A light tone of pleasant beeps ring out from the strange device in X's hands, the screen lighting up the name of the first contestant to be found. In the bright, green fluorescent text is Taco, as per Four's suggestion moments ago. "Alright!" X chirps, pointing the front of the Contestant Locator-inator towards the ground beneath their feet, pulling the trigger with a soft click. As soon as the beam from the device hits the ground, a hole opens up, swallowing the three of you into an empty void. It's completely dark and you flail your limbs around as you fall, watching above as the hole you fell through disappears in the distance. You finally make contact with something. It's soft and round, cushioning your impact. As you desperately try to right yourself, grabbing at the seemingly invisible ground, you continue to skip backwards, rolling until you reach flat ground and stagger to a stand. You can't see anything. Not even your own hands in this pitch darkness, starting to tentatively take a few steps forward.
"Four? X? Are you here? Hello?" There's no reply, your voice echoing throughout the blackness. Securely holding your arms towards where your chest would be, you stagger around, the soft ground under you making it hard to walk straight. After a few moments of walking, you bump into something, something swiftly darting out to shove you. You fall backwards, a soft 'oof' being uttered as you did.
"Hrm? Y/N?"
"Four?"
"Oh, thank gumdrop, it's you~" He reached out in front of him to grab you, pulling you back into his body to squeeze tightly. "I was beginning to get worried there." You smile and pat his back. "I was, too. What just happened..? Where are we?"
You feel Four shrug. You pat your palms down his arms, grabbing one of his hands. "We should try and find X. Can you see anything?" You ask. You can hear Four's breath hitch, his grip on your hand gets a little tighter. You pause.
"Four?" You ask, making sure he's alright. He's acting a little strange, even for Four. "N...no, I don't. It's too dark to see anything- let's go." He says, finally answering your earlier question.
"X! Speak to me, little buddy!" He calls and you follow suit. "X?! Are you out there?!"
You hear a pair of voices in the distance, growing louder as you drew closer. Soon enough, they become discernible. It's X and Taco, who are attempting to flag you and Four down as well. Suddenly, Four zips off, dragging you behind very quickly until you both smash right into X, tumbling around in the darkness.
"Oh shell, what just happened?!" Taco shouted, hearing the yellow algebralien yelp and tumble to the ground. Four had landed on top of you, patting around in search for X. He still hasn't let go of your hand, you dizzily trying to regain your composure as he drags you around.
"X...where are you?"
"Right here! Ye-ouch!"
"Oh. Sorry." Four muttered, pulling his hand away. For a split second, he lets go of you, reaching out and gripping the sides of X's nubs, violently twisting them around with a snap. X yelps again, Four starting to shake him around roughly. Slowly, an eerie green glow starting to form in X's body. Soon enough, the variable was illuminating the void with a bright glow. It became quickly apparent that the floor beneath you was smooth and fabric-like. Nothing like you've ever seen before, you think as you slightly roll your heels into it. As Four sets X down, he reaches out to grab your hand again.
"Oh...I didn't know I could glow..." X remarked, looking down at their hands. They flex their fingers. This was a weird ability. "Anyway, I found Taco, so we better get out of here!" They said, Taco reaching out to stop them. "Wait, we can't leave without Spongy! He's around here somewhere...we were together for a bit and ended up getting separated."
X raises an eyebrow. "Spongy is here? My Contestant Locator-inator didn't tell me that!" They said with a squint, staring down at the device.
"Huh...weird. Maybe it was just because we were looking for Taco! The other contestants might be here, too!" You realize, Taco scratching the back of her head. "Mm...maybe...um...I don't think we've met?" You stop and think for a moment. Would it be weird to introduce yourself by your own name? Or perhaps come up with something relating to your object. Four gives your hand a squeeze and hastily answers for you. "Y/N will be helping me as a co-co-host. You'd better be nice...or else." They threaten with a blank smile. Taco stares down at the hand being held between the two of you. You stare at Four, a little surprised about being adopted into hosting. You notice Taco staring and look down at your hands as well, loosening your grip.
"With X being our light, you don't need to still hold my hand, you know." You say to reassure them, wondering if they're just worried about separating from you. Four takes a small step to turn and face you, staring through you with wide eyes and black, beady pupils. "Yeh." He says, acknowledging your statement, but still not letting go of your hand.
So you guess he's just going to hold your hand until you get out of this weird, dark dimension. That's fine, you think. "So where is Spongy?" X asks, looking back down to the device. With a few more moments of fidgeting, Spongy's name is projected on it, showing that he was only 18.3 meters away. "Oh!" X said pleasantly, Taco calling out for him as they stepped around, watching as the distance on the gun shortened.
It wasn't long until they found him, the massive contestant on his back, snoozing away. For a moment, you're surprised by how comfortable he was here, but then again, Taco and Spongy had been there for a while. Taco nudges him awake, smiling as he blinks his eyes open in surprise. "Hey, Spongy...we're finally getting out of here. Are you ready?" Spongy struggled to sit up, a smile on his face. He never imagined he'd actually be happy seeing these hosts again. "Yuh!" He cheered.
"It's so good to see my friendos again!" Four said happily, Taco and Spongy exchanging an awkward glance. "Who are we retrieving next, X?"
"Umm...let's see...uh...David? Oh, wait...no- wait- he was eliminated...sorry...um-" X stammers, unsure who to choose next. "How about...Bubble?" You suggest, taking a shot in the dark at random. X blinks, throwing his arms out wide as they welcome the idea. "Oh! Yeah!" He readies the Contestant Locator-inator and fires beneath your feet. The dark sinks away once the group falls through. In a flash, you're surrounded by orange skies, a pair of suns in the sky above you. This strange new world appears to be one straight out of an abstract painting, the clouds a violet color splattered across the sunset colored background. You tear your eyes away from the sky above and look towards the ground. You gasp, you realizing this situation has turned dangerous. There is no solid, flat ground. No grass or dirt. As beautiful as it looked, the landscape above you was filled with jagged, protruding crystals of all shapes and colors. If you landed, you all would surely be impaled. Squeezing your eyes shut and bracing for impact, you cling onto Four, who doesn't seem to be worried at all. Four reaches their other arm around you and points their feet towards the crystals.
As he lands, the sharp crystal beneath his feet explode, sending shards flying everywhere. You nervously blink your eyes open as the sound settles into silence. No more screaming or wind pounding against your eardrums. You observe your new surroundings. Four's landing had smoothed the crystal out beneath you to a flat area that you could stand, X pulling his face up from the ground and shaking the dizziness away. Taco and Spongy are not so lucky, Taco's body broken into chips and various ingredients whereas Spongy's corpse lay with crystals jutting through his pores. You unconsciously squeeze Four a little tighter. If you weren't holding onto them, you would have surely suffered a similar fate. Four hums pleasantly, enjoying the hug. His eyes dart back and forth across the crystalline landscape. "Now, where is Bubble?~" He asks. A high pitched, recognizable voice speaks from behind the three of you.
"Umm...Bubble is...down there..."
You turn around, seeing that the voice belonged to Ruby, who laid tangled in a bunch of gems. Her body had been scuffed and chipped near the bottom, of which you could only assume was upon the collision with them. She was pointing below her, a bundle of crystalline structures wettened slightly. Bubble must have popped there when they first arrived. "Oh no! It looks like Bubble has died! Better recover her." Four says. "Four, wait-" You go to stop him, the host already holding his hand out. Bubble flies out from his palm before floating downwards into the sharp minerals, bursting yet again once she grazes them.
"Oh. Oh yeah."
"Maybe you should recover everyone once we're out of here." You suggest and Four's expression falls flat. "Yes, I get that now." They grumble, holding out their free hand towards Ruby, who appears to be magnetically yanked from the gems and flies into their palm. She flails her arms around, grateful to be around other people again. "It's sooo great to be getting out of this place! Oh- wait- can I say goodbye to the gem fam first?!" She asked, Four raising a brow.
"The what?" He asked.
"The gem fam! I've been here for a super long time and I'm a gem and so are these gems...so we totally hit it off. I better let them know I'm leaving. Bye Gemmy! Bye Gemtricia! Bye Gemeremy! Bye-"
Four becomes instantly annoyed, pinching their forehead. "We don't have time for this! X, locate the next contestant!" He demands, X quickly fumbling with the device before discharging the lazer towards the ground.
"Bye Gemrald! Bye Gemraldine! Bye Gemaaaaaaaaaaa!" Ruby's shouts trailed off as you fell into the next strange world.
And strange it is. Just as strange as the last two. You plummet through a sky filled with colorful blimps and balloons, bouncing off of a strange, inflatable hill and onto the ground. There was no pain, Four tumbling with you until you both smack into a tree, a funny squeak resonating from the plant once you both hit it. You are more disoriented from the fall and rolling around than the actual impact, given the tree itself is made of rubber, filled with air. The round, puffy leaves falling from the tree float up into the sky. What a strange object. Though as you scan the world around you, the tree seems normal in comparison. Everything in this world appears to be inflatable, down to the individual blades of grass. Unlike the past two dimensions you've visited, this one is filled with life, balloon animals bouncing around and living their normal lives.
"Where did X send-" You go to speak, your voice squeaky and unrecognizable. You instinctively reach your hand up to cover your mouth in shock. Why do you SOUND like that?! You look to Four. "What's wro-" He too, stops. His voice is also squeaky, though it still pertains that trademark rasp he has. "What the..." You can't help but snicker. He sounds so funny. "Pff- Four- your...your voice-"
"My voice?! You sound just as ridiculous, you know!" He snaps, the two of you staring at one another for a moment. Even when they were angry, there was no way you could take them seriously when they sounded like THAT. You burst out into a fit of whistling laughter and Four follows suit, the both of you laughing at one another and yourselves. What a silly situation. X doesn't seem to happy however, the yellow co-host running up to you in a panic. "Four! What's going on?!"
The two of you pause and glance at him. X's voice was already fairly falsetto, but with this strange effect on top of it, he sounded like a broken dog toy. You and Four cannot possibly contain yourselves, the two of you on your backs, cackling. "AHAHA- I think- I think I know what's going on!" You squeal through your laughter, wiping the tears welling at the corner of your eyes.
"Oh yeah- what is it, Y/N?!" Four asks excitedly, trying hard to contain their chuckles. "Pfft- I think...I think it's the air...everything here looks like a balloon...so...maybe the atmosphere is filled with helium- which is why we- hahah- why we're so squeaky!" X really didn't find this all that funny, but hummed in agreement. It did make a lot of sense, after all. "Well...the next contestant that we need to find here is Balloony...umm..." He looked down at the device in his hands. 30.5 meters away. They then peer up, seeing there was a large, colorful castle nearby. It is reminiscent of a bouncy house, but much more grandiose. They have a good feeling that'd be where you'd find Balloony. He then looks down to you and Four, who are still suffering from a fit of the giggles over the silly voices.
"H-hey, Y/N- who am I?" Four snickers. "I want...reveeenge!" He squeals and you can't contain your laughter. "Haha- Ice Cube, right? God, that was a solid impression- good one Four- heheheh-" You snort, Four snapping. "That's exactly right!" He says, X clearing their throat to get his attention. "Ahem. Four, don't we have to get going?"
Four blinks. "Oh. Yeah, I guess we'd better do that, huh?"
"R-right- sorry. We got a little carried away. Oh, could you recover Taco, Spongy, and Bubble now, Four?" You ask, Four nodding, holding out his free hand. Out come the three formerly dead contestants, who look around with confusion and intrigue.
"Wow...what is this place-...and...why do I sound like this?!" Taco asks, truly disturbed by her shrill voice. "No time for questions! We need to get...urm...who are we looking for again, X?" Four asks, X staring through him. Four is being a lot ditzier than usual, he notices before looking over at you. Then to your hands. Four still had not let yours go.
He remains silent for a moment. What is going on with his friend? X doesn't understand this change in Four. "Balloony." He says flatly. Four stands, pulling you up with them. He peers over to the recovered contestants, frowning when he realizes someone is missing.
"Grr- where's Ruby?!"
"Umm...goiys..." Bubble calls and frowns, pointing off into the distance, watching a crowd of balloon dogs pointing their colorful, inflatable swords at Ruby's back, leading her into the castle.
"I said I was sorry! I didn't mean to pop that guy! I really didn't!" Ruby attempts to defend herself, the crowd of dogs whapping her on the head with their balloon swords, shoving her along.
"We need to save her!" Bubble exclaims, running off towards the castle.