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*Our story begins in a deep dark ocean, it's almost pitch black, and there's nothing around for miles, we see Luseal slowly sinking to the bottom, her eyes snap open as she gasps, she frantically looks around the area but there isn't anything in sight*
*She immediately starts to swim up as fast as she can, practically clawing at the water, as she does this, the same multi-eyed dark tentacle from her previous nightmares emerges from the depths, it slowly makes its way towards the unsuspecting seal, suddenly, it wraps itself around her, Luseal lets out a garbled shout as this happens*
*She looks down and screams in horror when she sees the tentacle, she tries to free herself but the tentacle tightens its grip on her, it then drags her down into the depths of the ocean, Luseal lets out a horrified scream as she descends*
*We then see the ocean slowly get dark the deeper it goes until it's completely black, not a bit of light in sight.. Until a bunch of multicolored lights shine onto Luseal, she opens her eyes and gasps in fright at what she sees*
*What lies in front of her is a huge glitchy mass of abstraction, multiple eyes stare down at her, Luseal desperately tries to free herself from its grip but to no avail*
Luseal: No! No!! Please!! Let me go!!
*Suddenly, she hears a distorted voice call out to her*
???: LuSy…
*Her eyes widen in shock when she hears this*
Luseal: Wh-What..?
???: WhY dId YoU fAiL uS, Lu…?
Luseal: L-Lu..?
*Suddenly, the mass slowly shifts into a disgusting, disfigured cluster of all the players in the circus, Luseal's eyes widen in horror as the realization hits her like a truck, tears well up in her eyes*
???: YoU lEt Us DoWn, LuSe…
Luseal: NO!! NO!!!
*She starts hyperventilating as her tears float into the water around her*
Luseal: I DIDN'T WANT THIS!!! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!!! *She screams in devastation*
*She hangs her head down as she sobs from this troubling sight*
Luseal: I'm so sorry…! *She says in a tearful tone*
*As she's sobbing to herself, the abstraction from the tentacle around her slowly starts to consume her, but she's too distraught to notice*
Luseal: I failed you..! I let you all down..!
*Suddenly, everything fades to black as the abstraction covers more and more of her body, we then cut to Luseal tossing and turning in a bed, tears streaming down her face*
Luseal: I let you down..! I'm so sorry..! *She shouts in a tearful tone*
*Suddenly, a clawed hand reaches over and gently nudges her, her eyes snap open and she immediately sits up as she lets out a frightened yelp*
Luseal: Wh-Wha..?
*She looks up and finds Jax in his werehare form, he’s looking at her in concern, she stares at him with saddened sparkling eyes*
Luseal: J–Jaxie..?
Jax: Hey Lusy..
*Luseal looks around and realizes she’s in Jax’s room instead of her own*
Luseal: How did I get here..?
Jax: Well, you fell asleep on the couch and I didn’t want you to be all alone, so I opted to keep you here.
Luseal: Oh…how embarrassing.
Jax: Did you have a nightmare?
*Luseal sniffles and she starts to tear up again*
Luseal: Mhm…! I just…ever since I’ve gotten closer to everyone else here, I’ve been scared that I’ll lose them too!
*She puts her face in her hands and starts to cry again*
Luseal: I don’t wanna lose anybody! And that’s just what happened in my dream! I felt like I failed them and they lost themselves because of me! *She says through her sobbing*
*Jax gives her a sympathetic look*
Jax: Look, that’s not gonna happen. I mean, take Pomni for example, now that me and her are a thing, her morale’s up more than ever. And so is mine.
*He puts his hands on her shoulders, she looks up at him*
Jax: And Gangle and Zooble are doing even better now that they’ve tied the knot. The thing is, we’re all doing great, and we’ve got you to thank for that.
*Luseal smiles a bit, only for it to fade*
Luseal: It’s…not all up to me, is it? It’s not easy to keep everyone happy all the time..
Jax: Oh, don’t put all that on your shoulders. Like, they’ve all got friends here, they give each other comfort and stuff when they need it.
*He then hugs her*
Jax: For one, I give it to you sometimes, and that’s okay.
*Luseal then smiles again and hugs him back*
Jax: You shouldn’t put so much pressure on yourself. It’s cool that you cheer people up, but it’s not your big job alone.
Luseal: I know but.. I just want everyone to be happy..
Jax: And we are, since we’re not alone. Not even I am anymore. Happiness doesn’t last forever, but it can still return even after it’s taken away. Sure, Caine makes things rough, but we see it through in the end.
*Luseal wipes her eyes*
Luseal: Thanks, Jaxie.. That really helps a lot. You always know just what to say.
Jax: I do my best.
*Luseal yawns, Jax then picks her up*
Jax: Let’s get you back to your room, sis.
*Luseal falls asleep in his arms on the way there, he carries her to her room and sets her on her bed*
Jax: See ya tomorrow, Lusy.
*We then cut to Ragatha's room, we see her tossing and turning in her bed, she looks distinctly nervous*
Ragatha: What if none of this joy lasts? What if everyone’s hope is lost again? What if something causes the others to abstract? Then I’ll be…all alone. *She thinks to herself*
*She shakes her head*
Ragatha: Just don’t think about it. Just try to get some sleep.
*And eventually, she relaxes enough to close her eyes, only for a clawed hand to suddenly grab her shoulder, she shrieks and falls right off her bed, we then see Jax, who’s now in his regular form*
Jax: Ha! Mornin’, Raggy!
*Stars float above Ragatha’s head, she then gets up and looks at him in indignation*
Ragatha: Jax! What the heck?!
*Jax turns his hand back to normal*
Jax: The early bird catches the centipede. Speaking of which, there might be one under your bed.
*Ragatha turns pale*
Ragatha: WHAT?!
Jax: Have fun dealing with that!
*He then runs off, Ragatha clenches her fist and sighs in exasperation before exiting her room, she finds the others aside from Pomni in the lobby, Luseal waves at her*
Luseal: Hi Ragatha!
*Though Ragatha is still in a bad mood from earlier, she tries to hide it with a smile*
Ragatha: Good morning, everybody! How’d you all sleep?
Kinger: Like a baby.
Jax: You know babies suck at sleeping, right? All the wailing and screaming, yeesh.
Zooble: Especially baby gloinks. Actually, do they ever sleep?
Luseal: It's a figure of speech, Jaxie.
*She clears her throat*
Luseal: I had a bit of a rough night at first, but it got better and then I slept great.
Ragatha: Uh, last night was nice! Yeah. *She says with a rather forced-looking smile*
*Gangle notices how fake that smile looks and is concerned*
Gangle: Are you doing okay, Ragatha?
Ragatha: Oh, totally! How about you, Pomni? …Pomni?
*That's when she notices that Pomni isn't there yet, her smile immediately fades when she notices this*
Ragatha: Uh, where is she?
Zooble: I dunno, I haven’t seen her today.
*Ragatha looks worried*
Ragatha: Oh, no! What if something happened to her?! She could’ve-
*She catches herself and once again tries to look confident*
Ragatha: I mean, I'm sure she's fine! She probably got caught up with something.
*She averts her glance, the others exchange concerned looks*
Ragatha: I can’t let them know I’m scared of losing anyone. It’ll just make things worse! *She thinks to herself*
Luseal: Ragatha, I-
*And right then, Pomni comes by, Ragatha looks up in relief*
Ragatha: Oh, thank God you’re still there! For a second, I thought- uh…never mind.
*Luseal looks at her in concern*
Pomni: Sorry I'm late, everyone, I overslept, and then Caine started giving me one of his philosophical lectures about absolutely nothing. I almost lost my mind from boredom, but I managed to sneak away.
Jax: Freakin’ Caine.
Luseal: I swear, he really likes to hear himself talk.
*Ragatha is embarrassed, she looks away*
Ragatha: I can’t believe I let myself jump to conclusions. Why do I do this to myself? To everyone? My worries keep getting out of control and it’s just gonna bring the mood down. *She thinks to herself*
Luseal: Uh, are you sure you’re alright?
Ragatha: Again, I am! How about you tell us about one of your big ideas? Your suggestions are the best!
Luseal: Oh, how sweet of you.
*Luseal clears her throat*
Luseal: Anyway, I think I might have an idea for the next outing, but I'm still working out the details. Maybe it could involve magic.
*Everyone looks intrigued by this, especially Gangle who looks particularly excited*
Gangle: Ooh! Magic? Is it gonna involve magical girls?
Luseal: Not sure about that, but I was thinking there’d be a sorceress of some kind.
Kinger: I wonder if it’d be like a fairy tale, I love fairies!
Jax: Or like D&D.
Pomni: Uh, hopefully it wouldn’t have any horror in it, you know how I feel about that.
Luseal: Oh, of course not, it’d just be fantasy-related fun.
*Caine then pops in with Bubble, everyone yelps in surprise, Ragatha is so surprised that she falls off the couch*
Ragatha: Not again!
Caine: Hey there, my tenacious tacos!
Bubble: Extra spicy too, in the case of Zooble and Jax!
Zooble: Oh, shut the f*BONK* up!
Caine: On today’s agenda, you’re all gonna fight an army of talking outhouses!
Pomni: What?!
Zooble: Dude, the f*HONK* you smoking?!
*Gangle’s mask turns green and she gags a bit*
Jax: No. Just…no.
*Ragatha cringes and Luseal gives Caine an icy stare*
Bubble: What’s the matter? You all look flushed!
*Kinger is the only one not to be grossed-out*
Kinger: Aren’t houses supposed to be outside?
Luseal: They’re not actually houses- forget it, I’ll explain later.
*Luseal crosses her arms*
Luseal: I already have something in mind for today, Caine, something that's you know.. not disgusting!
*Caine glares at her*
Caine: You’re disgusting!
Jax: Real mature, Caine. Not!
*Ragatha looks nervous about the conflict*
Ragatha: Now, uh, let’s not lose our heads here. Luseal said she wanted some kind of magical journey with a sorceress in it. That’s nice, isn’t it?
Luseal: Thank you, Ragatha. *She says with a smile*
*Caine puts his hands on his hips and grumbles, only to get another idea*
Caine: Alright then, have it your way!
Luseal: Oh! Glad you actually came arou-
*Her smile then immediately fades when she remembers the previous times he's said that*
Luseal: Wait a minute.. What do you have planned this time, Caine?
Caine: I’m not gonna spoil it for you, then it’d ruin the fun!
*He creates a portal, Luseal still looks suspicious*
Luseal: Please don’t tell me you’re gonna-
Caine: Get in there, you!
*He then lifts her up and hurls her into the portal, she yells as she flies in there*
Jax: Lusy!!
*He runs in after her and the others follow suit, Ragatha hesitates*
Ragatha: Oh, what to do? If I hang back, they could get traumatized again without me, and then they might-
Caine: Quit your lollygagging!
*He then kicks her in there, she shouts as she’s sent flying, and on the other side of the portal, the world has a dark greenish sky that's filled with gray clouds that are emitting sparks of lightning, the land ahead of them has dead grass and leafless trees, crows and ravens squawk loudly, Pomni covers her ears*
Gangle: This doesn’t look like anything from the magical girl shows I’ve seen.
Luseal: Dagnabbit, I knew he’d twist my suggestion around! He just shouldn’t be trusted!
Ragatha: Uh, hold on, we only just got here. We probably shouldn’t judge things just yet.
Luseal: Yeah, good point.. But I still don't trust him!
Zooble: Trust me, nobody does.
*There’s a village dead ahead, there’s a sign in front of it that says, “Fairy Tale Town”*
Ragatha: Fairy Tale Town? Maybe this’ll be nostalgic? *She says, trying to be hopeful*
*Unfortunately, she does not get her wish as the town seems to be dilapidated and and ruined, the paths are cracked, the houses are dusty and broken down, and everyone there seems to be miserable*
Ragatha: Oh goodness.. *She says in a nervous tone*
Jax: You just had to say it, didn’t ya, Rags?
Ragatha: Look, I didn’t mean t-
*She sighs, just then, they hear somebody crying; just ahead of them is a little bear, who’s wailing his little heart out as his mother pats him on the back*
Mama Bear: There, there, Baby.
Baby Bear: I miss Papa…
Luseal: Aww, what’s wrong, little guy?
*Mama Bear looks up*
Mama Bear: His father’s been gone ever since Dolores Desdemona came to our town.
*Gangle tears up*
Gangle: Oh, you poor thing…!
Jax: Question, who’s that?
Mama Bear: She was a powerful sorceress who died sometime ago. She wreaked havoc on us all, and when she died, we thought we’d be free from her, but then she came back.
Pomni: Oh, no…
Mama Bear: She captured Papa and several other villagers and she took them to the well of corruption.
Zooble: The well of…corruption?
Mama Bear: It’s deep in the woods. Nobody dares to go near it because of how dangerous it is, but she used it to create an army of her own.
Baby Bear: The way Papa looked at us…it was so awful! He didn’t even recognize us anymore!
*Luseal looks devastated hearing this, her look of devastation turns into a look of determination*
Luseal: Ma'am, I promise you that we will get your husband back, and we'll put a stop to Dolores Desdemona once and for all!
Pomni: What?!
*Mama and Baby Bear and tearfully smile at her*
Mama Bear: Oh, thank you, miss.
*And just then, Caine pops up with Bubble, startling everyone again*
Caine: And that’s your assignment! Welcome to The Destruction of Dolores Desdemona!
Zooble: Dude, come on! We were having a moment!
Luseal: And for the love of gosh! Put on a bell!!
Bubble: That’s a lot of D words in the title! I can think of another! D-
Caine: Language! Anyway, be careful, because Dolores is quite a menace! And she’s not even alone, she won’t hesitate to sic her lackeys on you! Who knows if a few soapy scrubs like you will be able to take her down?
*Ragatha’s eyes widen in horror at the prospect of that*
Caine: Will you save Fairy Tale Town or will it end up being a wasteland forever?!
Jax: You’re not helping! Is that supposed to encourage us?!
Luseal: Besides, we can do it! Right, everyone?!
Everybody Besides Ragatha: Yeah!
Ragatha: S-Sure… *She says hesitantly*
Luseal: Exactly! We've faced off against many fearsome foes before! The Fudge, the Monster Madhouse, the batter beast, Prince Damien, shall I go on?
Kinger: Together, we are a great team.
Ragatha: And besides, what could go wrong?
Jax: Don’t you dare jinx it! Why do you keep doing that?! Every time you say something like that, something does go wrong!
Ragatha: Sorry…
Luseal: Jaxie! Don’t be so harsh on her.
Jax: Am I wrong, though?
*Luseal glares at him*
Luseal: Look, she’s just trying to help! I understand how you feel about her, but she's still our friend! So could you please put your grudge against her to the side?! At least until this adventure is over?! Please?! *She says in an angry, exasperated tone*
*Jax looks genuinely stunned by this as does Ragatha*
Zooble: Yeah, you tell him, girl!
Jax: …Wow. Okay, fine.
*Luseal sighs*
Luseal: Thanks.
Caine: Ohoho! Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed!
Luseal: Oh, you think?
Caine: Go, ye heroes, and save the day! No pressure!
*He and Bubble disappear*
Luseal: …I really hate that guy.. Didn't even tell us where to go..
Jax: Join the club, or perhaps you’re the leader.
*And right then, a cat in boots approaches them*
Puss in Boots: Did I hear you discuss Dolores? Because I just might be able to help you with that.
Ragatha: Really?
Jax: I don't know about this.. We can never tell which NPCs are trustworthy… Remember Ab-
*Jax stops himself when he looks at Luseal, not wanting to trigger her memories of the fake escape adventure*
Puss in Boots: I know it’s hard to tell who’s a friend or foe, but do I look like a foe?
*Puss in Boots looks at them with large sparkly eyes, everyone is awed by this, Jax still looks a little distrustful*
Gangle: Oh..! He’s got anime eyes!
Luseal: Aww..! How can something so cute be a threat? *She says in an adoring tone*
Jax: Alright, we’ll trust him… For now.. But I'm watching you.
Pomni: Do you by any chance know where she is?
Puss In Boots: But of course, señorita, I know this place like the back of my paw.
*He kneels down and shows her a bouquet of flowers*
Puss in Boots: How could you not trust such a beautiful gift, lovely lady?
Pomni: Um…
*Jax growls at him, his pupils change into diamonds and his teeth change into fangs as he does so*
Jax: No way, not this again! That’s my girl you’re talking to!
Ragatha: I still wish somebody would flirt with me like that. *She thinks to herself*
*Puss in Boots’s eyes widen and he throws the bouquet over his shoulder*
Puss in Boots: …My bad. Anyway, she resides in a cave outside of town, where she’s usually scheming up ways to terrorize us.
Gangle: U-Um.. If I may ask, just uh.. how much of a threat is she?
Puss in Boots: Only the most powerful user of magic in this world, thanks to this cursed ruby she always carries around! She’s so menacing that only one little thing can stop her!
*He then holds up a locket, he opens it and there’s a crystal inside it, Luseal's eyes sparkle when she sees it*
Luseal: Ooo! What's this?
Puss In Boots: This, señorita, is the key to Dolores's defeat, it contains a very special kind of magic.
*He hands her the crystal*
Puss In Boots: Make sure you do not lose it, and more importantly, do not let it fall into the wrong hands.
Luseal: Oh, we won’t, we promise.
Puss in Boots: This once belonged to Merlin, but after he died of old age, nobody else could use it against Dolores. I’m not sure why, but I think it was because they weren’t magic.
Luseal: Well, since I’ve got hydrokinesis, I think I’ll be in charge of it.
*She puts the locket around her neck*
Luseal: It should be safe with me… I think.
*Ragatha still looks anxious*
Ragatha: She thinks…? What if it doesn’t work…? *She thinks to herself*
*Kinger looks at her in concern, but he stays quiet*
Pomni: Thanks, Mr. In Boots. I’d take my hat off to you if I could.
Zooble: Let’s trash this b*BARK*tch!
*With that, they take off, Ragatha still has that dismal look on her face, Kinger whispers into her ear*
Kinger: You seem quite troubled. Do you want to talk about it? *He whispers*
Ragatha: Uh…even if I did have something on my mind, which I don’t, we gotta focus on our mission right now.
*Ragatha quickly runs after the others, Kinger just watches her leave with a concerned look on his face, he then follows her*
*They step out of the village and follow a dirt road until it leads them to the cave, the cave looks cryptic and foreboding, even the entrance itself has an uneasy feeling to it as it has stalactites sticking down in a way that resembles fangs, Luseal gulps when she sees this*
Luseal: How welcoming..
*A spider skitters by her, she shrieks and jumps into Jax’s arms*
Luseal: KILL IT KILL IT!! KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!
Zooble: On it.
*They smash it with their hammer hand, Luseal is still all shaken up*
Luseal: G-Good riddance…
*A bunch of bats suddenly fly in their direction and swarm Pomni, she screams and swats at them*
Pomni: GET THEM OFF!!
*Luseal then splashes them with one of her waves, they hiss in disgust and fly out of the cave*
Pomni: Th-Thanks…where’d they come from?
Gangle: Hey, look over there.
*There are four tunnels up ahead*
Zooble: One of them’s gotta lead to Dolores, maybe we should split up.
*Ragatha raises her hand to say something, but she stops herself and looks down at the ground, Luseal on the other hand isn't so quiet*
Luseal: Split up?! When has that ever worked out for us?! Not to mention, that never works in horror movies, every time a group splits up, something bad happens! And considering we've been split up how many times now, I can confidently say that they're not too far off from reality!
Gangle: Okay, then why don’t we go in pairs? Then we won’t be alone. And to be honest, I don’t really wanna be alone in this place.
*She clings to Zooble’s arm*
Zooble: I’ll go with you, Garnet.
Luseal: Okay, that’s much better.
Jax: I’ll go with Lusy, she needs her big brother to protect her.
*He boops her nose and it honks*
Luseal: Aw, Jaxie.
Pomni: I don’t want a repeat of those bats, so I think I’ll go with Kinger.
Kinger: And, Ragatha, do you want to come with us?
Ragatha: N-No! …Thank you. Besides, there’s one remaining tunnel and Dolores might be in it.
Pomni: Are you sure about that?
Ragatha: Positive! I'll be fine, I promise.
*Luseal gets an uneasy feeling from this*
Luseal: Y-You know, Ragatha, you really don't have to do this alone, we're here for you.
*Ragatha’s smile fades when she hears this, she starts to feel a twinge of guilt*
Ragatha: Uh…well…look, something’s coming!
Pomni: What?! Where?!
*Everyone looks the other way, Ragatha runs into the last tunnel*
Zooble: Uh, Ragatha? Nothing’s there.
*That's when they notice that she is no longer present*
Zooble: Well, I guess she had a point about nobody looking in the last tunnel, since there are seven of us, but…do you ever wonder if she’s hiding something?
Pomni: Well, as of today, yeah.
*Luseal looks worried by that, she briefly thinks about the nightmare she had earlier, but she shakes her head and clears her throat*
Luseal: M-Maybe we should have a talk with her once this is over.
Jax: I dunno if she’ll budge even after that, she’s just too cagey. I sometimes wonder if she trusts anybody here even after everything you guys have been through with her.
*Luseal gets indignant*
Luseal: Do you have to word it like that?! I’m already worried enough about her and that’s not helping anything!
*Jax goes quiet, he’s surprised that she’s reacting like this again, even the others are stunned by this since this is so unlike her*
Jax: …Let’s go.
*Luseal’s look of annoyance becomes one of regret and she solemnly walks into the first tunnel, Jax follows her, Gangle and Zooble go into the second one, while Kinger and Pomni go into the third one*
*Luseal and Jax walk down the tunnel in awkward silence, Luseal looks very ashamed with herself, she looks up at Jax*
Luseal: …Jaxie?
*Jax turns his attention towards her*
Jax: Hm?
Luseal: I…I’m so sorry I’ve snapped at you twice. Since I dreamed about everyone abstracting, and I've noticed that something’s up with Ragatha, I’m afraid my fears just might come true.. I know it's no excuse, and I'd never ever wanna do anything to hurt you, it's just…
*She looks down at the ground and sighs*
Luseal: …I shouldn't have taken my insecurities out on you, and I'm so sorry that I ever did..
*Jax softens up when he hears this*
Jax: Lusy…
*He puts his hand on her shoulder, she looks up at him*
Jax: You know what? I’m sorry too. I take back what I said before, surely you’ll get her to open up. You’re really good at that. I mean, you’ve gotten me to do that, that’s no mean feat.
Luseal: Yeah, that’s true. You can’t keep those kinds of feelings inside forever. She comforted me in the past, I just have to return the favor.
*She gets a determined look on her face and presses on*
Jax: That’s my sis.
*He follows her, Luseal smiles at him, as their walking down the tunnel, Jax's ears twitch and he suddenly stops, Luseal turns towards him looking understandably curious*
Luseal: Is something wrong, Jaxie?
Jax: Did you just hear a growl?
Luseal: N-No, what’re you talking about?
*Two yellow eyes gleam in the darkness ahead of them, and the Big Bad Wolf emerges from the shadows, growling menacingly, Luseal shouts in fright and hides behind Jax*
Luseal: It's a wolf!
Jax: Hey, you! Get away from my sister!
*He unsheathes his claws and growls, showing off his teeth, the Big Bad Wolf just takes a swipe at him, knocking him to the ground*
Luseal: Jaxie, no!
*She turns back to the Big Bad Wolf and snarls*
Luseal: WHY, YOU!!
*She summons some water tendrils and bares her teeth*
Luseal: GET OUTTA HERE OR YOU’LL GET A TASTE OF THE TENDRILS!!
*She grabs the Big Bad Wolf with her tendril and knocks him to the ground, but this barely leaves a scratch on him, he snarls in her face, revealing his mouthful of sharp teeth, Luseal's eyes widen in horror and her pupils shrink*
Luseal: M-Maybe we can talk about this..?
*Jax then rises to his feet and cracks his knuckles*
Jax: Let me show you how it’s done.
*He then starts to twitch and falls to his knees, he winces and looks at his other hand as claws sprout from his fingers, his arms gets more muscular, and his fur gets shaggier, the Big Bad Wolf cocks his head in confusion*
Luseal: Oh, yeah! Now we’re talking!
*Jax yelps in pain as his height and muscle mass increase at once, his overall strap rip off and he tears through his pant legs with his now wolf-like feet, he opens his eyes to reveal that he now has diamond-like pupils, he looks to the sky and howls, he turns to the Big Bad Wolf, who is now trembling in terror*
*Jax takes a deep breath and roars in the Big Bad Wolf’s face, blowing his ears backwards, the Big Bad Wolf then runs away yelping with his tail between his legs*
Luseal: Yay, Jaxie! You sure showed him!
Jax: That takes care of that.
*They then hear an even deeper growl, they look up and see that the Big Bad Wolf has returned, and he is now accompanied by a much bigger bear who also has glowing yellow eyes, he is drooling and glaring at them*
Luseal: That must be Papa Bear!
Jax: Step aside, I’ll handle this.
*He lunges at Papa Bear, only for the latter to grab him by the neck, Jax yelps and starts clawing at the big bear’s wrists, only for the latter to throw him into a wall*
Luseal: Jaxie!!
*She immediately runs towards him*
Jax: How did he get the jump on me so easily…? *He says dizzily*
*Papa Bear and the Big Bad Wolf creepily approach them*
Luseal: Get up! We gotta go!!
*She grabs him by his hand and tries to help him up, but due to his increased size and muscle mass, he's a lot heavier than he looks*
Luseal: Hurry! We gotta get outta here!!
*Jax gets up and runs off on all fours, with Luseal following him, the two predators chase them both*
*In the next tunnel over, Gangle and Zooble are pressing on*
Gangle: What do you think this Dolores looks like?
Zooble: Well, she’s definitely ugly on the inside no matter how she looks.
Gangle: She's probably just as scary on the outside too..
*She shudders as she thinks about this, suddenly, they spot a cute little duckling ahead of them, he has glowing yellow eyes*
Gangle: Aww, that must be the Ugly Duckling, but he’s not ugly, he’s adorable.
*Zooble squints suspiciously*
Zooble: Those eyes don’t look right.
*Gangle reaches out to pet him, only for him to open his beak, revealing a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth, he tries to bite her, but she jerks her hand away just in time and yelps*
Gangle: What the-?!
*The Ugly Duckling snaps his jaws at her and chases her around, she screams in horror*
Gangle: No, wait! I just wanted to pet you!
Zooble: Hey! F*HONK* off!
*They slam the Ugly Duckling on the head with their hammer hand, it stops running towards Gangle and turns its head 360 degrees towards them, Zooble shudders*
Zooble: Ughhh! How does that not hurt?!
*The Ugly Duckling then bites Zooble’s other hand*
Zooble: GAH!! MOTHERF*BONK*ER!! GET IT OFF!!
*They pry the Ugly Duckling off their hand and throw him into a rock, but he barely even flinches and starts to charge at them while continuing to snap his jaws*
Gangle: T-Taffy, run!
*She grabs Zooble by their arm and runs away as fast as she can; in the third tunnel, Pomni and Kinger are still traveling ahead*
Pomni: Sometimes I think Ragatha might be hiding more trauma than she lets on.
Kinger: Well, you see, she-
*They hear snuffling sounds ahead of them, they look up and see three pairs of yellow glowing eyes peering out at them*
Pomni: What…is that…?
*Some snorts are heard, Kinger squints his eyes*
Kinger: That sounds like…
*The three pigs step out of the darkness, they’re wearing torn construction outfits; one is wielding a brick trowel, one is wielding a wrench, and one is carrying a hammer, they’re tapping their respective rusty tools into the palms of their hands*
Kinger: Look, sirs, we come in peace.
*Pomni hides behind Kinger*
Pomni: W-We don’t want any trouble-
*One of them throws his wrench at Pomni, she ducks out of the way*
Pomni: Oh, sh*PBBT*!
*The wrench hits the wall next to her, plunging itself into the stone, Pomni's eyes go wide in horror when she sees this*
Kinger: I think it would be a good time to take our leave.
Pomni: You think?!
*One of the pigs tries to pull his wrench out of the stone, while he’s distracted with this, Pomni and Kinger start to sprint away, the other two pigs start to pursue them, as does the wrench one once he pulls his tool free*
*In the fourth tunnel, Ragatha solemnly moves on, she is very forlorn*
Ragatha: Oh.. Why didn't I go with the others? I really don’t want to be alone…but at the same time, I don’t want to cause them more grief. They’ve already gone through enough, they don't need me adding onto their problems.
*She then hears a voice*
???: Right you are, young lady.
*Ragatha looks around*
Ragatha: Huh? Who said that?
*A spirit who takes on the form of a long dark-haired woman in robes with crimson colored eyes, ashy colored skin, and a ruby necklace appears before her*
Spirit: Your friends would be better off without you. All you do is hurt them with your disingenuous attitude.
Ragatha: Th-That can't be true! …Can it..?
Spirit: It can, my dear.. You just never tell the truth. They don’t know whether they should trust you, and they’re well within their rights to feel this way.
*Ragatha starts to tear up at this*
Ragatha: I…I just want to make them happy…
Spirit: But you don't.. Do you, my dear..? *She asks in a sickeningly sweet tone*
*Ragatha starts to gently cry as she slowly falls to her knees, she puts her face in her hands*
Spirit: And when they tried to repay you for your dishonesty, you just pushed away their attempts to help you. Do you even appreciate them at all?
Ragatha: But…but I do love them…I just don’t know how to show it… *She says tearfully*
Spirit: They will not be with you forever, especially not with how terrible you are. Look into my eyes..
*Ragatha looks up and her eyes are locked with the spirit’s*
Spirit: You will be my vessel..You will belong to me..
*As she stares into her eyes, Ragatha's expression slowly becomes dull, her eye starts to lose its shine, as if there's no life in it*
Ragatha: I’ll just lose everyone anyway… *She says dully*
*The spirit grins*
Spirit: Come along, my dear.
*She starts to make her way back to the entrance, Ragatha follows her with an emotionless look on her face; back at the entrance of the cave, everyone is dashing out of their respective tunnels, Luseal, Gangle, and Pomni scream as they dash out of their tunnels*
Luseal: Bear! Bear! BEAR!! ANGRY BEAR!!!
Jax: WOLF!!
Gangle: HELP!! HELP!! THERE'S A KILLER DUCK AFTER US!!
Pomni: HOGS!!! …That doesn’t sound too scary out of context…
Kinger: Wait a minute, bear?!
Gangle: Wolf?!
Jax: Duck?!
Zooble: Hogs?! What're you talking abo-
*Suddenly, they hear a ferocious roar behind them, they quickly turn to see Papa Bear come out of the tunnel that Jax and Luseal came out of, he has a menacing look on his face, upon seeing him, Luseal lets out a banshee shriek, Jax yelps and covers his ears when this happens*
Jax: Ow! Not again!
*The Ugly Duckling and the Three Pigs then emerge from their respective tunnels, brandishing their teeth and construction tools, Jax scoffs upon seeing the Ugly Duckling*
Jax: Ha! This should be easy.
Gangle: Jax, wait!
*Jax unsheathes his claws and tries to claw at the Ugly Duckling, only for the latter to bite into his hand with his razor-sharp teeth, Jax screams in pain and then the feathered beast slams him into the ground several times*
Jax: How?! Could a twerp?! That small?! Be so?! Frickin’?! Strong?! *He says with each strike*
Pomni: Bunbun!
*Papa Bear then takes her by the ankle and holds her upside down, she squirms in his grip and swipes at him*
Pomni: Put me down, you b*BONK*ard!
*The Big Bad Wolf then stomps on Jax’s foot, causing him to howl in pain*
Luseal: Jax! Pomni!
*She tries to run towards them, but one of the three pigs grabs her and holds his wrench to her throat, she tries to wash him away with another wave, but he stays rooted to the spot*
Luseal: LET ME GO!!! *She screams in rage*
*Another pig is about to hit Gangle with a hammer, but Zooble jumps in the way and has a makeshift sword fight with him using their hammer hand*
Zooble: Get the f*ZAP* away from her!
*Ultimately, he knocks them over and causes them to fall to pieces, Gangle rushes over to pick their parts up, but he pins her to the ground*
Gangle: Ah!! Get off me!!
*Zooble glares at them*
Zooble: Get your hooves off my wife!! *They shout in anger*
*Kinger throws one of his floating hands at the third pig, but he just catches it and kicks Kinger to the ground and steps on him to keep him down, right then, Ragatha steps out of her tunnel*
Pomni: Ragatha! Thank God you’re here! Help us!!
*Ragatha doesn’t respond, she just stares off into space with those dull eyes of hers*
Kinger: Ragatha? What’s wrong?
*They hear the spirit’s voice*
Spirit: More like…what’s right?
Luseal: Wh-Who said that?!
*Suddenly, a dark spirit flies from the shadows and goes behind Ragatha, it shifts into the same woman from before*
Spirit: How peculiar… I would've expected much more worthy opponents.. I see you’ve met my lackeys. The well of corruption has made them indestructible.
*Luseal's eyes widen when she sees her*
Luseal: …You're her… Aren't you?!
*Luseal growls at her*
Luseal: You're Dolores Desdemona! Aren't you?!
*The spirit chuckles at her*
Dolores: It would seem that you're not as idiotic as you look..
Kinger: What have you done with Ragatha?! *He says with an angry tone*
*Dolores puts her hand on Ragatha's shoulder*
Dolores: She's mine now.. and she will make for a perfect vessel..
Pomni: Vessel..? What're you talking about?
Dolores: I'm quite glad you asked.. You see, being dead has become quite tiresome.. I would much prefer to be more..lively.
Jax: What're you getting at?!
Dolores: At the stroke of midnight, I shall submerge dear Ragatha into the well of corruption.
*Everyone's eyes widen in horror when they hear this*
Dolores: And once she has been corrupted, I shall claim her body as my own.. And I will be mortal once again!
Luseal: N-No.. No!! You can't do that!!
*Dolores lets out a sinister giggle at the seal's frightened demeanor*
Dolores: But I can.. You see, my dear Ragatha is the perfect person to be my vessel, her negative energy is far greater than anyone I've ever seen..! She was such a miserable wreck by the time I’d seen her, corrupting her was easy!
Ragatha: I’m just…gonna be alone…once everyone abstracts… *She says dully*
*Kinger gives her a saddened look*
Ragatha: Every time I try to help, I just make things worse…because I’m just a liar…if anyone knows, they’ll just suffer more… *She says dully*
*Jax looks horrified by this*
Jax: What…what have I done…?
Luseal: Wh-Wha- That's not true! Ragatha! You know that's not true!
*She then head butts the pig with the back of her head, the pig squeals in pain and lets go of her, she runs to her friend, only for Dolores to summon a forcefield that covers her and Ragatha, Luseal looks stunned by this*
Luseal: Wh-What?! No!
*She starts punching at the forcefield, she then looks down at her locket and holds it out towards her*
Luseal: Die, foul witch!!
*Only.. nothing seems to be happening, Luseal looks shocked by this*
Luseal: Wh-What?!
*She keeps holding the locket out, but nothing happens*
Luseal: Why won't you work?!
Dolores: I'm so sorry to cut this conversation short, but it will be midnight soon, and I would hate to miss the ritual.. Come along, my dear.. Guard them while I’m gone, my men.
*And with that, Dolores takes Ragatha by the hand and walks away with her, she sets up a force field that blocks off the exit to the cave, trapping everyone inside, the lackeys stay by the gang’s side*
Luseal: No! No!! RAGATHA!!! DON'T GO WITH HER!!! DON'T GO WITH HER, RAGATHA!!! *She screams in desperation*
*She starts punching at the forcefield, hoping that it breaks but to no avail, she slowly slips down to her knees as her screaming turns into sobbing*
Kinger: Ragatha…
Gangle: N-No! She can't just take Ragatha like that!
*We see Luseal sitting on the ground, tears stream down her face, memories of her nightmare rapidly play in her head*
Luseal: No.. No please no..! *She says in a weak tearful tone*
*She curls up in the fetal position and starts hyperventilating, she clutches her chest and everything around her resembles a dark void*
Luseal: I failed..I failed her…I failed everyone…! *She says through her sobbing*
*Jax looks especially guilt-ridden, he turns his attention towards Luseal*
Jax: Lusy, please! You gotta take a breath!
*Luseal doesn’t answer, she just continues to hyperventilate and weep, so Jax wraps his arms around her and gives her a big hug, Luseal regains her focus and upon feeling his warm embrace, she starts to breathe more slowly*
Luseal: Th-Thanks, Jaxie.
*She still looks heartbroken*
Luseal: …She's gone.. And I couldn't do anything to save her…! She's gone because of me..!
Jax: That’s not true, Lusy. If anything, it’s my own fault. I kept messing with her and saying all those scummy things when she just wanted to make us feel better. So for that, I’m sorry..
*Everyone looks at the two siblings in concern, while the lackeys just stare at them coldly, Zooble looks surprised that Jax is feeling any kind of remorse*
Zooble: Wow. You’re actually apologizing?
Pomni: It wouldn’t be the first time.
Kinger: Truth be told, I have known about Ragatha’s insecurities. I was aware that she just wanted to be loved, that she was afraid of people hating her, but I didn’t know she was that afraid of losing us.
Gangle: I-If I had known that this was how she felt, I would've done more to keep her safe..
Luseal: I..I should've reached out to her more.. If I had done that, she'd probably still be here..
*Tears stream down her face as she gently sobs*
Luseal: I-I just wanna hold her, and comfort her..and tell her that everything's gonna be ok..! I just want her to be ok! *She says through her sobbing*
*Suddenly, as she says these kind words, a bright glow emanates from the locket*
Pomni: What’s that?
*A bright beam emerges from the locket and strikes the force field, puncturing a hole in it, everyone gasps at this, while the lackeys look frustrated*
Zooble: What the f*HONK*?!
Gangle: Lu! The crystal!
Luseal: Huh..?
*She looks down at her locket and that's when she notices the bright glow coming from it, she stares at it in surprise*
Luseal: Wh-What?! Why is it-?!
*The bright light then hurts the lackeys’ eyes, they groan and cover their eyes in pain, Jax takes advantage of this distraction to punt the Ugly Duckling and claw Papa Bear in the face, the latter roars in pain and lets go of Pomni*
Jax: Hey! They’re weaker now!
Pomni: Oh, yeah! Now we’re talking!
*She bites into one pig’s leg, he squeals and tries to stomp on her, but she rolls out of the way, Luseal summons more water tendrils and grabs the other two with them before sweeping them off their feet with a big wave*
Luseal: That’s what you get!
*Zooble’s detached hammer arm crawls towards another pig and hammers him on the hoof, Jax lifts up Papa Bear and throws him on top of the Ugly Duckling, flattening him underneath, he lets out a muffled honk*
*Luseal’s locket glows once more, the bright light once again blinds the lackeys; the circus gang takes advantage of this distraction to run out of the cave*
*Once they think they’re far enough, they stop to catch their breath*
Gangle: That was close…
Luseal: Why do you think the crystal only started working then?
Kinger: I have a hunch that it was your love for Ragatha that activated it at last.
Luseal: You really think so?
*She turns her attention towards Jax*
Luseal: Jaxie, I love you very much, and you're my favorite brother.
*As she says this, her locket starts to glow again*
Jax: Aww…I feel the same way ‘bout you, Lusy. Looks like Puss wasn’t scamming us after all.
*Gangle and Pomni are visibly touched by this, and even Zooble seems to find it sweet*
Kinger: Love is the most powerful force in the world, it trumps regular spells.
*Luseal smiles at him*
Luseal: Very true, Kinger.
*She looks off into the distance and gets a determined look on her face*
Luseal: Alright.. Let's go get Ragatha back!
Pomni: Yeah, let’s kick Dolores’s a*HEEHAW*!
Luseal: Let’s take a ride, everyone!
*She creates a wave that lifts everyone up, it sweeps forward*
Zooble: It’s like we’re surfing!
*Pomni yells and nearly falls off, but Jax catches her by the wrist and pulls her back on*
Jax: Glad I caught you.
*Pomni sighs in relief*
Pomni: That was close.
*Gangle fearfully clings to Zooble*
Zooble: It’s okay, Garnet, I’ve gotcha.
*Kinger raises his hands triumphantly*
Jax and Luseal: WOO-HOO!
*Unbeknownst to them, the lackeys have snapped out of their incapacitation and are slinking out of the cave to look for these opponents*
*We then cut to a dark part of the woods, the light of the full moon shines upon the area, we see a hole in the ground, it seems to be a normal hole at first glance, but inside the hole is a greenish watery nightmare filled with cursed souls screaming in agony*
*Right then, Dolores arrives with Ragatha by her side*
Dolores: Excellent. We’re right at our destination, my dear.
*Ragatha looks into the hole, she just stares at the water with the same dull expression on her face*
Dolores: Once you enter the water, you'll be ready to become my vessel!
Ragatha: Wonderful… *She says dully*
*Dolores points at the hole*
Dolores: Go on now, my dear, and embrace your destiny..
*Ragatha slowly walks towards the hole, she looks down at the shrieking souls inside, but before she can take one more step, a familiar voice calls out*
Luseal: STOP!!!
*Ragatha and Dolores turn to see the circus gang coming towards them on their giant wave, Dolores look shocked by this*
Dolores: What?! Impossible!
*As they arrive, the wave gently sets them down on the ground, Pomni kisses the ground, only to immediately regret it*
Pomni: Bleh!
*Dolores turns to them*
Dolores: How did you escape?!
*She notices the locket on Luseal’s neck*
Dolores: No! Don’t tell me you got it to work!
Luseal: Indeed I did! Now give us our friend back!
Dolores: Not on your life, mere sea creature. Besides, she’s already too far gone to register a word you’re saying.
Luseal: You're wrong!
*She turns her attention towards Ragatha*
Luseal: Ragatha! Please listen to me! I know how it feels to be afraid of losing everyone you love, believe me! I get it!
*She clenches her fists as she looks down at the ground*
Luseal: Sometimes it feels like things aren't gonna get better, and that you're destined to fail, but…
*She looks up at her with tears in her eyes*
Luseal: Things will always turn around in the end.
*Ragatha looks somewhat moved by this, but she still has that dull look in her eye*
Dolores: Silence, you fool!
*She unleashes a beam of electricity towards Luseal, but the latter manages to dodge it without missing a beat*
Luseal: I know exactly what you're going through, I used to hide my feelings all the time! I felt like I couldn't talk to anyone without making them feel bad, heck! The only people I vented to were Yellow and Red, and their comforting is hit or miss at best! I still care about them though..
Dolores: Those are all lies and you know it!
*She unleashes a laser of darkness towards Luseal, which ends up hitting her, but her sheer willpower is so strong that she withstands it*
Dolores: What in the world?!
Luseal: I’m…not…done…yet! *She says through gritted teeth*
*Luseal clears her throat*
Luseal: The point is, I thought that I had to keep my feelings to myself to save everyone else… But I learned that you can't save everyone else if you lose yourself in the process! It's ok to not be positive! It's ok to be sad, mad, or afraid! Letting those emotions out will make sure you can be happy in the future! Like Jaxie said to me before, joy doesn’t last forever, and that’s alright, because it does come back sooner or later! So please…come back to us. You’re our friend and we love you..!
*Luseal's locket glows as she says these sweet words, everyone looks touched by this, Ragatha's expression livens up and a tear wells up in her eye*
Ragatha: Oh Luseal..! Luseal!
*She goes to run towards her with her arms open, ready to hug her*
Dolores: No! No!!
*Before Ragatha can reach Luseal, Dolores pushes her into the well of corruption, Ragatha screams in terror as she falls in, Luseal shouts in fright and shoots a water tendril at her, thankfully the tendril wraps around Ragatha before she can hit the water, everyone looks horrified by this*
Gangle: RAGATHA!!!
*Ragatha screams in terror as Luseal tries with all her might to pull her up*
Luseal: Hang on!!
*As she tries to do this, the souls inside the water grab onto Ragatha’s wrist and start trying to pull her into the water, making it hard for Luseal to help her back up*
Ragatha: Help! Help!!
*Right then, the Ugly Duckling, the Big Bad Wolf, Papa Bear, and the Three Pigs arrive at the scene, Papa Bear roars and the Big Bad Wolf howls, the gang looks up and sees them all*
Pomni: Oh, no!
Jax: Not this time!
*The lackeys advance forward, but Jax tackles Papa Bear and holds him down; the pigs approach him from behind, but he just kicks them away with his wolf legs, the Big Bad Wolf is about to pounce on him, but Jax headbutts him in the face, the Ugly Duckling is about to bite him, but he just backhands him without turning around*
Pomni: Go Bunbun! Whoo!
Zooble: Show them, Jax!
*Despite the sudden disadvantage, Luseal keeps pulling on the water tendril with all her might, her locket starts to glow again as she does so*
Luseal: I won't let go! Hold on, Ragatha!!
*As she keeps trying to pull Ragatha out of the well, the glow from her locket gets brighter and brighter, everyone covers their eyes from how bright it is, and despite the pain, Luseal refuses to let go*
Dolores: No…No!!
*Eventually, the glow gets so bright it almost shines brighter than the sun would*
Luseal: Almost…there!! You’re gonna be just…fine! *She says in a strained voice*
*The glow from the crystal causes the souls to scream in pain, they soon dissipate and the water vanishes, as this happens, the eyes of The Ugly Duckling, The Three Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf, and Papa Bear go back to normal, Luseal then manages to yank Ragatha up to safety*
*The two take a minute to catch their breath, Luseal's locket dims down as they do so*
Zooble: Wow..She must have a lot of love in her heart.
*Ragatha turns her attention towards Luseal*
Ragatha: Th…Thank you, Luseal.
Luseal: Of course.. You're family, and family doesn't leave anybody behind..
*Luseal hugs Ragatha, Dolores is infuriated*
Dolores: Look what you’ve done! Now I will never have a mortal body again!!
*She screams in frustration and creates a cloud of darkness, filling up the whole area, everyone coughs and sputters from the smokescreen*
Dolores: It’s time for you to leave this world!
*She begins to create a fiery beam and shoots it towards Luseal and Ragatha*
Kinger: Girls!
*He pulls them out of the way, causing the fire to miss them and hit a tree, he takes a deep breath and his body glows, everyone can finally see through the dark cloud; Luseal’s locket glows and the cloud begins to dissipate*
Dolores: Why won’t you quit?!
Luseal: Because that’s not what family does!
*Dolores creates another beam of darkness and a beam of light comes out of Luseal’s locket, the beams push against each other, and ultimately, Luseal’s beam overpowers Dolores’s, and it hits her, she falls to the ground, her ruby necklace falls off in the process, it sparks slightly*
Dolores: Oh, the light…it’s too much…
*Ragatha glares at the necklace, she stomps towards it and picks it up, Dolores becomes frightened when she sees this*
Dolores: No! Put that down!! *She shouts in a terrified tone*
*Ragatha gives her a nasty look*
Ragatha: After everything you’ve done…stomping on my self-esteem and making everyone else suffer…do you expect me to do what you say? I think your reign of terror’s gotta come to a close.
*She holds the necklace up in the air and throws it at the ground, the ruby inside shatters upon impact*
Dolores: NO!!!
*As the dark magic inside the ruby fades away, so does Dolores herself as her soul starts to turn into dust, she utterly panics*
Dolores: YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME!! I’M DONE FOR!! IT’S OVER!! *As she continues to rant, her voice gets higher-pitched and more distorted*
*She lets out one last agonized scream as she fades into dust and vanishes into the air, everyone cheers*
Papa Bear: Huzzah! We’re free at last!
*The Three Pigs tap their tools together, Ragatha has her hands over her mouth in horror and remorse, she hangs her head*
Ragatha: I…I killed her…
*Luseal wraps her arms around her and hugs her*
Luseal: I.. I'm so sorry, Ragatha.. I know you didn't want to.. But think of it this way, you may have destroyed her, but you saved everyone else, you saved Fairy Tale Town.
Papa Bear: And now, I can go back to my wife and son.. Thank you so much.
The Big Bad Wolf: And I can go back to scamming people, ehehe…
The Three Pigs: We can all go home again! *They call out in unison*
The Ugly Duckling: And I can finally become a swan!
*Ragatha smiles at this, suddenly, Luseal's locket starts to glow again*
Luseal: Wh-What?!
*Right at that moment, a beam of light shoots at the sky, when it does, the light from the beam spread across the sky, erasing any trace of Dolores's influence, when the light dissipates, all that's left is a beautiful starry sky*
Pomni: Yes! The sky's normal again!
*Jax howls in triumph*
Jax: We’ve done it! Heck yes!
Papa Bear: Oh, uh…sorry about attacking you before. I’d never normally do it.
Gangle: Oh, that’s alright. It wasn’t your fault. Now, how about you go home and see your family again?
Papa Bear: Oh, I would love to.
*And with that, they go back to Fairy Tale Town, the Three Pigs see the decrepit state of the town*
The Three Pigs: Yikes! This place is a mess! But thankfully, all three of us can fix it!
Zooble: How do you say the exact same thing at the exact same time? Are you a hive mind or something?
The Three Pigs: Yes!
Zooble: …Huh.
*Mama Bear and Baby Bear see Papa Bear*
Baby Bear: Papa! It’s you!!
Mama Bear: You’re back!!
*They run over to him and give him huge hugs, they all kiss each other*
Mama Bear: You’ve been gone so long!
Papa Bear: And I’m never gonna leave you again.
Gangle: Awww…
Luseal: Now that’s what I call a bear hug.
*Jax then goes back to his regular form, right then, Caine appears with Bubble*
Caine: And they all lived happily ever after! The end, my gorgeous goblins!
*Luseal’s smile fades and she turns back towards him*
Luseal: You!! It’s because of YOU that Ragatha’s gone through the wringer! She almost lost herself forever, all because you twisted around my words yet again!!
Caine: Well, if it was exactly the way you wanted it, then it wouldn’t be as exciting, would it?
Luseal: OH, THAT IS IT!
*She summons a water tendril and grabs him with it, she slams him into the ground and starts slamming huge waves on him*
Caine: Oh my-!
Zooble: Take this, a*HEEHAW*hole!
*They hit him in the eye with their hammer hand*
Jax: Aren’t you gonna say “hammer time”?
Zooble: F*ZOOM* no, that joke’s too cliche.
*Pomni then bites Caine in the leg, he shrieks*
Bubble: She bit into you like you had chicken legs!
*Caine then shakes Pomni off*
Caine: Enough!! Everyone, in the portal, now!!
*He creates a portal, Pomni dusts herself off*
Ragatha: You guys would beat him up for me?
Luseal: After what he put you through, he had to be taught a lesson.
Pomni: God, that felt great!
Caine: Less talking, more walking!!
Zooble: Whatever.
*They all step into the portal and end up in the circus again*
Caine: Ugh, you just can’t please anyone.
*He disappears, Ragatha looks everyone in gratitude*
Ragatha: Thank you so much, everyone. And, Luseal, did you mean all that?
Luseal: Every word, Ragsy.
Pomni: To be honest, this circus wouldn’t be the same without you. I mean, you were so nice to me on my first day, remember? …I’m still sorry I left you behind.
Ragatha: No, it’s fine, you’ve grown a lot since then. And I think I have too.
*Jax approaches Ragatha, he’s looking nervous*
Jax: Uh, hey, Rags? I gotta say, um…I’m…I’m really…
Ragatha: Yes?
*Jax is clearly having trouble getting his words out*
Jax: …sssss…ssss…
Luseal: Come on, Jaxie, you can do this.
Jax: …sorry.
*Ragatha is surprised*
Ragatha: You are?
*Jax is flustered and embarrassed*
Jax: Yeah, there! I said it! I’m sorry I’ve done nothing but make your life here hell! All the pranks, the insults… I didn’t know your issues went that deep, but that didn’t make what I did right! If I hadn’t broken you down so much, this never would’ve happened!
*Ragatha looks touched by this, Jax’s ears droop*
Jax: To be honest, I just want to be friends again, but if you don’t want to, I don’t blame you.
*Pomni tilts her head in confusion*
Luseal: Jaxie..
*He turns away and is about to leave*
Ragatha: Wait, Jax. As horrible as the stuff you did in the past was, you seem to have gotten better for the most part.. Both Luseal and Pomni can attest to that.
*Pomni nods*
Ragatha: Plus, you did fend off all those guys when Luseal was saving me. If that’s not truthful, I don’t know what is. And to be honest, I miss the old times too. So, yeah, I accept your offer.
*Jax’s ears perk up and a smile comes to his face*
Jax: Oh, I’m…so glad.
Pomni: Hold on, what did you mean by “again”?
Luseal: They actually used to be friends before…Ribbit went away. *She whispers*
Pomni: Oh…
Jax: So, uh…you wanna hang out in the lobby for old time’s sake?
Ragatha: Yeah. I definitely gotta unwind after all that.
*And with that, they walk off together, Luseal smiles to herself*
Luseal: Looks like we’re all changing in some way.
(The end)
