Chapter Text
A clanky, rickety bus cruises perilously on a narrow mountain road. Clinging onto the back of the seat in front of her for dear life at every little bump and twist is Pomni, a nervous porcelain verity. Currently contemplating if this job out in the middle of nowhere is really worth risking her life over.
"What's the matter, shiny?" A purple rabbit verity jeers at her from behind. "Afraid we're going to roll off and crash at the bottom of the hill."
"Don't scare her." A verity with a star-shaped head scolded him. She sighs and levels with him. "I can understand Ribbit coming back, but you?"
"What can I say, I enjoy the thrill." He replies nonchalantly.
"I dragged him here kicking and screaming." A frog verity, likely Ribbit, responds with a teasing tone in her voice. "He was all like, 'no, don't take me back there, I'm so scared'."
The star head giggled while the rabbit scoffed. "I wasn't scared."
"Sure." Star-head flinches at a big bump in the road, Pomni nearly cracking her fingers on the seat from how hard she gripped it. "Do you think coming back will be worth it?"
"Depends who this new ringleader is."
Another big bump, this time causing the bus to lean a little too close to the edge of the road. That gets everyone on the bus nervous about their current ride.
"Hey, are you trying to run this off?" Ribbit demands.
The driver, a red mannequin with a brown hat turns to them, revealing a bite taken from the rim. "Of course n-"
Without explanation, he's gone.
Leaving the bus to veer off the road and down the side.
"Stella!" Ribbit and the rabbit guy cry. Star head, Stella apparently, leaps to the front and grabs hold of the steering wheel. She yanks it and the bus away from the ledge just in time. They barely avoid the cliff edge on the other side and another car coming across. Once straightened and going again, does everyone breathe in relief.
"I think it's best if I drive." Stella chuckles, trying to lighten the mood. She breathes in, shifts gear, and resumes the drive. There are still a couple of bumps, but also less shifting around. Good enough for now.
"Do you think it changed a lot?" Pomni hears the rabbit murmur to Ribbit.
"Oh, I'm sure it's not that different. Otherwise, I don't think anyone else would be inclined to come back." She didn't sound too sure.
"Yeah but new management generally spells disaster and desperation to be relevant again." He sighs. "Whatever."
Soft clanking fills the space between the passengers. It's briefly punctuated by Ribbit responding softly, "It'll work out Jax, I'm sure."
Pomni loosens her fingers on the seat in front of her, mulling over the words of everyone else in her mind. Any verity knows about the circus, of course. The Amazing Circus, as it was called back in the day. With shows and spectacles that impressed and brought together everyone. It even helped smooth relations between different kingdoms and countries.
It hadn't been active in quite some time. It stopped before Pomni became aware. Only hearing the stories of what it was in its heyday. It sounded nice enough. Too much for her, though, especially with her type.
But then there were rumors that it was coming back. That someone decided to revive it and expand it. Make it bigger than it was before. There was even a rebranded name circling: the Amazing Dazzling Circus. And those who worked for the old one were called to come back and do their shows again, or even new ones if they wanted to.
So why was someone like Pomni heading there? Who wasn't part of the original show and was a regular office drone for most of her fragile awareness? Who, if given the chance, wouldn't want to travel out of her way to watch the show, let alone join its troupe?
In short, desperation.
The company she was working for became bankrupt and lost everything. Everyone working for them lost their jobs and part of their livelihood. Most of them were able to get new jobs, no problem in a few weeks, but months of searching didn't yield the same result for her. She applied to anything and everything, but no one would hire her because of her fragile state. The only ones who would consider her were those involved in shadier practices that use their 'employees' for others' fantasies. She avoided those as best she could, as she didn't want to break every day within the first few minutes.
She was starting to run out of money, pinching any pindin she could keep and making them stretch as long as possible. She lost her apartment and had to move in with an acquaintance who only allowed her the lumpy couch as a place to rest her head. She was starting to contemplate how worth it was to keep looking when someone mentioned the circus. Saying they're looking for new work and she should apply. Without much else to go on, she applied, thinking there's nothing more for her to lose.
She got it immediately.
How or why she was picked, she doesn't know. At the time, she didn't care. Just glad she got a job and a semblance of a sense of purpose back. Even if this trepidatious ride means she might arrive there in pieces.
The bus gets to a clearing where a worn yet charming bus stop waits for them. "Oh Goose, I haven't seen that in years." Stella sighs almost nostalgically as she brings the vehicle to a stop in front of it.
"I don't miss it." Jax grumbles behind Pomni. But he and Ribbit both get up and head to the front. Pomni quickly checks her fingers, surprised she didn't break them on the trip, and follows after them.
Birds chirp distantly, and a gentle breeze shakes the leaves of the trees standing behind the bus stop. Pomni steps out to a view of the valley below with towns and neighborhoods nestled in there. If she looked hard enough, she could just make out the outline of the city she's from on the horizon. Miles from anything resembling familiarity and stability. With chaos and change behind her, waiting.
"Hey," she turns and peeks around the bus. "Is this your bag?" Stella asks, holding up a maroon duffel bag. The only thing she has left to her name. Aside from the few valuables and clothes in it, of course.
"Yes." Pomni quickly comes over and grabs it.
"That's everything." Stella declares, closing the hatch on the side of the bus. "Oh, wait," she glances at the porcelain woman. "I assumed you were stopping off here."
"I am." Pomni confirms, slinging the bag over her shoulder. "I'm, um, heading to the circus."
"To what? Crack from the pressure and spill your guts everywhere?" Jax jests, smiling coyly at her.
Pomni ignores the obvious jab and pushes down the anxious jolt at the thought of cracking on the first day. She glances at the bus stop. "Is there a path or some sort of directions…?"
"Hello there!" The four of them glance over to the call. Two chess piece verities, one a white king piece, the other a black queen piece, approach the small group. "Haven't seen you're faces in a long time." the queen piece said.
"Kinger, Queenie!" Stella and Ribbit immediately approached them and greeted the two enthusiastically. Pomni and Jax hung back, the former a little hesitant in greeting them; the latter wanting to avoid them. Eventually does meet the two, and the now six of them go down a narrow dirt and gravel path in the direction of this circus.
Pomni carefully follows after. Watching every step so as not to hit something or lose footing and fall. Hears the tail end of the others' conversation, mostly on how strange it is that the circus is now essentially in the middle of nowhere. It's hard for the chess piece couple to greet and guide the troop members coming back, which means it'd be even harder for regular guests to come and enjoy the show.
Pomni mentally agrees with them as they get to a level part of the path, the trees start to thin out and let some sunlight in. The more they talk and the closer they get, the tighter her hand clenches around the straps of her bag. The reality of the kind of environment she's going to be in starts to become clearer in her mind with each step.
Should I really be here? A circus isn't a place someone like me should be in. I'll likely get in the way of everyone. I don't even know if I'm needed here. And what if something happens and I break, like fully break?
Distant sounds of verities moving and talking catch her attention. It halts her anxious thoughts and draws her to look towards the noise. She stops just shy of the edge of the path.
Her hands tighten around the straps of her bag. This is it. Once she steps in, there's no going back. It's not like there's anything to go back to, but the prospect of taking on something new and dangerous still gave pause.
She breathes in. She's here now. Nothing to do but go forward.
Hesitantly, Pomni steps off the path. And takes the first step to a new, uncertain reality.
And the craziness that'll inevitably follow.