Chapter 23: Crimbolt City Chaos (The Castle Pt. 1) (TWs: Mentions of neglect, abuse)[]
Pouchy blinked his eyes rapidly, waking up. It was still nighttime. The stars were hung in the sky so intricately it almost seemed intentional. The sun was barely peaking up over one of the vast green hills; the edges of the hills flowers tinted with a gorgeous orange and slight pink. He heard a voice suddenly. Not physical. Not from any particular place, as if from his own mind.
“You know, it’s beautiful isn’t it?” He instantly recognized the voice, retorting back from his mind. “What do you want now?!” The figure coughed slightly, their coughing turning into a slight chuckle. “I just wanted to talk.”
Pouchy narrowed his eyes. “A-And you aren’t gonna try to give me some sort of existential crisis? Or say my friends are all fake?” There was a slight squishing sound as if the figure was shaking their head in denial. “No, just a talk.”
Pouchy leaned back into the grass, closing his eyes. Upon opening them, he found himself in the same cathedral. It was drenched in the same bright purple and green light; silhouettes of stars being shown in from the beautiful stained glass.
The figure looked back at him. He finally got a more clear look at their appearance. They resembled a Bear. The normal snout part of their face was instead made up of goop that rode down their face constantly, but never going anywhere substantial. They had dead eyes; but a flicker of which seemed to possess the opposite. As if they once were warm and caring. They had stubs on their back, with small feathers protruding from them as if they had torn something off of it. And a small, light purple halo resting above their head. It appeared shattered; the cracks of which reminded Pouchy of shattered glass. Finally, beside the halo, they had two small horns, and a tail that snaked around similarly to Thorn’s.
“You’re going to see Crimson.” They asked, though not in a questionary tone. “Say, I used to know her,” They fell backwards slightly, catching their torso with a tendril that snaked up from the ground. “She was nice. Very caring. Too much so. She never could tell the truth about anything. Always lying because she thought it made others feel better. ..When it did the opposite.” They said, their tone almost carrying a hint of anger.
“You.. knew Crimson?” Pouchy asked, intrigued. The figure turned back to him. They smiled lightly, leaning over to him while stretching their body unnaturally. “Why, yes.. I did. For a time, I’d call us friends. Perhaps even more than that. Lying was always her greatest fault. The longer a lie is told, the more damage is caused.”
“It’s important to be honest with others, and yourself..” The figure stated, their tone carrying a hint of a sinister tone. “So I’ll leave you with this. No mind games. My name. It’s Honeybun. Oh, you might find it silly, but it’s silly in a sincere way.” Pouchy giggled slightly. “Say, was.. W-was that thing about my friends a joke..? You.. don’t seem so bad..”
Honeybun smiled at Pouchy, shrugging. “That’s enough questions and answers for now. Good luck on your adventure..” They said in a snaking tone, smirking at Pouchy. Their expression and manner of speaking carried some sort of sinister undertone that Pouchy couldn’t catch onto. And with that statement, he woke up.
Pouchy smiled to himself as he looked up at the sky. The clouds were hanging in the air like puffs of cotton that had been pulled apart and sprinkled around like confetti. And the sun’s orange color shone upon them, casting a view that could only be compared to a portrait. Pouchy lifted up his wings, stretching as he reached into his Pouch, pulling out the Map.
He smiled as he gazed upon it, a small green glowing arrow filling up his vision as he packed it back into his Pouch with a ruffle of paper. He stared back at Brad and Spectacles, poking both of them. “Wake up you two, it’s time for today’s adventure!” Both of them exchanged knowing glances as they put on their accessories.
Brad narrowed his bushy eyebrows at Pouchy. “So, where we headed. Better not be another deathtrap like yesterday.” Pouchy rubbed the back of his head nervously, the soft fur crinkling under his touch. “Nope! W-Well, uhm.. I believe not at least..”
Spectacles’ mouth quivered nervously. “Don’t worry Specks! It’ll all be alright! ..How’s your wing, anyway?” Spectacles felt around. “S-Still hurts.. Not as bad, though.. I-I’ll probably still ride in your Pouch..”
“Fine by me!” Pouchy said excitedly. Brad placed his cowboy hat on his head, looking directly. “So. What about food. Ain’t got a clear idea on how long we’re gonna be ‘n the air, so..” Pouchy placed his wing over his mouth, looking back at the food container. A sad, longing breeze blew over the empty container. “We’re out..”
Brad shrugged. “..It’s okay, I guess. Ain’t hungry right now. But it also means we’ll have to be more quick than usual. So no dilly dallying.” He looked at Pouchy deliberately. “From you, I mean.” He chuckled lightly.
“The Leader is allowed to make his own decisions! ..And, as my decision, I choose to.. Agree with that!” Brad looked at him, shaking his head knowingly as he chuckled. “So, then, leader, are we ready to go to this elusive place?” He moved his wings up and down sarcastically.
“Sure are!” Pouchy grinned smugly, hoisting himself into the air as he flew around straight ahead. Brad lifted himself up off the ground, following behind the two as they flew throughout the vast fields of vibrant flowers and green grass. Pouchy kept his handle on the Map firm as he flew, being exceedingly careful to not drop or lose his sight of it.
Eventually, on top of one of the hills, seemed to be the point of a building. Pouchy pointed to it excitedly. “Ooh! Oooh! Just over that hill guys!” He looked back at Spectacles who was residing in the Pouch, moving his head to make sure he could see it. “See that, Specks?”
“U-Um.. Yes, but.. Are you sure that’s where we’re supposed to be g-going..?” Pouchy nodded his head, moving his wings around dismissively. “Of course! Do you think this Map is just some blank space?”
“W-Well no, but..” Spectacles got cut off from his statement as the group flew over the flowery hill, getting a full glimpse of the sharp point from before. It appeared to be a structure the group had never seen before. A large, circular, red and blue dome that filled up the area around it as far as the eye could see. It was complete with a large white pyramid on its top, that seemed to be casting multiple sets of blue and red light, so bright they were visible even in the broad sunlight and blue skies.
Everybody’s eyes widened as they looked onward at the gargantuan structure. Pouchy’s eyes sparkled with intense intrigue as he flew over to the small point from earlier as fast as he could, wearing himself out tremendously in the process. Whenever he finally arrived, he noticed that a small portion of the front side of the dome had multiple small, red and white tents put up all around, as well as a large red and blue roof that connected to the dome, and covered the tops of the tents.
Pouchy looked closer at the entrance, before Spectacles pointed something out. “U-Um.. It looks like there’s doors over there..” Pouchy grinned, patting Spectacles on the shoulder as he flew towards the large set of doors excitedly. Suddenly, a Fuzzy Bee came out of seemingly nowhere, holding out their wing with a serious expression stretched on their face. They were dressed in a red and white outfit, complete with a large bowtie and tophat adorned with tickets. Pouchy looked at them and then at their outstretched wing, grinning as he gave them a high five.
“Money. Pay for your tickets to Crimbolt City here.” Pouchy gulped hard at the mention of money, sweat beading down his fur. Spectacles face palmed with his good, non bandaged wing as Brad shook his head disappointedly. “But we’re just kids!” Pouchy said, his eyes bubbling up needily. The Fuzzy Bee wasn’t buying it, shaking their head as they closed their eyes dismissively. “No money, no service. Kids still have to follow rules.”
Pouchy looked down at the ground dejectedly. The Fuzzy Bee stared back at him, a smirk appearing on their bushy face. “Well.. I guess you could earn some money..” Pouchy perked up at the statement, nodding intensely to Spectacles’ shock. “Hm. Okay. Well, then.. I’ll give you some money.. If you can run this shop for me. I’ve got to visit my mom in town. Check on ‘er every couple of weeks and it’s that time again.”
He looked over at Pouchy and the others. “So can I trust you three? I’ll give you extra pay since y’all are kids.” Pouchy nodded, grinning. “You sure can! Mr..” The Fuzzy Bee laughed slightly. “It’s Raphael. Yeah yeah I know. It sounds like “Raffle” Haha. Funny joke. Especially when you hear it fifteen hundred times over.”
Spectacles pushed up his glasses shyly. “U-Umm we don’t really make fun of people..” Pouchy’s eyes sparkled with interest, throwing up his wings. “Yeah! Besides, that’s a super cool name!” Raphael laughed, his smirk fading.
“..If only everybody else could share your sentiments. Well anyway, toodaloo you three. Oh, and,” He paused, reaching into his tophat and pulling out a collection of three small uniforms and handing it to Pouchy and the others. “Take these. You’d be surprised how many customers come through here daily. Hope you don’t have social anxiety! Though.. Guessing by.. Uh.. How you act, I assume that’s not the case.”
He laughed to himself, suddenly stopping. “Well anyways. Good luck to you three. I’ll be back at the end of the day. And you’ll get your paycheck. Unless you’ve already worked. Then, uh, in that case.. A paycheck. Uh anyway there’s a little TV if you need help see you later!” He said in an extremely rushed tone. Pouchy turned back to Brad as he almost instantly put his uniform on, grinning excitedly. The top of his fur was curled into a large swirl that stuck out of the top hat he wore.
Brad put the outfit on himself, his brows furrowing upon fully putting it on. “(Stupid things were made for toddlers. ..Guess Cobalt doesn’t believe in the idea of large kids. ..Or large bees..)” He whispered to himself and sighed, covering up the short part of the outfit with the strap on his waist.
Spectacles looked at Pouchy’s confident stance, adjusting his glasses. “U-Um.. don’t you think we should like.. a-ask for instructions?” Pouchy looked around, his eyes eventually falling over an old cartridge. Sitting right next to it on the table was a small CRT TV. “Relax, Specks! The Leader has it all under control.”
“Observe.” He grinned smugly as he blew on the cartridge, coughing on the dust but still trying to smile complacently as he placed it into the TV. Soon enough, the screen started to light up. Slowly. Brad scowled. “Can this stupid thing hurry up? We’re probably gonna have a line’a customers before we even get through the first second.”
“Calm down, Brad! It’s just an old thing, give it some time!” Eventually, the TV came online, the picture quality was very poor, reminiscent of a VHS recording. A Bee appeared on the screen. They had zig zagging black antennas with small yellow circles on the end, and seemed to have black fur in the middle with two other sets of fluorescent yellow, with a large alert symbol covering their face.
“Hello, new employee! My name is Warny. Why you may ask? Well look at the darn face!” They said in a sing-song voice. “If you’re watching this tape, that means you’ve been selected as one of Cobalt’s influx managers! Fancy name, I know. But there’s truthfully not too much to it!”
They went on, their voice grainy from the VHS effect. “See, we can’t have too many people entering the city. Wouldn’t want that new house of yours to get filled to the brim with space-hogging people, huh? Well, luckily, our wonderful King Cobalt came up with a solution! Charge people to enter!” A cheap-sounding canned clap and cheer sound could be heard. Brad looked at the TV with a confused expression.
“Despite being simple, this is one of the most important jobs in the town. And remember, don’t mess up.” Their face turned into an alarm and began spinning. “For if you do, you will be fired on the spot, and perhaps even receive criminal charges! Golly, now we don’t want that, do we? That’s why it’s important to always follow the rules, new recruit!”
“So here’s the basics. People will line up in front of the stand, and your job is simply to wait for them to pay, and then hand them a ticket from the ticket keypad located to your left. Then you take the coins, place them in the register, and then repeat! That’s really about it! Simple, right? Even a snail could do it!” Upon saying this sentence, they began to do a funny dance until the VHS eventually faded out, containing the text. “Provided by The Crimbolt Monarchy. Warny is a product and creation of Cobalt Bee. Do not distribute elsewhere unless specifically authorized by Cobalt or Crimson.” Eventually the TV screen went black once more.
Pouchy nodded, rubbing his wing through the curl on his fur to make it more pronounced. “Well, team, that’s that! So let’s get to working!” Everybody soon turned on the lookout for the first customer.
Suddenly, somebody came up behind the three. They were an old Carpenter Bee. Her wooden shell was quite wrinkled and damaged, and she had a small pot on her head which contained a very small sprout. She smiled warmly at the trio, who all jumped back in shock. “Hello! Might I be able to purchase a ticket?” Pouchy grinned, gesturing for the lady to come up to the register.
He looked around swiftly with his starry eyes, before they eventually came across a large note-pad like object that contained various tickets. While Pouchy was trying to tear off the ticket, he looked at the Old Lady. “So, what brings ya’ here, anyway?” She chuckled, taking the pot off her head. Upon closer inspection, the sprout had a little bowtie attached to its green stem. “Well I was going to give my little pal Veggie a home. We’re best friends, you know. I’ve heard the soil here is absolutely wonderful.”
Brad looked at her as he noticed Pouchy was taking a bit, deciding to make some conversation to distract her. “Where did ya’ get Veggie?” She closed her eyes, smacking her lips slightly as she furrowed her brows in concentration “Oh, it’s a long story, dear.. It all started with my garden. See, in my younger years, I used to be quite the gardener. I had all types of plants. Some big, some small, some from clear across the world! Oh, but these days, I’m just too old to take care of so many plants.”
“So I asked my sweet grandson to take them off my wings for me. You know, transplant them somewhere different. Oh, but when he was pulling them out of the soil, one caught my eye. Oh, I know it’s just a sprout, but I saw something in it. So we talked and I decided to keep it with me. I nicknamed him Veggie. See, my name is Veronica. So I thought it would be a sweet name for the little dear.”
Pouchy nodded, still struggling to tear the ticket off. Brad reached over, instantly snapping it off as he handed it to Pouchy, going back to leaning against the tent. “Here you are, m’aam!” She smiled, placing the coins on the table as Pouchy opened the door for her. Spectacles adjusted his glasses. “H-How interesting.. I’ve never seen somebody with a p-plant best friend..”
“Well now you have, Specks! That’s the wonder of the workforce! Tiring yourself out and learning about the people of the world while ya’ do it!” Spectacles looked at Pouchy with a confused expression, then back at the coins on the table, placing them into the register as Pouchy kept his gaze fixed for new customers.
He had a watch on his wrist, a suit on his body, and appeared to be a Diamond Bee. Pouchy stared at him for a moment. “Don’t just stare. Do you have any manners? Get me a ticket.” He looked down at his watch annoyedly as Pouchy fumbled nervously with the ticket notepad. “Is this a waiting game? Unlike you kids I have places to be. People to meet. Money to make.”
Brad glared at him. “Yeah, and things take time. So shut your trap or we won’t get ya’ any tickets.” The Diamond Bee looked angry and lifted up his wings to protest, but swiftly noticed the star on Brad’s chest and quieted down. Pouchy looked at them nervously. “S-So what brings you here today, sir?”
“A meeting. Job interview. Worth more in one day than anything you’ll make working at a dead end job like this, that’s for sure. Especially with a Red Bee with y’all.” He gestured rudely over to Spectacles, who was cowering in Pouchy’s Pouch. Brad glared at him again, tearing the ticket for Pouchy and keeping his stern eyes locked onto the Diamond Bee. “There. Take your ticket. Hopefully the folks over there tolerate inconsiderate Bees like you.”
The Diamond Bee tore the ticket out of Brad’s hand, grumbling to himself as he flew into the door, adjusting his tie midair as if he felt he was contaminated by having to stand next to the three. Spectacles took the coins from the table and placed them into the register. Brad ran a wing through his fur as it crinkled under his touch. “Man, Diamond Bees are the worst.” Pouchy looked back at him. “What about Thrasher?”
“That’s one exception in a world full’a Bees like that,” Pouchy looked down at the coins as Spectacles reached over, sticking them in the cash register, waiting for the next customer. “They think they own the world. It’s like hardwired int’their DNA. Not like there ain’t good ones, but boy, once ya’ve seen a bad one, it’ll harden your view on all of ‘em.” Brad reiterated.
Pouchy was soon jolted out of his standing state as he and Spectacles both heard a familiar voice, their faces perking up. “P-Pouchy..? Spectacles??” In front of them stood an average height Bear Bee, complete with long fluffy fur, plaid overalls, circular glasses, and two Baby Bees. One tucked gently into the pocket of her overalls, and one standing beside her, holding her wing.
Pouchy’s eyes suddenly started sparkling as he flew over to hug her, Spectacles tumbling out of the Pouch to join in. “Diane! Is that.. I-is that really you?” She smiled, ruffling the fur on both of their heads as they flew back to the tent.
“My.. you two have grown so much. Far more independent! I knew you two would have a nice life on the Mountain, but never.. this far away! Goodness!” Spectacles pushed up his glasses, grinning. “W-Well actually we’re on an adventure.. I-it was Pouchy’s idea..”
She smirked at Pouchy, resting her wing on her hip as she ruffled the fur of one of the Baby Bees beside her. “I would love to say I’m surprised, but I’m not!” She chuckled. She looked up at them, raising an eyebrow. “Then what brings you to working here?”
Pouchy ran his wing on the back of his head nervously, coughing. “W-well.. we’re trying to see Cobalt, but.. we didn’t.. have any money, so.. the owner of this tent said that we could work his shift for some money!” She chuckled. “Oh, Pouchy. Easily distracted as always. I suppose that’s why it says ‘Raphael’s Ticket Tent’”. She chuckled.
Pouchy grinned, his eyes sparkling with intrigue. “So what brings YOU here?” She looked down at the Baby Bees beside her. “I’ve heard the city has a lot of opportunities. I want the best for these little ones.”
“Well then! Pay us and we’ll be happy to let you in to your new life!” She smiled, placing the coins upon the table. Pouchy struggled to tear the ticket off as Brad helped him, catching the attention of Diane. “And who are you?”
Brad pointed to himself, coughing slightly. “Oh. Well ma'am, the name’s Brad.” She smiled. “Oh, Brad. What a lovely name! I must say, your outfit is.. really exquisite! Don’t see a whole bunch of cowboy hats where I come from, you know.”
Brad laughed slightly, taking his hat off and tipping it off to her. “Well more people should wear ‘em. And not just ‘cause they look cool. Really effective in keepin’ ya’ cool too.” She laughed, lifting up the other Baby Bee in her arms so that it was next to the one in her overall pocket. “I might get me one! Well thank you all, good luck on your endeavors!” She flew out the door and into Crimbolt City.
Brad looked back at Pouchy and Spectacles, raising an eyebrow. “..So who was that?” Pouchy and Spectacles smiled. “That’s Diane! She was our caretaker back on the Mountain! Helped us get moved into our Beekeeper’s hive! Basically like a mom..”
“Ah. She seems sweet. Glad y’all had some guidance durin’ that time. ..Guess that’s why y’all didn’t end up like me, huh?” Pouchy looked at Brad sympathetically. “Oh don’t say that, Brad! You’re a great Bee.”
Spectacles nodded in agreement. “Y-Yeah.. I don’t know if we’d have done even a quarter o-of the things we’ve been able to do if you weren’t here.. probably would’ve been boiled bees in Queen Mandible’s soup right now!” Brad chuckled lightly, looking down at the ground with a blank expression. “..Well I’m glad y’all two can appreciate me.”
The rest of the day continued as usual; customers walking up, paying, and flying into the City. Slowly but surely, the day went along and the bright blue and cotton filled skies soon gave way to a combination of navy, pink, and orange.
Soon enough, Raphael came flying back out of the doors. He seemed tired. “(Man, she’s a talker. That’s all she can do is talk).” He looked back at the trio, checking the register as his eyes widened. “Wow! That’s a whole boatload! Well, not that much, but.. really nice job for your first time!”
He looked at the three of them. “Since y’all did so good today.. you can keep what’s in the register. Well eighty percent of it, anyway.” He took a small share of coins out. “That’s Cobalt’s portion. I’d suggest y’all go to Blue’s Diner. Not too far from the entrance to the city. Got some good food and drinks.”
Brad and Spectacles handed their uniforms back towards him. Poucht looked at him with watery eyes. “Can I keep mine?” Raphael shrugged. “Eh, go for it, kid. You all worked hard today.”
Pouchy thanked him profusely, stuffing the outfit into his Pouch and undoing the curl on his fur. He looked over at the three. “So what’re you three going into the city for, anyway?” Pouchy reached into his Pouch, pulling out the Map.
Raphael looked over it intently. “Neat.” Pouchy nodded excitedly, stuffing the Map back. “Yeah! We’re trying to find the Event Bees!”
“Oh. Had no idea there was more than one.” Pouchy nodded. “Yep! We’ve already found three of ‘em, Cobalt and Crimson’s gonna be our sixth!”
Raphael dusted off his fuzzy fur, looking back at them. “Well, I got no idea about your mission, but if ya’ put as much effort as you did to work today.. it should be all fine and dandy.”
Everybody waved at Raphael as they flew into the city. Their eyes all widened. There were countless buildings scattered around, some red, some blue. Beautiful fountains and statues of Cobalt made out of shiny blue minerals, and countless Bees flying throughout the vast environment of the dome above.
The buildings seemed to all, interestingly, possess a large sum of triangles integrated into their designs. Either along the bases, or along the top. And then, in the very far corner of the city, illuminated by the prismatic glow of the strobe lights, lay a massive castle; adorned in beautiful shining red and blue bricks, and complete with dozens of flags atop it.
Due to the dimming sky, the interior of the dome was lit up completely. Dozens of red and blue strobe lights running up and down the city, shining against the reflective and shiny exteriors of all the city’s buildings. Pouchy stood in awe for a moment. “A-and I thought Lighttown was pretty..”
Pouchy’s stomach growled. “So umm.. does anybody see that Blue’s Diner thing?” Spectacles narrowed his eyes, pointing. “T-there it is!”
The group hungrily flew over to the small diner. It was a quaint building, built out of blue painted bricks, along with a sign above it that showcased a Diamond Bee in a suit. Brad grumbled to himself as the group flew inside.
Instantly, the intense, futuristic nature of Crimbolt City was flipped on its head, and replaced with something more calm and warm. There was a sleek, silverish coating on the floor, as well as a small fireplace setting against the wall. Additionally, a large piano, being played by a Music Bee, lay in the corner.
There were mostly Blue Bees occupying the seats, but a few, relieved Red Bees were sitting comfortably. Spectacles looked at Pouchy. “(D-do you think this is a safe space?)” he asked, whispering. Pouchy nodded as they sat down at a table. “(I’m assuming not everybody is against Red Bees.. it doesn’t seem like it’s dangerous, just.. a bit harsh..)”
Soon enough, a waiter flew up to them. They were a Buoyant Bee, and were dressed in a fancy black and blue outfit. “What will your order be?” They asked while looking at Spectacles with a worried expression. Pouchy and the others looked down at the menu.
The group decided on their options, and told it to the Waiter. They all leaned back in the comfortable chairs, enjoying the peace after the tiring day. “Man! How do adults work day in and day out?” Spectacles pushed up his glasses, still looking around himself nervously. “I t-think they just get desensitized to it..”
While Spectacles and Pouchy were talking, Brad had moved over to the Piano. He looked over at the Music Bee. He didn’t say a word, simply staring at the Piano.
“So are you just gonna stand there and stare?” The Music Bee stated in an extremely soothing, almost sing-song voice. Brad looked around. “W-Well, uh.. yeah.. just wanted t’see what was goin’ on here, is all..”
The Music Bee shook their head, not buying the excuse. “Yes, sure. Why don’t you just play the piano? If you’re worried you won’t sound good I can assure you, that is the thought of every first time piano player.” Brad shook his head as he tried to fly away. “No, it.. it isn’t that, it’s..”
“If you don’t even know what ‘it’ is, then how can you fear it? Come on, just try it.” They stared at Brad as he reluctantly moved onto the piano.
He sat down on the cushion. It was a beautiful blue velvet texture, attached to a small wooden base. It rocked slightly as Brad leaned over to look at the piano.
Brad looked down at the piano, his wings resting against the shiny metal keys as a surge of nostalgia filled his ears upon plinking one of the keys. After getting his bearings, he began playing the piano; his wings sliding across the keys surprisingly gracefully.
The beautiful melody began to fill the Diner, all eyes turning towards him as he continued moving his wings elegantly across the piano’s shining surface, looking up as he closed his eyes in joy.
Pouchy and Spectacles watched Brad effortlessly play the piano so well, that even the Music Bee was shocked. Brad’s eyes were closed, and he couldn’t see the countless pairs of eyes watching him. Only two. “(It sounds good, ain’t it, ‘Ma? Right ‘Pa?)” He said to himself as he continued to play beautifully.
The black view of his eyes being closed soon began to morph into a beautiful field, surrounded by desert. And sitting atop it, a simple wooden house, in a small simple village, with a small, simple family. He could see himself. A small, innocent gray Brave Bee who was smiling warmly.
He could remember it. His fur was slightly wet and pointy, and a larger Brave Bee was standing above him, combing his fur down neatly. She had a bright red ribbon above her head, tied onto her fur perfectly.
And Brad began to smile, hitting the chords of the piano perfectly as his gruff chuckle turned into a full blown joyfilled laugh. He grinned from ear to ear in a childlike manner, unlike anything Pouchy and Spectacles had seen him do before. “(Haha! I’m doin’ it, ain’t I, ‘Ma? I’m playin’ the piano, just like you!)”
He suddenly caught himself, his laughing instantly stopping abruptly and his smile fading as he finished out the song on the piano. He looked down at the piano with a blank expression as the Diner’s crowd erupted into intense cheers.
Pouchy and Spectacles rushed over to him, handing him his food and drink. It was a small strawberry pastry made out of toasted dough and covered in strawberry jam. And the drink was a large, fizzy blueberry flavored drink; the bubbles on it almost looked like the balloons a Buoyant Bee makes.
“That was amazing, Brad! I never knew you could do that!” Pouchy hopped up and down excitedly. Spectacles pushed up his glasses. “I-I.. never knew you could laugh like that, Brad..”
Brad’s expression turned serious. “Don’t mention that. Please.” Pouchy raised an eyebrow, taking a sip out of his own drink. “But why? You seemed super happy!”
Brad looked down, gritting his teeth slightly. “Just ‘cause somebody looks happy ain’t mean they are. And even if they are, it ain’t for the reason you’d think. Just.. don’t mention it, okay? I got carried away.” Pouchy lifted up his wing to protest but noticed Brad’s serious expression and backed down. Pouchy and Spectacles looked back at each other with saddened expressions. Soon enough, the group all flew back to the table and finished their food.
Brad wiped his mouth. “..That stuff was really good.” The Music Bee from before came back and stared at Brad. “Y-your.. performance on that piano was amazing.. Who taught you?”
Brad looked at them, his brows furrowing. “Somebody special. Now can we please not talk about that?” The Music Bee looked confused. “But why? Your performance was stupendous! It’s the best I’ve ever hear-“
“I said. Can we please not talk about this?” The Music Bee nervously nodded. “R-right.. sorry, I just.. I’ve never heard anything like what I heard tonight..”
All of the other Bees and Bears in the diner nodded in agreement. “Well thank ya’ but.. I don’t need y’all singin’ my praises. So let’s not talk about it.” He took a final sip from his drink as he looked down. The Waiter walked up, handing the check to the group on a balloon.
Pouchy clapped his wings, grinning gleefully. “Oh how cool! Pinecone should do something like this!” He stated as he placed the coins on top of the check, the Waiter picking it up.
Brad kept his gaze on the ground underneath the table. “Let’s just find a hotel.” He said as he got up and stood next to the door, looking back at Pouchy and Spectacles. As the three flew out of the door, Brad looked down at the shiny concrete of the city.
Suddenly, a Cool Bee came up to Spectacles who was attempting to fly outside of Pouchy’s Pouch. He was wearing a coat and had spiked arm bands on his wings. “Haha! Can’t see, can ya’? Gotta have those ridiculous circles on your face, huh? See, this is why Cobalt doesn’t allow Red Bees nothin’. ‘Cause they’re just like y-“ Brad picked him up by the coat. “He can see just fine. I’m guessin’ you can’t ‘cause’a how you’re pickin’ fights.”
“Oh yeah? And what’re you gonna do?” Brad grumbled as the Bee lifted up its fists. The Bee dashed at Brad, attempting to punch him. Brad held up his fist, blocking all of the impacts. The street light flickered above the two. The Cool Bee was shaking, but Brad stood completely still.
“Ugh, fine! It’s either by me or somebody else, but somebody’s gonna knock those ridiculous things offa his face!” Brad took Spectacles and Pouchy and walked away. “(G-Guess we spoke too soon about it being a safe space..)” Spectacles said nervously.
“I shoulda beaten some sense int’him. But I betcha there’s guards all ‘ver the place. Wouldn’t wanna ruin our chances of gettin’ to Cobalt. Don’t worry Specks. You’ve got just as much a right to this City as anybody else.” Pouchy looked at Brad. “Why do you think Cobalts hates Red Bees, anyway?”
“..Dunno. Probably has somethin’ to do with his Sister. Maybe they did somethin’ to her. The way he does all of it.. it seems like he’s limitin’ their power so they can’t hurt ‘nybody, rather than just for the hecka it. Just a thought.” Pouchy nodded. “I.. guess we’ll find out soon, huh?”
“..Yeah. Guess we will.” Soon enough, the group had wandered over to a large building. It was a hotel. Brad sighed in relief. “Thank the stars.” He said as he flew in before Pouchy and Spectacles, standing at the front of the check in.
Pouchy looked at Spectacles and shrugged. Brad looked at Pouchy and Spectacles as Pouchy handed him the coins. “Y’all two.. Uh.. Y’all two don’t have t’go to sleep right now. I’m just.. Really tired.” He handed the coins to the clerk as he then flew drowsily towards the elevator, thinking to himself and trying to remember how Pouchy had operated it before.
As the elevator opened, Brad used the key, fiddling with it before the door opened. He threw himself inside, landing face first on the mattress. He didn’t mind and sat in the same place without moving, swiftly drifting asleep.
Meanwhile, Pouchy and Spectacles were still left stunned on the bottom floor. “What was that all about?” Pouchy continued to stare at the elevator as if Brad would come out of it. “I-I.. Should probably join him-”
Pouchy shook his head. “I spotted something on the way in here that I think we’ll like!” Spectacles looked at Pouchy, pushing up his glasses. “P-Pouchy.. It’s one am..” He gestured to the outside windows of the hotel.
Pouchy laughed, grabbing Spectacles by the wing as he began to lead him somewhere. “Oh, specks! You’ve got to learn to live a little!” Spectacles grumbled slightly under his breath as the two soon arrived at their destination.
It was a large carnival, adorned with similar triangular architecture as those of the houses, and had multiple lights strung up against its fragile red and blue cloth walls. There were a multitude of different games, including a large ferris wheel that repeated its motions endlessly, as if being paid to continue doing the same mundane task.
“Tada! Look, it’s a carnival!” Spectacles took off his glasses, squinting his eyes to see the view in front of him with the dozens of bright lies nearly driving him blind. “O-Oh.. Neat.. I guess..” Pouchy dragged him over to a concession stand.
“Better than neat, it’s amazing, Specks!” There seemed to be a Rad Bee, only he was dressed in a blue and yellow clown outfit. Despite his makeup filled face, he spoke extremely plainly, almost annoyed. “What do you two want.” Pouchy looked up at the menu, eyeing the “Blue Cotton Candy” option intricately. Spectacles decided on some honey icecream.
“Um.. What’s got you so grumpy, mister?” The Rad Bee laughed, their laughter turning hysterical. “Oh, why are you so grumpy? Why are you so grumpy, Rodger? Because this is the only job I could get, kid.”
He leaned in close to both him and Spectacles as he handed them their treats. “Look. I know you’re just a kid.. But not everything’s all happy-go-lucky. People have lives to live. And sometimes those lives suck so bad the only work you can get is a dead end job as a polka dotted clown.” Pouchy raised an eyebrow, taking a bite of the cotton candy. “Why can you only be a clown?”
Rodger grumbled, itching his fur underneath the hat. It seemed very scratchy. “‘Cause there ain’t much else for us Red Bees. Cobalt’s said it many times, too. He thinks we’re all a danger to that stupid sister of his. Like were all murderous psychopaths. It’s nuts.” Pouchy took another bite as Spectacles took a lick of his ice cream, speaking up shyly. “W-Well I don’t think you’re so bad..”
“..Yeah, tell that to the King. People’ve been tryin’ to protest for so long I don’t even know what it’s about anymore. He just doesn’t listen. I know he’s doin’ it to protect, but.. It still hurts, y’know? We ain’t all bad just ‘cause some crazy groups out there.” Pouchy raised his eyebrow. “Crazy groups?” He asked inquisitively.
Rodger nodded. “Say, I’ll walk ‘n talk with y’all. Gonna look weird if we’re just sittin’ in the same spot all the time. Besides, I’m the only worker on the night shift.” Pouchy coughed, reiterating his earlier statement. “So um.. Crazy groups? Is that what this is all about?” He took a large bite of his cotton candy, finishing it off as he tossed the stick in a nearby trash can.
He whispered to the both of them as they began to fly above the soft green grass of the carnival. “..A while back, there was some sorta group. I don’t know the specifics, but they had a fascination with killing Crimson Bee. ‘N they were all Red Bees. ‘Cause.. Y’know.. It’d be weird to have two Blue Bees in power with uh.. All the fancy color shenanigans we’ve got goin’ on. Particularly their leader. She was one of Cobalt’s top advisors. Basically his number two if ya’ didn’t count Crimson. ..And if somethin’ happened to Crimson.. Then.. Yeah, you get the point.” He coughed. “Obviously they were caught.. But that whole thing changed Cobalt. From that point on, he not only drafted guards, but changed his laws around Red Bees so that there could never be another “Royal Bloods” group ever again.”
Both Pouchy and Spectacles looked at Rodger with shocked eyes. “It’s pretty common knowledge. ..Mostly. Y’know, you hear things around, and the pieces start clickin’ together. Haha! That way ya’ can’t go ‘Rodger told us this!’ And get me fired from my already miserable position.” He paused, coughing to himself as he looked up at the Ferris Wheel. “So are ya’ here for any rides or just for an info dump?”
Pouchy’s gaze stiffened as he saw the Ferris Wheel. Soon enough, him and Spectacles had gotten onto it and were sitting next to each other in the cart. Spectacles noticed how Pouchy was silent and spoke up. “W-well um.. it’s kind of a blast from the past, it's just the two of us, huh?” He took a lick of the icecream. “Yum! T-this is actually some good stuff!”
Pouchy looked down at the ground but was suddenly jolted out of his trance by Spectacles’ voice. “O-oh, uh, yeah!” Spectacles looked closer at Pouchy. “I-is there something wrong? You seem.. off.”
Pouchy shook his head frantically, smiling so wide it felt like he was forcing it. “P-Pouchy. We’re best friends. Is something bothering you?” Pouchy continued to shake his head. “N-nope! Nothing's wrong! See, I’m smiling!”
“A Leader doesn’t stop smiling!” Spectacles looked down at the ground as the metal cart continued to clank. “Pouchy.. I-it’s.. okay.. to not smile, okay? You don’t.. a-always have to act like that..”
“W-why would I stop smiling? I’m happy!” Spectacles shook his head, pushing up his glasses. “I know you better than a-anybody else, Pouch. A-and you’re not happy. So what’s wrong?”
Pouchy looked down at the ground, his eyes starting to well up with tears. “G-gosh, Specks, I.. I-I’m sorry.. I.. I shouldn’t be falling apart at the seams like this.. L-Leaders are supposed to be tough..” Spectacles hugged him tightly but a bit awkwardly with his bandaged wing. “I-it’s okay, Pouchy.. Leaders aren’t supposed to be like that all the time..”
Pouchy continued to cry, profusely apologizing as his voice broke further. “I-I’m sorry, Spectacles.. I shouldn’t be doing this to you.. I.. I s-should be smiling..” Spectacles looked at him sympathetically. “Pouchy.. Y-You shouldn’t have to do anything.. it’s okay to cry sometimes.”
Pouchy’s tears began to subside slowly as he continued to stare at the bottom of the cart. “S-so what’s upsetting you?” He asked caringly. Pouchy looked down at the ground. “M-me and my mom.. we.. we always talked about going on one of these.”
He paused, sniffling slightly and trying to keep the tears from prying themselves out of his eyes as he spoke. “W-we had big plans.. m-moving out of the forest and into a big city like t-this.. A-And then to celebrate.. M-Me and my mom would find us a carnival, just like this.. A-And ride on a Ferris wheel.. j-just like this..”
“W-well.. I’m sure she’s happy that you’re riding on it now, Pouch..” Pouchy looked up slightly, laughing softly. “Y-Yeah, but not at this time.. s-she and my dad both hated me staying up too late, haha.. They would g-get worried sick if I didn’t come home at six ‘o clock on the dot..”
Spectacles looked at Pouchy confusedly, as if the idea was foreign to him. “They.. would worry about you?” Pouchy nodded. “Of course! They were my parents!”
Spectacles looked down. “I.. n-never knew that’s what they were supposed to do.. my mom never cared..” Pouchy looked at Spectacles with a concerned expression. “O-oh.. Gosh, Specks.. I’m sorry..”
“O-oh, it’s fine.. not like it r-really matters after I..” he paused, his tone slightly breaking as if wondering if he should even relay the information. “Ran away. Y-you ever wanted to know why I was on the Mountain? That’s why..”
“O-oh.. that’s.. that’s horrible.. What was your mom like?” Spectacles looked down, adjusting his glasses. “O-oh.. she was something, that’s for sure.. She was obsessed with making us all bullies. S-said that’s what Rascal Bees are ‘supposed to be’..”
“F-For a while, I thought she was right.. o-only on the Mountain did I see she was wrong..” Pouchy looked down. “W-well.. Everything's alright now! We luckily both had Diane!”
“Y-yeah.. she was nice.. H-Haha.. y-you know, Pouchy? Diane.. s-she was the first experience I ever had with a real mom.. N-Not somebody who shamed you for being different, but loved it instead..” Pouchy looked up at the stars through the red and blue tinted sky as the Ferris wheel neared the ground.
“I guess we’ll go see Cobalt tomorrow, huh?” Spectacles nodded. “Y-Yeah, I guess we will.. Wonder what he’ll be like..”
“I don’t know, but what I do know.. is that I’m gonna talk some sense into him about this whole ‘Red Bee’ thing.” Spectacles looked at him, smiling lightly as he looked back down at the ground. “Y-yeah.. hopefully he listens..”
As Spectacles finished his sentence, the Ferris Wheel cart had dropped to the ground. Rodger looked at both of them. “So, how was y’all’s ride?” They both looked at each other. “It was good! Really good.” Pouchy stated.
“Well good. Now anyway. Y’all two should be heading to bed. I bet your parents are worried sick about you.” They both looked down as they flew away. “Yeah, they are..” They both said.
Soon enough, they both flew back to the hotel. They went into the elevator, both liking the calming tune that played, despite the speaker quality being a bit poor. They went to the hallway, and soon found a door with a key sticking out of it. They opened the door and found Brad, still faceplanted on the mattress.
It was a relatively small hotel room. Not nearly as fancy as the Golden Sands Resort. There was a set of bunk beds, presumably for kids, a small poorly painted blue desk with a quaint lamp, and a large mattress that had Brad smack dab in the middle of it, snoring.
They both looked at each other and giggled lightly before climbing into the separate bunk beds and heading near instantly to sleep.
It was two am.
