins screamed and crashed with the Goths as the former's vessel slid out of control and into the changing booths, creating a mess as painful groans were heard.

"My bathing suit!"

Jacques ran forward, leaving the lever unattended, spinning, sending Josee plummeting.

"JACQUES!"

He caught the lever, holding his small bathing suit in one hand. "Oops."

"I'm okay." She started hyperventilating. "No, I'm not… PULL ME UP!" Josee pleaded.

"Wait, wait! Listen to me mon petite chou!" The Goths and Twins, now back in their winter gear, running past them. "We're in second place right now, but two teams have just arrived and Kitty is already on her way up!"

The camera showed Emma cranking the lever before showing Josee in the hole. "You need to focus! Breathe! Now imagine doing something you love!"

A small sparkle was shown in the hole.

"You know what I love?"

"Dancing like a queen across the ice?" Jacques asked.

"Yes, but you know what else I love?" Josee countered. "Messing with other teams! Lower me down!"

Josee confidently went down.

The Twins were shown, with Mickey holding the harness in his hands.

Jay looked down the hole. "Okay, who's going down?"

Mickey put the harness onto his chest. "I'll do it."

"You're very brave."

Mickey gulped as shudders went down his spine. "Oh…"

Interview; Mickey

An interview showed Mickey with the harness on his chest, still in the tundra and yet to be attached to the rope.

"I get nosebleeds when I go up too high too fast, I'm scared of bats, and I'm scared of the dark." He paused, thinking about the last part of his statement. "A childish fear, I know. But if I don't do this challenge, who will?"

End Interview

Soon the Goths were shown, Crimson wearing the harness and suspended in the air, ready to descend.

"You ready to descend?" Ennui asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Crimson answered.

The elder adversity twin gave an air of anxious apprehension, which he tried to hide from his brother, also suspended into the air. "Here goes."

Jay began to crank the lower down, trying to keep an even, steady pace.

Crimson was let down slightly faster than Mickey was.

Soon Josee was deeper into the hole, crossing paths with Kitty, who was on her way up.

"Hey, are the balls in plain sight or are they hard to find?" Josee asked.

"With the helmet light, they're actually easy to…"

She punched out Kitty's light before she could say anything more, forcing her to close her eyes to avoid the glass and then stole her ball.

"Ow! Hey!"

"Up Jacques, up!" Josee commanded.

Jacques obeyed, leaving Kitty alone in the dark.

"Get back here! Hey, that's not fair!"

"News flash; no one cares!" Josee remarked.

"Our ball! Josee took our ball!" Kitty told Emma off-screen.

Josee leapt up to the ground, ball in hand.

"Cheaters! You filthy cheaters!"

Kitty was briefly heard screaming as Josee smirked.

Interview; Ice Dancers

"Oh boo hoo, I'm going to cry right into my bag of one million dollars." Josee taunted.

"You know, if she was saying 'cheaters', all I heard was 'winners'."

New Interview; Sisters

"The best thing next to winning the million would be watching the Ice Dancers get eliminated." Kitty admitted.

Emma folded her arms. "And if we can assist with that in any way, we will."

End Interviews

"She smashed my light! I can't see anything!" Kitty informed her sister.

"You'll still have a chance! The Cadets aren't here yet."

Kitty wasn't very reassured by her sister's words.

Meanwhile, Sanders was trying to pull the trash can off MacArthur's tongue but to no avail. MacArthur slapped her partner, trying to get her to stop.

"Just let me do this!"

"Ow! Ow!" The camera blurted out MacArthur's words. "...This hurts!"

Josee took off her helmet while holding the ball and taunting her opponents. "Easier than taking candy from a baby you hate."

Emma glared at them, still cranking the lever. "Someday, you'll get what you deserve!"

"If by that you mean victory, that day is today!"

Jay silently winced, expressing sympathy towards the Sisters.

Loki, who had been helping Crimson descend, growled at them as the lever went up to Ennui's hands. The rabbit stepped off the petal and started to snarl at them.

Jacques screamed as the bunny chased them, before telling his partner, "Run, run!"

The Ice Dancers quickly fled the scene, and Loki stopped his chase, chittering before returning to Ennui.

"Emma, I'm at the bottom." Kitty declared.

Emma held her arm in pain as she let go of the lever. "Finally! My arms are killing me!"

Kitty was shown nervously stepping around, feeling the area in front of her. "It's super spooky and I'm getting a little freaked out."

At the streambath, the Ice Dancers appeared.

"Don?" Jacques asked.

Don gradually walked on screen, a towel around his waist. "Hi guys. Bad news, for you; because you didn't go to the bottom of the borehole to collect the ball, as the tip instructed, you're getting a 30 minute penalty."

The penalty clock appeared.

"Seriously? That is so unfair!" Josee complained.

"Considering you're horrible people, I think you're getting off quite easy. Heck, I'm surprised this is the first penalty you've ever gotten. Over there, please."

The scene flashed to an interview in the steamhouse.

Interview; Ice Dancers

"You know, I'm not worried. We'll still be in first place when the penalty is up." Jacques reasoned.

"True…" Josee said.

"And since when is a thirty minute steambath a penalty?"

The two sighed happily.

End Interview

The scene turned back to the Cadets.

"There it is!" MacArthur pointed out.

"Okay, I'll hit the brake." She pulled the brake, only for it to come loose and detach itself completely. "Our brake is broken! We're going to fall down the hole!"

"Not on my watch!" The brute cop held up some rope. "Tie this to the yacht!"

Sanders tied the rope around the mast of the yacht as MacArthur tied the rope around herself and took her trash can, jumping off the yacht, using its weight and hers to try and slow down the yacht. The yacht began to slow, and eventually, thankfully, it stopped, only a few inches from falling into the hole.

MacArthur's tongue separated from the trash can as the yacht came to a halt, now showing visible tongue burn marks.

"My tongue…." MacArthur moaned.

"Ew." Emma said from afar, wincing in sympathy.

"Ouch." Jay remarked as he continued cranking the lever.

"That had to hurt." Ennui added.

Interview; MacArthur

The scene showed MacArthur, now in her winter clothes as she made her declaration.

"That good for nothing Josee will get what's coming to her, or my name's not Valentina Escobar."

The raccoon chittered in agreement.

"Yeah, exactly."

End Interview

Meanwhile, Crimson had already found a red ball, and Kitty looked at the goth girl in nervous hope.

"Hey, um, Crimson? I know you're on another team, but could you help me out? My headlight was punched out."

"Sure, I guess."

Crimson came over to her and was about to swap helmets. Suddenly Crimson's helmet light flickered and died.

The goth girl raised her eyebrows for a moment. "Well, that's unfortunate. I'm afraid I can't help you there."

"Please don't go…" Kitty pleaded. "It's so dark and lonely.'

"Crimson, we need to go." Ennui told her from above.

"I'm sorry. Good luck. You'll need it." Crimson told her as she was lifted back up.

Kitty sighed, fearing she was completely and utterly doomed.

Back at the top of the hole, the Cadets had yet to begin the challenge.

"The reason I'm hesitant is because you are reckless." Sanders gestured to the hole. "This is a seven mile drop. I need to know that you're not going to do what you always do."

"By that do you mean help us win? Cause that is what I always do."

Suddenly, Jay sneezed and blew himself down, causing the lever to start spinning rapidly.

Mickey began to rapidly plummet towards the center "JAY!"

Jay quickly pushed himself back up, calling out to his brother.

"Mickey!"

He grabbed the lever; down below, Mickey was shown only inches away from slamming into the cold, hard underground rock.

"Are you okay? Tell me you're okay!" Jay pleaded.

"I believe so."

He angled himself so that his feet were now touching the ground.

"Hopefully this doesn't take too long. Going up is going to be worse than going down."

Meanwhile, Loki was working on pulling Crimson back up, Ennui carefully watching him work.

The camera turned to Sanders, trying to reason with her partner. "Maybe I could be the one to pull the lever while you go down?"

"You'll never pull me back up with those twig arms." MacArthur argued. "Just clip in!"

Not too long thereafter, Crimson was shown, having fully ascended to the surface.

"Well done, Loki." Ennui congratulated.

From there, Ennui handled the lever one last time to let his girlfriend's feet touch the ground. Now standing on the earth's surface, she took off the harness with Ennui's assistance as Sanders looked anxious.

Sometime later, Mickey had found a red ball and took it in his left hand. "Alright, I got the ball!"

"Nice work!" Jay congratulated him. "Ready to ascend?"

Mickey heard the sound of Kitty's voice as she tripped on another rock. She groaned in pain, softly sobbing to herself.

"Hold on a second, there's something I need to do."

Kitty groaned, still on the ground. Mickey quickly found her in the dark, laying on her left side.

"Kitty? It's me, Mickey. I've got you."

He took her hand and helped her up.

"What happened? Why are you alone in the dark?"

"Josee she… she took my ball and smashed my light. How can anyone be so cruel?!"

She didn't want to cry, but a few tears fell. Mickey gasped, nearly shaking, but soon composed himself.

"Here." The camera showed him holding his helmet. "You can take mine. I already found a ball and I don't need one."

She wiped away her tears.

He handed her his helmet, and he took the broken one, placing it on his head.

The pig-tailed girl finished adjusting the lit helmet. "Thank you…"

Kitty took the ear communicators off, severing her audio connection to her sister and let the pods fall to the ground. She approached her hero and took his lips.

Taken by surprise, Mickey soon accepted and returned the kiss. He put his free arm around her, gently putting it around her waist as her hands took his face.

Up above, Jay was noticeably confused by what was going on.

"Mickey, what's going on down there? Mickey?"

The camera switched back to Kitty and Mickey, still kissing.

"Mickey?!" Jay asked his brother from afar.

The kiss broke, the two opening their eyes as Mickey answered, "Mhm? I'm fine, read you loud and clear!"

"Did you get the ball?"

"I got one."

"Alright, make your way back to the center and I'll pull you up!"

"Roger that!"

Mickey smiled.

"Thanks for your help." Kitty told him.

"It's no trouble." Mickey admitted, before adding, "I love you."

Kitty smiled and whispered back, "I love you too. Good luck."

"Same to you!"

Soon Jay started cranking the lever and slowly pulled his brother up from the hole. Soon Kitty put the earpods back in.

"Emma?"

"Kitty! Do you hear me?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, I hear you! The signal must have been jammed or something."

"Have you found a new ball yet?"

"Not yet."

Emma informed her, "Well hurry up! The Cadets are here and the other teams have already gotten their balls! And it's still freezing!"

Back at the steamhouse, the penalty clock was seconds away from being cleared.

00:03...

00:02...

00:01…

And within a moment, it was over. The Ice Dancers leapt back to the carpet, thoroughly relaxed and content from their steam bath.

Don cleared his throat. "Your penalty is over." Josee and Jacques smirked as they took victory. "First place, proving that sometimes cheating does pay."

Interview; Ice Dancers

"Once again coming in first proves we're better than everyone else." Josee declared.

"Indeed we are!" Jacques agreed.

End Interview

Back at the borehole, MacArthur was getting more impatient with her partner's hesitance.

Sooner or later, Mickey emerged from the hole, holding a red rubber ball in hand. "Alright, finally back up!"

"Phew! I feared my arms were going to fall off." Jay mentioned.

"There is only one team left, will you please clip in?" MacArthur asked.

Back at the bathhouse, the Goths were shown, with Crimson holding Loki in her arms, the red ball resting on his stomach.

"Goths, you're in second place." Don announced.

"Hooray…" Crimson said, unamused.

A few moments later, the Twins came rushing in.

"Twins, you're in third!" he declared.

"Hooray!" Jay cheered.

"Can this day get any better?!" Mickey asked.

Interview; Adversity Twins

The Twins were shown in the interview room.

"So what happened down there?" Jay asked.

"Okay, you're never going to believe this, but… Kitty kissed me down there!"

"No way! Congratulations!"

The two gave each other a high-five, their hands successfully connecting.

"Neither one of us has gotten a first kiss, let alone a first date." Mickey explained before his lips curled into a smile. "Well, up until now."

"Well, if your idea of a date is diving into deep dark holes and retrieving red rubber balls."

"It's certainly a unique one!"

The twins shared a laugh, taking delight in their successes.

End Interview

Don began narrating as pictures showed two images; one of the cadets, and the other of the Sisters, with Emma smirking and Kitty nervous.

"Only two teams left; the trash talking Cadets and the ill lit sisters. The race to the Chill Zone is on."

Sanders was shown gradually descending down the borehole.

"Almost halfway there! This is a good pace! We're gonna make it!" Sanders cheered.

MacArthur was shown cranking the lever.

"I found one!" Kitty exclaimed offscreen.

"Nice work kitty, I'm bringing you up!" Emma told her.

"Sanders, we may have to pick things up a little." MacArthur warned.

"MacArthur, NO!" Sanders protested.

But to no avail, she swung the rope, sending Senders plummeting.

"Ahh!"

"Kitty's coming back up; it's this or elimination. Don't worry I'm using science or algebra or something."

Sanders was shown falling, terrified for her life as MacArthur continued counting. "Four steamboats… five steamboats… six steamboats…"

A crash, crunch and cry of pain was heard as Kitty was being pulled up.

"Woah!" Kitty exclaimed.

Interview; Sisters

"That was crazy!" Kitty yelled out.

Emma simply nodded.

New Interview; Goths

"Ouch. That had to hurt." Ennui remarked.

"I can't imagine the pain she is going through." Crimson told those listening.

Ennui held her closer. Loki rested on her shoulder, hugging at her neck.

New Interview; Ice Dancers

"Stick a fork in that team, they are done!" Josee winked. "Ding!"

New Interview; Adversity Twins

"Oh my gosh! To think… if you had been any slower…"

Mickey didn't dare finish his sentence, and Jay knew what would have happened….

Jay held his brother. "I'm so sorry…."

And the younger one found comfort in his embrace.

End Interviews

The camera showed a peering look into the borehole that Sanders had just fallen down.

"Oh no… No… Please… Ohhhhh…." Sanders cried in pain.

"You uh, see any balls down there?" MacArthur asked.

"My arm is broken! Ah!"

MacArthur froze as the realization of what she had just done settled in. "Oh no… what have I done?!"

Back at the steam house, the Sisters were shown arriving at the carpet of completion.

"Sisters, you're in fourth place." Don declared.

The Sisters cheered.

A montage began as MacArthur sadly began pulling her partner up and soon carried her off to the ambulance, shedding a tear in silence.

"It's my fault. Me and my win at all cost attitude. My dad always said that only losers don't win. So if you don't score the game winner, get that trophy, or be the first one to finish all those hotdogs, you're a loser!"

The ambulance drove off before the screen flipped; MacArthur was shown waiting in the hospital.

"I wish it were my arm but it would be weird if my arm was on her body." A male nurse walked by her. "Oh, I hurt my partner, not even sure I have the right to call her that anymore…"

The scene transitioned to the Cadets reaching the carpet with Sanders' arm in a cast.

"Sanders, MacArthur, you are the last team to arrive. And as much as I hate to add salt to your wounds, you are eliminated."

MacArthur sobbed. "I'm so sorry. Sanders… Barbara… you have every right to blame me and be angry with me."

Sanders sighed. "I want to feel angry, and I am, but I'm just more exhausted than anything else. Part of me wants to think that if I haven't been hesitant, if we haven't lost time…. That we'd still be in the race. But would it have really changed anything?"

The brute cadet looked down, kicking an empty bucket. "This is all my fault!"

From afar, Josee and Jacques smirked. Emma looked to be pondering to herself, while the Goths, surprisingly, had their eyebrows raised in concern, with Loki wincing in pain at the Sanders' injury. All the while, Kitty and Twins looked worried, with Kitty being the most anxious.

Interview; Ice Dancers

"Yes! We did it!" Josee cheered. "The Cadets are gone!"

"With no more heroes, taking out the rest of the competition will be easy!" Jacques declared. "Next we will take out the Goths!"

"Then the Sisters and the weakling twins…"

"And in the end…" Jacques began.

"We win the million dollar prize!" they exclaimed in unison.

End Interview

The Cadets left, with MacArthur taking Sanders' good arm and leaving the bath house. The camera turned back to Don as he concluded the episode.

"Four teams remain. Who will fall next time? Find out on… the Ridonculous Race."

A montage began of the Cadets time on this show; the two of them ziplining over an Ontarian lake, Sanders happily skipping over a geyser in Iceland, Sanders bungee jumping for fish, MacArthur eating beans in the farmhouse, the two of them stranded on an ice patch in the Arctic Circle, MacArthur eating the hottest pepper in Mexico and MacArthur letting the lever fall, sending Sanders plummeting.

"What went wrong?" MacArthur asked.

"Um, pretty much everything this episode…" Sanders answered.

"You're never letting me live this down."

"Not in the slightest." Sanders sighed. "Well MacArthur, what did you learn today?"

"I learned that this has heaps of pain all for nothing. And that being reckless gets you- or worse, your loved ones- hurt."

The two showed the Cadets, still walking in the Russian tundra. Sanders was shown with a blanket over her arms to keep warm, wearing it like a cape.

"Good answer. Now, when we get back home, we're gonna need to have a serious talk going forward. If you continue this recklessness, it's the end of our partnership."

"Understood," MacArthur relayed, her head hanging in sorrow.