Expedition Day 2: Entry 4:
After arriving back at the beach, I then found Wiggle in the same spot she was in before and got her attention by clearing my throat.
"Ah, my number one fan has returned! Do you have the Popticks?" she asked, me nodding as I showed off the two Popticks, me then feeding both of them to her. And after eating them, she then had both of her feet turn into... puffed up popcorn. And I still looked weirded out at it. "No need to say it. I know I look ridiculous... and I still can't think on the song I want to sing... ~I fear that I must face the music... aloooooonnnneeee~" she sung sadly, me then simply holding onto her actual hand and smiling at her.
"No, no, you don't have to face it alone. Remember, you have your number one fan here, right? And, to be frank, I heard through the Grapeskeeto vine that you think that Do the Wiggle is your only good song, right?" I asked, her groaning.
"Nobody cared for my other songs. I need inspiration... I need Bugsnax!" she said, me then sighing and rolling my eyes. It would be very hard to get these Grumpuses to stop relying on the snax.
"Well, to be honest, I love all your songs... and just for the fact it got way too overplayed, Do the Wiggle is actually my least favorite," I said, Wiggle looking at me in surprise.
"Darling... you speak the truth? Please tell me that your mouth isn't twisting words," she said, me smiling at her.
"My favorite song from you by far, though? Wiggling 'Round the World, the last song you made. It helped me out through my tough time in senior year, since that's where tons of bullying happened to me. And it also inspired me to become a reporter, since it allows me to travel the planet," I smirked, Wiggle then smiling at me happily.
"Darlin'... I don't know what to say..." she said as I simply smiled at her.
"I do. Please, come back to Snaxburg. The world needs to hear you again. Prove the haters wrong, show them that you can still make good songs, no matter what they say. Just because a majority doesn't like your other songs, it doesn't mean everyone hates them. I'm part of a large group of people that loves your other songs!" I smirked, Wiggle simply giving me a hug and humming happily.
"Thank you, darlin'... I feel... I feel so happy! So rejuvenated!... So... inspired! I just gotta get to writing down the next tune I have in my thoughts!" she said, me then producing a journal and pen and I then gave it to her, since it was a spare.
"Go ahead and keep it, I have two others in my bag," I smirked, Wiggle then proceeding to take her trusty banjo and started to write down not only the lyrics, but also the notes!
"~I'm feeling the music flowing within me!~ I feel so happy!" Wiggle sung to herself happily as she then started to walk off while continuing to write, me then looking at Scorch and smirking at him.
"Hey, Scorch? Can you follow her from afar? Make sure she doesn't get into trouble?" I asked him, Scorch groaning at that.
"Fine, but I'm allowed to hurt her if she tries to eat me, right?" he asked, me sighing and nodding.
"Just make sure she gets the message, and not get hurt," I said, him nodding and then walking after Wiggle. I then looked at Bronnica and then at the sun in the sky. It was roughly 4 in the evening and that meant that we still had, at most, 4 hours left before we could go to bed. But I still had to speak to the Crapple. "Let's go meet with the Crapple, Bronnica. Let's find out what the queen said to him," I smirked.
"Okay, teacher! Let's go," she said, me looking at her in confusion.
"Teacher?"
"Yes, teacher! You help teach me about my past with Triffany. I want to learn more," she said, me smiling at her as we simply walked to where the Crapple was and he emerged from his hiding spot and looked at me.
"You returned, I see," the Crapple said, me nodding at him.
"So what did the queen say? Anything in particular?" I asked.
"Yes, she did. She said no human ever arrive to island before... and that you need to leave," he said, me nodding.
"Believe me, I'm trying. But that damn pizza moth really hurt my mode of transportation, so I need to get it repaired first," I said in annoyance. "But more to the point... does the queen know anything about the whereabouts of Elizabert Megafig?"
And when I asked that question, the Crapple looked around in surprise before then looking at me again. "The queen says this: forget about Lizbert. Do not try to find her," the Crapple said, me frowning at that.
"And you tell the queen this. I'm not leaving without anyone. I'm leaving with everyone, no buts about it," I said, the Crapple looking at Bronnica and then at me.
"You are tough negotiator, queen says... she says that, if you really want to find Lizbert, she requests one thing. To defeat the three other queens and the king of this island," he said, me then doing a legit double-take at his statement.
"Three other queens? And a king, too?! Then why does the one queen have the say in what you guys do and don't?" I asked in surprise.
"Because she queen of ALL Bugsnax. Others are rulers of four other island areas. Mama Mewon of Flavor Falls... Mothza Supreme of Sizzlin' Sands... Megamaki of Boiling Bay... Daddy Cake Legs of Frosted Peak. The queen will not allow you to meet Lizbert until all are vanquished," he said, me smiling at that.
"You got my vote. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?" I smiled.
"A lot, a lot can. Queens and king are much bigger and deadlier than normal Snax. Megamaki has powerful electricity... Mama Mewon have insane strength... Mothza Supreme's aerial domination... Daddy Cake Legs's icing attack. They more powerful than normal Snax, so tread lightly," the Crapple said, me smirking as I simply held something to him that I pulled out of my bag... and it was then that I'd remembered that I still had the Shishkebug in there and he looked to be a bit surprised at how I fished him out.
"H-Hi..." he said shyly as I simply smiled at him.
"You were so quiet, I'd completely forgotten about you, K-Bob," I smiled, Shishkebug being surprised a the new name as I then held one more container out, this one being for Crapple. "You want to come with me to the mainland, mister Crapple? You'll become famous as proof of my success on this island... as well as regain purpose," I smiled. The Crapple simply looked at the glass container (it was a rectangular shape and had 8 air holes in it along with another hole on the top.
"Fine, but I'm not to be eaten," he said, me smiling at that.
"That's the whole point," I smiled, Crapple then going into it and then sticking his legs through the air holes. "Now that this is done, time to go catch a few more Bugsnax and get back to camp. I need to give Gramble some new friends," I smirked as we then caught a couple more Bugsnax in the form of some Baja Tacroaches, a Grapeskeeto, and a Grumpy Snakpod, which was a bag filled with gummy grumps. After that, we walked back just as the sun was beginning to set, where I noted that Wiggle was speaking to Gramble.
"Is that right, Wiggle? You got a new song made?" he asked her, Wiggle smirking at him.
"I was inspired by the reporter's charm and truth. She inspired me to make a brand new song! And I'm happier than I've ever been in my life!" Wiggle smirked as I then saw that Scorch was hiding behind the barn and then walked over to me.
"She didn't even notice me," he said as I then spoke to Wiggle and Gramble.
"So, lovebirds. You want any Bugsnax?" I asked, Wiggle looking at me and simply shaking her head no, which made me smile.
"No need for those silly food bugs, darlin'! I realized something on the way back. Those bugsnax were making my head swim. I thought they were helping me with my music, but they weren't at all! After hearing your speech, I rediscovered the fiery passion that I've been pursuing for years! I'm ready to do anything I can to thank you, intrepid reporter," she smiled as I simply smiled.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you my name, huh? Felicia Bundoga, reporter for the New Grump Times and number one fangirl to you. And as for what you can do to help me... how about an interview? I need to learn a lot about how to find Lizbert," I said, her smirking.
"I'm no stranger to interviews, darlin'. And I'm willing to help any way I can," she said, us then going to her own house and I then got out the recorder and pushed the button.
"First question for the audience, who are you?" I smiled.
"Everyone knows Wiggle Wigglebottom, darlin'. They just hear my voice and know it's me," she smirked, me nodding.
"Good point. So, why did you come to Snaktooth Island?"
I came to get my creative juices flowing... see, after Do the Wiggle became popular, I made some songs after that didn't do nearly as well. The paparazzi accused me of being a 'one hit Wiggle'. So that's why I came. A place of adventure and delicious creatures? It seemed like it'd be just the thing to get my creative juices flowing!"
"And what are your thoughts on Bugsnax?"
"At first, I thought they were the best thing I'd ever eaten in my life. Like a supernova popping in my mouth like the Fourth of July for every Bugsnak I ate... but only recently have I discovered that they just made it more difficult to think of any lyrics or music! If anything, your encouragement did more than any Bugsnak ever did for me," she said, me smiling and nodding.
"Thanks... ahem... so why did you leave town?" I asked.
"Oh, that's easy. I was following Gramble. He knew his way around Snax... much like you do. But I'd never steal from him, no matter how easy it may be," she said, me nodding at that.
"Any info on Lizbert?"
"Ah, Lizbert and Eggabell were BIG fans of mine! I actually met them backstage at one of my farewell tours. They didn't have passes mind you. Liz actually crawled to my dressing room through the vents. But if someone is willing to break the law in the name of love for my music, who am I to turn them away?" Wiggle asked, me smirking and blushing at that.
"I tried the same thing, but I got caught by security because I tried to use a fake pass... bear in mind, I was in 10th grade and was a dumb teen," I smirked.
"Darlin', I feel your pain," she smirked at me.
"Ahem... back on topic... do you know anything about Liz's last location?" I smiled after regaining my composure.
"The night that Lizbert went missing, I went out searching for her in Sugarpine Forest. And then, I saw something terrifying towering over the trees! The QUEEN of Bugsnax!" she said in concern, me then nodding.
"Well, to be frank, one of five. I've learned that there's one dominant queen, three normal queens, and one king of Bugsnax on this island," I said, Wiggle gawking at that. "Anyways, what did the Bugsnak look like?"
"It looked very big and had very long legs, and it let out a terrible screech! I fear for what might happen if Lizbert happened to run into that... that THING!" Wiggle said, me nodding. It sounded like it was the king, Daddy Cake Legs, since Daddy Longlegs were a thing.
"Thanks, Wiggle. Anything else to note?" I asked.
"Yes, there is. I have two things to give you. This map here is where I saw the giant Bugsnak... and in that same area, I found Liz's personal journal. I can't get it to open because of it being locked, but I'm sure it might have some kind of clue on where Liz is at," she said, me then going into my personal item compartment in the backpack and pulling out the key that Gramble gave me. I then put the key in the lock and then, after turning it, the clink happened and the padlock fell off! I then opened up the journal and found that there was a big piece of rolled up paper on the inside. And after I unfolded it, I saw that it was actually half a piece with the other half missing. And it said something interesting on it.
"It's Liz's handwriting! It says, 'Looks like I'll need to press the pressure plates in order. First, left-' And then, it cuts off because it's only half of the page. It correlates to a piece of paper that Wambus gave me before, talking about an apparatus that requires three Grumpuses to activate... this is very important! What a clue!" I smirked.
"Then I'd say that you should go ahead and take a break before continuing the quest for finding Lizbert, darlin'. What say we go and gather everyone around the campfire?" she asked, me smiling and nodding at her.
"First, though, I gotta go and get some Bugsnax to Gramble for his barn," I said, me then going to the little rancher himself and simply letting some Bugsnax into his pen right in front of him, including the two Ribblepedes I kept from the trip to the Scorched Gorge. Where were they hiding? On my legs. They were also quite shy, and so was the Snakpod and the Tacroaches, but they and the BBQ Bunger got along good in the place, which made Gramble smile.
"Thanks a lot, miss Felicia. I'm happy that you could help my family grow," he said, me smiling and nodding. He'd be a tough one to stop relying on Bugsnax, mainly because the Bugsnax exploited weakness... and no offense, but Gramble was a pretty vulnerable Grumpus with how he lost his family and was lonely.
"Now that that's done, what say we go sit around the fire?" I asked, him nodding at that.
"So long as everyone does it and that the little ones are safe," he said, me smiling and nodding.
"Don't worry, your barn will have round the clock protection. Scorch? Keep watch over the barn. Spray any intruders in the eyes with your fiery peppers, got it?" I said, him nodding and giving me a salute with one of his pincers.
"You can count on me," he said, me then gathering the other residents to the campfire and us sitting there as the sun finally set in the distance.
"Ah, nothing like a sitting by the ol' campfire, eh, buddies?" Filbo asked, the others being all smiles... minus one.
"I'm not too keen on it... it gets kinda scary at night," Gramble said with concern.
"Nothin's lurking out there, Gramble. Yer just yellow," Wambus said.
"I ain't yellow! I'm pink!" Gramble complained, me then simply whistling.
"Remind me to write that down as a joke at some point," I said with a smirk, that making Gramble smirk halfheartedly. "But Gramble's right. According to the Bugsnax, something actually is lurking out there... and not just one of them. More like... five," I said, that making Triffany look concerned as her grandma Strabby rolled over to her.
"Yeah... d'ya think it might have anything about the bones I've been findin'?" she asked, me shrugging my shoulders.
"All I do know is that there are actually different hierarchies of Bugsnax on this island. Four very huge Bugsnax in charge of the four outermost areas... and one queen ruling all four of them. And the queen told me that, if I want to find Lizbert, the four lesser hierarchies need to be dethroned," I said, that making Wambus confused.
"That makes no sense. Why would Bugsnax have a ruler of any kind?" he asked, me smiling.
"Well, I will say this. All of what I say is true... Wiggle? Some background music, please? Time for a scary story... and it's all true," I smiled, Gramble looking concerned as Wiggle then started to strum her banjo slowly.
"Ooh, this is gonna be juicy! She's great at this stuff," Beffica smiled. And she was right. I was one of the few in Summer Camp that managed to scare the other campers with my ghost stories, including Beffica once!
"Nng... do we have to?" Gramble asked as I smiled.
"Trust me, you're gonna want to hear this spooky tale..." I said as Wiggle then began to strum her banjo softly. "Now, this island is a very ancient place... one that has been around for thousands of years... and some Bugsnax have been around for centuries, uneaten and still alive... the question is this... how can these creatures survive for so long? And yet, anytime any Grumpus has come, they have vanished..." I said spookily as I held my flashlight in front of my face, the wind then blowing a bit to give an extra chill.
"Ooh, this is gonna be good, I can tell!" Triffany smiled. She knew what I was going to do.
"Well, from what Triffany and the Bugsnax say, I am the only human who has ever arrived here... and the last Grumpus to vanish without a trace... was a relative of one of our own. Bronnica Lottablog," I said, the group looking concerned.
"Y'mean... Triffy's grandma?" Wambus asked, me nodding at him.
"Yes... and the Bugsnax have told me of how her fate happened..." I smiled, the others looking concerned, as did Triffany. She wasn't going to get her secret revealed, though... not all of it. I was gonna bend the truth. "Bronnica was walking around the island, fascinated by the Bugsnax all over the place. Her archeological interests were piqued at all the statues and bones to be found... but then, one day... she saw something big... a Bugsnak bigger than any of the normal Bugsnax we've seen so far... a giant, able to be considered a Supersize Bugsnak... it was the queen of all Bugsnax!" I said creepily, that making Filbo look spooked this time.
"U-Um... I-I gotta use the little Grump's room... h-hold on," he said as he then rushed off towards the outhouse.
"T-The queen?..." Wiggle asked, me nodding.
"A Bugsnak who was so impressive, Bronnica was stunned by its beauty... before long, she found she could not move... she was unable to move her feet as the queen came closer... closer... and ever so much closer..." I said creepily, that making Gramble gulp and for Beffica to start looking spooked. And Wambus? He looked stone faced, but I could see sweat pouring down his fur. "And then... mere inches away from Bronnica's face, the queen then shrieked loudly, the screech being more terrifying than any other sound in the world!... And once Bronnica heard that shriek, her fate was sealed... she watched in horror as her body started to change... her body parts started to turn into food... and then, they started to fall off... and once her head turned into a Bugsnak, the transformation was done... Bronnica now walks the island, turned into a Bugsnak... and all because of the terrifying queen of the Bugsnax..." I said, that making Triffany gulp and for Wambus to look worried.
"W-W-Wait a minute! Y-Yer sayin' that... this Bugsnak queen... she can turn Grumpuses into her own kind?... T-That's not true, right?" he asked, me then smiling.
"Ah, it is as true as the moon in the sky... for Bronnica is actually in town as we speak!" I smirked. And once I said that, we heard Filbo scream in terror from behind us!
"O-Oh my!... I-Is someone gonna c-c-check on Filbo?" Beffica asked, me then smiling and getting up as Wiggle then continued to strum her banjo for background noise as I went to the outhouse... only to hear something... odd.
"Leave..." I heard a... very distorted voice say from the outhouse. It sounded almost like a combination of twenty different voices speaking all at once!
"Filbo?" I asked, me feeling concerned now.
"LEEEAAAAVVVVEEE!" the voice shouted even louder, me gulping. Did I dare open the door? I went to reach for the handle... but then I heard a voice from behind.
"Hey Felicia," Filbo said, me making an audible "eep!" sound when I looked at him and then at the door. "I got a bit spooked and came here to calm down," Filbo said, me gulping.
"I-I heard something inside the outhouse... i-it sounded very weird... like twenty voices speaking at the same time!" I gulped.
"Sounds like you're spooking yourself with your own story... hehe... let's go back to the others," Filbo said, me then going back to the fire and the others looking at me with concern.
"I-Is everything okay?" Wiggle asked, me noting she was also a bit scared.
"Yes, everything's okay... or is it?" I asked, that making the group look spooked again. "Remember when I said that Bronnica was still among us? And that she was in town as we speak?" I said, the group shivering at me.
"Y-You mean... Triffany's gramma? S-She's here?" Filbo asked as I then looked at the girl herself, currently being held by Triffany.
"Yes, she's here... and as for what she is? She happens to be turned into a Strabby right now. A Strabby that is currently being held by Triffany," I said, everyone looking at Bronnica and Triffany, and then looking at me in worry.
"Y-Yer jokin', right? No way Sprout could be Bronnica, r-right?" Gramble asked, me smiling.
"Well... she's actually right," Triffany said, that making everyone look even more shocked. "And yes, I am tellin' the truth... Bronnica is this Strabby... an' I tell ya, the queen sounds even scarier now... w-what if she comes for us, next?" Triffany asked.
"Who knows?... It could be that the queen is watching us from afar... even as we sit here and speak..." I said creepily... and then, right after I said that, we heard a loud crashing sound happen from the nearby mill!
"GRUMPIN' SNAX! SHE'S COMIN' FOR US!" Wambus shouted in fear as he ran for his house in fear and I smirked.
"Oogh... Wambus never gets scared like that... c-could someone go check that? P-Please?" Gramble asked, me nodding.
"Bronnica, you and me, let's go," I said, her then rolling over to me and rolling towards the mill, where she started to speak.
"I actually remember more... it wasn't what you say, though... why you lie?" she asked me as we entered the mill... through a giant hole in the boarded up door.
"Just stretching the truth... better to not tell them the end-all plan that the Bugsnax really have," I said, her then sighing in relief (even though that should've been impossible, since she didn't have a mouth). And when we got to the upper levels of the mill, we saw... a very short, yet very buff (AND I MEAN BUFF) green Grumpus.
"Hey there, mister," I said, him then turning around and smiling.
"Whoaho, someone new, huh? What's up, dawg?" he asked like a total bro, which I smiled at. I recognized him instantly. My absolute best friend from third grade to 12th grade.
"Don't you recognize me, Chandawg? It's me, Brodoga!" I smirked, him then gawking.
"Oho, Grump! I didn't expect you'd be the reporter to come here, Felicia! So, what's up?" he asked, me smiling.
"I'm getting folks back to Snaxburg to try and find Liz and Egg... you wanna help out?... And where's Snorp?" I asked, him sighing.
"Sorry, but I only came for a few things. I gotta get back to Snorpy in the woods. Being in town gives him mad anxiety... come on out if ya can," he smiled as he then rushed off. "Catch ya later, dawg!" he smirked as he rushed off, me then smiling and shaking my head. He always had a one-track mind, but he was extremely nice to anyone he met. He didn't even once judge me by my race. He was that nice!
"Let's go back to the fire," Bronnica said, me nodding as we then went back to the fire and the group still looked scared, but I smiled.
"S-So... w-w-was it the queen?" Wiggle asked.
"Nope, just one of my best buds from school. Chandawg Funkbun," I smirked, them sighing in relief. But Gramble still looked worried.
"B-But what if the queen does come after us?... She already changed Bronnica into a Bugsnak, so what about us?" Gramble asked as I simply smiled.
"That's one other thing I wanted to mention, now that the spooky stuff is done," I said with a smile. "Sure, the queen can change Grumpuses into Bugsnax. But she told me that she knows where Lizbert is, via talking to my new Crapple specimen. She said that she would only let me see Lizbert safe and sound if I could get rid of the lesser royalties of the island. One of them happens to be that damn Mothza Supreme that attacked my ship when I got here, you see. And as for the volcano exploding in 5 days starting tomorrow? That's also when the queen will come to get all of us. She wants us out by then. And if we aren't gone, she'll force us to stay as Bugsnax. So we need to get everyone to chip in on making the balloon ready for takeoff. And as I said, we either all leave together, or none of us leave. Got it?" I said, them nodding as Wambus then poked his head from his doorway.
"Y-Yer serious?... O-Okay... so long as I can sleep easy..." he said, me smirking at that.
"Not gonna lie... that was a creepy story... and you said all of it was true, right?" Beffica asked, me and Triffy nodding at that.
"One hundred percent," I said. "Now that that's settled, let's go get some shut-eye. We need to be well-rested in order to get the others back, after all," I said, them nodding as we then got to the different houses around town and I decided that, for a change, I would go and take a sleep in Lizbert's bed.
