Chapter Text
The adventure backdrop was just what you'd expect—a busy desert decorated with little wooden infrastructures—rustic in a way only manual labor could accomplish. Cacti decorated the flat emptiness of the abandoned sandy wastes; the town the portal had brought them to was filled with roaming townsfolk dressed up in western attire. It's nothing but leather cowhide, boots, and clinking spurs as far as the eye could see.
Faceless mannequins, all of them, joints clicking as they made their way through the dusty street, but it did make the location feel more alive.
Pomni squinted as she looked up to the sky, birds circling a cloudless void of blue. The heat was present but not oppressive, the sun almost cartoonishly large as it hung in the afternoon sky.
Perhaps somewhere in Caine's data banks was a recollection of old western films and this was his own special spin on the concept. He yearned to be at his most creative at all times, but sometimes there was no escaping classic hallmarks of whatever genre he was emulating.
The adventure from the day before had taken place in the Arctic, some sort of fantastical interpretation of Antarctica with little talking penguins scudding about the icy landscape, so Pomni honestly welcomed the heat, a small bead of sweat manifesting on her brow and she turned to ensure everyone had come through the portal safely.
Just then, Pomni noticed the lack of a faint jingling when she moved her head, her hand brushing against a new hat entirely. "Hm?"
"Oh, would you look at that?" Ragatha said, pinching the ends of her ankle-length skirt, the same shade of blue as her usual patched-up dress, as if the asset had been recycled. Ragatha gave the skirt a swish, twirling on the tips of her toes. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting costumes."
Pomni's attire was a relatively standard outfit—straight-legged brown pants tucked into a pair of cowhide boots, her usual jester hat replaced with a standard cowboy hat that obscured her eyes from the sunlight.
It wasn't every adventure that Caine would put in the extra effort to give them corresponding costumes, so any wardrobe change always took Pomni off guard.
"I see I'm looking handsome as ever," Jax said, admiring himself in the reflection of a saloon window as he straightened the red bandanna around his neck. He suddenly noticed something on his hip, pulling out a metal tin.
"Cigars? Caine, you cheeky little s#%t…" Jax said, pulling a cigar from his pants and flicking open a shining silver lighter that came from his other pocket.
Zooble made a face.
"Shut up, can't you see I'm getting into character?" Jax replied, popping the cigar between his lips and taking a few experimental puffs. He swallowed back a cough, the corner of his eye watering.
"Yup," he said, his voice strained. "I could get used to these bad boys. You guys want one? Maybe it'll help ya lighten' up for once."
Gangle nervously fiddled with the ribbon on the front of her pink pioneer dress. "N-no, I'm fine."
"Cigars are tacky," Zooble replied, their vest baring a large gold star making them resemble a sheriff. "I've smoked better things."
They took a moment to observe their surroundings. Even if they were impressed, their tone and expression suggested otherwise.
"He can make cigars, but a little cannabis is out of the question?" They muttered.
Gangle offered a shrug. "Maybe he doesn't know how to make it?"
"But he can make all this?" Zooble said, gesturing to the richly detailed environment. "I call bulls%#t."
"The Ruckus at Rainbow Ranch," this particular adventure was dubbed, an old west-themed exploration of a whimsical desert. The task at hand: to round up a bunch of missing horses that broke free from the titular Rainbow Ranch—simple enough.
Ragatha seemed particularly interested in this one this time around, and not in her usual thin facade of enthusiasm to appease her own sanity.
"Guys, I think I found our helper NPC," Ragatha said, pointing towards a mannequin chewing on a piece of straw between nonexistent teeth. They leaned against a barrel with arms folded, their covered wagon pulled by a giant stuffed animal resembling an oxen making them stand out amongst the pedestrians.
"Oh, thank goodness!" They said as they made their way over to the group, their voice making up for their quite literally wooden expression. "You must be the heroes our creator summoned to save our town."
"That we are, sir!" Kinger proudly exclaimed, one floating hand on his hip as he gave a confident tip of his hat.
"So, I take it we'll be rounding up your horses?" Zooble asked.
The NPC nodded, lowering their hat to their chest.
"Ah, yes, my beloved horses have broken loose, and I'll need your help retrieving them in time for the annual pony parade," they said, their tone somber. "They're all alone out there, lost and confused in this chaotic, dangerous place. I don't know what I'd do with myself if they ever got hurt."
"Ah, yes," Kinger said, nodding. "Though, I must admit, this town does look rather peaceful…"
"Looks can be deceiving, my friend," the NPC said. "Many a trial has plagued this land, and we look towards the help of kindly, brave citizens to set things right."
"Hmmm, the calm before the storm," Kinger said, nodding his head. He suddenly leaned down to whisper to Pomni. "Keep your eyes peeled, Pomni. I think this guy might be a suspect."
"I don't think that…" Pomni's voice trailed off as she made out a worn poster pinned to the wall of one of the wooden buildings, squinting past the NPC and the wagon.
The NPC, seeming to notice where her eyes were traveling, turned to acknowledge it.
"Oh, that old rascal," they said, then shook their head. "Definitely someone to look out for, that Gumigoo. He and his little duo of knuckleheads have been nothing but trouble."
"Does he have anything to do with your horses going missing?" Pomni asked.
"Hmmm, not to my knowledge, but I wouldn't completely dismiss it."
The NPC reached behind them, producing a copy of the poster from an invisible pocket and handing it to Pomni. "But do take this with you on the off chance you find that scoundrel. You might just get a hefty reward."
"To buy what, exactly?" Zooble asked, looking over Pomni's shoulder and skewing their brow at the promise of a ten-thousand-dollar reward for Gumigoo's capture.
"Well, we'll look into it," Pomni said as she slipped the poster into her vest pocket. a weird flutter in her chest at the mention of seeing someone so similar in an otherwise entirely different adventure, but she wouldn't get too excited.
It was like Ragatha had said back at Spudsy's, how Caine tended to reuse NPCs that had their memories wiped for the sake of immersion—but mostly just to keep anyone from shattering the NPCs' shallow realities.
Pomni had made that mistake with Gumigoo and had to watch her first friend who was as lost and confused as she was die right in front of her in a violent explosion of confetti. But Gumigoo wasn't dead, simply because he couldn't die. He had just been reset—reused and recycled.
If she did come across him, this would just be one of his many iterations, maybe because Caine could only make so many cowboys.
For a second, Pomni could feel Ragatha's eyes on her, but Ragatha had averted her gaze just as quickly.
"Well, we'd best get going!" she said. "Who knows what dangerous things could be out there?"
"'Dangerous' is right," the NPC said, then looked off into the distance. "I'd go look for them myself, but my dear old grandmother is terribly ill. She's become just so sickly ever since the horses went missing."
Pomni forced a smile. If this character even had a fully rendered grandmother was questionable at best.
"Oh, that's too bad," she said. "We'll make sure she gets better soon."
"Your concern is deeply appreciated. I'm sure she'd be overjoyed to meet her saviors," the NPC said. "When you're done, report to my ranch right up on that hill. Come, I can take you to somewhere where the horses just might be."
The wagon ended up being the perfect size for everyone to fit, the NPC grabbing the reins before snapping them in one quick motion and pressing forward.
"Wow," Ragatha said, hands clasped together. "This really takes me back."
"You've ridden in one of these before?" Pomni asked.
"Oh, I should explain! I used to attend these little pioneer festivals back when I was a kid," Ragatha said. "I'd dress up and ride ponies and churn butter—I guess you could say I'm a little nostalgic."
"Well, then I guess this adventure really suits you," Pomni said.
Her and Ragatha are close enough to brush up against each other's legs up in the front, Gangle sitting beside them.
"Ugh, I must sound like such a little country girl," Ragatha said, then laughed softly. "Maybe a part of me has just always been drawn to that humble lifestyle despite how I grew up. I spent so much of my life around animals, even digital ones can get me all sentimental."
"Especially horses," Pomni added, glad that Ragatha returned her half-smile.
"Especially horses," she replied.
"Oh, I think I see some!" Kinger pointed ahead to four horses frolicking along the sandy banks, curiously sniffing at cacti.
The horses themselves were quite adorable—big plushy things much like the ox pulling the wagon with button eyes and manes made of woven yarn. They stared blankly into the distance if they weren't happily trotting around or munching on what little grass was available.
"Ah, I had a feeling they'd be here," the NPC said. "As much as I would like to help, I'm afraid I've already spent too much time away from my grandmother and must get going. Good luck on your mission, Grandma and I are counting on you."
The six of them exited the wagon as quietly as possible and watched as the NPC made their way back to the ranch. "And if all else fails," they said as they took their leave. "Remember the cardinal directions."
The closest horse, back still turned, didn't seem to register that they had arrived, making it easier for them to hide behind an awfully convenient overturned wooden cart.
"Now, how do we approach this?" Pomni whispered. She searched the small bag on her hip to see if there was anything of use. The cart had a small selection of supplies for surviving the desert and wrangling up the horses, but none of which seemed particularly useful right now.
"If we all rush in at once, it'll just get scared," Gangle said, her voice also low. "Maybe we should—"
"Quiet, ribbons. Unless you let me use you as a lasso, your contributions aren't necessary," Jax said, rubbing his hands together. "Everyone just stand back, honey-glazed horse steaks are on the menu."
"Jax!" Ragatha shouted while still maintaining her volume. "We're supposed to be saving these horses, not eating them!"
"Besides, it's not like Caine gave us any weapons," Zooble added.
"What, you think I can't wrangle one of these varmints myself?" Jax said, noticeably puffing out his scrawny chest as he put on an unconvincing country accent.
"And watch you get kicked into the next town over?" Zooble said, shrugging. "Be my guest."
Jax scoffed, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. "You really think these walking stuffed animals are gonna put up a fight? Watch this…"
Ragatha made a low, irritated noise, reaching into her personal satchel to take out a carrot. "Listen, Jax, I know you're not one to take any instructions, no matter how life-saving, but I think we need to—"
"YEE-HAW! Come here, you four-legged freak!" Jax leaped over the cart, speeding his way towards the horse with arms outstretched. The horse immediately turned to acknowledge the incoming assault, letting out a frightened noise before sending a kick into Jax's chest that sent him hurtling towards the ground.
The sound was loud enough to carry across the field, the other three horses off in the distance noticing the distress and scurrying off into different directions.
"Way to go, Jax!" Zooble shouted.
"Ugh, one of you guys must have sneezed or something! I almost had 'em!" Jax said, still managing to complain even through the obvious pain in his ribs. He stumbled his way back up, expression sour as he dusted off his clothes. "Didn't anyone tell you that the way to catch a horse is to make yourself be bigger and scarier than they are…" he thought for a moment. "Or was that bears? Oh well."
"Oh, are we finding bears, too?" Kinger asked.
Zooble groaned, getting out of their hunched position. "Well, I guess we have no option now but to split up," they said. "Cardinal directions, or whatever. These guys couldn't have gone that far."
"We're dealing with six horses, right? So if we break off into groups of three, we can all focus on getting two," Pomni said. "We can find our share and then meet up at the ranch."
"Fine, fine…" Jax said. "Hey, Pom, you wanna—"
"Ragatha, how about we pair up?"
Ragatha looked genuinely surprised. "Y-you want to be on a team with me, Pomni?"
"Yeah," Pomni said. "I mean, you know more about horses than anybody else. I'm honestly kinda worried I'll just be dead weight—"
"No! Not at all!" Ragatha assured, then immediately grew flustered, nervously rubbing her arm. "I definitely don't mind."
Gangle pressed the tips of her ribbons together. "Zooble, do you think we could—?"
"You don't even have to ask," Zooble assured, then turned to Jax. "Jax, you're with Kinger."
"What?" Jax said. "Why do I have to get stuck with him?"
"Because you're the one who made our job a million times harder," Zooble said, Kinger himself too distracted by a trail of ants to know anyone was referring to him.
"And we'll probably make similar mistakes if we don't come up with some sort of strategy," Pomni said, then looked to Ragatha. "Ragatha, do you maybe have some advice?"
Ragatha seemed nervous to have this many eyes on her, playing with her hair with a sheepish smile.
"Well, I guess I could offer a few pointers," she said. "Digital or not, I think a realistic approach might be necessary if we wanna do this right."
"Booo! Boring!" Jax said. "Why are we listening to My Little Phony, again?"
"Jax, she has experience," Pomni said. "And I'd say we listen to what she has to say or get trampled trying."
"Which is exactly why you teamed up with her, isn't it?" Jax said, his usual grin growing through what looked like genuine irritation. "Trying to get the upper hand, are we?"
"One, it's not a contest. Two, if you didn't want me running off with her, you wouldn't have pulled that stunt back there just to complicate the adventure."
Jax let out a smug laugh. "'Running off with her!?' Get a load of this, everyone! Pom-Pom and Rags are gonna run off into the sunset together!"
Zooble put their hands on their hips. "Oh, am I detecting some jealousy, Jax?"
Jax scoffed, arms folded. "Jealous of the D#%e West? Not likely."
Zooble rolled their eyes. "That was lame even for you—"
"Guys, horses, come on," Pomni said, then turned to Ragatha. "Ragatha, the floor is yours."
"And, I'd say that's about it," Ragatha concluded. "Luckily for us, the reins and saddles are still attached, so riding them back to the ranch shouldn't be much of a hassle. We should be happy Caine gave us trained horses to work with here. Wild ones would have been a whole other story."
"Thanks, Ragatha," Pomni said.
"Yeah," Gangle added. "I actually learned a lot. You're really good at explaining things."
"We'd best get going before they get too far," Kinger said, then squinted off into the distance. "I think I may have heard some trampling over in the east. Come on, Jax! I've got a hunch!"
"I guess me and Gangle will head west," Zooble said.
"That leaves south for us," Pomni said, recalling the ranch's placement being up on a northern hill. The group dispersed from there.
"Jax sure seemed a little…upset that you chose to partner with me," Ragatha said once they got some distance. "You know, if you really wanted to, I wouldn't have stopped you."
"What? No way, of course I wanted to partner with you," Pomni said. "Also…well, the horses are kind of big and…"
"Oh…oh!" Ragatha said, then chuckled softly. "Oh, Caine, makes me wonder how he comes up with these avatar designs."
"Well, if anyone I trust to give me a boost, it's definitely you," Pomni said, to which Ragatha blushed fiercely.
"O-of course," she said. "Any time!"
Luckily, the walk wasn't too long, and the two were able to find their first horse kicking up some dirt with a plush hoof as it nervously observed its surroundings. If sniffed at some small patches of shrubbery, but looked otherwise unsatisfied with what little food was available.
"Ah, so you are hungry…Don't worry, Pomni, I'll handle this…" Ragatha said, beaming with a confidence Pomni had never seen before. She truly was in her element.
The horse made a low, fearful noise as it registered Ragatha's presence, standing its ground only for Ragatha to shrink herself down, hands out in front of her. "It's alright, buddy. I'm not gonna hurt you…" Like before, she reached for a carrot and held it out in front of her. "You look hungry, are you hungry?"
The horse looked pensive, but seemed at least intrigued by the food, slowly walking forward.
"It's working," Pomni whispered, watching as the horse came closer and sniffed the food a few times before taking it into its mouth.
"There you go, that's a good boy," Ragatha said. "Can I pet you?"
The horse seemed to give its approval with a lowered head, accepting Ragatha's gentle strokes. "See, Pomni, it's not too hard. You just have to be patient."
"Which means Jax is a total goner," Pomni said as Ragatha escorted the horse by the reins.
"We'll definitely be able to cover more ground if we ride him," Ragatha said. "Come on, I can help you up."
"I've, uh, never ridden a horse before. First time for everything, I guess," Pomni said, approaching the horse. "So, do I put my foot here or—Oh!"
Pomni made a surprised noise as Ragatha gripped her by the waist, giving her the extra push she needed to sit comfortably on top of the saddle. "Th-thank you,"
"No problem! Now…" Ragatha smoothly hopped on, slipping her foot into the stirrup and grabbing the reins before giving the horse an encouraging nudge. "Let's find your friends!"
Pomni yelped as the horse began to run ahead, instinctively wrapping her arms around Ragatha's waist. She pressed her cheek into Ragatha's back, eyes wedged shut in hopes of biting back the nausea.
Ragatha gave a soft laugh. "Bumpy, isn't it? You'll get used to it."
"I sure hope so!"
"You said something back in the bar about you living on a large property, right? With a bunch of horses?"
"Oh, yeah, I did, didn't I?" Ragatha said, still looking straight ahead as she gave the horse the silent order to slow its running to a slower, less frenzied trot.
"Well, what were they like?"
Ragatha gave an awkward laugh, slightly embarrassed.
"Ha ha, I didn't think anyone would ever ask me that. Well…" she began. "Chestnut was a bit stubborn, but could be so sweet and shy once you really got to know him. Butterscotch was super affectionate to everyone—maybe a little too eager at times to get to know people. Poor thing didn't know just how big she was. And Alfredo…well…"
"Alfredo?" Pomni let out a chuckle, which Ragatha returned.
"Yeah, if you saw him, you'd understand: all white with this long, blonde mane. Looked like a big 'ol bowl of pasta—he was my favorite."
"What was his personality like?"
"Hmm…unpredictable," Ragatha said. "He was a wild horse before he stumbled onto our property, actually."
"Oh," Pomni said. "He didn't prove to be a problem, right?"
"Mmm, at first," Ragatha replied. "He was a kicker…and a biter. I think he was just lost and hungry and neglected. Once I finally got to understand his triggers and what motivated him, I realized he was just distrusting of humans and needed someone to be gentle with him."
"Like, you think he was abused?"
"Possibly," Ragatha said. "Not like I could ask him. No one even came looking for him, but a part of me always assumed he had one or two bad altercations, like, maybe his old owners put him through hell. He had rope burns on his neck and these deep cuts along his body—how they got there haunts me to this day…"
There was silence for a moment, giving Pomni time to realize she was still holding on to Ragatha's waist despite the horse's slowed pace. She slipped her arms out of the embrace and awkwardly rubbed them through the cloth of her shirt.
"Yeah," Pomni said. "People can be b#%tards, even to animals."
"The worst kind of people," Ragatha said, some genuine bitterness to her voice. "And yet…I don't know if I did the right thing. I guess a part of me always wondered: was I limiting Alfredo's independence by trying to tame him at all? Like, was he happier being out in the wild or did I steal that freedom away from him by sanding off his edges?"
"Well, I think it's pretty cool you were willing to give him a home at all, Ragatha. Alfredo, he probably thought he'd never trust humans again, but you proved that he could. I mean, are we truly free if we're alone?" Pomni thought for a second. "Wait, does that even make sense?"
"N-no, I understand what you're saying!" Ragatha said. "And I guess I saw a lot of power in seeing I could tame something, you know, take some control. Even with my job, my family, I always felt like I was taking a backseat to it all, like none of my choices were ever mine."
Pomni nodded. "I've definitely been there," she said. "The whole 'not feeling in control' thing."
"And I can't imagine being in the Circus has helped with that."
Pomni chuckled. "You could definitely say that—Oh my gosh, I think I see one!"
Pomni pointed ahead of them, a horse off in the distance.
"Ah, there they are!" Ragatha said. "Good eye, Pomni."
As they approached, they noticed that the horse's reins were stuck on a cactus. It tugged furiously at its restraints, digging its hooves into the sand to no avail.
"Oh no, it looks like it's stuck. It's gonna hurt itself at this rate!" Ragatha said, dismounting from the horse. "I think I can—"
"No, I think I got this!"
"Are you sure? It looks awfully stressed."
"Don't worry, I learned from the best!"
Ragatha gave a shy smile, averting her gaze as she rubbed her neck. "O-oh, of course! Well, good luck! I'll be here if you need me."
Pomni made the short walk towards the trapped horse, steps slow and quiet. The horse, already frantic, tried to run only for the reins to hold it back.
"Shh, it's okay, calm down," Pomni said softly. She pointed behind her. "See your friend back there? We're just here to help."
The horse seemed indifferent, giving another stubborn tug at the reins in one last effort to get some distance.
"I get it, you're scared," Pomni said, now close enough to see in what ways the reins had gotten coiled in the cactus. "I'm also much more scared than you are, if I'm being honest. But I'll help you if you help me, just stay still…"
Pomni reached for the reins, careful to avoid the sharp spines that narrowly grazed her exposed skin. It was hard to avoid them altogether, pricking herself once or twice, but otherwise getting the reins out with little problem. "There we go,"
The horse shook out its mane and blew some air through its nostrils before staring down at Pomni. Its expression seemed nonplussed, though certainly more relaxed.
"See, you're free," Pomni said. "But I'm gonna need you to behave while I take you back to the ranch, okay?"
The horse offered its silent, stubborn approval with a slow blink, dragging its feet as Pomni led it forward, but moving regardless. Knowing that trying to hop on would work it into a frenzy, Pomni settled on carefully guiding it forward, getting back to Ragatha who was offering a congratulatory clap.
"Oh my God, that was wonderful, Pomni!"
"Just following your advice," Pomni said. "Do you think they'll let me ride them?"
"Nothing a carrot and some petting won't fix."