The sun rose from the stone-cold walls and shone onto the kingdom below, bathing the bees with the welcoming light of a new day. Golden rays cast from the top of Mondo Mountain to the lower lands of Swarm Town. The tightly packed hexagons homes slowly came to life as bees emerged from their housing to begin another line of work. But for a few young bees, it was their big day to find their purposes.
In one of the many houses, a Bubble bee sat at the window watching. She smiled upon the sun hitting her iridescent fur, shining like an aurora.
"Photon graces us with his presence once more." She then turned to look up at the stairway, sighing as she slowly walked up and opened the door to a room.
Inside was a young basic bee, still asleep after watching a movie whilst doing some note-taking. "Sunny, my dear, please wake up...today is the day." The basic bee slowly awoke upon hearing her mother's voice, then gasped as she realized she had nearly overslept the big day: the day she would receive a royal jelly and become a working bee. "I'm up! I'm up! What time is it?!"
The Bubble bee chuckled as she picked up the mess of papers, stickers, and pencils all over the floor, setting them into the drawer that sat next to the bed. "Relax, my dear, it's only the first hour of sunrise. You have all the time you need to get ready, and perhaps beat your friends, Quincy and Brock, to the academy. Now, how about you come downstairs? I've prepped sundried daisies and blueberry jam on beebread." With those words, the blue bee fluttered down the stairs and to the kitchen.
Sunny then looked out the window and smiled, running down the stairs and hopping onto the chair to devour some good breakfast, leaving not a single crumb in her wake before getting up in a haste to get all cleaned up. Once she was ready, she picked up her notebooks and pencils before walking to the door and turning to her mother.
"Don't be scared, Sunny, you will soon find your type. Let the royal Jelly help discover your purpose. I'm predicting you may be a Rascal bee, just because you are so mischievous with your father!" She watched her daughter smile before heading out the door and to the academy. The Bubble Bee turned towards a portrait of her, Sunny, and a Commando Bee. "Don't worry, Stanley, she's going to make us proud! I know it..."
Sunny flapped her wings as she flew towards the academy. She licked the corner of her lip as she zoomed towards the building, barely missing an elder Bumblebee who was coming home from a visit to Mother Bear. "Sorry, Ms. Hilda!" She yelled out, yet no reaction was given from the Bumblebee. Shaking it off, she continued to zone in on the academy, getting the feeling that she'll beat her best buddies to the door. In a split second, she touched the base and grabbed the doorknob with a smug grin. "Hah! Take that, Quincy! You too, Brock, looks like Sunny wins this...time...?"
The door opened up to another Basic Bee, one with a more rounded appearance. He chuckled at Sunny, who, in turn, had a face of defeat. "Sorry, Sunny, but it looks like I'm getting the Gold medal once again! But hey! At least Brock isn't here yet, so Silver is not too shabby!" Quincy mocked as he strutted past the female Basic Bee. "Don't get too sour, Sunny. Besides, today's the day we get to see what bee we will become!"
Sunny scoffed as she walked alongside Quincy inside the building, admiring the structure she had been studying in once more. "Just for the many times you had beaten me and Brock, I wouldn't be surprised if you turned out to be a Hasty Bee..." She then came up to two large doors that lead to the auditorium, walking in to meet up with multiple other basic bees, all awaiting the same goal of becoming a different bee and contributing to the kingdom with their skills.
"Hey, Sunny! Over here!" Quincy called out as he found a good seat for her and Brock to settle down. He looked at all the bees in the room, gazing at them in awe at the sea of just black fur with yellow stripes. "This is crazy, soon this room will change from black and yellow to a multitude of colours!"
"I do wonder, what will I become...I hope I get something beneficial. I know my mother is counting on me."
Whilst the two were admiring the scenery, they were interrupted by the presence of another Basic bee coming to sit with the duo.
"Sorry I'm late, my parents wanted a few photos of me so I can look back at when I'm still a basic bee...goodness, if my mother could just cut off with the flash on the cameras, it's irritating...anyway, how are you two?"
Quincy chuckled as soon as Brock finally joined them. "Doing great, buddy! Sunny and I were just discussing what we would become once we take those royal jellies."
As the three were chatting, they were interrupted by the sound of someone telling them all the quiet down.
The audience all went silent with the exception of whispers, as a Diamond Bee walked onto the stage with a microphone. "Welcome, basic bees, we are so excited to bring you all here for the ceremony of the royal Jelly. With these jars containing a special treat that is capable of reshaping your bodies into a specific bee type depending on your personality, style, and interests, we shall call you by row to claim your royal jellies!"
Sunny watched the rows of basic bees slowly make their way down to the stage, as soon as they take their royal jellies, their bodies began to change into another bee type. Soon, the row Sunny and her friends would be called up to.
Quincy made his way up to the stage. He outstretched his front forelimbs and held the jar; he then ingested the contents inside of it before he slowly began to change. His fur turned white with blond stripes on his body; his wings looked sharper, and his face had changed. "Hah! Sunny! You were right! I'm a Hasty Bee!" Proud of his new form, he then returned to his seat, watching his other buddies take their jellies.
Brock was up next. He took his jar and took the contents inside. He looked at himself, believing that he didn't change until the Diamond Bee handed him a pair of yellow safety goggles. Upon putting them on, he then came to the realization he had become a Demo bee.
Now it was Sunny's turn. She eagerly stepped onto the stage, took the royal Jelly, and stared down at the viscous blue liquid. Without a second's hesitation, she gulped it down and struck a pose as she awaited her newfound form. But what she was met with was silence before the diamond bee began to speak.
"Young Basic bee, it appears you hadn't transformed from the royal Jelly...this could possibly be bad news for you. Here, let's try another in hopes this was just a minor setback; we have plenty."
Sunny was handed another royal jelly; she then gulped down its contents. Once again, nothing had changed on the basic bee. No sign of any different color, nor the feeling of a new ability developing. She then looked around the whole room, feeling Panicked about what was wrong with her.
The other bees waiting and already royal jellied began talking to one another; many had the same word echo in between sentences: "Stucker."
"I fear this may happen in every clutch of eggs this year...one or two of you will be unable to become a new bee...I'm sorry, young one, you are deemed a Stucker...a basic bee who is unable to be royal jellied...please see me after the ceremony so-." But before the Diamond Bee could finish her sentence, Sunny had run out of the auditorium.
The other bees began to talk about their peer. "She's a Stucker." "Poor girl," "what exactly happens to Stucker?" "I heard they get fed to Coconut crab or Mondo Chick..."
Quincy and Brock were heartbroken to know what had happened to their good friend; both of them agreed to leave, slowly sneaking out of the ceremony to find Sunny.
"Sunny! Sunny please! Come back!" Quincy flew around the building, zipping with his new speed across the halls. He then noticed the sound of doors opening to the outside. He pushed the doors open and looked around. "Sunny! We aren't going to hurt you!" Brock followed behind him, clearly slower as he tried to catch up with his friend.
Sunny, on the other hand, had hidden above the entrance. She felt horrible to know she was the lowest of the bee classes. How could she tell her mother the news? What will happen to her in the future?
She flew aimlessly around town. feeling like it's all downhill from here. She then heard the sound of cheering in the distance. Upon inspection, she saw bees gathering around the fountain area of the town.
"The Buoyant Bee is in town!" "It's that time again? Goodness, Photon brings us blessings!" "Do you think he is gonna pick someone to go up on stage again?" "Who knows, perhaps it may be you!"
Sunny decided to check out the event, knowing that the Buoyant Bee is known to brighten up anyone's day without fail.
"Red and blue bees! Colorless ones, too! Tonight we have our greatest performers! The prince of balloons! Presenting Roger the buoyant bee!!"
Soon, a giant balloon inflated in the middle of the stage. It then popped to reveal a very elderly, buoyant bee who wore quite a classy yet colorful outfit. "Good evening, bees of all colors and types~ now, I'm sure many of you had grown up with me coming around town to bring joy...unfortunately, with my age, I am unable to perform as I used to...but do not fret, this year, we have a new mythic from the royal Jelly ceremony...I like to present to you all, Bumper!"
A Buoyant Bee, the same age as Sunny, walked up and stood in front of Roger; he waved at everyone and took off his hat to grab a balloon from inside like magic. "Hello everyone!! I'm here to continue the legacy of Roger! Now, let's get this party started!"
The bees looked up at Bumper and watched as he did a few tricks, handing out balloons to the youngsters and bringing a smile to the most angry of rage bees. Soon, Bumper was prepared to do the trick with a participant, as always.
"Alright, everyone! Looks like we're at that trick again! Let's see a show of hands to see which lucky bee will be coming up onto the stage?" Bumper looked at the crowd with, scanning who would be the one to come on up. His eyes soon zoned in on a very shy basic bee in the crowd. He recognized her as the Stucker. Knowing she most likely is feeling the most down, he pointed his hand at her in an attempt to bring her up and make her day.
Sunny froze, noticing the Buoyant bee was pointing at her, she looked slightly hesitant before the bee then picked her up and set her on the stage. She looked at the crowd in a nervous manner, getting that feeling that she had when she was declared a Stucker in front of so many bees.
"Psst, hey, ignore anyone who calls you a Stucker, clearly they are just jealous you are perhaps the rarest of bees! You never change because you are wayyyy too perfect! And the royal Jelly knows it!" Bumper placed a hand on Sunny whilst giving her a bright grin to let her know it's going to be okay.
"I haven't gotten your name. Care to share?"
Sunny hesitated for a moment before she then declared her name in front of Bumper. "My name is Sunny..and yes..I...I'm a Stucker...yet..why are you being so kind to me? Is it because you're a Buoyant bee or a mythic?"
Bumper laughed, patting Sunny's shoulder as he then grabbed a bunch of balloons and created a makeshift hot air balloon. "Perhaps it is because I am a Buoyant bee, but everyone knows Buoyant bees are very humble and love to make bees' day! A lotta Mythics are such meanies...so much ego and babbling about their work being so important...except Fuzzy and Tadpole bees, they are as sweet as blueberry smoothies! Now, are you ready for the ride of a lifetime?"
Sunny nodded as she then hopped into the basket of the balloon, slowly, it began to lift to the sky and rose high above the clouds. She could see the peak of Mondo Mountain and its buildings, admiringly, something she would most likely never see in her life. "It's so beautiful...it's.. huh? What is that..?" She then looked to see a glimpse of something beyond the walls, which looked to be a forested area and a large body of water. "Hey! Bring me down! I saw somethi-" as she called out for anyone below, she felt a tug as the balloon was violently being pulled down from above.
Below, a group of Commando bees was forcing the balloon down. "Apologies for ruining your stunt, Bumper, but we forbid anyone to fly above the wall's height. Event Bee orders, we will have you report to them."
Bumper looked down in embarrassment, having to cut the performance short as he was forced to speak with the Event bees about the stunt. "Sorry, Everyone, the show will need to be cut short. Don't worry, I'll come back next week!" His smile faded as he then flew to Mount Mondo.
Soon, Sunny was finally back on the ground. Knowing the show is over, it's best she goes home and tells her mother the sad news of her royal jelly situation.
Upon reaching her home, she spotted her mother speaking with the Diamond Bee from the school. Once the Diamond bee left, her mother then turned to look at Sunny with tears in her eyes. "Mother...please I...I'm sorry..."
Slowly, Sunny's mother approached her and hugged her tightly. "Ohh, Sunny, please, don't be sorry. None of us could've thought this could happen. Don't worry, I won't leave you, I promise."
After the hug, Sunny returned to her room, skipping out on dinner for the night as she just stared outside the window to look at the gentle glow of the sunset and stars. She then received a call from her friend, Quincy. "Hello? Please, I just..."
"Listen, Sunny, we just want to comfort you, okay...I know it's hard to be a Stucker, but Brock and I promise we will make sure you live in joy and carefree. Just hold on, maybe things will get better for you soon enough."
Finishing the call, Sunny nodded and set down her phone. She got into bed and pulled the blanket over her, staring up at the ceiling as she slowly closed her eyes and began to drift off for the night.
Cut to Bumper, he had arrived at the HQ where the Event bees reside. He was met with the eyes of the other mythic bees, all giving him quite the hairy eyeball. "I'm ready to see them..."
The Mythics moved aside as the doors opened. A room with stained glass images of each Event Bee imprinted on it. Illuminated by these colorful windows were the silhouettes of said Event Bees, sitting at a table and staring down at the unfortunately Buoyant Bee. The Bee in the center then gestured for Bumper to come sit before he spoke.
"Now, you know why you are here: you have violated one of the rules of the kingdom. It is forbidden to go over the walls; they keep us safe from the dangers outside. Many bees had encountered horrible fates outside the kingdom."
Bumper looked down in sadness, nodding as he listened to what the higher-ups had to say about his stunt. "I apologize, sir. It will never happen again. I was new to my role as a Buoyant bee and wanted to make a Stucker happy."
The central bee then came out, revealing himself to be Photon Bee; his fur began glowing bright with disappointment as he then became stern to the young Bee. "We will let you off with a warning, Bumper. If you ever do violate the rules again, you will be placed in the dungeons. No bee should ever leave the kingdom, and it's for the best we keep it that way.