Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

"What is this? I don't like this."

Jax gave a grunt over his current predicament: being stuck in some crappy slice of life anime thought up by some otaku freak with a jar collection. He was still disappointed he wasn't able to shoot more of his fellow prisoners back in the Safari hunt.

"Can it. At least we finally have one that's by someone else." Zooble said with an exasperated sigh, which wasn't a surprise: they hated the last two adventures.

What a shame Jax thought, if he acted fast enough he could have blown that stupid triangular head right off that ridiculous flamingo body.

"Yeah, there's nothing more fun than being back in school."

"Just give it a chance, Jax. Jeez!" Chimed Ragatha, no doubt tired of the rabbits shenanigans that quite literally blew up in their faces.

"There's nothing wrong with your suggestion." There was much care in Zooble's tone as their gaze shifted towards Gangle, catching them off guard.

"Wh-?! H-How did you know this was my suggestion?!" Her mask turned a cherry red hue as Gangle shifted all her drawings to the side. Despite her best attempt to shield her creation, it was clear to see she was drawing a lot of buff men in the style of a josei manga.

Jax nearly gagged. Between Zoobles ogling and Gangle's freaky hentai, Jax could feel his stomach start to churn in disgust. He was tempted to tell them to get a room together, but thought of something better once he caught a glimpse of Pomni out of the corner of his eye. He turned to the jester with a scoff.

"Can you believe this, Pomni? First she draws anime, now she drags us all into one. She must be one of those, uhh..." He trailed off, unable to come up with a clever insult. He cursed himself for not thinking it all the way through, he was too busy thinking on how to rope Pomni in on his side of the conversation. Without anything better in mind, he just said the first insult that came to mind. "Loser."

"You're one to talk, sissy."

"...Wait, WHAT?!" Jax's eyes bugged out in shock as they were clearly taken aback by her sudden venomous remark. They swung their head back towards Pomni in disbelief. Her expression hadn't even changed. "What did you call me?"

"Hmm? I just said that you threw me out of a moving truck."

"Wha- BULLSHIT! That's not what you said!" Jax slammed his hands down on Pomni's desk with a lough thud. In any other scenario, Pomni would have fallen backwards or backed away, pleading for mercy or disassociating. But here she was, staring right at Jax without even flinching.

"Calm down Jaxy, God! Just because you're dressed like a bitch doesn't mean you have to act like one." Ragatha protested as if on cue.

Enraged, Jax got up from their desk and turned towards an uncharacteristically smug Ragatha. They were about to let loose and start throwing insults like it was a free for all, when suddenly a loud thud came from the front of the classroom.

"JAXY-KUN!" With a chalkboard eraser slammed on the desk, Kinger raised his voice in a harsh tone towards the rebellious rabbit.

"H-Hai!" Jax turned to him with a straightened posture, all the anger draining from their body as an unusual sense of timidness washed over Jax. They'd never heard Kinger so upset before, nor were they so lost for words.

"Please do not disrupt the lecture with your outbursts my dear, it will not reflect well on your record if I have to send you to Principle Caine's office."

This couldn't have been more unfair as it was the other girls who provoked Jax in the first place. Not to mention none of this really mattered and they would be leaving at any moment. Jax wanted to yell back against this hypocrisy, against this stupid adventure! Yet for some reason... they couldn't find the words or the courage to stand up for themself.

"I-I apologize for my behavior Sensei, please forgive me!" It was almost automatic, like someone else was controlling what they said. How utterly humiliating Jax thought to themselves, to be brought to heel and forced to apologize, and not even for a gag or a prank! They could have done so much worse and never feel remorse for their actions, and here they were begging and bowing down in shame. Jax could hear Gangle giggling, she's enjoying this WAY too much for their liking. But something WAS off, though it didn't take Jax long to figure out what exactly "Ehh? What's-"

Silence.

The world stood still as Jax looked down upon their body to find that they were wearing.... a school girls outfit. From the neck down they wore a girls shirt as white as snow, with a bright pink collar and a lush, red bow. They could feel a cool breeze, possibly from the AC unit, against the fur of their exposed, slender legs. They could see as that same breeze gently brushed along their pink skirt, thankfully not enough to where they would need to reach down with their tender paws to prevent it from exposing their self. Jax could practically hear their heavy breathing as a warm feeling bubbled inside them, one so foreign yet so familiar. Oh my god they thought, is that... chest fur? The mere thought of possessing such a lovely bounty made their cheeks and ears glow a pinkish red as thoughts continued to race through their mind while the feelings amplified by every small change and detail they noticed.

"I-I'm...I'm..."

"A degenerate?" Inquired Ragatha, whose words cut through Jax's thought like a hot knife through butter, melting whatever indescribable feeling they had and replacing it with a sense of shame and humiliation.

"Wh-what?! No, that's not what I-" Jax tried to speak up, but they were once again interrupted by the sounds of immature giggles.

"Come on Jaxy boy, who do you think you're fooling with that disguise? Although- " Gangle lifted up a rather crude pornographic drawing of Jax in a dress. "You make a great model for my futanari hentai!"

Jax flinched with disgust at the idea of being the target for this freaks fetishes.

"Wow Gangle, you really captured his true essence!" Zooble, OF ALL PEOPLE, decided to join in on the dog pile. They never liked Jax, not one bit since the day they got there... but this was a completely new low for them, even Jax thought they would've understood.

Jax could hear their heart beat in their ears as they closed their tear filled eyes. Their heavy and uneven breathing, their clench fists and red face only told a fraction of the rage and pain they were feeling inside. They knew they were hated, they accepted that they would never have make any friends, and sure there was bound to be a day where they would all get back at them for all the pranks and torture. But this? This was a hell they never expected to be in again. Jax knew deep down, that they would all pay dearly. He will tear them limb from bloody limb and turn their obnoxious laughter into screams of agony and pleas for mercy that will never come. Before Jax could act however, there was another loud thud.

"THAT'S ENOUGH CLASS!" Kinger shouted once more, garnering everyone's attention. "I have never heard so much disrespect and hatred spewed towards another student within my classroom before. You should all be ashamed of yourselves!"

About fucking time he called them out.

"Besides, we should not judge Jax on his lifestyle. We should show respect to our fellow students, even if he chooses to be a crossdresser."

A... crossdresser? Jax thought to himself as he could hear the sound of glass breaking within their mind. A crossdresser.... just a man in a dress, a pig in a wig... a degenerate fetishist.

"Fuck you." Jax spoke through their grinding teeth. "FUCK EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!!!" Jax shouted at the top of their lungs towards the entire room. Fighting through the hot tears and mucus pouring down their face, they continued their tirade. "I HOPE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU ABSTRACTS, BUT NOT BEFORE I POUND YOU ALL TO HELL AND TEAR YOU FROM LIMB FROM LIMB AND- AND!" They couldn't repress the sheer pain they felt inside as tear continued to drop from their face. They couldn't take it anymore. Jax ran out of the classroom, slamming the sliding door shut on their way out.

It hurt so much, everything they said cut deep to the bone. As Jax blew through the hallways, they questioned why: why did it hurt so much? Why did they care so much about these stupid, childish insults? What were these feelings, and why did they feel them? Did they suffer because of what they did to the others in the past, or other these feelings. It didn't matter.

It...Didn't...Matter...

As they forced the exit open, they rushed out of the building and towards the bike rack on the other side of the softball field. But like a dolt: they didn't look where they were stepping and managed to trip on the pitchers mound. They grunted with pain as they scraped their bare leg on the dirt. Great, they thought, as if things couldn't get any worse. Collecting themselves and brushing the dirt of their skirt, they quickly realized it absolutely could and would get worse as day shifted suddenly to night.

"What the hell...?" Jax looked around: the field was illuminated, but everything past that was pitch black. "H-Hello? Caine? I-I want to leave now. I'm tired of this adventure just... get me out of here!" Their voice echoed into the distance. It really seemed like they were all alone, when suddenly the stadium lights popped on, blinding Jax in the process. "HNGH! WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is the moment you've all been waiting for." A familiar voice announced on an intercom of sorts, it was none other than Caine. "Your halftime entertainment for the night." That didn't sound good. "Its the bad bunny from down under!" That REALLY didn't sound good. "Give it up for the circuses number one femboy: JAAAAAAAAAAAX!!!!!"

As Jax's eyes adjusted to the lights, they were horrified to see that they were now the center of attention to a vast stadium crowd, all shouting and whistling for a good show. There were so many people, so many eyes and worst of all: so many cameras. The flash from the cameras immediately blinded Jax again. But as they took a step back, they felt a soft, silky fabric rub up against their legs. Similarly, they felt something similar covering their hands and their arms. Looking down, they realize their outfit changed considerably as they were now wearing a Maid outfit! Even still, the changes to their body were even more stunning as their chest had doubled, if not tripped in size and had excess fur poking out the heart shaped hole near their cleavage. They had a bombshell body and an ultra soft and adorable outfit that they couldn't deny felt wonderful. But what wasn't wonderful was the constant camera flashes and jeering from the crowd.

"COME ON SLUT, WORK YOUR ASS!" Flash. "COME ON, WHIP OUT THAT GIRLCOCK!" Flash. "LOOK AT THAT PATHETIC LOSER, HE THINKS HE'S A CHICK!" Someone threw a Spuddy's shake at Jax. "YOU'RE A MAID RIGHT? CLEAN THAT SHIT UP, FAGGOT!" Another flash, more trash. "I CAME TO SEE BASEBALL, NOT DRAGZILLA!" It kept getting worse and worse, more flashes, more slurs. For a moment, Jax could even distinguish the sound of children laughing, taunting the rabbit at their lowest point.

"SHUT UP! I'M NOT A DEGENERATE! I'M NOT- GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Jax couldn't take it anymore. They pulled their ears as they collapsed to the ground, trying to hide their face from the cameras and block out all the noise. "CAINE! MAKE IT STOP, PLEASE! IT HURTS SO MUCH! I DON'T CARE IF I FUCKING ABSTRACT, JUST MAKE IT STOP NOW!!!"

And just like that: it stopped.

It flt like a few minutes of silence before Jax could catch his breath and regain some semblance of sanity. They were slow to get up, and they were still in the maid outfit, but the madness seemed to finally subside. Looking up, they could see they were still on a softball field, yet everything felt different. There were no longer any people, or even a stadium for that matter, just an empty field in the middle of the night. Although even this was different from before: there were now stars in the sky, making everything feel so much more peaceful. The lights had a softer bulb and attracted all sorts of flies and moths, all desperate to circle around the lamp like planets orbiting the sun. Looking out towards the field, the park was no longer surrounded by massive concrete walls full of seats and advertisements, nor was there nothing at all. It looked as it the entire field was surrounded by... crops?

Jax began to look around around their surroundings to see if they could distinguish what the crops were. As they surveyed however, they had the sneaking suspicion that they were not alone.

"Jax"

"ACK HOLY SHIT!" Twisting their body to the left they could see a dark silhouette of a figure that looked like Caine. "DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT CHOMPERS! I'VE THROUGH ENOUGH SHIT TODAY THANKS TO YOU!"

No response.

"Whats with that look? I did your stupid peep show THAT I NEVER WANTED TO FUCKING DO!"

Nothing.

"Really? Usually you have a lot more to say cavity head."

"You are such a disappointment."

Jax jumped with a fright: that did NOT sound like Caine at all. Their pitch was deep, a slight static could be heard in the background as they spoke, a slight southern draw could be distinguished and their tone... was TERRIFYING.

"C-Caine?" Something's terribly wrong Jax thought, he needed to LEAVE.

"I heard what happened... I saw what you did." The figure got closer to Jax, causing them to step back.

"I-I-I have no idea what you're talking about, sir." Oh no... oh nonononono...

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME, BOY." The thunderous yell made Jax stumble backwards as 'Caine' pinched his forehead. "I put in so much work, so much effort that goes unappreciated. No thanks, no love and certainly no benefits. And after all that time away, I come home to find you're acting like a goddamn queer!"

"Y-you don't understand, this was just a joke! I didn't mean anything by it!" Jax tried their best to hide his feelings behind a weakly smile. Yet as Jax reached the edge of the park, they could feel the tall stalks behind them. They didn't even need to look behind to see the white and yellow corn cobs growing as their blood ran cold. Jax was having this dream again.

"Right, of course. So I guess I should expect you to be dressed up like a pretty princess whore sucking off all the jocks around town from now on, is that it?" As 'Caine' got closer to Jax, the whole world began to distort, the stalks becoming a crimson red as the stars in the sky made it look as if the sky were on fire.

Jax couldn't speak, they couldn't move. Their eyes spoke a thousand words as terror overwhelmed their entire being.

"If you're so eager to be a faggot... then how about I show you what will happen if you keep down this sinful path" Reaching down, they unbuckled their belt.

Jax closed their eyes and took off running into the corn field as fast as their legs could move. Tears flowed down their face as panic gripped their soul. With each stalk that tumbled, Jax could feel him getting closer, the further they ran the more the tiny, little corn kernels started to glow and turn into neon eyes.

WAKE UP. WAKE UP GOD DAMNIT! WAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKE-

~~~

AHHHHHH! Jax wakes up from their nightmare in a cold sweat, tears running down his face as he lunges forward with an anguished scream. They reach for their pillow and plunge their yellow fangs into the cushion, tearing it to shreds as they repeatedly pound the headboard of their bed with their bare fists over, over and over again. They gripped their head in anguish as bloops and beeps sounded off with every curse he screamed out. As he pulled his hands away from his face, he could feel himself shaking and gasping for air. This hadn't happened in a long time and for a time it was almost like he had a handle on his emotions and memories by simply powering on through, distract himself by making everyone's lives a worse living hell than his. What an absolute joke..

"Why... WHY DOES THIS KEEP $%^&ING HAPPENING?" They threw off their covers and stood up from their bed, only to then nearly collapse from the sudden rush of blood from their head. Luckily they managed to catch themselves on their nightstand, knocking over their alarm in the process. Getting their bearings in order, they walked over to their mirror. Looking back at them was his tall, disheveled body with unkempt fur and had little to no fat, like a purple string bean wearing boxer shorts. A pit of disgust burned inside their stomach, but it was a familiar hell compared to the agony that they just woke up from. Still, it didn't make them any less sick as they grimaced and adverted their eyes before placing their forehead upon their mirror. "Come on Jax...even with this crumby body: you know who you're supposed to be." Jax said to himself as he made a fist and lightly punched the mirror, their knuckles firmly pressing into the cold glass by the reflection of their face. "So why can't you... JUST... BE.... HAPPY?" They pulled back their fist with a forced grin on their face and lunged forward, causing the mirror to shake as their fist connected with its surface. "You know EXACTLY where these feelings got you Jax, YOU CAN'T CHANGE ANYTHING!" He once again pulled back and thrust against the mirror. "So why does these feelings keep coming back...?"

Moving back from the mirror, they looked down to see how they bruised their knuckle from abusing the mirror. Looking further down, they couldn't help but notice just how bare their chest looked. They were flat from the neck down, nothing but skin dressed along their bones with little to no body mass to give them a bit of weight below their waist, or a bounty above that could make everyone envious. Even in that hellish dream, they still remembered when the world stopped in place. What they saw, what they felt was beyond their imagination, and yet it wasn't the first time. Most recently they felt it welling up in their chest at the softball game when they were hanging out with Pomni and not being teased or berated. And before that.... and before that..... before that...

"NO!" Jax shook their head, trying hard to repress these memories both joyful and painful alike. None of this was normal he thought to himself, he wouldn't nor couldn't let himself indulge in these fantasies: this wasn't who he wanted to be, its not what he's SUPPOSED to be. "WHY CAN'T I GET THIS OUT OF MY HEAD!?" Gripping its sides, he slammed his head on the mirror as hard as he could, causing a crack to form. "IT DOESN'T MATTER!" Slam. "IT DOESN'T MATTER!" Slam. "I'M NOT A $%^&ING TR%#$*!" Slam. Jax grunted and growled as blood dripped down his face, the moisture of his breath forming a fog on the cracked mirror. "I'M A PEAK, @#$&ING MAN!" With a final, decisive slam: the mirror shattered into a million pieces, with some glass shards embedding into Jax's head.

His vision now obstructed by blood and tears, Jax collapses to his knees in defeat. A total silence returned to the room as Jax looks on with a vacant stare, as if nobody was home inside. There was no more anguish, no more pain, all that remained was a deep, unending, empty abyss. And as Jax looked into the darkness, it was as if the darkness stared back. The entire room had begun to distort as Jax was overcome by a sudden urge to close his eyes and sleep, to just let go and drift into the comforting embrace of the void. Between the torment of the waking world and the subspace within his twisted mind... perhaps the choice to not think or care about this hell anymore wasn't so bad. Besides: its not like it mattered anyway. Its not like he mattered.

Knock, knock, knock. Jax snapped back to reality as someone came up to his door. He cursed at himself, his commotion must have woke somebody up. How careless: he could only pray they hadn't heard what he was yelling.

"Jax? It's me, Pomni." They knocked again. "I heard you screaming and banging, and well... I got worried." Jax was thankful that it wasn't Ragatha, but it was still embarrassing that she was concerned for him over something so stupid. "I don't know what you're going through exactly, but maybe I can help, even if it means just being with you." Perhaps she could be of some assistance, at least she could get his mind off of his worries for the night.

First things first, he couldn't let him see him hurt like this. Jax pulled the glass shards that were in his head and wiped away any blood that was on his face. Thankfully here in the digital world wounds heal nearly instantaneous, although the blood was new (no doubt Caine becoming more bloodthirsty in his stupid adventures).

Outside, Pomni uncomfortably shuffles in place, hoping Jax wasn't seriously hurt... or worse. She goes to ring his door bell, when suddenly she hears a click, followed by the door creaking open slightly.

"Heyyyyyy new stuff, did my singing wake you up?" Jax tried his best to put on his familiar grin, he can't be too careless and get somebody roped up in his bullshit- even Pomni.

"Uhhh, what?" Pomni's expression curled into confusion. "You were... singing?" She squinted her eyes towards the dark opening of the door that only revealed Jax's yellow eyes and mouth.

"Yep! Thought I should get into death metal and make myself a band, you don't happen to know how to play bass, do ya?"

"No I- ugh... So this whole time you were just, singing? You weren't in trouble?"

"Nope, I'm doing fiiiiiiiine! But its cute to know you were worried about your good pal Jax~!" His cry for help was deafening.

"Right, so you're first song is about how you're a peak $#%^ing man?"

Fuck.

"O-oh! You heard that..." Jax's smile deflated as his hastily constructed facade began to crumble away. "sigh... how much did you hear?"

"More than you know, less than you'd think. It sounded like you're going through something that's really troubling you."

"It was just a nightmare. Jax couldn't help but get a bit defensive, he really didn't want Pomni to concern herself with this mess, but it seems like it's too late for that.

There was an uncomfortable pause as the two adverted their gaze from each other. This was a big mistake Jax thought to himself, he never wanted anybody to concern themselves with his problems, in fact he'd rather not show that he has any problems. After all: his carefree and nihilist outlook made him feel superior to all the others who took everything in the game so seriously. After all: none of this really mattered in the end. But before Jax could come up with an excuse to get Pomni out of his fur, she put out her arm and offered her hand with a melancholic smile on her face.

"May I come in?" Her words sent a shiver down Jax's spine as he fought the urge to cry. She had only been here at the circus for maybe a month or two, tops. Yet she was the only one who showed genuine care for him and appreciated his company, unlike the nightmare version he just saw, nor did her tone match the fake "care" that came from an insecure person like Ragatha. Still, there was no way in hell Jax was going to tell her the whole truth.

"I... I don't really want to talk about it." Jax looked away from the crack of the door, awaiting her dejected response.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. We can just... exist together."

"Exist?" Jax looked back with confusion.

"Y'know like, being in the same room, so we don't have to be alone."

Jax pondered.

"No questions?" Jax asked

"No questions." Pomni responded.

"...Okay, come on in." The door to Jax's room opened wide, allowing the small jester to enter the dark room.

"Let me turn on some lights." Jax pressed a button, allowing for a soft blue light to emanate from the ceiling, almost as if it were a blue moon shining through a sky light.

The room was still very dark, however the light did illuminate the room, if only barely. Calling it a dump would have been a compliment: piles of trash, mostly food taken from the dining table and random do-hickies like toys and prank material spread across the floor with no rhyme or reason. The broken glass shards from the mirror, some stained red by Jax's blood, made the mess even greater. Pomni observed the room with wide eyes, shocked at just how dilapidated the condition of the room was in.

"Sorry for the mess." Jax tried to sound sarcastic, but it was underpinned by how tired and depressed he was. As Pomni looked around to see Jax, he adverted his gaze as to not see her reaction. He knew how repulsive he looked, how broken and awful Jax truly was underneath his pink overalls. He felt so disgusted and naked inside, he regretted bringing her inside, but he had not the energy to shoo her away. "I'm just... gonna sit." With a slow shuffle, Jax headed towards his bed, but did not sit on the covers. Rather, he walked through the broken glass, not caring how much it tore into his foot, and sat on the ground besides the bed, right in front of the mirror.

Pomni was stunned at the pitiful sight before her, not simply of the rooms condition, but Jax himself. The dilated eyes and soft frown he had while staring blankly at the mirror looked so radically different from the upbeat, mischievous and chaotic rabbit she knew him to be. A million questions rushed through her head to try and understand what torments he was going through, but she remained quiet out of respect. Slowly creeping towards the bed, Pomni looked over to Jax's dresser: beyond the usual mess and clutter, there were picture frames that were laid facing down, the cobwebs that covered them indicated that it had been a long time since anyone looked at them.

Pomni sat on the bed, besides Jax's head. The two were silent, keeping to themselves, waiting with no purpose. Jax tried to ease his mind with the knowledge that Pomni was right there, yet the uncertainty of what was going through her mind only made things worse. Oh how stupid was he to bring her in, to bring her close. The first person in so many years to have genuine affection for him: has to see him at his worst. How humiliating. Just as Jax continued to berate himself in his own head, he felt a sudden brush against the fur on his head. His ears shot up in surprise as he turned to see Pomni's hand reaching out to pet his head. She briefly retracted her hand, alarmed by Jax's sudden jerk, but continued to hold her hand out, silently awaiting for Jax's consent. Closing his eyes once more, he nodded before laying his head back again, albeit closer to Pomni. With the signal to continue, Pomni once again reached out and rubbed against the rabbits purple fur.

"Hngh-" With each stroke, Jax could feel his tension dissolving away, overcome by a pleasurable warmth. Truth be told: he hadn't felt the warmth of another person in so long, not since his last friend gave up on him. The sensations felt nostalgic and comforting to know Pomni cared for a such a dirty sinner like him... Still, it felt good.

"How about you lay on the bed, it'll be more comfortable than the glass."

Jax hesitated.

"I can keep petting you if you'd like."

With the reassurance, Jax got up from the glass and laid onto the bed. As Pomni readjusted herself, Jax removed the glass bits from his feet and proceeded to rest his chin on her lap. Her skin felt so smooth and clean compared to his fur. He dared say her thighs were softer than his rugged fur, but she'd probably disagree. As the petting resumed, Jax closed his eyes, but still could not find peace. What a weak crybaby he thought to himself, laying here feeling sorry for himself, allowing Pomni to see his dirty body and his vulnerabilities. He didn't deserve her sympathy, he was too contemptible for her compassion.

"W-why...?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you doing this? Why are you here, pitying me?" Jax said, fighting back tears.

"Pity?" Pomni stopped petting for a second.

"Come on, don't tell me you don't think I'm a pathetic wretch after seeing all of this!" he paused. "After seeing me like this..."

"You aren't pathetic Jax, not in the slightest. I'm worried, yeah... but I'm not here because I pity you."

"Then what is it?"

"I came by because I care about you. You matter to me."

"But I don't matter!" Jax lifted up to his knees, looking at Pomni with tears in his eyes. "Out of everything in this fake god%$&* circus, you think that I, the piece of $%&* A$$%*#% who gets off on making everyone's life a living HELL has any worth in this joint? Why the hell would anyone care about someone like me." Their smile grew a mile wide as tears of anguish poured down their face.

"Because there's things about you I like, things that I can relate to, someone I can have actually cut loose have fun with!" They looked around the room with Jax. "I don't know exactly what's going on with you or why you do the things you choose to do, but I realized I want to be there with you by your side." Pomni looked back into Jax's eyes. "I care because you're my friend,.

Jax wanted to protest so bad. He wanted to yell and push her away, but he couldn't bring himself to rebuttal. He began to sob as Pomni rose to her knees and leaned in to hug Jax, resting her face on Jax's bare chest. The two embraced each other under the cover of the chilling darkness for what felt like an hour.

Once the crying died down, Jax contemplated on what to tell Pomni. He could never tell Pomni the full truth, but she deserved to know something after what they've jut went through.

"I... had a nightmare."

Pomni, still holding onto Jax, looked up with a rather surprised look on her face. She really didn't expect him to open up at all."

"Everyone was there, back during the lightning round at the high school... they were laughing at me, insulting me... even you." He could feel Pomni's grip tighten ever so slightly as her eyebrows furled with concern with a hint of guilt.

"I couldn't talk back or shoot back a witty remark. Nothing. It was so embarrassing... and I felt so ashamed." Jax paused, making two fists behind the jester as he struggled to find the right words.

"Ashamed of what?"

"A-Ashamed of... the way I looked." Jax braced for impact.

"Like what you were wearing or... your body?"

Jax couldn't answer, he was too afraid, too ashamed.

"Crap, no questions. Sorry!"

""Its fine." Jax lied with a sigh. He pondered back into the mirror (or what was left of it.), back at his body when he remembered something. "I didn't have my tail."

Pomni looked around at his butt with a confused look.

"Well I mean, you still don't and I've never seen you with one." Thanks captain obvious, Jax thought to himself.

"Well I lost it sometime ago before you arrived."

Pomni leaned back, looking at Jax with bewilderment.

"You lost it? How on earth could you lose your tail and not notice it?"

"It was detachable, so either I left it somewhere after taking it off or somebody stole it." Jax rubbed the back of his head with a slight grin.

"Wait wait wait, so you're telling me your tail just... comes off whenever you'd like?!"

"That or if its stolen, yeah!" His ears could do the same, but he'd be DAMNED if he was ever gonna tell that to anybody. "Knowing that I lost it was devastating, I can't be the pinnacle of masculinity without it ya know!" His charisma was slowly coming back, perhaps what he needed was a good cry.

"Heh, whatever you say 'macho man'." Pomni let go of Jax before playfully jabbing his arm, happy to see Jax regain some of his confidence. "So... where could you have lost it?"

"Ehhh, I have a couple ideas of where it could be. Why, you wanna help me find it oh great detective?"

"Actually yeah, I think it would be fun searching through all the hidden spots of the circus with you again. You seem to know your way around this place" She interlinked her fingers together as she spoke. "And besides: if it helps you feel better about yourself, I don't see why I can't lend a hand!"

"Huh, you're seriously gonna tag along?" As she nodded, Jax wrestled with the idea internally. Could finding his tail actually make him feel better? Or if not, could it at least help him beat down these burdensome feelings? Jax was a bit skeptical, but he wouldn't know unless he at least tried to find it. Plus: hanging out with his newfound 'friend' did sound pretty fun. "F%$& it, lets go!"

"W-w-wait, you mean right now?!"

"Well duuuuuuh, I'm not gonna look around while all the other losers are out and about." With little warning, Jax trusted his long legs out towards the ground below. "Besides, its not like I was going back to sleep anywa-YYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOWWWCH!!!!! Only to step on the glass still shattered across the ground.

JAX!!!

~~~

"You can be such a reckless rabbit y'know?" Pomni huffed as she patched up his feet. Jax simply grumbled as he crossed his arms with a pout. When she was done, she leaned in close and gave Jax a boop on the 'nose', making him blush with embarrassment. "Eager bunny~ Now help me sweep the glass before we head out."

He was regretting this already.

Once outside the room, the two made their way towards the center of the circus. The corridors looked very different than they were during the day. Instead of the intense red, oranges and yellows strewn across the walls, the lack of any bright lighting transformed the colors into cold, muted shades of dark blue, violet and magenta. The added silence of the night only made it ever more apparent of how empty and devoid of life the circus truly was. Pomni was first to break the silence, albeit as a whisper.

"So where are we going exactly?"

"Well I figure if my tail came off, I must have took it off. Probably some place where I took my clothes off."

Pomni stopped in her tracks with a light blush. "Uhhhhhhhhh, what do you mean by that exactly?"

Rather than answer outright, Jax's devious smile simply widened. "Ohhh nowhere special, you'll just have to wait and see for yourself, short-stuff~"

"That's not reassuring, Jax" She kept moving, though a bit slower than before.

"Relaaaaax, its just a creepy, dark room that's been long forgotten about."

Now she started to regret tagging along.

Eventually the two reached the ground floor and made their way to the giant wooden stage. Pomni shivered, the incredibly large room and impossibly large ceiling made the circus cold already, but the lack of warm lighting only made it worse. As Jax climbed onto the five foot five stage, Pomni turned around and caught a glimpse of Kingers pillow fort. No one has ever seen him go to his actual room, as he much preferred to retreat to the safety and security of his supposedly impenetrable fortress.

"You coming or what?" Jax interrupted Pomni's train of thought as he reached out to offer a hand.

"Huh? Oh, yeah sure." She grabbed onto Jax and was hoisted up to the stage. "So uh... where exactly are we going?"

"Its just behind the curtains. Heh, you sound a bit nervous there, you suuure you're up to this Ms thrill seeker?" He teasingly poked her cheeks as he chuckled.

Taking the bait, she swatted away his hand and gave an annoyed yet stubbornly determined glance.

"What are you talking about? I'm the one who suggested we go find it, now come on!" With that, she marched right over the curtain, taking a deep breath before lifting the large, crimson fabric and heading into the darkness.

Behind the curtains, the backstage was littered with old and abandoned stage equipment, props and instruments. With the wooden floor creaking beneath her feet and the light slowly dying the further she went, Pomni's pace slowed to a tie toe while Jax passed by her with no issue.

"Tch, you know you could help me out over here, I can't see a thi-AAAAAHHHHGH!" Tumbling down with a loud THUD, the jester found herself on the floor after tripping on a wooden cutout bush. "Ow."

"Come on and stop fooling around Poms, we don't have all night." Jax opened up a door to an even darker room, motioning Pomni to hurry up. " Or maybe we do? I don't know, I just don't wanna be here for long." Jax shrugged.

After picking herself up and dusting her legs off, she looked at him with an annoyed look. "Then maybe you should help me in the dark next time, %$&head." She walked up to the doorway, pausing to look at Jax with the expectation that he would lead the way.

Yet the rabbit didn't budge, rather he put his hand on her back and shoved her in.

"Nah, It's funnier to see you stumbling in the dark."

What a prick.

"WAHHH!" Trying to keep her balance, she looked back at Jax, who was still smiling as he closed the door behind him, leaving them in total darkness. "$%&*IT JAX, THIS ISN'T FUNNY! J-Jax?" In the abyss however, she could not find a trace of Jax. "C-come on, I'm trying to help you here! Please lets just- could you please flick on a light?"

Suddenly there was a tapping sound nearby. Pomni turned around with a gasp.

"Jax? I-Is that you?" Heavy breathing.

Then came what sounded like claws scratching into wood, this time from the other side.

"STOP IT JAX!" Ears ringing.

Finally came a horrible, inhuman cry. Pomni felt an onset panic attack building steam.

"JUST TURN ON A LIGHT JAX, YOU'VE HAD YOUR-" But she was cut off when a light started to shine behind her. "fun...?" Slowly turning around, she prayed that this was all just a nightmare and they were both asleep on Jax's bed, or even a really fucked up joke.

But the light behind her was no joke: It was a neon yellow eye.

"J-Jax?"

The yellow eye shifted rather stiffly towards Pomni's direction. Suddenly a neon pink eye appeared, then a blue one, then a green one! Then another blue, and another pink! Another horrible cry of anguish from the beast! Pomni felt sick in the bottom of her stomach as she fell backwards in sheer terror at the abstracted beast. "Oh... my god... J-Jax...?"

The creature came closer.

"Ja-JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAX!!! OH MY GOD, NO! NOOOOOOOO!" Pomni cried out with all the strength that her vocal cords could allow. "OH GOD WHY? WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY- F$%$%^$%$%$$k!" Every instinct in her body wanted her to run away. Instead, she collapsed into the fetal position and covered her face in her hands. "I... I thought I helped you feel wanted."

The beast stopped moving.

"I thought that.... I could make you realize that you weren't alone in this world and that you had people who loved and cared about you." Pomni quietly sobbed to herself, awaiting whatever fate her former friend turned monster would bestow upon her. "I'm so sorry Jax... I'm so sorry."

Suddenly a bright light filled the room with a click, and Pomni felt a warm hand on her shoulder, shaking her for attention.

"POMNI! Pomni I- I'm alive! I'm right here, I'm okay!"

"Wh-what?" Uncovering her face, she sat up and blinked as her eyes adjusted to the lights emanating from what appeared to be a row of vanity tables all lined up with big yellow bulbs sticking out of them. Looking directly at her was none other than her friend on their knees, unscathed yet looking very worried. "J-Jax? You-you're alive?"

"Yeah, I'm still kicking. It was all a prank, I used an old prop me and the guys made a long time ago" Jax gave a meek smile as he pointed behind himself with his thumb.

Indeed, behind Jax stood a tall portable light post with a dark sheet laid over top multiple stage lights. Looking closely, Pomni could see how each one had a different colored filter placed over top that had patterns that made them look exactly like the eyes of an abstracted beast.

"It was all... a prank?" Pomni said in a monotone voice.

"Y-yeah it was an old prank that I haven't pulled off in a long time- but that doesn't matter. Pomni I'm... I'm so sorry I scared you. I never knew that-"

SLAP!!!

Jax could feel his cheek burn hotly in what felt like time moving slowly. Looking back, he saw a face that could only be one of pure anguish. Her pupils were constricted, her eyes red from crying, her mouth curled up as she bore sharp, shark like teeth.

"WHAT THE F%&# IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?!"

For once in his life, Jax was a lost for words.

"WHY THE F#$%& DID YOU THINK THAT WOULD BE FUNNY?"

"I... I don't- I didn't think-" His lips quivered with fear and guilt, he just wanted a good laugh, never intending for something like THIS to happen.

"I'm out here trying to help you, thinking this would make you feel better about yourself and you just- GRRRRAAAAAAH! I THOUGHT YOU DIED AND IT WAS MY FAULT! WHAT FRIEND DOES THAT" As her tears were covering the floor, Jax too started to cry.

"Pomni I'm so sorry I never meant to hurt you this bad."

"Oh right, you just wanted to make me have a mild panic attack so you could get your kicks. You know I thought..." Pomni gripped her fists. "I thought the others were just making crap up about you. I-" Looking up at Jax however, she could see just how distressed he had become listening to her. Wiping her eyes, she made her way towards the door. "I don't know what to think anymore."

"No, wait I'm sorry! Pomni!" Nonononononno, not again he thought to himself as he reached out to Pomni as she turned the doorknob. "Don't leave me, PLEASE!"

Pomni stopped, putting her head to the door and taking a long, drawn out breath before turning back to Jax.

"Why? After everything we just talked about, why?"

Jax collected himself, his ears drooping behind him.

"I... didn't realize how important I was to you, I just thought I was just some morbid curiosity. I didn't realize how much it would hurt you if I just... abstracted."

"OF COURSE IT WOULD HURT ME, YOU'RE MY FRIEND!"

Jax's ears shot up again.

"The past couple months since I've been hectic and have only been bearable partially because of how fun you are and I would like to know more about you. But I see you as my friend because I LIKE YOU! You matter to me... and I thought you had similar feelings."

Jax looked down at the ground in shame. "Pomni, I can barely tell how I'm feeling most of my waking day, or even my dreams for that matter." Jax looked at his hands. "I don't know what it means to matter to someone else, or for people to actually like a screwed up jerkwad like me." A strained smile formed on their face. "And when they do: its only a matter of time before they leave...one way-" Jax stared back up at Pomni. "or another. That's why it doesn't matter, why others, be they friend or foe, don't matter.... and It's why I-"

"I get it." Suddenly its becoming clear why Jax doesn't have any friends anymore. "Why did you stop?"

"What?" Jax looked back in confusion.

"Why did you stop the prank?" Pomni stepped closer to Jax.

"Because... it wasn't funny anymore?" He sounded unsure of himself.

"Why did you feel the need to reassure me when you realized it wasn't funny?"

"Well because you were really upset and I-" Jax suddenly realized where Pomni was getting at. "I uh... did want you making a mess."

Pomni stomped her feet, startling Jax. "DON'T- ahem... Please, you already apologized, so don't lie to me, and stop lying to yourself. If I'm truly your friend, then I deserved not to be lied to. Its the same kind of respect I give you."

Jax looked away, annoyed that Pomni read him like an open book. He took a long and heavy sigh.

"I stopped because I was worried I went too far, that I seriously hurt you. I didn't want that to happen and I don't want you to think of me as a monster..."

"So you do care about what I think about you?"

"Hngh... yes."

"And judging by your dream: that extends to everyone else?"

"THAT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! THEY DON'T- THEY'RE OPINIONS- AUUUGH!" Jax laid backwards in Defeat, placing his hands on his face in frustration. "All I wanted was to pull a stupid prank and it blew up in my face."

"Heh, and look where that got you. Emotions are a %&*$# aren't they?" Feeling slightly better, they moved closer in to their troubled friend and put their hand on his shoulder.

"Sigh...I'm sorry for the prank, it went way too far."

"I forgive you, and I'm sorry I slapped you."

"Nah, I kinda had it coming." Jax rubbed the back of his head.

"But please, promise to never do that ever again."

"Deal."

"And to tell the truth."

Jax grumbled.

"Jaaaaax."

"Fine. I promise to be more honest. Now, are you gonna stay and help, buddy?" Jax stood back up, dusting his pants off.

"Well I might as well, I'm already too far down the rabbit hole to just ditch ya... no pun intended."

"Heh, If you say so~" Jax smiled and shrugged.

After getting situated, Pomni finally had a moment to look around her surroundings. By the vanity mirrors lie a jumbled mess of make up, hats and wings, some still standing neatly on the tables or mannequin heads, while others had dropped to the ground and had spilled their now dried contents long ago. On the other side of the room, there were entire racks full of clothes and costumes, some snazzy and others tacky. Some outfits looked like they were taken straight from the past (half being stuff from what looked to be the 90's and 2000's) and others completely out of this world. Finally, there was a craft table with a sewing machine, fabric kits and tape measures.

Pomni looked on with amazement and wonder. "What... is this place?

"Its the dressing room of course!" Jax raised his arms with excitement before walking down the aisles, brushing his hand against the outfits as he walked down memory lane.

"Dressing room? So... Is this where Caine keeps all the outfits for adventures?" Pomni raised an eyebrow when they came across a disco outfit. "I'm surprised he hasn't made any of us wear these things."

"Not really, Caine didn't make a d#$% thing here, we did."

"We? Wait a sec, YOU made everything here?"

"Me? Naaaaaahh! Other losers made them for the Amazing Digital Theater" Jax started to pull outfits off the rack, examining one after the other.

"Amazing Digital Theater?"

"Yeah. Some players before my time got together to write and set up shows to perform on the stage out there. I arrived at the tail end of that era. Most of them were pretty lame, but the guys behind it put a lot of effort into it" Jax pulled out a rather sexy stripper outfit before quickly putting it back with a slight blush. "Everything here was made by players: a loose shirt here, some stolen assets from an adventure there, all to perform for Caine and the other players."

"Wow... it must have taken a while to make everything work." Pomni picked up some loose pages from a script. The writing was pretty decent.

"Rags told me it took years before the first play was shown."

"But why? Why go through all this effort when Caine could have just made everything they wrote into an adventure?"

"Oh come on kid, you know dentures hates making adventures he didn't barf up himself! Besides, doing this gave us creative control, and the boys back then were clever enough to convince Caine that the plays were their way of showing him their appreciation and they needed to skip out on a few adventures to properly show their love."

"Oh my God, and he bought that?" Pomni giggled.

"Heh, yeah. I managed to skip out a whole month of adventures one time!" Jax's smile dimmed as he pulled out a 50's greaser outfit. "Course, that only meant I was forced into a show or two." Jax put the outfit away, only to realize that Pomni was looking at them with stars in her eyes.

"YOU WERE IN A PLAY?"

"Uhhh.... yeah?" A sweat drop went down Jax's face as he backed away uncomfortably. "Don't tell me you were one of those theater kids in school."

"No... I have stage fright and I didn't make the cut of my middle school play." Pomni looked down, disappointed.

Jax sighed. "Yeah that sounds about right. Alright, lets just find that tail and get outta here."

The two began to look through each and every rack, looking through each pocket, tailcoat and backside they could get their hands on. However, Pomni kept getting distracted admiring nearly every outfit and prop there, while Jax searched more vigorously, hoping to find it before morning. Eventually Pomni came across a very slick, black suit with grey pinstripes, complete with matching pants, fedora and leather shoes. She couldn't help herself, looking behind her shoulder before sneaking off to the changing room attached to the side of the room.

Jax wipes sweat away from his head. "Ugh, its not here on my end, $%&#! How's it going for you?" Silence. "Pomni?" Jax looked out from behind a rack and looked left and right, trying to find her. "Pomni!"

"I'm almost done! Just.... gimme a sec."

"Where are you? Are you even look-"

Suddenly the curtain flies open as Pomni struts out with the suit, black as coal, and strikes a pose by pointing a finger gun and winking. Jax stood still, surprised and admittedly a bit aroused.

"Hehe~ How do I look?"

"A-Amazing..." Jax had already thought she looked handsome in the presidential suit or the white shirt from back at the bar, but he never knew she could pull Ribbit's old gangster outfit so perfectly...

Ribbit...

"Thanks! I just had to try it on when I saw it. Its so nice and smooth, I can't believe I fits me so well, or that its been stuck back here for years." As she admired the sleeves of the suit, Jax hid behind the rack to break away eye contact, shaking his head free from the thought of his old friend and pretending to look busy as to not arouse suspicion.

"Y-y-yeah... With that suit you look pretty sexy- I MEAN SNAZZY!" Jax blushed a beat as he hid his face inside one of the coats on the rack. He couldn't believe he just said that.

"Oh!" Pomni's eyes went wide as a small blush formed in her face. "Well... hehe~" She couldn't help but giggle and turn away. The two went silent briefly as the two thought about Jax's words. "Thank you... And to be honest: you looked really pretty sexy too in that dress!"

What.

"What?" Did he hear that right? No, it was probably a digital hallucination Jax thought, there's no way she actually-

"The maid dress. You looked really pretty and elegant." Pomni brushed a tussle of hair away from her face as she blushed.

Jax was dead silent, he could feel his heartbeat skyrocket, his breathing becoming irregular and thoughts racing through his head. That feeling began to bubble from within again, was he flustered?

"I mean- I voted against it, and I don't think it was right for Gangle and Zooble to make you wear it in front of everybody... But after you had it on, it looked really nice on you."

A silence permeated the room, tension slowly forming in the air the longer Jax hesitated to respond.

"J-Jax?"

"Are you mocking me?" The sound of his voice was deep and monotone as he stewed behind the rack.

Pomni was taken aback "W-What? No, I-"

"Because that $#!% wasn't funny for me." Pomni could see Jax's gloves were griping at his pant legs as he spoke. "I was so humiliated, everyone was laughing at me, taking pictures-"

"I didn't see anybody with a cam-"

"And now YOU'RE telling me you get off to my SUFFERING?!" Jax sprung up from his hiding spot, looking dead ahead at the jester.

Pomni was dumbfounded. "WHAT? Of course not, where are you even getting this from?"

"From you Pomni, only a freak would find me attractive when I'm in a stupid, frilly, grly stupid dress and I'm so... so...ngh!" As he struggled to come up with the right words, Pomni could see how pinkish red he had become from the overwhelming feelings. His face looked flushed with anger, embarrassment and anguish.

"Jax... is everything okay?" Pomni reaches out with concern. "You can tell me."

Jax looks away with a hint of shame before shaking his head and moving towards the exit.

"It's nothing, just- just remember that we're trying to find my stupid tail so I can feel moremanly. I'm done so I'll just wait outside till you're done."

"But I... sigh, okay." Pomni held onto their arm with concern.

As Jax closed the door behind him, he walked over to the wooden bush and kicked it, breaking it into many little pieces.

"FFFFFFFFF%$%#$%#!!! Why did she have to F$%#ing say that! GOD D#$%IT!" They kicked another wooden prop, sending it flying beyond the stage curtain, out towards the circus.

"OW!"

Jax stopped in his tracks, someone was there!

"Now how in the dickens did this hit me?"

That sounded like... Kinger? Jax eased up as he popped his head out to see Kinger standing on the stage. It was still dark out, so the chances of someone else from the rooms being down here were slim.

"Oh, its just you nutcase." Jax walked out from behind the curtains with his hands in his pockets.

"Oh! Jax! How very nice to see you on this pleasant night." Kinger welcomed Jax with open arms- or rather, hands. But Jax simply walked past him with little care.

"Uh huh, great. Listen, I'm just waiting for Pomni and we'll be on our way." Facing away from Kinger, Jax raised his hand nonchalantly. "So just go back to you bug collection and forget that we were ever here."

"Hmmm, yes well... I would like to talk to her first, to see if she's doing well." Kinger looked down, fiddling with his hands.

"Pfft, she's fiiiiiiiiiiiiine don't wory your empty little head about it Kingy!"

I'm not so sure of that... you two sounded like you were at each others throats for a minute there."

"Yeah well maybe you can- wait." Jax spun around. "You heard all of that?!"

"How could I not? You were basically right outside my fortress." Kinger shook his head. "You shouldn't have scared her like that, it was wrong when Ribbit did it and its still wrong."

Jax couldn't BELIEVE what he was hearing. Here was forgetful old Mr Magoo scolding him for a prank that his friend- his LONG SINCE DEAD friend- came up with and constantly hit newbies to the circus with.

"Wh-what in the flying F%$# is happening right now? I thought you were senile old man!"

"Hoho I still am, but the darkness helps me remember the memories and the people who mattered most to me." Kinger sat down at the edge of the stage and looked at Jax. "And to others." Lowering his hand, he patted the ground next to him, signalling Jax to sit with him.

Jax was weirded out by what was happening, he'd never seen Kinger like this before. Part of him wanted to get the hell out of there, but on the other hand he was curious as to what Kinger had to say. Hesitantly, Jax sat down besides Kinger. Elsewhere, Pomni exits the dressing room and is about to call for Jax, but stops herself from doing so once she hears Kinger. Silently, behind the curtains, she listens in.

"Every time I leave my fort in the middle of the night, I remember the remarkable plays that used to be here, and all of the wonderful people who made it all happen. My favorite was when I was cast as the gumdrop fairy king of-"

"KINGER!" Jax interrupted. "Get to the point, what the hell do you want to tell me?"

"Sigh... very well. I'm concerned about you... actually, I have been for quite sometime."

"You... You're concerned about me? wha- why? Where is this coming from?"

"Even though its had for me to remember a lot of things, I still observe the people around me, the people I love, who I call my family. That includes Pomni, and it includes you." Kinger poked Jax.

"Gee, thanks dad." Jax says in a sarcastic tone as he rolls his eyes.

"Don't mention it!" Kinger looked flattered being called dad. "But I wasn't the only one who cared about you Jax, so did Rib-"

"Why do you keep bringing up his d$#% name? He's dead like like everyone else from the past, and we'll be next anyway so it doesn't matter."

"Oh but it does matter, it matters a lot. You two were thick as thieves, add Kaufmo an you had your own posse. Yet despite your friendship, there was always a pain the three of you had but never shared with each other. It festered and spread until you were the only one left to try and pick up the pieces."

"Oh shut the h#$% up old man! What do you know about what we had? Huh? Why should I give a s$%& about what you have to say when you're a crazy Hoo-Ha the entire time I've ever known you?"

"Because I know what it's like to lose someone you cherished your entire life. My wife... I loved her so much, and I thought that if we were going to be stuck here forever, then at least we'll always have each other. I... don't remember what happened exactly, but I can say surely that I never saw it coming. I never knew the pain she felt inside, how lonely she felt and just how sudden she slipped away through my fingers. The worst thing you can do in this world is to make someone feel that they aren't wanted or loved."

Jax's ears drooped as his annoyed expression turned to contemplation: wanted and....loved?

"Pomni cares so much about people, and she deeply cares about you, Jax. But its the lies you tell yourself that prevent you from seeing the truth that people care about you, and the one who suffers the greatest is yourself."

Jax remained silent, his head bowed, fighting the urge to cry. Kinger's hand floats over and rests on Jax's back. Pomni wanted to run out and give him a hug so bad. Finally, Jax speaks.

"I... I don't even know what's the truth anymore, so how the hell can I expect to stop the pain?" Deep down: they were crying for help.

Kinger stands up and turns to Jax.

"That's something you will have to search within yourself in order to find the answers to. But I will tell you the most important one to always remember." Kinger closes his eyes as Jax listens in. "Despite all the pain you've caused, despite what you may have done in the past and what people think of you now: always remember that you are not only capable of change, but are deserving of being loved."

"Yeah well that's easier said than done, and it's not like anybody here's gonna change their mind about me."

"You changed Pomni's mind, and I never said change would be easy." Kinger lifts Jax's hand and holds it. "Just know that what ever you're journey takes you: you will never be alone." As he let go, Jax could feel something wiggling in his hands. Looking closely, he could see a small, light green caterpillar slowly crawling up his finger.

Seeing an opportunity, Pomni walks out from the curtain.

"Oh hey Pomni, I almost forgot your were here!" Kinger raises his hand to greet her.

Pomni looks over to Jax, who is deep in thought. He briefly glances at her before looking away.

"So... what were you guy's talking about?"

Jax looked at Kinger, who gave an approving look, then back at Pomni before standing up and putting his hands in his pockets.

"Ehhh, bugs." He says so nonchalantly. "I'm guessing you didn't find anything."

"N-no... sorry." Pomni put her hands behind her back and looked down with guilt.

"What are you apologizing for? We knew it was a long shot, we jut have to look elsewhere."

"I know you two will find what you're looking for." Kinger ruffled Pomni's head.

"Hehe, thanks Kinger."

After the two waved goodbye to their regal friend, the two started to head back to the dorms. As they walked through the dark, silent corridor, Jax couldn't help but think out loud.

"I can't believe it...For as long as I've known him, he's been a kooky old man. Now all of a sudden you put him in a dark room and he turns into a damn therapist!"

"Seems like you were talking about much more than just bugs. Kinger helped me too, back at the haunted house."

"You knew?" Jax raised an eyebrow at her.

"Of course, that's how I found out about his wife."

"Well $#!%, that's news to me. I bet you Ragatha hasn't got a clue about Kinger either."

"Hasn't she been here almost as long as Kinger?"

"Hey just because she's always friendly doesn't mean she actually cares to learn about her so-called friends." Jax winked. "Not like you though~"

Pomni looked away, a bit uncomfortable talking about Ragatha like that. Time to switch subjects "Th-thanks... So, where do we check next?"

"Ehhh, someone probably stole my tail as a joke." Jax began to slow down his pace.

"Well the only people who would think to do something like that would be Gangle or Zooble, though I don't think it's a good idea to sneak in there roo- Jax?"

Pomni Looked back at their friend who stopped walking all together. Jax took out the caterpillar from his pocket, observing how it slowly crawled up his yellow gloves, to the finger tip where it stood on its back legs in an attempt to cross over to the next finger. Closing his eyes, Jax took a deep breath in before letting out a long groan.

"Uggggggggghhhhhh... I can't believe I'm about to go back there."

"Jax? Are you...okay?"

"Just peachy. I- I know where- grumble grumble grumble." Jax really didn't want to pitch the idea, but he knew deep down it was the best chance of finding his tail, even with the risks.

"I couldn't hear you, could you speak louder?"

"I said I know where my tail might be."

"Oh wow, really!" Observing his frustrated expression, Pomni toned down the enthusiasm. "Where do you think it is?"

"My... my friends room." Jax put the caterpillar away and looked away in frustration.

"Your... friend?" Pomni slowly approached with concern in her voice. Was he really going to open up to her about his past?

"Y-Yeah... he would've done something like that to me in the past... when he was still here." He looked back at her. "His name was Ribbit, as you can guess he was a frog."

"Veeeerry original, did Caine pick that out himself?" She said sarcastically with a slight grin in an attempt to lighten up his mood, even by a hair.

"I don't f$%&ing know! He was already part of the cast when I got here." It didn't work, this was a really touchy subject for him.

"Well, I'll follow you to the end, if you still want me to help you that is."

He looked at her for a solid minute, seriously considering if he should do it alone. It would probably be for the best, she doesn't need to know about everything. But right as Jax opened his mouth to dismiss her, he suddenly remembered what Kinger told him. Maybe it wouldn't be the best idea for her to tag along... but he sure as shit didn't want to be in that room full of memories alone in the darkness.

"I think you should stick with me, mainly to see this thing through"

Pomni was taken aback, she was sure he was going to tell her to leave. "R-Really?"

"Yeah just... don't make me regret it. His room's at the end of the hall."

The two silently walked their way to the end, passing by all the other cast members, both alive and dead, and there were far more dead than alive. Pomni couldn't help but take a better look at the portraits of the former inhabitants, how colorful they appeared, imagining what they may have sounded like, their personalities. When they came across the door of the black queen, Pomni couldn't help but stop.

"This must have been Kinger's wife..."

"Noooooo, I couldn't tell." Jax said in a smartass tone. Pomni was unamused with his attitude. "Come on, let's get going."

Continuing forward, they passed by Kaufmo's room.

"Remember being here? Kauffy was soooo happy to meet you~" Jax must be really stressed if he's doubling down on his sarcasm like this Pomni thought to herself.

The bedroom right next to Kaufmo's had a picture of a small, cartoonish frog.

"W-We're here..." Jax stared at the picture, his eyes contracted and thoughts racing.

"I'm assuming its locked, do you have a key?" There was no response. "Jax?" Looking behind her, she could see the anxiety in his eyes as everything started to come back to him. She reached out and held his hand.

"AHH! gasp.. Pomni?" Breaking out of his trance, he looked down to see Pomni looking directly into his eyes with concern.

I'm here, we can do this."

"Right... let's head inside." Pulling out a single key with his other hand, he slowly moved closer to the keyhole, only to miss and accidentally drop the key. "Gah! D$%&it!" Overcoming his nerves and picking it back up, he tried again and successfully turned it with a sharp click. Grabbing the doorknob, he look back at Pomni, who nodded with determination. Turning it, he finally opened the door.

Fwooooooosh!

With little warning, a thick layer of fog poured out from the room, covering their feet. It felt surprisingly warm and humid.

"What the hell?" Pomni lifted their feet in surprise. "What's all this about? Jax?"

But Jax wasn't paying attention. Instead, he slowly crept his way into the bedroom as if he was in a hypnotic trance.

"Guess I'll find out for myself." She proceeded to follow him, but she did not go far before her mouth hit the floor. "Oh...My...God..."

It was like nothing she ever seen before: the entire room was a literal swamp. Covering a quarter of the room was a pond, and inside that pond was a large bald-cypress tree, its branches stretched across the room with its bright green leaves. Looking back at the pond, it had a small stream that cut the room in half and had a small stepping stone for people to walk across. Inside the water itself was an entire ecosystem of wildlife, raging from a choir of frogs croaking on top lillypads, to the plants and moss that grew on the tree, the dressers, the bed and stones. Even the ground beneath their feet was full of life: as bugs roamed across the wildflowers and brightly colored mushrooms that grew on the dirt floor. It was as if they left the circus and went back to reality.

"This... This is..." Pomni was so overwhelmed by the beauty.

"Amazing?" Even Jax couldn't help but be amazed at the fact everything was still lush and alive. He made a mental note to grab some shrooms and frogs before they leave.

"Yeah...."

"Watch, it gets better." Jax clapped his hands together. Suddenly, wooden lanterns hanging on the tree came to life with their warm and inviting glow. A second later, lightning bugs began to dance in the air.

"Wow..." The two stood still, basking in the beauty of this magical swamp. "How on earth did he get a room like this? Don't tell me he made it all by himself."

Jax shook his head. "He never said, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did." Jax smiled with a glint of nostalgia in his eye. "He was by far the liveliest person who's ever been at the circus besides Caine, although he certainly had better charisma."

"What was he like?" Pomni sat on a literal toadstool, looking up with stars in her eyes.

"He was larger than life, he walked through the circus like he owned the joint... and in some ways he really did." Jax swerved his head towards Pomni with the whimsy of a child. "He ran the theater you know?"

"He did?!"

"Yep! See there were always people writing or sewing or just doing hobbies to pass the time. But Ribbit, he was clever enough to get the whole thing set up and make a deal with Caine." Jax pointed to a desk by Ribbits bed that had miscellaneous supplies, including a sewing machine, a camera and a drawing pad. "He did really well in the circus, and he was my... best friend." Jax said, downplaying just how much the pair were actually in love.

"I couldn't imagine you getting along with a theater kid." She quipped

"Theater kid?!" He sounded almost offended. "Listen, he may have been outgoing, fruity even, but the man was a grade A mischievous ba$#%&$! Half the pranks and know-how i got by learning from him." Jax was beaming with pride.

"You're kidding!" Jax learned from HIM?! She couldn't believe her ears.

"No joke: he was the one who came up with the abstraction prank on newbies! HAHAHA! God I remember when he pulled it on me and Gangle on our first days, we were both scared S%$^less!"

That sounded a lot less remarkable to Pomni. Afterwards the laughter subsided and smiles faded, as Jax stared off towards the tree.

"What... happened to him?"

There was a long pause, only interrupted by the croaks from the frogs.

"He died, and that was that."

Pomni didn't want to press too far, but curiosity got the better of her/

"I mean... how did-"

"Does that matter? He's dead, end of story."

"Sorry! Sorry..." Pomni looked away. "And I guess the theater didn't continue on without him."

"No, but it wasn't like the theater was in the best of shape before he left. Over time Caine got bored with the plays and insisted we go on all his adventures. That left little time, energy or incentive for people to volunteer. The actors and crew started to leave, some just left the stage... while others left the circus all together." Jax looked down, remembering all the actors who abstracted one by one, including Ribbit.

"I'm... I'm so sorry Jax."

Jax tried his best to put on a smile to hide the pain. "Funnily enough: Kaufmo was the last stage member still active, right before you got here that is. He kept telling his stupid jokes on that stage, like anyone wanted to listen to his crap!" There was venom in his voice as the nostalgia was replaced by bitter reality.

Pomni reached out to try and hold Jax's hand, but he walked off towards the bed.

"We should get started, I don't want to be here all night."

"...Yeah." Pomni felt sorry for Jax and for all those who put in so much work and effort into something so magical.

As Jax went to check the bed and desk, Pomni got to work looking through the dresser. Before she opened the top drawer, she looked to see a mannequin head on top the dresser with an adorable bucket hat that looked like a frog.

"Cute, a bit odd for a frog to wear, but cute." Opening up the drawers, there were a wide variety of clothes ranging from polkadot shirts and shorts, blue jean pants and even dresses. Jax wasn't kidding when he said Ribbit was fruity. Pulling them out, she quickly realized that almost all of the clothes were her size. "Well, I guess if I'm ever tired of these jester clothes, I'll be set for life... or however long I'm stuck here.... and remain sane." Quickly moving on from that train of thought, she pulled out a pair of overalls. Taking a closer look, she could see there were two patches on the pant legs near the front: a green frog next to a purple bunny. She looked over at Jax, who was busy rummaging through the bed sheets, then back at the overalls with a look of sadness and grief. "Oh Jax...." She whispered softly to herself.

After looking through every nook and cranny of the dresser, it seemed as though they hit another dead end. Exasperated, Pomni laid with her back against the dresser and looked aimlessly at the brightly lit tree. Despite its beauty, something felt off about it the more she stared at it. Squinting her eyes, she looked closely through the branches if something was hiding among the foliage. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary, until she looked at the lightning bugs flying between the wall and the tree. She realized that the tree was not attached to the wall, allowing for their to be an opening to the dark, unlit corner of the room where only lightning bugs could pass. Could that be a hiding spot? Looking down along the wall, she could see a line of stone spread across the base of the wall, leading to the corner.

Jackpot.

Pomni shuffled towards the dark corner, hopping across the tone in the pond and climbing on an exposed root of the tree in order to get a good footing. Poking her head through the opening, she saw the silhouette of something hanging off a tree branch. Unable to see, she reached back to the front of the tree to grab one of the lanterns. Pulling it close to her, she shined it at the dark spot.

"Come on you stupid light, just get in- GASP!" Just there, on the unknown shape hanging from the tree: she found it! She found Jax's tail!

"Find something?" Jax called from the other side of the room.

"YES! I FOUND IT! I FOUND YOUR TAIL!" It was such a cute, fluffy purple puffball, hardly anything to be called manly.

"HELL YEAH! Great job kid, now grab it and lets go on our way!"

"Sure thing, let me just... huh?" Moving the light closer to the tail, she got a better look at what exactly the tail was attached to. "What is this? This is... W-WOAH!" Pomni's eyes went wide at what she saw.

It was a bright pink dress, with yellow buttons connecting to a particular set of straps that you would see from a pair of overalls. Judging by the size, it would be far too big for Pomni, and by extension Ribbit. Combined with the purple tail, it was clear who was meant to wear this dress.

"Well come on Poms, we don't have all night!" Jax walked over to the dresser where she just was, looking right at her as she carefully stepped down from the tree.

Turning around with the dress in hand, she held it up to compare it to his overalls and height. It was a perfect match. Jax could feel all the blood in his body run cold as the two looked at each other in total silence.

This was it, someone finally found them out. This whole time they thought they could find their tail, call themselves a man and maybe even score some points with Pomni. Yet here they are: exposed and vulnerable once more for people to see...but this is no dream. No nightmare to wake up from, no more masks to hide behind. The evidence was laid bare and Jax had nowhere to run.

"Jax? Are....are you okay?" Pomni was having a really hard time trying to figure out what was Jax thinking, what they were feeling as they just stood there with a look of shock on their face.

No response.

Snapping out of their trance, Jax shook their head and giggled with a smile. Pomni couldn't make anything out of it.

"O-oh! That's what happened to that thing!" Jax already divulged enough about his insecurities and past tonight, he would be DAMNED to let this little secret out. Hopefully he can right this off as some big joke.

"You're talking about the dress, right?"

"Yyyyyeeaaaaaaah, this is just some stupid joke Ribbit must've done. See, he liked to crossdress from time to time, a-and he made this to try and get me into a dress. Obviously I never said yes, but that didn't stop him from parading this around with my tail on it!" He was pulling all of this out of his ass, but maybe it'll work... it has to work.

"So, this is just a prank? You never wore this?" Pomni subtly felt the front of the dress, gently running her fingers around the inside of the dress.

"Yep! Now how about I take it so I can get my tail off of it." Jax tried to snatch the dress, only to feel resistance toward his pulling. Pomni still had a firm grip on it and looked directly into his eyes. "Wha- c-come on Pom Pom, journey's over, let me have the dress."

"There's fur in it."

"Wha-WHAT?!" Shit.

"Your fur is inside the dress." She yanked back, but Jax held onto it firmly.

"YOU'RE JUST IMAGINING THIS, NOW LET GO!" Jax pulled harder.

"I am NOT, and don't pull so hard, you're going to rip it!"

"COOL, MAYBE THEN I CAN GET RID OF IT FOR GOOD!"

Before Pomni could pull back again, she saw a small piece of paper sticking out from the front pocket. In a split second: she took the paper right as Jax wrestled the dress away from her. Jax began to pant with exhaustion as Pomni faced away to examine the paper.

"Haah...Hahhh... FINALLY! Jeez Pomni, the way you held on its almost like YOU wanted to try it on. Heh heh... eh?" Looking over, Jax could see Pomni looking at something rather intently. She had one hand up to her mouth and the other holding a... picture. Jax's eyes dilated, his ears shot up. What are you holding?

Pomni looked back at Jax with sweat drops on her head. She couldn't come up with anything to say.

Give it to me. NOW.

Pomni did not hesitate, she gave Jax the picture. Indeed, Jax's suspicions were confirmed as he looked at the taped up photograph from all those years ago. It was if all the memories started to flood back in.

~~~Years Ago~~~

"Jeez toadstool, you think you have enough accessories?" Jax laid upside down on the bed, gently kicking their legs in the air as they admired their partner in crime.

"Hmph, not when you're the supporting role of the number one romantic comedy of the season!" Ribbit adjusted the frills and jewellery of their bright yellow antebellum style dress, trying to get it to feel just right for the dress rehearsal.

"Pffft, you're the only romantic comedy this season. Besides, why couldn't you get Ragatha to do it?"

"Ohhh I don't know, because a certain someone stuck centipedes in her Chinese dress when we did 'Kung fu Clown' a few months back." Ribbit squinted back at Jax with an unamused look.

"HA! Yeah that was hilarious! She was flailing all over the place and broke the table!"

"You did it during the show!"

"And it was hilarious!"

But Ribbit wasn't laughing. Instead, they opened their hand fan and gently waved it as they slowly approached the bunny, their heals clomping against the stones.

"Normally I would agree, but things haven't been going smooth lately: I'm still trying to find a way to convince Caine to let more people skip adventures again... and losing Dobby really hit us hard. We still haven't gotten around to repairing that table."

Even though he felt Ribbit put too much effort into show business, Jax felt guilty for making the one thing their friend loved in life that much harder.

"Sigh... I'm really sorry Ribbit, maybe I can convince dollface to come back."

"I would love that very much honeybunny~" Ribbit smiled as they bent down to smooch their lover on the head.

Jax blushed, but wiped away the lipstick from their forehead with a playful "Yuck!"

"Alternatively Jax, you could come to the theater more often. You make a decent actor." Ribbit grinned, fluttering their eyelashes and covering their face with the fan. "or...actress!

Jax raised an eyebrow as they sat up (with a light blush). "Actress? Wh-what do you mean?"

"Really?" Ribbit gestured down towards the dress they were wearing. "I mean wearing a dress, silly bunny!"

"Oh...(I mean) OHHHHHH! Ehhh... That's not my kinda thing, and in front of people? Hell NO!" Jax pouted, feeling slightly disappointed.

"Well I mean I wouldn't throw you to the wolves like that, obviously you'd have to get comfortable with your feminine side." Once again they fluttered their eyelashes, intending to sound playful, but not knowing how impactful and persuasive their words truly were. "I can make you a dress for you to wear in here until you're ready."

"My own dress?!" Jax couldn't help but sound a little excited. They quickly crossed their arms and tried to play it cool. "That sounds girly and stupid....but if it helps you out, i guess I can give it a try."

"REALLY?!" Ribbit couldn't believe they managed to convince his boyfriend, he didn't even need to tease his masculinity. "Thank you thank you thank you! You're the best bunny in the circus!"

Jax blushed a deep red. "I'm the only bunny in the circus, dork."

"And you're still the best!" Ribbit grabbed a measuring tape. "Now it'll take a week or two to make depending on what kind of dress you want. Stand up and let me take your measurements."

"What kind of dress I want...?" Jax trailed off as the thought of wearing a dress filled their mind. They shook their head out of their trance and smiled. "How about something simple for now, could you make one that look like my overalls?"

"Your overalls? Sure, that'll be as easy as huckleberry pie! If you have a spare set of overalls I can get it done by tomorrow."

"TOMORROW?!" Jax nearly jumped. "Oh uhhh, sure! I can get you a pair."

Ribbit raised an eyebrow. "Heh, you feeling alright honey? It almost sounds like you're excited to-"

"SHHHUT UP! I mean- shut up before I change my mind" Jax pouted again.

"Hehehe, whatever you say!"

Indeed, Ribbit was a man of his word. The very next day Ribbit told Jax to meet him at his room. Jax was so anxious he couldn't sleep, and he barely had any food. Was he really going to wear a dress after all these years? The last time he wore one he... on second thought no. They weren't here to make his life a living hell anymore, and most importantly the only person who would know this time would be his lover. The door was unlocked, but Jax hesitated to enter. His heartbeat was in his ears, his breathing was heavy and he was nervous as hell.

"Jax? Is that You? Are you coming in or what?" Ribbit called from inside the room.

Jax blinked, regaining his composure. "Y-yeah, I'm coming!" He walked inside and closed the door behind him, looking over to the dresser he saw Ribbit in his goofy ass blue overalls, wearing an even goofier smile.

"Howdy~"

"Heh, God you're such a dweeb. You got the goods?"

"Do i got the goods?" Ribbit slowly pulled out the pink dress from behind his back. "Why of course, ma'am!"

Jax blushed, it looked just like he imagined it would look. He pinched his fingers against the side of his overalls in anticipation.

"It looks... good."

"Yeah, not the most creative dress I've made, but its made with all the love I'm legally allowed to give~"

Oh my god did he just steal that line from Bubble? Jax made a mental note to give that dork a noogie later.

"So, you wanna start Jax?"

"Uhhh... s-sure." Holy shit was he really about to do this? Jax could feel all the sweat in his mouth building up, If he could sweat normally he'd be covered in it. "gulp... Y-you think you could turn around?"

"Oh come on, Its not like I haven't seen you naked before. But if you insist." Ribbit handed Jax the dress and turned around. "Just don't look into the mirror when its on, I'll need to do something first."

"O-okay." Jax was nearly red all over as he took off his normal overalls and held the dress in his hands. This was it. They slipped the dress over their head with ease and making sure to take his tail off his overalls and onto the dress. Speaking of which: It felt just like their overalls, minus the pant legs of course. They felt the swamps mist up against their shins and the fabric of the dress brushing up on their legs when they walked. They could feel their excitement in their chest. "It feels so breezy."

"Let me see... Oh it fits perfectly! now come over here, let me do your make up."

"Make up? I thought we were only doing the dress?"

"Jeez you can be a dummy bunny sometimes. You need the make up to actually sell to the audience that you're a girl, Its half of the art. Otherwise you'd just look like a man in a dress."

"Huh." Jax's eyes dilated while their fur began to stand up. "I didn't know that..." They stood there silently, day dreaming about many things a man probably wouldn't dream about.

"Uhh, Jax? You alright?"

"Hmm? Yeah yeah, make up. Lets do it." Jax walked towards Ribbit and bent down to his height. Everything felt like a dream, he couldn't believe he was doing this.

"Now I'm just gonna apply some basic mascara, kay?" Ribbit opened the bottle and gently held Jax's head as he applied the make up. It felt very comforting for Jax, to have somebody he trusted and loved be so gentle and kind with him in the most vulnerable of situations. "Aaaaand done! Okay, go look in the mirror"

Jax headed towards the other side of the room and opened their eyes. What they saw, who they saw looked they just came out of a storybook. They could see how the pink fabric loosely hung above their feet, gently floating in the air. Looking up to their chest, they felt slightly disappointed, but they couldn't place way. But back to their face: they could see the glow upon their face and the sparkles in their eyes staring right back at them.

"W-wow.... just... wow."

"I know right? You look like a different person... okay well not really in this case given the uh..." Ribbit shook their head. "Doesn't matter, point is: you look like a pretty girl."

"Jax could feel a slew of emotions all rise at once as they turned to him. "H-huh?! I mean I'm not- well, you really think so?"

"Yeah, yeah- anyways, give me a twirl!"

Jax had never felt so happy, so pretty, so ecstatic, so..so...loved before in their life. And in the circus of all places! They gleefully twirled with a giggle, hoping this feeling could never end. Maybe this was right afterall? Maybe his father wasn't right? Maybe... they were always meant to be-

FLASH

The sudden bright light and mechanical sounds of a photo coming out of a camera broke Jax from their fantasy. They could feel a cold chill deep in their core and running up their spine. Their ears drooped and their pupils contracted as they turned to look at their friend, still smiling as he waved the instant photo back and forward before examining it.

"Perfect, it came out clear and crisp. Heh, I can only imagine what Gangle or Ragatha would do to have a picture like this! Nyeh heh heh! Anyway, as I was saying: the art of drag is all in the presentation of your character and blah blah blah blah blah-"

Jax felt dizzy, the whole world went blurry as a constant ringing rattled his ears. Flashes of the past coming and going like the camera itself, of the hell he had to endure long before he put a headset on. His best friend, his lover, Ribbit... betraying him? He wondered if this all just a ruse, a sick prank to hold something so damning over his head. No doubt they would share it with the others to spread the laughter, letting everyone know what kind of manJax actually is: a sissy. Nothing changed, nothing ever got better, he'd just been entertaining the same delusions he had since he was a child.

"Jax? Are... are you okay?" Ribbit looked back at Jax with concern and confusion. "You're starting to worry me buddy, is something wrong? Jax?"

Just another lie, to think he could actually be happy in this circus.

"W-woah! Why are you making that face honey bunny?" Ribbit looks at the photograph. "OH! Nononono, you got it all wrong! I thought you would look- I mean I should have asked you first though and- Jax, you're scaring me, you literally have me up against the wall. Listen to me please! I wasn't going to show it to anybody I just wanted- JAX PLEASE DON'T DO ANYTHING RASH I- ACK!!!"

In a blinding fury of emotions, Jax lifted up Ribbit by the throat and had him up against his dresser. They couldn't think straight, all they could feel was a disgusting pit in their stomach and a raging headache.

"J-Jax, I'm sorry! Please let me down, this really hurts. I never meant to-"

But Ribbit was cut off by Jax. To this day Jax cannot remember what he said to Ribbit, but no matter how hard he tries he will only ever remember the impact it had on Ribbit. As Jax continued to spit fire and brimstone, the will to live began to fade from Ribbit's eyes as tears ran down his face. Whatever hopes and joys that were left within the small frog were violently dashed away as the bright, colorful optimism drained from his face as Jax continued to berate him. His slimy arms fell to his side as the fight within was snuffed out. When Jax finished, he let go of Ribbit, who immediately fell to his knees, utterly broken. Jax then took the photo and ripped it to pieces, letting them slowly fall in front of Ribbit, like the first chilling snow of an impending harsh winter.

Ribbit was never the same: he occasionally showed to an adventure or two, quietly shuffling around like a shell of his former self. He never once spoke to others about what happened, and whatever passion for the theater he once dedicated his digital life to fell into the dark abyss that was left of his soul. Indeed, Jax's attempt to reconcile with his former friend a week later proved futile as all that was left of him was an amalgamated being of true anguish and darkness, an insult to the man who once blessed the circus with wonders and jubilee. But while his demise left a void in the hearts of most those who he left behind, none were more filled than that of his former lover: whose heart had hardened into solid stone.

~~~Present day~~~

It was the first time he saw the picture in such vivid clarity. Even if the reflective tape and tears obscured parts of Jax, it nevertheless retained the beauty and joy that Ribbit had captured in his last moments of joy. The Pink dress fluttered in the air mid-twirl, their feet lightly kicked up dust when they they spun around, and their pretty face, their genuine smile, their shimmering eyes. They were so energetic, so beautiful, so.... happy.

"Jax! Are you still there?" Pomni snapped him out of his focus. She was still on her knees from when they fought over the dress, the parallels between her and Ribbit did not escape Jax. What would he say now if Ribbit were still here?

"Yeah... I heard you." He had wanted to rip this damn picture up and burn it alongside the dress for good. But he harder he stared into the photo and back at Pomni, the harder it became to repress the feelings he had long sought to avoid. He sunk down to his knees in defeat and sighed. "God d#$% it... I never wanted anyone to see this."

"I'm sorry Jax, I shouldn't have kept going at it with the dress."

"Yeah well, the cat's out of the bag now, so just get it over with already."

"What do you mean?" Pomni raised her eyebrow.

"OH COME ON!" Jax raised his arms with a wide smile, yet pained filled eyes."I'm nothing but a crossdressing sissy and a sissy fa$*&# who played dress up and tea time with his boyfriend!" Jax fluttered their eyelashes as they continued their self deprecating rant. "I've heard it all once before, so just get on with it." Jax rested his head on his hand and looked away.

A tense silence filled the room as Pomni thought about her words carefully. Finally, Pomni opened her lips to speak, causing Jax to brace for whatever she said.

"Are you trans?"

"Wh-what?" Jax looked back at Pomni, his ears perked up. She really popped off the million dollar question.

"Are you transgender?" Another brief silence.

"Am I trans? You mean like if I want to become a woman, right?"

"Well I'm not an expert on these sort of things, that's something Zooble would know more about... but yeah."

Jax looked down at the ground in silence, Pomni could only guess just how many thoughts were rushing through their head. Finally, Jax grinned. Then he giggled. then he threw his head back in hysterical laughter. Pomni wringed her hands with an anxious demeanor, unable to read the emotional roller coaster Jax was on.

"So let me get this straight: You're saying I WANT to be a woman? Is that what you're saying? That I'm soooooo insecure about myself and my body? How I CRAVE to put on a cute dress, frolic around and be some girlypop jacka$$?"

"Jax that's not what I-"

"OH NO, DON'T YOU DARE BACK DOWN NOW!" Jax stood up, their face trying so desperately to maintain their facade while continuing to crumble under the long built up pressure from within. "NO, I'M NOT TRANS, BECAUSE I NEVER WANTED ANY OF THIS! I WANT TO LIVE IN THE BODY I WAS GIVEN, NO MATTER HOW SKINNY IT LOOKS OR HOW DISGUSTING IT MAKES ME FEEL!"

Jax stepped closer to Pomni, who instinctively stepped back.

"You know I thought- I assumed you were just gonna compare me to the likes of a freaky fetishist like Gangle. BUT NOOOOOOOOO, you lumped me in with an IDIOT like ZOOBLE!

"Z-Zooble?"

"That dumb b%^&#, thinking they'll feel better if they bitch and moan about their body and gender like any of us give a s#%&. NEWSFLASH: ITS A PHASE!!! They have to make it everyone's problem, all because they don't want to kick it to the curb like the rest of us do, AND THEY STILL FEEL LIKE S$#%! HAHAHAHA- hahahah- heh...heh...heh."

Jax hadn't even noticed the tears that were pouring from their glowing red face before collapsing to their knees once again, covering it with their hands as their laughter turned to sobs.

"Don't they realize giving into your feelings only makes the pain feel worse? Plus you'll hurt no matter what, so it doesn't matter. Why can't they get that?! Why can't they pretend it doesn't hurt? Why must I be the one to be reminded of how much it hurts?" Jax grabbed their arms and shivered.

Pomni walked over and sat down, wrapping her arms around Jax, trying their best to comfort them by petting their head and back.

"Why can't the pain just... go away? I don't want these feelings, these desires... Why can't I just be the man I'm supposed to be and like it?"

"Jax..." Pomni tightened her hug, the sadness of Jax's trembling voice causing her to shed tears as well.

"I tried so hard to forget, to just stuff all the memories and pain away, and yet it keeps coming back. I can't stop hating the body I was born in, and the body I was given. I can't even escape from it in my sleep: every dream is a living hell!"

"If you're so aware of what you really want: why fight it? Why must you torture yourself and run away from the truth?" Pomni pulled back and looked into Jax's eyes, pleading for a genuine answer.

"The...truth?" In that moment, Jax recalled Kinger's wise words from only a short while ago. Perhaps, they were right about something. "The truth is... I tried, and every time I did: I got hurt, or someone else got hurt... people I cared about." Jax looked over to the tree, gazing upon the mist as it passed by the lit lanterns. "When I was little, I was always jealous of my sister. Always so beautiful, so pretty, so... loved. She was 'Daddy's little girl' after all. Meanwhile I always got the short end of the stick having to work at the farm after school."

Although Jax could not see it, Pomni clearly could see their face as they spoke. Gone was the cheap smile that hid Jax away from the world, gone were the contemptible leer that pushed people away. As Jax continued to recalled their childhood: Pomni witnessed the true Jax, emerging from his emotional walls like a butterfly escaping their cocoon.

"I can't remember all the details, but what I do know is that one day I stole a dress from her and put it on."

"Why?"

I dunno, maybe out of jealousy and a bit of curiosity, like everyone would like me more if I were more like her. So I stole a dress from my sisters closet and put it on. Obviously my sister caught me, but she seemed very open and complimented me, and everything then just seemed so... right. From there she convinced me to take it so I, like an idiot, could wear it to school and show my parents, thinking they all would accept me and like me more...I was so stupid."

"R-really?" Pomni was taken aback at first at the idea of a young Jax being so bold. A frown slowly appeared, she could already tell what happened next. "I'm guessing things didn't go well."

"...No, it didn't. I still remember the camera flashes... the entire school laughing... the bullying that lasted for years on end. It just kept haunting me everywhere I went. I was so stupid."

"What did your parents say?"

For a split second, Pomni could see a shiver crawl up his spine as he turned away and silently shook his head. Pain, Pomni guessed to herself, a pain no child should ever have to suffer from at the hands of their own parents.

"I'm... I'm so sorry Jax"

"Don't be: I was a dumba$$ who thought I could make impossible changes. At the end of the day, I was just 'a misguided sinner who deserved to be severely reprimanded for following the devil and going against the Lord and his 'natural order.' Or at least that's what the conversion camp quack said to me. Heh heh heh, ehhhhhhhhhh...." Pomni did not laugh. Jax's attempt at humor in order to cope only made the conversation that much more awkward as it was depressing. "Sorry."

But Pomni shook their head and embraced Jax, who was caught off guard when Pomni began to sob.

"You didn't deserve that, no matter how stupid you think you were."

"Pom, I know you're trying to make me feel better, but-"

But Jax was cut off when they saw Pomni staring up at them with tears in her eyes.

"Jax...You deserve to be loved and you deserve to feel happy about yourself. What those asshole kids did was wrong, what your parents did to you was wrong, and it was never your fault."

Jax's eyes went wide as Pomni's words and Kinger's advice danced through their mind in unison. No one had spoke to them with such compassion and care like that before, and it was a far cry from what they expected to hear... or rather, it was a far cry from what they expected from anyone else besides the people whom were trapped in this digital hellhole with them.

"Thank you, Pomni...sigh." Jax picked up the photo again for a glance.

"Even after everything, you still managed to overcome all odds and wear a dress again. You look so happy."

"I... didn't exactly ask for Ribbit to take my picture."

"Oh..." Pomni put her hand to her mouth. "Did Ribbit take this picture to prank you or something?"

"I don't think so, no...He loved me, so probably did it not thinking it would set me off. The things I said, the pain I was in... The pain I put him through. GOD!" Jax pulled on their ears again, startling Pomni as she reached up to try and get them to stop. "I WAS SO STUPID! They made me this dress, taught me so much and I- I-" Jax covered their face to hide their shame and sorrow. I killed him... I loved him so much, and he made me something with all his love...and I crushed his heart and soul over a god $#%& misunderstanding!" Jax collapsed to the ground as they wailed with sorrow with Pomni by their side.

As Jax began to simmer down, Pomni lifted their head up and held up the photo for Jax to see.

"I might not have known them at all, or just how close you two were... but I believe I know why Ribbit took this picture."

"Wh-why?"

Pomni nodded. "Judging by what you described him to be: I believe he took this photo because he wished to capture the moment you found your true happiness."

"My true... happiness?" Jax took the picture and stared at it.

"By the sound of it, despite all the tricks and pranks he pulled: he still loved and cared about you. Enough to make the dress, enough to let you have your moment and capture it so it could last forever."

Jax's eyes dilated as they internalized Pomni's words. It was a lot to take in. Finally with a smile, the rabbit spoke.

"I think you missed your mark there, he hadn't the slightest idea I was trans. You know he gave that dress to me because he wanted me to crossdress for a show, right?"

"Wha-?" Pomni was dumbfounded by the abrupt tone shift.

"Pffft, yeah: I mentioned before but he was OBSESSED with the theater and wanted to drag me into it. Not to mention Toadstool was a bit oblivious, heheheh!" There was that damn mile wide fake smile again.

"O-Oh... I didn't think that- I thought- hrrrrm." Pomni thought they were going somewhere, now they felt like an idiot.

"But-" Jax placed his hand on Pomni's shoulder, their smile becoming more genuine while their eyes sparkled in the warm, ambient lantern light. "You are right. He loved me in his own unique way, and always encouraged me to discover new things about myself." Jax stood up and dusted themself off. "And he was stubborn enough to never give up on me, no matter how much I tried to push him off my back whenever I gave up on myself... Kinda like a funny girl I know." Jax raised an eyebrow as they put their hands on their hips and looked down at the jester.

Pomni rolled their eyes with a scoff and stood up.

"Speak for yourself! We're only stubborn because you're such a terrible liar."

"What are you talking about? I can be a great liar!"

"To yourself maybe."

"Wow, after all what we just went through? I split open my heart and this is how you treaty me?" Jax pretended to be hurt with an exaggerated gesture, causing Pomni to giggle.

Looking down at the ground, Pomni bent down to grab the photo and the dress.

"I believe there's still some loose ends."

Pomni offered Jax to take the clothes, which they did so reluctantly. Jax stared at the dress, their face bore a worried expression with a hint of melancholy.

"Something tells me you're not gonna let me go until I at least try to wear this thing again, huh?"

"I mean, It's your choice to wear it... but I think you'd look beautiful and happy with it on."

Jax blushed before shaking their head with a small grin.

"Tsk, you two knuckleheads really are more alike than you realize." Jax paused. "If I do this- I don't want any pictures."

"Of course."

"A-a-and nobody hears a word about this!"

"My lips are sealed." Pomni gestured herself zipping her mouth shut, only for an actual zipper to appear. Jax giggled as Pomni unzipped her mouth, making them feel less tense over the situation.

"Also can we leave this room? There are too many memories and I'm tired of the humidity."

"Yeah, we can go to my room. Are you feeling alright?"

Jax hesitated for a second before speaking. "If it wasn't obvious enough, I'm kinda stressed over everything that happened tonight, and then some."

"We can try this tomorrow if that-" But Pomni was interrupted.

"No... I want to get this out of the way now, I've hid for too long already."

This was batshit insane Jax thought to themselves, among the million other thoughts racing through their head. But Jax NEEDED closure, this had gone on for far too long. Tonight would be the night to overcome the past and and forge a new future for themselves, or rather, whomever they choose to be. As the two made it to the doorway, Pomni spoke up right as Jax turned the doorknob.

"Before we go, I-." Pomni struggled to find the words. "What would you like to be called?"

"Huh?"

"Y'know, what should I refer to you as? Like, should I say she/her because you're a woman or-"

"I.. don't know. Guess we'll find that out shortly."

Jax tried to look back with a smile, but their left hand was trembling. Pomni noticed their fear and reached out to hold their hand.

"Right." Pomni could feel Jax's hand slow to a stop. No matter what will happen: Pomni will have Jax's back.

With their plan squared away, Jax took a deep breath and opened the door to the hallway.

~~~

Click.

The two entered Pomni's room together and slowly closed the door behind them. Jax hurried over to sit on the bed, looking rather nervous.

"Everything's going to be alright, just sit tight while I get the mascara." Pomni tried to give a reassuring smile.

"Lets just hurry up and get this over with." Jax said under his breath, its agitation not escaping the jesters ears as she took the make up from out of her drawer.

Looking back, she gave a calm sigh before placing the mascara down and approaching Jax. With little warning, she sat down on their lap, briefly feeling the vibrations slow as Jax blushed at the sudden closeness. Before they could say anything however, Pomni wrapped her arms around the bunny, gently rubbing their head as she closed her eyes and listened closely.

"Your heartbeat is shooting through the roof. I know you're feeling stressed, so... talk to me. You can trust me."

Jax let out an exasperated groan.

"Stressed? Tch-no, I'm terrified! Here I am picking up right where I left off with the dress, and the track record is just fantastic if you recall." Jax looked into Pomni's eyes as she pulled back, they were filled with determination and compassion."Pomni... you do realize that this could change everything. From how the others see me, to how I see myself, to what kind of person do I want to be! I...I- I built up this image for myself, and now I'm looking to tear it all down for a side of me I have no experience with, no idea what it- what I would look like!" Jax stared down at their trembling hands. "I'm scared of tearing down what I already have."

Pomni gently rubbed the side of Jax's soft cheek, an intimate gesture they returned in kind as they leaned into her palm and closed their eyes.

"Its okay to feel scared, especially when it has everything to do with yourself. Ultimately the path of who you wish to be is your decision, what matters is that you don't let the fear control you. Not to mention, you're not alone in this: nobody in the circus would be the type of a$$hole who'd make fun of you-"

"Tch, really?" Jax gave a doubtful grin.

"Yes. Really. And if anyone does mess with you: they'll have to deal with me. I will always support you. Plus, I have a feeling you'll love being the real you once the walls are down."

Jax's eyes went wide at Pomni's words of encouragement before shutting as Jax gave a chuckle.

"Heh... Alright. I'll need a sec to change. Could you... step outside?"

"Sure thing, I'll give you a knock to check and see when you're done." As the two got up from the bed, Pomni made their way to the door while Jax grabbed a hold of the dress.

As she was closing the door behind her, she caught a glimpse at Jax's face. They looked tired, their eyebrows furrowed with worry and their eyes telling just how stuck in their head they were. Pomni stood in the dark hallway, concerned for her friend. What could she do to ease their burden and make them feel better she thought. It would have to be quick before Jax was finished getting changed, let alone the fact it was nearly morning. Looking down the hall, she caught a glimpse of the door of the swampy bedroom they had just been in. Suddenly, a light bulb lit up above Pomni's head as they had an "A hah!" moment and snapped her finger. She promptly pulled the chain of the bulb down to turn it off before rushing towards Ribbits room.

"Alright Jax, it's just a dress... you can do this." Jax stood with their arms extended out, holding the pink dress in front of them. "Don't think of him, think of Pomni, do it for Pomni." Looking behind the dress, they could see their reflection in the mirror, staring back at them with their lower body obstructed by the reflection of the dress. After what felt like an eternity, they closed their eyes and took in a deep breath, the fresh air cleansing their conscious of all the pain and worries that had held them down for so long. Breathing out at a steady pace, they recalled the words of their friends and could feel a familiar warmth in their body starting to emerge. The time had come to stop running away, to stop hiding behind fake smiles and self pity. They felt tired of all the lies, the pain, the dead ends. It was time to finally embrace themselves for who they really are, for nobody but themselves. Jax opened their determined eyes. "Do it for yourself." Putting the dress aside, they began to undress.

Jax started by loosening the straps of their overalls, letting them hang down to their sides before slowly pulling the plastic looking denim of the overalls down their body. They could feel it slide across the fur of their chest, then their hips (or lack thereof) and lastly off their long, purple legs. Tossing it aside, they made sure to not look at their naked body in the mirror. Thankfully, the safety perimeters of the game made sure that they had no genitals, which meant it was black down there as a Barbie doll. The downside was that they also couldn't have a vagina, which was a thought Jax quickly threw away as they ignored looking at their body to grab the dress.

The dress floated down their body as they threw it over their head. It felt just how it was when they had first put it on: familiar yet exhilarating, especially as they felt the air brush up against their legs. Having their tail back was also a strange experience to have back, as they could now feel the small, purple cottontail as they shaked it from side to side. Looking into the mirror, their eyes dilated almost immediately upon seeing themselves, while the warm feeling grew inside them. They were really back in this dress they thought, the same exact dress from all those years ago. Yet, it was apparent that they were nowhere near as giddy as last time, as Jax could feel anxiety bubbling up and their eyes became fuzzy with panic.

Out of the corner of their eye however, they spotted a tiny green thing crawling out from their overalls. Bending down, they picked up the caterpillar and observed its little movements, letting go of their tension with each passing second.

Knock knock.

The sound of someone as the door broke Jax out of their trance as they looked to the door with a fright.

"Its me, can I come in?" It was Pomni.

"Y-yeah- just putting on the finishing touches." Jax put the caterpillar in their dress pocket and stared back at the mirror as Pomni walked into the room. Jax started to apply the eyeliner as Pomni happily walked over with a smile. "There... its done."

"You look beautiful!" Pomni said with whimsy

"I guess..." They did look beautiful, but too much doubt clouded their mind. "I don't know, I probably look pretty stupid, don't I?"

"Oh please, you look great! If anything else, I look WAY dumber than you right now." Pomni smiled, hoping Jax will notice her.

"You kidding me? You look WAY cuter in that jester getup than a hopeless-" Jax cut themselves off as soon as they turned to look at Pomni.

She was not in her jester outfit. Instead, Pomni was in the pair of blue overalls with a bunny and frog patch on the front. It was slightly baggy, but otherwise fit snugly over their banana yellow shirt. They also bore the green frog bucket hat with a big, goofy smile that nestled sweetly upon their brunette head. They looked equally adorable as they did ridiculous.

"I figured If you're gonna be in a new outfit, I might as well try something on. So, what do you think?" Pomni smiled and winked, waiting for a response.

Jax had a blank face, blinking a few times to process just what the hell they were looking at. Finally, a tiny grin started to form.

"You look- snicker, kinda- hehe- cringe. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Jax couldn't contain their laughter, this came from out from left field and completely threw them off guard. "Sorry- sorry- its just... YOU LOOK SO STUPID! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Rather than pouting as one would expect, Pomni joined in on the laughter. It was their plan to get Jax out of their own head with something to giggle over, and it paid off in spades. Suddenly the world felt just a bit closer as the two shared the joy and laughter together.

"Hehehe- Yeah, I saw these while we were in Ribbits room and figured they'd be a great fit. Honestly when you said I reminded you of him, I didn't think it'd be so litter-"

FLASH!

What?

Pomni rubbed their eyes from the sudden flash of light. For a split second a chill ran up her back: did someone sneak in to take a picture of the two? Oh God, how's Jax going to react? However, as Pomni opened her eyes, she instead saw none other than Jax holding a black box. Suddenly it all became so clear: Jax took a PICTURE of HER with the POLAROID CAMERA. Jax snickered as they began to shake the developing photo.

"Heh heh, there is no WAY I'm letting you live this one down Pom Pom~" And there it was: that mother#$%&ing mile wide, devilish smile.

"JAX! YOU HYPOCRITICAL B%$&*!" Pomni rushed the grinning rabbit, although she didn't get very far. Jax held her back with their extra long arms as they casually looked at the photo of Pomni."GIVE ME THAT PHOTO!"

"I dunno Poms, you look pretty cute as a weak little froggy. Maybe I should show Raggatha later, whaddya think?"

"NOOOOOOO!!!" Pomni blushed from embarrassment as she flailed her arms about trying to get a hold of the photo (or Jax's neck). "D$#%IT JAX, EVEN AS A GIRL YOU'RE STILL A JERK!"

Jax relaxed their arm and looked at her directly. Pomni noticed this and stopped in her tracks, wondering if what she just said crossed a line. Instead, a warm smile came across Jax's face as they looked genuinely happy.

"That was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me... Thank you."

"Heh, no problem." Pomni said as she returned the smile.

The two held each others hands and faced towards the mirror together, drinking in the changes before them. Pomni couldn't help but stare at Jax: they, or perhaps she at this point, looked so beautiful. Their shy demeanor and light pink dress made Jax look rather delicate and passive, a look that dusted a nice pink blush on Pomni's face. Yet, something felt... incomplete.

"Hmm..."

"What? Whats the matter? Is it me? What about me?!" Jax looked back down at her uncharacteristically nervous, she was an open book to how self-conscious she was at this moment.

"Something feels missing." She brought her hand to her chin, wondering what it could be.

"D$%&*IT! I knew it would be an issue. Its my chest... its so flat and ugly looking and-" Make that SUPER self-conscious.

I see... Okay, listen to me: you look so freaking adorable and I think I have an idea. I just need you to trust me."

Jax's ears flopped down behind her as she fiddled with her hands nervously. "O-okay"

Pomni when behind Jax and carefully took off her tail, causing the unsuspecting bunny to hop with excitement.

"EEP!"

"Alright, now hold still while I improvise." Pomni took the tail back in front of Jax, where she proceeded to grab and pull back the part of the dress that covered Jax's chest. The brazen act caused Jax to blush a hot pink on their cheeks and even their ears.

"P-P-POMNI?!"

"Let me just..." Pomni placed the tail on Jax's chest and parted the fur with her thumbs. After a minute of doing this, the once circular cotton ball looked more like a big bush of fur that covered Jax's chest. "I know we just spent all that time trying to find your tail, but I think this will do until we can find something better. Now look in the mirror cutie~"

As Jax turned toward the mirror, a sharp gasp was forced from their mouth. The purple fur made their chest look filled out and fluffy, it wasn't perfect but that didn't matter. Tears flowed freely down her face as she slowly raised her shaking arms to her chest to feel the fluff. This was what they dreamed of becoming, dreamed of being. It was as if the warm feelings that had been trapped within for so many years finally burst out from her chest, washing away all the pain, the doubts and fears away, allowing for an overwhelming happiness to finally take hold. The beautiful woman in the mirror, who had long haunted Jax's dreams was finally free, and it was her.

"P-Pomni." Jax slowly turned her head towards her friend.

"Yeah?" Pomni said with a bright smile.

"This... this isn't a dream, is it? I'm not gonna be made fun of by everyone and wake up like before, am I?" Jax gritted their teeth, their eyes shinning from the amount of tears inside.

"No Jax, you're not asleep, and nobody is going to make fun of you."

Pomni reached out, offering to hold their hand. Instead, Jax let out another wave of tears and embraced Pomni with the strongest hug they could give. The sounds that filled the room could only come from someone who had been in great pain for so long, and then finally being able to release it all at once. Pomni comforted the shaking rabbit.

"There there, I'm here for you."

~~~

Knock knock knock

"Pomni, are you Okay in there." Scaring the shit out of the two was none other than everyone's favorite worry wart and people pleaser: Ragatha.

Both Pomni and Jax looked at each other with wide eyes, it must be morning as the two spent the entire night together.

"Y-YEAH! I'M GOOD RAGATHA!" Pomni called out to Ragatha, hoping to God that she would just walk away.

Instead, the door knob began to turn as Ragatha began to enter the room. With as much speed as the two could muster: Jax dove under the bed to hide while Pomni kicked the overalls under there as well. Just in time too as Ragatha opened the door and looked inside to find Pomni with her hands behind her back, acting as natural as possible.

"Are you sure? I heard someone crying really loudly just- uh..." She began to squint in confusion.

"Wha-wha-what is it? Can't you see I'm tying to get ready for today?" Pomni knew that even a smallest of push back would cause Ragatha to backtrack and move on... only this time, she didn't.

"Why are you wearing that?"

"What are you-" A small gasp escaped her lips as she realized she was still wearing the stupid outfit from Ribbits room. Her face turned a tomato red as she wanted to abstract right then and there. "...No reason."

Ragatha shook her head and was taken a back at her bizarre choice of attire. "Where did you even find that?"

Pomni drew a blank, she couldn't say it came from the theater or Ribbit's room, so she simply blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Uhhhh internet?"

"Is there-I don't- how could- it doesn't-" Ragatha was at a loss for words. "Sigh, It is way too early in the morning for this."

"Agreed, see you at breakfast?"

Ragatha stared at Pomni (who looked away the entire time) for a good few seconds before shaking her head. "I guess so." As she was closing the door, she looked back. "You know you can talk to me if-"

"Yeah I know, thank you." Pomni very directly.

Sighing, Ragatha closed the door and walked away. As soon as she did: Pomni rushed to the door to lock it. When the coast was clear, Pomni took off her hat and screamed as loud as she could into it. She couldn't believe that just happened, she was so embarrassed that she would rather crawl under her bed and die.

Speaking of her bed: Pomni could hear a faint giggle getting louder and louder. Jax was getting a kick out of all of this. Groaning, Pomni walked over to her bed and crawled under it to join her friend, being greeted by a familiar yellow smile.

"I think that went well~" The rabbit teased.

"Oh shut up, you hid the whole time."

"Well duhhh, I'm not going to let her see me wearing this and being all girly.... for now." Jax caught herself at the last second, making her look away in thought.

"Oh, Right.."

Jax sighed. "Listen, I have no idea when I'll be ready to come out to the others, and how I should do it. I just know it sure as hell won't be today."

"That's valid, especially with all the baggage attached. I won't judge you for taking your time." Pomni smiled as she reached out to hold one her friends hand.

"Yeah well... that's easier said than done. Most of the others still hate my guts."

"But they won't be mean to you do come out, especially not Zooble given they're trans too."

"You have a point, and I now know that I never want to look back." Jax reached out to hold the other hand, smiling lovingly. "I've never felt so happy in my life... and I want to be the girl that I was always meant to be." She brought Pomni closer to giver her an embrace. "And I have you to thank for everything."

"Heh, all I did was help a friend~"

Jax pouted. "Oh come on Pom Pom, am I really just a friend?"

Pomni giggled with a blush. "Well...I am bi~"

Jax's face turned a bright pink, having not expected to receive a serious answer to their flirtatious teasing.

O-Or you know, we can besUPER best friends!"

Jax shook their head and grinned. "Oh that just makes me ecstatic, totally thrilled." Jax said sarcastically before they both shared a laugh. As the giggling died down, the two stared at each other intimately. Finally, Jax broke the silence with a shy look. "Could... could I look at myself again for a bit longer, considering we were so rudely interrupted?"

"Of course."

The two got out from under the bed and stood in front of the mirror once more. Jax couldn't look away at their reflection, and neither could Pomni.

"I definitely want to try some new dresses to see how they look."

"Would you want me to find you another maid outfit?" Pomni said half jokingly.

"...Actually that sounds nice, thank you."

As time passed, Pomni looked back at their frog outfit, still embarrassed that Ragatha saw them wearing it. Although, the hat did look cute, and it gave Pomni an idea.

"Hey, you think this hat has a gimmick that would give me the power to jump really high?"

"Pffft, yeah sure, and I bet it would actually let you swim in the digital lake without drowning. "

Pomni ignored the sarcastic remark to set up her legs and position. Before Jax could question what the hell she was doing: Pomni leaped up to Jax's height and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Flushed like a school girl on prom night, Jax couldn't help but smile like a flustered dork, their ears cascading down like hair and dusted with the same pink blush. Pomni simply held the girls hand and winked.

"Love you honey bunny~"

Jax could not respond however, as the love drunk lady giggled with glee.

~~~

Some time has passed, and Jax's room is no longer the dark, depressing dump that it once was. The room is much livelier with flags and art (mostly Gangles) adorning the walls. The closet is filled with beautiful dresses, skirts, shorts, tops and even some boots. A vanity mirror taken straight from the dressing room replaces the old, broken mirror from before and there are even some vines and flowers from the swamp hanging up around the room. Finally, if one were to look at the dresser, they would see a collection of photos, all capturing the smiles and laughter of Jax and all of her friends. But sitting top them all were the two pictures Jax cherished most: the two pictures that defined her rough yet beautiful journey to womanhood.

And between them both flew a butterfly as shiny and beautiful as sunlight bouncing off the morning dew.