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"I'm serious. All of you, leave. Dont you realize now..." She trailed off for a second, hands clenched tight around the stand, tense, debating her words to try to sway the remaining four contestants.
"That Microphone had the right idea?! So, leave!" She missed Mic, their back and forth, both pushing a little at the other's buttons, but laughing about it later when the heat of the moment fell.
But now she's gone, she left, just like everyone else.
The others hesitated, silent as the flames crackled behind them, looking at the floor or each other.
"But of course, you won't do that, will you?" Her tone was softer, caught in a memory that Taco tried to push out of her mind, playing it into a guilt trip for the others.
"No, it can't all have been for nothing! You'd sooner stand here and be mentally tortured with no end in sight because in this game, there's no winning for anyo-"
SNAP.
Suitcase's fire broke through her rope.
"Well, looks like I won." Her voice sounded happy, but forced at the same time, completely opposing against Taco's quickly heating tirade.
"You still don't get it! You can win your measly challenge, but at what cost?! Driving away everyone who ever cared about you?! Sure enough, I asked you to burn those bridges to the ground, and you gladly did everything you could to keep those fires rising because youve been taught thats what you need to do..." Taco was getting frustrated, voice rising in both pitch and speed, throwing her arms around in more and more violent gestures, trying to make the others see what she saw, see what happened to her because of this game, and come to the decision she did.
"By HIM!" She pointed of to the side, at MePhone who gave a "Hey!"
"I made a game with rules. YOU'RE the one who broke them!" Spoke MePhone as he tried to back himself up, turning situations around so he's not at fault, as per always.
"Rules you change constantly to fit your best interests! Challenges to clean up your messes!"
MePhone had the decency to at least look a little embarrassed as Taco continued on her rant.
"Save Marsh! Save Fan! Save my amnesia." Taco said in an impression of their oh so beloved host. "Suprise double eliminations all meant to turn you against each other for HIS entertainment!"
The remaining contestants were silent, staring at some point off in the distance or at the corner of their stand not moving other than to look at a slightly different spot.
"See now? There's no truth with him around. You all speak, but the only voice is your controller's, and even he, is loosing control."
"This is your last warning, contestants. Get out NOW before he changes you too!" Lightbulb looked at her hands, fidgeting with something.
"What was... Is someone else coming here?" Taco's voice was slightly quieter, betraying the wave of anxiety that crashed over her.
"Oh, sweet! So it does work!" Lightbulb announced, quite happy with herself, holding a pen.
"...What is she talking about?" Taco said, trying not to panic and keep her composure, to keep her mask from slipping.
"Oh,you didnt think this was just a pen, did you? No no! It sends out a signal!"
A wave of pain overcame Taco as she started to crack, a small chip in the side of her shell that was barely held together. But Taco couldn't focus on it, pushing through the pain, and quickly saying "Who did you contact?" With fear in her voice.
"Does this count as one of my truths?" Lightbulb quite innocently asked.
"Start talking!"
"Weeelll, Test Tube made it for me in case of an emergency, but I-I mean, I guess anyone nearby could have answered the call."
Ba-ding!
Lightbulb's platform rose from her saying the answer to a question truthfully, as Taco stared up at her, her shell cracking further, one crack getting dangerously close to her one seeing eye, both eyes, seeing and blind, squeezed shut in pain, as she clutched her shell, trying to keep herself from falling apart further, MePad appearing behind her to both comfort and support the cuisine.
"No.... I can't.... I didn't plan for this... I-"
"What's the matter, Taco? Afraid it's one of your old friends?" Knife said, in his deep and raspy voice.
"Stop, STOP, you BRUTE!" Taco cried out, cracking even further, her thin shell barely able to contain her extreme stress with the already battered body, tears forming in her eye.
"You wanted us to face our truths? Then why don't you face yours?!" He said, pointing at the half shattered girl on the floating podium.
Taco had a look of hurt in her eye, tears beading up, cracks overing the entirety of her body, as one more crack grew, and completely shattered her, mouth open and pained eyes fogging over, lettuce and tomatoes and beans and bits of shell crumbled all over MePad's feet.
The world blurred for Taco as her perspective changed to face to the sky, colours swimming in her vision, blues and purples and greens, and she thought she heard MePhone say something, but it sounded as though she was underwater, as though she was drowning, she was drowning in pain.
And then the world grew dark, and her pain grew numb. Her eyelid fluttered shut, her breathing faint, and only weakening.
Taco grew numb, and cold.
Sinking, deeper into the cold, dark abyss.
And then she woke up.
It was dark, black even. She couldn't see the faintest bit of anything around her, not even herself.
Or maybe, it was that Taco wasn't there enough to see.
She certainly couldn't feel anything, except for the feeling of a migraine, of someone pushing in on your temples, the fog that rolls in over your mind, buffering your thinking.
She tried to raise her arms to massage her shell, to feel if death had fixed her ruined, battered, shattered shell.
But she couldn't move.
She couldn't move a muscle, nor could she feel, nor see. It felt as though she was in a pergetory, a torture within her own mind, left to dwell for all eternity after death on her own faults, her own mistakes, pushing away everyone who'd ever care about her, after all, who would revive her?
Pickle? No, he hated her, burning her letters of apology, not caring to read past the name of who it was from.
Microphone? No, she left, she left the game, she left her, Taco pushed her too hard, and pushed her away.
MePad? No, she stole him away from his job, his purpose, for selfish reasons, just because she was lonely and wanted another soul to confide in.
Her parents? No, no, they didn't even know she died, and had celebrated when she tried to before.
Her sister? No, she was busy with her own games, she had a girlfriend to be with, she didn't need her.
Her other siblings? No, they were such small children, and after the incident found another parent, a dad, a real dad to take care of them, doing their own thing.
Anyone else would be long gone, and never think of her, to revive her.
No, this death was permanent, forever, and she at least tried to go out with a bang, more like a crack.
And then she felt something.
Warm, all encompassing, like a hug, from a motherly figure she never had.
A soft voice whispered to her, cradling her, giving her the love she craved but never received, never deserved.
It held her gently, telling her it will be all right, and to just sleep, protected and held by the warmth.
Taco's mind lost most of it's thoughts, it's self hatred, it's self loathing, content to just be held like this, for all eternity, thoughts of returning seeming like dreams from the deep sleep she was slipping into, never to wake up again.
And this time?
The darkness and numb that washed over Taco was welcomed, as she let herself go, drifting out into the dark abyss.