Work Text:
I walked out of the bus into the bright, clear day. Pulling my hair behind my ear, I looked around to see the busy people, walking in and out of the station. People in suits, people in dresses, or even city clothes like t-shirts and jeans. I started wearing city clothes ever since my best friend Trucy went shopping for some with me. I love wearing them! They feel so comfortable and make me look different that I usually do with my acolyte garments. Today, I decided to wear a sleeveless white shirt with a super cute flower design on it, as well as jean shorts! Trucy told me they’re “totally in style”, which I think is a good thing! Anyway, I stared out into the crowd of people and spotted one girl looking at me. She was wearing a short sleeve blue shirt with what looks like a group magicians in the middle and light blue jeans. I smiled at the girl. That’s Trucy alright.
“Pearly!” shouted Trucy, running over to hug me!
“Trucy!” I yelled before Trucy tackled me and nearly knocked me over. She always does that, but I don’t mind. She gives the best hugs! When we separated after, maybe five minutes, Trucy said,
“I’m so happy to see you! I haven’t seen you in years!!”
“Trucy, it’s only been two weeks.” I corrected her.
“It might as well be two months!” she pouted. I giggled and said,
“Well now that it’s summer we can hang out more!”
“Yeah! I’ll take you everywhere I can! Especially since Polly’s gone and I can’t drag him to places.” Trucy told me about Polly staying in Kurah’in last year. I’m sad we won’t see him that much anymore, but I’m happy he’s found somewhere to call home and work his own business!
“So, what are we doing today?” I asked.
“Actually, there’s this carnival that comes into town every year during the summer!” Trucy said.
“A, car-nuh-vool?” I asked.
“It’s like an amusement park, but cheaper,” she said, “but also a ton of fun! Wanna come along?”
“Sure,” I said, “I bet we’ll have some fun!”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We walked a good while until we got to this placed called “Kooky Karnival”. I asked Trucy if this was the place, and she said it was. I looked at everything surrounding the area. There were really big scary rides, but I saw smaller ones for little kids, as well as different kinds of fun houses and food stands. I really hope Trucy doesn’t make me do the big rides. They look really scary!
We walked up to the man in a small tent. He had really shaggy hair and looked REALLY tired! I guess he’s been standing there for a long time.
“Can we have two tickets please?” asked Trucy.
“That’ll be ten dollars.” the man said. Trucy pulled out a ten dollar bill and payed him.
“Have a good day.” he said in a gruff, angry voice.
“You too,” Trucy chirped with a smile, “come on Pearly!” she yanked my arm and pulled me into the carnival.
“What should we do first!?” Trucy asked me.
“I don’t know. I’m not familiar with this place.” I responded.
“Trucy! Pearly!”
Where did that voice come from?
“Maria!” Trucy shouted. I looked up and saw Trucy’s friend Maria! Trucy introduced her to me a month ago. She’s really funny and protective of Trucy. She’s hispanic with black curly hair and brown eyes. Today she was wearing a white shirt and really tight pants with a colorful design. I think Trucy referred to them as “leggings”? Maria wasn’t alone however. She was holding hands with a girl I didn’t recognize.
“How’s it going girl?” asked Maria.
“We’re doing great! How about you?” responded Trucy.
“Doing well,” retorted Maria, “how ‘bout you Pearly?”
“I’m good,” I said, “um, who’s the girl with you?”
“Oh, I’m Hannah. Nice to meet you!” said the other girl. She was taller than Maria and had straight blonde hair, glasses and fair skin. She was modestly dressed with a plain yellow t-shirt and dark blue jeans. She was really pretty!
“Hi,” I said bowing down, “it’s nice to meet you too!”
“Hannah is Maria’s girlfriend.” mentioned Trucy.
“Oh! Like a special someone?” I asked.
“Yeah, sure like that.” said Hannah. Maria was leaning her head on her shoulder at that point. Hannah leaned on her head in return.
“I still haven’t had my first boyfriend. Or girlfriend…” remarked Trucy.
“Aw, don’t stress girl,” said Maria, “you’ll get one soon! Trust me!”
“Thanks Maria,” Trucy replied, “we should get going to the rides, Pearly!”
“If I can make a suggestion,” Hannah interjected, “we just got off the Krazy Koaster over there!” She pointed to a really big, scary roller coaster. I could hear the people on it screaming in terror! I felt my throat sink to my stomach…
“Coooool!” remarked Trucy.
“What!? N-not cool,” I chirped, “I-I don’t want to get on that!”
“Awww Pearly!” whined Trucy. I love her a lot, but I will not go on that ride! Ever!
“It’s not THAT bad Pearly,” sparked Maria, “I mean, I’ve gone through worse.”
“So have I!” added Hannah.
“St-still, can’t we do something else? ANYTHING else??” I asked.
“Hm… Ah ha!” Trucy pointed at a ride with big spinning capsules. The sign said, “Tilt-A-Whirl”.
“I guess that’s okay-” before I could say anything else, Trucy yanked me away and took me to the ride.
“Bye Maria! Bye Hannah!” yelled Trucy while running to the ride. All I could hear was Maria saying, “Have fun you two!”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When the ride ended and it was our turn, Trucy ran into one of the empty capsules with an excited look on her face. I followed her, and as I was, I felt myself getting more and more scared. I don’t know why, I just had a really bad feeling about this ride…
I entered the capsule kinda shaky. Trucy noticed and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Y-yeah, just… a little nervous is all.” I replied.
“If you don’t want to get on we can just get off.” she said.
“N-no, no, no, it’s fine!” I insisted. We’ve gone too far now. Plus, I don’t want to let Trucy down.
“Whatever you say!” said Trucy. Just then, a man came in and pulled on the bar in front of us. Even if I decided to jump out, there’s no turning back now. Still, I was okay with it! Because I wanted to make Trucy happy.
Suddenly, the man from earlier came on the microphone and yelled,
“Are you guys ready for a dizzying good time!?”
Trucy was the only one to respond. She cheered at the top of her lungs, to the point where other people in the park stared at us. I just sighed and prepared for the worst.
The ride started moving. It was slow at first, which relaxed me, but then I saw Trucy reach for the wheel between us and aggressively spin it. Suddenly our capsule started spinning really fast! I started to scream, but I don’t think Trucy heard me because she was screaming just as loudly. I think they were screams of joy, but mine weren’t. I was terrified! We were going so fast!
“T-T-TRUCY!!” I yelled.
“YEAH PEARLY!?” she shouted.
“W-WE’RE GOING TOO FAST!!” I yelled back.
“YOU WANT TO GO FASTER!?” she asked.
“NO!! TRUCY!!” I yelped.
“OKAY! HOLD TIGHT PEARLY!!” she yelled.
And we went faster! I couldn’t get angry at Trucy, all I could do is hope this would all be over soon!
Eventually the ride ends, and I don’t feel so well. I wobbled out of the capsule while Trucy dashed out.
“Wasn’t that fun!?” Trucy chirped.
“No…” I replied. I felt like I was going to fall over. My stomach hurt, I felt weirdly sleepy, and I wouldn’t walk straight.
“I don’t feel so good…” I added.
“Oh! I’m so sorry,” Trucy said, “do you want to sit down for a bit?”
“Y-yes, thank you.” I responded.
We sat down on a bench nearby the Tilt-A-Whirl. Trucy pulled some water out of her magic panties and passed it to me. I started feeling a little better.
“I’m really sorry Pearly,” said Trucy, “I didn’t realize you were getting dizzy!”
“It’s okay.” I responded. I couldn’t get angry at Trucy. I knew she wanted to have fun, and she clearly did. As long as she’s happy, I’m happy.
Okay, maybe not in this case…
She held my hand and said, “You wanna go home? I promise I won’t be upset.”
“What? No! I wanna stay!” I said.
“Really?” asked Trucy.
“Yes! I want to spend today with you!” I insisted.
“Aw, you’re too nice Pearly,” she remarked, “I really don’t deserve it!” I smiled. Of course she deserved it! She’s my best friend! I’ll do anything for her!
I looked over at the rest of the park. I noticed something that stood out to me. It was this big cute bear hanging above a lady and three bottles stacked on top of each other! Trucy noticed me looking at it and asked,
“You want that bear?”
“C-can I get it?” I asked.
“Yeah! All you have to do with knock over those three bottles with a ball!” Trucy explained.
“Oh,” I said, “I-I don’t think I’d be strong enough.”
“Want me to play for you?” asked Trucy.
“Y-yes.” I said. We walked over to the stand where the bear was. The lady behind the counter looked really tired and bored before, but suddenly animated herself when we approached.
“Hello there,” she yelled excitedly, “and welcome to the Bottle Game! You get three shots, count em, three, to knock down these bottles! Knock all of them down and you can win one of our fabulous prizes!” she extended her arm to showcase the prizes we could win, but all I was focused on was the fluffy bear!
“We’ll give it a shot!,” Trucy eagerly stated, “Can I use my own ball for this?” After paying her five dollars, Trucy pulled out a near identical looking ball as the one on the counter. Why would she just carry that with her?
“I mean, if you want to I guess.” Suddenly the lady was a lot less enthusiastic.
“Here, you go first Pearly!” said Trucy handing me the ball. To my surprise, it was kind of heavy. I tried to throw it but it didn’t even make it over the counter. It made a loud bang and it startled me.
“Hard to throw isn’t it?” asked Trucy.
“Uh huh…” I murmured.
“Hey, can’t you just use the normal ba-”
“Watch and learn Pearly,” Trucy interrupted the lady, “this is how a magician wins the game!” She started moving the ball around in her hands, letting it run across her palms and back of her hands, and spin on her finger. She then threw it and knocked the bottles over!
“Wow!” I exclaimed.
“... Okay. You win. What do you want?” asked the lady.
“I’ll take the bear, thank you very much!” proclaimed Trucy. The lady handed her the bear.
“It’s all yours, Pearly!” Trucy said, handing me the bear. I felt myself blush. Something about Trucy winning me that bear made me feel warm inside!
As we were walking away, wrapping the bear around my arms and squeezing it, I asked Trucy,
“How were to able to knock the bottles over so easily?”
“A magician never tells her secrets,” proclaimed Trucy, “but I will say that no ordinary ball could knock over those bottles. They’re super heavy so you’ll have a hard time knocking them down normally!”
“Why would they do that?” I asked.
“To get your money of course,” explained Trucy, “only a magician knows how to deal with such a difficult task.” I sighed. She’s such an amazing person…
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We walked around for a bit when Trucy noticed that big roller coaster we saw earlier. I saw the look in her eye and got really worried…
“... Pearly?” she asked me.
“Y-yes?” I responded.
“You know I love you right?” she asked.
“Y-yes you do…” I replied.
“You love me too, right bestie?”
“Of course!”
“You’ll do anything for me right?” she was eyeing the roller coaster as she said this.
“... Trucy…”
“Yeahhh?”
“I don’t want to get on the roller coaster.”
“Oh come oooon!” Trucy pouted.
“I-I’m sorry,” I defended myself, “i-i-it looks so scary!”
“Pleeeeeeease? I promise it’s not that scary!” insisted Trucy.
I didn’t want to. I really, REALLY didn’t want to, but something about Trucy’s smile, and the way she looked at me made me reconsider…
“Please don’t look at me like that…” I said turning away from her.
“That means it’s working.” she said trying to turn my head back in her direction. She got me to look into her eyes again, squishing my cheeks and not letting me go.
“Pleeeeeeeease?” she begged. I took a deep breath.
“Only for you.” I sighed. She squealed and gave me a massive hug.
“THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!” she squealed. I think we got a couple weird looks from people.
We got to the lockers to put away loose things before getting on the ride. My bear was too big to fit in the locker, so I had to leave it outside, hoping no one would take it. Luckily Trucy pulled out a chain and lock to keep the bear from moving if someone tried to pick it up. I have no clue how she does it! She really is magic! As we stood in line, I kept feeling myself getting more and more nervous. What if something happens? What if it’s too scary??? What if one of us flies out of the car?????
I jumped when I felt a hand clasp mine. Trucy leaned her head on my shoulder and whispered,
“It’s ok Pearly. I’m here for you!” That calmed me down. A little bit…
We finally got on the ride. At this point I was shaking. Trucy was gripping my hand tighter.
“We’ll be fine.” Trucy whispered. I took a deep breath, and prepared myself. The car started to move. Seems like everyone was excited except for me. It moved slowly at first. It climbed up the rail, which was really tall and curved downward. We finally reached the top. I took a deep breath, shut my eyes, and prepared for the worst…
…
…? I don’t feel anything…
I opened my eyes. We stopped. We’re at the very top of the curve, but we’re not moving. I looked over at Trucy, and she looked confused too.
“Are we stuck???” somebody in the front shouted.
“Hey yo help us out what’s going on!?” somebody else yelled. Suddenly there was a crowd gathering around us. It was then I realized how high up we were! I started to panic. I started breathing really fast and shivering! Is this it??? Are we going to die???? My stomach churned into a knot and I started crying.
“Hey, hey, hey! We’re going to be okay!” Trucy insisted.
“B-B-But look how h-high up we are!!!”’ I could barely speak I was so scared!!!
“Pearly! Look at me!” she screamed. I looked at her with my tear-filled eyes.
“We’re going to be okay! I’m here for you! I’m here!” Even though I was crying, I can see Trucy’s beaming smile. I’m amazed at how calm she was! Everyone in the ride was terrified but she kept on smiling. I felt myself feeling better. Almost, content. I hiccuped a couple times, but I stopped crying. I felt safe with Trucy. Things were going to be okay…
“Th-thank you, T-Trucy…” I cried.
“It’s okay,” she said, burying her head in my neck, “it’s okay.”
Some people finally got us down. They had a big ladder and everyone was let down safely. The roller coaster was closed for the rest of the day.
“Well that sucks,” remarked Trucy putting her hat back on, “I was really excited to ride it!”
“I’m sorry Trucy,” I responded, “you can always ride it some other time can’t you?”
“Yeah, I guess.” she said. We went quiet for a bit as we left the carnival. I wanted to say something to Trucy. About when we were up there...
“... Hey, um, th-thank you for, you know…”
“Of course,” Trucy chirped, “I’ll always be there for you!” I smiled. I don’t think I’ve felt happier being around anyone else.