BALAN WONDERWORLD REDUX

Chapter 6 part 1: A Playdate with a Clown

"I don't think I can see him from here, even with some of my powers. We'd best get closer to the stage itself." Lance led the others by sliding down the hill that they were on. Fighter looked to Streetbeat like a very excited child ready to go down a waterslide before she leaped after him. Streetbeat sighed at all the effort and leaped last. They made it to the bottom of the hill, Lance slid off cleanly while Streetbeat and Fighter stumbled a bit as Lance looked off into the distant carnival. Streetbeat took a look back at the massive hill.

"Why is it so round? It felt like I was sliding on butter." Streetbeat went over and rubbed the hill and found that it felt more like rubber than the ground. "What the...?"

"This is just my guess..." Fighter interjected, "but I think it's because the way we create our stages aren't one hundred percent coherent. We don't have every single thing about it well thought out in our heads." Fighter looked back and pointed at the massive, brightly lit carnival in the back, "I'll bet that Pensive Pierro put all their effort into making that carnival, so they didn't consider everything else in the background."

"You mean these hills are all subconscious or something?"

"Who knows?"

"Little ones! I've found him! He's on the Ferris wheel! What's more, Clocktower Kid is with them!"

Fighter was quite surprised at that last statement, while Streetbeat was happier to get away from that overly perplexing conversation they were having.

"Clocktower is here?" Fighter peered out into the distance looking around so much to make a little binocular gesture towards the carnival.

"Here, let me help you." Lance made hand binoculars in front of Fighter's eyes and she could see farther just like real binoculars. "Woah! Hey, you're right, I can see them!"

"Ok, then we'd better get going," Streetbeat said, not wanting to waste any more time.

With that, the trio began running off into the distance. 

When Pensive Pierro and Clocktower Kid reached the end of the Ferris wheel cycle, they were surprised to see them standing at the bottom waiting for them.

"You guys got here already? That was so fast! I thought I could get some extra info for you guys because it seemed like you were doing something important!"

"This is where you were the whole time?" Fighter asked. "I thought you went back to your stage."

"I thought so too as well, little one," Lance added.

Turned out that immediately after the incident at Checkered Knight's stage, Clocktower kid had already inferred that they were going around the stages asking about the Tims and the voices that kept occurring.

"I thought that you probably didn't ask Pensive yet, because when you guys visited my stage, I didn't see Lance with you, and would you guess that I was right?"

"Anyway..." Pensive interrupted Clocktower kid, stepping forward and putting his hand out. "I don't think we've met. I'm Pensive Pierrot."

Streetbeat and Fighter looked at each other, questioning why Pensive didn't already know their names. Was he created by someone else?

"I already know, that you know my name..." Pensive said, nervously, "but I prefer to formally introduce myself anyway. Is that weird?"

Streetbeat and Fighter sighed in relief, glad that there wasn't a mystery to Pensive as well as everything else. 

"Not at all! I'm Fighter!" Fighter happily took his hand with a firm and positive shake. It felt kind of nice formally introducing herself to someone rather than them just knowing her name.