just as a heads up, im starting to copy paste directly from ao3, so if the format or notes don't make much sense, that's probably why
Notes:
Wrote partially in midnight/early morning haze. got a rush of motivation. thank the song "love like you" for this update. I have a strong animation idea for this fic now, though I'm not sure if i'll actually do it
A lot had happened in my life since my last update. Finished my first semester of college, got better at art, and I'm trying to earn a bit of money. Opened a Redbubble and (eventually a Teepublic) account, and I'm also taking art commissions now!
here's some more self promotion ↓
qu1mser/
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Hornet twitched in irritation, staring at the two menderbugs making eyes at each other.
She had been forced to bear spectacle to them while sitting in the audience seating. It sounded odd that the elusive menderbugs would have something so stadium-like, until the realization hit that it was basically a more of a rotational seating area, and there was plenty of room for the menderbugs to shuffle around from here to the arena. Of course they could fly but it seemed to be tradition.
Technically, she didn't have to watch the duo, but it was difficult not to considering that their voices carried very well. Very well. The two lovebugs flitted around each other once again but this time she was distracted by a slight shifting underneath her cloak.
She had brought the weaver eggs along. Normally, she would've condoned such an action, but seeing as they were exhibiting some movement and the menderbash was a rare happening (especially with non-guild members). Fortunately or unfortunately, there wasn't much to carry since not all of the eggs were fertile; in fact, only four had a chance at bearing live weaverlets. She did have some thanks that weavers didn't have a grub stage, at least.
A minor risk could be taken to take them along. It's not as if she wasn't one of the strongest bugs in the room, after all, so the chance of an unfixable disaster was basically nil with her protection.
Menderbugs shuffled around, still preparing for whatever competition they were going with this time. Even with all the hectic but oddly strategic looking movement, Hornet still easily sensed Mender Bleu approaching awkwardly from the side.
"Is it time for me to make the announcement?" she asked preemptively.
Bleu, caught off guard, responded with a stuttered affirmation. Either she still frightened him or he had the jitters from talking to his love interest. Probably both.
She stood up, mindful of eggs strung to her front, and walked over to the ghost. They were tugging at Quirrel's bandana from the back, much to his apparent amusement. That odd fellow seemed to exude a fond father or uncle-like aura at times, in spite of the initial instability he displayed when he arrived. Having little ghost on your tail for months would do that to a bug like him.
"Would you accompany me?" Hornet said. They looked up and raised their stubby arms toward her. She took that as a yes.
She lighted down in the center of the stage with her sibling in her arms, and a wave of silence fell upon the small crowd. Obviously, the mass of menderbugs wanted an explanation for the outsiders among their throng and she was expected to deliver.
With a slight nod to the current king, now standing to her left, she began.
"As a hidden guild of Hallownest, all menderbugs were told to stay out of sight due to royal ordinance. Of course, as dedicated workers, many of you opted to follow the original decree. I assume most menderbugs here fall into that category?"
An enthusiastic chorus of agreement echoed inside the cavern. Internally, Hornet was laughing somewhat. She was going to enjoy the chaos visited upon her unsuspecting audience.
"I expected no less. Now, by the wish of I, the daughter of the first king of Hallownest-"
Cue the hushed whispering and confused shouting.
"First king? What?"
" Daughter? The king had a daughter?
"-and the current king at my side-"
Sheer uproar. She waited half a minute for the din to subside, but when it didn't, she whipped the air around her with glowing thread and gestured for quiet. The chivvying tone of her mother echoed clearly at the back of her mind. She always did have a slight mischievous streak outside of official duties, after all.
"The elusive guild of the menderbugs are no longer under oath to remain out of the sight of Hallownest's citizens."
Silence. Then, an explosion of questions and some dispersed cheering, they began riotously chattering among themselves and formed a small flood surrounding the duo. She could barely restrain herself from leaping out of the sudden swarm. Even Etty somehow got dragged into it, as she could feel the slight bumps from his mini spires at her side.
As a member of royalty, however tenuously in this broken old kingdom, would at least be obligated to answer some questions. Even then, these menderbugs as a whole were far too comfortable to the concept of touch. It seemed that Mender Bleu was the odd, polite bug out in this mass.
"Halt your crowding and pushing," Hornet commanded.
They all flew back immediately, revealing ghost to be uncomfortably clinging onto her legs in an attempt to remain near.
This was going to be a long session, she thought with minor annoyance.
Bretta could admit she became infatuated more easily than the average bug. In fact, between bouts, there was an uncomfortable awareness of it. Not only that, but everyone she had felt an attraction to never seemed to return the same feelings.
That wasn't always a bad thing, though. The last fellow with a troubled past could hardly be considered a life companion. He never did seem to stop talking about himself and barely noticed when she slipped away.
And that shining knight? It was just a quiet little bug that never talked. They weren't romantic at all. She got over that crush rather quickly in their long periods of absence.
A life companion wasn't easy to come by, especially with how choosy her criteria could be at times.
Come to think of it, there was one little bug who she had been hanging around for a bit now. She was a little cheery bug that hardly fit the qualities of a pretty lady bug. However, her presence was surprisingly enjoyable despite her stocky, somewhat roughed appearance and habitual stuttering.
Myla often glowed with as much cheer as the crystals around her. It was nice to be near someone friendly as her, even if she did start singing without warning sometimes. Oddly enough, even when Bretta got carted off to some sort of "secret meeting" for these… building bugs fellows, she couldn't really find it in herself to mind at all.
"I overheard s-some of them talking about menderbugs. I thought they were all just a story from the old days, but apparently they're real!" Myla rambled. "I-I want to see!"
They had just passed through a carelessly hidden door with a scuffed cluster of footprints at the front. The previous group had definitely passed through here. However, the network of tunnels ahead could've proved troublesome. Fortunately, Bretta had a special little gift that shaved down guesswork to a minimum.
Myla gently poked at the antenna of her travel companion. "Who knew you had such good h-hearing?"
"These antennae aren't here for nothing, you know," she replied readily, puffing out her chest.
After some more light jibing and chatting, they pushed through a rather fancy-looking door to what appeared to be some sort of raucous performance. A heap of scrap pieces were assembled into a pile, and the audience was shouting encouragement.
"And for the next performance," shouted an announcer through a shiny grey object, "Mender Garue will assemble a functioning ornate lumafly lanturn!"
With a slight gasp of wonder, Myla said "Is that an a-amplifier bug? I've never seen one before!"
"Amplifier bug? What is that?"
"Some sort of device suh...said to be created by some very clever bugs working under t-the Pale King. It makes your v-voice louder."
Bretta blinked. "You seem to know a lot of stuff from old tales."
"S-songs and stories and rhymes. That's w-what I live for," she said with a smile. "Never really r-realized how much it was a part of me until r-r-recently."
"Menderbugs of all ages, take a gander of these results!" The two jumped at the sudden commentary and turned to look. A regal-looking lamp had been thrown together and fixed almost flawlessly, at least at first glance.
The announcer was dramatically rubbing their chin. "But! How good is the function? A tool's looks are second to its function!" More dramatic gasping from the audience as announcer bug flipped the switch. It flickered weakly, then as good as burned out. A disappointed huff and the Menderbug, Garue, if she remembered correctly, walked away to take a seat in the audience section. Other menderbugs patted her back consolingly on the way up.
"They're awfully nice to eh… each other. That's nice…"
Bretta turned to look at her. She seemed weirdly enamored with the whole thing.
While they had been distracted by Garue's trek back to her seat, another menderbug had come down and somehow fixed it in a flash. It was now glowing like a jar of shaken lumaflies.
"Well, give your congratulations to Mender Berri!"
He took a deep bow, and took off to his seat with a light trot.
"Lastly, we'll do something a little different! We're sticking with the theme so next we'll do a tall, standing streetlight, preferably a double sided one from the City of Tears! volunteers?"
Immediately, one waved frantically and dashed down to the stage area. He seemed a bit flushed. Was it from the running?
They all watched on as he went about in a flurry of movement. In the end, he flipped on the lights and they seemed to shine like brand new. There was one problem, though…
"How quick, Mender Bleu! And it works perfectly!" complimented the announcer. "On the other hand, this was very obviously a patch job!"
Bretta couldn't help but agree. He had made a unprofessional-looking, slightly bent lamp that jutted out at odd angles. No matter how well it worked, there's no way they'd display this willingly in a fancy capital city.
"O-oh dear, did the excitement get to him?" Myla half-whispered beside her.
It seemed that Bleu understood the situation. "Can I get another attempt?" he asked. Embarrassment was plain on his face.
"Mender Bleu, you know there's only one attempt per contestant," announcer bug chastised.
"I know, but…!" he replied, voice slightly tinged with desperation. He flicked his eyes to a certain spot in the audience, and announcer bug sighed quietly.
"Okay! A new shot! Same challenge, but this time for a lamp in Dirtmouth! Let's see what you got!"
The same result happened again. His face got ruddier as he asked for another and failed again.
Bleu lifted his hammer, probably to request another attempt, but a larger figure buzzed down right in front of him.
"Bleu, you don't have to do this. You obviously don't want to and I don't want you to to force yourself to!" Mender Berri said worriedly.
"But-"
"But nothing. I know why you're acting like this. You want to impress me, right?"
"Yes, so-"
"We should act together in these situations. I don't care if you can do every part of the repair process perfectly. Why do you think we work in guilds and not alone?"
A period of uncomfortable silence followed. Mender Bleu frowned in mild shame. "I… it's because I wanted to ask you something today if I succeeded."
Berri, despite his current chastising demeanor, let a smile slip out. "And what would that be?"
"I… uh, wouldyouliketobepartners?" came out the sentence in a single breath. "In more ways than one?
The audience, in spite of their previous annoyance, seemed to be holding they breath.
There was no need to worry, though. A big grin spread over Berri's face as he grabbed Bleu's hands gently. "You idiot, of course I would!"
Bleu and Berri grinned like idiots together as a roaring cheer filled the cavern.
It was at this moment that Bretta realized Myla was no longer at her side.
"Myla?" shouted Bretta confusedly. "Where are you?"
She scanned the area. It was too loud to get a good read, so she'd just have to look around. Poking around, she noticed a foreign tapping sort of sound nearby. Curious, she followed the noise to a covered little overhand below the seating area.
Squinting, she spotted a small, while figure curled up against the wall. "Etty? What are you doing here?"
He made a frantic shushing motion and gestured for her to come closer. She obliged.
As she drew nearer, she noticed a faint wrapping of what looked like silk wound around his horns, a bit like a spool. Three little bugs were happily clambering all over it.
Poor Etty looked a bit stressed but Bretta's urge to question popped up. "What happened? What are those things?"
"...I"
"I?"
"Neither intended nor anticipated this outcome."
"Huh?"
"Unintentionally manhandled into the swarm."
"And?"
"Accidentally snagged eggs onto horns. Hatched. One didn't"
Shock spread across Bretta's face. "Oh! Who are the parents? This is bad-"
"Bretta!" cried Myla. The shout jolted both of them into alertness.
"Bretta!" she repeated. "I got an apprenticeship with the menderbug guil-"
She stopped and took in the scene. "W-what… happened here?"
"I'd willingly assume that little Etiolate here carelessly hooked his horns on the eggs and took off without realizing they were there."
He froze. Slowly, he turned to the voice's owner. "I dearly apologise, one of the eggs-"
"That's normal. The problem is that you did not tell me upon your realization of your cargo. Additionally, they appear to have become attached to the first living thing they saw."
Etty stared warily. "To...?"
"You."
Notes:
man I set up a lot in this chapter. not one of these characters are gonna be straight if I get my way. I've had the menderbash idea ever since chapter signpost
Feel the need to restate this since it's been a while - I love all the comments and kudos I get, thank you for almost 90 comments, 500+ kudos, and 7000+ views!