Chapter 22
Back in the spaceship, Arthur was sitting on a pillow against the wall in the main room, clutching to his injured leg.
"Ahh! Peckin' hell!" he winced in pain.
He watched as Hat Kid exited the kitchen with a first aid kit in her hand. The young alien climbed down the ladder and walked up to him. She put the kit down and motioned for Arthur to roll up the leg of his jeans so she could take a look at his injury.
The twelve-years-old boy shook his head and said, "Don't worry about it, it's no big deal." Although the pained look on his face said otherwise. Hat Kid gave him a stern look and asked that he rolls up his jeans leg once again, only more firmly this time. Arthur sighed and did as he was told, rolling up the leg of his jeans and grimacing as he did.
The purple-hatted girl examined the boy's injury, and she formed a concerned look. The burn mark was quite an ugly sight. And although she couldn't tell if it was a second or third-degree burn, she could still see that it was quite serious. The sooner it gets treated the better. She opened her first aid kit and picked up the burn ointment. Opening the tube, she was about to apply it on Arthur's injury when the latter stopped her.
"Oh, uh... don't trouble yourself. I can do it myself," Arthur said as he went to grab the tube. However, Hat Kid drew the ointment back out of his reach and shook her head, insisting on doing it for him. Arthur was surprised by that and seemed hesitant to let her do it, but he eventually sighed in defeat and said, "Fine. Go on ahead," making the girl smile.
Pressing the tube, Hat Kid put a bit of ointment on her fingers, then began to apply it on Arthur's wound. The young boy winced a little due to the pain caused by the sudden contact, but he eventually relaxed as he got used to it. Hat Kid ran her fingers in circle to spread the ointment on the burn injury.
"You didn't have to do that for me, you know. I could've done it myself and saved you the trouble of doing it," Arthur said. Hat Kid only shook her head with a smile, showing that she was just happy to help.
"In any case... I appreciate it. No one has ever really tried to help me when I got burns or cuts before," he said appreciatively. His smile then dropped and he sighed sadly. "Well... aside from my mom of course..." he whispered a bit louder than he intended to.
Hat Kid stopped her motion and gave him a concerned look. Arthur noticed her expression and shook his head.
"It's nothing," the young boy said, brushing off the concern. Hat Kid could tell that he was lying, but she decided not to insist. With a sigh, she continued applying the ointment on his injury.
After a short silence between the duo, Arthur thought back on the events that occured this morning and frowned.
"I can't believe the Conductor would do something like this. Putting a bomb on his train... and for what? A stupid movie," he said bitterly. Hat Kid nodded. She was also mad at the Conductor for putting them and the Express Owls in danger, but mostly for getting her friend injured.
"For a moment, I thought he was all right... but I was kidding myself. Turns out I can't trust anyone here either," he said, before looking up at Hat Kid. "Well, aside from you of course."
Hat Kid was happy to hear that he trusted her, but she also felt sad that he wasn't willing to trust anyone else. She was certain there was good people on this planet, like Cooking Cat for example. And DJ Grooves too! Unlike the Conductor, the disco penguin was more nice and chill, and he even helped them when they first met. She was sure that he wouldn't want to cause any harm to them.
After a few seconds, Hat Kid finished applying the ointment and removed her hand from the wound. Arthur could already feel that his burning wound hurt less now. He gave her an appreciative nod, then he pulled back down the leg of his jeans. His eyes landed on the hole in the jeans that was caused by the fire and he sighed.
"Well, there goes my jeans. I kinda liked it..." Arthur said with a sad expression.
Looking at the hole, Hat Kid thought for a second, then she snapped her fingers as she had an idea. With a smile, she made a gesture to tell Arthur to wait here before running off, much to the boy's confusion. What did she have in mind?
She returned a moment later with a needle and a blue yarn. Arthur looked at her confused for a second before eventually understanding what she wanted to do.
"You want to try and stitch it?" he asked, earning a nod from the small girl. Arthur looked at the hole in his jeans for a second, before looking back up at her and nodding.
"Okay then. Just give me a sec to... y'know... find a good spot to take off my pants. I don't wanna show off my legs, or else you'll have nightmares tonight," the young boy said nervously, causing Hat Kid to chuckle in embarrassment.
After Arthur found a good hiding spot and gave her his jeans, Hat Kid immediately got to work, sitting down cross-legged on the pillow in front of her TV to get comfy. With a smile, she began sewing up the hole in the dark blue jeans, doing that with ease and accuracy.
Stitching things up was no secret for her. Indeed, during her adventures and missions, she sometimes tended to get her clothes damaged, whether during fights or while exploring new areas. Therefore, she got a lot of experience in stitching. Heck, she was skilled enough to stitch hats. She learned that skill from her superior whom she admires a lot... She was really missing him and everyone else from her home planet. No doubt that she was feeling homesick after travelling space for months, and unfortunately the incident with her Time Pieces had postponed her arrival. At least, she made a friend while being stuck on this new planet.
After she was done, Hat Kid held the stitched jeans up to admire her work. She smiled proudly as she admired her work.
"You done? My legs are getting cold here," Arthur said, peeking out from behind the podium with the burger cushion on it. He hadn't left that spot since he gave his pants to Hat Kid, making sure to keep his legs hidden behind the podium.
The purple-hatted girl nodded with a smile, walking towards him and handing out the jeans. Arthur took it and examined it, his eyes widening. Hat Kid did an incredible work with fixing his jeans. It was like the hole had never been there in the first place. The young boy smiled and put his jeans back on, before allowing himself to limp out from behind the burger cushion relic.
"Just like the day it was bought from the store. Thanks, Hat Kid," Arthur thanked the girl with a smile. Hat Kid smiled back and gave him a thumbs up. "You sure know your way around a needle. Where'd you learn to stitch like that?" he asked, leaning against the podium and resting his hands on his belt.
"At home," Hat Kid answered.
"Well, you must've had a good teacher back there," Arthur complimented her. Hat Kid nodded, smiling as she remembered the one who taught her how to stitch.
"I remember my mom used to stitch my clothes up whenever I got a scrape," the young boy said with a smile. He then sighed and said, "That was a long time ago though. I guess good things never last." Hat Kid looked at him with a mix of curiosity and concern.
Arthur shook his head and said, "Just the way it is... Anyway, we have another recording session on the moon with DJ Grooves tonight." He looked down at his injured leg and sighed sadly. "I'm afraid I can't be a part of this one with that burn though. You're gonna have to do that on your own," he explained. Hat Kid nodded in understanding. She felt sad that Arthur won't be able to participate in the next recording with her, but she understood he needed to give his leg a rest for the time being.
"I'll still be coming along to watch you perform though. I'm kinda curious to see what DJ Grooves has planned for his next movie," Arthur said. "I just hope he won't pull something like the Conductor did. We sure don't need another near-death experience just for the show," he added in a serious tone.
Part of him wanted to believe that the disco penguin wouldn't screw them over, especially since he reassured him after the recording of Picture Perfect. But the other part – the wary one – was still telling him to not trust him. After all, the Conductor did act all nicey-nicey before, outside of his angry moments, and in the end he put him and Hat Kid through a hell run on his train for the sake of his movie. What proves that he won't pull the same trick and put him, Hat Kid or anyone else in danger just for the show?
Arthur sighed and said, "Only one way to find out I guess." Hat Kid nodded in agreement, though she had a hard time believing that DJ Grooves would do something similar to the Conductor. Surely things will be okay. Right?
"Well, we've got some time to kill before the recording. I'm gonna draw for a bit. You can watch me if you want," the twelve-years-old boy said, before going to pick up some papers and pencils. Hat Kid grinned happily at the offer and eagerly followed him.
Later in the evening, Arthur and Hat Kid landed on one of the rooftops in the city on the moon. Upon landing, Arthur winced a little because of his injury. Hat Kid gave him a concerned look, but the boy told her he was fine. Almost immediately, they could hear the sound of a large crowd nearby. Walking to the edge of the roof, they looked down and their eyes widened. The streets were crowded with hundreds, no, thousands of Moon Penguins. Confetti, balloons, and camera flashes could be seen among the crowd. There was definitely more people than last time. Not just that, but giant floats with all sorts of colors and decorations, hanging wirelines with colorful lights, and giant switches and buttons could be seen around the place. Whatever DJ Grooves had planned for his next recording, it must be something big. Arthur was thankful to be up here on the roof and not down there. He would have felt extremely uncomfortable being surrounded by all of these penguins.
From their position, they spotted DJ Grooves with a few Moon Penguins and seven bird musicians on the roof of the night club. It looks like they were ready to record and were just waiting for the two children to be able to begin.
The duo began making their way towards them by jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Arthur had a lot of trouble because of his injury, so Hat Kid decided to carry him without giving him a choice. The young boy was surprised by the girl's strength. She was literally carrying him without any trouble or showing any sign of fatigue. Well, she was an alien, so perhaps she had some sort of super-strength ability. He was also feeling embarrassed about being carried by a little girl and was hoping no one else would notice that.
Once they made it to the rooftop of the night club, Hat Kid gently put Arthur down on his feet. The young boy gave her an appreciative nod, though he couldn't hide the embarrassed expression on his face. Hat Kid couldn't help but giggle at his reaction, causing Arthur to roll his eyes at her.
As they walked near the group of musicians, they noticed they were Express Owls wearing parade costumes and carrying different instruments. Arthur and Hat Kid looked at them in confusion. The owls noticed them and formed nervous looks.
"Oh, hello again..." the lead owl musician greeted awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Hey guys, uhh... what are you doing here? I thought you only worked for the Conductor," Arthur asked confused.
"Uh yeah... Please, don't tell him about that but... after today's movie, we wanted to be part of something that didn't involve us being nearly blown up to pieces. DJ Grooves welcomed us with open arms and he isn't yelling at us like the Conductor does all the time," the Express Owl explained nervously. The two children both nodded in understanding. To be honest, they would have done the same if they were in their position.
"Yeah, we don't blame you for that... Don't worry, we won't say anything," Arthur reassured them, and Hat Kid nodded with a smile. The Express Owls sighed in relief.
"Thank you," the lead musician said appreciatively.
"Don't mention it," Arthur said with a nod.
The duo then walked away from the owl musicians and headed towards DJ Grooves. The disco penguin noticed them and smiled at them. However, he suddenly noticed that Arthur was limping, causing his smile to drop.
"Darling, are you okay? You're limping!" DJ Grooves asked concerned.
"Oh, uh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it," Arthur lied. Although the disco penguin was clearly unconvinced.
"It doesn't look like nothing to me," DJ Grooves remarked, raising an eyebrow at the boy.
Seeing Arthur's hesitation at answering the movie director, Hat Kid placed her hand on his shoulder and nodded at him with a warm smile, encouraging him to tell the truth. Arthur sighed in defeat and rolled up the leg of his jeans to show his burn mark. DJ Grooves' eyes widened in shock upon seeing it.
"What happened to you, darling?" he asked, his voice full of concern which surprised Arthur.
"Happened this morning during the recording for the Conductor's newest movie. I don't know if the Express Owls told you but... he put us on a hell run through fire hazards to disable a bomb he purposely placed on his own train just for the sake of his movie," Arthur explained as he rolled back down the leg of his jeans. Hat Kid nodded firmly to confirm her friend's explanation.
A shocked expression appeared on the disco penguin's face at this revelation. He hadn't watched the Conductor's film at the premiere since he was busy making preparations for his next movie, and the Express Owls he hired recently didn't say anything about this. DJ Grooves then frowned and shook his head in disappointment. He knew the Conductor could get pretty intense when it came to his own movies, but he never thought he would go that far, let alone risk getting two kids and his fellow owls killed for entertainment.
"I'm gonna have a word with the Conductor when I can," DJ Grooves said with a serious expression.
"Oh... no need to trouble yourself, DJ Grooves. You probably have better things to do," Arthur said, not wanting the disco penguin to get into a heated argument with the Conductor.
DJ Grooves shook his head and said, "No, darling. The Conductor has no right to put you two through dangerous situations like this. You're just children! So I'm gonna make things clear with him." Arthur was surprised to see the disco penguin willing to stand up for him and Hat Kid. Back in his world, whenever he got bullied or hurt, people either didn't care, didn't want to be involved, or simply said they didn't have time to help him. DJ Grooves was probably the first adult to defend him against someone else.
"I... We appreciate it," Arthur said genuinely. "In any case, I'm afraid I can't perform in front of the cameras with that injury on my leg." The movie director formed a sad look upon hearing this, but he nodded understandingly.
"I understand, darling. Don't worry, we can record the movie with just your friend here," DJ Grooves said, looking at Hat Kid who smiled at him.
"Thank you," Arthur said, relieved that his lack of presence won't be a problem for the recording session. He then looked down in the streets and said, "That's quite the audience we got there."
"Indeed, I asked for all of your fans to gather in the streets for our brand new movie," DJ Grooves explained.
Arthur whistled and said, "We've become quite the celebrities, that's for sure."
"You sure did, darlings! Anyway, we're about to start recording The Big Parade, the movie that'll take the breath away from audiences worldwide!" DJ Grooves said enthusiastically, before looking at Hat Kid. "Since Arthur can't perform today, you'll be the only star in it, darling," he explained. The purple-hatted girl nodded in understanding, then jumped up and down, excited to know what her role will be in this movie.
"For this movie, we'll need to use our special prop! It'll pop out at the very end!" DJ Grooves continued, pointing at a golden disco ball suspended just above them. Inside of it, the two children could notice the shape of a Time Piece. "But wait, darling! Your current outfit really isn't fit for a parade. Can you go over there and get dressed?" the disco penguin said as he pointed at a white and red gift box just behind the duo.
Hat Kid did as she was told and walked up to the gift box, unwrapping it and opening it. As she checked the content, her eyes sparkled. There were two parade outfits in this box: one was a red and white coat with golden threads, white boots, and above all, a tall red and gold parade hat with a mask, beak, and feather. The other one was the same, except it was green instead of red. Hat Kid figured that the red outfit was for her and the green one was meant to be for Arthur. Unfortunately he couldn't be in recording today, so she will have to bring it back to DJ Grooves.
She eagerly put the red parade outfit over her regular clothes and replaced her purple top hat with the parade one. She then picked up the green outfit and carried it back to Arthur and DJ Grooves.
"You look great, darling!" the disco penguin complimented her with a smile.
"So I guess the other outfit was supposed to be for me?" Arthur asked, eyeing the green parade clothes in Hat Kid's arms.
"That's right. It really is a shame you can't play in this, darling," DJ Grooves said sadly.
"Yeah, well, you can thank the Conductor for that..." Arthur said in a sad and bitter tone. The disco penguin glanced at the parade outfit in Hat Kid's arms for a second, then looked back at Arthur.
"I want you to keep this outfit, darling. You can wear it whenever you like," DJ Groves said with a smile.
"Really?" Arthur asked in a surprised tone, earning a nod from the movie director. Hat Kid approached him and handed him the clothes over, which he hesitantly took. "I... appreciate it. I mean, I don't see myself being in a parade anytime soon, but... thanks," he said appreciatively. DJ Grooves nodded at him with a smile.
"So what is she supposed to do here?" the twelve-years-old boy asked curiously.
"Well, this movie is really easy," DJ Grooves answered before turning his attention to Hat Kid. "All you have to do is keep moving around and the band will follow you! Just don't bump into them! And keep an eye out for goodies! The audience loves a good parade and will throw treats your way if you get near them." The small girl nodded with a confident smile. So all she had to do was moving and jumping around, and receive treats from Moon Penguins? Sounds easy!
"The parade lasts a while; nothing you can do to speed it up. We'll let you know once we got enough footage. Don't lose spirit!" DJ Grooves said cheerfully. Hat Kid grinned and gave thumbs up with both hands to show how excited and determined she was to perform greatly in this movie.
"Excellent! I'll be watching you from my set. We'll get started in a minute, if you wanna get yourself ready," the disco penguin said. Hat Kid nodded. DJ Grooves turned his attention to the group of Express Owls and said, "Alright, owls, we're gonna start recording! I want you all to form a line behind the little darling here!" The owl musicians did as they were told and lined up behind Hat Kid.
"Good luck, darling!" DJ Grooves said to the young alien with a smile. Hat Kid nodded with a grin, before getting herself in position. She also pulled out her umbrella and placed it on her shoulder, since parade leaders usually carry canes or something in their hands. The disco penguin looked at Arthur and said, "If you want, you can come with me on my set and we'll watch your friend from there, darling."
"Sure," Arthur answered with a nod.
DJ Grooves walked to edge of the rooftop and got on a float that had a DJ record table and speakers on it, then helped Arthur get on as well.
"So this is your DJ set?" the young boy asked as he set down his parade clothes to the side and looked at the record table.
"Indeed, darling! The very same equipment I used in my club. Before getting in the movie business, I ran a night club here on the moon. Now one of my assistants is owning it, but I still come there sometimes to give one or two concerts when I'm not making movies," DJ Grooves explained, motioning to the building Hat Kid and the Express Owls are standing on.
"Makes sense. You're a DJ after all," Arthur remarked jokingly, making the disco penguin chuckle. "I've been meaning to ask... there's no fire hazards or bomb included in your movie, right? 'Cause we've had our share of danger with the Conductor for one day," he asked skeptically.
"Don't worry, darling. Nothing dangerous included. All your friend has to do is lead the parade around for a few minutes, then she'll have to turn on some pyrotechnics and fireworks for the big show. Everything set to be harmless," DJ Grooves said in a reassuring tone. "And in case things were to go wrong, I have this button right here to stop everything," he added, showing a red button on his record table.
"Good," Arthur said, feeling relieved. At least DJ Grooves was considerate and didn't seem willing to put Hat Kid in danger just for the show. Maybe things will go well. He hoped so at least...
The disco penguin turned his attention to the crowd of Moon Penguins in the streets and picked up his microphone.
"Hello, everyone! All you penguins know my name... DJ Grooves!" he said through his mic so everyone can hear him talk. The crowd cheered loudly upon hearing the movie director's voice. "Welcome to the largest studio set you'll ever see! Tonight, we're gonna record our brand new movie. It's gonna be called... The Big Parade! And it'll feature our two favorite young stars: Hat Kid and Arthur Jones!" Everyone in the streets clapped in excitement.
"Unfortunately, Arthur had a... little incident recently and won't be able to be part of our movie this time," DJ Grooves announced, looking at the boy sadly. "But don't worry! He'll be with us tonight to watch the show and support his friend throughout the recording!" he added cheerfully. Although the public was a bit sad and disappointed that Arthur couldn't participate in this movie, they still cheered knowing he was going to be here to watch the show go on. The young boy timidly waved at the audience.
"As the title says, it's gonna be a parade and the leader of said parade is none other than the famous diva, Hat Kid!" DJ Grooves continued, motioning to the young alien. Hat Kid waved at the public and gave them a flashy smile. The crowd of penguins cheered and clapped in response. "Without further ado let's get started!" the disco penguin finally announced enthusiastically, making the audience go wild in excitement.
"Alright, darlings! Get ready!" he announced while speaking in his mic. The young girl nodded and got in a ready pose, while the Express Owls readied their instruments. DJ Grooves flipped a switch on his record table, starting up the music, and shouted, "GO!".
And with that, Hat Kid took off with the band following behind her and playing along with the music with their instruments. At first, the young alien just circled the roof, then eventually jumped on the wirelines to go to other rooftops. Surprisingly, the band was able to follow her across the wirelines without too much trouble.
As Hat Kid passed by some Moon Penguins on the rooftops, some of them threw some treats at her and she effortlessly caught them mid-air. They actually turned out to be bird seed bars. Hat Kid looked at the treats questionally, but she simply shrugged and put them in her pockets out of respect for the penguins.
She continued marching and jumping around on different rooftops, with the owl musicians still following behind her. Hat Kid was impressed that they were able to keep up with her. Perhaps when being a part of the Conductor's movies, you have to be quite fit, given the intensity of his recordings. The small girl also made sure to avoid falling down in the sea of Moon Penguins in the streets below. Indeed, a celebrity ending up in the middle of a huge crowd of fans can sometimes give some... undesirable results.
'Well, she's having a lot of fun. That's good,' Arthur thought with a smile. Indeed, Hat Kid was having an absolute blast in this parade, judging by the huge grin on her face, and nothing dangerous seemed to be included in it. Yeah, perhaps there was nothing to worry about this time.
DJ Grooves checked the timer in his hand and decided it was time go to the next step of his movie.
"It's time to turn the heat up in this movie!" the disco penguin announced through his microphone. The audience in the streets cheered louder. DJ Grooves then looked at Hat Kid and asked, "Darling, can you turn on the pyrotechnics?".
The small girl nodded and began searching for the switches to turn on the pyrotechnics. After the disco penguin's announcement, the music started to intensify, giving a more fast paced and anxiety-inducing tone. Eventually, Hat Kid found a dial on a rooftop and figured it was one of the switches to activate the pyrotechnics. Not having enough time to turn it on with her hands – because the band was still following her – she whacked it with her umbrella, successfully turning it on. She continued wandering around and found two other dials, which she proceeded to activate.
Once she hit the last one, the music returned to normal and a spotlight shone on the rooftop of the night club. It counted down three seconds, then sparklers went off. Strangely, they also went on the rooftop flooring, hurting the Moon Penguins on it and causing them to jump up and down in pain.
"Uhh... Is that normal, DJ Grooves?" Arthur asked with a puzzled look.
"Not really... The sparklers are meant to go off, yes, but they aren't supposed to also go on the rooftop flooring," DJ Grooves answered, also seeming confused by this.
After a few seconds, the sparklers automatically turned off and went to the next rooftop. The penguins who were on the club's rooftop all rubbed their back to ease the pain and were relieved that the sparklers ceased for now.
"Probably a mistake from the penguin engineers. I'm gonna have a word with them after the recording. As long as your friend doesn't step on the rooftops with the sparklers on, she'll be fine," DJ Grooves said.
"Well, that's reassuring..." Arthur muttered sarcastically as he started feeling anxious. Perhaps he spoke too soon when he thought things will go smoothly for this movie. Well, for now, Hat Kid was doing fine so he hoped it would remain that way.
Hat Kid also noticed that something was off with the sparklers, therefore she made sure to avoid the rooftops with the sparklers on. Good thing the spotlights giving the countdown were giving her a heads up before the sparklers were activated on any of the rooftops.
Despite the sparklers issue, the movie continued without too much incidents – if you don't count the Moon Penguins who were exposed to the sparklers and were yelping in pain. Hat Kid was doing okay marching and jumping across rooftops, with the band still behind her.
"This movie needs more action!" DJ Grooves announced after looking at his timer. "Darling, turn on the firework cannons for the big firework show!" Hat Kid grinned ear to ear after hearing that. Fireworks? She loved firework shows, and doing the honors as the parade marshall made it all more exciting!
Without wasting any more time, she eagerly made her way to one of the floats that had a firework cannon on it. She stepped on the button, activating the cannon. It fired off a firework rocket towards the night sky. Satisfied, Hat Kid moved onto the next one. However, while she was looking away, the firework rocket changed direction and was headed... right towards her! The young alien grew confused when she heard a hissing sound that only seemed to get closer by the second. She looked behind her and her eyes widened in horror as she saw the rocket fly right towards her. Reacting quickly, she dove to the side just as she was about to get hit. The rocket hit the floor instead and blew up on impact.
Hat Kid was left in shock, but she quickly got up and continued marching so the owl musicians wouldn't bump into her. She then witnessed the firework cannon fire off another rocket, and to her horror this one was also aiming for her.
"DJ Grooves! What's happening?!" Arthur asked the disco penguin in shock, as he watched Hat Kid try to avoid the firework rocket.
"I-I have no idea! The firework rockets were supposed to shoot into the sky and rain down fabulous colors, not aim for her!" DJ Grooves answered with a shocked expression. That wasn't good! At this rate, his little diva was going to get hurt or worse. He stared at the red button on his record table in hesitation. Pushing it would end his movie here and leave it unfinished, which will definitely affect his chance at winning the award, since he doesn't have enough time or resources to remake a movie. Was he going to take the risk of losing the award to the Conductor once again? DJ Grooves sighed sadly. He would rather lose the award than seeing Hat Kid get hurt. He didn't have a choice...
"I... I'll just end the movie here," he said in a sad tone, before pressing the red button. However, to both his and Arthur's shock, it did nothing. The firework cannon only continued to fire more rockets at Hat Kid. "What the...! The button doesn't work!" he shouted in panic, repeatedly pressing the button to no avail.
"You can't be serious! Is there no other way to end this massacre?!" Arthur asked as panic and anxiety overwhelmed him.
"N-no! This button was the only way stop all machines before the end of the movie! The only solution left is to grab the movie prop once it's released, and it runs on a timer!" DJ Grooves said panicked.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Arthur said with a scared expression as he put his hands on both sides of his head. It was the Conductor's movie all over again! And the worst thing is he couldn't do anything to help. All he could do was watch and hope that Hat Kid will make it. He really hated feeling helpless...
Meanwhile, Hat Kid was trying her best to dodge the firework rockets as they come. Figuring that it wasn't going to end until she finished the movie, she made a beeline for the two buttons to activate the remaining firework cannons and stepped on them.
Now all she had to do was hold on until the Time Piece was released, but it was easier said than done, especially with the Express Owls constantly following her and the sparklers on the rooftops. The small girl was panicking in the inside, fearing for her life as the firework cannons kept firing more rockets at her. This parade wasn't fun anymore; everything was trying to kill her! Even if she was able to avoid all of the rockets shot at her so far, she made a mistake while dodging one and it caused the leading owl musician to accidentally crash into her, sending her down into the audience below, who cheered and roughly tossed her back into the air with a yelp. They all thought it was part of the parade. Thankfully, Hat Kid landed back on one of the rooftops safely. However, she had to quickly get back up as more rockets were aiming for her.
Arthur was extremely anxious as he watched Hat Kid try to avoid all kinds of hazards being thrown at her. Sure, he felt that way whenever he was in danger, but the feeling was way worse when it was about a friend. It took him every bits of efforts to not hyperventilate here on the spot.
Even the normally-chill DJ Grooves was freaking out in the inside. This isn't how his movie was supposed to go! Suddenly, he heard a beeping coming from his timer. As he looked at it, he felt relieved upon knowing that his movie prop was about to be unleashed. All Hat Kid had to do was grab it in order to turn off all machines.
"Time to release the parade surprise! Grab it, darling!" DJ Grooves said to Hat Kid through his microphone.
With that said, the golden disco ball clicked, then opened up, releasing the Time Piece along with some confetti. With a determined nod, Hat Kid jumped from rooftop to rooftop, while avoiding the rockets and the sparklers, and made it to the roof of the night club. She dove forward and grabbed the Time Piece, hugging it close to her chest. As soon as she did, the sparklers and the firework cannons automatically turned off. The small girl let out a sigh of relief and got up to her feet. However, she didn't notice that a leftover rocket was headed right for her.
"HAT KID, LOOK OUT!" Arthur tried to warn her. Hat Kid heard him and looked behind her, her eyes widening when she spotted the rocket going for her.
She dove to the side to evade it, but unfortunately she was too close to the explosion when the rocket blew up on impact, knocking her parade hat off her head. She let a painful scream as she was sent flying away, landing at the edge of the rooftop. Thankfully, she didn't fall off.
"No!" Arthur shouted in a panicked tone. He jumped off the float he was on and landed on the rooftop. He yelled in pain as his bad leg touched the floor, though he quickly brushed it off and made his way to Hat Kid's side. DJ Grooves soon joined him.
"Hat Kid! Are you okay?!" the twelve-years-old boy asked worried, kneeling down to check on his friend. The poor girl was a mess: her parade clothes were ripped off on some parts and she was covered in soot. But fortunately, she was still able to move.
Hat Kid slowly sat up and stared at Arthur. Tears started building in her eyes and she began sniffing. Then she threw her arms around Arthur and began sobbing on his shoulder. The young boy froze in surprise, but after a few seconds he slowly wrapped his arms around her.
"Hey... It's okay. It's okay..." Arthur said softly as he continued hugging the crying girl. He had never comforted anyone before, so he felt a bit awkward. Although he knew that Hat Kid needed his support after what she just went through, so he did his best in comforting her.
DJ Grooves watched the two children hug with a sad look. Seeing his little diva, who is usually so happy and cheerful, look hurt and traumatized was heartbreaking. He couldn't help but feel responsible for what happened since it was his movie, therefore his actors are also his responsibility.
He then remembered that the cameras were still recording and the audience was still here. He had to announce the end of the movie now, and hopefully the penguins won't notice the incident that occured. He turned to face the public in the streets, then he picked up his microphone and spoke in it.
"All right, ladies and gents, this marks the end of The Big Parade," the disco penguin said, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible despite his concern for Hat Kid's condition. "Thank you for coming here tonight, and as always make sure to join our divas' fanclub. DJ Grooves... out." The public cheered and clapped, unaware of the gravity of the situation. After that, they quieted down and began to disperse, returning to their respective home. And the cameras were also turned off. DJ Grooves sighed in relief. Now that it was over with, he could turn his attention back on Hat Kid.
The small girl had stopped crying and pulled away from the hug she was having with Arthur. When she did, she suddenly winced in pain and looked at her left arm.
"What's wrong?" Arthur asked in a worried tone. Hat Kid rolled up her sleeve, revealing a burn mark on her arm. Arthur and DJ Grooves' eyes widened in horror. She must have gotten it in the explosion.
"Dammit..." Arthur muttered sadly as he shook his head. He hated it when someone he cared about got hurt, the feeling was worse than if it was him being hurt.
"I... I'm really sorry, darling. I... Here, come with me. We're gonna get that burn treated right away," DJ Grooves said as he and Arthur helped Hat Kid get up.
The disco penguin then led the two children down the building and they made their way to the space rocket they used to get to the moon for the recording of Picture Perfect. Unknown to them, a shadowy figure was watching them leave from afar. The mysterious person grinned evilly and rubbed their hands together, seeing that their plan worked.
"Oh hohoho! It was perfect! Now let's see if yer still have a chance to beat me at the annual bird movie award, DJ Peck Neck," they said satisfied, before walking away in the shadow.
A/N: Hey guys! Phew... Finally this chapter is over with! I'm really sorry for taking so long to write it, but I kinda lost motivation because of a temp job I had for the past couple of weeks. I worked from Monday to Saturday, from 8 AM to 5 PM, and whenever I got back home I was too exhausted to write the chapter, which caused a loss of motivation to write my story.
Now, my temping job is over and I have to look for another one. In the meantime, I have some free time so I'll try to continue writing this story since I really want to make some progress. Just know that I won't give up on this story and the chapters will come out when they're ready.
Anyway, that wraps up 'The Big Parade' act. I still have a scene with DJ Grooves treating Hat Kid's injury to write, then it'll be time for the Award Ceremony. All of that will be in the next chapter.
Alright! It's time to answer the previous reviews!
To Katoptris12: Yeah. Unfortunately, the Conductor's actions have costed him his friendship with Arthur. Then Mustache Girl arrived and... you know the drill.
To Mad King C: Yeah... I know I made Mustache Girl a bit hateable in this chapter, and honestly the game is making her as such (if you don't see get to see her story book you get from the purple time rift in the attic). She is definitely misguided and stuck in her own ideas of 'good' and 'bad', and we all know she's as stubborn as a mule. But who knows? Maybe the events at the end of my story will change your mind about her. ;) Anyway, thank you! ^^
To Mr. Mega1423: Indeed, the Conductor is the antagonist of the 'Battle of the Birds' chapter for this story. Annnd you have your answer about the Big Parade here. ;) Anyway, thank you! ^^
To Rub37: You can say that again. Let's see how things will turn out.
To PatoMayo: Yup, be careful to not let her lies get to you. ;) And thank you! ^^
To Jolteron: Thank you! I'm really glad you're enjoying this story! For the Hookshot Badge I decided to make Arthur and Hat Kid obtain it through the Badge Seller, since I want to finish the Battle of the Birds acts before getting to Subcon Forest. Yeah, but I decided to make him watch the recording go instead. I hope it's still good enough. ^^;
Alright, that's it for today, folks! See you all in the next chapter!