Chapter 27: A Real Starr[]
The next day Pouchy and the others found themselves standing before the exterior of a medium sized restaurant. It was colored with warm shades of brown bricks, adorned with various hints of orange as well as a spinning metal cat atop the roof. Pouchy’s eyes sparkled optimistically. “Woah! Look at this place!” Brad peeked out of the Pouch, wheezing slightly. “Doesn’t look too promisin’.”
“Oh, don’t be like that, Brad!” Pouchy giggled joyously. “I think it looks amazing! And, besides, I bet that the food is even better!” Spectacles adjusted his glasses, sighing softly. “U-Um.. do you think they’ll have coffee..? I-I’m.. Still pretty tired..”
“Well, why don’t we find out, Specks!” Pouchy rushed into the restaurant with Spectacles, accompanied by the ringing of a bell that hung above the door. The atmosphere inside the restaurant was calm and welcoming. The floor was a sleek, light orangish-brown color and the walls were the same, darker shades of brown as the bricks outside. There were various chairs and tables set up around, outfitted with various scratching posts of differing colors. Additionally, there was a speaker in the corner, and beside it, a group of different-outfitted Tabby Bees who were playing various instruments. One held a shining golden guitar and had old, white fur roping across his head and face. Another held a microphone and was singing beautifully. And the final played on a keyboard piano, wearing his fur in a manner that covered up his face.
Pouchy hovered around the restaurant swiftly, nearly bouncing off of the walls. Suddenly, he got caught by a worker. He was an average sized Bear, dressed up in a uniform resembling a Tabby Bee. His eyes were so baggy they almost looked matted shut, and the placement of his mouth made it almost look like oozing slime. He spoke in a crackly, nasally and unenergetic voice, lingering on words longer than necessary. “I’d suggest you sit at a table if you want food.” Pouchy nodded happily. “Right on, Mr..” He read the nametag on the Bear’s uniform, his grin returning upon noticing it. “..Ralph! Nice to meet you!”
Ralph sighed annoyedly, directing the group towards their seats as the Band continued to play. He spoke softly to himself. “(Wish I could say the same..)” He grumbled. Eventually, he slumped over exhaustedly, pulling out two menus and handing them to Pouchy and Spectacles with a scowl stretched across his annoyed face. “There’s your menus. I’ll be back in a moment once you’ve made up your minds. For now, stay put. Please.” He walked off and towards another Tabby Bee who seemed to be dressed in a black and white uniform. Pouchy heard the word “Dice” uttered in reference to the Tabby Bee. Pouchy heard Ralph’s signature bored tone, but not a ‘thank you' uttered in response from the customer. Ralph’s expression changed for a brief moment to something more sad.
Spectacles took off his glasses, rubbing them with his wing as he placed them back on his face, looking down at the menu as he spoke. “W-What was that guy’s problem..?” Pouchy shook his head, shrugging. “Dunno, Specks! Though, I don’t know how hard working here is.. I’d say it seems pretty fun!” Spectacles laughed. “W-Well you think everything is fun, Pouchy..”
“Not dressing up!” Spectacles looked down knowingly, eyeing the various options of food. “W-Well that’s one thing in an ocean of things that you do like..” He looked down at the menu, eyeing an option called “Peppered, Pickled, Fish Fins”. He looked up at Pouchy, his eyes moving to and fro the menu. “Are y-you noticing something about this menu?”
Pouchy shook his head confusedly. “I mean it all seems good, but.. No, not really!” Spectacles pushed up his glasses. “It’s all.. Protein and fish and stuff..” He paused for a moment as it eventually clicked. “Oh.. That makes more sense.. T-They’re carnivores.. Well, I guess it’ll be the first time for b-both of us, yeah?”
Pouchy nodded, grinning. “Yeperoo! I think-” He suddenly got cut off as Ralph’s depressing voice spoke up once more. “Orders. Please, don’t make this a lengthy process.” Pouchy looked on the menu, smiling as he looked up at Ralph. “I’ll have a.. Fried Cod! Oh, and..” He opened up the Pouch, whispering into it. “Some cheesy beans!”
Ralph nodded exasperatedly. “And you?” He gestured towards Spectacles. “O-Oh, um.. Just some Cheesecake, please.. A-And some coffee, if it isn’t too much trouble..” Ralph nodded, not returning the manners. “(Coffee? For a little baby? That’s.. strange.)” He straightened up his uniform as he walked into the back portion of the restaurant.
“(That kid is too much. The other is okay, I guess. But that one.. He’s just.. Too happy. Ugh. Why does everybody have to be so energetic? Don’t they also have things to do? Things to be upset about? The world isn’t cupcakes and sunshine. It’s.. Garbage and more garbage.)” Ralph paused as he saw a chef standing in front of him, hands on their hips. “Oh. Sorry. Fried Cod, Cheesy Beans, Cheesecake, coffee, and canned sardines. Oh, and about eight glasses of milk.” He walked away as the chef took the order, leaning against the counter exhaustedly. He rolled his eyes in annoyance at hearing Pouchy’s cheerful voice. “(Too happy.)”
Eventually, the food had arrived. Ralph came along, handing the plates to Pouchy and Spectacles with a grimace stretched across his face. Pouchy’s face sparkled with glee, as he spoke incredibly fast. “Oh thank you so much, Mr. Ralph! These look amazing!” Ralph looked a bit stunned for a moment, his eyes widening incredulously. He twitched back into position as his face resumed its depressed demeanor. “There you go. Fried Cod on a stick, Coffee, Cheesecake with strawberries.. And cheesy beans. And, if you feel like having seconds..” He smirked slightly. “Please hesitate to ask.” He then turned around, laughing to himself as he walked away from the group and towards the “Dice” Cat from before, handing him the eight glasses of milk and sardines. Muffled sobs could be heard.
Meanwhile, Pouchy looked hungrily at the food. The fried cod was a quaint meal; simply being a fish that still resembled its shape quite well, encased with crispy breading, stretched atop its surface like wrapping paper, and adorned with various different spices and ground peppers. Spectacles looked at his meal; a small serving of cheesecake, the strawberries of which were positioned perfectly to resemble small cat ears. Next to the cheesecake, the coffee stood, steaming repeatedly. And, across from that lay the cheesy beans; a combination of pinto and black beans sprinkled with pepper and lathered in melted sharp cheddar.
“Let’s dig in, guys!” Pouchy took a bite of the cod as Spectacles cut off a small piece of the cheesecake with a fork. “Oh, right.. here ya’ go, Brad!” He opened the Pouch up, more firmly this time, as Brad reached and grabbed the bowl of beans. “Thanks.” He said, wheezing lightly.
Meanwhile, at the spot the band was playing, a Tabby Bee began to shuffle, speaking to himself as he tucked his golden glistening guitar behind him. Something had filled the air after Pouchy opened the Pouch. Something familiar to him. “(What is that?)” He paused. “(The Map?)” He looked around the diner, the peculiar feeling becoming more intense as he glanced at Pouchy and Spectacles.
“(How strange.. How long it has been since I have felt this.. What is the meaning of it?)” Piper, the female Tabby holding the microphone, stared at him with an amused expression. “What’ve you put your instrument up for?” Jasper, the one holding the guitar, spoke up. “It’s difficult to explain, Piper. But I feel something I cannot quite describe. Something familiar, spiritual..”
Piper whispered over to Max, the Tabby with fur covering his face, snickering slightly. Jasper stared at the both of them, smiling lightly under his wrinkled eyes. “Oh, you two think I am silly and old, do you not? You’ve said it. Everyone else has, too. And if silly is equated with the truth, then suppose I am. But you must know. These Bees, and countless other things I myself believe in, are true..” Piper put a hand on her hip, raising an eyebrow in doubt. “You really think so? Some mystical Bees are at work?” She coughed in frustration. “I don’t mean to insult you, Jasper. But these thoughts are just silly. A Bee controlling the wind? And the sun? Why, the only thing I’ve even heard come close would have to be Cobalt. And.. And that’s a stretch. We play music, Jasper. We don’t make crazy theories.”
“I suppose you two will see in due time. Apart from that, I must get to moving.” Max’s tail swished around as he continued playing the piano, staring at Jasper intently. He spoke quietly, barely above a whisper. “Jasper, why? We need you over here. There is nothing in that silly old brain that is true.”
“That is merely what you think,” Jasper spoke, adjusting his guitar behind himself as he moved his wings to fly off of the stage. “I, as my own person, even in my old years, think my own thoughts. And there is no guarantee that some of them aren’t silly or absurd. But, what I can guarantee however, is that what I am speaking of is true.”
Piper sighed silently, continuing to sing before stopping. “Whatever. Just.. do it quickly, won’t you? We have to keep this up.” Jasper flew off of the stage, landing beside Pouchy and Spectacles and holding his guitar behind him as he spoke. “Hello, children. My name is Jasper. I am the guitarist here. How are you today?” Pouchy grinned, holding Spectacles close to himself. “We’re great! Just enjoying some,” He paused, taking a bite of the fried fish. “Amazing food!”
“Why, I am doing rather well too.” He stared at the Pouch for a moment, laughing to himself. He caught an extremely light green tint glowing throughout the fibers; invisible to all else, but something he could recognize from anywhere. “Tired, yes. But I am so old. You cannot judge your days by how well you feel physically, you know? You must go off of how you feel.” He enunciated the last word.
“Say, would you mind if I took a seat here?” Pouchy shook his head. “Go ahead! I like to talk! And.. Specks does too.. sometimes!” Jasper laughed heartily. “You’re a silly Bee, you know that? So energetic and happy. The type of grandkid I wished I had.” He stood in place for a moment as he realized his question had been answered.
“Very well,” Jasper paused, taking a seat as he adjusted the strap on his chest to move the guitar around. “I apologize for being so sudden. I truly do. But.. Why is it that you three have visited this Diner? Why, it.. It has been a long, long while since I have seen another Bee beside a Tabby visiting this diner.” Pouchy smiled, pulling the Map out of his Pouch. “Well, we’re looking for all the Event Bees! We just got out of a, uh.. Complicated situation, so.. We thought we’d take it easy and get some food! Still, pretty tired..”
Jasper stared at the Map for a long while, just barely taking his eyes off of it. He laughed. “Tired, are you? Why I have just the remedy for that.” He reached into his guitar, pulling out two treats. They were tinted a light green, and had a fluorescent green shiny paste stretched out on them in the face of a cat. “They’re something we Tabby Bees make. Only we know how to make them. They, well.. It’s hard to be subtle. They give you energy.”
Pouchy’s eyes sparkled as he reached for a treat, nearly popping it into his mouth before Spectacles caught him. “(Y-You aren’t going to just eat treats from a random stranger, are you?)” Pouchy nodded, inching the treat closer to his mouth as he spoke with it open. “(Yeah, why?)”
Spectacles exhaled in disappointment. “(Do you even know this guy? H-He.. He’s just some random old guy..)” Pouchy grinned, gesturing over to Jasper who threw a couple into his mouth, crunching them loudly. “(Need I say more, Specks?)” Spectacles sighed, taking his wing off of Pouchy as he took the treat himself and ate it. He then took a small bite off of his cheesecake with the fork and took a silent sip of his coffee.“Hey, uh- Jasper?- Would it be a problem if we had one more treat? For the road!”
Jasper laughed, tossing Pouchy another treat before he placed the guitar behind him. “Thanks!” He spoke with his mouth full. “Now, as I was saying, me and my buddies are on a quest to find the Event Bees! So far, we’ve found Windy, Photon, Crimson, Cobalt, and we’re currently looking for a Gummy Bee!” He showed the Map once more. Jasper’s expression stiffened at the mention of the familiar order of Bees and he sat still for a moment. “Hm. You believe as well?”
“Um.. Yeah, why wouldn’t we?” Jasper shook his head, staring at his guitar longingly. “Oh, it’s nothing to do with you two. It is just.. Rare to find somebody who believes in them so strongly. Especially nowadays.” He coughed, looking backwards at Piper and Max. “I suppose it is.. Only natural to believe in something you have met. That is why most others do not believe. But, sometimes.. You just know things are true.”
“And..How.. Peculiar.. Why, my friend used to have a similar map.” He stopped. “Oh, why I apologize.. I neglected to ask for your names. How rude of me! So.. What are they?” Pouchy smiled. “Well, mine’s Pouchy, and… That’s my best friend Spectacles back there! Well, there is a third, but.. He’s asleep right now, so..”
“It is nice to meet you all. It.. is strange. I remember somebody. Somebody with bright hopes. He carried a Map around, much like the one nestled in your Pouch. I saw it; the wonderful green illuminating my fur. Tell me, is this the same one?” Pouchy reached into his Pouch, pulling out the Map. Jasper looked over it more intricately, recognizing the unique composition even more up close. “Why.. It is the same one.. But how? How is it back? Why, it is impossible.. It is just as rare to find those who believe in the Bees.”
“Oh.. Yeah, our friend told us about it.. That’s part of why we’re even on this quest!” Jasper laughed, scratching on the scratching post as though tapping his nails. “I respect your endeavors. Belief in the Event Bees is truly a dying art.”
“Why, most people do not. He, however.. He did. He knew it well. He spoke about his travels to me. He had faced Bees of the wind, Bees of the sun, Bees of red and blue.. Much like you three. And yet, upon the final portion of his adventure, it all came tumbling down, as if the foundations that had held it all along, had shattered to bits.” Pouchy rubbed his fur, speaking inquisitively. “Um.. Who is “Him” exactly?”
“He? Oh. I’m surprised you’ve yet to hear of him. His name was Gray. Oh, it was a long time ago. He was a Beekeeper. From the Mountain, I believe it was.. Yes, the Mountain. That honey place. That’s all most know it for. He had a great group of Bees accompanying him. I recall most of them being Lion Bees. A few Spicy Bees sprinkled in.” Pouchy’s eyes sparkled with interest, holding his wings against his face incredulously. “You.. You knew that guy? We’ve just heard about him before!”
“So you do know who I am speaking of?” Pouchy nodded hurriedly. “Yeah! So many people have talked about him.. Though, we’ve.. Never actually.. Heard too much about him besides that incident thingie.. What was he like, anyway?” Jasper paused, chuckling as he looked back at his guitar before turning forward. “He was something, I’ll say that. Very confident. In himself, and his Bees. Though, I cannot say that he knew of them individually as do others. He was.. Detached, in a way.”
Pouchy raised an eyebrow, propping his wing up on the table as he took a bite of the fried fish, finishing it off. “What does that mean?” Jasper chuckled slightly, looking down at the guitar nestled in the chair he was setting in. “It means that he.. Didn’t properly understand things. Disconnected from them. Oh, I recall it now. A long, long way back. He came to this diner.. He was tired, oh so very tired. It was raining that day. Pouring. Uncharacteristic of around here, that’s for sure. I was just getting started with guitar, and was very insistent on practicing it. It wasn’t long before we found ourselves in a conversation. It was strange. He could understand me. I asked him why, and he showed me the Map you are now holding within your wings.”
“The Map.. can do that? I guess.. I guess we never really knew ‘cause of..” Jasper looked at him, chuckling vaguely as he scratched on the table’s scratching post with noticeable volume. “Oh, right. You two have translators I am guessing? Now that’s a funny situation. Boy, they sure did get those out fast. I sure wish they would’ve had them when I was growing up. But, of course, if things were so easy.. I probably wouldn’t have met Gray. See, there’s good to be found in everything. It’s up to us to look for it.”
He temporized before speaking once more, pulling out the guitar. “Why, this thing is quite old. We talked about our goals, our desires, both being young men. I told him I wanted to devote my life to guitar. And he.. Well, he replied with “Not much”, and held up the Map. It soon became clear to me. I asked him if he had any hobbies. He shook his head. I can remember it so firmly.. He was so indifferent about it. Like it was such a mundane question with such a mundane answer. He told me he liked to train. He told me he wanted to be the best.” Jasper hesitated, laughing noiselessly, almost somberly. “I asked if he would like to play guitar. Before even getting the words out of my mouth—I remember him shaking his head and firmly replying “No”. He then finished sharpening his scythe and was on his way. And it was after that moment, that I never saw him again. Not too much later, I heard through the grapevine about what had happened to him. They all say that he died. Wiped clean, without a trace.”
“Oh, and his parents. He only briefly mentioned them. It didn’t seem that he minded being away from them all too much. Never said he missed them. In fact, I remember he seemed a bit.. Agitated whenever I brought them up, as if the question brought up painful memories. But maybe I was just nosy?” He paused, chuckling sentimentally, questioning. “I wonder how they felt whenever they got the news of his ultimate fate. What had happened to their missing child. Sad? Scared? Indifferent? Happy? I guess we’ll never know.”
Pouchy’s eyes shifted into something more melancholic. “Oh, yeah.. That’s the part we heard.. What do you think happened to him?” Jasper looked down, his gaze growing serious as he slightly furrowed his eyebrows, the wrinkles in his fur crinkling with it. “Me? Oh, I don’t think he’s dead. Not at all. He’s alive. Somewhere out there. And he’s waiting for something. For what, I have no clue. But one thing is certain. Nobody.. Of his power, his confidence.. Would go down that easily. Now, how did you kids get ahold-”
Piper flew behind him, speaking in an oddly rhythmic voice as she sighed. “I’m sorry about him, children. He gets to talking about wild things sometimes. Please, take what he said with a grain of salt. He’s.. You know..” She held up her wing and made a crazy gesture, attempting to keep it out of his view. Jasper saw it through his peripheral vision and laughed, clutching his guitar. “You know the truth, Pouchy and.. Erm.. Spectacles. And I know you’ll find it out. Whatever you’re doing, however you’re doing it, keep doing it. Because one day, everybody’s going to be thankful.”
Max showed up against Jasper’s side, dragging him back up to the stage, speaking quietly. “Now now, Jasper. Don’t tell the children your ghost stories. The last thing we need is some angry parents on our tails.” Jasper shook his head knowingly, beginning to play guitar once more. “You will see. I am more competent than you realize!”
Ralph straightened his back as he forced himself up, grumbling annoyedly to himself as he caught the finished plates in the corner of his eyes. He walked over to the two, speaking in his signature sarcastic tone. “Check, please.” Pouchy handed him the coins, with a few extras on the side. “Thanks, Ralph! This was amazing!”
Ralph took the coins, staring at the extras and narrowing his eyes slightly with uncertainty. “I didn’t make the food. I just served it.” Pouchy grinned reassuringly. “Yeah, I know, but you did a good job serving, too! So thanks!” Ralph stared at Pouchy confusedly before turning around. He grumbled slightly, his paw twitching. “..You’re welcome, I guess.” He spoke a bit awkwardly before going back to his station in front of the kitchen.
“(What a strange thing to hear. Guess It’s my fault for being so stuck up all the time. ..It.. It feels nice, I guess. Nice to get credit. Nice to be appreciated.)” He grumbled, sitting his head down on the table and holding his ears. “(And yet, it’s only morning. Still got the whole day to go, Ralph. Whole day without any more ‘thank yous’.)”
Pouchy looked at Spectacles as he finished up the coffee, setting the mug down neatly. “How’d you like it, Specks?” Spectacles smiled softly, pushing up his glasses. “I-It was pretty nice! Better than I was expecting, that’s for sure..”
Pouchy leaned towards his Pouch, whispering discreetly. “What about you, Brad?” Brad mumbled from within the Pouch. “Pretty good. I like beans. ‘Specially the country style. S’prised they’re still makin’ ‘em at this random old diner.”
Spectacles spoke up, looking at Pouchy. “W-what do you think about what that guy said back t-there?” Pouchy smiled softly. “Well.. I don’t think he was wrong, I guess I can say that! It’s.. interesting to know more about, y’know.. Gray. He.. sounds pretty neat!”
“W-well.. he.. He sounds like um.. kind of mean, to me..” Pouchy nodded, shrugging. “Yeah, I guess.. But, Y’know, theres often is a lot more to people than just being mean! Everybody’s.. got their own motivations.” He straightened up the straps on his Pouch, grinning adventerously.
“Well, it sounds like we had a pretty successful morning to me!” Spectacles stared at Pouchy for a moment, raising an eyebrow. “S-So um.. Where are we even gonna go today?” Pouchy smiled, ruffling the fur atop Spectacles’ face swiftly. “Well, Specks, you’re not gonna believe this..” He paused, eyeing Spectacles’ reaction and hesitating before speaking. “We’re going to some sort of show!”
“..P-Please don’t tell me we’re going to have to perform..” Pouchy smiled, bounding joyously up from his chair. “Oh, don’t worry, Specks! You’ve got your best friend by your side! And, besides.. We don’t even know anything about the show!”
“Y-You don’t know anything about where we’re going?” Pouchy shook his head, grinning. “Noperoo! Not a single thing, Specks! But when has that ever stopped us before?” Spectacles laughed slightly, looking up at Pouchy. “I g-guess that’s right, yeah..”
“Well, then what are we waiting for?” Spectacles leaned back in his seat slightly. “W-Well I was sort of wanting to sketch out this place, and-” “No time for that, Specks! We gotta go!” Pouchy grinned, taking Spectacles by the wing as they flew out of the diner and back into the beautiful city.
The sun was shining brightly and puffs of pollen were floating throughout the crisp blue sky, complimented by the wonderfully fluffy clouds. Pouchy sniffed, pointing upwards as he closed his eyes cheerfully. “Smell that, Specks? That’s the smell of a great day!” Spectacles looked down, sneezing. “S-Smells.. Allergenic..”
With a bounding of his wings, Pouchy flew through the city at a fast pace. Spectacles could barely keep up, huffing and puffing as Pouchy effortlessly weaved through both the trees planted in the middle of the street and the cars rushing past quickly. Eventually, high up in the air, Pouchy halted. Spectacles caught up to him, breathing heavily. “Sorry, Specks! I guess we can take a rest now..” Spectacles sighed in relief as Pouchy stood idly, looking down at the vast amounts of buildings and fast-moving cars in the city. “Remember when I drove?” Pouchy slightly poked Spectacles with his wing teasingly.
Spectacles laughed slightly, shivering at the memory. “I-It’d be quite hard to forget that one..” Pouchy grinned complacently. “Would you like to drive in a car again? I bet it’d be fun!” Spectacles shook his head frantically. “O-One time’s enough!”
Pouchy looked down at his wrist, his eyes popping out cartoonishly. “Darn! We’re a little bit behind from this break! Come on, Specks!” Spectacles pushed up his glasses in confusion. “H-How’d you even know the time? You don’t even have a wAAAA-” Pouchy grabbed Spectacles by the wing, leading him downwards as he reached into his Pouch, swiftly and effortlessly pulling out the Map and stretching it out as they continued descending through the cool sunny air.
“Should be..” He looked at the Map, then back down at the fast approaching ground. “Right there!!” He pointed at a large complex that resembled that of a theatre. Rapidly, the two flew down onto the ground, Pouchy spinning into a ball and landing on the ground stylishly. Spectacles spun around in the air, narrowly managing to catch himself with his wings as he slowly floated down, breathing a sigh of relief. “You alright, Specks?”
“Y-Yeah, I’m fine.. Just a little tired..” Pouchy smirked as he shifted his body in the opposite direction. “Same, but.. On the other wing..” Pouchy grinned ecstatically as he pointed to the grand complex situated in front of them. Pouchy was hopping up and down, clenching his fists happily. “I can’t believe it, Specks! We’re actually about to go to a show! A REAL SHOW!”
Pouchy launched himself at the door before he was swiftly sent back. Pouchy rubbed his head. “What was..-” A Stubborn Bee stood in front of him, grinning with a rather stunning outfit of beige and light pink. “ME! Tha’s who it was! Take a quick look, because all shows (including this one) are on the move-” He stopped, hitting a stylish pose with each word. “ALL! THE! TIME!”
He spun out a microphone. It looked a bit cheap. “LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!” He paused, eyeing the two to check for focused gazes as he continued his sentence excitedly. “..On a questionnaire for two very special guests! Question number one for the one wearing the Pouch, what’s the best genre of film?” Pouchy raised his wing in protest. “Well, I haven’t really watch-”
“The answer is action! And, by golly, that’s what you’re gettin’ here! That’s all you’ll get when Poppers’ in charge of the industry! Stakes, drama, ACTION, buddy! So tell me.. Question number two,” He spoke extremely fast, so fast that even Pouchy was having a hard time keeping up with his words. “Was the world in black in white? Or was it just that cameras couldn’t run colors?” Pouchy raised up his wing once more.
“Well, if you thought that the world was black and white, then we might needa put you into film school! But if you guessed that cameras couldn’t run colors.. Then you’d be right! Winner winner honey dinner, my friend!” He halted, looking at Pouchy and Spectacles for a moment before cowering down sadly. “(Darn.. That was probably too much.. Darn, darn, darn..)”
“Apologies for all that, heh.. I’m just the ticket vendor. My name’s Poppers.. You can call me Pop, if you’d like.. Um.. You can purchase tickets here, heh..” He flew back rather sorrowfully to a quaint stand which matched the soft colors of his outfit. “Really? Just tickets? Well, gosh! I thought you were the main star here!”
Popper’s eyes lit up incredulously. “Main star? Like.. Like, a real star..?” Pouchy nodded, grinning exuberantly as he pulled Spectacles close. “Yeah! We thought it was super cool! Right, Specks?” Spectacles nodded shyly, smiling softly as he tilted up his glasses on his face.
“U-Um, yes.. It was quite cool..” Popper’s eyes filled with joy at each word, his smile growing. He flew over to the two, taking off his hat. “Well thank ya’! See, I’ve always wanted to be a show runner.. Unfortunately, I uh.. I guess things didn’t work out that way, heh heh..”
“Well.. I think that you’d make a great show runner!” Popper grinned, the large gap in his wide smile sticking out noticeably. “Really? Ya’ really do?” Pouchy nodded, his eyes glimmering as he spoke. “Yeah! I’ve.. never seen such cool moves in such a short time frame!”
Poppers closed his eyes in an explanatory tone. “Well, I do be practicin’ my act a lot, heh.. Been doin’ it for a long time! Say, why I’ve never received such nice statements before.. Why don’t you two go ahead? I’ll pay for your tickets myself!” Pouchy’s eyes sparkled incredulously. “Really?! You don’t have to, man!”
“Well I want to! Besides, an actor is always courteous to fans.. So go right ahead!” Pouchy smiled, shaking his wing firmly.”Well thank you, Mr. Poppers! We really appreciate it!” Poppers spun out the tickets fashionably, handing them to Pouchy and Spectacles as they grabbed them. Pouchy and Spectacles waved at him as they flew through the doors of the theatre, turning their ticket into a small box that was marked as such.
“Come on, Specks! It’s gotta be starting any minute now!” Spectacles breathed heavily, attempting to keep up with Pouchy as they both scrambled to their seats. “I k-know, I know..! Gosh, this whole.. Running late thing s-seems familiar, doesn’t it?” Pouchy snickered as he sat down in the seat, pulling up Spectacles in the seat beside him.
The theatre was very large, boasting dozens, if not over a hundred seats. Each one packed to the brim with various Bears and Bees. The seats and the walls above them were all adorned with velvet green and black textures, all sewn on professionally. Small, dimmed lights hung on the ceiling above, casting reflections atop some unlit corners of the theatre.
As though out of a movie, a very professional looking Honey Bee stepped out of a portion nestled in the top part of the theatre. He was wearing a golden suit, adorned with puff-like decorations as well as a few honey combs. “Woah! Look at that guy!” Spectacles shushed Pouchy carefully, his voice stern. “(P-Pouchy.. Don’t you know? You’re supposed to whisper in a show..)”
“(Oh, sorry.. Woah! Look at that guy!)” Spectacles turned his gaze over to the figure as he began to sit down. Various banners were set up around him, speaking of things like “The Mayor’s visit to Starry Night Theatre!” Pouchy continued staring at the figure, ignoring the vast banners around him. “(You think that’s the Mayor?)” Spectacles laughed, pointing at the banners. “(W-Why yes, I do, Pouchy..)”
“(Darn, who would’ve knew..)” He stopped, looking at Spectacles, raising an eyebrow inspectively “(Hey, how do you know so much about these things, anyway?)” Spectacles looked down glumly, his face contorting ever so vaguely. “(..Well, my mom always used to take my siblings to these kinds of things all the time back in Honette. I heard w-what they said about it.)”
“(You didn’t get to go?)” Spectacles looked down at the seat restlessly, his expression a bit wistful. “(W-Well.. No. I was always.. At home d-doing chores and stuff.. I’m surprised I even still r-remember any of that.. I was really young..)”
“(Well, jeez, Specks.. I’m sorry..)” Spectacles smiled softly, rubbing the back of his head hastily as he looked back up. “(O-Oh don’t fret, Pouchy! It’s alright now. Now I’m at a s-show with my two best friends w-who also happen to be the coolest Bees in the whole world.)” Pouchy grinned complacently, crossing his wings as he leaned back in his chair. “(Yeah, I guess we are pretty cool, huh?)”
Spectacles laughed, looking onwards at the show as he spoke noiselessly. “(The c-coolest.)” Suddenly, the lights began to dim. Other strobe lights rotated towards the stage as the shining green velvet curtains slowly began to open. Suddenly, a sing-song voice spoke up. Accompanied by it was a rather tall Robloxian. He wore a very fancy yet oddly eccentric suit colored with various shades of black and green, with the look completed by a constantly-smiling comedy mask. “Welcome ladies, gents, and anybody in between, to the greatest show you’ve ever seen! My name’s Starr, and oh—speaking of wonderful names—please give it up for Mayor Hive! Boy, is he in for a stupendously sweet treat tonight!”
The crowd began clapping as Mayor Hive took his bows, sitting down in the fancy chair, looking down at the audience and then promptly back up at Starr. “So, first things first. Let’s all get you in the mood for some MAGIC, ey? Let’s begin with a little warmup. See, it’s an awful lot like muscle cramps. When ya’ don’t exercise a little beforehand, it can leave ya’ hurtin’! Except, replace muscle cramps with magic, and ‘hurtin’ with--mind blown so much you can barely think of anything except how awesomely amazing what you just saw--was!”
He snapped his gloves, whirling around as an oven magically appeared behind him. He leaned close to it, stretching a bit unnaturally as he rubbed his hand against the contraption, intricately feeling its texture as he turned his masked face back to the audience. “Why, this thing is quite dusty, now isn’t it?” The crowd let out various ‘yeahs’. “Well how about I make it.. Un-dusty?” His words lingered in the air.
He dazzled up his suit, bending over once more as he straightened his stature. He spun around stylishly as a wand appeared in his hands, seemingly from nothing. “Now watch!” He twirled the wand around as he began revolving like a top across the stage. Swiftly enough, the dust on the oven began to fly around and off of its surface, instead trailing behind him in a rhythmitic line as he continued spinning rapidly across the stage.
With one swift motion, he held up his wand as he instantly stopped spinning, leaving the piles of dust to all go flying behind him, standing in an oddly orderly unison. They were made up of two large, dusty legs, two sooty paws, an oval torso, and possessed large ears atop their sooty heads. They all stood on four legs. “Well that’s that! Now that you’re in the mood, who would like to be the volunteer for the next act?” Pouchy flew up behind Spectacles, raising his wing high into the air as he shouted with exceeding volume. “Me! MEEEEEE!!!”
Starr looked across the crowd of raised wings. His eyes instantly locked onto Pouchy as he spun his arm back, pointing it at Pouchy with a quick motion. “You, screaming child! Why don’t you come right along?” Pouchy’s eyes lit up with delight as he attempted to fly, before being caught with a mysterious force. Starr swiftly spun himself with his back facing towards the audience as he slung his arm back towards his back, moving Pouchy over to him on the stage with one instant action. “So, screaming Bee, what’s a more formal thing to call ya’? Cause boy, as much as I like it, ‘screaming bee’ is just gonna be too much of’a mouthful!” He spun out the microphone, handing it to Pouchy.
“Well.. My name’s Pouchy!” Starr took the microphone back with a hasty action, speaking into it eccentrically. “And, Pouchy.. Is there any particular reason you’re at the Starry Night Theatre tonight? Mayhaps the Mayor? Mayhaps just for some old-fashioned-fun?”
“Well.. Yeah! Me and my buddy came here because a magical Map told us to!” Starr stood in place for a moment, narrowing his eye and straightening his mask as he stared at Pouchy with a strange, almost disturbed expression. And for a moment, a single, ghostly eye looked back at Pouchy, a ghoulish feeling enveloping him. Unexpectedly, he snapped back into a pose. “Hahaha! And he’s a jokester too! So Pouchy’s here for his little friend, too. And where might he be?”
“Um, well.. He’s super shy, so..” Starr leaned over backwards, making a sad expression as he grasped the microphone out of Pouchy’s wing inhumanly fast. “Well darneroo! Ain’t that a shame! Oh well, we’ve still got Pouchy—the comedian—here! So, Pouchy, do you see this oven?”
Pouchy looked, nodding and grinning. “And you see how there’s nothing on it?” Pouchy nodded. “Well you—my friend—are going to change that!” He raised up the wand behind him, a puff of a cloud revealing a package of noodles and a bottle of unbranded tomato sauce. He spun over to Pouchy stylishly, handing him the objects. “Why don’t ya’ go place these in the pan up there, ey?”
Pouchy flew enthusiastically over to the pan. Starr stood by all of the dust bunnies, placing his hand on his mask and turning to one of them, looking downwards to spot one. “(He’s doing phenomenal. He’s a comedian, right?)” The dust bunny lifted up its paws, shrugging with a light cloud of dust. “(Yeah, I know. But still. Super duper impressive, y’know?)”
Pouchy wiped his brow and the dust off of his wings, beaming confidently. Starr appeared next to the pot with a poof, inspecting it from all sides as he shifted his body around to eye it carefully. “Why, that’s a nice job you’ve done here!” He clapped, followed by the audiences’ applause filling the theatre. “Now, let’s see some magic, shall we?” He held up his hands, waving them around towards the audience as he tapped his wand into the air.
Swiftly and suddenly, the dust bunnies from before hopped onto the pot and began stirring it repeatedly. A few jumped off of the pot and began adjusting the temperature. Starr leaned over to them, handing them salt, pepper, and a few various spices, to which they all grabbed onto with their dusty paws. Starr lifted up his leg, hopping around the oven as Pouchy and the others stared at the scene with awe. Starr leaped back into the air, holding up his wand and tapping it repeatedly, as though calculating time, keeping his back turned to the oven. “And.. It should be ready—Now!” With one final motion, he sat down his wand as the oven timer beeped, followed by all the dust bunnies springing off the oven with powdery paws and taking a bow.
He materialized beside Pouchy who was still mesmerized by the sight. “Now, Pouchy, would you be a darling and taste the spaghetti for me? Careful, now! It could be a little hot.” Pouchy flew over to the pot of spaghetti as the audience watched intently. A dust bunny hopped up beside him, handing him a large spoon which he then dipped into the spaghetti, taking a small bite.
Starr showed up next to Pouchy, holding up his hand questioningly. “So, how’s it taste?” Pouchy coughed, licking the tomato sauce off. “Pretty g-” His fur then began to change various different colors to Pouchy’s shock. Starr looked back as he hopped to the front of the stage, taking a bow as confetti launched off of Pouchy’s fur. “And there you have it, folks!”
Pouchy hovered over hastily to Starr, shaking his hand excessively, his fur now settled on the familiar shade of dark gray and yellow. “That was AWESOME!!” Starr wished to smile underneath his mask, placing a hand on his hip as he turned towards the audience. “They liked it too! And I must say, for a comedian who talks about magical Maps, you sure are a great assistant!”
He halted, taking off his hat in a gentlemanly manner. “Now, now, folks! You know the drill! When one show ends another begins! So get your behinds out of here so we can make way for the next round of guests!” And with that statement, the audience began to exit the theatre speedily, excluding the Mayor, Pouchy, and Spectacles. Pouchy lifted up his wings to fly away, staring at Starr while he did so. Suddenly, he felt a dust bunny hop beneath him and got launched into the air, coming to a halt right on the stage with a loud thud. Starr appeared next to him. “Well darn! I didn’t mean that hastily!” He held Pouchy up as he noticed something beside him; the Map. Starr’s stance stiffened for a moment as he handed it to Pouchy. “..Here.. here you go..”
“Um, are you alright?” Pouchy grinned, holding up a wing as a thumbs up. “Yep! Nothing I can’t handle!” Starr looked at the Map in Pouchy’s wings. “..That.. Looks familiar. ..Very.. Familiar. How did you get this?”
Pouchy laughed dismissively. “Oh, this? Well, a friend back home gave it to me!” Starr continued to stare at the Map. Pouchy raised an eyebrow, replying. “But.. How does it look familiar?” Starr coughed, his broken tone a sharp contrast to the eccentric one he used before. “Oh. Forget I said anything.” He placed his top hat back on his head swiftly. “Why don’t you be on your merry way?”
“Well, you.. You said it was familiar.. So..” Pouchy coughed. “Sorry if I’m being pushy, but.. That Map led me here, so.. I kinda wanna know more?” Starr’s stance stiffened once more. He looked at the wall, clenching his fists underneath his gloves. “It did, did it?”
“Yeah! Right over here! It’s.. Not changing.. I dunno if it wants something else, or..” Starr stared at Pouchy, his cheerful mask a contrast to what he was actually feeling. “Say, since you were such a good assistant.. How about you be an assistant for this time too? We could try to work out your little ‘Map Situation’ while we’re at it.”
Pouchy’s eyes sparkled graciously. “Really??? You’d let me assist you again?” Starr placed his hand on his hip, the eye underneath the mask narrowing and squinting in suspicion. “Yeah, why not? You can bring your little friend, too! I’ll be in the dressing room. I’ll pick out some outfits for you two.”
Pouchy gave a thumbs up as he flew over to Spectacles who was still seated. “Hey, Specks!” Spectacles smiled softly. “H-Hey, Pouchy.. How was it?” Pouchy grinned ecstatically. “Oh, it was awesome! And guess what? He said me and you could be assistants for the next show!”
“U-Um.. Pouchy.. I’m not really sure if-” Pouchy held onto his shoulder reassuringly. “Relax, Specks! I’m here! And, anyway.. The Map isn’t really.. Changing.. I guess we have to do something more in this place?”
“T-That’s.. Strange..” Spectacles said, his expression rather awkward. Pouchy nodded, shaking the Map and looking at it with a confused expression. “Yeah, I know, right? I dunno what’s up with it!” Pouchy and Spectacles continued conversing for a while, eventually moving towards the door of the dressing room.
Starr walked through the bright corridor leading to the dressing room, his chest feeling tight. He held onto the wall ever so slightly, tracing his hand across it. He walked past the door lock in his stressed state, phasing through the door and shutting it, not bothering to lock it. As he looked around the room with frenzy, his chest grew ever tighter with each passing second. He sharply tore the mask off of his face, throwing it down onto the ground.
The Dressing Room was a quaint space; though one thing was for certain, it did not resemble a dressing room. Rather, it resembled the interior of an old house. Various tables and rocking chairs sat on the floor, and old timey electric lights hung on the walls.
The Dust Bunnies followed him inside, standing around him and looking at each other. “Don’t look at me.” He said, his voice cracking. “I’m not who you saw before. I’m not who you knew before. I’m.. I’m just some failure that’s one misstep away from getting the show cancelled. And when it’s cancelled.. I’ll have nothing. I’ll be nothing.”
The small bunnies reached onto him with their sooty paws as he held one of them in his arms, brushing its grungy ears comfortingly. “It’s.. nice, you know. I’ve always liked rabbits. They hear everything. Nosy, I suppose. But they don’t do anything with that information. Very scared, all the time. They don’t have a reason for what they do. They just.. do it. I have to have a reason.” His breathing started to get heavier. “If the Map is here.. then what does that mean for me? Is.. I-is my time up? Will you all be gone as well? Will I have no audience? Nobody to pay me any mind, nobody to care about me.. It’ll be back to how it used to be, I suppose. Me and Spot versus the world. ..Without Spot.”
Pouchy and Spectacles stared at the door. Pouchy nearly opened it before Spectacles pulled his wing back, sighing like a parent scolding their child. “(Pouchy, you know you’re supposed to knock, right?)” Pouchy grinned smugly. “(Yeah! But Starr said something about the dressing room, so.. I’m assuming that we can go in!)”
Spectacles pushed up his glasses, speaking sternly. “(P-Pouchy! You shouldn’t operate so much on assumptions! I-It could really get you into trouble, you know..? What if you m-mishear something?)” Pouchy nodded, patting Spectacles on the head and ruffling his fur with a soft crinkle. “(Oh, Specks! Live a little, won’t you? It’ll be fine! All he said he was doing was just picking some outfits for us!)”
“(O-Oh. That’s all he was doing..?)” Pouchy nodded, beaming complacently as he crossed his wings, leaning against the door confidently. “(See, Specks? I told you I’ve got everything under control!)” The two continued arguing as Starr stood in the same state, the pupil in his eye shaking and shrinking rapidly.
Starr stood in the dressing room, holding onto his translucent hair tightly, his mask was off, and his eye looked around frantically. “(That’s.. That’s the same Map from my dream.. Back when I.. How did he have it? It just doesn’t make any sense.. No sense at all.. Is it a sign? Is my time here through? No, that can’t.. That can’t be right. It’s been a hundred years. If.. If things would’ve changed, wouldn’t they have already? Yes, that’s right, Starr.. Get a grip on yourself. Spot wouldn’t want to see you like this. He saw everything, didn’t he? Nosy little Bee.. But he was an angel. Such a sweet, little angel. You’re the show runner, not the drama queen.)” He stopped, exhaling harshly. “(I’ll just tell them about it. But how? They’ll.. They’ll know who I really am, won’t they? Starr. Starr.. Oh, it all makes sense now.. Those.. Those are.. Those’re the harbingers of my death.. Oh no..)”
The static began growing more intense; all in his head, yet felt as real as swirling snow, flowing past and around his body like a threatening aura. His chest grew ever tighter as he tightened his hold on his hair, pulling on his antennas as he hunched over, the dust bunnies looking at each other as the one he was cradling hopped out of his arms. “I apologize.. You know, I.. I used to have a pet much like you. When I was little, I mean. Speckles was his name. I found him out in the forest one day. His fur was soft.” The dust bunnies stared at him, their powdery noses and ears twitching. “What do you think would happen if everybody found out who I really am?”
He held one of the dust bunnies, cradling it against his suit as he pet its arenose fur. The bunny’s small, dusty eyes closed with contentment. “I don’t think they would take kindly. People don’t enjoy being lied to. And that’s all I am. Just..” His voice broke slightly as his eye scrunched up, his antennas crunching together. “Just a liar. An utter failure who’s only gotten anything for himself by lying. I suppose it was only a matter of time, you know? It doesn’t matter if I hide. Whatever that map is, whatever it does.. If I saw it before I passed, it wouldn't be good to see it again.”
The dust bunny let out a small peep. Starr laughed, his suit slightly crinkling. “They’ll all leave once they know who I really am. They came to see ‘me’. Not.. me. But that’s just how show business goes, isn’t it? Somebody will take my place and the cycle will restart.” He stopped, setting the bunny down as he sat on the rocking chair. A dust bunny hopped up to the chair, placing its paw upon the wooden surface as he stopped rocking. “What do I think of Pouchy? He’s.. interesting. Maybe if I let them perform they’ll spare me. That is how you convince people, is it not? There.. There is no way that somebody..” He laughed bitterly, continuing. “..Anybody, would like the real me.”
He went on, holding onto his hair a bit more tightly. “I’m just doomed. It doesn’t matter what I do. If I seal this door, lock it, leave it unlocked.. Fate has come to swallow me whole. Alas, I suppose I cannot run from my problems any long-” Pouchy and Spectacles flew into the room, catching Starr completely off guard; the pupil in his eye began shaking as he stared at the door, his hands quivering. “Hey, Starr! Sorry, we just got to talking, and-”
He looked up at Starr. He looked completely different now. His mask was off, and in its place stood a large green eye in the center of a translucent, dark gray tinted face. Starr frantically lifted up his mask to conceal himself, but it was too late. “Hah.. I guess I left it unlocked. I suppose the cat’s out of the bag now huh?” He laughed bitterly, looking down at the ground. “Just.. Say my catchphrase one more time before you expose me, won’t you? Let me have one more moment of fame before it all vanishes, won’t you? If you’re going to take it all away from me.. Just.. Let me have this. Just this once. Just let me lie to myself one more time.”
Pouchy raised his eyebrow. “E-Expose you? What do you mean? We’re not going to expose you-” Starr laughed, continuing to look down, the mask trembling in tune with his quivering hands. “Of who I really am. I’m not a normal person, now am I? You must know who I am. You must know! That Map you hold.. I saw it! It.. It must mean something.. Look into my eye and tell me that I am a normal person. I’ve.. I’ve done this for long enough. I could only keep it up for so long. I suppose it was inevitable that somebody would find out, and-”
Pouchy and Spectacles both smiled sympathetically. “Calm down, man! We’re not going to expose you for anything! Or hurt you! It was just, uh.. A bit, jarring, you know.. The contrast between the mask, and..” Starr laughed, his eye scrunching up. “You think I’m a freak, don’t you? Well I am. I’m not supposed to be here. Heck, I.. I shouldn’t even be alive right now. You should know this..”
Spectacles pushed up his glasses. “U-Um.. What do you mean, Mr. Starr? What happened to you?? We don’t know anything.. Honest!” Starr looked down, his eye closing regretfully. “I died a long time ago. I was murdered in an alleyway. Me and my friend. However, something.. Something happened that caused our souls to.. Linger, in a way I can’t quite explain. Nobody paid us any mind when we were alive. Nobody wept over our death.”
He looked down at a dust bunny who was climbing atop his shoe, picking it up and placing its sooty paws upon his shoulder. “And.. In my last words, with the blood pouring from my mouth..I.. I remember telling Spot that I would change our story. Somehow, some way.. I’d make sure that we’d never be alone again.” His eye narrowed spitefully. “Are you asking me this just to taunt me? Just to rub in the fate you’ve condemned me to? Don’t act confused! Don’t act dumb.. When it all went black, I saw it.. That Map you hold within your wings. And I saw a Bear with it. I don’t know w-who, but.. JUST GET TO THE POINT, WHY DON’T YOU?! You’re delaying it, just for your own sick amusement! Seeing how much I’ll crack like a little toy whenever you dangle a happy life in front of my face like a carrot on a stick!” He held onto the mask tighter, his grip cracking it slightly.
Pouchy smiled. “Woah! Please, calm down! Hey, it’s okay.. We’ve.. Never met a uh.. Ghost before, but.. You’re really neat, okay? I promise we’re not trying to hurt you.. This is all just a big misunderstanding!” Starr laughed slightly, his eye closing. “Misunderstanding? That’s the facade I’ve kept up for so long. Eccentric show runner. Silly magician. All just titles. And now there’s nothing left, nothing but a failed show; a failed man. Only the snow; the static. It’s all cancelled. And I’m going down with it.”
“Hey, hey! Don’t say that, Starr.. It’s not a facade. And if it was, then you’re pretty darn good at acting super cool! Me and Specks both thought your performance was amazing! And.. Really.. We don’t want to hurt you.." Spectacles pushed up his glasses. “A-And good at magic..” He said shyly. Starr’s eye closed happily but stifled as he regained his offensive stance.
“Stop playing these games with me! Stop making me happy.. It’s all not true.. It can’t be true.. You’re just going to rip it all away from me, right when I think I’ve had enough.. Just do it already! Take it all away! What does it matter anymore?! I’ve lost my friend, and I’m already on the verge of losing what little I do have left! I did this all for him..” Pouchy looked down, holding up the Map as he shook it slightly, expecting a reaction. “That’s.. Not what this does, okay? I want you to listen to me. Really listen to me, okay?”
“We got this so that we could find the Event Bees. We want to help everybody, okay?” His eye scrunched up as he threw the mask against the wall. “PROVE IT THEN! Show me that you aren’t just talking to make me give up!”
Pouchy placed the Map down onto the ground, closing his eyes. The Map began to spin, showing Pouchy the words he remembered seeing. “(You never fail us, do you, Map?)” Starr lifted up his hands, his eye shaking with rage. “STOP with it all! Can’t you see it’s all fake and-” His hands dropped to his sides instantly, his eye jittering, he swiftly lifted them up, bracing for an impact of sorts.
Through the Map, he saw a perfect reflection of something familiar. He could see Spot, and himself, all those years ago, living by the scraps of society but doing so happily. “It.. It can’t be true..” He whispered to himself as the Map continued showing him. He reached his hands onto the Map, feeling the soft texture of the paper, even underneath his gloves.
He heard himself speak through the Map. “You know, Spot.. One day, one day we’re gonna both be famous, right? Yeah, I know! It’ll be awesome! No more throwing newspapers.. No more being ignored. We'll be stars, won’t we buddy? Yeah, stars!” Starr’s hands shook as tears spouted at his eye. “We just gotta stick together, don’t we? No matter what happens.. No matter where we are in this crazy world.. We’ll always be there. And even if I can’t see you.. And you can’t see me.. We’ll still be friends, won’t we?”
“You’re proud of me, aren’t you, Spot? Really? See, I knew you’d like it! One day.. One day, buddy.. We’ll have our own show, just you and me! Everybody’ll go to the theatre to see it! One day, people’ll be able to forget about all of their troubles.. And they’ll love us, Spot! We’ll.. Finally be remembered for something..” The voice stopped as the Map showed another scene. “What a world it would be if we could have more friends.. But, you know.. As long as we’re both doing what we’re doing for each other.. Maybe we’re fine just by our lonesome, you know? Still, though.. Remember, Spot! A showrunner always treats others with respect. The audience is just as important as the one performing, you know! Oh, don’t look at me like that! I just wanted to.. Make sure you know, okay? It’s.. really important. For both of us. We don’t want anybody to ever have to feel like we did. Alone.”
Starr’s hands trembled as he fell to the ground, tears coming from his eye. “I-I.. I get it now.. You didn’t come here to kill me, did you? You.. Y-You came here to show me that.. T-That all this time I thought I failed.. I’d been making him happy.. That.. I’d succeeded.” A dust bunny hopped into his arms as he ran his gloved hands over the sooty fur. “Me.. M-Me worrying over losing it all isn’t what he would have wanted.. No.. He’d have been happy with what I did accomplish, not what I didn’t. How could I have ever been so mistaken?”
He touched the Map as he saw a smaller, greenish outlined Spot fly towards him. The magnificent green glow filled his iris and illuminated the tears falling from it. Spot had small, bright green wings and closed his eyes happily. “Oh, Spot! I know this isn’t you, but.. Somehow, some way.. You’re proud of me, aren’t you? Why.. W-Why that’s all I ever wanted, haha.. I did this all for you..” Spot nodded reassuringly and disappeared into the Map, green sparks illuminating Starr’s iris one final time. Starr straightened his suit, dusting himself off as he handed the Map to Pouchy. The snow in his mind began to dissipate until it entirely disappeared. “I.. I must thank you for opening my eyes. I.. Apologize for lashing out. I truly apologize.. Y-You must understand.. The last time I saw that Map, it followed my death. A-And, I assumed.. That if the opposite happened, well.. I’d be dying again.”
Pouchy smiled as he tucked the Map back into his Pouch. “Hey, it’s alright, man! We’ve all had our fair share of misunderstandings! And, I’m.. really sorry you had to go through all of that.. It sounds awful..” Spectacles nudged him slightly, coughing quietly. “And.. I guess both of us have gotten into trouble by assuming things, huh?”
Starr’s eye crinkled happily as he stood up, the bunny hopping off of his suit and leaving a slight trail of dust where it had lay. “You too?” He laughed softly. He stopped, dusting off his suit. “Well then. If not to.. Hurt me, then why have you two come here?”
Pouchy rubbed the side of his head, laughing with increased pauses. “Well, it’s a long and complicated story, but uh.. We came here because the Map told us to! See, basically.. We’re looking for the Event Bees, and this little thing tells us where to go!” Starr laughed. “Ah.. Well, I recall one of my friends telling me about something like that--What was it?--Oh yes! It was a Bee made out of ‘gumdrops’. Whatever that is. Does that help you?”
“Yeah! We’re actually looking for ‘em now!” Starr chuckled softly to himself. “Oh, I had no idea that was what the Map was for. Why, it’d have saved me a lot of pain and strife if I had known that from the get-go.. But, no matter..” He stopped, narrowing his eye nervously. “Would you two.. Still like to perform, or is that.. Off the table, considering..” He looked down guiltily.
“Of course it’s still on the table! We’d love to!” Starr clapped his hands happily, rushing into an old fashioned closet and handing Pouchy and Spectacles two outfits that were different from his, however keeping the aesthetic and colors. “I am glad.. Why, we don’t have long until the show, so.. We will talk about ‘Gummy Bee’ whenever it's over?”
Pouchy smiled, dusting off the uniform and dressing himself in it proudly. “Yeah! That sounds good! Come on, Specks!” He stopped, grabbing Pouchy by the Pouch gently. “Wait, will you? You two can go onto the stage. The curtains should still be up, so you’ll be able to get prepared there. I just.. Need a moment to myself, okay?”
Pouchy nodded, hugging Starr. “Take as much as you’d like! And.. Maybe consider keeping the mask off? Your eye looks super cool!” He then grabbed Spectacles by the wing as the two of them flew out to the stage. Starr stood in place, bouncing nervously with his heels. “(Why.. I haven’t been told that before. Maybe he’s right? Maybe I should..)”
On the way, Spectacles looked at Pouchy, changing the topic. “H-How did the Map.. do that..?” Pouchy stopped, shrugging as he looked back at his Pouch. “I.. Don’t really know how, Specks.. But, you know.. It’s really seeming like it's the moments we don’t expect when the Map does stuff like that, y’know?”
Spectacles laughed with a slight tinge of nervousness. “H-Haha, yeah.. Guess we never really know when it’s going to do something, huh?” Pouchy grinned, his smile glowing as though lighting up the room. “Yeah! And, you know.. I kinda like it that way! Life’s full of surprises, and.. I guess the Map is in on it, too!”
Meanwhile, Spectacles’ wings were shaking and he fiddled with his outfit. Pouchy looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “You okay, Specks?” Spectacles coughed. “I.. I-I really wish you didn’t have me perform.. I’m terrified o-of people.. What if they think I look stupid? What if I mess something up?? A-All of those eyes staring at me, it’s just..”
“And you know what? If you do mess up, or if people are staring.. Then I’ll be there with you every step of the way. Promise!” Spectacles lifted up his glasses, smiling awkwardly. “R-Really? You’d really do that for me?”
“Of course, man! You’re my best friend! You know I couldn’t have done any of this without you, right?” Spectacles smiled, pushing up his glasses as he took a sigh, straightening his outfit. “W-Well, if it’s for you.. Then.. Y-Yes, I’ll give it a try!” Pouchy grinned along with him as they waited for the curtains to rise up.
Suddenly, Starr sprinted into the room, landing on the wooden ground with a dust bunny clinging to his shoulder. He reached up his hands, picking it up gently and placing it atop the ground as it hopped away. He kneeled slightly to look Pouchy and Spectacles in the eyes. “You know.. If you’re nervous or anything, you don’t have to do this for me. What.. What you showed me earlier was enough repayment. If you want, you can hang out in the dressing room until I wrap up this performance. I won’t be angry.” Spectacles’ face slightly turned as he almost lifted up his head. With a swift motion, he looked back at Pouchy who gave him a reassuring thumbs up. “U-Um.. No, I.. I figure it’s time I face my fears.”
Starr looked at him with the smiling mask. “I guess we’ll both be facing them today, won’t we?” Spectacles and Pouchy’s eyes both widened incredulously. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Pouchy asked, his eyes furrowing in confusion.
“You’ll see!” Starr chuckled, picking himself back up with the wand as he dusted his suit off one final time. “For now.. We have about.. Well, any minute now. People are here, you can hear them, can’t you?” Pouchy nodded. “They sound excited!” Starr snickered slightly, a tinge of angst heard in his quaint laugh. “Yeah, they do, don’t they? Well then. Pouchy, and.. What was your name?” Spectacles answered. “Pouchy, and Spectacles. Let’s give the audience a show they won’t forget, shall we?”
He looked at Pouchy and Spectacles, the smug smirk drawn on his mask now carrying a more sentimental meaning. He looked onwards, bouncing on his heels as he lifted up the curtain with his wand, making it float back over to himself afterward. “(Did you two plan something out? If not, we can improvise. We’ll have time. I have an.. Announcement for them.)” Pouchy looked at Spectacles, smirking determinedly as he held him close. “(Yep! It’s gonna be awesome, just you wait!)”
Pouchy turned to Spectacles, flashing a grin as Spectacles took out the pencil from his outfit. “(You ready, Specks?)” Spectacles nodded shakily, taking a sigh. “(R-Ready as I’ll ever be, Pouch!)” Finally, the curtains raised, and Starr hopped in front of them.
He sighed nervously. “Welcome ladies, gents, and anybody in between, to the greatest show you’ve ever seen! My name’s Starr and these are my pals Pouchy and his buddy, Spectacles! We’re going to have the delight of bringing you all the greatest show you’ve ever seen tonight! But, please be keen, as there is something I wish to discuss with you all.”
He kept his hands on his mask firmly, though appearing to gradually loosen the grip. “I wanted to share something with you all, as you’ve been such a great and attentive audience to me over the years. It is something personal. And, you know, I was hesitating telling all of you tonight. But, thanks to some unexpected guidance.. I've reconsidered.” He looked back at Pouchy and Spectacles, his eye crinkling under the mask. “Despite priding myself on entertainment, I’ve realized the value of being my most authentic self. Especially, especially to an audience I feel nothing but gratitude for. And, that’s why.. I have to tell you something. I’m not who you say I am. Well, I am. But there’s something more. I’m not who you see me as.” He reached his hands onto the porcelain of his mask and threw it off of himself, taking a stance.
“This is who I am. I’m a ghost, not a human. And I’ll always be a ghost. I understand if.. I understand if that makes some of you upset. But it’s who I am, and I can’t--and won’t--change it. I died a long time ago, and during that time.. I had a second chance. And I chose to do what my best buddy in the whole world, Spot, would have wanted. And, additionally.. He wouldn’t have wanted me to hide myself the way I have for you all. So there you go. This is me. Starr.” Some of the audience members exchanged shocked glances. Some grumbled, some screamed and ran out the door. Regardless, a noticeable portion stayed interested. Starr picked up the mask again with quivering hands, reaching it up to his face before Pouchy pulled his hands down, shaking his head reassuringly. “(Don’t change yourself, man! You’re free to be yourself, okay?)”
“(..You’re right.)” Starr placed the mask on the ground, shattering it with his foot, before continuing with a regained pride in his voice. “And so, with all of that out of the way.. I’d like to welcome you all, to the greatest show you’ve ever seen, showcased nowhere else but the Starry Night Theatre!” The audience paused for a moment, before cheering. Mayor Hive, who was sweating a moment ago, seemed to be clapping along with them.
“(Can you play a song, Starr?”) Starr nodded as he poofed a jukebox behind himself. Pouchy whispered to him as he put a particular song on. Spectacles’ eyes lit up as he heard the melody fill his airs, his antennas moving around in happiness. “(There ya’ go, Specks! Just like we remember, right?)” Spectacles laughed slightly, tears springing at his eyes.
Pouchy looked at Spectacles as he grabbed onto the pencil, smirking lightly. Pouchy hopped into the air, swinging around as he suddenly let go, Spectacles catching him perfectly with an ink column. Pouchy launched himself into the air, smirking as he placed his wings behind his head, Spectacles catching him once more. The process repeated for a while as Pouchy slowly began hopping up the columns as Spectacles continued to catch him precisely each time.
With one swift motion, Spectacles made an ink sculpture of a bee with various gusts of wind circling around them like hair. Pouchy stood at odds as Spectacles moved the ink copy to simulate the two having a race. Spectacles hopped up into the air as he placed an ink copy of himself looking shocked, holding an inky watch. Pouchy hopped on top of the ink bee as he flew into the air, Spectacles catching him with another column without even opening his eyes. Pouchy landed on top of a sculpted scene of a familiar brave bee, in a shooting position, with ink versions of themselves running and hiding. Pouchy walked up to the ink brave bee, extending his hand as the ink copy grasped it. Spectacles lifted up his hands, clenching his fists as the ink disintegrated, leaving Pouchy falling through the stage before being caught perfectly by Spectacles.
Pouchy held out his wing as he looked at Spectacles. Spectacles looked at Pouchy, then at the audience with baited breath, sweat beading down his fur. “(I-I.. I don’t know if..)” Pouchy grinned enthusiastically, his smile glowing throughout the stage and brightening up Spectacles’ narrowed vision. “(Do what you feel, man! I’ll be with you every step of the way, remember?)” He stopped, smiling softly and taking a deep breath as he latched onto Pouchy’s wing as the two began spinning around, ink spirals circling beautifully around the two as Spectacles tossed Pouchy onto a column, prompting him to hop up onto the top one which had a goldish ink bee outfitted with various bright spikes. Around the Bee stood various other sculptures who seemed to be wearing sheriff and deputy outfits. Pouchy noiselessly yelled at the sculptures as Spectacles raised his wings, causing them all to disintegrate with a large column of light yellow ink.
When the smoke cleared, Pouchy stood atop a mixture of cyan and white ink, resembling both the colors and form of an iceberg. Next, Pouchy flew off of the iceberg as small pellets of ink began to blow around him, causing him to crash into a diorama of a familiar workshop, complete with an ink bee made out of red and green who seemed to be exceedingly cheerful. Next to it, stood a cyan ink bee who seemed to resemble a frosty bee. Pouchy shook wings with the sculptures as Spectacles clenched his fists, causing the ink to disintegrate.
Next, Pouchy fell off of the diorama and down to an ant made out of ink, outfitted with a sharp ink crown atop its spiky head, surrounded by three others. Pouchy smirked as he flew away from them, into a cauldron made out of ink as Starr lifted up his wand, moving the ant sculptures over to the cauldron. Spectacles lifted up his wings, destroying the ink as he caught Pouchy from behind, as if from memory. With a swift motion, Spectacles’ shaking wing tossed Pouchy into the air as he flew up into various sets of ink-made clouds.
Pouchy flew downwards, getting hit by an ink copy of a familiar knight. He lifted himself up, raising his fists as he punched the ink copy, Spectacles closing his eyes as the copy shattered upon the impact, the area around Spectacles shifting into a cage around Pouchy as he looked hopeless. Suddenly, a sculpture of bee made of red ink emerged from the side of the stage, and, with a swift motion, Spectacles shattered the inky cage as Pouchy fell beside two ink copies of a familiar pair of red and blue bees, with Pouchy acting like he was talking to them. The two ink figures shifted their statue-like positions, as if moved by the words.
Pouchy then sprung over to Spectacles as they both smiled at each other. “(Ready, Specks?)” Spectacles smiled, adjusting his glasses as he grasped Pouchy’s wings, taking a deep breath. “(R-Ready as I’ll ever be, bestie!)” Spectacles launched Pouchy into the air as he slowly fell down, being caught repeatedly by Spectacles as he swung the pencil around, his aim surprisingly precise. Spectacles lifted himself up with the pencil as he and Pouchy locked wings once more, spinning around brilliantly as they fell through the stage; ink-made confetti falling around them. With one swift motion, Pouchy and Spectacles began spinning around in a circle, the ink spirals from before starting to take shape as they began to be encased with multicolored ink.
In one quick stance, Pouchy and Spectacles were surrounded by a multicolored cylinder, resembling the shape and color of a multicolored cake, topped with various ink bees, blocking them from the audience’s view. Pouchy looked at Spectacles and Spectacles looked back at Pouchy, both smiling. Pouchy hopped up as Spectacles followed him, breaking through the ink structure and dashing into the air, spinning around increasingly fast as Spectacles reached down onto the pencil, catching the both of them with an ink object. With a quick action, Spectacles destroyed all of the ink, followed by ink confetti flying everywhere.
Pouchy and Spectacles looked at each other, smiling as they both took their bows. Immediately after, the crowd erupted into a fit of loud cheers, chanting both Pouchy and Spectacles’ names as Starr looked at them with tears springing from his eye, clapping his hands with a slight crumple from the gloves. He spun over to the two, his eye closing in joy. “That was amazing, you two! Absolutely amazing!” He looked over to the audience, as though looking to smile if he could. “And they seemed to have liked it as well! Guess we all really showed who we are today, huh?”
The curtains closed as the trio took their bows. Pouchy bounced around the stage as Starr led them back into the dressing room. “I guess we’ll walk and talk. So, yes. I know a Bee who knows about.. Uh.. That gumdrop bee you were speaking of. She’s been trying to capture it for ages. Says she’d love to shoot a couple people into space just to see if it's really up there. She says it's.. Like.. messing with her? Like a star winking at her and stuff?” He stopped, laughing. “I don’t know for sure. I’m the paranormal guy, not the extraterrestrial guy, y’know? You two would know a lot more about it than I ever could. Or would want to know.”
“Well where the heck is she, Starr?” Pouchy asked, beaming. “It’s difficult to describe in words. I’ll.. Put it on a piece of paper, okay? I’ll see if that works. It’s the least I can do to thank you. I’ll be honest with you two.. I’m surprised how well the audience took everything. Thought I’d get tomatoes thrown right into my eye for sure..”
“Well that’s why you’ve always got to take chances, you’ll never know about something if you don’t try!” Starr laughed, straightening his outfit as the dust bunnies walked alongside him, wiggling their sooty tails. “It’s funny how a hundred-year-old-ghost can learn stuff from two little kids. But here I am, I guess!”
“T-There’s always something new we can learn.. H-Haha, I.. I never thought I could do what I did today until.. U-Until I did it, today..” Spectacles smiled softly, looking at Pouchy as he grinned cheerfully, wrapping his wing around Spectacles. “So what is the purpose of your little quest, anyway? Any particular goal or are ya’ just doing it for the heck of it?”
“Well, partly.. But, really! You’ve never met them, but.. They’re some pretty cool Bees! Besides, after hearing about all the complicated relationships between them, it.. Well, it only seemed fair!” Pouchy rubbed the back of his head. “Oh, I understand that. I’m glad that you two are doing something good for the world.”
Pouchy spoke up, laughing. “Well three, actually! Our friend Brad is part of our group too, but.. He’s sleeping!” Starr looked back at him, his eye closing joyously. “Oh, well then tell him I told him sweet dreams. From Starr himself.”
Pouchy gave him a thumbs up with his wing as they reached the dressing room. Starr poofed a pen, writing it down on his desk as he began sketching something very intricate out, before pausing. “Are you sure your little Map won’t tell you?” Pouchy laughed. “Well, usually, we have to do something first and..-” He noticed the Map glowing in his Pouch as he lifted it out, noticing a new arrow on it. “And.. There we go! I guess it was the show we put on!”
Starr looked at the both of them, his iris jittering ever so slightly. “Well then, that’s that, I suppose. I would say I was happy to help you, but alas, I haven’t really DONE anything to help you. But.. You had fun, didn’t you?” Pouchy hopped up and down, smiling enthusiastically. “YEAH!! That show was amazing, man! And, hey.. You’ve done enough to compensate for all the shows we could ever do!”
Starr’s eye closed cheerfully. “I’m pleased to hear you say that. Now, wait.. I neglected to mention something about my friend. Well, for starters, her name is Starla. I assure you it is merely a coincidence! But.. There’s something else, you know.. With her suspicions regarding the uh.. Bee you mentioned, she’s.. On very high alert.” He stopped, turning over to his desk as a dust bunny hopped out of the drawer, handing him a particular card. He swiftly summoned a pen. “You’ll need one of these. Just so she knows we’re friends. We.. are friends, correct?”
Pouchy and Spectacles nodded. “Yeah of course!” Starr’s eye crinkled with happiness. “Well, okay. As I was saying.. You’re going to need this little card here. Just, whenever you get there, wherever that little Map tells you to go, hand this to her. She’ll know I wrote it.” He handed the card to Pouchy as he held it up victoriously, grinning proudly.
“That’s about all out of me, though. I’ll.. Get out of your ehm.. Fur. Just know that you two did an amazing show tonight, and that’s certainly something coming from me, heh!” Pouchy and Spectacles hugged Starr tightly.
Tears slightly began to fall out of Starr’s eye as his hands quivered. “The way you hug me.. It reminds me of Spot.” Spectacles looked up at Starr. “U-Um.. Who was Spot, anyway..?” Starr laughed softly to himself as they broke apart from the hug.
“..He was my best friend. A little Looker Bee. Not too much bigger than you two. He couldn’t speak. But that didn’t stop us from understanding each other." Spectacles smiled gently. “Well.. T-That’s super sweet..”
“Oh, he was the sweetest. And I know for a fact.. That he’d be super proud of you two. Now goodbye, you two..! Oh--eh--three! Sorry, my apologies!” Pouchy smirked, stretching the straps on his Pouch as he lifted up his wings. “It’s all good! He is a bit of a napper here lately!” Pouchy giggled as him and Spectacles swiftly made their way out of the Starry Night Theatre.
By now, it was nighttime and the moon was shining over the various trees; the brilliant pollen puffs visible during the day now only occasionally illuminated by the bright and brilliant glimmer of the moonlight. Poppers stirred awake as he heard Pouchy talking increasingly loud, especially for such a late hour. “Oh! Heya again! So how was the show? (About that.. Other.. Star..) I take it you really liked it, seeing as you stayed for two, heheh!” Pouchy’s eyes sparkled like glitter as he lifted up his wings to orchestrate the entire thing intricately. “Oh, it was awesome! I got to be an assistant! TWICE!! Spectacles got to be an assistant, too!”
Pouchy crossed his wings, closing his eyes and smirking complacently as Popper’s eyes widened incredulously. “Well paint me pink and call me gifted! (Being gifted would be awesome, wouldn’t it?) That’s awesome for y’all! Seems like you really are a star, huh?” Pouchy nodded quickly pulling Spectacles close as he smiled awkwardly. “Don’t forget Specks! He was the real star of the show!”
Poppers clapped, hopping up and down at his desk. “Bravo to Spectacles, then!” Pouchy looked at Spectacles, smiling. Spectacles smiled softly. “And, y’know.. Don’t you forget that being a star.. Is all about believing! Well, that, and a touch of magic!” Poppers laughed, though smiling genuinely.
“Well see ya’ later, Poppers! Got places to be, people to meet, so it’d serve us nicely to get off of this street!” Poppers laughed, his eyes widening slightly. “Alright, take care you two! And Pouchy? Maybe consider taking a poetry class while doing all that!”
Pouchy giggled as he held onto Spectacles tightly, being very careful to not fly too fast. “Oh, what am I doing? Look at all these lights? Flying in the night’s no problem!” Spectacles latched onto Pouchy’s Pouch, staring at him. “S-Still, you might not wanna fly that faaaAAASTTTTTT!!!-” Pouchy giggled as he and Spectacles flew through the crisp nightly air, and into the shimmering moonlight.
