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Today was the very definition of unexpected.
In a sense, every day of one’s life is unexpected. No matter how strict your routine might be, there will always be some element that you hadn’t predicted. That was just life.
But this was something else entirely. If she were being honest with herself, Pomni was not expecting to be transported into a virtual hellscape slathered in overly vibrant colors and teeming with existential horrors. And all while in the body of a clown no less.
Well, a jester. But still…
To say the day had been stressful would be a severe understatement. From her sudden and incomprehensible arrival, to the late Kaufmo’s abstraction-induced rampage, to her frantic search for a way out that didn’t even exist. It all culminated in a digital feast where she sort of lost her mind for a second. While staring off into space, tuning out everyone and everything around her, she was forced to reckon with the thought this wasn’t some dream or hallucination. That, somehow, she really had been brought to this strange realm. And that she was stuck there.
Forever.
It took everything within her to not have a panic attack right then and there, but somehow she managed to hold it in. She was sure Jax would’ve laughed at her.
And after all that, Pomni was tired. Not physically of course, this digital body of hers didn’t have any of the needs that flesh and blood did. But mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and in any other metaphysical way, she was just tired.
And when you’re tired, you sleep.
She still hadn’t fully accepted this new reality, and right now she wasn’t going to. Her mind needed a break, so that’s what she was going to give it. Any other potentially traumatic thoughts could wait for the morning.
…Well, technically there wasn’t any morning here. Or night. The sky was locked in an eternal limbo, with both celestial bodies always present in the clouds. And with faces, no less.
Just another quirk of The Amazing Digital Circus…
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Pomni roamed the winding halls of the circus, trying to ignore the jangling noise her hat made whenever she took a step. If only she could take it off…
Her big, doll-like eyes squinted into a scowl the further in she went. Taking in the environment around her. Everything about this place was so childlike and whimsical that it was almost sickening. The bright, happy colors took on a mocking hue as she thought about the reality of this place. No matter what that nutjob ringmaster, Caine she thinks his name was, tried to tell her, she knew this wasn’t a place for joy and wonder. This was some kind of cosmic torture, and nothing less.
As she walked, she couldn’t help but glance at the doors that belonged to people she’d never met, all of their images crossed out with ominous red X's. She wondered who they were, and what they were like. She wondered how long it took them to go crazy. To abstract.
She wondered how long it would take her.
Finally she arrived at what must’ve been her room, her own bobble-headed visage staring back at her. She couldn’t believe this was her face now. She couldn’t believe this was her life.
But like she already said, she’d think about this tomorrow. After a shuddering breath, Pomni reached out and opened her door. Stepping into her room for the first time.
It was surprisingly minimal in decoration, all that stood was a bed in the middle of the room and a dresser nearby. Not that she needed it, she couldn’t take this one outfit off. Of course the walls were all bright shades of red and blue, but no paintings were put up. She wondered if more embellishment would be added the longer she stayed.
If she were lucky, she’d never find out. But she had a feeling she wasn’t so lucky.
The sight of the bed was already sending a wave of mental exhaustion through her being. Too tired for anything else, Pomni flopped forward and crashed onto the bed. She rolled over onto her back, she took another breath with the nose she didn’t have, and she shut her eyes.
And Pomni slept.
…
…
…Except she didn’t sleep.
No matter how hard she tried, no matter how many times she rolled over, or fluffed the pillows, or counted sheep, or anything, she just couldn’t drift away into slumber.
Of all the maddening things she’d recently experienced, this was just the icing on the cake. She couldn’t even get a break from this insanity, no matter how temporary. She really was stuck forever.
Pomni lied awake in her bed, her wide eyes staring up at the ceiling. The red and blue spiral patterns starting to twist and turn in her vision. Despite her best efforts, she was completely and utterly awake.
She didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or scream. Perhaps she’d try all three at once.
Or maybe she’d try something else…
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Ragatha was no stranger to strange noises. In fact, in this circus, if you weren’t hearing weird sounds that meant something was probably wrong.
But this sound in particular was very peculiar. A repetitive jangling, closely followed by a loud thump resounding through the wall. Over and over again.
Thunk…thunk…thunk…
Despite just wanting to relax after the long day she’d had, the doll couldn’t help but feel she needed to check this out. It couldn’t be too bad, right?
So she got up from her chair, smoothed out her dress a bit, and headed to her door. Dearly hoping that this was just the usual brand of crazy, and not something terrible.
She never would’ve anticipated what she actually found.
Pomni, the newest arrival to their reluctant little troupe, standing just a bit down the hall. Facing a door with a completely vacant expression, and banging her head into it again and again.
Ragatha stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say. Just watching the strange display before her, and cringing a bit whenever the younger girl’s forehead collided with the wood. She almost hoped the jester would stop on her own, but when that time didn’t come, she knew she had to speak up.
“Uh…Pomni?” She tried, in the gentlest tone she could manage. “What are you doing, hon?”
The girl stopped for a second, her discordant eyes regaining their color and finally focusing on the woman standing at her side. For a second her gaze seemed to flash with…fear? Or perhaps regret?
She was quiet for a second, but then she spoke. In a voice all too soft.
“…Can’t sleep…”
Hearing this, Ragatha put on a smile. And tried to reply with the most helpful explanation she could manage. “Well none of us really need to sleep, but- “
Pomni, having heard all this before, was hit with a flash of frustration. She suddenly turned and faced the doll, her teeth grit so hard it looked like they’d crack.
“No, I mean I can’t sleep!” She snapped. “I can’t even keep my eyes shut!”
All at once, her anger faded into hear. The girl clutching the tips of her oversized hat and hunching over. Her breathing quickening in pace.
“I’m just so…e-everything’s just so…so…”
Shivering, on the verge of tears, and starting to hyperventilate, Ragatha could see that the poor girl was at the absolute end of her rope. She just needed some rest, even a little bit.
And darn it, that’s what Ragatha was going to give.
Stepping forward, the doll wrapped Pomni in a hug. Shushing her cries in a fashion reminiscent of a doting older sister.
“It’s okay…It’s okay…”
Pomni looked surprised as first, especially considering the awkwardness between them a few hours ago. After nearly abandoning the ragdoll for a nonexistent escape, did she even deserve this?
But this was the first bit of comfort she’d felt ever since she got here, and she wasn’t about to let it slip away. She needed this. With a whimper, Pomni returned the embrace, while Ragatha started tenderly rubbing her back.
“The first night is always the hardest…” She said, somberly. “That’s how it was for all of us.”
Her melancholy expression briefly turned into a sly smirk. “Even Jax. He’ll deny it, but it’s true!”
The thought made Pomni chuckle. Real, genuine laughter, for the first time all day. Hearing this was all the encouragement Ragatha needed to try out an idea she’d just gotten.
“Hey, I just got an idea…”
Pomni looked up, curious, as the doll continued.
“Why don’t we have a sleepover?” Ragatha suggested. “In my room. We can hang out until you fall asleep!”
Pomni, stunned to her core, looked towards Ragatha’s room. Then to Ragatha herself, then back to the room, then to the doll. Head swiveling back and forth and back again.
“Are you kidding?” She finally asked, incredulous.
The doll brushed off her reaction. “Oh come on, new stuff! It’ll be fun!”
However, Pomni still had some concerns.
The girl seemed to shrink in on herself, overcome with doubt and shame. “You aren’t…y-you aren’t still mad about- “
“Nope!” Ragatha interjected. And that was all she needed to say.
She couldn’t believe it. Despite all that she’d done, she was still being accepted as a friend. Through her shock, Pomni felt the faint beginnings of a smile grace her lips.
She managed a shaky nod. “O-Okay!”
Grinning ear to ear, if she had ears that is, Ragatha lead the younger girl towards her won room. The two of them walking side by side.
Until they both heard the door behind them opening.
“Um…hello?”
The two of them turned around to see a collection of red ribbons standing in the doorway, all tied to a white mask that seemed to be perpetually depressed.
“Was someone just knocking on my door for like, five minutes?” Asked a downtrodden Gangle. “I tried to open it, but I have a really hard time grabbing the knob…”
She sorrowfully held up her ribbon hands for emphasis. Pomni began to rub the back of her head, embarrassed.
“Yeah, that was me! Heh…” She awkwardly admitted.
Ragatha playfully rolled her eyes, before addressing the bundle of ribbons. “Don’t mind us, Gangle. Pomni and I were just about to head to my room. We’re having a sleepover!”
That last bit was said with a childish excitement, which gained Gangle’s interest.
“A sleepover?” She repeated through her tears. “That sounds nice. I can’t remember the last time I did something like that…”
The girl turned her masked face down, letting her digital tears drip onto the floor. Both Pomni and Ragatha were disheartened by the display, and the jester felt like she needed to say something. Anything. Just to cheer the other girl up.
“Would you…like to join us?”
Gangle looked up immediately, surprise in her black eyes. “Really?”
Pomni looked to Ragatha for approval, it was her room after all. Luckily, the doll seemed happy with the idea.
“Sure!” She cheered. “The more the merrier!”
The bundle of ribbons was so happy, she had to let it out in a squeal. But she was still wearing her tragedy mask, so it was a very depressed exclamation.
“Yay…”
With that settled, the three of them finally made it to Ragatha’s room. It was a very cozy place, colored a soft blue and filled with soft pillows and plush toys. She and Pomni sat at the end of the bed, while Gangle took the chair in front of the doll’s vanity mirror. And after a brief silence, a conversation started to form. One that was actually sort of pleasant.
While the three of them started to make light chatter, discussing this or that, Ragatha’s door was still cracked open. And it wasn’t long before a voice could be heard from outside, growing closer with each wobbly step.
“Hey Ragatha, do you still have that arm you borrowed? Because I’m gonna need it back- “
Stumbling into the doorway and using their claw to creak it open was Zooble, the resident amalgamation of mismatched parts. The thingamajig took a look at the scene before them, before raising an eyebrow sardonically.
“…Am I interrupting something?” They asked, crossing their disparate arms.
Gangle was the one who answered, wiping her tears before speaking. “No, we’re just having a sleepover. It’s really fun…”
Zooble’s smaller, more standard eye narrowed skeptically. “You don’t sound like you’re having fun.”
The ribbons gave a downtrodden shrug.
“I am.” Gangle gloomily insisted. “I just still haven’t fixed my comedy mask…”
Ragatha saw an opportunity to lift yet another’s spirit, and decided to take it.
“Would you like to come in, Zooble?” She offered, with an inviting smile. “The beanbag’s still free!”
She gestured to the seat, and the moody mix-up followed her gaze. Both their eyes falling onto the chair, which did look rather comfy.
Zooble scoffed. “Why would I ever- “
But then they paused, let down their guard, and tried to remember the last time they really got to relax at this God-forsaken circus. Nothing came up.
“…Actually, that does sound kind of nice.”
With a little reluctance, Zooble stumbled into the room and sat onto the chair. Really sinking into its fluffiness, while ignoring the look of satisfaction Ragatha was giving them.
But just when they were starting to really let loose…
“Mmph! Mm-Mmph!”
Everyone in the room jumped when the muffled voice sounded from behind the chair. Zooble hastily got up, only to see the beanbag wiggling and shifting. Or to be more accurate, something under the beanbag was wiggling and shifting.
Ragatha really hoped this wasn’t the centipede Jax was talking about.
After a few seconds, the thing finally wriggled out from beneath. And standing tall was a chess piece in a very regal robe.
“Kinger?” Asked Pomni. “What are you doing here?”
The man was silent for a few seconds, his bright blue eyes seeming to drift in different directions.
“…Beats me.” He finally responded, shrugging with arms he didn’t have.
Before anyone could say anyone else, he shuffled to the back of the room. They watched as he huddled in between a collection of plush animals, picked up the nearest one, and placed it in front of him protectively. Creating a defensive barrier of stuffed toys, a legion of guardian animals to protect him from any harm.
Impenetrable fortress: Complete.
Everyone else just stared, baffled. Before Pomni faced the group, smiling shakily.
“I-I guess Kinger invited himself?”
It took a few seconds, just enough to make the girl wonder if she should’ve spoken at all, but soon Ragatha started to laugh. Gangle released some depressed giggles. And even Zooble let a singular chuckle loose.
And that’s when the night really got started.
Zooble added a sarcastic edge to the conversation, though it wasn’t actively mean. And sometimes Kinger would poke out from his impenetrable fortress and add to the dialogue, though his additions didn’t always make sense. The five of them joked and laughed and talked about whatever, and it was legitimately fun.
But there was a certain someone who wouldn’t stand people having fun without him.
“What the heck am I looking at here?”
Leaning in the doorway, hands in his pockets, was the lanky rabbit and local trickster. Jax. His eternal grin stretched into a bewildered grimace.
“Is this some kinda group therapy session, or something?” He asked, before snickering. “Because we used to try those back in the day, and trust me, they did not work!”
He directed his yellow eyes to the most unhinged among them. “Isn’t that right, Kingy?”
Kinger yelped and ducked his head beneath a stuffed elephant.
Ragatha huffed, displeased that their visitor was already ruining the mood.
“If you must know, Jax, we’re having a sleepover!” She said, earning a chuckle from the rabbit.
“A sleepover?” He asked, guffawing at the very thought. “What, are we gonna paint each other’s nails and talk about boys!? Are you kidding me? A sleepover?”
“Yeah.” Zooble grumpily chimed in, rolling their eyes. “And it was actually kind of fun, until you showed up…”
Jax shrugged off their displeasure with a self-satisfied smirk. He grabbed one of Gangle’s ribbons and started twirling it around his fingers, ignoring her whimpers. “Oh please, I’m plenty of fun!”
He only stopped when the jester spoke up.
“Then prove it.”
His eyes shot open, meeting Pomni’s red and blue orbs. Locked in a steadfast frown. After such a terrible day, she was having a good time. Even with all these digital strangers. And she wasn’t about to let anyone ruin it.
“What was that?” Jax asked, furrowing his brow.
“I said prove it.” Pomni repeated. “Prove you can be fun without bothering anyone else.”
Everyone else looked between Jax and Pomni, unsure of which way things would go. The purple rabbit was tempted to ignore her proposal, he wasn’t about to let some fresh face tell him what to do.
…But, he didn’t want to back down from a challenge. And if he acted decently tonight, it’d be even funnier once he was back to his old tricks in the morning.
At least, that’s how he justified it to himself.
“Alright, newbie. You got yourself a bet!” Jax grinned, bursting with mischief. “But after I win, I’m really gonna start messin’ with ya!”
After that, Jax casually strolled into the room before plopping down on some of the pillows that were placed on the floor. Arms behind his head, one leg crossed in front of the other.
Everyone was stunned. Pomni especially. Ragatha looked to the girl with surprise, before a look of pride glimmered in her one eye.
“Look at you, getting Jax to behave. And on your first day, too!” She whispered, not wanting the rabbit to hear. “Nice job, new stuff!”
Pomni smiled back, perhaps the brightest she’d smiled that day.
And so, with the whole troupe gathered together in one room, the night went on. To the astonishment of everyone, including himself, Jax kept the insults and barbs to a minimum. And seemed to legitimately engage with the group. With them all laughing about this and talking about that, for the first time in who knows how long, if ever…it felt like they were all actually friends. Just normal people hanging out, and not a collection of wayward souls trapped in the same digital prison.
And after some, while laying back on the bed and only partly listening to a riveting debate between Jax and Zooble about…who knows what, Pomni felt it.
She was starting to drift off. She was finally comfortable enough for her panicked mind to let go.
She was going to sleep.
Her elation was only overpowered by her exhaustion. She didn’t even make a peep, she just happily let the sensation overtake her senses. It was familiar, it was beautiful. And she couldn’t wait to get some rest.
Ragatha noticed, but she didn’t say anything. She just smiled a knowing smile, and didn’t bring any attention to her soon-to-be-snoozing new friend. She knew if she did, intentionally or otherwise, someone would end up waking her.
Pomni appreciated it.
And as she finally, finally started to slip away, a content smile on her face, she felt a thought drift into her mind.
The Amazing Digital Circus was a step removed from Hell. There was no doubt in her mind about that. And she wouldn’t stop until she could find a way out.
But if she could have less days like that morning, and more nights like right now, along with people she might one day call friends…
Maybe it wouldn’t be so awful.
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High above the pinstriped tent of the Digital Circus, floating on a virtual cloud, was the resident ringmaster. Caine.
His jaws opened wide in a relaxed sigh, while he reclined on the white puffiness beneath him. Taking in the peaceful sight of the grounds below.
“After a giganto-normous day of fun and festivity, there’s nothing like winding down for the night. Eh, Bubble?
The toothy sphere of soap floating near his head disagreed, however.
“But we don’t need sleep.” He argued. “And it’s not even night! The sun is three feet away!”
“Hello!” The sun cheerily greeted from afar.
Caine, as disgruntled as he was dapper, sent his pedantic companion a displeased glare. Before readying a finger and popping him with a poke.
Finally alone, the AI readied himself for some real relaxation. Before a giant blue crescent shifted into his line of sight.
“You can spend the night with me, Caine.” Said the moon, with a flirtatious wink.
Caine, overcome with sheer panic, jumped up and shouted-
“CAN’T YOU TAKE A HINT, WOMAN?!”
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Fin