After yesterday's full day of movie acting, Hat Kid yawned as she sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes. Being a detective in a murder mystery and becoming a diva for millions of Moon Penguins can be exhausting. Well, at least she has the day off today while the two movie directors plan to work on their other movies before she showed up.

An alarm then rang out, making Hat Kid sit up. That's the intruder alert. She quickly grabbed her hat and ran out of her room. But when she went into the main hub, no Cooking Cat or Mustache Girl. Keeping her umbrella armed in case it was Mustache Girl, she checked the Machine Room.

What she saw baffled her. It was a jar filled with some...purple liquid and a pair of eyes. It wore a chef's hat and had a nose and mustache attached to the outside of it. She doesn't recall seeing anything like this anywhere.

She walked up to the jar, who looked up at her. It then, surprisingly, managed to speak in a gruff yet slightly familiar voice.

"So...we meet again. My arch nemesis."

Hat Kid tilted her head. The only enemy she seemed to make lately was MG. She gave the jar a shrug, signaling him that she has no idea who he is.

He seemed a bit furious at the gesture as he hopped up and down in anger. "WHAT?! You don't remember me?! How rude!"

He hopped closer to her, causing her to take a step back. Looking at him up close was making her a bit uncomfortable.

"It's me, Boss of the Mafia! Remember? You defeated me in our little indiscretion. Then, your young 'friend' captured me, attacked me ruthlessly, and put my remains in this jar!" Hat Kid's eyes widened in shock. MG actually went through with her mush and jar plan? She actually felt a little bad for him.

"I only managed to escape the little-mustached menace when her back was turned. Now I am without a body! I should be furious! But, it is okay. The past is in the past." Hat Kid smiled a little bit. Maybe he's now learning to be a bit more humble.

"And I'll accept your carcass as an apology!"

Wait, what? Hat Kid hugged herself with a bit of shock. She then said, "You can't have my body! I need it."

"YOU WON'T HAND IT OVER?! Such nerve on such a small child! If I had hands, I would slap you!" Hat Kid snickered at that. She would probably be more intimidated if he wasn't just an angry hopping jar that was smaller than her and has a mustache.

"Fine. I'll just buy a new body then! There has to be some poor soul out there who would be willing to trade his corpse for money! But enough of that. You should know that even though I may not look like it right now, but I am well traveled. I know the whereabouts of all secrets on this planet."

Hat Kid tilted her head, then crossed her arms. "Is this some sort of scam?"

"No no. No scam this time. I couldn't if I wanted to anyhow. I mean, look at me!" He hopped up and down a couple times. That is true; he can't really do much damage as a jar compared to how he was before their fight.

"You like badges, right? I can give you a map badge that can show you where you can find relics that could make you rich! Only 100 pons." He then tipped his chef hat, revealing a map badge inside the hat.

Hat Kid hummed in thought. That earthling sitting device was pretty cool. Maybe she could add more to her ship with these relics. With over 300 pons sitting in her pocket, she shrugged and complied. She set down two small bags, each filled with 50 pons, and took the badge.

"Good decision. Now off with you! I must think in peace." Hat Kid, with a small smirk, rolled her eyes and went back out into the main hub. Speaking of relics, she did manage to grab a couple pieces of one back at Dead Bird Studio.

Fixing up the pedestal, she put together a sort of train track landscape, then added the train. It then lit up and the train chugged along the tracks. Hat Kid's eyes lit up with wonder as she watched the train go along the circular track. She wrote down her title and description for this new relic.

"Tiny Train (and Birds?). This looks like a tiny version of the 'train' the 'birds' used to 'get to work.' Are there tiny birds in there? Do they make tiny 'movies?' I don't have time to deal with tiny bird society!"

She giggled a bit. Just as she wrote, this relic is faintly reminding her of the Owl Express and the birds she came across during her time at Dead Bird Studio.

She then jumped, startled by another alarm. Looking to the main computer, she saw that two more Time Rifts were detected at Dead Bird Studio. One was blue and the other was purple. She quickly pinpointed the location of the two rifts and headed out back to the studio. It may be her day off as a star, but Time Rifts don't take day offs.


Arriving at the studio, she walked up to the receptionist. With a smirk, she showed off her bird passport. He only huffed and rolled his eyes as she walked by and into DJ Grooves' set. After the wooden planks were taken down, much to the Conductor's dismay, it was open for her to enter. The Conductor's set still had an owl guarding the door.

Quietly walking around, she recalled the purple Time Rift being just above the Conductor's set. So if she could follow the same path she did without disrupting the Moon Penguins and DJ Grooves, then she'll find it. As DJ Grooves sat in his director chair, shouting various commands to the Moon Penguins, she looked at the clapperboard to see what movie he was directing.

"Panic at the Space Disco." Odd, and yet she felt like it was a reference to something somewhere. She continued forward and eventually arrived at the Conductor's movie set. She couldn't see much from her angle except the Conductor arguing with someone on set.

She continued looking around until, from up high past the set, she spotted the purple Time Rift. With a small smile, she began sneaking past to-

*BANG*

Hat Kid froze. Was that a gunshot? She ran back and looked at the set. Her face went pale and her eyes went wide.

The Conductor, holding a winged-hand over his chest, fell onto his back. Blood could be seen darkening his train conductor's coat where he was holding his winged-hand. He coughed a little and then laid limp. Looming over him was a shady-figure of an owl. He had a bandana over his beak, a black cowboy hat, and a western poncho. He chuckled darkly as he held up his gun, a bit of smoke coming out of the barrel.

"Nooooooooooooooooooo!" The other Express Owls around the set turned their heads to the left side of the stage, startled in seeing Hat Kid run in. She ran right up to the armed owl and whacked him hard and against the wall with her umbrella. By the sheer force of the whack, her hat flew off her head and landed at her feet. She then looked down at the Conductor, tears showing in her eyes.

She hugged him and started to sob. A couple flashbacks of her past went through her mind. He can't be dead...she was starting to like him.

If the Conductor had eyes, they would be wide open. He realized what was going on as Hat Kid hugged him and sobbed. She was on set during an important scene. She jumped in when she wasn't even supposed to be here today.

Irritation and his normal level of anger boiled up as he sat up quickly. He held Hat Kid close as he did so. Sitting upright that roughly and quickly could've knocked her on her back.

"ALRIGHT! Which one of you peck necks let her onto the movie set?!"

The owls all looked at each other nervously. They didn't even know she was here. A couple of the owls looked at each other, then back to the Conductor. A few even pointed at each other, blaming one or the other.

The Conductor huffed with frustration. He can never rely on them. Then, he looked down at the sobbing girl. "And you, lass! What are-...?"

He was about to yell. Scold her for being here when she shouldn't be. But his expression softened from anger to mild surprise. Hat Kid was looking right up at him, trembling a little and tears rolling down her cheeks. A couple whimpers were even heard from her.

Those tears weren't fake. She was actually crying. But why? He then glanced down at the "wound" on his chest. It did not take long for him to figure out why she was crying and why she jumped in. She thought he actually got shot. She believed that he was…

He moved her back a bit to allow her to see him clearly, causing her to whimper a bit, rubbing her eyes with her sleeves. Then, much to the Express Owls' complete shock, he spoke in a gentle tone.

"Now now, little lass. I'm not dying." He smiled a little to comfort her as he rubbed his winged-hand over the wound. It came right off his conductor's coat and was now staining his hand. He held it out to her. "It's just a bit of greasepaint is all. See? No harm done."

Hat Kid sniffled, looking down at the "wound." It came right off his chest and now sat in his hand. Greasepaint? To make sure, she carefully rubbed her finger in the paint and found her finger stained with the very same paint. She looked back up to the Conductor, who was giving a gentle smile.

He really was okay. He's not hurt. With a shaky smile, a few more tears went down her cheeks. This time, they were tears of relief. She hugged the Conductor once more, letting a few hiccups escape. That was too close to reliving a death of someone she knew back at her old home.

The Conductor was a bit startled by the second hug, but he looked down at her with a small smile. His grandparental instincts kicked in as he rubbed his winged-hands through her hair and along her back in comfort all while hugging her. "Okay okay, it's okay, little lass."

He then looked up at the Express Owls. They were looking at him with wide open beaks and eyes. They have never seen this gentle side of him. The Conductor noticed this and he quickly cleared his throat, speaking in his normal commanding tone. "Alright, boys! We're going to take five, then take it from the top."

After snapping out of their shocked states, they nodded and walked off to get some refreshments. The Express Owl dressed as the bandit that shot the Conductor also got up and followed. Hat Kid hit him hard, but the worst he got out of it was a bruise and a bit of soreness.

The Conductor looked down at Hat Kid, who was beginning to calm down. She sniffled and unhugged, quietly apologizing. He glanced over at her hat, lying on the ground close by. He placed it back on her head and replied, "It's alright, lassie. Yer new to the sets and you didn't know it was fake." He then stood up.

"Let's get some refreshments ourselves." Hat Kid nodded, holding his winged-hand. He was, once again, a bit surprised by the gesture. But he sighed and allowed it. The two went backstage to his office. Hat Kid noticed on the way one open room with a few Bird Movie Award trophies in sight. Interesting…

Once they arrived in the Conductor's office, Hat Kid got a good look around it. Many western themed decorations, but mainly trains. There was a kid's train conductor hat sitting on a shelf with a single Bird Movie Award trophy. Its plague stated "Annual Bird Movie Award. The Conductor." Must be his first win. There was also a massive pile of unopened envelopes near an empty closet. A couple red stamps could be seen stating: "Payment Due." Must be bills; yikes.

The Conductor walked over to his personal refreshments table and hands her a sealed up water bottle. She quietly took it and began sipping as she sat down on a small bench just near the door. The Conductor then pulled up his chair and sat down in front of her.

"So, you mind telling me why yer here when you have the day off?"

Hat Kid glanced down. She couldn't just say she came to fix a Time Rift caused by the very "props" he has been using in his movies. If he found out what they could do, it could end badly like MG.

"I um...just wanted to see what you and DJ were up to."

"Well next time, let me know. You interrupted an important scene in the movie we've been working for weeks on."

"I said I was sorry. I just…" She looked down. It was pretty self-explanatory why she jumped in like that. She heard the Conductor sigh and saw him gently tilt her chin back up.

"Lass, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, okay? It takes a lot more than a simple gunshot to get rid of me." He said that with a smirk, but his expression told her he sincerely meant it. "Got that?"

She nodded. "Good. Now off with you. I've got a movie to record." Hat Kid smiled a bit and exited his office, heading back to the mission at hand.

As the Conductor watched her leave, he sighed and turned to his lavatory mirror. He stared at himself and spoke quietly, "Yer getting in too deep, Conductor. Next thing I know, the owls'll say I've gone soft. ...This next movie will tell them otherwise though." With a determined nod, he got up and headed back to his set.


Hat Kid blinked her eyes open after the blinding flash of the Time Rift and looked around. She found herself on a towering pile of supply crates, floating in the mildly dark gray abyss. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a golden page floating close by. She grabbed it, put it in her pocket, and headed down the hatch to the next part of the area.

The procedure was slightly similar in navigating through the rift. Collect the Rift Pons and golden pages and jump to the next area. The only large difference was the obstacles that were in her way. She had to shy away from the cameras, not wanting any enemies to know she was here. Sometimes she found herself running along wirelines just above dangerous waters below. She can swim, but not too well for too long. Then she would find herself running through a maze of towering supply crates.

Until finally, after grabbing the last golden page in the last area, she looked inside the broken office room of the studio. Broken windows, dark liquid puddles along the ground, and metal support beams broken down from the ceiling. She spotted the Time Rift, hovering in the middle of the hazardous room, and immediately jumped in past the large broken window. She gave it a few good whacks with her umbrella and it shattered, flashing.

The repaired Time Piece floated into her hands and she smiled warmly as it flashed bright white and took her back to where she found the Time Piece. Putting the Time Piece in her pocket, she headed for the Owl Express parked outside to get the blue Time Rift.

But before she progressed into the Time Rift, she sat down at one of the booths. Digging through her pockets, she found the pages she collected already together in a little picture-storybook. The title read: "Conductor (and) Grooves' Big Dreams" with a picture of the Annual Bird Movie trophy. She opened it up and read through.

The next page showed two separate houses in separate places. On the left was a wooden house in the middle of the desert. Another showed a modern, space-like house on the moon.

The next page made Hat Kid's eyes widen a little and giggle. The Conductor and DJ Grooves on their split sides of the page as children. The Conductor wore a striped-shirt and a kid's train conductor hat, laying on the train track patterned carpet while keeping his head propped up with his hands as his elbows supported him. DJ Grooves wore star-shaped shades, but not as dark as the ones the current DJ Grooves wore, so she could see the wonder in his eyes as he watched the TV in his overalls. He also surprisingly had the afro at his age, but a bit smaller than the one he had to this day.

The two may be from different places and shown split apart in the storybook, but in the next page, it showed that they were doing one thing at the same time: watching the Annual Bird Movie Awards. A puffin movie director held up the trophy with a proud smile.

In the next page, both boys shared the same dream bubble. They planned on becoming the number one bird movie director. The praise, the trophy, and the glory. What more could they want?

The next page transitioned to "Years later…" as it showed both the Conductor and DJ Grooves, grown up, approaching the rented Dead Bird Studio. It was right in the middle of the separate worlds the two birds were coming from.

Then, the next two pages, the two birds finally meet. But the greeting was not friendly in the slightest. They both held the key to the studio, but they could not find the common ground to share it. They argued on who should properly own the studio, what they should film, etc.

And thus, for the final page, the studio was split between these two worlds. The left side as the Conductor's set for his western-themed films and the right side being DJ Grooves' set for sci-fi themed movies; their rivalry living on to this day.

Hat Kid hummed with mild disappointment and thought. She closed the book and pocketed it, making her way to the blue Time Rift. As soon as she entered and began jumping and navigating through, she kept the story in her thoughts.

Sure the two birds came from conflicting parts of the world, but why shouldn't they get along? The rivalry was pretty ugly between the two directors and even their crew noticed this. Next thing Hat Kid knew, they would start adding in dangerous effects in order to try and one-up each other. Or even go so far to cheat or sabotage. They share the same dream, so why can't they share it together?

Hat Kid grabbed the Time Piece at the end of the mystic realm and was taken back home.

"Maybe things will cool down tomorrow…"

.

.

.

Yeah, it's not. We all know that tomorrow for her will start off and end with a bang. Also, got the idea on the Conductor's comfort from a vid by JF4 Draws, who also got the idea from kaetanye4kaisareallybadnickname, so props to them for this cutesy idea. x) Anyways, until the next chapter, keep strong and happy. ;)