For the four friends back at the Party Barn, band practice was turning out to be a good experience for the morning. Angus sang well as always, Beas fingers pressed plenty of keys on her laptop and got a lot of drum notes on cue and Gregg did a few crazy poses while he played as if he really were a rock star facing a screaming crowd of fans. The standout amid the group was Mae however. As she played through all the songs on her guitar, her friends noted that the feline improved significantly since she came home from college, hitting every note perfectly.
"You really played it like a pro Mae!", Gregg cheerfully commented after the four finished performing their fifth song, the notoriously hard "Pumpkin Head Guy", without missing a beat. "What can I say? I learned the songs during my free time. I really am the best musician ever!", Mae boasted while doing a rock and roll sign for a moment. "Don`t let your ego inflate. We all did fantastic", Bea couldn`t help but slightly tease before Angus spoke up.
"You know, it feels like we played enough for one morning. Since we don`t have any work or other plans today, I was thinking that the four of us could head out of town a bit to the Donut Wolf and have a sweet bite to eat. My personal treat", he stated. "That sounds nice. Didn`t have dessert for a while", Bea said closing her laptop. "Yes! The Donut Wolf! Ride the chariot! Awooooo!", Mae cheered to the donut stores logo, excited to hear she was going to one of her favorite places in the world.
Before anyone could walk off the stage for the exit, Gregg suddenly called out urgently. "Wait, wait, wait! You three forgot something. I didn`t get to tell all of you my big surprise", he said. "Oh, I almost forgot about it. What`s the big news you want to share bug?", Angus asked.
Pulling out some papers from his leather jacket pocket, Gregg approached everyone and handed them a single page each. Mae looked down at a sheet of notes and exclaimed, "What is this?", "It`s a song I wrote last night. I figured I`d announce the surprise through a performance, curtesy of our amazing music skills", Gregg said excitedly before strumming his bass.
Bea just starred at her own music sheet with annoyance and said, "Your kidding, right? It would be easier if you just told the surprise up front. Save us a lot of time and dignity", "Plus, we don`t know this song. How do you expect us to perform it correctly so soon?", Mae added.
"C`mon Mae and Bea. It`s just one more little performance and it's an easy song to memorize. I`m sure we all have enough energy left in us to make it to the end! Besides, I`m doing this for Angus, since the surprise involves him", Gregg pleaded as Angus looked a bit surprised for the reasoning behind an extra performance, though he didn`t say anything else.
Sighing as the reason convinced her, Bea reopened her laptop and said, "Fine. I`ll do it for you and Angus just this once. Better be a good surprise", "Wait, what about the Donut Wolf? This isn`t one of the songs that will take forever to play, will it?", Mae asked. "Trust me. It won`t Mae. We`ll be out for donuts in good spirits in no time", Gregg replied, making her feel relieved.
Mae then looked at her sheet again for a few moments before setting it down on the ground next to her. Knowing she got a good view of all the notes which would help her performance, Mae started feeling she`d get the chance to give another rocking performance and did a few practice strums with her instrument.
Angus and Bea also kept their newly assigned notes and lyrics close to them and warmed up a little, feeling they could perform everything good enough on the first try (with Angus noting that the last lines to his song were erased, a small footnote to the side telling him that his man would shout the ending words himself).
After a few more moments, Gregg asked if everyone was ready. After he got three "yeses", the fox let out an excited cry and got started playing his newly written song: "Who Am I?", kicking off with the first notes. Mae took a deep breath before she joined in on the surprise revealing performance alongside Bea and Angus.
Mini-game #7 : "Who Am I?"
Objective: As Mae, the player has to hit the notes that are presented when they pass by onscreen at a certain point (sort of like the Guitar Hero like section that happens during the original game). While it`s not mandatory to progress in the story, getting a perfect score is the goal here.
Controls:
-Triangle, Square, Circle and X button: Hit when note appears at the right time
Advice:
-This is probably one of the easiest mini games in the story, as failing everything won`t even get a game over (thought it will affect some dialogue at the end of the song performance). Still, try doing your best to hit as many notes possible.
Lyrics to Greggs song:
(1st verse)
I may be a fox living in an uninteresting town.
But I guarantee it rarely ever brings me down.
Whatever I do, my love, I know I wanna be with you.
(Gregg rulez, (echoed three times))
So what do you say we go out and find ourselves?
Who am I? Who are you? Who am I?
I just wanna leave the familiar streets and find myself.
Who am I?
Please, please, please, why can`t life let me be me?
It`s too short. So why hold back?
(2nd verse)
Sometimes fate works in strange ways.
You don`t know if it`ll appear in minutes or days.
Whenever I dream of leaving this place I always wondered if I`d possibly die alone.
Well that news changed last night when I picked up the phone.
(Gregg rulez (echoed three times))
So what do you say we go out and find ourselves?
Who am I? Who are you? Who am I?
I just wanna leave the familiar streets and find myself.
Who am I?
Please, please, please, why can`t life let me be me?
It`s too short. So why hold back?
(Mae`s guitar solo followed by last verse)
Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?
The good news is I know this place isn`t where I`ll die. Bet you wonder how I know why.
Luck seemed to find me when I was awake last night.
Angus, after all our hard struggles things will finally be alright…
(Authors note: For a little trivia, I totally improvised this song)
After the mini-game ends:
After Mae tried to hit the last note on her sheet, Gregg suddenly flung his bass aside without warning and exclaimed with exciting flailing arms to his boyfriend, "Because you and I are moving to Bright Harbor!", before running up and excitedly giving Angus a hug.
All of Greggs bandmates, especially Angus, could only stare in shock as they heard the news. Bright Harbor was a big sea side town that Gregg and Angus both planned on moving to for better opportunities in life. During his hangouts with Mae, Gregg would bring it up occasionally and share wild tales of living in a fancy high rise apartment next to a Donut Wolf, his own dreams since his youth come true.
However, the cost of living there wasn`t cheap, meaning the couple had to work hard and save a lot of cash before they could consider even getting a low rent apartment. The wages at the Snack Falcon and the video store were good, but earning a high enough amount to officially live in their dream place seemed near impossible. Near impossible until Gregg`s apparent announcement that is.
"Gregg. Bug. How?", Angus could only ask as Gregg ended the hug and nearly jumped up and down in excitement. "I got a call from this guy yesterday on the phone from Bright Harbor. He offered us a place to stay that we can afford with our savings!", he answered.
After a moment of thought, Bea called out to Gregg and got his attention. "The guy who called you; by chance he had an unlisted number?", she asked. "Wait, why is that important? When I talked to the person, he offered me a deal on this ocean side apartment and said he represented an official company. He also said he`d call back tonight to potentially finalize a purchase", Gregg answered. "You didn`t give him any important numbers or personal information, did you?", Angus asked, suddenly nervous. "No, not during the last call…why are you worried Captain?", Gregg replied looking confused.
Bea nearly face palmed herself over the idiocy Gregg had displayed while Angus took him to the side to have a small private talk with. Mae approached the alligator and exclaimed, "What the heck just happened?", "Gregg fell for an obvious telephone scam. You know those shady people who run questionable services? I`m guessing that the apartment retailer was just a con artist trying to rob him", Bea replied. "What? No way", Mae could only exclaim in disbelief. "Sadly, that`s probably the case. Trust me, I ended up learning a lot about shady offers over the phone and other media after my mom was…", Bea began before stopping. Understanding, Mae gave a nod and looked at Gregg to see how he was taking the same info she got.
The look on the fox's face was completely depressed once Angus finished explaining the facts to him. "No. Why? I thought our dreams were finally coming true when I got that call yesterday", he exclaimed, making Angus comfort him with his own hug. "They still can. Don`t take it so hard", he said gently. As Gregg gave a sad sniff, Angus then broke off the hug and said, "Why don`t we go out and get those donuts? I`ll even buy you a tall frozen coffee. I know you sometimes like one when you eat a lot and need something to wash all that sugar down", "Okay", Gregg replied, lightening up slightly but still looking down. He glanced at Mae and Bea and gave them a nod, with the duo returning one.
The four friends got off the stage trying to shake the negative feelings off them and started to head for the exit, hoping that the rest of the day would carry out on a more positive note. Those hopes ended unexpectedly the second they heard a lot of screaming taking place outside followed by what sounded like a heavy attack.
Stopping and listening while as alarmed as his companions, Gregg exclaimed, "What the eff is that?", "Don`t know. It sounds like a full scale riot", Bea replied apprehensively while Mae nervously hugged her.
Angus, who was paralyzed with fear from the horror of the noises, recovered a bit as Gregg started to slowly move towards the door again. "What are you doing? Get back here. If it`s a riot you could get hurt", he told his boyfriend urgently. "I`m just going to take a peek outside to see what`s happening. I`ll be careful", Gregg replied before reaching for the door handle. Suddenly, he noticed a shadow appear through the doors crack and got the feeling that someone was about to barge in. "Everyone, get back!", he shouted in panic.
Prompt: circle button
Hit in time: Having his instincts kick in at the nick of time, Gregg bolted from the door before it flung open in his face. He then ran back onto the stage out of panic, finally stopping when he ended up tripping and hitting the ground face first.
Failed to press:However, before Gregg could move away from the door it got barged open with a lot of force. The fox found himself get hit so hard by the swing that it sent him flying in the air back towards the stage, where he landed on one of the speakers set up prior to practice before rolling onto the floor. (Health: -10%)
"Gregg!", Angus and Mae yelled in horror as they sprinted towards their friend along with Bea. Quickly, Gregg got up, stretched a bit and moaned, "I`m okay", before looking towards door. The second he got a good look at what burst in, his eyes widened in shock. "What the eff is that?!", he exclaimed, prompting his friends to stop next to the stage and look behind them.
The minute the four saw the electric drone that attacked Gregg, a sense of shock and confusion overcame everyone. "Is this all part of some crazy publicity stunt for a movie? It has to be!", Mae exclaimed as the drone aimed at her. "I don`t think any publicity stunt would go that far considering Gregg…Mae! Look out!", Angus began before spotting the incoming attack. Mae looked just in time to see a ball of electricity shoot at her while Bea and Angus dove out of the way from the projectile zone.
Prompt: X button
Hit in time: Following her friends, Mae also managed to evade the blast just in time. The ball whizzed by her (making her fur stand on end a bit) and hit the side of the stage, sending some pieces of debris from it in the air upon impact (and making Gregg stumble back as he tried to get off the stage to get to Angus). "That was cool!...What?", Mae exclaimed getting up before noticing the odd looks her friends gave her.
Failed to press: Before Mae could do what Angus and Bea did, she felt the electric ball hit and send her stumbling back into the side of the stage, twitching all the way with sparks coming from her (along with her skeleton being shown for a few brief flashes as the currents went through her). "Mae! You alright!?", Gregg exclaimed running up to her as she stood up herself. "Never better. Besides, I`ve been zapped before", Mae exclaimed, getting an odd look from her friends regarding the last statement. (Mae: -10% health)
The electric drone suddenly moved into the Party Barn to launch a closer range of attacks, getting everyone's full attention again before they tried to maneuver around it to get to the entrance. The goal became harder than it sounded when to a sudden surge in its precision made the drone veer left and right quicker, sending everyone running back towards the stage to avoid an attack before going for the exit again.
Angus, who managed to get to the doorway first after dodging a few shots, was blocked by a hovering drone that suddenly came down from the sky. Like Pastor K, he noticed that he was being filmed before seeing the electric drone move in from behind to hit him, curtesy of the reflection.
Prompt: Square button
Hit in time: Unlike Pastor K though, Angus managed to step aside just in time. Instead of hitting him, the electric drone accidently hit its flying ally, smashing its camera. "Way to go Captain!", Gregg cheered upon seeing this, making Angus feel almost proud as he backed away from the drones.
Failed to press: Before Angus could move, the electric drone managed to club Angus and knock him flat on his back. Before the drone could hit him again while he was down, a gator lawn gnome and a guitar thrown by Gregg and Mae flew through the air and hit both foes (with the hovering drone getting its camera smashed in the progress). Angus took advantage of his attacker's distraction and quickly crawled out of the way, saying he was okay when Gregg called out to him. (Angus: -10% health)
Apparently, the damage the hovering drone took started to make it act funny. As the electric drone continued to fire at the four and missed, its accomplice flew in the air erratically. It bounced off a wall, a banner and the floor like a cartoony boomerang before going directly for Bea as she tried to take cover behind the speakers on the stage. The alligator glanced up in time to see what was coming towards her.
Prompt: Triangle button
Hit in time: Luckily, Bea managed to duck and the drone flew past her, hitting the wall closest to her and getting destroyed on impact. Quickly, the alligator stood up and moved away from the wreckage, feeling less safe about her cover spot.
Failed to press: Before Bea could duck, the drone hit her head and bounced off it. As Bea hit the ground in pain, the malfunctioning hover drone hit the ceiling and got destroyed by the impact. "Bea!", Mae called as she evaded a blast, seeing what happened to her friend. To her relief, Bea got up rubbing her head and stumbled away from her cover spot, feeling it would no longer be safe enough. (Bea: -10% health)
Bea jumped off the stage and ran to her friends as two ice drones and another hovering drone (which also had a cracked camera) arrived in the Party Barn, getting a signal for help from its electric comrade. "Crap! How are we going to dodge all of them and get out now? We can`t keep moving forever in a tight space!", Angus exclaimed ducking to avoid an ice blast.
Quickly spotting and picking up a nearby pipe that lay on the ground, Mae held it like a baseball bat and declared, "We have to destroy these things to win! It`s the only way!", "Seriously? You think we have a chance against whatever those things are!?", Bea exclaimed, noting how advance her foes were and worrying about the odds of actually winning.
"I`m up for it! Even if we die, it`ll sure be a way to go", Gregg declared pulling out a knife from his jacket and nodding to Angus, who looked reluctant but quickly agreed to join in on the fight. Feeling it was better than to just stand in place and be killed, Bea ended up giving a reluctant nod as well before the four charged at their enemies, intending to fend off the foes.
Fight 4-1:
Fighters to select:
-Mae
-Bea
-Gregg
-Angus
Opponents:
-2 Freeze Drones
-1 Electric Drone
-1 Hovering Drone
After the fight: As soon as all the enemies were defeated, the four looked down on their fallen foes in disbelief. After a few moments of silence, Bea broke it by exclaiming, "What the heck just happened? Seriously, what we did feels like a strange dream rather than reality", "I`ll tell you what we did, we fought a powerful foe and won! Hooray for us!", Mae exclaimed, though her enthusiasm didn`t make anyone else feel less uneasy.
Angus walked up to the electric drone and examined it more closely. "This is unbelievable", he said, though it was not clear if he was talking to himself or his friends. Gregg nonetheless asked his boyfriend exactly what was it was he found strange about the killer robots. Other than the fact that there were killer robots inside the Party Barn.
"It seems like these devices are years ahead of even the most advance software and hardware companies ever. See?", Angus said pointing to some exposed inner machinery on one of the drones that was ripped open a bit during the fight. Even though nobody understood hardware or software as good as Angus, they did know that he was right since the material looked like it was out of a futuristic sci-fi novel. The structures, the framing, the wiring, everything in a robot looked like it was built beyond perfection.
After asking Gregg if he could borrow his knife, Angus started to remove some bits and pieces carefully from the drone. "If we get the chance, I think we can study them and understand how they work exactly", he explained before asking Bea if he could borrow her laptop carrier. Quickly, Bea got it from the stage and helped Angus put the pieces in it while Gregg and Mae watched the whole process with awe. Just as the bag was full, a sudden loud explosion got the groups attention to the chaos outside again. Leading the way, Mae ran out to see what was going on with her friends following her.
Stopping a few feet from the front door, the four friends couldn`t believe their eyes when they got a good look at the main source of the sounds. What they were seeing was a wide scale invasion of more metallic foes, similar to the group they faced. Citizens of Possum Springs were attempting to flee as they were stunned and/or frozen, all while the hovering drones seemed to film each victim before they went up into the sky and vanished. The once peaceful and clean area also looked trashed, with a few buildings smoking and several cars flipped over, blocking the road.
Bea suddenly saw another female alligator get captured in the distance, all while screaming for her father. "Oh no. Dad! He`s alone in his apartment", Bea exclaimed, suddenly realizing her father was still home alone by himself, probably unable to defend himself if too many drones came to his home.
The talk of Mr. Santello in possible danger all alone suddenly made Mae look equally alarmed. "My mom and Dad! They`re still out there to! We have to go find them!", "How? It looks like there are too many drones for us to take head on", Angus exclaimed. "I`m willing to test my luck", Gregg exclaimed starting to walk forward, only for Angus to pull him back. "No. We can get to Mr. Santello and the Borowskis safe and fast without running directly down the block", "How exactly? I`m not going to just stand here and let someone else in my family get taken from me", Bea replied with Mae nodding along. Before she and Mae could run off, the group noticed several drones up ahead were turning and about to spot them.
Quickly, Mae sprinted to the side of the Party Barn and ducked behind the corner after signaling her friends to follow, leaving them unseen by the enemy as they hovered away elsewhere. After a few moments, Angus peered out to see if any foes were coming their way and sighed with relief when none did. However, this didn`t make anyone feel more secure as they pondered what to do next, with the girls looking more desperate by the minute.
"Maybe we can lure four of those things over here, beat them up and dress up like them to get past their allies. We could get to Bea and Mae`s family members in no time", Gregg said. "This isn`t a cartoon Gregg. Try to take this seriously. How do we get to my father with all that chaos in between us?", Bea replied bitterly to him. "No need to be hostile with me. The fact that someone here along with his loved one wants to help you should be something to consider", Gregg replied, making Bea glare at him even more.
As the hostility between Gregg and Bea grew with Angus trying to settle things down, Mae looked around for anything else that would be helpful before she took a peek at the street again. For some reason, she noted how low all the hovering drones were from the ground and then found her eyes gazing up at the power lines. Quickly looking around, Mae then spotted a nearby wooden power line base and an excited and mischievous look appeared on her face.
"Hey guys, I have a plan on how to get to me and Bea`s homes. Let's just say it involves crimes", the feline said, stopping all the talk going on between her companions. "Crimes?", Gregg asked excitedly while Bea and Angus looked baffled. "Crimes", Mae replied confidently.