Welcome to Bugaria: Halloween!
Author Note: Happy Halloween! This is a special Halloween chapter of Welcome to Bugaria, made specifically for Halloween. This is a part of Bugtober 2023, an art challenge on the Bug Fables discord server. Basically, I used around 20 or so of the 31 prompts to inspire ideas for this chapter, and I think it turned out pretty well!
This chapter canonically takes place in-between "Flower Thai" and "Case of the Berry Thief", so make sure you've read up to the former to avoid any confusion! This chapter is classified as Level 2 canon, meaning that unless anything in later chapters contradicts the events of this one, then it may as well be canon! That being said, I hope everybody enjoys! :D
With the days crawling by slowly as ever in Ant City, Anne needed to do something to pass the time. Sitting on her phone all day wouldn't do her any good, and she knew she had to make a change when Kabbu tried to figure out how to use the parental control features on the phone to limit the screentime; Anne didn't have Marcy around to help her bypass it unlike back home.
So, the only logical thing to do would be to take some mundane requests that popped up on the quest board from time to time. It would keep her active and get her a few extra berries to buy stuff she wanted. What request did Anne take up today?
It appeared to be a simple request; Anne had to help clean a small house for the disabled bee that lived in it. Sounded easy enough!
Anne got to work the moment she stepped foot in the small place, only pausing for a few minutes to talk to the bee in question. Her name was Beesther, needing a wheelchair due to being paralyzed from the waist down, as well as her wings being mangled beyond repair. Regardless, Anne was willing to help this bee out; she would get berries and form a positive relationship with one of the townsbugs here!
And so, Anne got to work, dusting and cleaning the place as best as she could. Thankfully, a good chunk of the place was clean already, Beesther just needed some help taking care of areas that were impossible for her to reach. Anne really got into it, time flying as she hummed a soft melody to herself.
She didn't remember exactly where the melody came from, only that it was something her mom would hum to help get animals and other critters to calm down, and it was of Thai origins. It was so ingrained in Anne's head that she could recite it near-perfectly from memory, even though it'd been over a month since Anne got stuck in Bugaria in the first place.
Before she knew it, Anne had cleaned nearly the entire place, only having one desk left. How long had it been, an hour or two? Well, Anne was happy to be almost finished anyway. She took a few minutes to wipe down the desk, trying to be as meticulous as she could. Her eyes narrowed, trying to be as thorough as possible...
"Finished!" Anne at last called out, making sure she got every last speck of dirt off the table. She admired her handiwork, looking around and seeing just how clean and sparkly the small house was.
Beesther wheeled into the room a minute after Anne's declaration, glancing around. "Hmm..." Beesther put a hand on her chin, her antennae twitching.
Anne crossed her fingers, hoping Beesther thought her work was satisfactory.
"I must say..." Beesther began, taking an unnaturally long pause. "Anne, you did a fantastic job!" Beesther clapped her hands together, her face beaming with happiness that might not have been present for a long time. "I'm so glad you took my request, the last bug that tried didn't know a dish from a couch!"
"Oh, thank you." Anne said, slightly blushing from embarrassment. She shouldn't tell Beesther that back home, she never even tried to clean her own room as well as she cleaned the bee's house today.
"No problem, no problem at all! You've just made my entire week!" Beesther said, clearly very giddy. "Gimme just a few minutes and I'll get those berries for you!" With that, Beesther slowly turned her wheelchair around, wheeling out of the room while talking to herself.
Anne wasn't too sure what to do other than wait... so that's exactly what she did. After a minute or so, Anne glanced back at the desk, double-checking to make sure that everything was absolutely 100% clean- hold on.
Squinting her eyes, Anne noticed something just barely sticking out from behind the desk. The desk itself was up against the wall, so whatever it was must've fallen behind the desk, but then got stuck before it could fall all the way. ...Whatever it was, Anne wasn't just gonna leave it there! She leaned onto the desk, carefully reaching her hand over to pinch whatever was sticking out.
From the way it felt on her fingers, it was a large piece of paper... well, only one way to find out what it was! Anne slowly pulled out the large piece of paper, slowly revealing itself to be a big poster, about half as big as Anne. Huh... what was this?
The poster depicted several bugs in costumes of some kind, with a mix of expressions on their faces. Anne didn't know what this poster was for, but it was... interesting, to say the least.
Before Anne could read the text below the big pictures, Beesther wheeled back into the room, a small sack full of berries in her lap. "You know, I'm feeling generous today. Here's forty berries for your efforts, Anne." She picked the sack up, handing it to Anne.
"Whoa, thank you so much!" Anne said, honestly not expecting anywhere near that amount. "Oh yeah, what's this for?" Holding the poster in one hand, she held it up to Beesther, hoping the bee could give her some insight.
"Hm..." Beesther craned her head forward as much as she could, squinting her eyes... before she snapped her fingers. "Oh, that! It's a poster for a holiday event that only takes place once a year! I nearly forgot about that poster; it must've gotten lost with my other things back when I moved in here. Oh well!"
"Really? What kind of holiday?" Anne asked, intrigued. She hadn't heard of any holidays in Bugaria, and if Beesther was correct, the poster could give her more insight... however, when Anne turned the poster back so she could read it...
"Bugs & Hisses?" Anne raised an eyebrow, absolutely confused as she read the large text below the picture on the poster. What the heck did that mean? It sounded like a pun, but other than that she had no idea what to make of it.
"Oh, that one is my favorite!" Beesther exclaimed. "It's so simple that any bug can participate in it! When nighttime comes on Bugs & Hisses, bugs of all ages dress up in scary costumes, and go door to door, saying "Bugs & Hisses!" Before they all hiss and get candy! It's such a classic, Anne!" Beesther began to laugh, reminiscing on old memories.
As Anne listened to Beesther's explanation, one thing slowly became clear to her. Anne easily connected the dots, realizing something massive. She couldn't contain her excitement, letting out a high-pitched scream that lasted several seconds. Beesther didn't seem to mind, though.
"No way! This is just like a holiday I celebrate back home!" Anne explained, giddy. "This is such a lucky coincidence, I've gotta tell my friends! Can I show them this poster?" Anne moved back and forth on her feet, physically unable to remain still.
"Sure, sure!" Beesther said with a shrug. "I have no use for that old poster anyway, it's practically a relic by now! Consider that an extra tip if you want."
"Greatthanksbye!" Anne yelled, quickly waving goodbye as she rushed out the front door, slamming it behind her. With that, she sped back to the house as fast as she could, her one-track mind demanding that she share this with her friends now.
Beesther could only chuckle at how quickly Anne left. "Kids these days..." the bee shook her head, before solemnly looking down. "Hm..."
Team Snakemouth's house was peaceful at the moment. Vi and Leif were lazing around on the couch, both of them close to falling asleep while Kabbu sat on his bed, sipping from a hot drink he made earlier. He savored it, wanting it to last until lunch if he could. Yes... it was nice when things were quiet, wasn't it?
Anne abruptly slammed the door open. "GUYS!"
Leif and Vi jerked upright, the two of them now wide awake. At the same time, Kabbu yelped, so startled that he dropped his drink on the floor. The three bugs looked at Anne with confusion as she walked into the house and closed the door, holding a poster in one hand and a small sack of berries in the other.
"...Is there an emergency?" Leif asked, still half-asleep. He blinked a few times, trying to wake up all the way.
Anne stood there for a few moments, silent as she took a few deep breaths. She needed to catch her breath after how fast she just ran, after all. And then... "I didn't know you guys had your own version of Halloween!"
Beat.
"Hallo-what?" Vi asked, confused.
"There goes my drink..." Kabbu sighed, more focused on the hot drink he spilled. He stared at the cup and the liquid that spilled on the floor, thankful that none of it got on the bed.
"Come on, guys!" Anne said, getting frustrated. Wait, maybe she should actually explain it first... "You all know the holiday Bugs & Hisses, right?" In response, the three bugs nodded. "Great! Halloween is just like it!" Anne showed off the poster to her friends. "You dress up in costumes, go around to strangers' houses, and say "trick or treat!" in exchange for some candy!"
"Hm... We suppose if you put it that way, there could be an argument made for how the two might be similar." Leif said.
"Wh-an argument?! They're exactly the same thing!" Anne yelled in exasperation, pointing at the bugs in costume on the poster.
"Eh, I don't see it." Vi shrugged. "Bugs & Hisses is a much better name than Halloween, anyway."
"I mean, they do sound pretty similar..." Kabbu conceded. Finally, someone that believed her! Why were they all so pushy about this, anyway?
"That's because they ARE!" Anne said, walking over to Kabbu and practically shoving the poster in his face, while also avoiding the mess he made on the floor. "Just look!"
Kabbu took the poster from Anne, the beetle looking over it. Anne took this chance to put the berries she'd earned away, storing them in a safe place for later. Vi and Leif walked over to Kabbu, the two of them also wanting a closer look at the poster.
"Wait, hang on a second!" Kabbu said, as if he just realized something. "With everything that's been going on, I completely forgot! Anne, Bugs & Hisses is taking place later tonight! Oh, I knew there was something I've been meaning to tell you!"
And just like that, another bombshell was dropped on Anne's shoulders, one that was perhaps even greater than the last. "TONIGHT?!" She screamed as loud as she could, startling the others. "That's perfect!" Anne jogged over to the others, her excitement renewed once more.
"Wait, really? That's awesome!" Vi cheered, ecstatic. "I've never been able to celebrate Bugs & Hisses before! Finally, I can't wait to get a bunch of candy!" Getting candy was always the best part of the holiday. Anne knew that very well; it was a given that all her Halloween candy would be eaten after a few days or so.
"Bugs & Hisses... we've celebrated that holiday as long as we can remember." Leif said, a smile forming on his face. "It'll be fun to dress up in costume again. We already have the perfect one in mind." The costumes were always pretty difficult to figure out... Anne would figure something out.
"Wait, are you sure it's tonight, Kabbu?" Anne asked, a thought coming to her mind. "I mean, everyone would've been talking about it, wouldn't they?"
"I..." Kabbu paused. "That is a very good point." The beetle wasn't sure how to continue at first, but then he shrugged. "This holiday is far-reaching, even beyond Bugaria. Everywhere you go, it's celebrated! I know I have the day correct, so I'm sure Ant City celebrates it too!"
"...We do remember it being celebrated here before, if that helps." Leif added, giving his input.
"This is my first time experiencing it, so nobody better screw it up for me!" Vi warned, flailing her arms.
"Guys, you have no idea how excited I am." Anne said, resisting the urge to scream in delight again. "I thought that because I'm stuck here, I'd have to miss Halloween... but now I won't have to after all!" She threw her arms up into the air in sheer excitement before she lowered them, crossing her arms while looking up.
"Ah, another year of trick-or-treating to add to my memories..." Anne said, fondly remembering previous Halloweens where she went trick-or-treating...
...Such as one time in particular, a few years ago in L.A. when she was around nine years old. Anne and several of her friends were dressed up in costumes, going around from house to house for candy. The semi-large group talked amongst themselves as they walked up to another house, Anne ringing the doorbell. After several seconds, the door opened, revealing a man wearing a large coat.
"Trick or treat!" Anne and her friends called out, holding up their baskets.
"Aw, what a nice group of kids. Great costumes!" The man said, giving the kids two thumbs up. "Now stay right there while I-" Without warning, the man abruptly grabbed at his chest with one hand, screaming in pain while he hid his other arm behind his back. "Oh no! I think I'm having a..." The man squinted his eyes shut, appearing to be in great distress. "HEART ATTACK!"
As if on cue, his coat violently ripped open, red liquid and chunks of red stuff flying directly onto the kids. The man screamed, but Anne and her friends screamed much louder, shock and horror etched onto their faces before they all ran off in different directions, still screaming in terror.
Anne's mom and a few other parents managed to round up their kids, but it wasn't until later that the kids were told that the man didn't actually have a heart attack, he just used ketchup and meat to give the kids a scare. Well... it sure worked alright. Anne might be traumatized for life, but it was worth it.
Back in the present, Anne chuckled to herself as she remembered this. "Good times..."
"Oi, you can reminisce later!" Vi said, snapping Anne out of it. "Let's go get candy!"
"Do you know anything about how this holiday works?!" Leif questioned incredulously. "...Oh right, you've never celebrated it before. We all have to get costumes, and then get baskets to put the candy in, and then wait until later tonight, and we have to say the correct thing at the door, or we won't get candy!"
There was a long pause.
"...Yeah, I know all that! I was just... testing you! HA!" Vi said, a smug look on her face. Leif rolled his eyes.
"Well, let's not waste any more time!" Kabbu said, getting off the bed while avoiding the mess he made earlier. "There's a costume shop in Ant City, I can take everyone there right now!"
"Sweet!" Anne cheered as Vi and Leif got up as well. "Let's go!" And just like that, Anne was out the door, Kabbu, Vi and Leif following behind her.
It took several minutes for them to reach the costume shop, Kabbu leading them there. Practically all of them were excited, though Kabbu did show the most restraint out of all of them. Leif attempted to lecture Vi on how they'd celebrate Bugs & Hisses properly, but Vi was having none of it, instead saying that she already knew what to do. Anne wasn't too sure of that, though.
Soon enough, they made it to the costume shop, Kabbu opening the door so they could walk inside.
"Whoa..." Anne's eyes sparkled in amazement. The place wasn't too big, but it made up for that by being jam-packed with many costumes, props, and other things that could make anyone spend hours here.
"This place wasn't here during our time, that's for sure." Leif commented.
"There's so many costumes, I'm not sure which one to try on first!" Kabbu added, looking around at all of them.
"Let's not spend too much time here, okay?! I don't want to miss out on the candy!" Vi said, getting antsy.
"Alright everyone, let's get some costumes!" Anne said, pulling out her phone and getting on her music app, scrolling to a Halloween-themed song before pushing play, turning up the volume as loud as possible. "Iiiiiiit's montage time!"
As she pointed forward, the four of them rushed to get any costumes they could find. Before long, it was sheer chaos, costumes and props flying around everywhere as the music blared loudly, all four of them struggling to find ones that were the most appropriate for them.
Anne tried on many different costumes, rushing into a nearby changing room each time and changing her clothes at lightning speeds, only to walk out and dislike the costume she wore. She needed something perfect, something that just screamed Anne Boonchuy. Maybe she'd have to string something together on her own...
Leif took his time choosing a costume, calmly walking around with all the chaos going on. He wanted something that symbolized one of his recent victories... but what? Hm... Looking to the side, he noticed some brown fabric, as well as large tubes that looked like they could easily be connected together...
Vi huffed, only now realizing she didn't have the patience to come up with a costume. This got sprung up on her at the last minute! And the last thing she needed was to miss out on the festivities, and then inevitably wait another year before being able to celebrate Bugs & Hisses, right? Nobody would care if she threw something together in a few minutes...
Kabbu scratched his head, unable to decide which costume to pick out. So many of them looked absolutely amazing! This would be his first Bugs & Hisses as a member of Team Snakemouth, so he wanted to make a good first impression for his new friends! Scanning over everything once more... Aha! He found the perfect outfit!
Before long, the Halloween music on Anne's phone died down, and all four members of Team Snakemouth were in changing rooms. They agreed that they would come out of the changing rooms one by one to show off their costumes, that way they could make it more dramatic.
"Annnnnd..." Anne said, moments before she practically jumped out of her changing room, striking a pose in her new costume. "Voilà!" Once Anne had the perfect idea for a costume, she wasted no time in making it, so to speak. They didn't have any phoenix costumes in Bugaria, after all.
"I am a beautiful phoenix, having just risen from the ashes!" Anne called out, hoping her friends could hear her from their changing rooms.
Anne's costume was a red outfit, with yellow fluff on her chest, on her legs, and just above her feet. Instead of her regular footwear (she still had no idea if her missing shoe would turn up), she wore big, brown, fluffy shoes, pointed toes on the end of them. There were small, bendable rods attached to her arms, extending past her hands. This was so she could add many feathers to her outfit, each arm having around three rows of feathers, colored red, orange, and yellow. Finally, she wore a small red mask, only big enough to go around her eyes, with the addition of a pointed, brown beak above her regular nose.
"You know, for stringing this together in ten minutes, I think I did a pretty good job!" Anne said, looking over her new outfit once more. Just then, the small brown beak fell off, Anne hurriedly picking it up and re-attaching it.
A few moments later, Leif walked out of his changing room, Anne anticipating what costume the moth would wear, and...
"What do you think?" Leif asked.
"Uhh..." Anne wanted to say it was one of the goofiest things she'd ever seen, but- "Wait, are you dressed as that spider we beat up?"
Somehow, Leif managed to stitch together an outfit out of brown and khaki-colored cloth, resembling the spider they all fought back in Snakemouth Den. Leif's wings were stuffed within the outfit, and Leif's abdomen was covered in the cloth as well. He'd also fashioned some of the cloth into a hoodie, using googly eyes to represent the additional eyes a spider would have. But that wasn't all; Leif wrapped cloth around six large, bendable tubes, attaching them to his back to emulate the additional legs a spider would have. Overall, Anne couldn't deny the effort Leif put into it.
"Mhm." Leif answered with a nod. "Think of it as a... trophy of sorts, as payback for what that spider did to us. Plus, it's adorable."
"Well, I can't argue with that logic." Anne said with a shrug, backing down.
Just then, another changing room door opened, and... "OoooOOOOOoooOOOO!"
...Vi walked out, a long white cloth over her entire body. There were holes cut in it for her eyes, antennae, wings, and abdomen, and the whole costume itself looked like it was only put together in a few minutes. Anne and Leif said nothing, even as Vi raised her arms toward them, trying but failing to come off as scary.
"Um..." Leif said, many questions on his mind.
"I was too lazy to come up with anything else, okay!?" Vi abruptly yelled, answering all those questions. "I just wanna get that candy before it's too late!" At least she was being honest about it.
"You know what, I'll give you an A for effort." Anne said, before thinking about it for a moment and backtracking on her words. "Well, there wasn't much effort, actually..." Anne muttered to herself low enough that Vi couldn't hear. Everyone else had at least some thought put into their costumes, but this still was Vi's first Bugs & Hisses... she deserved a little leniency. A bedsheet ghost could attract candy, after all.
And now the only one left was-
"Aha!" Kabbu yelled, dramatically exiting his changing room. "Everyone, look at this costume I found!" He did a little twirl, his new cape waving around as he did so.
"Whoa." Leif said, surprised.
"That looks so cool!" Vi gasped.
"Wait, are you dressed as a..." Anne began as she looked over Kabbu's new outfit.
The beetle now wore a dark blue button-up suit and pants of the same color, as well as black shoes. He also wore a bright red bowtie, adjusting it slightly. But the biggest and most recognizable part of that outfit had to be the cape; it bent up near the top at the sides, while the two ends connected to the bowtie, holding it all in place. It took a few moments, but Anne finally figured out what Kabbu was dressed up as.
"A vampire?" Anne finished.
"...Huh?" Kabbu asked, legitimately confused. "No, I just decided on this because it looks fancy!" He extended his arms off, showing off his costume again. "Vi, Leif, doesn't this look fancy to you?" The other two bugs nodded in confirmation.
"Dude, that's totally a vampire costume." Anne pointed out. If he didn't have his helmet on, then Anne would guess that he would've also added vampire teeth while claiming it was for a different reason.
"What's a vampire?" Kabbu asked. ...Was he really this clueless?
"I'll tell you later." Anne brushed that issue aside as an idea came to her head, getting out red makeup. "Actually, hold on a second. I've got the perfect addition to your costume. Just hold still..."
"Uh, Anne, what are you-" Before Kabbu could protest, Anne got to work, applying the red makeup to various parts of Kabbu's body, such as his horn, the side of his helmet, his light green capelet, and his hands. Thankfully Kabbu didn't struggle or push her away, and Anne made sure to smear some of the makeup to get the effect she wanted.
Once she was finished, she stepped away. "Aaaaand there we go. It's perfect."
"...What'd you do?" Leif asked as Kabbu examined himself.
"I just added a little makeup to look like human blood. You know, to go with the theme." Anne said with a shrug. Aside from her own costume, Kabbu arguably had the costume that could be considered the scariest.
"W-What?!" Kabbu yelped, his eye wide with fear as he stared at his red hands. "B-BLOOD?!"
"Oi, get over it! It's not real blood, anyway!" Vi yelled, annoyed. Kabbu wilted slightly, nodding in acceptance.
With that, everyone was satisfied with their costumes. They still had to pay for them, and the price was a bit heftier than they thought it'd be... but the candy they'd get later would more than make up for it.
Leaving the costume shop (and the mess they made inside) behind, Team Snakemouth began the trek back to the house, talking amongst themselves. Along the way, they stopped at another store to get baskets to store their candy in, and after they were sure they had no other stops to take, there was still plenty of time left before Bugs & Hisses would start.
As the four made their way back to the house, Anne kept reassuring Kabbu that the red makeup wasn't actual human blood, and that it could easily be washed off after the holiday was over. Vi and Leif held their own conversation, Leif trying to give the bee any last-minute tips he could about how to get as much candy as possible on Bugs & Hisses.
Eventually, the conversation shifted to all four of them talking about how much candy they'd all get. Leif claimed to be an expert of the holiday, Anne cutting in to retort that her experience with Halloween would be more than enough to get her the most candy. Despite her confidence, Vi was the most smug out of all of them, saying that experience didn't matter, she would get more candy than all of them.
The argument reached an end when Kabbu gave them a simple solution: just pool all the candy together afterward! Nobody had to fight, they could all get enough candy for an entire harvest! Thankfully, despite their earlier bickering, Team Snakemouth all agreed to this, the four of them sharing a laugh, eagerly awaiting later that night when Bugs & Hisses would start.
But as they grew closer to their house, they noticed how... quiet Ant City became. Usually, there'd be bugs walking around, mingling with others as they went about their daily business. But right now... almost nobody else was around, and the few bugs that they did see were in a hurry, rushing to get into their houses and lock the doors.
What was going on? Anne raised an eyebrow at all of this, the mood noticeably changing. Before she could question or call attention to it, the four of them saw someone running toward them; an Ant Guard.
They normally guarded the Anthill Palace, but this one found it important enough to speak with Team Snakemouth directly. Once the Ant Guard reached them, it stopped to take several deep breaths, nearly falling over from exhaustion.
"Team Snakemouth!" The Ant Guard said in a hurry, a panicked expression on her face. "W-What are you doing with those costumes?!" The Ant Guard shook slightly as she held onto her large stick weapon for dear life.
"Uh, we're gonna be celebrating Bugs & Hisses?" Anne said with a shrug, unsure why the Ant Guard was acting so erratic. Maybe she was just trying to get everyone in the mood. "You in? What's your costume gonna be?"
The Ant Guard's eyes practically bulged out of her head in fear. "Ack, no! No no no no NO!" She fervently shook her head, desperation written all over her face. "No, you can't! There's an early curfew in affect tonight, everybody has to stay inside!"
"What?!" Kabbu asked, bewildered.
"This can't be..." Leif said, disappointed. "We very clearly remember celebrating the holiday here before."
"Are you kidding me? This is my first time celebrating this holiday and then you pull THIS?!" Vi yelled, looking ready for a fight then and there.
"Yeah, come on dude!" Anne agreed. "Why?!"
There was a momentary beat of silence as the Ant Guard stared at them. "...You don't know?" She asked. Team Snakemouth all shook their heads in response. "Okay then... there's a reason that we don't celebrate Bugs & Hisses here anymore. It all began a few years ago..."
…
Bugs & Hisses... it used to be one of the most enjoyed holidays in Ant City. Practically everyone would go out and celebrate it, getting to the point where there were bugs lined up at houses for candy. It brought everyone together, unifying the community as a whole. ...But that wouldn't last forever.
Emile the Ant Guard remembered that day all too well. She was on patrol, watching out for any bugs that got too rowdy or crossed the line. There were a few incidents, but that was normal for any holiday of that caliber. Nearly everything was decorated to fit the theme of Bugs & Hisses, including blue lights strung along the paths.
Everything changed when... it attacked.
A huge shadow cast over the nearby area, the bugs walking around stopping to see what was going on. Emile gasped, looking up. There was... something flying around, looking as if studying them all. Emile's brain short-circuited, part of her briefly thinking this was some sort of prank to fit the theme of the holiday, but... no.
The otherworldly monster screeched before swooping down, creating a huge gust of wind that nearly blew Emile away.
Everything was a blur at that point. Screaming, frantic footsteps, crying, sobbing... At some point, Emile herself faced off against the monster, barely getting away with her life. She couldn't clearly remember what the monster looked like, but it was beyond comprehension, something like this never seen in Bugaria before.
Thankfully, the monster eventually flew away, hopefully back to wherever it came from... but in its wake it left destruction, traumatized kids... and even a few casualties, one of the bodies never being found.
Ever since then, Ant City never celebrated Bugs & Hisses again. To combat the terrifying monster, they set up a curfew on the day Bugs & Hisses normally took place, to make sure everyone stayed inside and safe. Sure, they'd never know if the monster came back... but it was for the best. Emile and the rest of Ant City would never be the same after that day.
…
"...And that's everything." The Ant Guard said, shuddering in fear.. "Team Snakemouth, you understand now, right? This is why there's a curfew in effect tonight. Everyone has to follow it, or... or... you'll meet your doom."
As much as Anne didn't want to believe this story that sounded like something right out of a bad science fiction movie, it would explain a few things. Why nobody mentioned the holiday here before, why there was nothing set up...
But when she looked at her friends, at the disappointed and saddened looks on their faces... Anne grew angry, wondering just how valid that Ant Guard's story really was. All of them were excited for Bugs & Hisses, and out of nowhere, they were hit with the news that they couldn't celebrate it after all. Wasn't that unfair?
This was supposed to be a bonding experience for all of them. The last thing Anne wanted was for her friends to be disappointed, especially when she brought up the holiday to them in the first place. Her hands clenched into fists, shaking so much that it might've taken off a few of the feathers on her costume.
"Is this a joke?!" Anne spoke up in a rage, defending herself and her friends. "There's no way in a million years that you can make me and my friends stay stuck inside on Halloween night, and if you try then I'm gonna-"
Anne sat on the couch, fuming as she had her arms crossed in defiance.
It was several minutes later. Kabbu and Leif managed to calm Anne down and get her to come into the house, Vi awkwardly following them. Kabbu locked the door to the house, and things were quiet since then, nobody saying much.
Everyone had gone to so much work making their costumes, so they decided to keep them on, hoping to get some use out of them. Kabbu cleaned up a little while Leif made himself a snack, and Vi took it upon herself to get Anne's phone and mess with it, Anne not caring much at the moment.
Anne couldn't stop thinking about how unfair it all was. It boiled within her, making her wish she could do something. Thankfully she was dragged away from the Ant Guard before she could take her anger out on her, otherwise Anne might be in much more trouble right now.
"If we can't celebrate, we could do something else instead!" Kabbu said, trying to break the silence and bring some positive vibes to the house. "Hm... oh! How about a sleepover?"
"That might be fun." Leif said as he finished up his snack. "All of us could stay up late in our costumes."
"Well, I could stay up all night if I wanted to!" Vi challenged as she looked at pre-downloaded videos on Anne's phone.
Anne huffed, frustrated at how easily they all accepted this. "Guys, no! I don't want to stay in here all night at all!" It was infuriating how they were willing to settle for just lazing around and being cozy in their costumes when they could easily fight for so much more! Anne leaned forward, burying her head in her hands. "This is the worst Halloween ever..." Was it even Halloween in LA? She couldn't tell anymore.
"We're sorry, Anne." Leif said with a frown. "We can't go outside, though. Otherwise, we might get in a lot of trouble if we break curfew."
Anne rolled her eyes. "I know..." She said with a groan, leaning back onto the couch, letting herself sink into it a little. Were her friends from home celebrating Bugs & Hisses right now?
"I do wish there were more we could do." Kabbu said. "We paid a lot for these costumes; I don't want them to go to waste!" That was a good point. There was no guarantee of what might be happening next year, what if they couldn't get another chance to celebrate Bugs & Hisses together?
"Shh!" Vi said, glaring at the three of them. ...Or at least it looked like it, it was hard to tell due to her bedsheet costume. "I'm upset about this too, you know! But complaining isn't gonna get rid of the curfew so be quiet! I'm trying to focus!" Vi turned back to what she was doing; attempting to play a game on Anne's phone. Anne had so many games downloaded on there she forgot how many she had.
"...Can you even see what you're doing?" Kabbu asked, sounding slightly worried. Vi insisted on keeping her costume all the way on, which meant that her arms were still under the bedsheet, making it difficult to be precise in making her inputs in the game.
Vi ignored Kabbu, trying to focus. A minute or so passed... to Vi's dismay, a random glitch occurred, causing her to lose and get a game over. "Oh, what? This is rigged!" Vi growled in frustration, looking about ready to throw the phone across the room.
"Gimme that!" Anne yelled, standing up and grabbing her phone before Vi could do anything with it. Anne sighed, pocketing the device. She hadn't even been inside for fifteen minutes, and already she was antsy to get back outside.
Anne furrowed her brow, trying to think. There was no way that the story the Ant Guard told them could be true. It was... some kind of scare tactic, wasn't it? If only Anne could've confronted that Ant Guard earlier...
"Guys, do any of you even believe that story? It sounds like a load of junk to me." The more she thought about it, the more Anne realized how convenient it all sounded. "There's got to be some kind of ulterior motive to all this..." Anne never heard of any warning about this curfew beforehand, so what was really going on?
"Anne, I do believe they genuinely want us to be safe." Kabbu gave his opinion. "Some might not agree with their methods, but I ask you to give them the benefit of the doubt."
"You know... maybe it might be for the best that we're all staying inside." Leif added. "There's a chance that story might be true, and if it is... we'd rather stay safe, especially after all the other monsters we had to fight lately."
"Are any of you taking this seriously?" Anne questioned, gesturing to all of them. "Vi, you're with me, right?" After all, this was supposed to be Vi's first Bugs & Hisses, she should be just as furious as Anne was! If she could just figure out why- "I got it!" Anne snapped her fingers, a conclusion appearing in her mind. "They want to take all our candy for themselves!"
Vi stayed silent for a moment, not too sure how to reply. "It sounds like you're just making stuff up at this point."
Flabbergasted, Anne stumbled over her words, unable to even comprehend what Vi just said. "Wh-no! They're the ones making up stuff! Think about it! Nobody's said anything about some monster attacking before!"
"Nobody said anything about the holiday ever since we exited Snakemouth Den, either." Leif pointed out. ...That was true. Anne still refused to believe that the 'otherworldly monster' ever existed, though. She might not be able to prove it, but her gut instinct combined with how determined she was to celebrate the holiday tonight... she had to do something.
"I've had enough of this." Anne grumbled to herself. Every minute that passed was another minute going to waste, being spent sitting inside instead of celebrating Bugs & Hisses. Anne knew what she had to do, but first... she needed her friends on her side.
Anne climbed onto the couch, steadying herself before standing on it. She clapped several times, getting everyone's attention... perfect. Anne cleared her throat... "Kabbu, Vi, Leif... don't all of you want to celebrate Halloween- I mean, Bugs & Hisses?" Anne shook her head as she got the name of the holiday wrong.
"This is our one chance!" Anne continued, pouring her entire heart into this speech. "Who knows if we'll still even be together to celebrate this next year, we need to take this opportunity while we still can! If we don't take this chance now, I'm sure we'll all regret it for the rest of our lives!" As she spoke, she realized just how generic it sounded, but Anne couldn't stop now.
"Kabbu, you love going out and talking to people and making connections! This holiday lets you do exactly that! Leif, it's been who knows how long since you've been able to celebrate, and Vi, you've never even been able to celebrate this before! Don't all of you deserve this? We all do! And that's why I say we go outside and make a stand! So who's with me?!"
Anne smiled brightly as she waited for her friends to reply, but... Leif shrugged, turning away to get another snack. Vi sat back down on her bed, uninterested. Anne frowned, turning to Kabbu, hoping that he of all bugs could see where she was coming from, that he would join her cause...
"That was a nice speech." Kabbu said. "All of this is exhausting, though. I'll make it up to you another day, I promise." With that, Kabbu walked away.
Beat.
Breathe in... Anne took a deep breath, exhaling a few moments later. She needed to stay calm. She didn't blame Kabbu, Vi, or Leif for not wanting to join her. "I didn't want to have to do this..." Anne's eyes lowered as she stepped off the couch, a plan formulating in her head. "But you've left me no choice."
Before anyone could ask what her ominous statement meant, Anne got to work. She walked around the small house, taking several minutes to collect the items and equipment she needed. Her friends watched in confusion, unsure of what she was doing. Whether they decided to help or not didn't matter at this point- what mattered was getting it done.
A basket... food... a few drinks... a tablecloth... after a few minutes, Anne had everything she needed. Perfect.
Leif sighed. "We didn't want to be the ones to ask this, but... Anne, what are you doing?"
She stayed silent; if she spoke even a word of what she was doing at this point, then all her hard work might as well go down the drain. Anne steeled herself as she walked toward the door... before breaking off into a sprint, making sure not to drop anything she was carrying. Kabbu tried to say something in protest, but it was too late. Anne opened the door, pushing it open as hard as she could before she stormed outside.
No guards were around, thankfully. Anne turned around, seeing that the others did follow her... but only as far as the front door, Kabbu and Vi in the front with Leif needing to crane his head up a bit to see what was going on. All three of them looked confused and worried, Kabbu especially.
"Anne!" Kabbu whisper-shouted, glaring. "What are you doing?! Come back inside, now!"
"Seriously!" Vi added, hurriedly motioning with both her hands. "This is taking things way too far!"
"If we need to freeze Anne, just say the-"
"We're not doing that!" Kabbu interrupted, now glaring at Leif. The moth just shrugged in response.
"I'm not coming back in." Anne said, her tone neutral. She needed to get things set up first before she got loud.
Which was why she smiled as she set all her equipment down, getting everything set up. The others watched in confusion as she set the tablecloth down on the grass, setting the basket on top of it. Anne opened the basket, getting plates, napkins and utensils out. Any second now...
"She's setting up a picnic." Leif dully said. Kabbu and Vi gave Leif weird looks before looking at Anne for confirmation.
"That's right." Anne confirmed with a nod, sitting down at the picnic while putting food on the plates. "My mom always said that if you must protest, you should do it in a way that's confusing to others and draws a lot of attention." With her mother's advice in mind, this was the first thing she thought of. Someone randomly having a picnic on this holiday would be pretty confusing!
"This is still pretty stupid, though!" Vi argued, trying but failing to keep her voice low.
"I'm just having a picnic! What about this is stupid?" Anne asked, feigning ignorance. Everything was still going according to plan. "And besides, aren't picnics more fun with friends, come on, join me!" She waved to her friends, motioning for them to join her.
For a minute or two, none of them moved. Anne accounted for the possibility where the three of them stayed inside, and that would be just fine. But even so...
"Oi, screw this!" Vi yelled, fed up with all of this. "Move out of my way, I'm joining Anne!" The bee pushed Kabbu to the side, running over to Anne's picnic and sitting down with her.
"Ack! Vi, no!" Kabbu ran after Vi, unable to catch up with her before she sat down.
Leif followed both of them, not caring at this point. "Aaaand here we go."
"Ah, there you guys are!" Anne said, happy that the rest of her friends joined her. "Come on, have something to eat!" She patted an empty spot on the tablecloth where Kabbu or Leif could sit.
"Have something to EAT?!" Kabbu repeated in disbelief, not caring how loud he was at this point. "Anne Boonchuy, if you don't put all this away right now and get inside, then ALL of us are gonna get into so much trouble that we won't be able to-"
"Yes, keep making noise!" Anne said, not caring about what Kabbu was actually saying. Kabbu appeared taken aback, moments away from yelling at Anne again- but then she pointed somewhere. "Look!" The others looked in the direction Anne was pointing, and...
There were multiple houses nearby, and a few of them had their doors open. Townsbugs poked their heads out at the commotion, wondering what was going on. They mumbled to themselves, a couple of them looking worried.
"Looks like we're attracting a crowd." Leif commented to himself.
Anne smirked. "Everything is going exactly as I imagined." With that, she stood up, looking around and trying to see how many bugs were watching. "Everyone!" Anne called, making sure all eyes were on her.
She had to make sure she got this speech exactly right. "You shouldn't have to hide and stay inside tonight just because someone tells you to! You can make your own choices! This holiday comes only once a year, and nobody should rip you away from it any longer! So who's with me!?" Anne raised her fist into the air, emphasizing her point.
"Bugs & Hisses!" Anne chanted. "Bugs & Hisses!" She glanced at her friends, hoping they'd join in. "Bugs & Hisses!" They were still quiet, and the bugs looking out their doors didn't move or say anything either. "Bugs & Hisses!" Anne's next chant was slightly less enthusiastic, part of her wondering if this would even work after all. Any moment now, an Ant Guard would come by and-
"Bugs & Hisses!" To Anne's surprise, Vi joined in on the chant, looking determined. "Bugs & Hisses!" Anne clenched her raised fist tightly, putting everything she had into this, her heart racing. "Bugs & Hisses!" Leif joined as well.
"Bugs & Hisses!" Some of the townsbugs began chanting as well, causing even more of a commotion. "Bugs & Hisses!" The noise caused more and more bugs across Ant City to see what was going on, realizing that the banned holiday might just take place after all. "Bugs & Hisses!" Even Beesther wheeled out of her house to see what was going on, chuckling to herself.
Kabbu sighed, realizing at this point that there was no turning back and nothing left to lose. "Bugs & Hisses!" He joined in on the chant that took over nearly all of Ant City by now.
Before long, townsbugs were actively preparing for the holiday in question. They got out long-forgotten decorations, putting them up and giving some to other bugs that had thrown theirs away years ago. They dug up old costumes out of closets, while others grabbed whatever candy they could, ready for bugs to arrive at their doors. The chanting eventually stopped, but the town was abuzz with life.
Multiple Ant Guards noticed this, trying to stop them and shoo them back into their homes with their sticks. However, the sheer number of bugs wanting to celebrate Bugs & Hisses was simply too overwhelming, despite the guards' best efforts. The guards looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Nothing they tried would get the holiday to stop now.
Only several minutes had passed, but it looked like Ant City had been preparing Bugs & Hisses for weeks now. Anne looked around in amazement, seeing all the different costumes and all the bugs going around and getting candy. It was a sight to behold- an almost nostalgic one.
"Anne, you did it!" Vi cheered. "I don't really know how... but you did it!" Vi almost looked ready to hug Anne for a moment but decided not to.
"Congratulations." Leif said, smiling. "We can't wait to shovel all that candy in our mouth."
"I'm still not too sure about this..." Kabbu added, looking a bit weary. However, he abruptly straightened up, smiling. "Oh, but I can't help myself! I'm so excited!"
"Then come on!" Anne exclaimed, amped up. "Let's put this picnic away and get some candy!"
"Yeah!" All four members of Team Snakemouth cheered. With that, they all pitched in to clean up the mess they made, putting the picnic stuff back in the house while finding their candy baskets, all of them ready to celebrate Bugs & Hisses.
By now, the holiday was in full swing. It was nighttime, and the aroma of the bugarian candy wafted throughout all of Ant City, letting everyone know that... yes. Bugs & Hisses would be celebrated this year after all.
It'd been about an hour since Team Snakemouth began going around houses to get candy, all four of them having a blast. There were a bunch of faces they recognized celebrating the holiday as well, and some others they didn't recognize. Practically everyone was here!
The variety of costumes was a sight to see as well, almost everyone wearing something unique. Anne already knew this would be filled with so many new fun memories... a few had happened already, even. Such as when they found Robertius's house and decided to scare the rich termite. It served him right after what he made Team Snakemouth do.
"Look at how much candy we've got!" Anne said, looking into her basket. She'd gotten a pretty gool haul so far; her basket was over halfway full.
"This is so cool!" Vi yelled, her wings buzzing with excitement.
"Vi, don't eat all that in one night! There's no telling what kind of sugar rush you'll get!" Kabbu scolded.
"Oi, you're not the boss of me!" Vi argued.
"Kabbu, we're gonna eat our entire basket of candy tonight and there's nothing you can do to stop us. We're older than you, after all." Leif said, his tone smug.
"Wh-NO!" Kabbu said in disbelief, almost ready to snatch Leif's basket from him. "Do I have to hide the candy from you all tonight?!"
"As much fun as a candy marathon sounds, the last thing I want is to get cavities." Anne said, knowing that she ran out of toothpaste a while ago.
"Get it together, we're at the next house." Leif pointed out. Team Snakemouth's brief banter fizzled away as they walked up to the next house, the place practically covered in decorations.
Anne knocked on the front door a few times, and it opened moments later, a mantis on the other side.
"Bugs & Hisses!" Team Snakemouth yelled, holding up their baskets before hissing moments later. At first, Anne thought the hissing was a little weird... but she quickly got used to it.
"Hey, it's Team Snakemouth!" the mantis said, chuckling. Without hesitation, he grabbed some candy, pouring a generous handful into each of their baskets. "I hope you four enjoy! It's so good to celebrate again, isn't it?"
"You said it!" Vi agreed, shaking her basket.
"Thank you so much for the candy!" Kabbu said, beaming with happiness.
"No problem!" The mantis waved to them as Team Snakemouth walked away, all four of them waving back. The mantis closed his door, getting ready for when the next group would arrive.
"Alright, how many houses do we have left?" Anne asked, determined to maximize her candy out. Even if it meant her basket would overflow, she would do it!
"Probably less than half?" Leif guessed. "We're not too sure, we're still trying to familiarize ourselves with the new Ant City..."
"Who cares? Let's just get more candy!" Vi cheered, already running off. Kabbu chased after her, being careful not to trip and spill all his candy onto the ground. Anne and Leif watched, both of them chuckling at the comical sight. Yes, the holiday was supposed to be scary... but that didn't mean they couldn't have fun!
And that wasn't even the start of it. Time flew by as Team Snakemouth explored Ant City, their candy baskets filling up by the minute. Before they knew it, they'd gone to nearly every house they could, running into a few friendly faces along the way.
Such as Fry, who made bite-sized meals for anyone that stopped by, Alex helping him out. Team Snakemouth took a few minutes to eat; there was still plenty of time left in the night after all. Alex wore a chef's costume while Fry wore a spooky mask; both of their costumes complemented each other quite nicely.
Team Snakemouth also met up with Eetl and Artis, the two bugs a bit surprised that Bugs & Hisses was taking place at all. Eetl appeared a bit more up uptight about it while Artis tried to calm the blue beetle down. Nevertheless, Artis did tell them that the outskirts were celebrating the holiday as well, so Team Snakemouth decided to check it out.
Though it wasn't nearly as busy as Ant City, the Bugaria Outskirts had their own celebration of Bugs & Hisses going as well, inspired by how Ant City was doing it. There weren't nearly as many houses in the outskirts, so Team Snakemouth went to almost all of them in less than half an hour. However... there was still one more place they could go to.
Chuck's place! Kabbu remembered it at the last second, and though it was a bit out of the way, Team Snakemouth just had to pay him a visit. It would be rude not to, right? It took a bit to find Chuck's hut, but once they did, the four of them had a pleasant conversation with the old wood-boring beetle, catching up on what they've all been doing.
Eventually, Chuck did give them some stuff, but Team Snakemouth didn't pay attention to what it was, the four of them waving Chuck goodbye as they walked off.
"He was nice. Had a lot of stories to tell." Leif commented as Team Snakemouth made their way back to Ant City.
"Though he doesn't sound like the type to get out a lot." Vi added. "Also, I wasn't paying attention, what'd he give us?" Vi looked into her basket and gasped. "I got five pieces of candy!"
"We got a ball of honey." Leif said, looking into his bag and seeing what he described, wrapped up in a little package.
"I got a berry!" Anne added, holding it up. She wasn't sure what the exact conversion of berries to dollars would be, but even if it was just one berry, she'd cherish it no matter what.
Kabbu looked into his basket and deflated slightly, frowning. "I got a rock."
"That was a weird mistake to make." Leif said, feeling sorry for the beetle. He looked down into his basket again and gave it a weird look, noticing something poking out within all the candy. Leif reached into the basket, pulling it out, and... "Alright, who's the wise guy that gave us medicine of all things?!"
Anne cringed slightly, pointing at the bottle of medicine. "I think we should return that." It didn't occur to her that they had no way of tracking down who the medicine actually belonged to. A moment passed, and the group shared a bit of laughter at the comical situation they'd gotten into, though the laughter turned awkward when they realized that some poor bug was missing their medicine.
Vi loudly coughed, hoping the topic would switch to something else.
"Okay, I've waited long enough. I've gotta try a piece of this candy." Anne said, taking a random piece of candy out of her basket and undoing the wrapping. She noticed Kabbu giving her a stern look, and she sighed. "Yes, I'm only gonna have one. And I'll dispose of the wrapping paper properly."
With that, Anne popped the candy into her mouth, tasting and chewing it for a few moments. She gulped it down... There were stars in her eyes; the taste and texture were unlike any candy back home. It was if her tastebuds were re-ignited for the first time in years, at the same time using all her willpower not to eat everything she had right now."Oh my gosh, the candy in this world is amazing!" Anne cheered. She made a mental note to try and introduce her new friends here to Earth candy whenever she got the chance.
"Aw come on!" Vi complained. "How come Anne gets to have candy but I don't?" By now, the four of them were back in Ant City, where the main source of action was.
"Because you can't be trusted!" Kabbu argued. "And how would you go about eating it, anyway? Your face is under that bedsheet!"
Vi looked down at herself, noting that she was in fact wearing her bedsheet costume before she looked back up at Kabbu, glaring slightly. "Touché."
"Guys, come on." Anne said, hoping the two of them would knock it off. "Hey Leif, I'm not sure they had any of this back in your time, but it's ama-" She paused, noticing how Leif was a bit away from the others, a strained look on his face. "Uh... Leif?"
Everyone's attention was now on the moth, who tried to straighten himself up, shaking off whatever it was. "Oh, sorry." Leif apologized.
"Are you alright, Leif?" Kabbu asked.
"Er... we're not sure." Leif admitted. "But something feels... off." Hm? That sounded weird.
"Meh, it's probably nothing." Vi shrugged. "This holiday is SUPPOSED to be scary, you know?"
"Yeah, exactly." Anne agreed before jabbing a thumb at one of the houses nearby. "Now come on, I bet we still have some time to check out a few more houses before we-"
Anne wouldn't get to finish her sentence, and she forgot entirely what she was going to say.
"SQUAWK!"
The harsh, loud noise boomed throughout Ant City, Anne's ears throbbing from how sudden it was. Vi yelped, starting to stammer something about how she didn't mean this scary, but Anne hardly paid attention to what she was saying, more focused on the huge shadow being cast over the surrounding area.
"What..." Anne looked up, straining her eyes. She couldn't tell quite well what was going on, only seeing the underside of something big flapping in place above them... wait.
No. It couldn't be. But it was the only thing that made sense; the only conclusion that could explain this.
This was the monster that the Ant Guard, Emile was talking about in her story.
"It's REAL?!" Anne blurted out, still in partial disbelief.
Everything appeared like it was in slow motion as Anne tried to process this. She'd been so confident in the idea the story and monster were both made up in an attempt to get Ant City to stop celebrating Bugs & Hisses as a part of some scheme like she'd seen in holiday movies. But now, it was impossible to deny. The monster was real, and it'd come once again on Bugs & Hisses, just like it always had.
And it was all Anne's fault.
Time resumed, all the bugs around Team Snakemouth screaming and panicking. Anne had no idea what to do, stuck between wanting to call out to the townsbugs and staring up at the monster. Next to her, Vi continued trying to stammer out something to say, while Kabbu stared up at the monster, wide-eyed. Leif prepared his ice magic, the only one out of the four of them ready to fight.
The monster circled around the immediate area, squawking several more times. Hm... Anne thought that noise sounded... familiar. But in the chaos of everything going on, Anne couldn't think, trying to focus on the survival of her friends and the rest of Ant City.
Anne's eyes darted around, trying to make sure that everyone was out of the monster's range. There wasn't anyone else nearby, except for- "Stupid wheelchair!"
The four of them turned on a dime, seeing Beesther trying to move her wheelchair, but she was unable to. One of the wheels got stuck on a rock, and no matter how much she tried, she just couldn't move. "For crying out loud, I can't go a day without something or another mucking up!"
"Beesther!" Anne cried out, trying to get the bee's attention. Beesther turned her head in Anne's direction-
But before she could say anything, the monster squawked again-
And swooped down-
In Beesther's direction.
"NO!" Thankful that she brought it with her, Anne got her tennis racquet out, running as fast as she could. Some small part of her mind remembered the part of Emile's story where a bug's body was never found, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why.
This only inspired Anne to move faster, her entire body burning as she tried her hardest to reach Beesther before the monster did. Thankfully... she didn't have to work alone. Vi's beemerang flew past her, landing a direct hit on the monster. As the weapon flew back to its owner, Leif summoned a large icicle, thrusting his arms down to the ground, commanding the icicle to go hurtling toward the monster. Another direct hit.
The monster screeched in pain, stunned for just enough time so that Anne could get to Beesther. Within seconds, Anne made it to the wheelchair-bound bee, trying desperately to get the wheelchair unstuck. Anne grunted, moments away from swearing at the stupid thing.
Anne looked behind her- that was a mistake, the monster was only a few feet away-
"Get BACK, you fowl thing!" Kabbu yelled, running up and upstriking the monster with his horn.
The constant deterrents to the monster's attempts at a snack only seemed to aggravate it, the thing hissing before trying to swoop down again. Anne glared, still unable to see clearly what the monster was due to the low lighting.
Anne stopped where she was, keeping one hand on Beesther's wheelchair while she gripped her tennis racquet tightly, waiting for the right moment when the monster was close enough- "He said get BACK!" Anne roared, swinging her weapon at the monster.
Direct hit! ...But on the monster's beak.
Apparently, this was good enough; the monster flapping its wings as it returned to the skies, once more stalking its prey.
Anne took her chance. She finally got Beesther's wheelchair unstuck from the rock and wheeled her away as fast as she could. Beesther appeared dazed from the whole ordeal, but as long as the monster didn't go after her, she'd be fine.
Nearby, Anne spotted a few bugs clambering into a house and ran over to them. "Wait!" She called out, wheeling Beesther over to the nearest townsbug. "I don't have much time, make sure she's safe!" Anne wheezed, nearly out of breath.
The bug- a short damselfly nodded in response, taking Beesther's wheelchair from Anne. The damselfly appeared too dazed to say anything, which was why they turned and wheeled Beesther into the house without a second thought, not even considering if Anne needed a place to hide to.
But she didn't. She started this, so she had to end it.
Anne ran back in the direction she came from, desperately hoping her friends were still nearby. Thankfully they were, the three of them watching the monster fly above them, making sure it didn't do anything. "Guys!" Anne called out.
"There you are!" Vi yelled. "This whole thing is really freaking me out, you know!"
"Get it together, Vi!" Kabbu said. "Don't let that thing know you're afraid!"
"We've gotta take this thing down!" Anne yelled, narrowing as she glared up at the monster, trying to determine again what it was. "Before it hurts or eats anyone!"
"Right!" Kabbu, Vi, and Leif all replied, nodding their heads in agreement. This was Team Snakemouth's newest mission: stop the monster before it ruins Bugs & Hisses more than it already has. It would be tough, but they literally had no other choice.
"Let's run it out of Ant City." Leif suggested. "We have to get it away from the civilians as soon as possible." Right, that was the best course of action.
Anne nodded in confirmation, looking up again to see where the monster was. It circled around them, high in the sky. Looks like Team Snakemouth agitated it too much, and now it was after them. The monster swooped down once again, all four members of Team Snakemouth getting out of the way just in time.
Leif let out another blast of ice at the monster, hoping to freeze it. However, the monster was wise to his tricks by now, swooping up and out of the way, causing the ice to hit some random house, freezing it.
"Whoops."
"Try again!" Anne said. If Leif managed to get a hit in and freeze the monster (just like the spider back in Snakemouth Den) then it'd fall to the grass, and they'd have a much easier time disposing of it.
Leif tried yet again, but the monster swerved to the side, squawking.
"Again!" Anne yelled.
"This isn't working!" Kabbu yelled back. Leif looked tired from the constant ice blasts; at this rate there'd be no way he would get a hit in now.
"Wait, what about our candy baskets?" Vi asked over all the chaos.
"Is now REALLY the time, Vi?" Kabbu questioned, trying to get her to focus.
It was a valid question, though. Anne still wanted to eat her candy after they took care of this thing, and she'd definitely have an empty stomach- wait, why was she thinking about that in the first place? She shook her head, keeping her grip on her candy basket and tennis racquet as she tried to think of a way to drive the monster out of Ant City.
Kabbu raised his hand, motioning for the monster to come toward him in an attempt to taunt it. The monster took the bait, swooping down... Kabbu readied his horn...
But before the monster got close enough, Vi swung her beemerang, landing a direct hit. The monster squawked in pain, turning its attention away from Kabbu as it sped toward Vi instead, the bee realizing what she'd gotten herself into.
"Uh oh." Vi said, yelping moments later as her wings buzzed as fast as physically possible, lifting her in the air and getting her away from the monster... mostly unscathed. The monster managed to grab onto the edge of her bedsheet costume with its mouth, ripping a tiny part off as Vi flew away.
In the process, several pieces of candy from Vi's basket fell to the ground. The monster looked at the candy curiously, before scooping all of it into its mouth moments later, devouring it in seconds. "Hey!" Vi yelled. "That was mine!"
The monster apparently didn't like that, the thing squawking at Vi loudly. It tried to bite her again, but Vi dodged out of the way, eventually going back to the ground. Anne saw all of this, an idea coming to mind.
"Everyone!" She called to her friends. Time was of the essence. Anne grabbed a piece of candy from her basket, holding it up. "We'll drive the monster out of Ant City with this!" If the monster was so eager to eat candy, then it would get as much as it wanted.
"But... our candy..." Leif looked into his candy basket solemnly.
"Oh, get over it! You can have more candy another time!" Anne snapped. She didn't have time to deal with them whining about their candy! "Now come on!" Anne threw a piece of candy behind her, running away from it.
The others did the same, catching up with Anne as they all ran. The monster flew after them, and it would've easily caught up to them if it weren't for all the candy Team Snakemouth threw at it, forcing it to occasionally stop to eat the delicious treats.
"What are we gonna do after we get it out of the city?" Vi asked as she panicked, throwing a whole handful of candy at the monster. ...That was a good question. They were approaching the outskirts, and to tell the truth, Anne hadn't thought that far ahead. She had to think of something...
"I know!" Kabbu spoke up first. He grabbed something out of his candy basket, clutching it to his side so that the others couldn't see. "Everyone! Lead the monster to the lake! I'll take care of it from there!"
Anne had no idea what Kabbu was planning, but since she couldn't come up with an idea of her own, she went along with it. Team Snakemouth ran into the outskirts, Kabbu leading them to the lake. They still had more than enough candy to keep baiting the monster to follow them, so that wasn't an issue. However, the constant teasing and baiting only served to agitate the monster, leading it to take more risks than before.
Within a few minutes, they made it to the large lake, Anne turning around to see the monster swooping down again-
"Look out!" At the last second, Anne ducked to the grass, her friends doing the same. The monster just barely grazed over her head; if any of them had been too slow, then they might've been the monster's next meal.
Once the monster realized it missed them, it took to the skies again, flapping its wings as it turned around, glaring down at Team Snakemouth. Anne glared back up at it as the four of them stood up, Anne still racking her brain on trying to figure out why it looked so familiar.
"Kabbu, what's next?" Leif asked. That monster wouldn't stay in place forever, after all.
"Anne, Vi, Leif!" Kabbu said, making sure he had everyone's attention as he set his basket down, still clutching whatever he grabbed out of it. "I need you to distract that thing! I'm gonna drive it into the lake, maybe that'll incapacitate it!"
Of course! Anne nodded in confirmation, a smirk forming on her face. "Hey! You big ugly thing!" She yelled up to the monster as she cupped her hands around her mouth. "We're down here you know! Or are you too stupid to realize what you're doing?!"
That certainly set it off. The monster squawked before flying down, as fast as it could possibly could. Kabbu motioned to Vi and Leif, and they got to work. Vi threw her beemerang up at the monster, and Leif summoned another icicle to throw at it as well. The monster dodged the beemerang before swerving around the icicle-
"Take THAT!" Kabbu yelled, throwing what was in his hand at the monster. ...It was the rock that Chuck gave him earlier, of course it was.
The monster didn't have time to get out of the way, already too busy with dodging the other stuff thrown at it. Kabbu's rock landed a direct hit on the monster's wing, causing it to screech as it abruptly fell into the lake... causing a huge wave of water to splash on everyone.
"Great, my costume's all ruined!" Vi squealed, desperately trying to get the wet bedsheet off of her. Leif helped her out, the moth not caring too much that his own costume was wet.
Distracted from what just happened to the monster, Anne looked over at Kabbu, gasping. "Oh no! It's ruined!" Anne cried. The red makeup that she used to enhance Kabbu's costume got washed away by the massive wave of water, and now it was as if it was never there at all. Oh well...
Kabbu tried to shake some of the water off himself, blinking a few times. "H-Hey! It worked! It actually worked!" He pointed at the lake, everyone turning to see what was going on.
The impromptu plan worked, and now that the monster was defeated-
With a screech, the monster stuck its head out of the water for air, thrashing around desperately. Anne cringed; now that she got a clearer look at it, the thing looked less like a monster, instead more like a...
A...
A bird.
A giant bird.
…
With that revelation, Anne now understood. She couldn't believe that she didn't come to this conclusion sooner, considering what she'd dealt with in this world before. But still...
"That thing's a BIRD?!" Anne said, still partially in disbelief. A gigantic bird. Really. Anne couldn't help but feel sorry for it; with the way that rock hit the bird's wing, Anne wasn't sure if the avian animal would be able to use it after this... man, Kabbu had a strong arm.
"Anne, what's a bird?" Leif asked. "And can we have one as a pet?"
"That's a bird!" Anne exclaimed, gesturing to the 'monster' that was still thrashing around in the lake, trying but failing to fly away.
"You didn't answer our second question."
"Who cares if it's a bird? It still attacked everyone and ruined Bugs & Hisses!" Vi yelled. "Come on, it can't do anything, let's take it down!"
"Don't be too hasty!" Kabbu said, stopping Vi before she could throw her beemerang at the bird again. "Anne, it sounds like you might have a better understanding of what's going on here. Am I correct?"
Anne glanced away, wondering if what she was thinking was even correct. "Well..." The only thing she couldn't deny was that the monster that terrorized Ant City on Bugs & Hisses was a bird... but why did it do that? Maybe if she thought about it logically...
"Guys, you can't demonize the bird for well, being a bird, I guess?" Anne said with a shrug. "It wasn't intentionally trying to hurt you guys; it was just doing what birds always do."
"Does that include trying to eat bugs?" Leif asked.
"...Yes." Anne said, unsure if that would affect his decision on whether he'd want a bird as a pet or not. "But really, it's just a wild animal! You guys were treating it like it's some sentient person trying to kill everyone, of course it'd retaliate!" Anne remembered how much everyone panicked when the bird first appeared, and all that noise would rile up a wild animal...
"Then why does it only come here on Bugs & Hisses, huh?" Vi challenged, crossing her arms. "Anne, why are you defending the monster?!"
"Vi, come on!" Anne yelled in exasperation. "I'm not trying to 'defend' it, I just-" She stopped; after having said the word 'defend' with air quotes, a familiar smell wafted its way into her nostrils... the candy. Anne's eyes widened. "Ohhhhh! Of course!"
Anne lifted up her candy basket, pulling a piece of candy out. "This is what attracted the bird here! All the candy!" Anne explained, everything now making sense. "With so much candy in one place, the bird must've smelled how good it was and flew over here to check it out!"
"So the curfew was a good idea after all." Leif realized. ...Right. The curfew meant no candy, and that also meant that there would've been no bird attack either. Even if the curfew wasn't the most efficient method of stopping the bird, it unintentionally proved to be more than effective.
"Wait, does that mean that Ant City can't celebrate Bugs & Hisses anymore?" Vi asked, to which Kabbu nodded. "UGH! That stinks!" Vi pouted.
"I'm glad we have this all cleared up, but..." Kabbu said, gesturing to the huge bird still thrashing around in the lake. "What are we supposed to do with this? We can't just leave it here like this!"
Kabbu was right. If they left the bird in the lake, then either it would get angry and try to find them again, or someone else would stumble upon the wild animal, and that'd be a whole new problem to deal with. Hm... what to do... how could she solve this? Anne needed to solve this; she was the one who brought the bird here in the first place, even if it was unintentional.
Even if it seemed hopeless, she had to think of something. Anne thought back to everything that happened today, trying to come up with something-
...She knew what to do. It was really simple, actually.
Anne shushed everyone, making sure they'd all stay quiet. She couldn't have them making any noise if she wanted this to work. She took a deep breath... and began to hum a soft, familiar melody.
The same Thai melody that her mom would hum.
At first, the bird continued thrashing around, squawking and screeching as it tried to flap its wings. It took a minute, but the giant bird slowed down, hearing Anne's melody. The slow, soothing music reached the bird's ears, and it blinked a few times... eventually slowing to a complete stop.
Yes! It worked! The huge bird no longer thrashed about, instead contently sitting down, as if perched on the lake. The bird must've found an object in the lake to stand on, otherwise it would've fallen back in. Now... it was serene. Calm. Just... existing, living peacefully. It was a beautiful sight to see, Anne shedding a tear.
Kabbu, Vi, and Leif were all speechless. Anne was sure they'd bombard her with questions later, but she'd hopefully be prepared to answer them.
"There! Isn't that better?" Anne asked, to which the bird tilted its head, curious. Anne walked up to the edge of the lake, digging into her candy basket for a few pieces of candy. "Here, have a treat. You deserve it after everything that's happened."
Anne casually threw the candy at the bird, and it opened its mouth, catching everything that Anne threw before swallowing it. The bird gave a few happy chirps; its own way of saying "thank you!" to Anne. How precious...
The giant bird yawned, stretching out its wings. Huh, guess that rock must not have hurt the bird's wing, only shocking it for a few minutes. That was lucky. It chirped one more time before flapping its wings, beginning to fly upward and out of sight.
Anne waved the giant bird goodbye, a smile on her face. "Goodbye, my feathered friend..." She didn't know the bird long, but she hoped it would have a long and fruitful life ahead of it, full of adventure, exploration, and most important of all... comfort.
Team Snakemouth watched as the bird flew away, eventually becoming a speck that they couldn't see anymore. The stars in the night sky shined brightly, Anne unable to take her eyes off them. They all stayed quiet... and just like that, the terrifying night had come to an abrupt, unceremonious end.
"Well, that was certainly something." Leif said, scratching his head.
"Mhm. It certainly lived up to the horror aspect of what Bugs & Hisses is supposed to be." Vi added.
"Absolutely. I thought my heart would jump out of my chest!" Kabbu added, chuckling nervously.
...Silence, once more.
"So, we all agree not to celebrate Bugs & Hisses in Ant City anymore, right?" Anne bluntly asked, making sure they were on the same page.
"Oh, absolutely." Kabbu agreed.
"It would be for the best." Leif said with a nod.
"YEAH, I'm not risking my life for candy ever again!" Vi exclaimed.