Chapter Text
TADC Deleted Scene: Aftermath of the Digital Hallucination
The heavy, distorted echoes of the music finally fade, leaving a ringing silence in the hallways of The Tent. The vibrant, patterned walls of the living quarters seem to pulse with a nauseating rhythm, mocking the girl who just tried to run through a thousand fake doors. Pomni is no longer running. She is hunched over, her jester hat drooping as she stumbles past the doors of Kinger and Zooble. She doesn't look at the mannequins on the unoccupied doors. She doesn't look at the "X" over Kaufmo’s face. She only sees the blurring colors of the carpet. With a shaky hand, she reaches her door—the one with her own wide-eyed face plastered on the icon. She slams it shut behind her.
Inside Pomni’s Room
The room is a nightmare of oversized wooden blocks and towering furniture, making her feel even smaller than she already is. Pomni doesn't sit on the bed. She collapses against the door, sliding down until she’s a heap of red and blue fabric on the floor.
Pomni: (Voice cracking, whispering to herself) "It’s not real. It’s a hallucination. Caine said it... the song said it... I’m just... I’m losing it."
She grips her head, her gloved fingers digging into her hair. Her eyes start to glitch, flickering between her standard pinwheel pupils and the jagged, black scribbles of someone on the verge of Abstraction. She wants it to happen. If she turns into a monster, maybe the world stops being a joke. Maybe the "exit" stops mattering if there’s no "her" left to walk through it.
Pomni: (Sobbing) "Just let me go. I don't want to be 'Pomni' anymore. I just want to... to stop."
The Confrontation A soft, hesitant knock thumps against the wood behind her head. Pomni flinches, pulling away from the door.
Ragatha (V.O.): "Pomni? Hey... it’s me. Ragatha. We—uh—we saw you run off after the whole... digital hallucination breakdown. Caine got a bit carried away with the music, didn't he?"
Pomni doesn't answer. She stares at the giant building blocks across the room.
Ragatha (V.O.): "Look, I know it’s hard. Seeing the Void... feeling like you’re stuck. But you’re not alone in there. Please, just open the door? We can go to the digital lake, or... or just sit here? Quietly?"
Pomni: (Screaming) "Go away! Just let me abstract! Leave me alone so I can finally leave!"
There’s a pause. Then, the sound of a heavy, bored sigh.
Jax (V.O.): "Alright, enough with the waterworks. It’s getting pathetic, even for a jester.”
Ragatha (V.O.): "Jax! Not now! She’s hurting!"
Jax (V.O.): "Yeah, yeah, she’s 'hurting' our ears. Look, kid, you’re not the first one to try and cry your way out of a headset. It doesn't work. Trust me, I’ve checked."
Pomni: "I'm not coming out, Jax! I’m locking myself in here forever!"
Jax (V.O.): "Funny thing about this place... Caine gave me the 'Grandmaster Key' back in Episode 2 because I told him I’d use it to 'organize the closets.' I lied."
The sound of a key sliding into the lock clicks sharply. The Door Opens The door swings inward, forcing Pomni to scramble backward on the floor. Jax stands there, twirling a golden key around his finger with a smug grin.
Behind him, Ragatha looks worried, her button eye twitching slightly. Further down the hall, Gangle is sobbing into her comedy mask, and Kinger is staring at a wall, vibrating.
Jax: "Nice decor. Very 'toddler-core.' Anyway, lunch is in the mess hall and Caine is threatening to make us do a 'digital talent show' if we don't find you. So, get up."
Ragatha pushes past Jax and kneels next to Pomni, reaching out but hesitating to touch her.
Ragatha: "He’s being a jerk, but... he’s right about one thing. You can't stay in here. The more you isolate, the faster the 'glitch' takes over. Stay with us. Please?"
Pomni looks up, her eyes still watery, looking at the ragdoll and the purple rabbit. The circus music starts to hum faintly in the distance—the never-ending loop of The Tent.
Pomni: (Quietly) "Does it ever actually get better?"
Jax: "Nope! But at least the food tastes like actual food. Mostly. Now move it, Newbie."
Jax turns and walks away, whistling the circus theme. Ragatha offers a hand. Pomni looks at it, then at the empty void of her own room, before finally reaching out.
The Digital Aftermath: Sanity and Solace
The heavy silence of the hallway is broken only by the sound of Pomni’s ragged breathing. Ragatha kneels on the colorful carpet, her felt hands gripping Pomni’s shoulders with a desperate, grounded strength.
Ragatha: "Pomni, look at me. Everything is going to be alright. Just stay with us... we can fix this. We’ll find a way to set things right, I promise."
Ragatha’s voice drops to a pained whisper, her button eye shimmering.
Ragatha: "I saw what happened before. I saw what happened to Jax when he was accused of being near Ribbit before he abstracted... I saw the arguments. Even Kaufmo knew... he knew he’d be gone if he stayed obsessed with that door. There is no way out, Pomni. It’s just us now."
Pomni’s head hangs low, her jester bells jingling softly as she shakes.
Ragatha: "If you listen to Caine, if we just do the adventures... it’ll be fine. Whether it's torture or not, it’s all the same. We stay sane. We hold onto our hearts. You’re a good girl, Pomni... stay with us."
Pomni collapses fully onto her knees, the weight of the digital world crushing her. She begins to sob, the realization of her situation finally breaking through the panic.
Pomni: (Choking out words) "If I... if I die now... what becomes of us? Do we just become those... those things in the cellar? Or do we just endure this forever?"
Ragatha doesn't answer with words. She pulls Pomni into a fierce, maternal hug, burying her yarn hair against the jester's hat.
Ragatha: "If we die, we die together. We hold onto our sanity—all hundred emotions of it—and we don't let go."
The Common Area: A Fragile Peace
Back in the center of The Tent, the atmosphere is thick with tension. The stage is empty, but the remnants of Caine's "Digital Hallucination" theme still seem to vibrate in the air.
Jax leans against a giant wooden block, tossing his master key up and down, though his usual smirk is gone. Gangle sits nearby, her tragedy mask fixed firmly in place, while Zooble paces, their mismatched limbs clicking loudly. Kinger is tucked into his robe, his eyes darting toward the hallway where the girls are.
Zooble: "We really put her through it this time, didn't we? The harassment, the song... it was too much."
Jax: "Caine’s the one who wrote the lyrics. I just provided the 'charming' backing vocals."
Kinger: (Twitching) "The walls... they remember the screaming. It’s bad for the collection. Very bad."
Suddenly, Caine pops into existence above the stage, his teeth clattering together. Bubble floats beside him, looking unusually still.
Caine: "Huzzah! Is the star of our show feeling more... 'integrated' yet? She’s going to love it here! Just as Pomni! We only want her to feel at home!"
Bubble: "Can we do the theme song again, Boss? I liked the high notes!"
Caine: (Waving a hand dismissively) "Not now, Bubble! The humans are... quiet. A rare and delicate state!"
The Return
Hours pass in a digital haze. The "sun" on one side of the grounds begins to dim as the "moon" prepares to take over. Finally, two figures emerge from the hallway.
Ragatha walks slowly, her arm wrapped firmly around Pomni. The jester is exhausted, her eyes closed as she walks in a trance-like sleep, her body leaning entirely on the ragdoll for support.
Gangle: (Whimpering) "Is she... is she okay?"
Ragatha: (Softly) "She’s resting. She’s staying."
As they reach the group, even Jax stops tossing his key. The circus members gather around in a silent circle, watching the girl who tried to leave, now finding the only peace she can in the arms of the friends she’s stuck with.