Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

All her bags finally unpacked, Chee collapsed on her hotel bed, ready to fall straight asleep.

She had been on a plane for eight hours straight to get here, but here she was- the Amuseland Hotel, just a five-minute walk away from the world-famous Amuseland, a legally distinct amusement park.

But the park could wait for a day. For now, Chee was going to take a nap.

…or she was, if she wasn’t disturbed by her hotel door unlocking and being opened.

Chee’s head shot up. She’d put the do not disturb sign on the doorknob, so this couldn’t be a staff member. And she should have been the only person able to get into her room, so who was coming in?

She quickly grabbed a nearby lamp to defend herself in case the intruder was hostile. Quiet footsteps passed the bathroom and got closer to the living room. Chee stood on the end of the bed, ready to bring down the lamp.

But surprisingly, she recognized the person she saw. It was Iscream, the rabbit she had met just a couple days before she left.

But considering the last time they had seen each other, Iscream had given them a rather frightening impression of an “angel”, she still hit them over the head with the lamp.

“WHAT IN THE NINE CIRCLES WAS THAT FOR, YOU-” The rabbit rubbed their head before turning their eyes upwards to see Chee. “-oh. It’s you.”

Chee backed away from the bunny. “Wh-what are you doing in my room?” She asked, still intimidated.

“YOUR room?” Iscream scoffed. “This is my room. Room 509, see?” They pulled out their keycard, which read the exact same as the room number.

“But… I’m staying in Room 509.” Chee produced her own keycard, the same as Iscream’s.

“Oh, great.” Iscream put a palm to their forehead, wincing in pain before remembering they had just been struck there. “Well, I don’t have the energy to complain to the staff.”

Chee cautiously sat back down on the bed. “Yeah, neither do I…”

The rabbit and cat both stared off to the sides for a while. “So, uh, I’ll take one bed and you take the other?” Iscream suggested.

“That works.” Chee agreed.

Iscream reached behind their left ear and pulled out a large suitcase, which they began to unpack. Chee watched the bunny as they unpacked a bag of hygiene products, a couple snacks, a beach towel, and…

“Why did you bring a meat cleaver?” Chee questioned, concerned.

Iscream glanced at the item in question, and back again. “That’s for me to know, and you-” They flashed a creepy smile. “-to find out.”

Chee gulped. “…I’m going to go to sleep now.”

“Perfect.” Iscream cackled and went back to unpacking.

The cat pulled the sheet over her head. This was going to be a long vacation…

When Iscream agreed to manipulate a young demigod of chaos for the Overlord’s conquest, they could never have foreseen having to interact with an utterly mundane feline, let alone share a hotel room with them.

Why had they even agreed to go here in the first place? That thick-headed dog had just put the tickets into their paws and told them to “go have fun”. Who DOES that? What purpose did it serve?

The sheer nonsensicality of “Chikn Nuggit’s” actions upset them more than being assaulted with a lamp.

Nonetheless, they could still find a way to benefit from this trip. The cat whom they had been booked with most likely knew Chikn better than they did. Perhaps likes, fears, insecurities…

Iscream was hanging a series of outfits in the walk-in closet by now. The interior was a darker shade of white than the rest of the hotel room’s walls, with a massive window across from the door for residents to look out at the park.

As they hung up a red clip-on bowtie, they started to wonder why they even brought clothes, considering they didn’t seem to be necessary in this world. Then again, it was always good to be prepared, in case they had to attend some formal event here for whatever reason.

They shut the closet door and turned back to look at their roommate. An average-sized calico cat who would be completely unremarkable were it not for her strange choice of headgear. A large, tan hood, made to look like a burger, complete with a toothpick and pickle between her ears.

Everyone in this world looked ridiculous. Fortunately, that meant their disguise (a cartoonish, fluffy rabbit) fit right in with the rest.

Their gaze fell on a brochure lying beside the sleeping cat. They tiptoed over and picked it up, got onto the empty bed, and started looking it over. It was all standard fare for an amusement park. A handful of roller coasters, some other assorted thrill rides, a kiddie section, a water park…

The only thing that really stood out to them was an entire section of the park themed around horror. “Well!” Iscream whispered to themselves. “Maybe I’ll get SOMETHING out of this park.”

They folded up the brochure, tossed it across the room, and curled up beneath the bedsheets, slowly drifting into unconsciousness.

Chee woke up to the sound of a buzzing alarm. They slowly turned in bed to face the nightstand the alarm was on, only to come face to face with a stuffed horse’s head.

She catapulted herself out of bed and got as far from the head as she could, shrieking all the way. Meanwhile, Iscream was doubled over with laughter in the bed closest to the window.

“Oh, boy!” Iscream wiped a tear from their eye. “You’re gonna be a great roommate!”

“That… wasn’t… funny!” Chee managed in between breaths, before storming into the bathroom.

They were either shaking from fear or fury, or some mixture of both. She unsheathed a toothbrush and decimated any plaque on her molars, smoothed and combed her fur, straightened her toothpick, then threw open the bathroom door…

“THINK FAST!”

…only to have the same horse’s head from before tossed at her. This time, she ended up tripping into the shower curtain, knocking it down and causing her tormentor to burst into another fit of laughter. “Come on, you really weren’t expecting that?”

Chee was starting to think she wouldn’t survive to actually visit the park. “Alright, this isn’t going to work.” She sat up and marched towards the rabbit, grabbing them by the ears and dangling them in mid-air.

“What the- UNHAND ME!” Iscream wriggled in an attempt to escape her grasp.

Chee stared the bunny dead in the eyes. “I don’t know what your problem is, but you’re going to knock it off right now or I’ll find a way to make you regret it.” She said in her most menacing voice.

Iscream couldn’t believe the nerve of this mortal. She was trying to threaten THEM? One of the strongest demon lords in a thousand years? Either this cat was very foolish or completely oblivious to their demonic nature.

If Iscream was going to get anything out of her, they’d have to keep up appearances. “Fine, I’ll lay off the pranks.”

Chee smiled and placed them down gently. “Good! Now, let’s get something to eat before we go to the park.”

Iscream rubbed their ears. “Who said I was going to the park?”

“Oh, right, you never told me why you were here.” Chee looked away for a moment, then looked back. “Are you going to the park?”

“Well… yes. That canine friend of yours suggested I come.”

“Really? Same here!”

Oh boy. Did the dog set this up to get them and the cat to become friends? They wouldn’t put it past that much-too-sentimental creature. But then again, who were they to turn down free stuff? “Alright, I’ll go with you. And while we’re there, I can go over our plan for visiting the park!”

Iscream hopped past the cat, slipping past the door and starting down the hallway to the lobby’s restaurant.

The hotel’s café didn’t have the most expansive selection, but the roommates still found a few things they could have. Iscream purchased themselves a muffin, while Chee got herself a latte.

Now, they were sitting at a booth, with a half wall separating them from the rest of the lobby. Iscream was eating their muffin with one paw and pointing out things on a brochure with the other. “So, we’re gonna want to cut across the bridge, past the coasters, and spend the whole day at Horrorland. Sound good?”

“…no, not really.” Chee sipped a bit more of her latte. “I’m not a big ‘horror’ person, is all.”

Iscream furrowed their brow. “Alright, wise guy. Where do YOU want to go?”

Chee looked down at the brochure at the five different sections of the park. Fantasyland, Actionland, Horrorland, Funland, and Waterland. “I don’t know, I was hoping we could go to a different part of the park each day.”

Iscream looked dumbfounded. “You mean we WEREN’T just going to go to Horrorland five days in a row? I’ll never understand you, cat.”

“I have a name, you know. It’s Cheezborger.”

Iscream spat out chunks of their muffin. “Your name is literally ‘cheeseburger’? Good Overlord, what were your parents on while they were naming you, and where can I get some?”

Now it was Chee’s turn to furrow her brow. “Ignoring that, I was actually hoping we could visit Waterland today.”

“I thought cats hated water.”

“Cats aren’t a hive mind. We can differ in personality.”

“Alright, we’ll go to Waterland today and figure out the rest later. You happy?”

Chee nodded, and Iscream finished their muffin. But while they were doing that, Chee found herself staring into the rabbit’s eyes. Their irises were massive and black, but their pupils seemed to be split into three red slits on each iris.

In the back of her mind, Chee was beginning to form a thought. A thought about this strange, disturbing bunny before her.

She thought back to a slow, summer day in the library. Browsing the Mythology section, a red and black book catches her eye. She reads the title. “The Complete Guide to Archdemons and Devils”. A quick glimpse. A diagram. Three red slits in lieu of a pupil.

Perhaps this thought shouldn’t have been voiced. After all, if she was wrong, it could result in the end of a potential friendship. If she was right, then she’d probably end up as a greasy smear on the floor.

But she only thought of this after she had already asked “Are you a demon?”

Iscream slowly raised their eyes to meet Chee’s and just… stared.

“…”

The silence stretched, seeming to muffle the rest of the conversations nearby.

“…huh?”

“Oh. Uh. I-it’s just that… your eyes…” Chee felt her stomach begin to turn.

Iscream blinked, and when they opened, their pupils disappeared. “You sound insane. Demons don’t exist.”

“…well, what about that thing where you turned into… that?”

“No idea what you’re talking about.”

Chee looked down at her lap. “…alright, forget I said anything.”

How in the NETHERWORLD did this random mortal manage to see through their disguise so fast?! They KNEW that angel thing was pushing it, but how were they to know that they’d need to get along with this feline longer than a couple days while they carried out their mission, they’d have been a bit more careful.

But they’d managed to throw “Chee” off their trail for now. They only needed to keep up the façade for five days, then they could get home and finish the job.

Iscream threw their trash over their shoulder, landing on the table behind them. “I’m ready to go when you are.”

Chee popped the lid off her latte, chugged the contents, then got up to grab Iscream’s discarded muffin wrapper. “You’ve got your ticket for today, right?” she asked, tossing the wrapper into the trash and her plastic cup into the recycling.

“Yeah, yeah.” Iscream confirmed, following her through the hotel’s front doors. This was going to be a long “vacation”…

Chapter Text

Waterland greeted Chee and Iscream with several multicolored slides encircling the section of the park. Within stood a massive, imposing fortress of metal beams and mechanisms designed with the sole purpose of soaking passersby.

Iscream couldn’t wait to get this visit over with. “So where should we go first?”

Chee was still carrying a little paper bag of stuff she INSISTED on buying at that little curio shop by the park’s entrance. “Hang on, I should get my swim stuff on.” She turned tail and walked to the changing rooms nearby.

Iscream glanced at a nearby map. In addition to the several waterslides circling Waterland, there was a log flume that went around the perimeter of the area. It boasted the best views of the park, as Waterland was in the very center of Amuseland.

After that, Iscream’s focus turned to the small glimpse of Horrorland they could see on the map, trying to make out anything they could of it.

“Alright, I’m ready!”

Iscream whipped around to see Chee, now wearing water wings and a snorkel in addition to her hat and the bag. “It’s about time.” The rabbit commented.

Chee looked Iscream up and down. “Shouldn’t you put on swim stuff, too?” She asked.

“I’m not wearing anything right now. Why would I put on clothes just to get them wet?”

Chee opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

“Exactly.” Iscream started walking away, forcing Chee to catch up with them. “Now, where are we going?”

Chee looked around at the waterslides and the tower. “I think we get on the waterslides from the big… thing in the middle.”

Iscream spun to face the building and continued towards it. “And pray tell, which one are you hoping to get on?”

“I was thinking the red one.” Chee’s eyes followed the long, winding tube to the end.

Iscream cautiously crossed over the grate that kept water within the tower’s boundaries, immediately getting their paws damp. Chee charged past them to the stairs leading into the belly of the beast.

The rabbit remained at the border, still hesitant to enter further. They simply couldn’t see the appeal that willingly soaking yourself in water had.

Their train of thought was derailed by Chee’s return. “I almost forgot! Can you hold onto this for me?”

Reaching into the bag, she pulled out a small, white crystal. Iscream looked at the crystal. “…why?”

“So it doesn’t get wet, of course!”

Iscream extended a paw and grabbed the crystal. “Suuuuuuuuure, why not.”

With that, Chee dropped off her bag and returned to her climb. Iscream stared at the crystal, several questions forming. Why could it not get wet? Why did the cat buy it? Why was it warming up in their paw?

Why, again, were they bothering to go along with this mortal’s whims? Was this exercise going to be one in futility? It’s not like she’d start spilling her best friend’s secrets just because the person asking was being polite.

Okay, now the crystal was really warm. Iscream tossed it to their other paw, revealing that where the crystal lay was a pitch-black splotch on their fur.

Iscream was intrigued. What was this crystal made of that could have made such a strange burn mark?

But upon closer inspection, this was no burn mark. No, this was a hole in their disguise. That crystal had created a hole through their fur.

Upon realizing this, Iscream immediately threw the crystal to the ground, shattering it and turning quite a few heads.

“WHAT?” they asked the crowd defensively.

That seemed to take most eyes off them. Suddenly, a passing child bumped them further into the splash zone, and directly into range of a squirt gun higher up.

And at the helm was a small red panda, who had just picked out the perfect target: the tiny, defenseless rabbit who had just entered their domain.

A stream of water struck Iscream directly in their upright left ear. They hissed, pulled their ears downward, and locked eyes with the attacker.

Upon seeing that he’d been made, the red panda disappeared into the complex. Iscream, however, was not so keen to let their newfound prey escape.

Once they’d braced for potential splash, they started up the stairs to locate the one who’d wronged them. Although they did their best to avoid the buckets of water, the residual splashing of tiny paws passing by, and squirt guns mounted to the sides, they were still completely soaked.

But a glimpse of orange fur regained Iscream’s attention. Separating the two was a gap, blocked off by railings for safety.

But Iscream wasn’t going to waste time taking the safe route. They ran to the railing and flung themselves across the gap…

…only to pass right by their prey, who had done the exact same thing. As they passed, the child blew a raspberry at Iscream, only incensing them more.

The chase continued, until reaching a head at the peak of the tower, directly across from a waterslide. Iscream had finally managed to corner the little brat. “You’re not getting away THIS time, you-”

Their big moment was interrupted by a smack on the head. Iscream whipped around to see a (slightly) taller red panda, this time with tan accents instead of orange ones.

“Just what were you about to do to my son?” she asked, brandishing one of her sandals.

Iscream opened their mouth, but before they could say anything, they were whacked upside the head again. “Shame on you, scaring a poor, defenseless child!” she continued.

“Yeah, shame on you!” the child behind them repeated.

Iscream got a few more whacks on the head before finally getting the hint and running off. Unfortunately for them, their eyes were closed, and they stumbled directly down the waterslide.

For over a minute, everything was a blur. The sounds of rushing water muted Iscream’s confused screaming. The red walls of the slide were illuminated only by the small circles of the outside and the occasional opening of the slide’s top. They were jerked up and down and side to side, and sometimes all three at once.

This repeated until Iscream finally landed in a long, rectangular basin, ending the ordeal by coating them with one final layer of water.

Chee had just been searching for their roommate when she heard an especially loud splash come from the red slide’s exit.

She watched as two shaky paws pulled the rest of their body up from the water. Recognizing them, Chee walked over to greet Iscream. “Hey, where’d you put my crystal?” She asked.

Iscream spat out chlorinated water. “Uh, I dropped it. Why?”

“No reason. The bag’s still where I left it, right?”

Iscream gestured over to the brown paper bag, which was surrounded by shattered glass. But while they were doing so, Chee noticed a tiny black mark in their palm where they had held the crystal.

Chee narrowed her eyes. “I see. Well, I’m pretty hungry. You wanna grab a bite to eat?”

She had found the two of them a good spot to sit and eat, right beside the entrance to the log flume. Chee sat and ate her burger (exactly how she liked it), and Iscream was prodding a funnel cake with a plastic fork.

“So, how’d you like the waterslide?” she asked with a head tilt.

“I DIDN’T. I stumbled down it because I was being assaulted with a sandal.”

“…why were you-”

“Some obnoxious kid and his equally obnoxious mother.” Iscream paused. “She WAS kinda hot, though.”

Chee blinked. “Hey, what’s up with you occasionally just shouting words?”

“How else am I supposed to emphasize my words?”

“Well, you could just say them in a different tone.” Chee demonstrated.

Iscream raised an eyebrow. “LIKE THIS?” they shouted.

Chee covered her ears. “Sort of… now say it, don’t scream it!”

“…like… this?”

She gave them a thumbs up. “Exactly like that!”

Iscream went back to playing with their food. Chee then remembered that the crystal wasn’t the only demon detection method she had on her. “Say, do you mind if I add some…” she pulled a black candle out of her back. “…mood lighting?”

Iscream barely looked up from their meal. “Yeah, sure, whatever.”

Chee pulled a match out from one of her water wings and lit the candle. For the first few seconds of the candle’s life, nothing happened.

Then Iscream coughed.

Then they coughed again.

Then again.

Suddenly, they were having a full-on coughing fit. “Put out- that- candle- would you?” They managed to choke out.

“What’s the matter? Is the candle bothering you?” Chee asked, one eyebrow raised.

Iscream was now stumbling over to the trash can, and once they had reached it, they expelled a significant amount of waste from their body.

“…alright, that’s enough proof for me.” They put out the candle and tossed the rest of the bag. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

Iscream took a deep breath in and slowly trudged back to the table. “That… meant nothing.” They insisted.

“Really? So the black candle—which I read online specifically wards off demons—didn’t make you throw up?” she asked with a smirk.

The rabbit’s sclera went black, and their pupils reappeared as single red dots. “Cease talking about it right now.”

“Look, you don’t have to be mad just because I was right~” Chee’s smirk curled into a much more catlike shape, which seemed to only infuriate Iscream further.

“THAT’S IT!” They shouted, jumping onto the table and shoving a paw in the cat’s face. “I’m going to finish my food, and then we’re going STRAIGHT home!”

“You mean the hotel room, right?”

“Noooooooooo, I mean all the way back to-” They paused. “-wherever the heck we flew here from! OF COURSE I MEAN THE HOTEL ROOM, YOU INSOLENT-”

Iscream stopped. They took a deep breath in and sat back down. When they reopened their eyes, their sclera and pupils had returned to their “normal” shape.

Chee hesitantly spoke again. “Actually, I was wondering if we could go on the log flume first.”

“…sure, why not.” Iscream sighed. “Just let me finish this funnel cake. I just made room for it.”

Chee frowned. “There are people eating here, y’know.”

“And I’m one of them. Your point?”

The cat rolled her eyes and took a final bite from her burger.

Iscream was having difficulty with their seatbelt. It was meant to go over the shoulders, but they were far too short to wear it properly. And to add injury to insult, their ears were being squished by the seatbelts.

“How long is this ride going to be?” They shouted at the ride conductor, a lanky green lizard.

“It only takes about two minutes, little fella!” They called back, before sending the vehicle forward. “You’ll know it’s almost over after the Holy Water cleanse!”

Iscream’s heart stopped.

“…did they just say…” they whispered to nobody in particular.

Chee, however, must have heard it, because she responded. “…what’s the matter?”

The rabbit gulped and felt beads of sweat begin to form all over. “I, uh… have a bit of an allergy to…”

“Holy Water?” She whispered. “Well, it’s not going to kill you, right?”

“Yes, yes it very much will kill me.”

Chee’s pupils shrunk. “Oh.”

Iscream sighed. “Well, it was truly unpleasant knowing you. Send my regards to the next demon he sends.”

They turned to look at the cat, sure that she’d be relieved that they’d be out of her fur. But Chee didn’t seem happy. No, she seemed worried. Panicked, even. “W-well, can it hurt you through clothing?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never-”

Suddenly, Chee took off their hat and threw it over Iscream’s head. “Will that work?” She asked.

Iscream tried to adjust the hat, but it was loose over their head. “I just told you; I don’t know!”

In the panic of trying to fit the hat over their head as much as they could, something caught their eye. Horrorland.

Iscream was entranced by the dead grass and trees, a far cry from the trees surrounding Waterland. The crooked architecture of the haunted house, the rickety appearance of the sole coaster, the side stalls boasting macabre souvenirs…

It was beautiful.

They snapped back to reality just in time to feel the first drop hit their fur.

Chapter Text

Iscream slowly blinked back into consciousness. They were lying in an unfamiliar bed, surrounded by drab, white furniture, and they themselves were wearing a teal… dress? That’s what it looked like, at least.

“Oh, you’re awake!”

The rabbit slowly turned to see that Chee was sitting beside their bed. “The doctors weren’t sure you were going to make it.” She stated.

“…where am I?” Iscream was still aching all over, and everything after they were soaked was extremely fuzzy. They faintly remembered several curse words and a wrecked food cart.

“Well, after you went under the waterfall, you caused… quite a stir.”

Iscream pinched the bridge of their invisible nose. “By chance… did I turn into a giant black void with a bunch of red eyes?”

“…no? Is that something you can do?”

“You’ve seen me turn into worse.”

“So that wasn’t a dream!” Chee smacked a fist to her palm. “I knew it!”

There was a small silence. “You’re in a hospital, by the way.” Chee answered.

“Oh. Never seen one before.”

Another silence. Chee fidgeted in her seat, and Iscream was staring down at the bright blue blanket covering them. In the deepest recesses of their mind, a question formed.

“Why?” They asked.

Chee looked confused. “Why what?”

“Why did you… help me? You do realize that I’m an embodiment of evil, right?”

“Well, I wasn’t just going to let you die!” Chee said.

Iscream blinked. “Why not?”

“Well, I-”

There was a long pause as Chee presumably thought of a single reason why they did what they did.

Iscream then burst into laughter.

Chee slid back into their seat. “I-I’m sorry, I’m trying, but I just can’t find-”

“No, no!” Iscream wiped an inky black tear from their eye. “No, that’s the right answer.”

Chuckles filled the room for a little while longer, but soon died out. “…say, out of curiosity.” Iscream wondered aloud. “What time is it?”

“10:45 AM on a Tuesday.”

Iscream sat up. “But that would mean I was unconscious for the rest of Monday.”

“You weren’t just unconscious. You were declared legally dead.”

“Bah!” Iscream leapt out of bed. “As if that means anything to the Demon Lord Iscream!” they declared, causing a passing doctor to give them a funny look.

“…but it would probably mean something to the people running the hospital when they see you walking around alive and well.” Chee got up and opened a window. “It’s awfully warm in here…”

Iscream saw the window, which looked just small enough for them to fit through. “Brilliant idea, cat!” they praised, before diving through the crack in the window.

They ended up eating concrete and scaring the dickens out of a nurse, but they were outside. “I’ll meet you at the park, Chee!” they shouted at the opened window, before bolting away.

Chee and Iscream were crossing through Waterland on their way to their next stop: Funland, the place where all the things that couldn’t be adequately fit into a themed land were put. “Hey, you’re a demon, right?” Chee asked.

“Yeah, why?”

Chee reached under her hood and pulled out a list. “I made a little list of everything I’d ever want to ask a demon if I met one!”

“Seems oddly specific.”

“Oh, well I have one for every mythical creature! Angels, aliens, dragons, genies, fairies, skeletons, mermaids, Greek gods—I have a can of pepper spray to go with that one—and… well, you get the picture!”

Iscream shrugged. “Eh, sure. What else do I have to do today?”

“Alright, first question!” Chee looked back over at Iscream. “What did you come here to do?”

“Well, I can’t tell you, but I can drag you down to Hell to show you.”

“…next question!” Chee changed the subject. “How does one… become a demon?”

“Well, there’s plenty of ways you can become a demon. You could just be born in the underworld, you can be an angel and then fall, or sometimes you can be recruited after you die.”

“Which one happened to you?”

The car never even saw them.

“…what’s your next question?” Iscream asked in a monotone.

Chee felt a slight pang of concern by the rabbit’s sudden shift in demeanor. “I, uh-”

She looked up. The two were now surrounded by several brightly colored attractions, the tan rocky floors of Waterland having given way to creaky wooden boards. “Never mind, we’re here!”

Iscream shook awake and began looking around. Chee herself noticed a large, purple building adorned with a sign reading “House of Mirrors”, a teacup ride, and many carnival-style games.

“ROLL UP, ROLL UP!”

The duo turned to see a carnival hawker drawing attention to a milk bottle toss. They exchanged glances, then approached the stall.

“Ah, I see my game of skill caught your attention!” She reached under the counter and pulled out three small white balls. “For the low, low price of $5, you get three chances to knock down those six bottles!”

Chee looked at the hawker. Her beak was contorted into a smug smirk, and she was casually tossing the ball into the air and catching it. “Eh, I think I’ll pass. C’mon, Iscream.”

Iscream was checking out one of the balls. “Now hang on, maybe I’d like to play this!”

“Before that, can I talk to you?” The cat didn’t wait for an answer before pulling Iscream a considerable distance away from the stall.

“You shouldn’t waste your money. Everyone knows those carnival games are rigged.” She warned.

“Rigged how?” They raised an eyebrow.

“They’ll usually put weights in the bottles. Makes it harder to knock over all of them.”

“Pfft. Like that’ll matter with my strength.” They confidently walked back up to the stall, put down a five-dollar bill, and received their balls.

“Watch and learn.” They turned to Chee, who had joined them at the stall again. They tossed a ball at the cartons, striking the bottles… but none of them fell.

“Ooh, what a shame!” The hawker crossed her feathered arms and chuckled to herself.

“WHAT?” Iscream exclaimed. “That should have blown those bottles away!”

Chee tapped the rabbit on the shoulder. “I don’t think those ones have weights in them. You saw how they didn’t even move?” she whispered. “Those bottles are glued down.”

“Nonsense. Now, let’s try that again!” They said, picking up another ball and throwing it. A direct hit! Right in the middle of the bottle stack!

It bounced right back at Iscream, causing them to flinch but barely missing them.

Chee sighed. “Come on, Iscream. Don’t waste your time.”

The rabbit clearly didn’t want to leave without their pride. The hawker seemed to pick up on this. “Hey, listen to your lady! Come back once you’ve built up just a liiiiitle more strength!”

Their fragile body lay on the road, mangled, unrecognizable

Iscream froze up again.

“…strength.” They repeated. Their lips began to curl upwards into a smile. “You want to see strength?”

They reached out a shaky right paw and clutched a baseball. “I’ll SHOW you strength!” They spat out, their manic grin fully formed.

They then turned tail and stormed away until they were about five yards away from the stall. Chee, not knowing exactly what Iscream was capable of, braced for the worst and put a yard’s worth of distance between her and the stall.

They looked back at Iscream just in time to see them spin around and hurl the ball at the stand.

The ball connected with the bottles with enough force to convert them into tiny shards. But it didn’t stop at the bottles. Chee watched on as the ball tore through the back of the tent and into the wall of the nearby House of Mirrors, leaving an impact crater and lodging the ball into the house.

Chee slowly turned back to look at Iscream. Their sclera had turned black again, and the fur on their right arm had given way to a mass of black tar ending in a claw. They stood still for a moment; then, white fur re-enveloped their arm.

They marched back up to the stall, staring the now-terrified hawker in the eyes. “H-here’s your p-p-prize...” she grabbed at a t-shirt and offered it to the bunny.

“Keep it.” Iscream’s grin was brighter than ever. “That look on your face? That precious look of terror? That’s all the prize I need.”

They cackled, then skipped over to Chee and grabbed her arm. “Come on, let’s go check out that big purple house!”

Chee’s mouth was still agape, but she managed to stutter out a “S-sure…”

Iscream was giddy. They couldn’t tell how long it had been since they had finally been able to cut loose and truly be themselves.

The interior of the house was lined with arrows pointing them into the belly of the beast, a shiny, reflective hall.

Suddenly, Chee tugged in their grasp. Their grin faded and they turned to the cat. “What was that for?”

Chee’s blank expression had now been replaced with one of frustration. “What in the world were you thinking back there? What was that?”

“Oh, I just had to exert a teensy bit of force.” Iscream checked their arm again. While the fur had grown back quite nicely, their arm had yet to return to its original state, meaning their claws were still rather visible.

“A TEENSY- you know what? That’s not important. You can’t do that again. If-”

“Can and will.” Iscream prodded the pushy feline in their stomach. “You don’t dictate what I do, mortal. We may be acquaintances, but you need to remember your role.”

Chee gave them a look of concern mixed with exhaustion. “I’m just trying to look out for you.”

“Look out for yourself.” Iscream turned around and approached the mirror hall. “Now, last one to find the exit’s a rotting corpse!”

They bolted away into the halls, far enough to get out of earshot of Chee’s protests.

The strobing lights overhead illuminated the mirrors and gave Iscream a strange, almost euphoric feeling. They looked to their right, and an army of duplicates greeted them.

Iscream snickered. This would be a good time to practice some creepy faces. For the first, they stretched out their jaw and let stripes of red bleed into their sclera.

Then, they turned to the next, wrinkling their facial features and exposing their jagged teeth. It was fantastically gruesome!

They turned to face another mirror, and was met with-

No.

No, no, no.

Not now.

They’d been plagued by visions earlier, but they were hoping they could stave them off until they got to the hotel room.

But the broken body in the mirror said otherwise.

Their last neurons desperately fired off thoughts.

Shock.

Fear.

Sorrow.

Anger.

Hatred.

Vengeance.

Those last three thoughts kept echoing throughout their doomed mind.

Well now.

They didn’t think that.

For such a small, unassuming creature, you certainly have a dark mind.

What was that?

Where was that?

Who was that?

It would be a shame to let that potential go to waste.

It echoed all around, clearer and brighter than any other last declarations of emotion.

Let me make you an offer, little one. Be reborn as my pupil, learn the ways of the netherworld, and assist me in conquering this world and the rest.

What did it mean?

What was it talking about?

A pupil?

An offer?

Conquer what world?

They didn’t understand.

I should warn you. Turning down an offer from the Overlord of Hell is not the wisest decision.

Hell?

They didn’t want to go to Hell.

What more could be done to them if they said no?

No.

This offer was a sham.

A ruse.

It was wrong.

But after that, the voice did not curse them or try to persuade them.

Instead, it laughed.

Very well then. But I know your true nature, lagomorph. Every road you take, no matter how long or winding, will lead you back to me.

And just like that, the voice was gone.

A light.

A light from above.

The sound of their thoughts grew fainter and fainter until they were gone.

Where were they going?

Chee was still stumbling through the halls lined with mirrors, bumping into a few more than she’d like to admit.

Finally, however, they found Iscream in the halls. “Iscream! Don’t run off like that, you scared me!” She exclaimed.

But Iscream wasn’t responding. They were just staring into their reflection. They looked like they wanted to cry, but no tears were forming.

Chee couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the rabbit once more. As such, she grabbed their wrist and dragged them through the maze, just as they had done to her earlier.

Once they finally reached the exit, Chee breathed a sigh of relief and sat Iscream down on a park bench. She then waved a paw in front of their face. “Iscream? Can you hear me?”

“…no…I don’t hear you, I don’t…” they said, still in a trance-like state.

“Iscream, it’s me, Chee!”

Slowly, Iscream’s eyes refocused. “…Chee? You… didn’t help me… again, did you?”

Chee put her paw down. “Yes, I did.”

“What, did you not learn your lesson last time?” Iscream scoffed, a hint of bitterness in their voice.

Chee sighed. She looked around and spotted the teacup ride again. “How about I go ride the teacups and let you have some time to yourself. And when I get back, I want you to tell me what’s wrong.”

Iscream crossed their arms. “Finally had enough of me, huh?”

At this point, Chee needed to leave before they got the urge to smack this infuriating bunny across the face. The line for the ride was short, so she got on rather easily.

As she fastened her seatbelt, she thought about her conundrum. She wanted Iscream to open up to her about what was going on in their head, but how?

The ride then started, sending her thoughts flying out the teacup and revealing one crucial detail underneath: Iscream had been wanting to go to Horrorland since the start. If she took them there, it could strengthen their bond enough to get them to open up!

Once the ride stopped after a solid thirty seconds of dizzying fun, Chee returned to the bench Iscream sat on.

“Iscream.” She spoke.

“Chee.” Iscream responded.

“I think it’s time we do something you want to do. How about we go to Horrorland for the rest of the day?”

“…really?”

Chee nodded.

Iscream stared her down for a second. They tentatively got off the bench. “Well, then what are we waiting for?”

They started off to the exit, and Chee followed close behind, bracing herself for whatever horrors may lie in wait.

Chapter Text

Surprisingly, Chee was having a bit of fun at Horrorland. The fall atmosphere helped quite a bit, as Autumm was in her top four favorite seasons, and the roller coaster had been more thrilling than chilling.

The two were now sitting on a black, wooden bench, both enjoying their own candied apple. “So, you havin’ fun?” Chee asked between bites.

Iscream nodded. “I was wondering when we’d be going here!”

“Feeling better?”

“Maybe a little.” Iscream thought for a moment, then patted the cat on the head. “Thank you.”

Chee’s jaw dropped. “Wow, I-”

“Hey, just because I’m the literal embodiment of evil doesn’t mean I can’t occasionally show gratitude.” The rabbit unhinged their jaw and ate the rest of their candied apple, stick and all. “Now, how about we head to that house of haunts?”

Chee stood up and tossed the rest of her apple, as she wasn’t too hungry. “Sure. But while we walk through it, could I talk with you?”

“Not like I’d have much of a choice.” Iscream spotted the building and approached it.

The interior was a dimly lit hall of weathered wooden boards, with paintings painted to look like their eyes followed you.

Chee was already starting to get a bit weak in the knees. “So, when I found you in the house of mirrors…”

Iscream’s smile slipped. “I, uh, don’t want to talk about it.”

Chee wasn’t quite ready for the conversation to end there, however. “Whatever you were thinking about might have been scary, but you won’t feel better until you get it off your chest.”

“I’ll keep it on my chest for however long I want, thank you.”

The two had moved rooms and were now in what looked to be an abandoned hospital room. “Like I said earlier, I’m just trying to get you to feel better.” Chee insisted.

Iscream exhaled. “And why?”

“Because I don’t like seeing you upset!”

“But why don’t you?” they pressed. “And don’t give me any of that cliché ‘Oh, it’s because I care about you!’ junk. We’ve known each other for, what, less than a month?”

Chee didn’t have an answer.

“That’s exactly what I thought. Now come on. This place isn’t going to scare us if we stick around this hallway.”

The rest of the house was rather lackluster. A grimy hospital room, a damp prison cell, and a faux forest with neon glowing eyes painted on the walls. Every single prop in that house was obviously fake. Cheezborger knew they were fake. But nevertheless, Chee found herself practically trembling once she finally saw the light.

Iscream, on the other hand, seemed almost bored by it all. “Well, that was a bit of a bust.”

They turned back to look at Chee, who was still clutching her stomach.

“…you know what? We’ll come back another day. I might just be a little off.” Iscream suggested, glancing up at the setting sun.

“That sounds great…” Chee agreed.

A long walk and a short nap later, Chee and Iscream were feeling a little better. Iscream was carefully observing the cleaver they had brought, cursing themselves for not sharpening it before leaving home.

They glanced over at their roommate, who was looking at something on her phone. “You mind if I turn on the television?” Iscream asked, already reaching for the remote.

“Yeah, sure.” She answered, not looking up from her phone.

Unfortunately for the rabbit, nothing interesting was on. Just some lousy nature documentary and a bunch of romance films.

While surfing through an endless sea of sappiness, Chee looked up from her phone to spot something. “Hey, this is one of my favorite movies!”

“Of course it is…” Iscream muttered to themselves.

“It’s about these two girls, and one of them—Denise, she’s the one on the left—has a crush on the other one, Patricia!” Chee rambled. “She spends most of the movie working up the courage to tell Patricia how she feels, but when she does, it turns out Patrica felt the exact same way!”

Iscream adopted a quizzical look. “So, this ‘Denise’ takes up most of the movie being too insecure to tell the other girl about her crush? Sounds boring as all get-out.”

Chee rubbed the back of her neck. “Maybe, but it just makes that last declaration all the more worth it!”

“Psh.” Iscream laid back and closed their eyes. “Well, I’d rather have my ears pulled out than watch this. Do we have anything to do outside of the park?”

“Iscream, it’s like 8 in the evening. What’s going to be open at this time?”

“…you have a phone, don’t you?” Iscream responded. “Look it up.”

The room went quiet, aside from the quiet conversation coming from the TV.

“Well, unless you’re hungry, there’s not many options.” Chee finally answered.

Iscream patted their stomach, trying to measure how full they were. “I’d like to eat something not consisting entirely of sugar.”

“Well, that rules out a lot.” Chee responded. “…there’s a steakhouse not too far from the hotel, but I hear rabbits don’t eat meat.”

Iscream sat up and stared at Chee.

Chee stared back for a second. “Oh, right, you’re not… okay, I can get us a reservation for 9.”

“I’ll alert the press.” Iscream laid down again.

The two sat silently at the table, having just placed their orders. The bustling crowd helped distract Chee from a creeping question. Iscream was squinting at their phone, a slight look of disdain on their face.

“What’s the matter?” Chee asked.

Iscream fumbled to put the phone away. “Nothing.”

The table was quiet for a moment as the two roommates stared into each other’s eyes. “…so, uh, I have a question for you.” Iscream stated.

“Oh. Ask away!”

“Who is the most interesting person you have met and spoken with?”

Chee thought for a moment. “…well, I guess it would have to be you. I mean, I’ve never met a demon before, let alone any type of supernatural creature.”

“Aw, you’re just saying that.” Iscream waved off Chee, but it did little to hide their slight smile. They then looked back down at their phone for a moment. “What’s your favorite place to… nap?”

“Oh! There’s this little green carpet back home where I hang out with Chikn, and it’s the comfiest carpet you’ll ever sit on!” Chee explained.

“Interesting.” Iscream looked back at their phone. “Now, what-”

“What’s up with you looking at your phone so much?”

“Nothing. What kind of physical activities do you enjoy?”

Chee was starting to question why Iscream was asking these things. “I… do aerobics on occasion, but that’s about it. Why?”

“No reason. Next question-”

“Iscream, why are you asking me all this?” Chee offered a question of her own.

“I just told you, no reason.”

“There’s clearly a reason.” Chee insisted. “Is this some sort of demon thing?”

“What? No!” Iscream crossed their arms. “I just…”

Chee, not particularly swayed by Iscream’s hesitation, dove under the table to peek at Iscream’s phone. They expected some sort of evil to-do list, but… that wasn’t what she saw.

What she saw was a list of “icebreaker questions for getting to know people”.

Iscream then pulled their phone back up. “Don’t do that again.” They growled as Chee slowly retreated back to her seat.

Chee was genuinely shocked. “You… wanted to get to know me better?”

Iscream’s scowl slipped away and was replaced with a defeated expression. “I mean… it was the least I could do after your constant, incessant assistance.” They then noticed Chee’s face. “…any reason why you’re grinning so darn wide?”

Chee didn’t even realize it, but she was grinning. “You care about me!” she squeed.

“What?” Iscream’s pupils shrunk. “No, this was solely to get even with you! I never once said that I gave a single, solitary care about you!”

“It’s alright.” Chee regained her composure. “You don’t need to say it. I already know.”

“Wh- NO!” Iscream slammed their paws on the table, drawing the attention of some of the patrons. “…that’s not what I meant, and you KNOW it.” They continued in a hushed tone.

“Sure, sure.” Chee was flaunting a cat smile again.

“Well. That’s the last time I try to do something nice for you.”

Eventually, the waitress brought out their steaks. Chee’s New York Strip was perfectly medium, while Chee doubted that Iscream’s T-bone was even cooked at all.

“Do you, uh, think you could look away for a second?” Iscream requested, staring down at their meal.

Chee was carving out a bite of her steak. “How come?”

“I’m not the prettiest eater.”

“Psh, I’ll be fine. But thanks for checking!”

Iscream shrugged. “Alright, suit yourself. Just don’t come crying to me when your appetite is gone.”