Inkwhumptobertale 2024

Day Thirty

Pumpkin spice - Recovery, Hospital Bed, Holding Back Tears, "What have I done?"

Trigger warnings: poisoning.

Anjel_X, your idea has stolen a piece of my brain for the past month, and I cannot deny its call. 

I am ~450 words through this as of now and "pumpkin" no longer looks like a word help-

Comments are welcome and appreciated! 

Please enjoy!

~~~~~

October was a time for change, a time for adaptation, and a time for fun. The leaves on most of the trees lost their standard green colors and opted for warmer tones, while the temperatures shifted from warm to cold in the majority of the worlds' inhabited areas as they prepared for winter. But, of course, some staples of October were newer and more appealing to consumers and other beings..

Beings such as Ink.

Halloween, admittedly, was one of the most chaotic times of the year for the artist, as he had way too much fun scaring the inhabitants of the multiverse..whether they knew about the multiverse or not. But, as any good chaotic spree did, Ink needed a dramatic build-up, and his build-up of choice came in the form of..

Pumpkin spice.

Ink couldn't get enough of it. From pumpin spice lattes to air fresheners to candles to cookies to..everything else. There was probably a PumpkinSpiceTale somewhere in the vast multiverse. During the month of October, it was everywhere, and that allowed Ink to indulge himself in his addiction everywhere. Well, except for the Anti-Void - Error always enjoyed the month-long release from Ink's bothersome nature.

"Ink, that's disgusting." Blue cringed as Ink licked a pumpkin spice candle.

"It doesn't taste like pumpkin spice.." Ink let out a sad sound, frowning at the decoration.

"It's not supposed to..it's a candle." Dream reminded. "You don't eat those."

"Yes, I do!" Ink challenged. "They're an acquired taste!"

"For immortals." Blue commented. "Regular mortals like me would die."

"Hmm..do you think Error eats candles?"

"..No."

The conversation that day had ended soon after that, and the days had passed since it. Ink had acquired many more pumpkin spice products, such as soaps, bedsheets (they just had pumpkins on them?), and breads, but there was one more that Ink was eager to try: pumpkin spice poison. Since it was poison and he was immortal, it probably wouldn't affect him, but it was pumpkin spice, which meant he had to try it! So, when the next morning rolled around, he got up out of his pumpkin spice bed, taking a long sniff of the pumpkin spice air (and spraying the room a couple more times to keep it potent) before getting dressed in some pumpkin spice clothes and going downstairs. As Dream and Blue chose sensible options for their breakfasts, Ink grabbed a box of pumpkin spice milk and poured half of it into a pumpkin spice bowl before adding some pumpkin spice cereal and picking a pumpkin spice spoon out of the unfortunately-not-pumpkin-spice drawer. Once he was at the table, he poured his whole bottle of pumpkin spice poison into the bowl, hoping it would compliment the flavor, and he stirred the evil concoction before taking his first bite. 

It tasted like pumpkin spice.

Several days later, Ink woke up in a hospital bed, groaning as he opened his eyesockets to the fluorescent lights overhead; why was it so bright? He turned his skull to the right, seeing..ah, how pleasant: a disappointed Dream.

"Ink..you're awake." He deadpanned.

"I didn't think you'd actually do it." Blue commented, from his left.

"Uh..what?" Ink rubbed his eyesockets, sitting up. "Didn't think I'd do what?"

"..Nightmare made the poison to see if you'd actually try it, and everyone bet on whether you would or not."

"Oh.." Ink hummed. "..You guys lost, right?" 

"..No." Dream sighed. "I knew you would; Blue held out hope, though."

"So what exactly was the point of all this?"

"Well, the point was to put you in a coma until November, and congratulations - it's November second!"

"Wait..what?" Ink gasped, clutching his sternum. "I missed Halloween?!"

"Yeah..sorry, Ink." Blue shrugged. 

"What have I done?! I..I have to bring balance once more! I must revive Halloween and-"

"Ink, what..?" Dream blinked. "It's just one day..you'll get the chance again next year!"

"I have to go!" Ink started to leave the bed.

"Ink, you have to recover!" Blue shook his skull, trying to hold back Ink. "You've been out for-"

"That doesn't matter!" Ink pushed Blue away. "I must right my wrongs!"

And so, Ink did his pranking a couple days late, discouraging the multiverse from trying that plot again.