Prologue: The Stars of the Star Carnival
Hello again, readers on the Internet. I present to you the prologue of TDI: SC. Here, you'll get to meet the cast and watch as they're thrust into their first challenge of this Mario Party themed competition. While technically not the first full episode, that will come later, so do be patient.
As usual, I own none of the franchises or IP's that appears in this story. Every single one belongs to their respective owners.
Same warnings apply like my other stories. There will be swearing, violence, crude humor, slapstick, and everything else you've come to expect from my fics.
Now then…..let us begin.
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Ah…….the carnival. A place that almost feels magical to the bright-eyed youth. Whether it's the rides, the rigged games, or that oh so delectable funnel cake, there's a lot of fun to be had when the carnival rolls into town. And roll into town it did.
What you saw before you was a huge carnival the likes of which you've never seen. Festive music blared as balloons and confetti fell. Several large tents, stands, rides, stalls, and attractions could be seen, with a particularly large stage sat in the center of the fairgrounds.
We see a silhouetted figure fly up from the stage, high into the air. What we see was an odd, humanoid creature. He has a big mouth, with orange lips. He also has a blue black head with glowing, yellow eyes, a purple suit with a giant bow tie on it, tiny, light aqua feet, giant white gloves, and in his hand is a microphone. He had a large blue top hat on his head with a singular toothed mouth and different colored eyes.
"WELCOME TO THE STAR CARNIVAL!" The being jovially exclaimed for all to hear. "What's our main attraction?! 24 players from different worlds competing to be the Superstar! We've got it all! Challenges to make you move, locations to make you groove! So come one, come all! What fun we'll have! Clashes, crashes, brawls, falls!"
"Who am I, you may ask?! I'm your Master of Catastrophe! MC Ballyhoo, at your service! And I don't run this show solo! Two heads are better than one! Meet my friend, Big Top!"
"Hello! Hola! Aloha! Ahoy!" The hat says.
"Yes, yes, a warm welcome to all! We're here to make sure that you have a great time!" Ballyhoo continues. "As we speak, 24 competitors are on their way here to compete in time honored tradition. I've been seemed out, and asked to host a season of Total Drama here at this carnival. When it's all said and done, one will be crowned our Superstar, and win a prize unlike any other….a single wish of their own desire."
"As well as a year's supply of candy!" Big Top adds.
"Which carnival goer will triumph over the rest?! Welcome, one and all, to Total Drama Infinite…..STAR CARNIVAL!"
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The sky looked quite overcast as we saw a huge blimp cruising through the sky. In here sat our 24 contestants en route to the Star Carnival. Each of them were doing their own things to pass the time, while others attempted to make small talk with the people around them whom they've never met before.
We start with a seemingly normal, blonde woman whose hair was tied into twin tails. She wore a large brown cowboy hat, a blue shirt, brown pants and boots.
We get a text box under that read:
Contestant #13: Ashley Graham (Disventure Camp)
Ashley looks next to the person sitting next to her, and notices a small child. She appeared no older than 10, even looking quite short for her age. She had orange hair tied into almond shaped twin tails, and wore a pink long sleeved Japanese school uniform.
Contestant #23 Chiyo Mihama (Azumanga Daioh)
Well howdy there, little girl." Ashley says sweetly. "Aren't you just adorable? Wouldn't be the first time I'd seen a child compete in one of these competitions."
Chiyo finally notices Ashley, and smiles sweetly at her.
"Hi. I'm Chiyo Mihama. It's a pleasure to meet you."
She holds out her small hand for Ashley to shake. The cowgirl is about to return the favor, but quickly stops.
"Huh? Did I do something to upset you?" Chiyo asks innocently.
"N-no, it's just…" Ashley begins. "Just throwing this out there, you're not some kid that's secretly an evil devil child, are you?"
Chiyo laughs at her question. "I don't know what you're talking about, but that's hilarious. I may be smart for my age, but I don't think I have a mean bone in my body."
Ashley softens up upon hearing this. She didn't look like she was trying to hide anything, so Ashley returns the gesture and shakes the prodigy's hand.
"Sorry about doubting ya. Just had a bad run in with someone kinda similar to you in the past. I'm Ashley, by the way."
Their talk was interrupted as they heard the loud sounds of metal clangling. The two girls turn to see a teen boy working out heavily.
"Oh wow, look at him go!" Chiyo marveled. "He's been non-stop since we got airborne."
The teenage boy in question wore a blank expression on his face. His black hair was styled into a bowl cut, yellow eyes, and a lightning bolt shaped mark on his left cheek. He was currently dressed in a skintight under-armor bodysuit with a pair of white shorts over it. He was also seen wearing some odd wrist weights.
Contestant #4: Mash Burnedead (Mashle: Magic and Muscles)
Mash was currently cycling through multiple workouts at an inhuman rate. He was lifting a barbell much larger than him, then was balancing it on one of his fingers as it spun around, then quickly moving his legs as he had it sat on his arms.
"No kidding….can that guy get any more ripped?" Ashley said in amazement.
Suddenly, Mash stopped weight training. He quietly sets the weights down, and reaches into a nearby bag to pull out…cream puffs?
"Time for a cream puff break." He says in a monotonous voice.
"Let us see one day if his muscles can match the brawn of….THE MURRAY!"
Mash looks behind him to see who was talking to him. It was a large, pink, anthropomorphic hippopotamus. He had a muscular upper body, but a large stomach. He wore a maroon wrestling mask, driver goggles, a blue shirt, a belt, and black shoes.
Contestant #6: Murray (Sly Cooper)
Are you talking to me?" Mash calmly asked.
"Why, of course!" Murray responds gleefully. "Gotta appreciate great strength when I see it! With your muscles and my infamous Thunder Flop, we'd be an unstoppable duo, no matter what this game throws at us!"
"Oh…..okay, then." Mash says as he finishes his cream puff. "Anyway, back to training."
As Mash continues training, we see someone nearby watching him closely. Leaning against the wall was a tall, blonde man, wearing a superhero costume reminiscent of Superman and Captain America. Complete with red gloves and boots, gold shoulder pads, and a long cape styled like the American flag.
Contestant #24: Homelander (The Boys)
"Well now, get a load of this bowl headed bum." Homelander says. "People who think he's so strong have clearly never heard of me."
"Uh….. I've never heard of you, pal." Another voice spat.
"Huh? Who…"
Homelander looks next to him, and sees another person leaning against the wall. Well, he wasn't really a person per se. He was an anthropomorphic black hedgehog with red stripes on his quills and a short, pointy tail. He wore white gloves, white air shoes, and golden rings on his wrists and ankles.
Contestant #19: Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Homelander takes a good long look at Shadow, and scoffs. "You may not know me since we're from different worlds, but I'm kind of a big deal where I come from, fur ball."
This time, it was Shadow's turn to scoff. "This game hasn't even started. You're no more special than me or that damn hippo guy or the kid over there."
Homelander wouldn't tolerate being talked to like that by some rando he just met. He stands up straight, now glaring down at the Ultimate Lifeform. His eyes begin to glow red.
"Mind running that by me again, edgelord?!" Homelander growled. "I could put you and everyone in this game six feet under with a fucking quickness if I wanted to."
"Huh….is that so?" Shadow asked eerily. "Care to test that right here and now? I can already tell you're someone I'm gonna hate on this show. Bring it on, Red, White, and Blue Blowhard."
Before things could escalate, a third party luckily intervened.
"Gentlemen, while your incessant bickering can be humorous, it demonstrates a level of ineptitude that borders on the imbecilic. And I mean that in the kindest way possible."
Shadow and Homelander stop to see who was interrupting them. It was a cream colored, slender woman who appeared quite feline like. She had auburn hair in a short bob style. She wore a blue coat with white collar and both gold cufflinks and buttons, khaki pants, and long black high-heeled boots.
Contestant # 11: Captain Amelia Smollett (Treasure Planet)
"This has nothing to do with you, lady." Homelander warns her. "This is an A and B conversation, so C your way out of it."
Amelia grabs the hero's chin, pulling it close to her face.
"I'm not "lady", you daft neanderthal. I am Captain Amelia, Admiral of the R.L.S Legacy. From here on out, you shall refer to me as Captain or ma'am, are we clear?"
"Yeah yeah, I get it." Shadow says with indifference.
"I really hope I'm not on a team with either of you…" Homelander groans.
Amelia lets go of him and walks off, but not before having one more thing to say.
"This competition has not begun yet, so I suggest you remain on your best behavior until then. I'd love to stick around and chat with you lot. Tea, cake, the whole shebang, but I must continue to prepare myself for when we land. Good day to you, gentlemen."
Both guys had kinda forgotten their beef for the time being, now feeling quite confused.
Meanwhile, we see a woman with long orange hair in a single ponytail. She was wearing a yellow jacket with a white shirt with a blue tie. She was also wearing a yellow skirt and some device around her neck.
Contestant #5: Athena Cykes (Ace Attorney)
Athena was currently observing and investigating a car that was weirdly parked in a corner of the room. It was a compact yellow compact with black stripes on it.
"I just don't get it….." Athena mutters. "Why is this car here? I asked most of the people here, and nobody claimed it was theirs….strange…"
"Do you need some help?"
Athena was approached by another woman. This one had red hair, and wore something that appeared to be like a white pilot uniform, complete with shoulder pads and light blue boots.
Contestant #15: Kiva Andru (Megas XLR)
"Huh, I guess I missed someone." Athena said. "You got any info on this car? I'm trying to figure out why it's just sitting here in this blimp. Everyone else I talked to doesn't know."
"It's not mine either, but I have some experience dealing with machines like this." Kiva explains. "Let me help you."
The two get a closer look at the car, trying to find some form of identification. Just as they're getting closer, a robotic head pops up from the car.
"HIYA!"
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Both women screamed in surprise, falling on their backs in the process. The car transforms into a semi tall humanoid robot, laughing at the stunt he pulled in the process.
Contestant #21: Bumblebee (Transformers Animated)
"Oh wow, you guys should have seen the look on your faces!" Bumblebee chuckled. "I was playing the long game on that one!"
"What…..what are you?" Athena says as she picks herself up.
"He reminds me of Megas a bit, but different…" Kiva points out.
"You're looking at a genuine Autobot, ladies!" Bumblebee said proudly. "All the way from Planet Cybertron! Defending Earth from evil, you know how it is. "Sorry, but I just couldn't resist making a joke. You two were so scared."
"I-I was not!" Athena said defensively.
"Just a little spooked is all." An electronic voice that sounded similar to Athena said.
"Who said that?" Kiva asked.
"Oh, that was just Widget." Athena explains. She shows the device hung around her neck. It had a blue screen on it with a little face on it. "I use psychology in my profession of law, and she helps me figure out people's emotions. As well as sometimes saying what I'm thinking."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, from both of us!" Widget happily says.
"Wow, that's incredible!" Bumblebee marvels. "I got some friends back home who'd get a total kick out of this! Still, you guys were pretty loud with that scream, although it looks like someone slept through all the fun."
The three see a person sleeping near where Bumblebee stood. It was a teenage girl currently sleeping comfortably on the floor. She had olive green hair in a bob cut with two leaf-like ahoges on top of it. Her outfit consisted of a navy blue Japanese school uniform, complete with a yellow scarf tie, brown cardigan, leg warmers, and brown loafers. A bubble of snot inflated and deflated as she was snoozing.
Contestant #2: Meme Bashame (My Deer Friend Nokotan)
"She's slept nearly the whole flight." Athena said in disbelief. "Even the bits of turbulence haven't disturbed her."
"You think we should try and wake her up?" Bumblebee asks. "Could be something's wrong with her?"
"I'd say it's probably best to leave her be." Kiva responds.
The three are interrupted as the sound of a gunshot fires off. Athena recoils as the bullet came close to hitting her shoulder.
"Oy, would you shits shut your fucking traps?! You're too loud!"
They nervously look over and see they're being stared down by a pretty intimidating looking woman. She was a Chinese-American with burgundy hair tied in a loose, low ponytail. She wore a black tank top exposing her stomach, cut up denim shorts, and military jungle boots. She was holding a still smoking gun, smoking a cigarette, and had a look that felt murderous.
Contestant #16: Rebecca "Revy" Lee (Black Lagoon)
"The toaster's little stunt shook me out of the nap I was having…." Revy growled. "So I suggest you keep your fucking traps shut before I turn your brains into paste!" Revy cocks her gun for emphasis. "Just so you know…..I missed that first shot on fucking purpose…."
"And I think that's our cue to go elsewhere." Athena says quickly. "Sorry for disturbing you!"
"Yeah, that's right….fuck off, you twat suckers." Revy mumbles as she dozes off again.
"Uhh….any idea what's going on over there?" Bumblebee asks. The Autobot points to a performance being put on by a few individuals that some of the other contestants were watching.
There was a woman with long red hair in a dark, semi revealing bodysuit balancing on a huge ball while juggling daggers. She wore golden boots, and had little black and white stars scattered across her hair and a couple on her face.
Contestant #7: Yunaka (Fire Emblem Engage)
"Enjoy the show, people!" Yunaka calls. "It'll blow your sockety-socks off!"
Then there was a German man in a red and black suit performing acrobatic jumps and tricks. He had dark indigo colored fuzzy skin and dark hair, with pointed ears, yellow eyes with no pupils, a pointy, prehensile tail, and hands with only three fingers.
Contestant #1: Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner (X-Men)
Standing atop a railing above, Nightcrawler falls backwards. As he plummets, he disappears in a puff of smoke with a loud "BAMF!", and reappears in another smoky plume on the ground, posing dramatically as he reappears.
"And scene! Was für eine Leistung!" The fuzzy mutant said proudly in his native tongue. "If we're arriving at this Star Carnival, gotta be prepared as a former circus performer mein self!"
The last performer was another person performing acrobatic maneuvers like Kurt. She was a teenage girl with long brown hair tied up in a ponytail, wearing a uniform of her own that was a couple different shades of red.
Contestant #18: Ty Lee (Avatar: The last Airbender)
"No way, you were in the circus too?!" Ty Lee exclaimed.
"Indeed I was, young lady!" Nightcrawler answers. "This kind of stuff comes naturally to me at this point!"
"Well isn't that just zappy?!" Yunaka says. "Looks like you two have something in common!"
"That's right folks, come watch the performing trio I dub Phoney's Angels!" A voice in front of them said. "These guys ain't performing for free!"
"Huh? What's going on?" Ty Lee wondered.
We see a small creature holding out a large hat for people to put money in. He was a white, short, humanoid with quite the large nose. All he wore was a black, long sleeve shirt with a large, yellow star on it.
Contestant #8: Phoncible P. "Phoney" Bone (Bone)
"C'mon, don't be greedy, give to the needy!" Phoney says harshly. "The needy one in this case being me!"
"Hold on….is he trying to profit off of our show?!" Yunaka asked.
"It does not bother me one bit, fraulein." Nightcrawler tells her.
"If you could spare just a little bit of money, this Bone will have them perform even more outrageous stunts!" Phoney announced through a megaphone.
"Holy brocc-oly!" Yunaka exclaimed. "Now he's off his rocker!"
A man walks up and drops a few doubloons into the hat. "How's about instead you answer a question for me, boy."
The man was dressed like a pirate, wearing a blue vest over a white shirt, a pair of brown pants and boots, and a red headband with his hair in dreadlocks. And at the moment….he was looking a little hammered.
Contestant #12: Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)
"And what might that be, my kind sir?" Phoney asks with a faux kindness in his voice.
"Mind telling me if you're carrying any rum on ya?" The pirate asked. "This flying ship appears to be all out of what they had…"
"Look, bub…I'm here to put on a show and turn a profit, not cater to your drinking problem!"
"I don't have a drinking problem." Jack says, waving his hands around weirdly. "It's only a problem if I don't have any rum, you know what I'm saying?"
"I don't know!" Phoney snapped. "Get a beer or something!"
"No can do, little man. It's rum or bust. Heck, the one I had a little bit ago up and disappeared on me. I'm pretty sure someone stole it."
"Whaaaaaaat? That's crazy…" Yunaka says awkwardly as she tucks a conspicuous looking bottle further into her pocket. "Somebody's sure got sticky fingers if that's the case."
Watching everyone from a distance was a somewhat gloomy looking German woman sitting by herself. She has brown hair held up in a high ponytail, and wore a somewhat conservative black uniform/robe combo with red accents scattered about, black boots, and white gloves.
Contestant #3: Miranda Lotto (D. Gray Man)
"Should I go over there and introduce myself to the others?" Miranda asks herself hesitantly. She shakes her head. "No, no…. don't be silly. You'd only be a bother to them. I'm probably not even worth their time…"
She's knocked out of her dilemma as she's approached by a yellow, pointy eared rodent creature with red cheeks and a tail shaped like a lightning bolt.
"Pika?" The creature said curiously as he stared up at Miranda.
"Oh….well hello there, little creature." Miranda says kindly. "Aren't you cute?"
"Pika….? Pika!"
He hops into her lap and nuzzles her hand.
"Wow….so affectionate…" Miranda gasps as she pets him. "I've never met a creature like you? Would you like to be my friend?"
As he's being petted, the creature grins mischievously, a sneaky glint in his eye.
"Pi…..ka…..chuuuuuuu!"
The creature lets loose with electricity, shocking the hell out of Miranda as the woman shrieks in pain. This attracted the attention of some of the other passengers. Once he stops, Miranda drops to the ground, a bit smoldering with tears streaming down her face.
"Just my luck…" she groans. "I probably did something to upset him…."
"Are you alright, miss?" Amelia asks as she offers her hand. "Do you need help getting up? Shall I assist you?"
"No, no…. it's alright. I probably did something to deserve that?"
As she tries to get up, she sees a skeleton in black robes looking down at her, scythe in hands.
Contestant #10: The Grim Reaper (The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy)
"That was a funny fall you took there, mon." Grim says. "For a second there, I thought I was gonna have to reap your mortal soul."
"The G-G-G-GRIM REAPER?!" Miranda cries. She immediately gets back up, only to drop to her hands and knees. "Surely it can't be my time to go yet! I'm sorry I brought you here to take a soul as worthless as mine!"
"Would you calm down, lady?!" Grim snapped. "I was just making a joke!"
"No way….is that actually Death himself?!" Athena exclaimed. "Why would the embodiment of death himself compete in a show like this?!"
"Allow me to just g-get out of your hair now, R-Reaper…" Miranda says. As she's backing away, she trips over literally nothing and falls on top of Grim. The reaper falls apart, his bones scattering across the floor.
"HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, YOU CLUMSY GIRL!"
"Wahhh! I'm so terribly sorry!" Miranda cries. "Please say that you'll forgive me!"
"Yikes….she's reminding me a lot of someone I know…" Yunaka mumbles.
"Hold on Mr. Reaper, I'll patch you up good."
With a clap, magic swirls around him as his body picks itself back up, being put back together in one piece.
"What the….who did that?" Grim asked in confusion.
"That would be me."
The reaper was approached by a tall, skinny, female witch. Her skin color is pale green, and red hair. She has small purple-black bat wings on her back, and wore purple and green striped leggings underneath a low-cut, long-sleeved, short black dress that ends in a tutu, purple heels with curly toes, and a pointed witch's hat with a black brim.
Contestant #20: Scary Godmother (Scary Godmother)
"I could've handled that myself, but I appreciate the help, lady." Grim tells her.
"Oh, it's nothing." Scary Godmother assures. "I have a broommate who's a skeleton, so I don't mind helping out a fellow monster. Big fan of your work by the way."
The witch picks up the creature that shocked Miranda, and begins petting him.
"Was this little guy causing all the trouble? Aren't you just the cutest?" She coos.
"What is even happening anymore?" Miranda asks herself.
"Pika?! Pikaaaa?! Where'd you go?"
A young man runs up to them. He appeared to be a young man, long gone were the days of him as a young rookie trainer. He had black spiky hair, and wore a red baseball cap, red vest and black undershirt, blue pants, and Red and black sneakers.
Contestant #17: Red (Pokemon Adventures)
"Oh, is he yours?" Scary Godmother asks as she hands it back to him
"I'm terribly so so so so sorry! I think I upset him and he shocked me! Please forgive me!"
Pika was laughing his butt off as Red pulled out a Poke Ball and recalled him.
"It's fine, miss." Red assures. "Pika can be a bit of a troublemaker sometimes, so don't take it personally."
"I'm still very sorry for causing you trouble." Miranda tells him.
"You didn't do anything wrong. It's my fault for losing track of him."
"Still, that's a cute creature." Chiyo tells him. "What species of mouse is it?"
"It's just one of my Pokemon." Red explains. "Pika is a Pikachu I caught back when I was a kid. He's been with me a long time now."
"You mean you have more of them?!"
"Yes. I've got five more Pokemon I've brought along with me. For this competition, I needed to bring my whole team with me."
"Can we see another one?!" Bumblebee asked.
Before Red could show off another of his Pokemon, a childlike voice could be heard yelling.
"LET GO OF ME, YOU FAT JERK! LET GOOOOOOO!"
They see what appeared to be a small child being held in the air. She had light blue hair, and wore a dark blue dress and bow in her hair, a red ribbon, white shoes, and had ice crystals behind her that vaguely resemble wings.
Contestant #9: Cirno (Touhou Project)
"Do you know who you're messing with, big guy?!" Cirno warned as she flailed around. "I'm the strongest!"
She was being held by her dress, by a man who was very big in stature and weight. Why, he was even bigger than Bumblebee. He had a pink bob haircut, and wore a long purple jacket over a light purple buttoned shirt with a double triangular cut, a white shirt, a pink tie, brown trousers and black boots with small heels. His legs were much smaller than the rest of his body, and his right-hand thumb was permanently maroon for some reason.
Contestant #14: Big Jack Horner (Puss in Boots)
"Well now, aren't you a feisty little creature." Big Jack chuckles. "Quite the specimen."
"I'm an ice fairy!" Cirno retorts. "Get it right, fat face!"
Big Jack rolls his eyes as he reaches into a huge bag he brought with him, still holding on to the fairy. He pulls out a crossbow with a unicorn horn loaded it.
"Keep talking like that, and you're getting mounted on my wall, you little turd." Big Jack threatened.
Ty Lee quickly intervenes, getting in front of the extremely huge tyrant.
"Whoa! You're not seriously going to shoot a fairy, are you?!"
"Uh, yeah. In the face, why?" Big Jack answers bluntly.
"Let me go and we'll settle this one on one!" Cirno yells. "Mano y Mano! See how big and bad you are when you face the might of Cirno!"
"How cute that you think you can beat me!" Big Jack laughs. "I could eat a runt like you for breakfast!"
"Unhand that child, you scoundrel." Amelia orders.
"Don't treat me like some kid! I'm a super powerful fairy, lady!" Cirno snaps. "I can handle this!"
Big Jack drops Cirno as a gunshot sounds off, a bullet coming close to hitting his hand. This time, it wasn't Revy who shot at him. It was a white haired man with spectacles, a light blue shirt with a gray vest and a blue trench coat, along with black pants, boots, and gloves. Pointing a homemade gun at him.
Contestant #22: Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III (The Legend of Vox Machina)
"Relax, snowhead, I was just messing with the tyke." Big Jack lies.
Percy nods as he puts his weapon away. He takes off his glasses and continues to speak as he's cleaning them.
"We've barely started, and already people are making a scene. Is this seriously the kind of rubbish that those Bon Voyage guys had to deal with on a daily basis?"
Cirno points accusingly at Percy. "Why'd you get in my way, four eyes?! I could have won that fight if you hadn't butted in!"
"A weird way to tell someone thank you, but you're welcome." Percy snarked.
"Hey! Take me seriously! I am the mighty Cirno!"
"I'm sure you are…" Red chuckles as he pats the fairy on her head.
"Are you patronizing me?!"
Their blood ran cold as they could feel Revy leering behind them, looking angrier than she did earlier.
"What the actual fuck did I say earlier?!" She growls.
"Oh, you wanna challenge me, now?" Cirno says confidently. She puts up her fists, ready to duke it out. "Bring it on, lady! I'll take you on!"
"Maybe it wouldn't be best to provoke the woman who's currently packing heat…" Red nervously tells her.
Before Revy could retaliate, an alarm sounds off in the room that startles everyone. Even Bashame shot straight awake.
"What did Bashame miss?" The girl slurs drowsily.
The center of the room illuminates as a hologram of Ballyhoo appears before them.
"Wh….who is this man?" Kiva asks.
"Man?! That's putting that thing lightly…" Homelander jokes.
"It looks like some kind of abomination against God…" Captain Jack slurs. "Think he knows where the rum is?"
"Would you shut yer trap about rum for two minutes?!" Phoney snapped.
"Everyone, gather around and listen closely!" Ballyhoo orders. "I am your host, your Master of ceremonies, the great MC Ballyhoo! Owner of the Star Carnival!"
"Ah, so we finally meet the man behind all of this." Percy says.
"What message do you bring?" Murray asks. "Are we almost at your carnival?"
"And how much money are we playing for?!" Phoney asks, rubbing his hands greedily.
"There is no prize money!" Ballyhoo says with glee.
A collective "WHAT?!" erupted from many of them.
"You dirty liar!" Grim seethes.
"Anyone who looks that weird can't be trusted." Shadow scoffs.
"Slow your roll, amigo!" Ballyhoo assures. "The registration never promised a cash reward. You all merely assumed that was the case, as most seasons of Total Drama have this as the end goal."
"Then what are we playing for if it's not money?" Ashley asks.
"A. Single. Wish."
The room falls silent at his answer. Did he say what they thought he said.
"D-did you say….a wish?" Big Jack asks excitedly.
"Indeed, my large friend! On top of a year's supply of candy, the winner will get a single wish of whatever their heart desires!"
"Did we mention the candy?!" Big Top squeaks.
"Yes, your prize for winning this game will grant you a wish of your choice. You can live forever, you can grow taller, you could even wish for all the money you want!"
The cast's heads were swirling with the ideas of what they could wish for. Some good, and some that were bad.
"Bashame could wish to completely become a dear." Bashame says.
"I could finally be rid of those snot noses brats!" Grim said gleefully.
"A never ending supply of cream puffs." Mash says bluntly.
"I could finally become the richest bone in Boneville again!" Phoney gushes.
"All the magic I could ever want…." Big Jack said darkly.
"You've made your case quite convincing, Herr Ballyhoo." Nightcrawler responds. "A wish is quite a tempting motivator. "And no strings attached?"
"None whatsoever!" Ballyhoo answers.
"Bullshit!" Revy spat. "There's gotta be some kind of catch!"
"Well, there is one….small…. little caveat." Ballyhoo says cryptically.
"And w-what would that be?" Miranda stammers.
"You'd have to reach the carnival first to be eligible to compete for the wish. Your first challenge is actually finding your way to the carnival itself."
"Start making sense, pal. This isn't making sense." Bumblebee groans. "We're already on our way in this blimp!"
"For the moment, yes." Ballyhoo explains. "In a few moments, you'll all be on your own down below. Your job is to traverse the mysterious forest below to reach the entrance to my carnival, and the last one of you to show up….will be cut from the game…."
"You're gonna cut one of us so soon?!" Ashley gasps.
"Bring it on! I ain't scared!" Cirno declares.
"I'll explain how this game will play once you all finally get here." Ballyhoo continues. "But it'd be wise not to dawdle down there too long. Who knows what awaits your arrival below?! This is your test from me to see if you're worthy of entering my carnival! But enough of the serious talk! KAMEK!"
Unbeknownst to them, a small, yellow creature in blue robes and glasses flies towards the blimp outside. It was the Magikoopa known as Kamek.
"Nyee hee hee!" Kamek cackles as he pulls out his wand.
"I await your arrival!" Ballyhoo finishes. "Hopefully with bright bright smiles on your faces! I'll see you all soon! Until then….MIND THE DROP!"
"Huh?" Chiyo asked. "What does he mean by tha-"
All of a sudden, the blimp disappears, and they all begin to panic as they fall out of the sky.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! LET'S GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR STAR PERFORMERS!" The disembodied voice of Ballyhoo cheers for all to hear.
To be continued…..
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The carnival has come to town, and our stars are here…..just dropping from an ungodly height. Tune in for episode 1 as they figure out how to land safely and traverse the mysterious forest that lies ahead of them. And like Ballyhoo said, the last one to arrive is donezo.
Hope you enjoyed this introduction to our motley crew of new weirdos for me to mess with. Until next time, this is MemeKing, signing off.