Hat Kid was staring in awe when she floated down towards the place she was supposed to shoot today. Not so surprisingly to her, because she and Cloak Kid explored space, the set was on the moon that orbited around the strange planet. The town where the Moon Penguins lived, was dazzling with lights shined down on the streets, hung from the tall buildings, and were even strung on some of the potted plants around the town.
In the town's plaza, she saw many Moon Penguins gathered around a stage, with a giant photo of DJ Grooves as the backdrop. The DJ himself was on stage, and Hat Kid landed as if she came from the sky. The Moon Penguins were so impressed they started taking photos as she landed. The lights were so bright, she covered her eyes, but tried to wave until her little feet touched the stage. They started cheering.
"Marvelous, darling!" the DJ exclaimed. "Just marvelous! Welcome to the first day of shooting, darling. We need to transform you into the biggest movie start the bird world has ever seen! You need to become… a diva!"
"Huh?" Hat Kid hoped she wouldn't have to sing. "Me? A star?"
"Just like I promised yesterday! That's why I've called for a press conference here on our moon set. You need to get out there in front of the cameras and electrify the public, darling! Get 'em really up and going for your movies. Once you've got them going crazy, come back here and we'll show off our new prop! That's right we'll unveil our new movie prop to the masses!"
Hat Kid blushed at the thought. Her shipmate was certainly not going to be happy that the Time Piece was going to be on camera and now a bunch of people were going to see it. But, the penguins seemed happy and excited to see her. She waved and they only got more excited.
"Okay!" Hat Kid said. "Let's do this!"
Cameras were gathered around the plaza's fountain. Hat Kid wasn't really sure how these endorsements worked, but she decided to just follow the DJ's lead.
"All you penguins out there know my name… DJ Grooves! And I'm telling you, this young girl here is the next hot thing. Guaranteed!" Hat Kid blushed as everyone's eyes fell onto her, and heard the murmuring of the crowd. The DJ gestured to the top of the tall fountain. There was a cardboard cutout of a dog. "Just look, as she'll climb up this statue and rescue the poor puppy that has gotten stuck! Right, darling?"
Hat Kid's mind put the pieces together immediately. This was all part of the plan to get her popular. Heroism usually begets popularity. After all, the Mafia tolerated her being around since she put out the lava faucets in Mafia Town. She climbed up the slipper statues of music notes and penguins on the fountain. Once she was at the top, her clothes were soaked with water, but she was really close to the dog. Using her umbrella to steady herself, she reached for the cardboard, but it slipped out from her grip and fell down on the floor. Hat Kid pulled down a gulp. The thing had shattered.
"Look at that! She helped the puppy down, safe and sound!" Grooves exclaimed. "Too bad it ran off, and definitely didn't break into multiple pieces."
Hat Kid smiled for the cameras, and jumped off the top and floated down safely.
"This is truly a diva I can get behind. Let it be known that this lil' girl about animals! Make sure you join her fanclub! DJ Grooves out!"
Hat Kid continued her tour around the city. She would greet them and Moon Penguins would take her picture. Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at the lights, the townspeople would watch in awe as she jumped around the city with grace and floated down safely with her umbrella.
Hat Kid didn't really know why there were cameras in a random dark alley, but she just kept her mouth shut and let DJ Grooves do the talking.
"Look at how street-smart this diva is. She's standing in this sinister alleyway, right next to some potential wrongdoers."
The only people there were two Moon Penguins and they looked over kind of confused.
"Danger is her middle name, and she's not afraid to step outside of her comfort zone! Make sure you join her fanclub!"
Hat Kid continued her pursuit of becoming a diva, wandering around, showing off her skills. For the time being she put on her Sprint Hat and Brewing Hat to show off her skills. She used her speed to outrun other cars, only occasionally having to dart out of the way of a car that could've hit her otherwise, and used her brewing hat to throw concoctions and blow up piles of debris that were in the road.
As the penguins were going crazy for her, Hat Kid's heart was swelling with joy, but there was something in the back of her head that was telling her that this was wrong. Her whole life she had been usually alone, but now she was the center of attention!
Finally, it was time for the press conference. All the Moon Penguins in town were gathered around the stage, asking questions, wondering and wanting to know about this strange alien girl that DJ Grooves proclaimed was going to be the next big thing.
"She's got it all, everyone! She's got talent, she's got street smarts, and she loves animals. She is going to be the shining light of our movies, much like this thing. Grab it, darling."
Hat Kid gasped as the DJ tossed a Time Piece forward. The girl rushed to catch it before it fell on the ground and shattered. She jumped straight up and the hourglass sparkles from all the lights everywhere. The penguins were amazed. Their cameras were out and were quick to take photos of both her and the hourglass.
Hat Kid blushed. She had never been so loved before. In the back, however, she could make out the figure of something red. It was glaring at her. At first, she gasped, but when the onslaught of flashing cameras continued she finally remembered something vital.
Cloak Kid was going to kill her for this…
"Hattie…" she remembered.
"Yes…?"
"If you're going to stay with us, then you need to promise me to maintain your discretion. You have been with us for a year now, and I am placing my trust in you."
"So… I can't have friends? What about Bow?"
"Oh, Hattie. It's alright. You can still see her. What I mean, is that you are a part of our mission, now: To keep these relics out of the wrong hands. This is why my grandson and I rarely leave the tower, let alone the library. If the wrong person knew…"
"I… I understand. Thank-you…"
Hat Kid gazed down at the Time Piece, safe and sound in her hands. Then she looked back at the audience cheering and applauding. The strange figure she saw was suddenly gone.
"What's the matter, darling?" said DJ Grooves. "Don't forget to give your fans a smile!"
The girl nodded. "Right! Sorry!" She pulled down a gulp, but her mind continued to be troubled. With him gone, she could only hope for his understanding.
Forgive me, Tim…
"Who was it?"
Hat Kid was still at Cloak's side, and she held the Time Piece from today in her hands.
"The strange figure?" said Cloak Kid. "Do you think it was that Mustache Girl?"
Hat Kid didn't want to scare him, but she couldn't lie. "Maybe. There were too many cameras flashing."
"We can't be exposing the Time Piece to the masses, Hattie!" Cloak Kid said. "It's gonna endanger everyone."
Hat Kid nodded. "I know, but this is just until we're done with the movies. They don't even know what they do." Her shipmates still shook.
"Until someone breaks one…"
Hat Kid sighed. "Let's pray it doesn't come to that…"
Cloak Kid just sighed. He felt so helpless with all those Time Pieces scattered on that planet. His grandfather would have blown a fuse over it.
"I've never had so many people happy for me…" Hat Kid then said.
"What?"
"They were all happy to see me… The Moon Penguins. I don't really know what I did to gain their attention. I'm sure it was just DJ Grooves getting everyone worked up over me. It felt… weird."
"Like, a good weird? Or… a bad weird?"
Hat Kid smiled. "Good. I don't know. I was just using my hat powers, at my umbrella. I guess our abilities aren't really a thing on this planet. So to them… it's exciting." The girl frowned and pulled her knees close to herself. "I know we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves, but today made me feel… I don't know… special. Do you ever feel that way?"
The girl turned to her shipmate, and found him fast asleep. There was a smile on his face, like he enjoyed listening to what she was saying. With a smirk, she laid down, the Time Piece secure in her arms, and fell asleep, as well.